Use of stolen funds to fight coronavirus laudable

In the Book of Genesis, there is a fascinating showdown between Joseph, who had become viceroy in Egypt, and his brothers who had sold him into slavery many years earlier.

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive,” Joseph said in an admonishment to his brothers but also as proof that out of evil and bad actions, good can happen.

I was pondering this passage and its inherent message as the government declared that it will use the money from repatriated stolen funds to fight coronavirus.

“Our war on corruption continues to bear fruit. In the last year, our state agencies charged with this national endeavour were able to make significant recoveries of ill-gotten wealth,” said President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Thus, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) made a donation of Sh2 billion to the National Treasury as part of efforts to enlarge the Covid-19 emergency fund.

This Sh2 billion, and hopefully similar amounts in the future, are the result of ill-gotten gain, by those who thought they could defraud the public purse for their own benefit.

They are the result of evil, but will now be turned over to do good, possibly saving many lives and aiding those who are in need of assistance due to the devastating economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2015, the government declared corruption a ‘national security threat and vowed to tackle the scourge.

Many Kenyans thought they had heard it all before, but the heads of the rich and the powerful began to roll. Audits were undertaken of the great and in government, the civil service and even the private sector, and vast sums were recovered

While the Sh2 billion may have been retrieved as ‘dirty money’ it was originally our money so it is only fitting that it is returned to us.

The coronavirus is having devastating effects across the world. Many stable economies are folding in the face of this global crisis.

Every single cent will count as Kenya starts to bury its dead, protect the elderly and the most vulnerable as it follows the spread of the virus through robust and intelligent testing.

This is not cheap, but it is essential, and every single test can save many lives. If a coronavirus carrier tests positive, they can be quarantined and then will no longer come into contact with anyone else, thus sparing their potential interlocutors a similar fate.

If a coronavirus carrier becomes ill, our Kenyan health system will need to use all of its capacities to try and save them, either through intubation or an experimental drug.

All of these, and many, many more actions will be needed to literally save lives, but each action is costly.

However, there should be no price on saving a life.

Furthermore, as reports are already indicating, our economy is about to receive a terrible hit. Poverty rates will massively increase, and both the formal and the informal sector will need a large amount of financial bolstering.

The government is trying to get as much aid as possible, from friendly nations and international institutions. Tens of millions of US dollars have been sent to boost Kenya’s fight against Covid-19.

We believe that the Bible is not only a source of inspiration but a guide for how to live our lives. There are remarkable similarities between the Bible’s many stories and our current circumstances.

It is truly remarkable that we see, in a reflection of the story of Joseph’s divinely guided rise to a position of power, how turning something evil into good can “preserve many lives”.