The Lingering Impact of Ethical Questions in the 2022 Kenya General Elections

 

Ethical questions do not have correct or incorrect answers, but all ethical questions communicate a message and have immediate consequences. Ethical questions have a short term impact on decision making and long term impact on the advancement of a society. While ethical choices may appear harmless, they are always driven by values. In other words, it is possible to shout ethical principles and yet act in line with your values. For example, everyone volubly condemns corruption without a question, yet when faced with a choice of whether to bribe a policeman and get home to a peaceful evening or drive away with an inconvenient court summons, it is not a difficult choice to make. We all face ethical questions on a personal level and how we resolve them is within our power. However, making ethical choices assumes that we are all able to distinguish between right and wrong, good and bad as well as determine between better and the best action in a situation for the future wellbeing of society.

Nonetheless, the circumstances surrounding the Kenya General elections have thrown up several ethical questions which have a long term bearing on the development of our society. Voting patterns present us with the first ethical question. Did you vote for the most qualified candidate or did you vote for your tribesman? If you voted for the most qualified candidate, you expect services in line with the candidate qualifications. Your messaging is that development is important and should be pursued as a priority. If you voted for your tribesman to keep leadership in the community, your messaging implies that increasing numbers through reproduction is a priority to keep leadership within the community. Nevertheless, if you did not vote, what message were you communicating to society?  

In the on-again-off-again case of the impeached Nairobi governor, the flip-flop drama suggests that the law does not matter, it is the interpretation of the law that counts. The message to society is that you don’t have to live by the rules so long as you can convince the law that it is your right to do so. In the on-again-off-again case of the Nairobi governor candidate whose education certificate was approved-rejected-and-accepted, the message to school students suggests that education may be good, but cannot be verified by a certificate thereof. Society does not value education - engage in it at your own risk.

When a political grouping decamps from Azimio to UDA or vice versa, what message are they sending voters? They show a pathetic disdain for the voters whom they used to get into office using a manifesto they never really believed in. They suggest that voting was just a game which the winner takes all using taxpayer’s money.

Many have heralded the lack of violence in these election as a sign of peace and national maturity. Indeed, the call for peace and justice is a delicate matter. But, we must ask whether peace is to be pursued beyond the rule of law or at the expense of righteousness? The ethical question here is, should a criminal be allowed to get away peacefully because the victim remains silent?

 Perhaps the most challenging ethical question touted by all political parties is the perennial lack of the nation to deal with corruption. Corruption uses the law to extract payments from its victims. The ethical message here suggests to society is that the law is powerless to protect the people. The result is the peoples’ loss of faith in national institutions.

Why do these questions matter? These unresolved ethical questions leave society uncertain and groping about for clarity and direction. These unresolved questions damage the social fabric to the extent that society is unable to galvanize the momentum it needs to heal and propel itself to a better future. These questions leave many feeling deluded, helpless victims of fraud, apathetic to the cause of citizenship. They leave people disinterest in governance and the collective responsibility of nationhood. These questions need to be pragmatically resolved to lay the foundations of an aspirational and prosperous nation.