About

Corruption Is Only Bad If I'm Not Involved is a catchphrase and reaction meme based on a viral video of Kenyan human rights activist Samson Owimba Ojiayo, also known as Uncle Samson, delivering a satirical speech about corruption and self-interest. In the clip, Ojiayo says, "Corruption is not bad. Corruption is only bad if I'm not involved. But if I'm part of that corruption, I'll defend it," a statement that was widely shared online without its original context.

After appearing online in the early 2020s, the viral clip spread over the following years as a reaction GIF, catchphrase and through edits in which someone uses the quote to humorously convey that they are ok with something corrupt happening if they directly benefit from it.

Origin

The viral clip features Kenyan activist Samson Owimba Ojiayo, a longtime human rights advocate associated with grassroots movements including the Yellow Movement and Bunge la Mwananchi, or People's Parliament. Throughout his career, Ojiayo has campaigned against corruption, police brutality, ab-se of power and government unaccountability in Kenya.^[1][2]

The speech excerpt originated from a longer public address in which Ojiayo employed irony and exaggerated rhetoric to criticize self-serving attitudes toward corruption. Although the isolated clip was frequently circulated as a sincere endorsement of corruption, it has generally been described as satirical commentary, consistent with Ojiayo's longstanding anti-corruption activism.^[3]

A video of the full speech from Samson Owimba Ojiayo was uploaded by the YouTube channel Shiracko Media on November 18th, 2022, garnering over 30,000 views, 700 likes and 60 comments in three years, with the quote appearing at the 9:24-minute timestamp.

In 2025, the excerpt gained widespread attention after being reposted to TikTok and Instagram, where its blunt delivery and easily quotable punchline facilitated its spread.

On May 24th, 2025, TikTok^[4] user @amos.vlogs3 posted a clip of Samson Ojiayo delivering his now-viral quote, "Corruption is not bad… only bad if I'm not involved… but if I'm part of it I'll defend it," receiving over 6.3 million views and 374,000 likes in just over a year.

Spread

As the Corruption Is Only Bad If I'm Not Involved meme spread internationally in the mid-2020s, many posts referred to Samson Owimba Ojiayo simply as a "Kenyan politician," although he is more accurately known as a civil society activist and democracy advocate who has also participated in political organizing.

On June 7th, 2025, TikTok^[5] user @justcore6 uploaded a compilation of viral African internet clips that opened with Ojiayo's corruption quote before transitioning into other well-known videos, including the Why Are You Gay? interview. The compilation garnered over 23.6 million views and 2.9 million likes in just over a year.

On November 11th, 2025, Instagram^[6] user @anisa_nandaula posted a Reel captioned, "If you ever feel bad for loving money too much…," using Ojiayo's corruption speech as the video's punchline. The Reel received over 135,000 likes in eight months.

On October 21st, 2025, TikTok^[7] user @violetsaretommy posted a video doing an impression of Ojiayo's speech, receiving over 404,000 views and 61,000 likes in about eight months.

Following the meme's virality online in 2025, Ojiayo acknowledged its popularity on social media, incorporating references to the viral clip into his online presence while continuing to post political commentary and advocacy content.

On June 27th, 2026, Ojiayo embraced the meme's popularity by posting a video to his official Instagram^[8] account, @theunclesamson, confirming that he was the person featured in the viral clip. In the post, captioned in part, "Yes… it's really ME. The original 'Corruption is not bad' guy," and identified the account as his only official page. The post received over 299,000 likes in nine days.

On July 5th, 2026, X^[9] user @tosinmm_ referenced the speech while reacting to U.S. footballer Folarin Balogun's eligibility decision involving the USMNT at the FIFA World Cup following his red card, garnering over 8.5 million views and 83,000 likes within a day. The post demonstrated the quote's continued use as a reaction meme in sports discourse.

Also on July 5th, 2026, TikTok^[10] user @squitooo10 posted a celebratory edit titled "BALOGUN BEAT THE CASE," opening the video with Ojiayo's corruption quote. The post received over 297,000 views and 64,000 likes in one day.

Various Examples

Template / GIF

Search Interest

External References