The most basic element that constitutes the nation is the family. A nation is a large group of people that share common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular country, state, or territory.
The structure of the family at the bottom should reflect the government at the top level. The family and the government have their own heads. The government has its own arms with their own distinct roles, which are similar to the different members of a family, and their roles.
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The family and the government
For the government at the state level to function, the family at the bottom level must be functional. If the family structure crumbles, the government structure will crumble too. The family is like the epicentre of a government. Its failure will ultimately destabilize the government.
Traditionally, the family was the smallest unit of society. Several families made a clan and several clans made the tribe.
Therefore, both the family and the state are comparative. The virtues or the vices that flourish at the state level reflect those at the family level. If virtues or vices abound at the family level, they also reflect those at the state level. This case applies to corruption with precision.
Corruption in Kenya
Corruption takes many forms. It often entails dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, including bribery, embezzlement, and abuse of office.
Corruption is prevalent in many societies and governments of the world. It goes beyond material gains to issues like morality, ethics, and values.
In Kenya, people often detest corruption by mere words but not by actions. Corruption cuts across all spheres of politics, economy, and society. The police service always tops the list of the most corrupt agency of government in Kenya.
For the common citizens, corruption is a way to obtain favour. Kenyans pay bribes to avoid arrest, to gain promotion at work, to get a job, or to secure a place in some schools for their children. The government’s procurement and the tendering system is also a major conduit for corruption.
Society views corruption as a way to make quick money and get rich without effort. This is despite the view by the majority that corruption is a major problem in the country. Corruption is the reason why we do not progress, alongside negative ethnicity and bad leadership.
Educating the children to fight corruption
To reduce or to eradicate corruption in Kenya, three key players are paramount. They are the father, the mother, and the teacher. These terms can represent other adults symbolically, such as guardians, extended members of the family and neighbours. These people influence a child during the child’s growth.
Parents and teachers play a huge role in the life of a child. Young children mimic what their parents say or do at birth. The parents form the foundation of what the child becomes early on. The teachings of the parents influence the personality and choices of the child thereafter. When the child goes to school, they meet the teachers who also have a major role to impart knowledge in them.
The parents and the teachers can teach and influence the children to hate corruption. They can instil the values of hard work and determination and the benefits of reaping what they sow. However, they should not preach water and drink wine. They should ooze the same values and follow them to the core.
With such values, the children will grow appreciating the need for integrity. Transparency, accountability, and hard work will form the basis of their lives. If we have a majority of them working in government as adults, then they may instil the same values and reform the corrupt government system.
Parting shot
Right now, Kenya has a leadership crisis because the politics we have encouraged commercialization rather than professionalism. Politicians look for political seats to earn money and some civil servants join the government to enrich themselves illegally with taxpayers’ money.
Yet, we all know where these corrupt and incompetent people come from. They come from the same society we live in, as crooked as they are. It is important to bring up a new generation that is ready to fight corruption in the country finally. For this to happen, parents and teachers must begin and cultivate it at home and at school.