The Portland Cement land dispute vividly illustrates the shortcomings of the government as the sole arbiter of truth.
The centralised land registry, overseen by individuals driven by unscrupulous motives within a flawed criminal justice system, has resulted in staggering losses and allowed wrongdoers to escape justice.
Centralised systems are inherently vulnerable and susceptible to manipulation and exploitation, particularly when administered by corrupt officials.
The responsibility entrusted to the government and its agencies—including over birth certificates, passports and property ownership records—necessitates an institution as trustworthy and virtuous as the gods themselves. But governments and institutions are composed of fallible individuals.
The question then arises: How can we conduct transactions and interact within a trustless environment? How can individuals lacking mutual trust engage in business dealings? The solution lies in the trust protocol, a mechanism that enables parties to conduct business without requiring implicit trust in one another or third-party verification. This protocol’s credibility is ensured through smart coding and active community participation.
Contractual terms are encoded, and self-executing, and the transaction records are transparent and accessible to all. Every member of the community maintains a ledger of these transactions.
If one party breaches their obligations, the entire community serves as witnesses and can isolate the transgressor in future dealings.
Since everybody has a copy, altering the record without consensus becomes nearly impossible, and there is no single point of failure.
This trust protocol is embodied in blockchain. Its strength doesn’t lie in institutional guarantees but rather in the integrity of its participating community.
Utilising cryptography, intelligent coding and communal involvement, the technology can liberate us from corrupt state actors and the dominance of powerful institutions, restoring individual and societal freedom over our identities, data and assets.
– Mr Njenga, an interdisciplinary content creator, is a Web 3.0 enthusiast. [email protected].
