Corruption in Kenya is ‘ethical’

Dr Daniel Oruoch, Vice Chancellor of KCA University and management expert talks to Sammy   Mwangi about institutionalising ethical behaviour.

Kenya has remained a nchi ya kitu kidogo, a country of ‘something small’.  “Kenyans have made corruption ‘ethical’. It is accepted as the way we ought to live,” he says.

This, he adds, has affected progress and development of our society.

Oruoch gives an example of a village chief.

“People think they must give a chief some money to get things done,” he says. Oruoch wonders why a chief should be bribed to do his work.

 “The Government pays the chief at the end of every month but villagers still give money to have basic things like signing of a certificate done,” he says.    

Those without money, he says, miss services that are their constitutional rights.

The VC says the country could have the best development policies, but without discipline and ethics, nothing much can be achieved.

“In the current environment, nobody thinks they should be accountable,” he quips and concludes, “Without ethics, the fight against corruption will be like chasing a shadow.”

To address endemic corruption, Oruoch says that KCAU is leading by example. The institution hopes to make Kenyans realise how unethical behaviour and indiscipline has affected their lives.

“We want Kenyans to do something about it,” he says.

His view is that indiscipline has led to many problems in the country especially in fiscal management.

For example he says:” Kenyans have lost faith in the capital market because brokerage firms have folded with their money. These firms are run with little regard to ethical practices.”

Dr Oruoch notes that discipline, honesty and ethics are founding pillars of KCA.

“Our institution is held together by the ethical practices I have instilled in every department through the co-operation of everyone from staff to students. The university also demands the same of its partners,” he adds, and the results are beginning to show.

“The National Committee Against Drug Abuse (NACADA) did a research to know the extent of drug abuse in institutions of higher learning. The results were that there is about 83 per cent prevalence rate of drug abuse in universities. They conducted a research here at KCAU without our knowledge and confirmed that levels of drug abuse here were less than three per cent. This is despite the institution’s close vicinity to one of the largest informal settlements in the country, the Mathare Valley,” he says.  

Institutionalising ethical behaviours requires exemplary leadership and that is what KCAU has in Dr Oruoch and his team.

The 57 year old father of five children says ethics, integrity, discipline and honesty are the basis of how he runs his affairs. This, he attributes to his mother’s influence.

“I have looked up to her as my mentor and my role model due to her tenacity, inner strength and (positive) aggressiveness she maintained despite the odds at that time,” he says.  

Considering Oruoch’s drive, one will surely not be surprised by the growth of KCAU from a college to a university in 15 years.

“Then, we had only 300 students in one location in Nairobi. Now, the university has over 8,000 students on full time study programmes and over 16,000 on part time,” he adds “For an institution to succeed, leadership is critical,” he concludes.

 KCAU has three campuses, two in Nairobi and one in Kisumu. It also has a satellite college in Githunguri. 

Dr Oruoch also holds a Masters degree in Management and there is a lot to learn from him. He runs KCAU through a model he calls resonate leadership.

 “I give the employees space to develop. This enhances their efficiency and brings out the best out of them. This in turn makes running of the institution smooth,” he says.

He adds that the university has experienced few cases of unethical behaviour.

“Any deliberate slip-up in the daily running of the institute is dealt with. We discipline rather than punish those involved. I hate cheating and lying on the job since discipline plays a major role in ethics,” he says.

Oruoch is also strict with the university’s board; something he says has not always gone well with some. Workmates once sued him for his principals.

 “Sometimes this has hurt my character as most of these people find ways of getting back at me and tainting my name,” he says.

In trying to bring out the importance of ethics in growth of an institution and the country, KCAU under one of its departments, Institute of Capacity Development (ICAD), has started an ethics course at its EcoBank Towers campus. Dr Oruoch says the course would go a long way in complementing the ongoing corporate governance course at the university.

“Ethics is the core of governance,” he says.

The university is also in the process of organising an ethics conference here in Kenya later this year. The conference will bring together experts from all sectors. The conference will look at the current global economic situation and how lack of ethics has played a part in economic collapse.

Oruoch says these efforts are only a drop in the ocean and more people should come on board. 

To address the current problems, Oruoch adds that impunity should be addressed.

“We must get rid of the notion that laws are only for a few people. The law must be applied equally on all people,” he says.

Using the example of the ‘Michuki laws’, he says ethical behaviour can be enforced using the existing systems.

“The Constitution did not have to be changed for the transport laws to be enforced. The effectiveness of the laws was demonstrated by the sanity experienced on the notorious roads. Some few years down the line, madness has found its way back on our roads with no expansive measures being taken up,” he says.

Oruoch is a busy man and a good leader needs time to unwind. He prefers staying at home reflecting and reading the Bible. He also loves the countryside where he finds peace and solace from the hustle and bustle of the city.

To stay in shape, he goes to the gym for two hours four days a week.