According to trackcorruption.org corruption tracker in kenya, over ksh8,084,682,800,000 (eight trillion eighty-four billion six hundred eighty-two million eight hundred thousand) Kenya shillings has been lost to corruption in Kenya since march year 2014 to November year 2019 (69 months).

When you convert the mentioned amount in us dollars, it’s over 80 billion us dollars.

I personally did my own calculations based on the information provided from trackcorruption.org and i summed up the total amount of money lost to corruption to be more than the captured amount.

screenshot from https://trackcorruption.org/

This is a very huge sum amount of money to be stolen from our public coffers. As a patriotic Kenyan and youth, I believe i have a right to take part in this war against corruption before the corrupt who are mostly politicians destroy our country Kenya and our future as the youth of this great country.

Corruption in Kenya destroys the basic rights of millions of people in Kenya. it has devastating consequences on the services provided by public institutions and it undermines the prospect for a better life for future generations. I believe together as one Kenyan youth who have been left out in the fight against corruption, we can creatively work towards ending corruption, overcoming widespread injustice and impunity.

Therefore i urge every single Kenyan youth to stand up against corruption. Our future and prosperity is being robbed by these corrupt in government positions. Enough is enough, we are now tired of these unsuccessful ongoing campaigns against corruption.

The ongoing campaign against corruption is being unsuccessful first because it is not 100% genuine because the top leaderships of this country fears that a 100% war against corruption will expose them too.

Do you know what $80 billion can do, its a very huge sum of money

The following is a list of what $80 billion can do in Kenya.

First, as per the recent concluded 2019 census, we are over 47 million Kenyans. Now divide around over 80,000,000,000 billion usd lost to corruption by around over 47,000,000 Kenyans, you get like 1702.1. This means that every single Kenyan can get around 1700 us dollars which is equivalent to like 170,000 Kenyan shillings.

Secondly, as per businessdailyafrica.com dated October 15th, 2019, Kenya’s total public debt load edged closer to the kSh 6 trillion mark. 6 trillion Kenyan shillings is 6,000,000,000,000 convert it to us dollars it 60,000,000,000 which is $60 billion us dollars. This means that the $80 billion lost to corruption can also be used to pay off all the Kenyan total public debt burden and still remain with $20 billion.

let me now inform the Kenyan youths who love football what $80 billion can do. as per a simple google search, Lionel Messi earns €41 million euros per year (2016 stats) this is equivalent to like $45.5 million us dollars. Now divide the $80 billion(80,000,000,000) lost to corruption in Kenya within 69 months by $45.5 million(45,500,000) messi’s yearly salary, you get like 1758.2. This means that with $80 billion lost to corruption in Kenya, The money can pay messi’s yearly salary for like the next 1,758 years.

Let me now stop at that because if i continue exploring what $80 billion can do….Daaamn! honestly, This must come to a stop for the sake of our National survival. Enough is enough.

Need for a corruption control mechanisms in Kenya

There is need to review and improve on the current weak anti corruption mechanisms and laws in Kenya, and the war against corruption must involve the Kenyan youth because we are the most hurt by these effects of corruption.

Of importance, corruption control must be on top of the government agenda. The anti corruption laws should and must be strengthened through parliament. and Rigorous enforcement to take place with immediate effect . These other political theatrics should hold and we as a nation focus on planning and implementing corruption control measures.

We need to see legislative and administrative measures taken to reduce the opportunities of corruption, to make its detection easier and to deter and punish severely those who are susceptible to it and who engage in it shamelessly.

The overall strategic approach to fighting corruption Must apply across the board, with no distinction made on whether it is petty corruption or high level corruption. No exception is made for anyone and there are no ‘black areas’ where the law cannot deal with.

Public officers salaries should be increased because there is proof this country has the money to increase their salaries($80 billion lost to corruption in 69 months is a lot of money ). Currently our public officers are poorly paid especially our Police officers, Doctors, Nurses and Teachers and the population is much more educated, and the majority know their rights but often the way to get things done is through bribery because the salaries are miniature.

On the other hand we expect all Cabinet secretaries, all MPs and all public officers to set good examples for all others to follow in this war against corruption.

Political will is also very important and a key ingredient in the fight against this corruption infested country. Political will shall provide the soil and the nutrient which allows the seeds of anti-corruption work to germinate and grow. The government MUST match its words with deeds and highly mobilize the public, and the entire civil service to fight corruption. we need to see the type and level of mobilization like was experienced when the Kenyan government mobilized Kenyans to take huduma namba and take part in the just concluded 2019 census.

Framework of corruption control held by the foundation of political will

With a strong political will as the foundation, the new framework of corruption control should consists of;

Effective Acts / laws: which should provide the basis for the fight against corruption. The law must define corruption offences and their punishments and the powers of enforcement against it. And because the society and the environment changes all the time, it is necessary to review the law periodically to ensure that it is up to date( THE CURRENT ANTI-CORRUPTION LAWS SHOULD BE REVIEWED AND STRENGTHENED ) and The powers of an unbiased enforcement must be well provisioned so that they will have sufficient force and strength.

