Buying car in kenya
on 12 Months in Kenya (Kenya), 29/Jan/2011 09:24, 34 days ago
After a long break from my blog, I've decided to take up writing again. The title will have to change as I've now been in Kenya 17 months. I have made the transition fromVSOvolunteer to a speech and language private practice in a few months and well, it's been a lot of hard work and uncomfortable travel bymatatu.I have learned to "just wait" in Kenya but sometimes, there seems no reason for waiting. For example, waiting 5 months to buy a car...and still waitingThis is the story of a woman so tortured by waiting for a car that never existed, she had to navigate the city of Nairobi bymatau...He promised to transport the PradoLandcruiserfromJuba, Sudan to Kampala and then on to Nairobi...The Prado was impounded along the way as it was a stolen vehicleMeanwhile, back in Nairobi, my deposit of 1000 euro lay in the hands of anunscrupolouskenyanwho wrote a blank cheque when I demanded my money back...which sent me to the police...With no contact from my conman, I stoodttoloose all the moneyuntillI remembered I had met a friend of his at abarabequeand still had her number...I rang his friend who has a physical address for his parents. I rang another contact of his who mentioned that my conman had studied in the UK for several years and now made a living making opportunities for himself....Straight to the police station I went with the blank cheque and the parent's address. 2 police officers agreed to make a visit to the parent's home and they accompanied us, with 2 AK 47s ...no police vehicle as they cant afford themIn fact the inside of a police station in Kenya is very barren, only an outdated picture ofKibaki, no photocopier or stationary of any kind...few filing cabinets..or furnitureJust several hungry looking police in dark mouldy roomsWe made our way past the parent's guards and landed on their front porch, with thepolice...The father was old and frail, one legged , having lost the other to illness. The mother seemed shocked to hear her son was involved in this scandal and promised to beat him when she caught up with himHe has learned many bad habits in the UK, she saidHe was no longer inKenya..hiding out in Tanzania. He had accompanied his father for medical treatment toArushaand decided to stay there as he was wanted by several people in Nairobi, people like me who were stupid enough to get involved with himI will pay you,she saidYou will get your money back before Christmas if I have anything todo with itI waited....and sure enough, true to her word, she rang me the day before Christmas eve, to arrange a meeting at the police station. She was going to pay back all the money her son owed on the condition that I drop the chargesI agreed and popped into the police station alone, or should I stay waited in the police station for several hours and enduredingeniousrequests for money and emotional blackmailWhile I waited for the parents to arrive, I was invited into one of the dark mouldy rooms and offered a seatYou will have to give us a Christmas present since its Christmas and we have worked so hard getting your money backO, Idon'tthink there is a need for that since you have a salarybesides Kibakiensures you are looked afterI have used my mobile phone to arrange this and we are given little money for that,says the frustrated female police officerI'm sorry, its just that I'm Irish and in Ireland, wedon'tpay extra to people who are paid a salary to do their jobThe 2 other piped in, realising that their colleague was failing to extract the bribeIt is not like corruption, you give a gift from your heart for a job well doneReally,I said.I visited another police station when myIPODwas robbed andno oneassisted me despite presentsWell now we will assist you and you will get your money back....just a little from your heartI have nothing in my pocket...you can ask the parents for money if you likeWe cannot ask the parentsWell it is against my values to give bribesjust a little giftI'm going to wait outside under the treeuntilthem comeAn hour dragged by..and then the father waswheeledin to pay his son's debt. My heart sank when he was unable to sign his signature due to his hand tremor...Then the counting of the 1000 shilling notes began.It takes a long time to count out all the deposit money,all the whilesurrroundedby greedy police requiring giftsI gathered the money after recounting and ran out to the nearest taxi and straight toBarclaysbank as fast as I could...So no car, but my deposit back.....and what a cost