The place of morality in war on graft
Corruption is deeply rooted in government offices and public institutions, including hospitals.
What you need to know:
- It turns out that when people commit fraud of any kind, they are not particularly blissful about the outcome, even if research shows that most of them would do it again given the opportunity.
For most Kenyans, the difference between small and big corruption is opportunity. In moments of rare honesty, a typical Kenyan will confess that given the opportunity, they would do it. They would use their positions to benefit themselves. They would inflate tender prices.
They would ask for kickbacks. They would financially benefit from the organisation they work for or do business with beyond their actual remuneration.
According to the PwC Kenya Economic Crime and Fraud Survey report of 2020, 58 per cent of Kenyan respondents said they had experienced economic crimes in the past two years, which is down from 75 per cent in 2018 — probably due to social distancing — but it is still higher than the global average of 47 per cent.
In another report I read about a year ago, more than half of the interviewed employees confessed to have stolen or thought of stealing from their employer.
You would think that people would be elated after walking away with millions or even billions. Turns out they are not. And although it’s not conspicuous in the report if this relates more to the perpetrator or the victim but almost 92 per cent of respondents said they experienced negative emotions after an incident of fraud, 33 per cent suffered damaged brand trust and reputation. The most common feelings were frustration and anger.
It turns out that when people commit fraud of any kind, they are not particularly blissful about the outcome, even if research shows that most of them would do it again given the opportunity.
When you give that askari Sh200, deep down you know it’s wrong. You have to justify it. “Everyone is doing it, there is no other way, and it would have messed up my day” you would say to yourself. And this speaks to moral failure, which is the commonest denominator in any act of fraud.
Morality is the most central question in all corruption cases. It is, at the end of the day, a tussle between right and wrong, between darkness and light. It begins in the heart and not in the act. Before corruption manifests in actions, it has to be conceived and nurtured in the heart.
Exclusive moment of choice
You have to dismiss the voice telling you that what you are planning is malevolent. You must go through that exclusive moment of choice. Since we have determined that a good number of Kenyans would steal given the opportunity, then we need to ask ourselves questions that go beyond the systems and laws in place to combat corruption. What really motivates people to steal even beyond what they can spend in a lifetime? What is the beginning, the source, the trigger of this moral failure?
In that PwC report, 84 per cent of respondents said they have — in their workplaces — formal documented policies and procedures and controls for key compliance areas, more than the global average of 64 per cent.
We have more than enough laws against fraud than most of the world, and we know them, but that awareness does not stop us. Why? The truth is that corruption begets more corruption across all levels of government or private sector. People will be encouraged to steal because they see others stealing and getting away with it.
It’s a chain reaction that has been set and that can only be arrested by moral uprightness. Have a blessed holiday season and a kinder 2021.
