We can eradicate corruption by driving behaviour change
Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission chairman Philip Kinisu takes oath of office by at the Supreme Court. PHOTO | FILE
Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov confirmed to us through his experiments that all creatures can be conditioned to behave in a predicted way with the right mix of stimuli and incentive.
It has been opined that Africa cannot out innovate itself from its problems but based on Pavlov’s theory I beg to differ.
A different lens: If corruption was to be dealt a death blow on the continent, what other excuse would we have for things not working?
Corruption is used to abscond responsibility from both self and State, where we get to blame this “force” for not meeting certain goals or resolutions.
Consider these two cases.
Traffic deaths: Just last week a media house crew stayed out late and traversed Nairobi’s major highways, capturing drunk drivers as they blatantly broke the law powered on by alcoholic pseudo confidence.
While what they captured was shocking, a level-headed analysis reveals that the errant drivers believe that despite their wrong doing, they will not be caught.
Many times this holds true as the National Transport and Safety Authority and the much hailed speed cameras are not everywhere. And it is not only the drunk who pull stunts on the roads.
Environmental degradation: We do not have a recycling culture, neither do we monitor for emissions at both industrial and personal levels.
We are abstracted from these issues as we are only concerned about our immediate space; if we can not see it or it is out of sight, then all is well.
The place of technology: The application of technology in the right way will deliver insights that give visibility to the gaps in our current models of operation but perhaps most importantly, provide data that can help condition us differently.
In the example of the madness that happens on our roads, punitive legal recourse is already in place but the application is wanting as the enforcers lack presence at scale.
On choking our environment, we need to first measure and know what we are working with and thereafter work on the policies that will provide both incentive for adoption and punishment for contravention.
The fight against corruption must continue, but in parallel we must agree on certain other baseline metrics across varied interventions that can be measured and enforced toward making us a better more balanced society.
Njihia is CEO of Symbiotic | www.mbuguanjihia.com. | @mbuguanjihia
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