IS CORRUPTION REALLY A DANGER TO DEMOCRACY?
Yes. Corruption in the electoral and political process has lowered the confidence of wananchi in democratic institutions such as parliament, the executive and the judiciary. A cynical and apathetic culture is pervasive amongst voters and politicians alike. The first queue to sell their votes believing that they have no stake in representative politics. The latter resort to selling their political vote in parliaments to the highest bidder or to ensuring nest eggs for themselves out of the peoples’ taxes. Political violence that occurs with impunity in our country is a manifestation of a corrupt political environment where the rule of law has been subverted. The selective application of laws based on political correctness is a corruption of democracy. Non-delivery of services by a government which taxes its citizens is politically risky for a government operating in a democracy – as it results in that government being voted out. This is not an option in a corrupt system. In a democracy,
