Corruption and (what's worse) impunity

A friend of mine just joined a Facebook group called 'Africa's not the dark continent, it's just corrupt'. Not being an African myself, I felt that might come across as a bit judgmental, so didn't join. But you might get an idea of where I'm going...

I'm on the road at the moment, in West Africa, and travel brings contrasts to mind. Coming back from a quick visa-related trip to airport this morning, we were stopped by a policeman. Car papers duly handed out, inspected, and we were given a cursory wave on. My driver told me that some police were keen on getting money if there was something wrong with your papers, but some weren't like that. I'm a country much poorer than Kenya, but the government, the police, the roads (where are the potholes?), the electricity (not a single power cut in nearly a week) all seem to work better - it's reputedly less corrupt than many other African countries. It's the industry that seems to be lacking. (The milk I put on my cornflakes in the morning comes from France, believe it or not!)

Which brings to mind my journey to Jomo Kenyatta airport back in Nairobi. Stopped at the police check just before the entry gates, an Asian man is giving a policeman 1,000 shillings in plain sight - I think it must have been missing insurance. The policeman sees me looking, but doesn't seem bothered. (On the other hand, the car I was in had a faulty headlight; we were informed, but no pressure for money...).

A few weeks ago, we stopped near Thika, and I had a little walk with the kids. A police car stopped and set up an impromptu checkpoint, only stopping matatus (minivans). The drivers sprinted out, knowing the script, and approached the passenger door of the shiny police car, putting their hands inside the door, towards the cop sitting there. And then trotted off. No checks of the vehicles, nothing, apart from daylight robbery. Again, the cop saw me looking, but didn't seem at all concerned. A camera might have caused a different reaction.

Corruption happens everywhere, in different forms, it's true. What really concerns me about Kenya is how brazen it is, and that the only people that get into trouble about it are the whistleblowers. Not everyone in Kenya is corrupt, far from it (I've had pleasant dealings with great people in customs, which is also a den of iniquity in general). But in a culture of systemic impunity, it must be really hard to keep your hands clean.

For two alternative approaches to dealing with Kenyan traffic cops, consider driving past them or (more my style) ending up going to court.