Former Mexican economist-cum-diplomat and former secretary general of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development José Ángel Gurría Treviño once said transparency, integrity and fighting graft must be integral to any serious democracy.
And these virtues have to be taught as fundamental values that guide society. Their absence clearly explains the deep-rooted and delicate nature of corruption in our world today.
This worldwide phenomenon of corruption has been around as far back as the history of humanity. And anywhere it flourishes, there is a deep conspiracy of actors, mostly those in authority.
Of late, corruption remains the buzzword in political rallies, the yellow press and legitimate media, street protests and dinner-table conversations around the world.
Sensational criminal proceedings involving huge sums of money, sex scandals and political power make for tantalising stories, riveting public attention. However, graft is not the exclusive domain of the rich and powerful.
Transparency International (TI) reports that 1.5 billion people worldwide routinely pay petty bribes, extend favours and pull strings to obtain desired goods and services in the public sector.
But what makes this menace a concern to all is that it tends to weaken economies, thereby threatening democracy, human rights and good governance. For instance, in Africa, graft takes many forms which include bribery and informal payments to get goods and services, cronyism, embezzlement, electoral fraud and patronage.
For a country to make any meaningful progress, state actors and non-state actors, and civil society organisations must fight against this global menace. It exists in almost every corner of the globe. It is more visible and easily noticeable, however, in poor and developing countries, including Kenya.
This country is one of the most predatory states in Africa and has become a brigand economy where corruption pervades the entire society. Paying bribes to the police and bureaucrats remains routine for ordinary citizens.
To end this global menace, there is need for a robust and coordinated mechanism and policies backed by a sound and efficient institutional framework to account for government spending and returns.
This also reminds us about the need to establish anti-corruption laws to deter criminals and officials bent on squandering public funds for personal use.
In many African countries this type of commission serves as a watchdog mandated to sniff out shoddy dealing involving officials. To some extent, they have made headway in addressing the root causes of this problem.
Many agree that finding the root causes of a problem would inform one in finding a solution. Any serious government committed to the development of its citizens must first fight against this cankerworm.
Until then, this dreadful misconduct will continue to flourish, giving way to criminal syndicates that undermine development. And if not handled maturely, this makes communities and countries ungovernable due to a surge in crime and nefarious activities.
National organising secretary, Ford Kenya