) and The powers of an unbiased enforcement must be well provisioned so that they will have sufficient force and strength. Effective Enforcement: we should note that Having the strengthened tough laws is no guarantee that there is effective enforcement. If there are tough laws but lacks a powerful unbiased enforcement, corruption will still flourish because the corrupt escape detection and investigation. The situation will be like having a winning battle plan but poor and ill equipped soldiers. It is therefore crucial to devote priority and attention to setting up an effective enforcement agency with all necessary resources to carry out their duties unbiased. The enforcing agency should obviously be independent and can investigate any person or corporation in government or in the private sector, however high in the hierarchy they may be. The enforcing agency should operate without fear or favor, regardless of color, creed or social status.

Effective Adjudication (or punishment): Sure detection and strict enforcement of laws, no matter how effective, must be complemented by effective adjudication. Detection, prosecution and subsequent court conviction have specific deterrence on offenders. This also has a general deterrence on the like-minded. Aided by the tough reviewed and strengthened laws, the judiciary should successfully create a regime of punishment that is deterrent enough to hammer home, loud and clear, the message THAT CORRUPTION DOES NOT PAY AND WILL NEVER PAY . Worth noting is that the court’s sentencing should be the type that sends a strong message to the corrupt and to would-be offenders to think twice before committing corruption acts. Also, As part of sentencing, the court should also impose a financial penalty on the offender equal to the amount of bribes the offender had taken, SO THIS AGAIN ALSO SENDS A CLEAR MESSAGE THAT THE OFFENDER IS NOT ALLOWED TO ENJOY ANY OF HIS OR HER ILL GOTTEN GAINS . On top of this, in cases involving government procurement or contracts, administrative actions should be taken to cancel the contract and bar suppliers who were convicted of corruption offences from future government contracts for up to ten or more years.

. Worth noting is that the court’s sentencing should be the type that sends a strong message to the corrupt and to would-be offenders to think twice before committing corruption acts. Also, As part of sentencing, the court should also impose a financial penalty on the offender equal to the amount of bribes the offender had taken, SO . On top of this, in cases involving government procurement or contracts, administrative actions should be taken to cancel the contract and bar suppliers who were convicted of corruption offences from future government contracts for up to ten or more years. Effective administration and good governance: There is need for Preventive and Administrative Measures in the Kenyan Public and Private Sector. Alongside the statutory measures dealing with corrupt offenders, a proactive approach to curb corruption should be adopted by the Kenyan Government. With the full support of Parliament, strict rules and regulations should be formulated to govern the conduct of all public officers. A high standard of discipline must be demanded of these officers.

The law should also state very clearly that a public officer is anyone on the national government and county government payroll, including all politicians to avoid any conflict of interest that may arise.

Measures should also be put in place to ensure that THE RIGHT PERSONS WITH THE RIGHT VALUES ARE IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE.

The high standard of discipline to be demanded of Kenyan pubic servants should be as follows(borrowed from Singapore’s anti corruption laws );

A public officer cannot borrow money from any person who has official dealings with him or her;

A public officer’s unsecured debts and liabilities cannot at anytime be more than three times his or her monthly salary;

A public officer cannot use any official information to further his or her private interest;

A public officer is required to declare his or her assets at his or her first appointment and also annually;

A public officer cannot engage in trade or business or undertake any part-time employment without approval; and

A public officer cannot receive entertainment or present in any form from members of the public.

Other administrative measures to be adopted to reduce the chances of public officers getting involved in corruption and wrongdoings include (borrowed from Singapore’s anti corruption laws ) ;

Identifying and removing opportunity for corruption in Government work procedures;

Streamlining cumbersome administrative procedures and to provide an efficient and transparent civil service so that no one needs to recourse to corrupt civil servants to get things done;

REVIEWING PUBLIC OFFICERS’ SALARY REGULARLY TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE PAID ADEQUATELY AND COMPARABLE TO THAT OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR;

Reminding Government contractors at the time when contracts are signed that bribing public officers administering the contract may render their contracts to be terminated.

Conclusion

Worth noting is that mere systems, structures and processes do not necessarily provide the template for success in this war against corruption. The secret for success in this war against corruption is in the sincerity of purpose, genuine unbiased efforts, political will and full general public participation inclusive of the youth. Corruption is a problem that needs to be dealt with in both the public sector and private sector.

And to conclude, The Youth MUST be fully involved in this war against corruption, Our views and input MUST be Listened to and accepted and if not, this might cause a REVOLUTION. You won’t even see it coming. You Better learn from history how revolutions all over the world start. And that time when it starts HEADS WILL ROLL for sure.