Today a policeman pulled me over for committing a traffic violation that I didn't know was illegal. I incorrectly maneuvered through a roundabout by creating a second lane of traffic in order to go straight. Of course, I learned this habit by watching other Nairobi residents skip ahead traffic as I patiently waited my turn to ford through cars from the opposing lanes. Regardless of where or how I picked up this habit, it is apparently illegal, and a friendly yet persistent policeman named Yunus stopped me. He hopped inside of my car and took me to the local police station in order to process my case. Fortunately, I was en route to the grocery store, and could post the 5000 shillings bale; now I have to attend a court hearing tomorrow morning, and pay a still-to-be-determined fine.
Although I am a bit annoyed that I will have to part with some of my stipend for something that I honestly didn't know was wrong, I am happy for the experience for one primary reason: the policeman behaved professionally, and did not even suggest that I bribe him. Lord willing, this development proves to me that Kenya seems to be turning away from its corrupt reputation. At the end of my booking, I thanked the officer for his honesty, and told him that I hoped for more police officers just like him to work in the Kenyan police force. Yunus smiled, a bit puzzled, as I shuffled back to my daily routine.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment