WHY CORRUPTION WILL LINGER ON IN THE KENYA POLICE CONTEXT: RE- LEXICALIZATION OF TERMS RESPONSIBLE FOR MASKING CORRUPTION

  • Pascalyne Kimaiyo PhD linguistic Student, Moi University
  • Dr. Emmanuel Satia Lecturer, Moi University
  • Dr. Simon Nganga Lecturer, Moi University
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17767959
Keywords: Re-Lexicalization, Vetting, Transparency International Kenya, Bribery, Corruption, Matatu, KNPSC

Abstract

This paper explains why Re-lexicalization of terms associated with suspected corrupt practices is responsible for the continued tolerance of corruption in Kenya. Giving new terms that reduce the negative import associated with acts of bribery among some police officers in Kenya has led to the continued escalating levels of bribery. These lexical terms were used by police officers during a vetting exercise in Kenya in 2014-2016. Police officers who appeared before a vetting panel strategically used ordinary words with ordinary meanings to distance themselves from suspected acts of bribery. Corruption in Kenya has been a serious economic problem in almost all sectors. Transparency International Kenya (2013) rated the Kenya police especially those in the traffic department as the most corrupt individuals who tolerated acts of bribery. Consequently, using qualitative approach this study set to explain how re-lexicalization of terms associated with bribery brings a challenge in pinning down suspected corrupt practices. The researcher used secondary data from online sources and recorded video clips got from media houses. The study purposively selected seventeen vetting interviews that were seen to contain the lexical items that answer to the objectives of the study. The data comprised of key lexical items as used in Kenyan police discourse which allude to bribery. The study demonstrated how re-lexicalization of terms plays a role in masking corruption consequently regularizing the vice. This study hopes to make a contribution in the field of forensic linguistics and especially in police discourse as there has never before been such a process that brought police conduct to the public scrutiny in what I would call “the hunter turned the hunted”.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Bernard, H.R (2002) Research Methods in Anthropology: Qualitative and Quantitative methods, (3rd ed. Altamira Press, Walnut Greek, California.

Blevins, J. & Blevins, J eds (2009) Analogy in grammar: Form and acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Brown, Hand Marrriott, A (2012) ADR: Principles and practice, 3rd ed. London: Sweet and Maxwell.

Coulthard, M. and Johnson, A (2007) an introduction to Forensic linguistics: Language in Evidence. Routledge: London and New York.

Fairclough, N (1995) Critical Discourse Analysis: The Critical Study of Language. Longman: London and New York.

Gentles,S.J, Charles,C., Ploeg,.J, & Mckibbon, K. (2015). Sampling in Qualitative Research: Insights from an Overview of the methods of Literatutre. The Qualitative Report, 20(11), 1772-1789. Retrieved from

Gibbons, J &Turell M.T eds (2008) Dimensions of forensic linguistics international journal of Speech, Language & the law

Gibbons, J (2003) Forensic Linguistics. An introduction to Language in the Justice System. Maldem: Blackwell Publishing.

Goffman, E( 1974) Frame Analysis: An Essay on the Organization of Experience. Northeastern University Press. New York: Harper and Row

ICC (2011). Rome Statute of International Criminal Court. Enschede: Print Partners Ipskamp.

Kombo, K.D& Tromp, A.L (2006) Proposal and Thesis Writing- An Introduction. Paulines Publications Africa, Nairobi.

Olsson, J (2004) Forensic Linguistics. Nebraska Wesleyan University, Wales, United kingdom

Patton, M. Q.(2015) Qualitative research and evaluation methods:Intergrating Theory and Practice (4th ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Satia, E. (2014). Language and the Construction of Identity in Legal Context. Phd thesis. Eldoret : Moi University. Shuy, R. (2013). Language of Bribery Case : Oxford University Press.

Tannen , D, Hamilton , E and Schiffrin, D (2015) The handbook of Discourse Analysis, 2nd Ed: Framing and positioning: Gordon, C (2009)

Tongco, M.C.(2007) Purposive Sampling as a Tool for Informant selection: Ethno botany Research & Applications 5:147-158.

Transparency International Kenya (2016) Report of the Review of the Anti- Corruption Provisions in the National Police Service Basic Training Course Syllabus and Regulations, 2011.

Wine, L(2008) Towards a Deeper Understanding of Framing , Footing, and Alignment. Teachers College Working Papers in TESOL & Applied Linguistics, 2008, Vol. 8, No.2

HYPERLINK

"https://nsuworks.nova.edu|" https://nsuworks.nova.edu| tqr| vol20/iss11/5

Published
2025-11-30
How to Cite
Kimaiyo, P., Satia, D. E., & Nganga, D. S. (2025). WHY CORRUPTION WILL LINGER ON IN THE KENYA POLICE CONTEXT: RE- LEXICALIZATION OF TERMS RESPONSIBLE FOR MASKING CORRUPTION. GPH-International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, 8(10), 65-83. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17767959
Issue
Vol 8 No 10 (2025): GPH-International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
Section
Articles
Copyright (c) 2025 Pascalyne Kimaiyo, Dr. Emmanuel Satia, Dr. Simon Nganga

The authors and co-authors warrant that the article is their original work, does not infringe any copyright, and has not been published elsewhere. By submitting the article to GPH-International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, the authors agree that the journal has the right to retract or remove the article in case of proven ethical misconduct.