Corruption in Kenya: At Least They Are Our Crooks. – Huffington Post

A very interesting debate is raging on in Kenya about people who have seemingly gotten rich through ill-gotten gains; a skill President Uhuru Kenyatta says most Kenyans are experts in. (the other skill, also according to Mr. Kenyatta, is their penchant for abusing one another).

The trigger for the debate was a Facebook post by someone known for braggadocio and gratuitous displays, oftentimes, of garish ostentation. The FB post in turn prompted an article by Prof. Makau Mutua titled Debate on wealth of Kenya's oligarchs raises key issues and like the (FB) post, focused on questions surrounding the probity and the source of wealth owned by one of the countrys most prominent business personalities Chris Kirubi.

The debate appears to continue a trend that started shortly after independence when the land transfer program meant to re-settle landless/displaced Kenyans was corrupted by the countrys first president - Jomo Kenyatta - for personal and political gains. Daniel Branch offers that accumulation of wealth through nefarious means eventually extended beyond simple personal acquisitiveness and greed into a fundamental part of Kenyas political system..providing the cement that bonded the post-colonial political elites..... Charles Hornsby adds that along with a handful of favored sons from other communities, Mr. Kirubi parlayed proceeds from the suspiciously acquired personal wealth and questionable dealings into viable business ventures effectively blurring, if not erasing completely, the line between ill-gotten wealth and legitimate wealth.

In writing that most wealthy Kenyans trace their money to the plunder of the State by the elites in the Kenyatta regime from 1964 to 1978, Mr. Mutua simultaneously underscores and reaffirms the scope, role and impact of grand corruption in Kenya while illuminating the conundrum facing a society trying to confront the issue. He also makes no bones about the current state of affairs re: grand corruption - that (connected Kenyans) are now making a killing under (Uhuru) Kenyattas (government).

The debate is thus happening in a society where the relationship between wealth, courtesy of suspected grand corruption and political connection, is immutable and total. It is a relationship that makes the idea of holding accountable the likes of Chris Kirubi, frankly most wealthy Kenyans, an absolute non-starter - protestation from various quarters and eloquent speechifying and ultimatums notwithstanding.

Just as discussions about the historical trajectory of Americas economic (and political) development continue to have detractors and supporters alike, the current debate regarding the role played by Chris Kirubi (and others like him) in Kenyas economic development is coalescing into two camps:

One camp hails his role in the countrys development and is willing to forgive the tycoon/industrialist who has supposedly used his ill-gotten gains to do good, itself a fluid construction. Contrastingly, the other camp is unforgiving and wants to see such people stripped of their (ill-gotten) wealth, forced to pay restitution and thrown in jail, their philanthropy and alleged contribution to the countrys economic development aside.

Specific to Mr. Kirubi, he has been linked to at least four companies - KENATCO, ICDC, Uchumi, and Kenya Airways - that have variously been on the brink of collapse or have collapsed, completely, only to arise, in some cases under different names, thanks to the intervention by the Government of Kenya.

His supporters argue that what he has contributed to the society/economy, outweigh, by a magnitude, any negatives the allegations surrounding him may have wrought i.e. the end justifies the means. They go on to list ventures such as the Two Rivers Mall and the rather trumpian claim that the project has created thousands of jobs for Kenyans in all phases of the mega-project and beyond. This sounds reasonable, at first glance. It however fails to offer an accounting of the potential damage and negative impact Chris Kirubis alleged misdeeds may have wrought on the various communities and businesses left in their wake. This include employees of Kenya National Transportation Company (KENATCO), of Uchumi and recently, of Kenyas national carrier Kenya Airways.

Aside from the jobs lost when the companies were either under receivership or restructuring due to mismanagement, pilferage, greed and myopic leadership, also lost or affected by Kirubis suspected malfeasance were related socio-economic activities in the companies respective supply chain. When these lost socio-economic activities are taken into consideration, then the claim that Mr. Kirubis ill-gotten gains or philanthropy benefit/ted the society become tenuous at best.

Back in November 2015, I wrote a piece titled Drawing The Line on Corruption in Kenya: Give Amnesty to Tenderpreneurs, Industrialists and Entrepreneurs where I suggested some form of amnesty for individuals accused or suspected of grand corruption as a way of drawing a line and allowing Kenya and Kenyans to warp their arms around the vice and formulate a way forward. I said then and remain convinced now that the country cannot take a firm and definitive stand against corruption because of the point Prof. Makau and historians Daniel Branch and Charles Hornsby make: That

most wealthy Kenyans trace their money to the plunder of the State by the elites in the Kenyatta regime from 1964 to 1978.

I would also add to the foregoing observation, its always-ever present ethnic dimension as pointedly noted during a spirited exchange on social media when someone characterized the series of articles questioning the probity of Chris Kirubis wealth as kimnadho i.e. a jealousy-motivated veiled narrative to portray.....(him and his tribe)..as thieves, corrupted and tribalist. While this was not my contribution to thread, it was not the first time the two issues corruption and ethnicity had intersected. This is yet another truism that renders any discussions about decisive and punitive (legal) actions against the likes of Chris Kirubi highly unlikely and more of an intellectual exercise; one that does not even touch on the moral implications surrounding the issue.

The perspective offered by Prof. Makau and others, combined with the camps that either vilify or deify, certainly mollify Mr. Kirubis record, underscore the mutability of corruption in Kenya and bring to mind a variant of FDRs characterization of Anastasio Somoza:

"He may be a crook but at least he is OUR crook.

All told, the wildly dichotomous views on Chris Kirubis wealth effeminate and render impotent, any credible and sustained war against corruption while emboldening others to emulate someone they hold up as a role model and seek a piece of the action by any means necessary.

See the original post here:

Corruption in Kenya: At Least They Are Our Crooks. - Huffington Post