Mind-numbing inefficiency

Telkom is the (mostly) government-owned phone company. They have done so badly during the last few years that they are dying, financially. (The Kenyan government has kept them on life-support.)

We have an internet connection at the office that is represented in the pic. It's payable at the strange amount of 35,914 shillings a month. (That's about $500, for what would be piped into your home in the USA for about $60 or less.)

So where's the bureaucracy?

1. They won't accept checks without a 4-day clearance period, which would cause two trips to get the monthly required top-up card. This connection must be paid for in person each month - no automatic debiting of an account or credit card. (Aaaugh!)

2. Note the hand-written receipt: the lady had to write the amount four times, by hand! Then she had to write the card's serial number and rubber-stamp it by hand.