YVONNE'S TAKE: What happens when trust is lost?

Trust. A word that is defined in the dictionary as a firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something. Synonyms for the word trust are faith, belief and certainty.

Now, the irony is, that trust, is not itself a very reliable word or concept in Kenya today.
If you ask me, I think the biggest problem facing the country right now is a huge deficit of trust, and in probably just about every sector.

In February this year, Kenya was grey-listed. In a manner of speaking, this is a huge indictment of the faith of the financial action task force in our ability and perhaps even intention to fight corruption and money laundering. This is in turn a red flag to other lenders, a matter of reputation for the country. Lenders are now likely to increase the rates at which they lend to us because the trust in the reliability of our systems to fend off corruption has been put into question.

Still, on the country’s financial or economic situation, Moody’s ratings downgraded the country to junk status. ‘Junk status’. The international ratings organisation cast doubt on the country’s ability to raise the revenue needed to meet its debt obligations.

Again, this is a matter of trust, and reliability in the country’s abilities. Far worse, it will likely lower the trust of multilateral lenders in the country. Now this rating was occasioned by the rejection of the Finance Bill 2024 by Kenyans, who are themselves protesting on the streets calling for good governance. And why are they calling for good governance? Because they have lost faith and trust in the leaders currently running the country.

The words and promises of leaders are no longer trusted. For instance, how is it that those who so heavily criticised this administration and everything it stood for, are now “wholesomely and with gratitude” accepting the nomination to be part of an administration they wanted nothing to do with just over a month ago, in fact, calling it a skunk? How do we have one leader who calls the President a thief, now change to rather flowery language when accepting a job from the so-called thief? So, did they really believe the man was a thief to begin with? Or have they come across some new information that has changed their minds about this rather strong stance? Pray tell, can we get some sort of explanation as to what may have led to the change of heart?

How do Kenyans trust a leader who says one thing today and totally walks back on it in a matter of days or even months? How does the President, who with such conviction spoke of a mongrel democracy in which one cannot tell who is who and what is what, now resort to it, this time with brand new terminology? So, are we to believe that the term “mongrel” can suddenly become “broad-based” and therefore become a good thing?

Listen, I know people say those are just words, but words have meaning and should ideally be followed by action, words cannot just be hollow. They are a statement of intent, an indication of one’s policies, convictions, beliefs, and character and portray what one stands for.

Trust, a firm belief in the reliability of something or someone. Could that be the reason, according to the DPP that no witnesses have come forward to give evidence in the murder of Rex Masai and others who were killed during the protests? Why would they? When the actions of the police, who were alleged to have been involved were praised by the authorities? Why would they, when even the Independent Policing Oversight Authority itself is on record as saying they are not getting the co-operation they need from the police? Why would ordinary citizens trust in the reliability of the authorities to bring justice, when a whole organisation like IPOA does not?

Trust is a firm belief in the reliability of something or someone. Trust is an important component in any relationship. Trust can be broken in an instant, but takes years to rebuild. Want to know how bad things are at the moment? A section of Kenyans did not initially trust the president when he said he had rejected the Finance Bill until the memorandum was published. Even then, they were not satisfied until the speaker of the National Assembly acknowledged receipt and indicated that he had forwarded the same to the members of the House. More and more of them continue to demand proof, in writing of all the decisions being announced. A clear sign of a loss of and a deficit of trust.

Trust, ladies and gentlemen is an important component of democracy. In fact, it is the bedrock of democracy and good public governance. An erosion of trust leads to a loss of legitimacy. Trust is what drives people to the ballot to vote, it is all they have. Trust that the candidate they are voting for will deliver on his promises. Trust that they will make the best decisions that will make their lives and those they love, better.

So, what drives trust in governments? According to a survey done by the OECD titled Building Trust to reinforce democracy, there are five key drivers of trust: reliability, responsiveness, integrity, openness and fairness. Simply put, do the right thing!