To Bribe or not to Bribe

I was not in a good mood today travelling back to Homa Bay on very muddy roads from the consistent rain we have been getting over the past weeks. The reason for travelling was to see the police inspector who last week charged me with driving without insurance. The road was sloppy and several places had vehicles that slid off the road and were stuck. Other places were so bad that the big vehicles didn’t even attempt to pass. They sat in the nearest market and waited for the roads to dry in the hot African sun.

I was stopped at a routine police check last week and the officer helped me to discover my insurance had expired the previous week. Following hours of debating and being brought before many different officers and supervisors, they finally released me after I posted bail.
As we neared the police station today my heart was racing, not sure if I would have to appear before the judge, or pay a big fine or what else might be in store. I stopped to say a short prayer before entering. It turned out to be a very simple conclusion. I showed him my insurance and the bail receipt and he returned the money I had paid and released me to go home.

The sad thing is I could have paid a simple $1 bribe last week to the police officer on the road and I would have been spared all of the hassles of being delayed for several hours that day, posting the bail, spending money for fuel, wear and tear on my vehicle and the time it took travelling back to Homa Bay today. No wonder most people just accept the corrupt system here and pay the bribe so they don’t have to deal with all the other inconveniences, but I guess trying to do things the right way is not always easy.