The Pathway to Integrity

For the better part of this week, starting on Wednesday to Friday, a group of student leaders were engaged on a three-day seminar by the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC). The theme of the seminar was "Visionary Leaders for a Corruption Free Society".

In Kenya, the topic of corruption has become fashionable and Prof PLO Lumumba, the Director Of KACC, attested to this. He pointed out that there are those who by the day are with the commission fighting against the vice, and yet at night, are the perpetrators of the same.

With the above in mind, allow me to delve into another equally fashionable subject of integrity without, of course, dragging you into the now-muddied waters of the pop culture it has created.

Often times, we hear and read remarks to the effect that people are born "evil". The other equally disturbing remark we read and hear is that one's environment determines his behaviour to such a great extent that environment alone, can be said to be the sole determiner of one's character.

While admitting that the environment plays a role in the determination of a person's character, I find it difficult to locate the mere fact of birth in the determination of the same. The environment bombards us with lots of information and realities that evidently shape our mental dispositions which in turn shape our behaviour.

It is wishful thinking to give prominence to environment over choice in the determination of a person's behaviour. Let us mention some names: Dr MLK Jr, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Mandela... etc. The commonality between these great people lies in their choosing the good over the bad, the environment they lived in notwithstanding.

The pathway to integrity is one of choice. We cannot, we must not, we should not, try to excuse our "evil" choices and blame our environment for making us do those things which we did not intend to. While determinism seems to be a popular thing to rely on when we go wrong, deep within ourselves we know that the wrong we did was out of choice.

With your indulgence, allow me to share with you three things which the Rev Dr Mageto asked us to remember if we would forget the rest. Know the good, desire the good and do the good. To become a person of integrity demands that one walks on the narrow path best described by the three things mentioned. The choice is yours!