a conversation about bribery

During my latest 13-hour bus ride, I sat down for lunch with some Kenyans who have lived in Nairobi their entire lives.
We started talking politics: corruption is the biggest problem, we have to get rid of it. All those government people who steal money. Nepotism, favors, embezzling, etc.

Then our meal finished, and they lit cigarettes. We started talking about smoking: yes, I said, it’s illegal in many places in the U.S.

“Even here,” one of them said. “Even in Kenya. There are some places around in Nairobi where you cannot smoke.”

The other jumped in. “And they can fine you. They have a fine whereby they can take from you fifty thousand shillings for smoking in the wrong place.”

The other shook his head. “Even me they fined me for that one.”

“They caught you?” The first nodded. His friend shook his head sadly.

“How much did you had to give him?”

“Three thousand shillings.”

The listener nodded, sympathetic but somehow approving. It was appropriate to pay a three thousand shilling bribe to avoid a fine of fifty thousand. Sad but expected, like hearing that a smooth-talking politician you like has been caught in a sex scandal. So it shall always be. Within the tragedy there is comfort in knowing that the world will continue to revolve as it always has.

What struck me in this conversation was the unconscious assumption that bribery was a part of life. There was no irony noted in the fact that we’d been bemoaning the existence of corruption only five minutes earlier. That in fact we’d identified corruption specifically as the single greatest obstacle to Kenyan prosperity.

High-level corruption, that's a problem. But my bribes, those are okay.