Why our country is a failed state – and the worst is yet to come.

It’s hard to tell this story and not give it a personal angle. So I will come out upfront and confess I have been conned – yes, a lot of money; and on two occasions. So for anyone looking for a job/money, becoming a conman/woman may be the ‘hot’ job to be in – or as the finance people call it “deep in the money;” all because, we are right in the whirlwind of becoming a failed state.

David Ndii writing in the Saturday Nation  says of his encounter with the police:

“It is unrealistic to expect us to cooperate with people who see us as ATMs. The last time I reported a crime, a police officer took my phone number to update me on progress of the investigations. He also insisted I save his number and promised to call. When he called, it was not to update me on progress, but to ask me to assist him with school fees — Sh20000 — I stopped answering his calls and abandoned the case.”

The sheer lack of faith in the police makes conman-ship a really lucrative career option at this point in Kenya’s history.

Consider this, I wanted to buy a container, got an invoice, and even bank details from a conman – deposited the money, and then the guy just fled. No container and no money.  The invoice and the bank payment slip would in a country with a functioning police force/service, provide important investigation leads to catch this thief. After enquiring with the police, I was advised to ‘facilitate’ their investigations – which would be a case of throwing “good money after bad money.” I opted to cut loses and abandon the case.  

Who’s the winner? – The conman, thank you for getting the correct answer!

A good friend of mine, recently lost more than twice the amount I lost, also trying to buy a container; a whopping Kshs. 300,000. He tried going to the police – who wanted even more money from him, to see if they could even begin to investigate the case.  

How do you think this case will end? Thank you again for guessing the right answer. 

Now to my most recent encounter with a conman. A friend of mine (it’s always through a friend), told me of this guy who was selling his land at a “throw away” price since he had some personal financial difficulties. It turns out, the story sounded rather suspicious, and I did not fall for it. BUT in the conversation, the guy told me he also helps with land transfers – and at really convenient costs. 

Since I was in the middle of one such transfer, I gave him my documents (yes including the original title deed). As you can imagine after that – he would not pick any of my calls or answer my text messages. It is at that ‘belated’ point that I realized once again, I had fallen into a conman’s trap. 

Luckily there are administrative processes (very costly and lengthy) one can use to remedy the situation. That is what we are pursuing right now. The easier alternative, as advised by the registrar of lands – the highest ranking official in the lands office (Kajiado County), is to pursue the matter with the police.  I cannot go to the police – it’s useless, and the conman knows it; that is why his business thrives! My sympathies are to the people who will fall for his lies – for their sake, I say this here, title deed KJD/Kitengela/75410, is now recorded as stolen – we are in the process of getting its replacement. Do not give your money for it, however beautiful or outlandish the story – you spread the word, coz I will not be going to the police with this!

The lack of faith in such an important social institution like the police, points to an even sadder situation that faces our country. What are our ideals as a country? What do we strive for? – Development, true, but what does it really mean? How do you operationalize such a concept in the day to day running of the society/government/civil service?

In my work, working with others, I co-authored this beautiful report – with excellent recommendations for improving access to health services for Key populations (Policy Analysis and Advocacy Decision Model for Services for Key Populations in Kenya). Do I think the recommendations will be taken up in our national and county health policies? I really do wish they were – but again, I suspect your guess is closer to the truth; what was your guess again? 

That is why, I wanted to explore what really inspires the people working in public service – besides their monthly pay and benefits; what drives or motivates them to go to work every morning? (Stop laughing – am serious here).

So I went to search for their mission,values – and even slogan. Looking through the public service’s mission, vision and values, there is nothing that indicates they desire to be at the cutting edge of service delivery, or that they reward innovation and fortitude. It is therefore highly irresponsible of us at the citizen, to expect of them to deliver on that which they cannot. Even their mission is lackluster at best: “To transform the public service to become professional, efficient and effective for the realization of national development goals.” One, they understand that each one of the civil servants is to contribute progressively (ever so slowly), towards the transformation of the public service into a ‘professional’ ….. Does this mean, the Service is not professional? 

Again your guess is probably closer to the truth. 

While coming to work this morning, the Matatu diverted towards Jamuhuri estate (after Junction’s roundabout, Ngong Rd) – which is against the PSV regulations, but promptly found a police man down at the gate of some primary school. (Now you can understand why there was maddening traffic jam at Junction this morning – the guy was not at his station and for a reason). The driver had a brief conversation with the police man, and we moved on – a normal Kenyan story. 

Except the reason why public service vehicles are not allowed to divert from their authorized routes, is because, passengers board these vehicles with expectation of being delivered/dropped at designated (and known) stations. None of the passengers complained – even I did not complain, after alighting at the Kibera stage (right after Moi girls High School), I walked all the way back to Ngong road. Like all the others, I knew its useless to complain – our country is in this unstoppable downward spiral into being the basket case it is designed to be – unless of course we reform our work ethic and state institutions; starting with the Police (service?)!.

In the meantime, conman-ship and allied ‘evils’ are currently “in the money – deep in the money”!

Ps...If I cannot report to the police when I have been stolen from - how does the government expect me to report about a possible terrorism/ist that am not even sure about?  - food for thought: we don't need the security law but police reforms - somebody tell that to the big man!