Knocked!

In Uganda, you don't get hit by other cars, you get knocked by them, and I got knocked indeed. When turning left (which, as we drive on the other side of the road here, is the same as if you were turning right) a bus hit (sorry, knocked) me from behind! And then he tried to say it was my fault for stopping too abruptly! The police have tried to imply the same in what was in all likelihood an attempt to get bribe money. When I explained to the police officer that he must have been following too closely too quickly if he hit me from behind (and left a seriously dark treadmark in his wake, whereas I had none), and asked that if a kid ran in front of me, was I supposed to hit the kid so as not to cause an accident with any cars that might be behind me, he asked, "So are you thinking that he was guilty of not following at a safe distance?" Yes, OBVIOUSLY he either wasn't following at a safe distance or wasn't paying attention; he hit me from behind! And yes, the rule is the same here: if you hit someone from behind, you are guilty. Period.

This shows two things about Uganda. First, it's rife with corruption. In Transparency International's most recent corruption index Uganda came in tied at 105 with several other countries (there being a total of 163 in the rankings, with Haiti coming in at 163 as the world's most corrupt country). The police were trying to scare me into giving a bribe because they know they can't just directly ask a muzungu for one. Justice, like every thing else here, has its price, and with enough money you can get away with about anything. Second, the roads are dangerous here. Very dangerous. And the buses are amongst the greatest culprits. The drive too fast and too recklessly. They pass on blind curves, run people off the road, follow right on people's tails, even pass on the right when someone is turning right (which is like passing on the left when someone is turning left in America...this having happened to Kari) instead of just slowing down and waiting for them to turn. Please always be in prayer for our safety on the roads, because driving is the most dangerous thing we face.