KENYA: Corruption Is a Rot in The Heart? Reflection On Bishops Statement

The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) recently set off an anti-corruption campaign dubbed “Breaking the Chains of Corruption”. Upon re-reading the statement they released to the public during the launch of the campaign in Subukia, a rather sharp statement therein caught my attention.

As I understand it now, the campaign is meant to remind all Kenyans, beginning with the Catholic Church itself, that corruption using the exact words in the Bishops statement, is “a rot of the heart”.

Quite a strong imagery

Getting sick even without a rot is quite discomforting. So we seek cure. In the unfortunate event that one is wounded, carrying a bandage on any part of the body is bothersome. It is more bothersome if the wound is a result of a surgery. For medics to opt for a major surgery they would have considered in totality that there is no alternative to undergoing an operation. In all these, we seek to eliminate the cause of the sickness.

Rotting is a state of decomposing. The image of a rotting heart signifies a human being who is on the way to death. For no one can live without a heart. A rot in the heart means an existence of a scar at the engine that pumps life into the rest of the body.

If corruption is indeed a rot in the heart, what must be the symptoms? The Bishops provide an answer: the symptom is loss of sense of what is right. Which means, the more the heart rots the more conscience decays. The more conscience decays the more corruption grows. The bigger the rot the bigger the corruption.

A person who suffers a rot in the heart will not realize that corruption is a disease because already such a person is sick. Often, a mad person does not know that certain actions are injurious to self and others. For such a person any action contemplated can be executed.

We all know how corruption has permeated the systems of governance in this country. We can paraphrase this using the words of the Bishops. We all know how the rot in the heart of the nation has permeated the veins of the country. Our veins supply blood to the national body from a heart with a rot.

The question to ask at this point is this: why don’t we, individually and collectively, seek medical attention to rid off the rot in our national heart? At least the Bishops decided to heal from the rot with the gesture of removing shoes as a sign of repentance and signing a form declaring their stand against corruption during the launch of the campaign.

What sustains a rot in the heart?

Obviously, there are many factors. Here is just a starting point.

Politicians and people endowed with deep pockets should do the religious faiths one favor: help them stand on their feet away from corruption.

A very old song in the Catholic Church says that “kutoa ni moyo wala sio utajiri” (to give is what one wills; not showing riches). The sometimes distorted theology that the more you give, God will double, is nothing but a rot of a greedy heart. Just don’t allow yourself feed the heart of the church with what could be a corruption virus. Simply do the right thing on financial matters. Give because it is what your heart invites you to do. The more you give because you are willing to, and not because you are spiritually manipulated to, the more you get.

Christians are very good at smearing politicians and rich chaps with all kinds of dirt. We know how corrupt they are and how they corrupt everyone. Yet, I have heard on many occasions politicians clearly articulate their frustration that after running around facing all sorts of hostilities and extortionists out there they run to the House of God to find solace. Regrettably, that space also turns out to be a forum for someone to solicit for falsely justified funds.

It is your turn as politicians to join the Bishops in telling us Christians that we are pushing you to do things that you know in your heart of hearts you don’t want to do. That is, except for those whose hearts considerably damaged and do not want to seek medical care for manipulating people to give or receive money for morally unjustified ends, many politicians and moneyed persons want to live an honestly straight forward life, doing what they have to do without having to worry about the monies to daily dish out for founded and unfounded requests.

The message is simple

Refuse without guilty to be used by unscrupulous leaders at various levels as ATMs. All of us have to protect one another from acquiring the “rot of the heart”. Fighting corruption is omnidirectional not unidirectional.

By Bro. Elias Mokua SJ