We Do Not Value You: Park at Your Own Risk

A typical sign in most organizations. Telling this to visitors is another way of disconfirming their presence

The first time I met Richard Leresian Lesiyampe, the current Environment and Natural Resources Principal Secretary, he was a year old as the CEO of Kenyatta National Hospital.  This was during the 2012 AIBUMA Conference in which Lesiyampe was amongst the crème of presenters. He was impressive, to say the least.

Lesiyampe’s presentation in the conference themed on “Embracing the changing face and pace in business and management” was captivating. I particularly recall a sidetrack in which he bemoaned the insensitivity of public institutions to the needs of their various publics. 

On a light note complemented by an apparent genuine smile, Lesiyampe used the case of parking lots in organizations. Institutions, according to Lesiyampe, reserve shaded and secure parking lots for the management and leave none for other visitors. In some instances, CEOs own more than one parking lot that would occasionally go without occupation. 

Various publics would only be directed using markings on the pavement to drive past these shaded parking lots to some hidden corner. The points where these publics would be required to park would carry bold insignia “Park at your own risk.” What insensitivity. 

From that time, as if from a stupor, I have lost count on the number of organizations brandishing this message to their customers, suppliers, investors, and employees. Organizations often direct visitors to parking slots behind the facades of office blocks. These parking lots are normally unmanned. 

Even when manned, the audacity of the park at your own risk keeps telling the visitor that he should expect anything. Nothing beats a Mercedes Benz without a single side mirror in ugliness. One cannot help imagine losing the laptop and car radio to vandals. Parking here is a sure recipe for trauma. 

Telling these important publics to park at their own risks flies at the face of ethical organizations. What this signage fails to say unequivocally is that customers, suppliers and investors visiting the organizations are unwanted. They pimp this up by distancing themselves from blame incase some risk befalls the cars while the occupants are away. 

Risks that can befall cars in parking lots can fill this page. Some are not avoidable. Others, such as vandalism, the most rampant, are controllable-by the organization. They should. If anything, the owners of these vehicles are away conducting business, or prospecting for one, with the organization. Telling them to park at their own risk is actually telling them that you do not need them in the organization, at least. 

When the parking lot is public, such that one has to pay for parking space, the management has the right to provide basic security on the vehicle while the owner is away. This is why the car owner had to pay.


Unfortunately, this seldom happens. In notorious cases of the city and municipal councils, this never happens. How many times do city council parking attendants organize and supervise vandalism on parked cars?

Elsewhere, when one pays for parking space and suffers from this vandalism, he sues the management of the public facility. The management in such cases naturally assumes responsibility. But the case for private parking space is interesting.  

Installing shaded parking lots for the management and leaving none for the customers, at least, dismays the place of the customer in the organization. This is wrong. No organization has been able to survive without its customers. Customers can sack the CEO. Of course, other important publics such as prospective investors do not deserve this kind of mistreatment. 

No one would be motivated to drive into an organization where he is not esteemed. Having done that once or twice does not mean that they would do it for the third time. Communicating boldly that one has to park at his own risk is strong way of telling him that you do not find him valuable. Owning that you cannot take care of simple misfortunes such as vandalism of car side mirrors confirms that you, as the organization, do not care on how various publics feel. 

Such insensitivity to the needs of customers and publics has no place today. Organizations adorning “Park at your own risk” signs should bring them down with speed and assume responsibility for the safety of cars in their parking yards. They certainly need the people parking in their vicinity.