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When power goes to the people who impoverish state...

Saturday December 17 2022
Cabinet Secretaries at State House, Nairobi

Kenya’s President William Ruto poses for a photo with Cabinet Secretaries at State House, Nairobi after their inaugural meeting. Power in the “developmental state” has a purpose higher than self-aggrandisement and megalomania. PHOTO | PCS

By TEE NGUGI

The appointment of people with criminal charges, including murder and money laundering, to the Cabinet and other high-ranking positions in government once again raises a fundamental question this column has debated over the years: What is the purpose of power? This leads to a related question: How have leaders in countries that have made spectacular development used power?

For instance, the South Korean leadership, credited with turning a fishing village into a major economic power and technological giant in one generation, developed the “developmental state”. This model had different aspects to it. First, the regime had zero tolerance for corruption. In states associated with this development model, corruption was viewed as economic sabotage. Those found culpable of the vice would receive unforgiving sentences, including the death penalty.

The argument for this seemingly extreme form of punishment is that theft of public funds also condemns millions to poverty and even death. When one steals funds meant for prevention and treatment of Covid, as happened in Kenya, they condemn people to suffering and death. When one steals funds meant for the youth, as happened at Kenya’s National Youth Service, you deny the youth training they need, and condemn them to lifetime poverty.

Impoverishing farmers

Likewise, when you divert money meant to subsidise farmers to pay tycoons illegally importing the product, as happened at Kenya’s National Cereals and Produce Board, you impoverish the farmers and kill maize farming.

The “developmental state” appointed to high office people with the greatest possible competence and integrity. These people understood that the reason they were appointed was to deliver on national socioeconomic goals. Failure to meet set national targets meant immediate removal from office.

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The state understood that incompetence, compromised integrity and laxity also kill and impoverish. If officials are not doing everything possible to alleviate hunger, and are, as often happens in Kenya, gallivanting all over the world armed with extortionist per diems, they condemn millions to hunger and death.

Impossible goals

The third thing the “developmental state” did was to set impossible goals in their strategic plans. Everyone, from the president to the factory worker, was committed to these goals. Making great progress became both an obsession and a source of great national pride.

In Kenya, officials’ foremost ambition is to accumulate personal wealth. Ironically, the impoverished citizenry celebrate rich officials, especially those from their community, even though they are dying of hunger as a consequence of theft by or laxity of those same officials.

Power in the “developmental state” has a purpose higher than self-aggrandisement and megalomania. In this sense, power is a central tool in the development process.

By contrast, when we use power to reward incompetent sycophants, and even those with alleged criminality, power has become personalised. It no longer serves a national purpose. It cannot serve a developmental purpose.


Tee Ngugi is a Nairobi-based political commentator

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