MWAMISI: Cut politicians some slack Gen Z

The current agitation for better governance, democracy, development, and progress in Kenya, as I observed in my last two commentaries, is a positive thing for the country. However, there is a staggering level of hypocrisy we are witnessing today, which has sustained on social media platforms like X, in interpersonal conversations, in public spaces we must not overlook but be introspective about.

The main narrative about corruption in the public domain and media spaces often targets politicians and government agencies as the epicenter of corruption and inefficiency. However, deeper examination shows a more nuanced reality, that corruption in Kenya is not merely a top-down phenomenon but is deeply rooted in the everyday actions and attitudes of ordinary citizens. The Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei observed some 10 months ago that “Kenya is grappling with theft of public resources at an industrial scale, where corruption has permeated all aspects of society to the extent that it is normalised,” and that “Citizens, businesses, and public entities factor it into their daily expenses and budgets.” Just how did we get here?

While it is convenient to blame political figures for the nation’s woes, a closer look at our societal fabric suggests that the real bane of progress lies within the citizenry itself. Corruption in Kenya begins at the individual level and manifests in seemingly innocuous actions such as bribing a traffic officer to avoid a fine, gifting a public servant to expedite a process, or using personal connections to secure employment or contracts. These small acts of corruption, repeated over time, established a culture where ethical compromises become the norm rather than the exception.

It is worth applauding that young people have been on a path for change in this country, although many Gen Zs can attest to having benefited from corruption in one way or another. For instance, in the labyrinth of Kenya’s healthcare system, the National Hospital Insurance Fund was intended to be a beacon of hope, a buffer against harsh capitalism in the medical sector, designed to provide affordable healthcare to millions of Kenyans. However, this noble initiative has been tainted by fraud, undermining its very foundation. The misuse of NHIF by service providers, public servants, and citizens reveals a troubling picture of systemic corruption in Kenya.

At its core, the fraud involves a complex interplay between unscrupulous healthcare providers in the private sector, corrupt NHIF officials, and opportunistic citizens. The schemes range from inflated medical bills and ghost patients to unnecessary procedures and false claims. Investigations have revealed instances where NHIF officials—ordinary members of society given the opportunity to work for a government agency—manipulated records, expedited payments for fraudulent claims, and even assisted in the creation of ghost patients. Citizens often turned a blind eye, as long as they benefited, even as the government suffered serious financial losses. This fraud eroded trust in the system and led to a deterioration in the quality of services offered. Such corrupt practices extend even to securing maternity services, resulting in many Gen Z’s having been born into a culture of corruption.

This orientation towards corruption is not confined to any single social stratum. From the affluent to the economically disadvantaged, the inclination to bend rules for personal gain pervades all levels of Kenyan society. It is this pervasive culture of petty corruption that lays the foundation for more significant and systemic corrupt practices within the public and private sectors. This behaviour was evident when Gen Z’s took to the streets to protest, as there was massive looting of shops and supermarkets without any empathy for the owners or workers employed in those establishments. Doesn’t the journey of corruption from the individual to the national stage often pass through the family and community?

At the lowest level in many rural Kenyan areas, collective funds meant for development projects are misappropriated by community leaders, with little to no repercussions. This is why we should never have been surprised that corruption reared its ugly head immediately after county governments were established in Kenya. When individual citizens enter the public domain, they bring with them the values and behaviours learned in their personal and community lives, making the Kenyan public sector and county governments a perfect reflection of the broader societal norms.

Interfering with houses of worship, such as churches, is particularly dicey for Gen Z in Kenya due to the deep-rooted significance of religion in Kenyan society. They have been making calls for politicians to be exorcised form pulpits and microphones wrestled from them so that politics is not conducted in churches, for instance. Churches serve as vital community hubs that provide not only spiritual guidance but also social support, education, and humanitarian aid. Disrupting these spaces can lead to significant social backlash, alienate older generations, and undermine the societal cohesion that churches help maintain, and lead to social tensions. Such action would also not align with the law and is another level of hypocrisy.

Currently, there is always much banter about 2027 election. However, we will not be surprised to see the same approach where citizens demand money from politicians sustained. The youth, being the most energetic members of society, supply labour to political campaigns. Today, people are vilifying politicians, but politicians in Kenya became what people made them. They started to loot more to ensure that money protected them from the claws of justice, but also to ensure they supplied it to the voter during campaigns. It is a case of the hunter learning to shoot without missing and the birds flying without perching because it became a matter of sustaining corrupt sources and surviving citizen expectation for the citizen and politician respectively. Money became the measure of success in the communities and even thugs who shot people in the neck at pubs can now claim to lead the Gen Z movement.

While it is important to hold politicians and public officials accountable, it is equally vital for citizens to introspect and acknowledge their role in perpetuating corruption. The fight against corruption requires a holistic approach that addresses both the symptoms and the root causes, and brings all aboard without one segment of society wanting to claim total cleanliness from the dirt. It must start with a national dialogue.

Political commentator