A society where I hold some decision making portfolio is intending to make some small investment. Consequently I was tasked with the responsibility of sourcing suppliers and bringing them to the fold. We are pressed for time. I got 3 seemingly good quotes after which I called the vendors for a discussion. One of them seemed quite good and I asked them to consider reducing their cost in order to let us get on with the contract. The guy told me that it would be ideal to let the price stand as it was, he however proposed to mobilize a small marketing fee. When I asked what he was talking about, he indicated that 10% of the cost would be that marketing fee payable to me in cash!
I was disgusted. First that this guy was not stressing the value of their product to me. He did not want to give us value. Secondly that he was thinking I was so cheap as to betray my society in the first place.
The experience made me angry and I suggested that we black list that company all together. We must never do any business with them ever again. But more it made me realize just what makes ours a pipe dream. That people are always thinking of shortcuts and bribes instead of delivery. As Kenyans I think we really need to up our game. The small economic boom between 2003 and 2006 showed me clearly that life is more enjoyable when things are working and everyone of us has something. Its boring and distressful when you are the only one who is capable. When you have so many people cursing you. It may look attractive but its not at all fulfilling. Greed and meanness don't make people happy.
Further as I have argued here and as a comment in other blog posts of fellow bloggers, I hold that getting rid of sleaze in our country is not a function of the political leaders alone. whats more these politicians come from among us. we beget them. so its normally naive for us to believe that just because one is elected president, MP or anything related he should suddenly become a saint and be better than any one of us.
Thanks for trying to make a difference. Your action, however insignificant it might seem, goes a long way in reducing the culture of corruption that is so prevalent in our society. I undertook a residential construction project last year and was suprised at the amount of filth in our society. Iam not talking about the big shots we are used to condeming....its the regular neighbor, Wanjala and Wanjiku. Thanks again for making a difference.
ReplyDelete@annon, What I know is that solutions that we want start with us. when it comes to construction industry, you find developers using the cheapest of materials when doing the job. they then force the eventual owners to change almost all fixtures in the house thus driving up the actual cost of ownership. Why do this?
ReplyDeleteOgegle-after 2008 and some reflection, I am fully convinced that Kenya's problems are us not our leadership.
ReplyDeleteMany love shortcuts and thus love seeing our tribesmen in power believing they will deliver free things.
Ditto corruption
Well put. the good thing about that is that it therefore means we can change the situation. Its actually within our power to make this nation better by changing ourselves and our neighbors.
ReplyDeleteCongrats... corruption is so pervasive that the guy did not even flinch before offering the bribe aka marketing fee!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your contribution to curb corruption. It is really up to us to do the right thing. We can be the instrument of change.
ReplyDeleteIt really takes one person to influence two and the message will spread. I am a big advocate for not polluting and I can proudly say that I have changed the minds of a few.
We can do it!