Citizen action- is it possible?

I usually leave local transport issues up to my assistants to figure out. Thursday they decided it would be best to try for a matatu (mini-bus) in town rather than walk a bit farther and get a taxi (car). Next time, we are going for a taxi. No questions asked. Once we were in the matatu it took almost an hour to leave. Annoying!!! Also annoying, but slightly entertaining, was the following story...

There were three of us at the back of this minivan- painted with the words '7 passengers', then three in the middle seat, and then two in the front. By the time we had all these people on board we were already over the legal limit (of seven), and the driver wasn't in place. I was biting at the bit to get going on the day as we had already had a delay or two, so I stuck my head out the window and talked to the guy who had been herding people in.

I said to him "the car is full. What are we waiting for? Where is the driver?"

He said "I am the driver. We just need to put two more people in the car".

"Where?" I asked, "the car is full- there is no space".

"Right here" he said, pointing to the non-existent space beside me. "And there" he said, pointing to the equally non-existent space in the middle seat.

WELL, when a man tried to sit in the back with us I didn't move over. Because I couldn't. I wasn't about to sit on the very hard plastic cup holder bit, and I knew what everyone else in the vehicle also knew- that overloading is illegal, that you should only have people for the number of seatbelts, and that at 8 passengers we were already over the legal limit (actually, I thought it was legal to have two plus the driver in the front, but that is one too many). SO, since there wasn't space anyway (I was next to a man who had 'eaten well'), and the fourth man was not physically able to sit down, I pointed out to him that there was now a blank space at the front- one of the people had left because the matatu was so slow in leaving.

The fourth man went to the front.

I made rumblings to the people next to me about how it is illegal, not safe, etc etc etc. to add more people. Then another guy tried to sit in the back. "No" I told him. "There is no room. There are only three seatbelts, and three seats and any more would be illegal. There is no more room."

The driver and his buddy came to talk to me... "please, madam, just allow the man to sit there"...

BUT, by now I was gaining adrenaline... "NO" I said forcefully "that is not legal. You are breaking the law. This is a kind of corruption, and it is not right. I can not agree to go along with this".

"Then can you pay an extra 50KSh for the other seat that you will not allow someone to sit in?" they asked/ demanded

"What seat?" I replied "there is no seat here- only the window. There is no way someone can sit here, and it is illegal. I can not pay for a seat that does not exist".

They left. How can they really argue that? I got votes of encouragement from the other passengers, who were totally silent throughout the whole thing, but were, I found out later, silently cheering for me.

A fourth person got on the middle seat. They obviously weren't inspired into action by my speeches, though they were somewhat entertained. Two of the people in that middle seat were my enumerators.

Still, the car would not go. They came back to me again. "Please, madam, can you go and trade places with someone in the front so that we can add more people here?"

"NO!!" I said "What good would that do? It's not the point to sit in a different spot. The point is that I can not agree to sharing my seat illegally in this bus. It is like agreeing to corruption, and it is not right."

Finally, we left. I wondered what would happen, but I couldn't back down. Not then. Not after talking so much. Also, there literally wasn't any room because the guy beside me was so big. The trip would be long, and the idea of being squished agains the window, seated on a cupholder did not appeal to me.

WE went around the corner, the drivers changed, and a guy jumped in who had previously not boarded when I had refused to squish over one inch, and said it was full (he had agreed at that point).

That guy- named Brian- turned around and gave me a big grin. He must have been Pokot- I think- missing the two front teeth. He said to me "see, we just need to make money". Oh... I could have pummelled him.

But I didn't. I used words. Oh boy... I was on a roll... you know it isn't very often I just let loose like this!!!

"I meet Kenyans every day that tell me the one thing that is ruining their country is corruption. Well, where do you think it starts????"

"We just want to make money madam"

"Well, there is a right way and a wrong way to do that. Do you teach your children to lie and cheat and bribe? Is that how you teach them to live? Is that what you think is right?!?"

"no..."
"Well, why do you conduct business that way then? If the driver would have left when he had the correct number of passengers, he would never have to pay bribes, and he could have made much more money by doing more runs in a day. We could have all been at our destinations already if we had not waited to over fill the vehicle."

Then we passed a cop, who did not look at the vehicle.

Another half-toothed grin.

"This is what I mean. How do you expect things to change in your country if you do not change yourself? Why does everyone agree to break the laws when you know they are there?"

"But we are Africans madam. We just need someone like you to come and tell us the way we should do things"

At this point I nearly exploded... I'm sure there was steam... "People like me? Africans are people and I am a person. You do not need someone from far to say how to fight corruption and do things legally. You know how to do it, but you refuse."

"No, we need you to tell us what to do madam!"

"You do NOT need me to tell you!!! You can think for yourselves!!! I will leave soon- I am only here for a short time, and you will probably never see me again. What can I do? You need to be the ones that want change and make change!!!"

Then the tire got flat ("because we are overloaded", muttered another passenger). We pulled over and Brian and I continued our conversation a we all piled out and waited. He showed me the 7 passengers written on the side, and grinned. What the heck was he getting at?

"See", I said- "everyone can see it! Why do you all agree to ignore it? You have the power of refusing to go along with it. If everyone started refusing, things would change. That is how change happens". Changing tactics, I asked Brian, "do you have children?".

"Not yet"...

"Do you have younger brothers and sisters that look up to you???" I further questioned

"Yes"

"Well, then, what do you teach them??? What sort of things do you tell them are okay to do? Do you teach them that breaking the law is right, that agreeing to corruption is right,. that putting yourself in dangerous situations is right?"

"Ah... but we are African madam"

(Is he actually saying these words?!?) "Africans are PEOPLE. We are ALL people. that can not be an excuse if you want this country to be different for your children!!!"

Anyways, by the time we arrived in our destination the conversation had moved to biblical reasons for getting ahead in this world, which really riled me- because as Christians we should especially aspire to be without reproach... oh, it made me so mad. I was just thinking in my mind, don't mess with me, man... And don't try to drag Jesus into being a reason for your bad behaviour!!!

I felt a bit like a hypocrite, because I routinely ride in overstuffed matatus and taxis, but I am choosing places to draw the line. At least I can make a ruckus about what happens in the seat I occupy. People congratulated me when we were outside the vehicle. They said they really learned something today. Good, I thought.. now practice it!!!

Ahhhhh.... then a nice relaxing ride on a boda-boda, four good interviews, and then we had to return, because the day was over.

Thankfully the taxi driver did not put in an eighth passenger (ie to share the drivers seat with him- that is where I 'draw the line' with taxis). I only had enough energy to argue like that once in a day.