Corruption, corruption, everywhere (nearly)
on A Serendipitous Journey (Kenya), 17/Feb/2010 08:44, 34 days ago
(The“nearly” is the little voice in the back of my head from VSO training telling us not to make mass generalizations:-)When I signed up for VSO in 2008 I was offered a number of placements in the area of Governance, in which at the time I had little interest relative to otherVSO goal areas. Now, however, seeing first-hand the everyday effects of bad governance and corruption at all levels of society, my mind has changed.Corruption is truly rampant in Kenya: from top government officials stealing millions of Shillings in Free Primary Education funding (1) (2) and Maize intended to alleviate the food crisis(3), to police officers demanding“chai” (tea = a bribe) when your vehicle is pulled over and business people paying or accepting ‘kitu kidogo’ (something small) for a foot in the door. Allegations of mismanagement and corruption make newspaper headlines on a daily basis, taking time and resources away from things that areso badly needed.It seems to be something so ingrained that it may take generations to make real change… and for change to take place it needs to come from within.‘But while corruption is a problem we all share, here in Kenya it is a crisis – a crisis that's robbing an honest people of the opportunities they have fought for – the opportunity they deserve.’ ~ Pres. Barack Obama(1)“US suspends Kenya school funding” 26 Jan 2010. BBC news. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8481542.stm(2)“UK freezes Kenya school funding amid fraud allegations” 13 Dec 2009. BBC news. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8410817.stm(3)“Maize scandal: Don't sacrifice the innocent, says PM” 15 Feb 2010. DAILY NATION http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/860380/-/vqhs1e/-/index.html