We must take personal responsibility

Life, in Kenya, is valueless to those in power. It does not matter what agency one heads, all treat human life with the same cavalier attitude. How is it that men and women keep dying in our stadia and nothing is done? How is it that hundreds of lives are lost by way of road traffic accidents and all we receive are platitudes to do better from the powers-that-be? When eight Kenyans died before the Gor-AFC match three weeks ago, the organisers saw nothing wrong in allowing the match to go on. When we witness horrific accidents on our roads, the powers-that-be see nothing wrong in offering empty promises to clean up their acts. When Kenyans are gunned down in cold blood by policemen and criminals alike, the powers-that-be promise to work harder in solving these horrendous crimes.

Many Kenyans have erroneously pinned their hopes that things will change on the new Constitution without examining and re-examining their actions in light of the evidence presented. Kenyans will not think twice about offering a policeman a bribe if it means they will keep driving without valid driving licenses, or drive un-roadworthy vehicles, or drive recklessly. Kenyans will applaud the gunning down of criminal suspects without resorting to the bother of a trial. Kenyans will enjoy their football match, never mind that a few minutes earlier their fellow citizens were carted away to the City Mortuary. And the organisers of the match will print tens of thousands of tickets for the fans regardless of whether the stadium will accommodate them.

Mr. Justice Philip Ransley (Retired) handed in his commission's report to reform the police services some time last year and the process, we are assured, is under way. The Prime Minister as well as the ministers concerned have called for an enquiry into the debacle that was the Gor-AFC match with Football Kenya Limited 'banning' the use of Nyayo National Stadium and City Stadium from hosting league matches until 'proper measures are put in place'. No one is calling for a change in attitude in the millions of Kenyans who enjoy government services.

When the Double-M bus company started running its services in Nairobi's suburbs, it innovatively insisted that all its passengers would queue before boarding. In this way, it ensured that there was minimum fuss at the point of departure. This was a far cry from the operations of its competitors such as City Hoppa and the Kenya Bus Management Services which did nothing to ensure that their passengers were treated with dignity or respect. Double-M buses are frequently cleaned and mostly well-driven. Their crews are well-mannered, uniformed and respectful. Compared to its rivals, very few complaints are levied against this company. However, it is operating in a very competitive market and its desire to compete may be getting the better of it. Instances of reckless driving are increasing by the day and it is a matter of time before its grateful passengers can't tell the difference between this company and the myriads of matatus plying our streets. In all this, the passengers have maintained a studious silence, only piping up if they feel that they have been cheated. And even then, it is not a respectful encounter but a one-sided shouting match in which the passengers attempt to portray the crews as a criminal cabal out to fleece helpless civilians.

Kenyans have taken their self-righteous attitude to ridiculous heights, refusing to take personal responsibility for what ails them. It is no longer common to witness adults chastising children for bad behaviour. I wonder if there are any adults who go out of their way to ensure that their residential neighbourhoods have well-mannered children who reflect the community ethos of their home towns. It is rare to find children playing peaceably nowadays; more often than not, children are getting into violent altercations while their parents turn a blind eye. This live-and-let-live attitude is partly to blame for the liberties that are being taken in our name by the powers-that-be. In our apathetic approach to public debate or discourse, we have allowed our basest selfish selves to take over from our more enlightened generous ones. We watch the world as it sails by without taking responsibility for our inaction.

The next twenty years are going to be critical in the life of the nation. It is imperative that we take responsibility for all aspects of our decision-making, be it in the realm of disaster-preparedness and management to traffic safety and security. We must speak up when we notice that the things being done in our names do not measure up or add up. We must speak up when we notice that laws are being broken with impunity. The broken-windows theory should be our watchword - when we allow lesser laws to be broken with impunity, we invite the ghost of mega-corruption to keep visiting us over and over. Decisions are made by those who show up. It's time we showed up to the party!