'Do you know someone', and difficulties that hustlers face

Hustler hawking chicken baskets in Kakamega town on May 19,2024. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard]

It’s a very common question, through phone calls and WhatsApp groups. Do you know someone in a certain institution? The coded message is that one needs a service but is stuck. 

This is when being a hustler becomes a liability. Hustlers know few people working in such strategic places, usually government institutions. They have to follow the queue.

They are used to obedience and perseverance. And with their sincerity, they may not know a bribe is needed, or they may have no money for that.

Knowing someone often expedites service delivery, never mind at the expense of those who know nobody. Yet in the delivery of public services, objectivity and fairness should be the norm. 

How did we get to this state?

Institutions run a country. “Knowing someone” is a sign that our institutions are not functioning as expected. Good institutions should be blind to their customers; their colour, creed, race or religious orientation.

Think of a supermarket. They do not discriminate against you - whether you are buying goods worth Sh10,000 or Sh50. One reason is that customers have choices. In the provision of government choices, they often have no choice. 

It’s also a sign of popular thinking, “them versus us.” As you skip the queue because you know someone, you feel good and heroic. And not guilty because you do not know those queuing! They are statistics. It’s like reading obituary pages; you rarely cry unless you know someone.

Delay in service delivery affects everyone because of the interconnectedness of the economy.  Delaying the registration of a business could mean denying someone a job. That job could mean a family going hungry and society in distress.

Digitisation was a great solution to “whom do you know.” It will ensure you don’t need to see someone to get services. A good example is driving licenses.

What we can’t deny is that despite all the digitisation, human behaviours will remain a factor in service delivery. That is why we still visit physical banking halls and have coffee with each other despite dating apps. 

There is another solution; outsourcing. Lots of current government services can be offered through the private sector. An example is a travel visa through agents.

I find that more convenient than visiting the embassies. Never mind you pay a service charge. In the United States, for example, you apply for your passport through the post office and it’s delivered home.

Why don’t we copy US government operations just as we copy their political system?

In the long run, making it easier to get services has economic dividends. We use that time to do more productive things and turn the reluctant wheel of progress.  

When did you last ask, “Do you know someone in a certain institution?” Share the experience.