When I drove out of Arua last Tuesday, I was stopped by the traffic police at the speed control some 10 km from Arua. Two smiling men in tight khaki-uniforms. The acceptable limit is 50 km/hour, and I drove 73. My first thought was - '73 km/hour is a bit ridiculous' - the fine is the same disregarding the speed. Anyway, apparently I am not as insane as the ones who get caught for 120 km/hour...
Fair enough. I am then asking them to write me the fine to get it over and done with. Instead they start beating round the bush with questions like: 'How do you pronounce your surname in Danish?' and 'Are you really that person in the picture?' (pointing at my international driver's licence). All questions to add time for me to realize that they want something else, and the session hasn't lasted long, before the big guy suggest that 'instead of me paying the 100.000 UGS, they could also just warn me at a price I decide'.
For a 100.000 UGS I could get 5 nights including breakfast at the best guesthouse in Arua, Del' Ambience; I could get a whole month of Internet subscription and around 6 meals of sushi in Kampala.
No doubt, the officers think their idea is brilliant - they get cash and I wouldn't have to let go of 100.000 UGS. I mean, MS doesn't cover our speed fines, for sure. However, the easy way out honestly doesn't occur to me. It is not worth it, and I would also rather pay for the sight of the look on their faces when I ask: 'I am sorry, but what you ask me, I don't understand. In my country we call it corruption. Are you really asking me to pay you money without I get a receipt!?' The officer smiles, indicating; 'Finally, this muzungu woman gets the point'.
The officers are actually very polite, but also very insisting. Implying that the alternative is to take my car back for inspection in Arua, which would be some hell of a good waste of time for all. This conversation starts to annoy me, strangely they offer no attempt to write me the bill. So - I go: 'You know I work for this Danish NGO and we promote good governance, democracy and anti-corruption. Pointing at my logo, getting terribly pretentious and self-rightious: ' - I have to be a good example myself. You should do the same thing, man! Cut out this corruption business!'. Driving in a car with an MS-logo obliges you. Working with MS does. The red cars are famous from Adjumani and all the way down to Kampala, and if one development worker sticks out, we are all associated.
I would have been pissed off with me, if I was him. Instead, he states - 'Ok, you better continue your work. This time you get it all for free. This time, we only warn you'. They didn't even bother to write me an official fine. Nothing.
Uganda has been rated among the most corrupt countries. In company with Iraq and Congo. Scandinavia among the least corrupt nations. Take a look here: http://ww1.transparency.org/cpi/2005/cpi2005_infocus.html
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