How political parties tampered with Gen Zs' moral compass

We serve those with power. We are locked in. How? Money and top positions in government give one power to decide on the measure of dignity this individual, that tribe, that part of the country, or those others should get.

Power is sweet because it enables one to make decisions on who gets what, how much of it, how, and when. Add the privileges that go to the individuals holding power: helicopters, motorcades, protocols, and platoons of security detail.

The honours and privileges, paradoxically, are the undoing of government service delivery: They are meant to make the officeholders more objective in their work of serving the electorate. They should cushion them from the temptations of greed and pipeline thinking. They are supposed to be free for service delivery. But nope! That is not the reality.

I am talking about how we are losing well-intentioned leaders to a political space that has opted to have no moral values shaping its character. In 2024 and last year, for example, we had some exceptionally articulate Gen Z and other young people who breathed values, principles, vision, and character. Sadly, many of them have been socialised into political parties that teach them moral disengagement.

They have straightened them into primary supporters of well-calculated oligarchic structures. They have become defenders of the very system they were ably denouncing. Those unwilling to join dominant ideologies have found themselves lonely in elite-controlled political spaces, while others have had to start all over the momentum to be heard.

Let us bring it home. Gen Z and anyone else interested in political transformation in our African countries should remind themselves that political socialisation skews values to favour those with power concentration, often oligarchies.

A good read is Albert Bandura's work on how individuals justify unethical behaviour. He calls this a systemic moral disengagement. Another work by Robert Michels highlights how the Iron Law of Oligarchies narrows the space for alternative political initiatives, leading to the absorption of people and smaller political parties into oligarchic survival systems.

Responsible citizens, for instance, some of the Gen Z and those keen to see proper use of public resources as a means to improved livelihoods, increased job opportunities, and an enabling environment for business to thrive, need to appreciate that in a country where political parties serve oligarchies, development is presented as a gift for loyalty. So, the closer one is to the centre of power, the more the gifts come in.

Clearly, this is contrary to what ethical and responsible leadership is all about. You cannot reward taxpayers with projects funded by the same taxpayers. It is illogical, even though it sounds politically correct. After all, the recipients of this kind of gift are in the millions. Again, just because there are millions out there willing to stretch their hands to receive gifts offered to them from their own sweat does not make it morally right. It is exploitation.

So, unchecked political socialisation through political parties is systematically destroying values of cohesion, care for each other, the spirit of patriotism, and ultimately creating an environment of deadly political rivalries. History shows that countries lose peace when political morality is thrown out of the window so that political actors easily manipulate the law to get away with anything they want. You see, with law, you can wiggle your way out with the service of smart lawyers. Not so with moral order.

We learn from countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway, where political culture and institutions impose strong consequences on leaders who fail to uphold ethical standards. While not immune to misconduct, these systems tend to respond swiftly to breaches of public trust. Similarly, in Japan, values such as responsibility, public accountability, and the expectation to acknowledge wrongdoing remain deeply embedded in political life even though practice does not always match the ideal.

We have our local lessons too. Holding power is not a reason to socialise new political entrants into dirty politics devoid of moral decency. Moral engagement in public spaces starts with morally founded political socialisation. To hold power without moral responsibility destroys peace.

Dr. Mokua is the Executive Director of the Loyola Centre for Media and Communication