Kenya is in the grip of an insidious plague corroding the very foundations of our public institutions. This plague is the erosion of integrity – a value fundamental to effective governance – and it spares no one.
It has seeped from the halls of Parliament to the corridors of county offices, tainting elected leaders and appointed officials alike. Moral decay now pervades our government, as widespread as it is alarming, and it is eating away at the trust that holds our nation together.
At the heart of this crisis is a painful truth: those entrusted as custodians of public trust have become its betrayers. State officers – whether elected or appointed – have grown increasingly deaf to calls to ethical governance. The sacred duty to serve with honesty, objectivity, and impartiality has been abandoned in favour of an all-too-common pursuit of personal gain.
Many officials treat the offices they occupy as personal fiefdoms – exploiting public resources and power for maximum private benefit. The cost of this moral decay is painfully tangible. Every shilling diverted by a corrupt official is a textbook not bought for a child, a road not repaired, it’s a medicine that never reaches a public clinic. Kenya’s development is held hostage by the greed of its own servants.
While projects stall and services suffer, ordinary Kenyans grapple with a high cost of living and scarce jobs – all while watching their leaders wallow in opulence. This glaring injustice fuels public anger and a growing sense of betrayal. Why should citizens tighten their belts if those in power are busy lining their pockets?
Each act of corruption not only steals from our present; it mortgages our future by stunting progress and entrenching inequality. Kenya stands at a critical crossroads. The path we choose today will determine the nation we hand to the next generation. Our leaders need a blunt reminder that public office is not a reward or an entitlement; it is a solemn responsibility.
Holding office is not a mere stepping stone to personal prosperity, but a sacred trust given by the people. Honesty, objectivity, transparency and impartiality in public service are not optional ideals — they are duties. Yet how many of today’s officials live up to that standard?
We, Kenyans, must demand an immediate return to the core values that our laws and Constitution have promised. Only by insisting on these principles, without exception, can we restore the credibility of our institutions and rebuild a society rooted in trust and mutual respect.
A starting point is strict adherence to the Constitution in public appointments. Our Constitution demands that public officers be selected on the basis of personal integrity, competence and suitability, without influence from nepotism or favouritism. These criteria must be treated as sacrosanct, not as inconveniences to be skirted. Existing laws like Chapter Six on Leadership and Integrity should be enforced to the letter.
But we often see individuals of dubious integrity or dubious qualifications parachuted into high office through political patronage and skewed hiring processes. Such appointments plant the seeds of future scandals. The era of complacency is over. It is incumbent upon all of us as citizens to reject the shrug of resignation and take up the mantle of accountability. Those in power – from the lowliest officers to the cabinet secretaries – must feel the eyes of the people on them.
We cannot sit back and watch as our country’s moral fabric is torn apart. Kenya needs nothing less than a public awakening – a renaissance of integrity in our national life. The time to act is now. Let us demand leadership of principle and purpose that our Constitution envisioned, and let us never settle for anything less.
-The writer is Marsabit County Chief Officer
By Mohamed Tache Dida