In public policy, there is a concept called broken-window theory. In a street for instance, if there are street lights broken by hooligans and not repaired within a certain duration, it sends signals to the other rational citizens that rule enforcement is weak. This is the true picture of our Kenyan society today. We have laws, but they are simply ignored. Every day of the week, we watch as PSVs and even respected school buses overlap other cars, some mount pavements to get a few meters ahead in the traffic, and some speed recklessly when the road opens up. All these happen, sometimes in the full view of our traffic police officers. But that’s not my issue; my concern is on we, the people being transported. We are knowledgeable Kenyans; we know what is right and what an offence is. But we are quiet when traffic rules are being flouted. We believe we have to break rules to get to our destinations much faster. That there is no reward in being patient with one another. In fact, as passengers, we take sides with the PSV driver whenever they are pushing other cars to the edge. We praise such drivers, for they make our journey shorter, by disobeying traffic rules. Respect for traffic rules seems to have disappeared long time ago. Overlapping used to be a minor occurrence; it is now a major problem, simply because no one has put an end to it. So most PSVs keep overlapping, and even more other motorists join them. Others get into the lane meant for oncoming traffic, and no one, none of the passengers dare rebuke these rogue drivers. The results are so clear to us; unnecessary traffic gridlocks, a lot of time and money lost in traffic and worse still, accidents are reported causing loss of lives and property. Reason being that rules are simply ignored!
If you thought only traffic rules are flouted, you are wrong. Our politicians and civil servants are breaking procurement rules and procedures. Government policies are no longer considered when making decisions. That’s why there is rampant corruption. All they are telling us is that you cannot live a comfortable life with the money you legitimately earn as salary. That the clever thing you can do is get a big tender where you can squander some cash. Single-source a supplier, get a deal crafted and share the money. That once you are in charge of a ministry, you can always divert some money meant to build a road to benefit many Kenyans, to your personal pocket. And if rules make it impossible to steal from Kenyans, these politicians can do anything to even change them. Those who abide by the rules are threatened, and they somehow bow to the pressure. Again the results are here with us Kenyans; poor infrastructure, poor living standards and lack of economic development. But why is it so hard for our leaders to follow rules? Why is legality and morality forgotten terms in Kenya?
Hang on, it is not just politicians and drivers who disobey laws, come to our schools and the education sector as a whole. Every time we receive results from KNEC, a list is shared of students whose exam results have been cancelled. Students, all the way from primary schools, have been taught that being number two is a crime. That one must be the first, even if it means cheating during the examination. Our teachers are no longer interested in ensuring students understand the subjects, all they want is for the students to pass the exams. So what do they do? They simply collude with those who have access to the examination papers. Money is exchanged, and students pass with flying colors. That is a culture the students are already cultivating. That to get to your destiny, use shortcuts. Break rules, as long as you make it. Cheat and steal if possible, you won’t be caught anyway! And if you are caught, blame it on the process. And where are the parents when all this is happening? Quietly watching and praying that their sons and daughters get straight A’s. In other words, our education system is simply reinforcing the idea that you simply have to do whatever it takes to get ahead in today’s Kenya.
These are just but three cases where our morals and rules are arrogantly disobeyed. My biggest worry is the example we are setting to the future generations. What exactly are we telling our children? That one must cheat and break the rules in order to get ahead in life? That there is nothing to be gained by waiting for your turn on the road? That only fools follow the path of lawfulness and orderliness? That our morals are no more? We are treading on a dangerous ground as a nation if we do not abide by the laws we have set. Mention all the challenges we are facing currently as a nation, be it corruption, insecurity, accidents, and I will show you how the collapse of our laws and morality has caused the same. Honest and hard-working citizens of this nation are pushed aside, not heard at all, for they decide to follow rules. Even those who have set the rules regard them as inconvenient and irrelevant.
Our leaders, beginning with our President need to ensure laws and rules are adhered to the latter. But they can only enforce the laws if they too abide by the rules themselves. Secondly, those who break the laws must be dealt with mercilessly, so that potential law-breakers are deterred. Let us not negotiate with people who break laws. Law-breakers should not be told to “step-aside”. They should be sacked. Our leaders must get support from all quarters of the Kenyan citizenry. As writers, parents, teachers, clerics, celebrities, elders, poets, artists of Kenya, we ought to stand up for the laws. We need to be vocal and stop the few law-breakers from thriving. We need to be custodians of our own laws. Every law that is broken impacts on others, negatively. We can’t afford to sit back and watch our nation turn into a jungle. We must abide by the laws if we intend to realize any meaningful development as a nation.
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