Keep off graft, it can destroy the country

Kenya is a land of many things, of optimism and kindness, of hard work and perseverance. We have also been a land of ethnic strife.

But who we are as a country depends on the circumstances, on our leadership, the economy, and the overall mood of our people.  

Kenya is neither a land of sinners nor evil, wee are religious people. But sometimes, a rotten apple causes everything in close proximity to rot as well. One bad fruit can corrupt the whole lot of them.

Many people in power today have good intentions. They were elected democratically as servant leaders. But there is a different kind of leader that is corrupted by power.

Servant leaders are behind President Uhuru Kenyatta’s anti-corruption campaign.  

In the biblical book of Micah, we learn about the prophecies of the destruction of Jerusalem and Samaria. Micah’s father is never mentioned in the book, which likely indicates that he is   not from a privileged class.

This is notable because many of his prophecies deal with the destruction that will behold the privileged if they continue to sin.

Micah lived in a small rural area called Moresheth, far away from the corrupt distractions of city life.

He prophesied the downfall of Jerusalem because of the corruption which left many of the city’s inhabitants impoverished.

While corrupt leadership accepted money for the beatification of Jerusalem, most could not enjoy it because of inequalities in the society. 

He even called attention to prophets who accepted bribes for their oracles. His prophecies warned that if more dishonesty continued in government, destruction was imminent.

The advice offered in Micah 6:8 is ostensibly easy to abide by: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

What must be done to act as a righteous man? To act justly and to love mercy. But being a righteous person, free from the ubiquitous temptations of corruption, is not so easy. Walking humbly with God, being merciful, thinking of your fellow Samaritans is a constant, proactive effort. The default of human nature is to err, and the aspiration is to be pious.

Unfortunately, in Kenya today, we have become all too accustomed to the latter path. Corruption at the highest echelons has been destroying us all.

The government’s action plan to rid our society of it is the perfect step in the direction that we need. The amount of high-level arrests of officials in government and business is unprecedented.

After these alleged criminals are turned over to the Judiciary, the judges must also do their part to keep the wheel of justice moving.

If they fail to uphold the great responsibility that their role entails, they will be met by justice.  

The phenomenon of society’s elites hanging on to power is nothing new. Even in biblical times, we see in Micah 7:3 that “Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire — they all conspire together.”

At the very least, the president’s anti-corruption campaign has brought these issues to the forefront of public discourse. Those who decry it are the same individuals that benefit from the status quo. They demand gifts. We can no longer accept the indolence of judges who care not about justice, nor the malfeasance of their cronies. Tumechoka! (We are tired)

Let us be guided by the bible and its infinite wisdom. We must call out corruption at every turn to save our country.

James Karumecomments on social issues