25 JANUARY 2003, Page 28

A bribe to licence

From Mr Alex Siddell Sir: Aidan Hartley's view of corruption (Wild life, 18 January) in Kenya is slightly misguided — it was not only the African population that was involved in corruption. As a fresh-faced 18-year-old, sitting in the Hard Rock Cafe in Nairobi in 1998, I chatted pleasantly to a man from Romford (of all places) who lived in the city. I mentioned the fact that I lacked a driving licence: he remarked that, if I met him outside in 30 minutes with 3,000 Kenyan shillings, he would procure one for me using 'contacts' in the Department of Transportation, which could then be changed when I returned to the UK for a full British one.

Needless to say to any DVLA workers who might be reading, I refused, sensibly spending the 3.000 bob on the excellent Tusker and Pilsner for the next few weeks. This explodes the myth that only the African is corrupt — a fact well known in Africa, but not in the UK.

Alex Siddell

London SE23