News & Comment
Corruption: An Age-old Phenomenon of Capitalist Society

News

For a week now the headlines on Kenyan local dailies are dominated by the health corruption mega scam where the top Ministry of Health Officials are believed to have stolen more than 5 billion in a major corruption scandal involving diversions of funds, double payment for goods and manipulation of the Integral Financial Management (IFMIS). The Funds were to be disbursed to support the free maternity program. According to the Business Daily, a leaked Internal Audit Report revealed that the theft in the Ministry is five times the infamous ksh 791 million National Youth Service (NYS) scandal, also involved payments of millions of shillings to phony suppliers in the financial year 2015/2016. The Auditors say the amounts lost could be higher because they have yet to complete work on the Ministry’s transaction.

Comment

While the Taxpayers continue to lose billions of shillings which end up in pockets of looters as usual, the worst part is how leaders along with their henchmen within and outside Government turn such scams into a blame game. As witnessed in a Summit on Governance and Accountability held at State House in Nairobi on Tuesday, October 18th 2016, President Uhuru Kenyatta turned the meeting into mere a circus especially when the issue of corruption was addressed. This has been the order of the day in the so called war on graft. Judiciary, the Attorney General, the Director of Public Prosecution and Ethics Anti Corruption usually resort into blaming one another. Sadly, despite Kenya deemed to have intellectuals but until now no one dares to blame the capitalist system.

While the investigation is still proceeding, opposition leaders are piling on President Uhuru along with the health officials to resign. On Thursday 27th Oct, 2016, Health Cabinet Secretary Cleopa Mailu along with his Secretary Dr Muraguri failed to turn up for interrogation before the senator’s health committee.

This new corruption scam is a series of mega financial scandals that have been a norm and true color of government officials for decades. The most pathetic part of the so called war on Corruption is Anti Graft bodies are even caught up in the same malicious acts. For example, late August 2016 the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) boss Philip Kinisu resigned over questionable dealings with NYS funds.

It should not be a surprise to find officials within capitalist-bound governments to be faced with corruption sagas. In addition, it is not strange in a malicious and corrupt ideology for such scandals to exist. A system whose values are other than the material value which makes its adherents to engage in a massing wealth through dirty ways. This ideology is completely corrupt, and this evil will not go away as long as this ideology dominates the world. The way forward is to uproot the capitalist ideology and replace it with Islam a profound ideology equipped with unique attributes to combat graft and any vices.

In Islam measurement of man’s actions is based on Halal and Haram. Through these criteria an Islamic society is safeguarded against any evil acts because it angers the Almighty Allah (swt). In addition, Islam has entitled the whole society to enjoin what is right and forbid all evils even if the culprit is affluent or destitute, a ruler or ordinary citizen. Furthermore, Islam has demanded a ruler to account and remove any corrupt official without fear or favor as he will be held accountable before Allah (swt). It is through these etiquettes; Islam embodied in the righteous Khilafah "Caliphate" State (Caliphate) will solely eradicate all kinds of evils and spread all kinds of goodness in the world.

Written for the Central Media Office Hizb ut Tahrir by
Shabani Mwalimu
Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in Kenya