Those who will create good jobs, construct smooth highways, make education affordable, reduce crime and stem corruption. The latter is especially important because achieving it makes the preceding expectations possible. It therefore, makes sense for Kenyans to speak out against graft, and they do so every day - loudly.

For any government to make progress in addressing the concerns of its people, citizens must be willing to make sacrifices. They must support any policies that are likely to benefit them, even when those in power are from rival parties - or in Kenya's unfortunate reality, tribes.

You don't have to ask anyone to know if Kenyans are capable of putting their country above individual interests. Are we able to give up some things so our communities can flourish? The answer is a resounding no. We have been trained to oppose the government of the day, even when we can admit it has done well in some areas. We won't make concessions.

We want it all. Now!

We are overly cynical. The country is not getting better. It doesn't matter that since 2002, civil servants are actually getting paid when the government says they will. Or that through the Constituency Development Fund Act of 2003, money is being channeled to aid citizen projects, thanks to a more effective tax collection and record keeping system. Free primary education doesn't count as progress. We don't pay any attention to the freedom of expression that now allows Kenyans to openly criticize their government from the streets or the abundant media outlets. Yes, these are all strides of achievements by the government, but not fast enough, many of us will say.

We want more. Now!

What about all the corruption? Yes, the government is corrupt to the core. In fact, President Mwai Kibaki himself - like most Kenyan politicians - has a questionable past. But we cannot blame leaders solely for the existence of the vice. We all must share responsibility if we wish to see our country improve in all aspects.

Last month at the Kenyan Diaspora investment convention in Atlanta, Georgia., Dr. Eric Masinde Aseka, a Kenyatta University professor and Fulbright Scholar at Kennesaw State University talked about the country's desperate need for a "new culture." Aseka urged those in attendance to dismantle the current culture of tribalism, corruption and nepotism and replace it with one that embraces moral integrity and respect. A standing ovation at the end of his speech was a signal that his audience, which included Finance Minister Amos Kimunya, agreed. Aseka's message needs to resonate throughout Kenya.

We can't expect the government to reduce corruption when on the other hand we bribe our way out of every situation. Engaging in such acts only makes it easier for those in government to demand kickbacks. While in Kenya last year, I rode in an overcrowded matatu from Nyamira to Kisii. We approached a police roadblock and as expected, the conductor bribed the cops.

"This government is so corrupt," a man bitterly complained. "I'm not voting for a Mkikuyu ever again."

I had heard so many similar complaints but had in all cases I walked away without a word. I was not going to repeat the mistake.

"What are you doing to help Kibaki end corruption?" I asked him.

The man said it wasn't his job. He was not the one who had run for office in 2002 promising that if elected he would devote his time to ending corruption, he said.

I agreed. But isn't a county like a household with the president as the head? Can a father be expected to patrol alone every spot in the homestead to check for broken fences? Should his daughters wait for him to discover their bedroom's leaking roof?

We have to collectively construct an integral culture and make it clear to those we elect that we will not tolerate any deviations from it. That is our inescapable civic duty. Civic? Isn't that one of those words that only make sense in the West where people are more educated and know their rights?

It appears so. But Kenyans are some of the most highly educated people in the world, with a literacy level of 85 percent - one of the best in the world. Our people are capable of making their own decisions if provided with accurate information and a favorable environment. Let's teach those of us who haven't had the opportunity to see the likelihood of an alternative world that such a paradise is possible with patience and hard work. Instead of watching our fellow citizens follow their leaders obliviously, encourage them to think for themselves. Tell that young man in the overcrowded matatu that he should bear as much a burden as the government if he wants a better community - that opposing things just for the sake of it is a lazy path that eventually insults his wounds.

Let's advocate patience, one of the most important African values. (Haraka haina baraka). It takes weeks or even months for a person bitten once by a dog to heal; a country left in the hands of hyenas for four decades will take at least that many years to recover.