Kitu Kidogo (Ni Kitu Kikubwa)

Wenzangu, you will have to bear with me. In all honesty, there are some practices that unless addressed, will continue hindering our progress kama wazalendo toughing it out in a global market. These issues have been giving me heartburn and should they intensify without being aired, I fear that I may soon suffer from angina or worse.

Sasa ndugu zangu, kwani inakuaje kwamba (how is it that) in performing our duties, which we actually get paid for, we still expect someone to give us kitu kidogo on the side?

Where did this all come from and how has it been so entrenched in our society that it is now demanded as a right?

Park your car someplace and not hand it over to the young man standing by it and dare leave without paying him (even though you have paid the parking attendants) and they will break your tail lights. What did you expect? You didn’t leave kitu kidogo for a “soda”.

Prospect for business at an establishment, win the bid and don’t “tip” the receptionist, officer, manager and director involved and watch your contract be rescinded for ‘lack of credible references’ within two weeks.

Does it stem from our past? Was it that working in government and parastatal organisations left people with such little to take home by way of real cash that people then resorted to supplementing their income with kitu kidogo at the job; siphoning off organisation resources to do their own business on the side and; outright bribery to receive fast track services elsewhere?

Do you realise just how much this stifles progress? How can anyone get ahead if everything they rightfully earn has to be divided 7 ways with those seeking to leech off of them (and that’s even before taxes)?

Public and private sector personnel alike, there are offices where applications are delayed when you don’t grease someone’s palm by giving them something “for chai”.

Defective products and compromised services, are approved of and ushered into our markets, without quality and safety audits and end up affecting us as consumers, sometimes even leading to fatalities.

Time is wasted, lucrative contracts are lost and Tanzania remains stagnant as it chases its own tail in a tragic web of corruption. Corruption is a tail that wags Tanzania.

Now, I don’t care just how entrenched ‘bribing to get by’ is, I know for a fact, if enough people say no, although having to suffer short term losses, in the long run, those that insist on bribery as the currency for business transactions would run out of customers and in turn business.

It is a fact.

It really depends on your values and priorities.

Why should I bribe you for giving you a service you get more value from, a service that leads to your ultimate organisational development and financial growth? How come you don’t remember me, the consultant, when my excellent work reaps you hundred fold returns?

How many organisations, 2 years after the success of interventions suggested by consultants, go looking for the consultants and give them kitu kidogo over and above that which had been contracted for and paid two years before?

What saddens me more is the fact that from the head of departments to the tea boy, someone is expecting something for doing their job, which they already get paid for.

If you are not happy with your remuneration package, speak to your boss or HR personnel, where that fails and you have considered the pros and cons of choosing to stay, just make a plan to leave. There are recruitment agencies that don’t charge you a shilling to find you a suitable placement.

The money you accept as a bribe for a service instead of the customer paying the full fee, ends up in and out of your pocket without so much as consideration (because you didn’t toil for it) but imagine the difference it would make had the customer paid the full amount and with supporting structures in place, the organisation could collect its rightful revenues and in turn increase salaries or bonuses and perks that would end up of greater and longer term benefit to you than the odd “vijisenti” you scramble for now and then without dignity.

For those that are piggy backing off of others, try starting your own business or sharing your own salary and see how long you can maintain meeting your overheads and other people’s bills at the same time.

Then we complain when our own would rather do business with foreigners who in turn bring in their own as consultants? We have nothing to complain about. Think over and above your day to day wants and establish lasting ethical business relationships for the long term.

Yes, life can be short, so there are those who would say ‘live for today because that’s all that is guaranteed’ but life can also be very long and you may have to live with the consequences of your greed in jail or down and out with not a reference of good report anywhere.

Come on Tanzania, we are more than this. How many cars can one drive? How many houses can one live in? If it is because you don’t have and wan to ‘keep up’ with the trends, you are headed for disaster. You cannot want the prize without having to first pay the price. You don’t know what it took and the sacrifices that had to be made by someone you see as successful. You want the glory but can you drink of their cup (of pain and sacrifice?).

Please don’t say ‘well, everyone else is doing it, why should I not benefit? Even my boss and our public leaders are doing it, for crying out loud.’ If our leaders don’t show good examples, it doesn’t mean that leadership values have been compromised, it just means that we need to change the choices we make in appointing our heads. Let’s take a bottom up approach; let us, individually, take it unto ourselves to show them what real leadership is. After all, a leader is anyone who stands for values and serves their gift for the benefit of the people. You are a leader to serve others and not for others to serve and magnify you. You serve your gift for the benefit of others and wealth and recognition will always follow you.

There are no ‘get rich quick schemes’ to real prosperity. You need to take a stand and be counted.

We choose to stand to stamp out corruption. Will you stand with us?