Corruption: The primitive stain on Kenya’s socio-economic progress

As the sun rises on another day in Kenya, the harsh glare reveals a sobering truth – corruption has become a debilitating cancer, metastasizing across the nation’s social, economic, and political landscapes. Like a glutinous guest at a wedding feast, the corrupt individuals have gorged themselves on the public purse, leaving little for the 55 million Kenyans.

The Kenyan economy, once poised for take-off under Vision 2030, has instead been weighed down by the “economic drag, friction, and gravity” of endemic graft. Manufacturing, education, agriculture, health – no sector has been spared the ravages of this menace. It is as if the very engines of progress have been sabotaged by those entrusted to steer the country forward.

This primordial disorder can be traced to a fundamental flaw in the human condition – the inability of some to move beyond the “state of nature” described by ancient philosophers. In his book, Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes (1588 – 1679) described life in the “state of nature” as solitary, poor, brutish and short. He described this state of nature as a hypothetical world without government, hence, a man-eat-man, dog-eat-dog(sic) situation. It is a state of war of all against all and the only way to guarantee your safety is to go after them before they go after you. In this state of nature, human development through agriculture, manufacturing, entrepreneurship, science and art, among others, is a waste of time because there is no guarantee that you will enjoy the fruits of your labour. Hobbes’ solution was to form a government to escape the state of nature. As rational human beings, it was good to agree not to rob, steal and murder each other, because without government all the social agreements would fall off. This is largely the basis of modern governance through social contracts between the governed and the governor(s) and Kenya therefore, the Constitution 2010.

In contrast, the successive political leadership regimes over the last 60 years have been unable to get Kenya out of this state of nature where public resources are raped with reckless abandon. It is a real man-eat-man; dog-eat-dog situation. Instead of embracing the higher callings of duty, honour, and service, the perpetrators of corruption have succumbed to the most basic and primitive impulses of their cerebral development.

It is a disturbing regression, a return to a time when the might made right and the strong preyed upon the weak. The Kenyan political class, in their insatiable appetite for wealth and power, have become akin to “glutinous” individuals, invited for a wedding only to pill their plates with mountains of food they cannot even finish. This is a manifestation of the poverty mentality in the state of nature. Their actions demonstrate the immaturity and stunted growth of their moral and ethical faculties, a failure to evolve beyond the predatory instincts of our distant ancestors.

The path to redemption lies in a fundamental reckoning – a collective recognition that corruption is not merely a legal or political issue, but a profound moral and psychological one. It is a battle for the very soul of the nation, a struggle to reclaim the high ground of civility, integrity, and the sacred trust between the governed and their governors.

Only by confronting the primordial roots of this malaise can Kenya hope to break free from the fetters of corruption and embrace the promise of a brighter future. It is a challenge that will require the collective resolve and moral courage of all Kenyans – from the highest halls of power to the humblest of citizens. For in the end, the battle against corruption is not just a fight for economic prosperity, but a fight for the very essence of what it means to be human.