Kenya: ‘Snake Under the Bed’ – EACC Chair Urges Students to Confront Corruption
Nairobi — Corruption in Kenya is like a “snake under the bed” – hidden, dangerous, and capable of undermining the entire system – and must be confronted collectively, the Chairperson of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), David Oginde, said on Thursday.
Speaking at the Pan Africa Christian University (PAC) campus during the Kenya Leadership Integrity Forum (KLIF) Campus Edition, Oginde urged students, university leaders, and stakeholders to reject the notion that corruption is a “necessary evil.”
The EACC boss warned that corruption threatens the nation’s future and must be confronted before it causes harm.
“The most dangerous snake is not the one crossing the road in broad daylight. The most dangerous snake is the one hidden in the room where people believe they are safe,” Oginde told university leaders, students, and other stakeholders.
“Ignoring corruption is like allowing a snake to remain in your house because it might eat rats. Eventually, it will strike.”
Oginde cautioned that accepting corruption as part of everyday life erodes public trust, undermines institutions, discourages investment, and increases inequality.
He argued that leadership plays a decisive role in setting the ethical tone of society, noting that when leaders tolerate wrongdoing, integrity becomes optional.
Challenging the theme of the forum – whether corruption can be “tamed” – he said that language implying coexistence risks normalizing wrongdoing.
“Corruption does not make systems work better; it only benefits a few while damaging society,” he said, citing its impact on public trust, investor confidence, inequality, and institutional efficiency.
Governance standards
The EACC Chairperson highlighted the role of citizens in sustaining governance standards, noting that corruption requires at least two actors and thrives when society normalizes unethical practices.
He invoked the words of anti-corruption advocate John Githongo, emphasizing that corruption flourishes when citizens lose their sense of moral outrage.
Oginde said Africa’s youthful population, innovation, and resources offer a chance for prosperity, but corruption threatens the continent’s potential.
He cited examples such as Singapore, where disciplined governance and transparency have driven sustainable growth, and urged society to “smoke out” corruption, forcing it from hiding and restoring accountability.
He also highlighted the commission’s recent achievements in fighting corruption, including filing 133 asset recovery suits worth approximately Sh25.71 billion.
The EACC Chairperson also noted the recovery of Sh7.4 billion in illegally acquired assets and seventy-two convictions in corruption-related cases
Oginde explained that combating corruption requires coordinated action among leaders, institutions, and citizens, warning that ignoring the problem today will have long-term consequences for the nation.
The lecture at PAC University brought together students, faculty, government officials, and representatives from civil society, under the theme: “Can we really tame corruption, or is it a necessary evil in today’s society?”
By Capital FM.
