The tasks for my last ten Kyla-less days in Kenya are to finish all the company write-ups, dig around for more information, and seek out government data.
Yesterday I attempted to penetrate Kenyan government offices. Talk about red tape! I began the morning at the Ministry of Labour, what I thought would be a natural place to find information about work permits, labour statistics, and Kenyan policies that affect foreign workers.
First point of intrigue is that after a check at the entrance gate, I was free to walk through the entire building. Not one person batted an eye at my clearly confused facial expressions as I attempted to figure out what floor the Permanent Secretary's office was on. Once in the correct office, the secretaries told me that I needed a written request to obtain any information. Zing! I'd prepared ahead and pulled out a letter addressed to the office complete with specific detail of the data I requested. As they read over my letter, they became concerned that it was not signed. I quickly rectified that issue as well.
I was told that the Permanent Secretary was not in but they would give me a call. Right. I was not taking that as an answer. I inquired about a time I could return or a phone number that would lead me directly to them. I received a post-it note in return with a phone number. No names. No dates. They were not having my persistence. Again I explained the time sensitivity and they looked at me with non-amused eyes while saying "we will give you a call."
On my way out, a man in the hall who clearly overheard the conversation caught up with me and mentioned that I should try a different office in a building downtown. I took note to try that office on Monday.
After my "luck" with the Ministry of Labour, I headed to the Ministry of Roads with high hopes. When you walk in the building, there are two elevators that go to every floor except the tenth. Conveniently, the Permanent Secretary's office is located on the tenth floor. A few minutes of wandering around led me to discover the special elevator that take people to the tenth floor, complete with a man in a chair, a telephone, and carpeting to take you up. Again, no one questioned me taking the special elevator.
The secretaries for the Ministry of Roads sat at desks behind a wall of windows. I will note now that these women never moved from their chairs during our entire exchange. I began my spiel and pulled out my letter in preparation that they would want to see it. They told me they didn't accept letters in person, only though fax. I again explained that I was a student and did not have a fax machine and they repeated that they only communicate through fax. I explained the time sensitivity and they repeated, I would need to fax them a letter. I got it: fax. As I began to ask them if there was a fax machine in their office I could use, one of the secretaries told me I'd have better luck at the Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA), because they deal with more Chinese clients. Seeing that I would get almost nowhere with this office, I asked for a phone number (no, they don't have one), thanked them and headed to the KeNHA down the road.
Though at this point I do not have a letter specifically for the KeNHA, I try anyway as I've retained my letter from the Ministry of Roads. The Highway Authority is located in a beautiful Blue Shield Insurance building (talk about irony) and the reception staff was extremely helpful. They walked me to several offices to figure out the best place for the information. Finally, I was sent to the highest boss they could find and told a third time, that I would need to leave the letter and they would call me. The secretary was extremely nice and apologized numerous times that the boss was in a meeting, but ensured me that she would call or I could call back this afternoon to check on it. Ok, I can accept that.
My last visit of the day was to the National Bureau of Statistics and that as really the icing on the cake. To gain access to any statistical data, everyone has to fill out a clearance form and submit it for approval. Ok, that seems easy enough. I was told I could do it online, but when I asked for the website, they clarified that I could not actually do it online because the submit button is no longer connected to their database and doesn't work. So I'd have to download a form and mail it back to them. After my confusion at the Ministry of Roads, I asked if I could possibly bring the form in person, email it, or fax it in. No, it had to be mailed through the post. Ok. I asked if they had any pre-printed copies and I was again told I needed to go to the website and print the form.
So, I headed back home for the day and stopped in the internet cafe to print the form. Lo and behold, the link to the form is broken. There is no form. Hahaha. Of course there isn't. On the plus side, the National Bureau of Statistics website has a large disclaimer that states since the year 2000, the quality of their data has deteriorated due to lack of professionalism, poor management, and corruption. At least they're honest!
