Corruption

31.4% of the average Kenyan household’s income goes to bribes? That is a huge number, does she mean just in Nairobi? The more I learn about corruption the less clear my opinion becomes. The corrupting system is a never ending circle; government officials take bribes and use the money to take care of their extended family who can’t support themselves because the only way to survive is to bribe the government officials in the first place. And round and round we go with no one going to say stop because if they did they would then be saying no to their families or financial wealth or powerful position. Or all of those. I know this is oversimplified, but is still an interesting picture, especially when you consider that the ethnic groups are included as extended family.
I don’t think Michela Wrong is making excuses for Kenyans, she is trying to demonstrate the different reality and does so very effectively. Will we have to bribe anyone in Kenya? After this chapter I will almost be surprised if we don’t.
Koigi was to some extent corrupt when he accepted that land, but I think he felt that his excuse that his family needed it justified accepting it. He felt it was unethical, or he would not have talked abut his friend that Sara mentioned as being stronger then him and gone to such lengths to justify it to us. But like other people in a high position he was expected to look after his family. It is hard for me to really understand his position and put myself in his shoes, but I think I would have accepted the land too.
My family’s belief is more like Wrongs father’s then her mother’s. Not my entire family, but in general we have always been a little removed form economic and social conflicts and convinced that cheating and steeling is wrong because it damages the economy. And an unproductive economy is bad because many of my family members “buy into” (pun intended) the common capitalist belief that what is good for the corporations is good for the people because it helps the economy.
Choosing superior ethic is like trying to choose from shades of gray. Everyone wants to secure their position in life for themselves and their families. Are you willing to put your ethics before your family? That is an oversimplification but it seems to be what Wrong is implying when she defends their acceptance of bribes. And it is very easy for us to say that this or that is wrong from our secure homes typing away on expensive laptops. Even if the families are not part of the deciding factor, many people would still take bribes to get ahead. As Senator Dianne Feinstein said, “Whinning may not be everything, but losing has little to recommend it."