Eliminate it, don’t tame it: EACC Chairperson warns against normalising corruption
13:03:2026: A packed lecture hall at Pan Africa Christian University fell silent as David Oginde, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC)’s Chairperson, posed a provocative question: Can corruption really be tamed, or is it a necessary evil in today’s society?
His answer surprised many: “We should neither tame corruption nor accept it as a necessary evil.”
Reflecting on the meaning of the word ‘tame’, Dr. Oginde noted that people tame lions, buffalo, and even snakes, yet they remain dangerous. To tame something, he explained, is simply to learn to live with it.
“In Kenya, we have already tamed corruption,” he observed. “It has become so normal that people are no longer afraid of it.” The real task, he argued, is not taming corruption, but eliminating it.
Speaking yesterday during the campus edition of the Kenya Leadership Integrity Forum, Dr. Oginde warned that the greatest danger arises when corruption becomes normalized. Once society begins to see it as inevitable, it becomes deeply embedded in institutions and culture.
He illustrated the danger with a vivid metaphor: corruption is like a snake under the bed. It may remain unseen for a while, but ignoring it does not make it harmless. Eventually, it will strike.
“The only responsible response is to find the snake and remove it,” he said.
Dr. Oginde stressed that corruption distorts justice, erodes investor confidence, widens inequality, and weakens public institutions. Yet its greatest casualty is trust—because when citizens believe opportunities can be bought, confidence in institutions collapses.
Quoting anti-corruption advocate John Githongo, he reminded the audience that corruption thrives when citizens lose their sense of outrage.
He urged Kenyans to “smoke out” corruption, just as smoke forces a snake out of hiding, emphasizing that corruption cannot survive where leaders act with integrity, institutions enforce accountability, and citizens refuse to tolerate it.
The Chairperson was accompanied by Commissioners Mr. Alfred Mshimba and John Ogallo, and Head of KLIF, Ms Joyce Munene. Director of Investigations, Mr. John Lolkoloi, represented the CEO.
The EACC Campus Edition is a Kenya Leadership and Integrity Forum (KLIF) initiative targeting university students to foster a culture of integrity and combat corruption. These interactive sessions, held at institutions like Kirinyaga University and Pan Africa Christian University, empower youth as agents of change, emphasizing the impact of graft
KLIF, a strategic partnership and governance platform convened by the EACC to promote a coordinated national approach to integrity, accountability, and ethical leadership, has previously organised campus editions in Kirinyaga University, Technical University of Mombasa, and Egerton University.
