I narrowly escaped this accident yesterday afternoon. Fuso truck emerging from Wazo Hill on the outskirt of Dar Es Salaam,nicknamed 'Wazee wa kifusi' with failed brakes missed a daladala I was boarded and ended up hitting this shop. Luckly no one was injured, as a poor soul selling building materials on this shop ran on time and saved his life. As for me, and other passengers we cruised towards town centre, as if nothing had happened.
This morning I took these photographs only to find that a reckless driver went away with no charges. Eye witnesse confided to me that as long as no one was killed there was no point of taking the 'stupid' driver to the eyes of the law. ( Typical african justice)
But hang on, the witness said that had the driver claimed lives, angry folks would have killed him on the spot. ( typical african justice)
Why should authorities at our midst accept trucks to be driven with failed brakes? Does this mean SUMATRA( Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority) has no teeth? Is the police force incapacitated? Of course courts awaits for the plaintiff to place charges, but those guys did not see a point of taking the driver to the police. And again a traffic warden was at the site, he was cheaply bribed and driver went away.
It was Ali Mazrui ( The Africans) who wrote that Africa has abundant lives and speedy death. Perhaps we're too many to appreciate the value of life. And probably we die too many that death is now very much appreciated. We have a say in swahili , 'siku yako ikifika, imefika', This is an improper sentence in 21st century where the mighty will be soon inhabiting the space.
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