One concrete way to fight corruption
corruption ▪ policy ▪ The traffic officers must have licked their lips when they saw the easy pickings approaching - a luxury grey Toyota Land Cruiser with United Nations number-plates. In time-honoured fashion, one of the officers stepped into the road on the outskirts of Nairobi, flagged down the vehicle, informed the driver that he had been speeding and confiscated his licence and car keys. The driver and passenger would be free to go only if they paid bail of £22 and kitu kidogo, "a little something" of £7.
There was only one problem. The passenger was Colin Bruce, the head of the World Bank in Kenya... and an outspoken critic of the corruption that continues to bedevil the country. Mr Bruce denied that his car was travelling over the 50mph speed limit and asked the officers to produce evidence.
When they refused and threatened to tow the vehicle way, Mr Bruce used his mobile to call Aaron Ringera, the head of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission. A team rushed to the scene and ordered the officers to return the licence and car keys. Several other motorists who had refused to pay "bail" were also given their keys back.
A good example for the rest of us. Taufikurrahman Ruki's mobile number, anyone?
posted by Arya Gaduh at
7:55 am
2 Comments:
Well, it is difficult to produce evidences unless the policeman is equipped with a radar gun, in which he was not.
d.
By
Anonymous, at 8/14/2006 09:06:00 am
d., actually he was -- else he shouldn't be able to declare that the car exceeds 50mph. Two paragraphs later:
"Five traffic policemen were taken for questioning, while one was reported to have run away. They later denied demanding bribes, and said that they could not produce evidence of speeding because the speed gun could not be rewound."
By
Arya Gaduh, at 8/14/2006 06:03:00 pm
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