I learnt of the term necessary evil way
back in high school in a biology exam; in fact my biology teacher had to crack
its meaning; I could not decipher its meaning even after series of drilling by the biology teacher and numerous
group discussions ; till weeks later I
understood what necessary evil is. To those who subscribe to the Christian
mythology, I likened it to Judas Iscariot who sold Jesus to the Pontius army
for a mere 30 bob; which such one evil act he ushered in the necessary Christian
covenant with God. In one of our many sister schools, there was a sewage
treatment plant that processes raw sewage to fertilizer. This essential product
was given to the locals who made booming harvests from their corn and tuber fields.
Instead of sugar factories in western Kenya of complaining of low quality cane
from farmers, they can produce more ethanol.
I also learnt chicken droppings are a good supplement for dairy herd and
fish.
To the Kenyan citizenry, I believe
corruption is a necessary evil; I laud the national government on being keen to
devolve this resource though not provided for in the 2010 constitution. It functions
seamlessly in the context of a closed economy, where the only leakage from the
circular flow of income is through inflated Government purchases and money
laundering. Among the additional factors of production is an amorphous factor
called corruption; its nebular nature allows it to disrupt the normal market
demand-supply rules and inject the essential entrepreneurial impetus in a
nascent economy. To realize the full
benefits there should be no capital flight inform of overseas bank account ;
such proceeds of bleeding the government coffers should be invested loco and sustainably. The cost of
capital is nil and as such to ensure the macroeconomic indicators such as inflation
remain stable, the cost of capital will be some flashy lifestyles and hangers
on; this has a larger multiplier effect than interest paid to the banks since
in reaches a wider population.
The
only check needed here is to ensure corruption doesn’t gnaw into capital
inflows, FDI and Chinese neocolonialism. The proceeds of corruption needs to be
reinvested back into the economy, in productive tested sectors like real
estate, security/bonds markets. This will create employment of labor and
capital.
Assuming the national government budget of
KeS 1 trillion; 40% goes to administration. The balance 600billion is spent on
supplies and development; 40% of this is sucked into corrupt pockets of dealers
and tenderprenuers. If the kes240b is put into economically feasible and
sustainable investments, the impact would be bravura. I have watched satellite
towns grow out of this money; the purchasing power of the local grow multifold
improving their lifestyles and life expectancy thus inching closer to
Sustainable development goals. In laissez
fairre economy, the government has no role in business; it’s the role is to
provide enabling factors. In a highly taxed society, the violation of taxation
principle of “no direct quid pro quo’
can only be achieved through bleeding the overbearing Caesar. It’s through
corruption that the public funds with no accountability land into the hands of
entrepreneurs eager to impact their lives and those of their communities. The
impact is more direct and wide than the much hyped Kenyan Economics stimulus program
during the 2008 global economic downturn. I have always believed, any sound mind
being given an opportunity, the potential in them comes to fore. At the county
level ordinary latrine masons and Mr. Fixit have matured to contractors doing
office blocks and refurbishments; cyber café attendants have turned into IT
consultants opening Facebook accounts for county bosses.; the Juakali artisans hatched by former
President Moi can fabricate mkokotenis (hand drawn carts) and gates worth
millions. This is must be the eighth wonder of the world. What do we need to
see to believe we are global trendsetters?
The antidote we offer for corruption
appreciates that the vice is here to stay; the so called independent
institutions like EACC, Judiciary, Asset Recovery Agency, Prisons,
parliamentary oversight committees et al ,
only serve the already corrupt but none seeks to address the mindset,
the moral grounding and aspirations of the corrupt or aspiring. It’s inherent
in the human nature to circumvent the rules, thus as in the Garden of Eden, we
are evil. Then how can we turn this evil into a force to reckon with? The
transpiration in kingdom plantae if
prolonged it can kill the same plant it meant to serve. The stomata apertures
serves as the control mechanism. With the assumption of a rational imp, is
corruption bleeding the Caesar unsustainably?
I believe not.
Deciduous trees shed their leaves in
periods of prolonged sunshine thus no loss of life sustaining sap substrate.
What triggers this shedding of leaves and ultimately loss of the stomata? Are
the stomata, the antidote ineffective? Does this lost water condition the
environment? Well, if human beings, thus Kenyans, are intrinsically evil, then
we only need to rope in the essential component of necessity and this
corruption will serve us all well. Drawing further from the analogy of the
plant, the trunk and the branches can shake off the leaves and the public
coffers suffer no more hemorrhage; or the leaves, the Kenyan citizens must fall
off the branches. But is this feasible in a free market economy? Is this
pragmatic enough in face of inefficient government agencies? Can we trust the
government to create wealth for all? We must embrace the necessary evil or perish.
ngubia
emoji.
ngubbia@gmail.com
