During the African Anti-Corruption Day 2025 event hosted at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Nairobi on July 11, 2025, Senator Crystal Asige delivered a powerful address urging African nations to remain focused on the true enemy: corruption. Her speech resonated with urgency and a call to action, warning that the continent risks losing its way if it continues to normalize corrupt practices at all levels of governance and society.
“We are once again losing the point when it comes to corruption as a continent,” Senator Asige declared. “What we are seeing in Kenya and Africa are citizens suffering from the snare of corruption.”
A well-known advocate for diversity, inclusion, and the rights of persons with disabilities, Asige underscored the devastating impact corruption has on vulnerable populations. She noted that when corruption infiltrates leadership structures, it often manifests in forms of dictatorship, eroding democratic institutions and silencing dissent.
“The first sign of corruption,” she said, “is when leadership comes into dictatorship, leaving behind the spirit of devolution, when institutions like the Judiciary become cosmetic and not constitutional, when journalists, activists, and analysts are framed as tools of corruption.”
Senator Asige further expressed deep concern over the state of essential services such as education and healthcare, citing delays in salaries for teachers and healthcare workers as fertile ground for bribery and systemic failure. She lamented how such realities mislead citizens into believing that success is only possible through shortcuts and unethical behavior.
“When teachers and health workers are not paid their salaries, it becomes easier for corrupt leaders to pay them off with bribes,” she said. “And Kenyans start to think that in order to succeed, they must cut corners.”
While advocating for a firm stance against corruption, Asige emphasized the need to uphold human dignity in the process. “If we want to tame dignity, we must say no to corruption at all cost,” she stated, adding, “but remember, you cannot fight corruption by humiliating people.”
Drawing inspiration from countries that have made significant progress in combating corruption, including Singapore, Georgia, Estonia, Australia, and Rwanda, Senator Asige pointed out that justice-led leadership is key to building corruption-free societies. “Leadership by justice is the best example in making a corruption-free country,” she said.
In a rallying call to the entire continent, she likened the fight against corruption to a relay race. “We must do this together as a relay run,” she said, “where we pass on the baton of a corruption-free Africa.”
Asige’s message served as both a warning and a hopeful vision—urging African nations to recommit to transparency, accountability, and inclusive leadership that puts citizens first.
Her words echoed the broader theme of the day: that corruption is not just a political issue, but a deeply moral one that demands united, sustained effort from all sectors of society.
