The Flip Side of Corruption

Written by Daniel Saenyi

Corruption is defined as wrongdoing on the part of an authority or powerful party through means that are illegitimate, immoral, or incompatible with ethical standards.

Corruption often results from patronage and is associated with bribery. It’s also an act done with intent to give some advantage inconsistent with official duty and the rights of others.

As the definitions put it, corruption is definitely negative but everything has its merits and demerits. Corruption is somehow essential in our normal lives; it is like part of a food chain, but this should not to be misconstrued that I am any way encouraging corruption in any way, form or nature for all its worth, I am totally against this menace.

Corruption is helpful in expediting applications for various things, and circumventing bureaucracies right or wrong. A tip can speed things along. If there is no victim, then everyone benefits. It is the price of doing business, whereby you pay a reasonable extra fee for the government operation to process your application in an expedited way. Otherwise, you just follow the normal cheap route and wait, wasting time and productivity.

When it comes to an organizations point of view, you may be on the losers train headed down to bankruptcy maybe because your products are not accepted in the markets. The only way out then is corruption which is an excellent way of increasing product sales though it assures low quality products.

Corruption definitely keeps money flowing, it is the concept of wiling buyer willing seller. It saves people from desperation as it might just be that time of the month when the cash has run out; corruption saves one from that dire need.

Corruption is also a good way of making instant cash. Not everyone has a job in the country, the unemployed; we call them hustlers, always seem to have it better than those with white collar jobs.  Corruption is mainly their major employer; they always seem to know everything about anything and are in all sought of business, you want your kids in the army, they are majors in the army, directors in the U.N, and even and officers in the World Bank, they can get you a job, but at smaller a cost compared to the ultimate good in the end.

The consequences of corruption are severe, no one will want to get linked to it, hence the need for secrecy. With that, it is a unifying factor, even if two people are not friends; they have the act to protect which will always be their bond, in this perspective, it is a uniting factor for a group of people.

The police in Kenya have the mark for harassing people, and they are very good at it, but also they are known for accepting bribes. To avoid being arrested, harassed and going through the embarrassing court sessions, sometimes all it takes is a little cash and you get away with it. It saves you from embarrassing situations.

It’s well known that government salaries are quite low and inadequate to support either civil servants, families or many government department departments. Normally most government workers don’t request under the table money, it’s amazing how they survive but corruption may come in handy in this situation. It serves as supplement for the underpaid.

Why is it that there are no politicians who try to face an election with the manifesto clearly saying they will eliminate corruption in government offices.  It is not a tough thing to do, and will surely win lots of votes, yet no one has ever tried to eliminate it, maybe it also benefits them.

It is only but the flip side of corruption, the menace that every Kenyan, me included, agrees should be fought to the end.