Wife Speak: Are you guilty of ‘small’ corruption?

corruption

conce again pinned me down when I needed to clear some charges for documentation somewhere.

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There is something like speaking too soon and jinxing a good thing. While enjoying coffee with a friend the other day, I told her how comfortable I am not to ruffle any feathers, be it at home or at work.

“I do not even have big ambitions of pursuing tenders, because that would mean bullying and bribing my way to stand a chance of being awarded a tender.” I have never learnt the art of wheeler dealing either.

“I made a promise never to bribe anyone for anything.” I told her, feeling very saintly. As sure as the sun shall rise tomorrow, the second I said this, corruption started hunting me down in all corners.

For example, the car wash guy. I had sat on a bench, engrossed in a game on my phone as he cleaned the car.

“Madam.” He interrupted me, closing the personal space between us, and said something in Kikamba.

“I don’t understand.”

He almost shushed me, then whispered in Kikuyu, to which I still did not understand. He was almost at a kissing level as I leaned back, when he finally whispered in Swahili; “tell them I’ve only cleaned on the outside and pay them two hundred shillings.” I looked thoroughly confused so he added, “You will pay them only two hundred, then give me one hundred fifty shillings – that’s between me and you.”

“I am paying through the phone.”

“It is okay, you can send mine to my phone. I will write my number and leave it inside the car.” Corruption is so ingrained in us; I almost considered his proposal.

“I am sorry; I can’t do that. I am happy to tip you for a good job, but I can’t rob your employer.” He looked at me like I was such a wet blanket. I later understood why he was using the Bantu languages. He was trying to turn me into a conspirator, because his boss spoke a Nilotic language and I looked like a Bantu from the Mountain or Eastern Kenya regions. No sooner had I renewed my corruption aversion vows than I got a chat from an ex, ex of half a century ago.

“I am traveling to Vasha; can you go with me? You can tell Hubby that it is work.” It was a longer chat, but this was the gist of it. Yaani! I have taken myself to Naivasha a dozen times, Hubby has taken me there another fifty times and, so, this guy could not consider Vienna, Austria, surely?

Corruption once again pinned me down when I needed to clear some charges for documentation somewhere. The person attending asked me to pay him a small fee and voila, the charges would disappear. What is going on!

We may not see the grand corruption in our schools until you hear from the affected parents, in hushed tones because they are concerned about their child being victimised.

I haven’t even started on the corruption in schools. In a certain school, the parents were asked to pay Sh10,000 as ‘Teacher’s Motivation Fee.’ Mind you, this is a public school. No receipts are issued and if you do not pay the motivation fee, your child will be made to miss the end of year examinations, which is a prerequisite to graduate to the next level. If ever there was blackmail, this is it.

In another school, this single parent trying to make ends meet after 15 school terms was beside herself when her children were sent home for school fees last term. They stayed home for a month, and when schools resumed, she thought the school would not charge for the month that her children were away. Not only did the school charge her, but they also refused to issue her a clearance letter to transfer her children to a public school. She had to pay full payment of the previous term’s fee balance, including the one month that her children were sent away.

Could we all try abstaining from corruption of any manner, moral or economic for just a month and see what can happen? Yes, even the ‘small’ corruption is done at a personal level.

Karimi is a wife who believes in marriage. [email protected]