Amid all the gloom in Kenya, this NTSA office still works

What you need to know:

  • I was pleasantly surprised – shocked, even – to discover that there are some government offices that still work. Now, while our government generally upsets me, sometimes I feel like there is a little hope on the horizon – even if it is thinly disguised as another money-making scheme.
  • When I heard that a friend had obtained a licence without too much hassle, of course I immediately wanted to jump on the bandwagon. He said it was actually a simple half-hour affair. I didn't really believe him.
  • I didn't pay anyone anything, or add any money that was above and beyond what the website said I would have to pay. And it is terrible, so terrible, that this truly surprised me.

In light of everything that is happening in our country, I decided that a little positivity was necessary. When I say in light of everything, I literally mean everything; for the large part, you can pick a finger, pick a website, close your eyes and point at something and it will generally be bad news about death, or misappropriated funds, or bestiality, or land grabbing. It's like a magician's trick: pick a scandal, any scandal!

I was pleasantly surprised – shocked, even – to discover that there are some government offices that still work. Now, while our government generally upsets me and gives me almost no cause to have faith in it, considering our poverty and corruption indexes, sometimes I feel like there is a little hope on the horizon – even if it is thinly disguised as another money-making scheme.

The scheme I'm talking about is the new-generation licences that NTSA is handing out. On the whole, I'm not against the agency. I appreciate the fear of God they have put, with the breathalyser regulations, in callous drunkards who drive on the road without caring who they could hit or kill. I appreciate that every so often, people will bother to hydrate before leaving the club. I think NTSA’s stepping up its game has been worth it perhaps for that reason alone.

A NO-HASSLE LICENCE?

But when they announced that everyone has to get a new licence, and get a new road check, among other things that they've been making happen over the years (fire extinguishers, first aid boxes etc.), I was irritated because it sounded like just one more thing Kenyans have to pay for on the slimmest budget available – which was a lot like how I was feeling about getting a brand-new passport (that's an entire other story).

And so, when my licence was stolen, for a long time, I didn't drive, and I didn't bother to get a new one, because the process that you have to go through is, quite frankly, exhausting. I wanted to get an abstract and was informed that I would have to pay for one, regardless of the fact that this is supposed to be a free service. Then on the day I went to get said abstract, I was told that there was no stamp to officiate the abstract, and so I would have to come back the next day. Which would turn into the next. And the next...

So when I heard that a friend had obtained a licence without too much hassle, of course I immediately wanted to jump on the bandwagon. He said it was actually a simple half-hour affair. I didn't really believe him, so I asked for the number of the person that he had dealt with so I could go myself. He said I wouldn't need it. So off I went to the NTSA offices in Upper Hill, across from Don Bosco Church.

NO GREASING ANYONE'S PALM

On arrival, I discovered that I couldn't park outside. The watchman directed me to a side road where people usually parked and I walked in eventually. The reception was busy, but the two receptionists there directed me to where I needed to go. There was a short line of people waiting to enter the main new licensing area. A lovely young man created a TIMS account for me (note: on the website, they ask you for your ID's serial number, not your ID number – a mistake I was making repeatedly when trying to create the account at home). Then I gave in a few details, had my picture taken and left in that half hour my friend had promised me I would take.

I didn't pay anyone anything, or add any money that was above and beyond what the website said I would have to pay. And it is terrible, so terrible, that this truly surprised me. The staff were friendly – jovial, even – and efficient. I was left hoping that Kenya could run like this because there is at least one place that runs like this. Maybe.

Twitter: @AbigailArunga