As I'd promised you all, last week, that I'd tell you what that meeting of water users was all about, here goes....
1. There were the usual song and dance with a full-fledged choir as well a couple of skits. Some of these things are becoming a norm and while the song and the skits were not bad, the dance was definitely embarrassing, especially to the women present. Also, why waste time with all of this, when the thing didn't start off on time, anyway. Everything was being conducted in typical 'there's no hurry in Africa' fashion!
2. The opening speeches and most of the other items on the agenda were the replay of what had been said, but still to be implemented, at the Citizens Report Cards launch, both in Mombasa and Nairobi.
3. The many officials, especially from our redoubtable Council, except for the Town Clerk, didn't show up on time. But, all of them left long before the meeting was officially over.
4. The sewage question has still not been properly handled, of course, though, it's now a year since they've been collecting money via our water bills (some of us are, of course, not paying), but, they are still not treating the sewage before releasing it into the sea. In other words, raw sewage is polluting our sea!!!
5. These people could still not answer the question as to WHY, the water kiosks get water, but the residents, don't! And also, WHY, water kiosks, in the first place exist in a major urban centre like Mombasa.
6. Then, there's the question of potential corruption. Isn't it possible that water kiosk owners have some kind of connection to people at the many water authorities? Because, one just has to apply for opening a water kiosk and can get a license, etc., within next to no time to open one. What are the criteria for opening a water kiosk? These people's priority should be to avail water through 'normal' means to the legitimate and already existing owners of water meters, before, starting water kiosks. Shouldn't this be the priority?
7. Also, instead of wasting public funds in calling meetings of this sort, to make a show of them doing something (which they are NOT!), why don't they use these resources, however minimal, in improving the residents lot of waterlessness?
Well, despite all of the above, we are still without water, of course!
Most of the postings are to do with what an average Kenyan citizen has to deal with, in the country, to survive. They go through and are treated with a lot of injustice, where very few in 'officialdom', will take notice of their problems or even do anything about them. Hence, this blog and the belief in, 'One learned man is harder on the devil than a thousand ignorant worshipers' - Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
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