Corruption is a complex issue. Corruption is partly defined as the abuse of authority by a public officer, acting officially or privately, to fulfil personal needs or wants.
It is a growing problem in our society. Institutions such as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission are some of the efforts put in place to prevent corruption. Local media, on any given week, are likely to have a story about corruption.
Culture change does not happen overnight but over a long period of time. This means it will take some time to get rid of corruption, considering how deeply rooted it is. Kenyans who do not want to follow the law will always resort to corruption.
For example, even before a police officer stops a vehicle on the road, sometimes corruption has already taken place in the form of overloading. Some Kenyans practise corruption even before they interact with the law enforcers. The issue of police corruption comes as the third step or second.
Persons who don’t plan their lives will find themselves in situations that lead to breaking of the law where the option is to be corrupt to be free of their deeds.
Some corruption activities are never talked about; for example exam cheating and parents bribing to get their children enrolled in certain schools. Our culture has been that for you to get services in public offices you had to part with kitu kidogo.
Gone are the days that public offices were full of harambee cards and people seeking services had to contribute. Experience shows that there is a tremendous change in public service.
The danger of corruption in society is that it may lead to the use of power to encourage and create crime rather than to deter it. Persons who want to get rich quickly will always use corruption. Psychologically such persons will always be living in fear considering that they acquired their wealth corruptly.
Ethical decision-making and behaviour change should be taught in our schools at the earliest stage of life. This will make Kenyans aware of the damage of corruption to society. Ethics and malpractice studies should be incorporated in the curriculum.
Stern measures should be taken against corrupt persons to deter others. Oversight mechanisms should be encouraged in all government systems and institutions. Kenyans should always be encouraged to do the right thing. In essence, corruption is evil and a killer.
Efforts have been made to control corruption, although numerous opportunities still exist for deviant practices. Kenyans must learn to be law-abiding. Greedy people should be weeded out of our society. Our Constitution calls for all of us to be ethical.
The National Police Service, through the Inspector General of Police, has taken steps to fight corruption. The IG in some of his speeches has urged Kenyans to report corrupt officers to him or relevant oversights like Internal Affairs Unit or the Independent Policing Oversight Authority.
These two institutions are part of the reforms to improve the image of the police. The IG also interacts with citizens on Twitter every alternate Monday through #EngageTheIG.
The National Police Service Act section 87(1) establishes the Internal Affairs Unit. The unit handles complaints from members of the public against police officers. It is an internal mechanism to ensure that police officers work as they are supposed to. One of the key functions of the unit is to promote uniform standards of discipline and good order in the service.
Kenyans should report corrupt activities to the unit. It should be noted that the National Police Service Act also informs officers about other laws on corruption—Section 71(5)- ( For the avoidance of doubt, the laws on anti-corruption, the Public Officers Ethics Act 2003 (No. 4 of 2003), and other relevant laws shall apply to members of the Service). The eighth schedule (offences against discipline)-(aa) also terms corruption an offence against discipline.
Kenyans should make use of the systems put in place to reform the police service and play their part in the process. The National Police Service has also initiated in-service training in the various police training institutions.
One of the training undertaken is for the supervisory cadre who are the senior officers at the level of Superintendent of Police and above. These officers undergo training at the National Police Service Senior Staff College, previously at Loresho but recently moved to South C. The college has tailored programmes for leadership cadres to improve their capacity. Also, integrity and ethics subjects are covered broadly in the specific training programmes.
The above are some measures taken currently to fight corruption in the police service. I believe some Kenyans have experienced some positive changes, especially those who have reported corruption to the relevant authorities.
I urge all Kenyans, police officers included, to fight corruption from the individual level. Currently, the police service is reshaping its image to be accountable to Kenyans. We, thus, have no option as police officers but to serve Kenyans with integrity.
All of us should play our part in making Kenya a corruption-free society by being ethical in our daily lives. We must obey the laws and shun shortcuts.
It should be noted that police officers are a product of the very society that accuses them of being corrupt. It’s also worth noting that the service is doing its best from the inside to fight corruption.
I urge all Kenyans to let justice be our shield and defender as we live a life of integrity and make our beloved country a better place to live in.
