CORRUPTION, A MENACE IN KENYA.

A man receiving money in a brown envelope. Photo: Google

  For any country to have a steady robust economic growth and sustainable development, quality governance and innovation of credible strategies have to be laid to evade financial damage, which may give room to fewer business opportunities.

 Currently, the economic state of Kenya is experiencing slow global growth as well as domestic interest  rate increasing. As a nation, Kenya has external dates that has led to several downside risks such as financial stress and geopolitical tensions. In some cases, a common mwananchi may find it difficult to have all the three basic meals per day and if they can afford it, then it's "hand to mouth" because the other tasks and obligations can't be done due to shortage of cash to satisfy the endless human wants. 

This has led to weakened consumer spending thus leading to risk of unemployment and high poverty levels. The weak governance has also lowered the public investment and fiscal austerity — a policy approach that involves reducing government spending or increasing taxes in order to lower the budget,  deficits and debts which is aimed at improving the financial health of government by reducing its reliance on borrowing, stabilizing its debts and minimizing foreign donations. 

Furthermore, corruption as put off foreign investors and foreign aid as well, thus gradually killing economic due to the high rate increment of the cost of products and services currently. Corruption has also a long-term impact on business activities at a firm level. At the company level, corruption raises costs, introduces uncertainties, reputational risks and uncertainties, therefore making companies vulnerable to extortion. It also makes access to capital expensive and undermines fair competition. 

When it comes to tax evasion, corruption leads to significant loss in tax revenue collected in the country, which makes our country have adverse budgetary consequences, causing long-term damage to the economy by distorting the tax structure and interfering with the tax morality of taxpayers, which in turn reduces the revenue base of our country. 

Similarly, corruption has also increased the time spent by managers on dealing with strong deals such as that trigger business growth since companies that pay bribes are more likely to spend more management timeframe.  Bribing can also make a company's performance deteriorate if incompetent people are employed. Besides that, it denies qualified and worthwhile people from getting a job; people who could have been of great influence and significance to that given company.

 We have witnessed many cases in health facilities where patients die on the hands of health practitioners who are driven by greed to get bribed. Some take too long to get admitted to and even to some cases lose life due to doctor's reluctancy to perform their task, simply because they are not given a brown envelope. Dear esteemed kenyans, we can work and produce the best results without expecting a bribe.

 When we come to sports sector, many youths have ended up burying their dreams in the society level because that sector is corrupt. They pick random players from wealthy families and also use other criteria such as tribal lines to accommodate them in the national team. It's not funny in Kenya to get the national football team being trained by the whites when we have qualified Kenyan coaches.

To talk the mere truth, it is the responsibility of every citizen to fight corruption by all means, as it's the killer of economic development and prosperity. Everyone should be on the forefront to rebuke those corruption deeds and the government should also venture into this in order to come up with credible ways on how to curb the menace. Prevention is better than cure.