It was in November 2008 when I blogged here about my Arduous argument with Q. Wow time does fly! I remember leaving that debate really feeling low, tired and wasted. I remember bloggers giving me encouragement and reinforcing my stand and points. Well just about 16 months later, I met Mr. Q again. his circumstances have changed greatly. For one, he got promoted and now heads a very strategic department in his company. His company is leading in the service industry in the region. Mr. Q sat me down and told me how his work has become almost impossible to do.
Somehow those things I told him that fateful November touched his intellect as he put it. He describes it as 'The Moment'. He changed his ways of doing things and vowed to work things professionally and in a clean manner. And that is what has caused him all manner of problems. He has been exposed to long running and complex corruption chains some so entangled that he finds he is man island of sorts in a sea full of sharks. For every deal he stumbles upon and tries to correct, he gets several smses some friendly and offering goodies while some being hard core threats. I had no words for my convert but I learnt that indeed you should never underrate what you believe in. Whether someone tries to bring you down just tell them. I was actually shocked that while I thought I had lost the argument that November, my words had somehow found some soft landing in him and converted him. Now even when he sat across from me telling me about his hard times with corruption cells in his company he was asserting that he will not compromise his principles. He was telling me of how many such cells he had already dismantled and I was nodding inside me and smiling happily.
But broadly speaking in this country corruption and disrespect for other peoples property is almost as ingrained as a culture. Its almost a given concept that if no one is looking, you are welcome to grab and plunder to your fill. When a few guys like Ongeri and Karega are unlucky or stupid enough to be caught every one else goes for their necks yet the bottom line is simple and straight forward: Just let us respect and accept what does not lawfully belong to us.
I just wonder why Kenyans get annoyed when corruption in government is unveiled yet we do the same things in our own little ways. I was telling my Mr Q about how I wouldn't want to be involved in any corrupt deals but he kept insisting that the system will change me. As for him, he admitted to being corrupt, and that he'd do it again and again blaming it on the system and not himself.
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