By Mary Gesare
Published June 21, 2009

A person’s level of discipline will determine one’s success, survival or failure in life. Discipline is not only shown by word of mouth but also in our thoughts and actions. A disciplined person doesn’t need to be told what to do when the time for action comes.

Our actions as a nation speak volumes about the kind of discipline we have. Starting with our leaders, parliamentarians are among the most indisciplined and corrupt people in Kenya. They enact laws which they themselves cannot live up to.

In our courts, money is what talks and changes the offender from the accused to the accuser. To survive in our country today, one needs money, power and fear.

The culture of indiscipline has produced and entrenched corruption in the country. Poverty, corruption and indiscipline all fuel each other and continue to weaken economic growth in Kenya. Gone are the days when people used to do things for the good of the nation; these days people do things for short term personal benefits.

There are indications of indiscipline in all levels of society: In parliament, schools, families, work place and even in church. Don’t you think our MPs’ who are not feeling ‘sufficiently philanthropic, sufficiently charitable’ “to quote the cynical and insensitive comments of Parliamentary Speaker Kenneth Marende” by refusing to have their hefty salaries and allowances taxed are showing how indisciplined they are? If only Kenya was fair to her citizens by also asking them if they also feel charitable and generous enough to have their meager “almost nil” earnings taxed by the Kenya Revenue Authority, then, perhaps, none of us would pay tax in the first place. And there would be no economy to speak of!

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Kenyan voters should wisen up as they wait for the 2012 general election to shock our so called MPs. In fact, the “brighter” MPs should save enough from their untaxed salaries or start booking stalls at “Muthurwa” hawkers market because most of them won’t sit in Parliament again!

Violence followed the December 2007 disputed presidential election. Public service vehicles, state infrastructure, schools homes, businesses and even churches were burnt down. Soon after, students who had seen what had happened went on strike, burning down school property and causing death.

Charity begins at home and if discipline can be instilled in homesteads and our leaders try to set a good example by being less corrupt and more disciplined, then the problem of indiscipline in our country will definitely be curbed.