REF: Hon Raila's statement on Muslim MoU s

Below, is more evidence of Hon. Raila's inconsistencies..... Should anybody have misgivings, please, refer to his record while in 'office', both in the KANU era and the present government...., the first 3 years.

Razia.

-------- Original Message --------

Subject:	REF: Hon Raila's statement on Muslim MoU s
Date:	Wed, 28 Nov :26:
From:	Muneer Khandwalla

REF: Hon Raila's statement on Muslim MoU
Hello, there All!! And Sallaams!!

Once again we visit the Topic Of Raila - the person who is forever defending something!! Now this time it is the other of the contentious MOUs!! The one he signed with the Muslims -- on which he has made several different statements, once also going as far as to deny having ever done the MOU with Muslims!! Now almost Three months after the actual MOU, it is released to the public. Why now? Although, Muslims supposedly are to gain to gain from this MOU, I have some Questions:

First: Who are the Numlef? And who appointed them to talk on the Muslims' behalf? Even the SUPKEM have disowned them, so what is their clout?

Second: When these issues were being carried out on the Ground (the Renditions and all), why did Balala and Co. never raised the issues in Parliament?

Third: What is Railas record of ever helping the Muslims? He is the MP of Kibera -- the home of the Great Kibera Slum, which happens to be populated by Nubis -- the Majority if whom are Muslims? What has He done for them. They live in a land which was given to them many years back, but they never got Titles on it. Therefore they can never legally claim it and slowly, it is being portioned off, making room for housing estates, in which the very few Nubis are occupants. They live in Kenya all their lives and yet many of them can never claim Kenyan citizenship. When they want to raise rents on the house they own, their MP tells his tribesmen NOT to pay rent. So this leads to Skirmishes and bloodshed. For more then two terms, Raila HAS Done little for his Neighbours -- almost nothing, what can we expect for him to do for us?

Someone mentioned it was Raila's Statesmanship which gave Muslims this MOU, I say it is only POLITICAL GAMES-MANSHIP.

Sallams and Goodluck to all

M MUNEER

From Raila:

The lies that tried to divide Christians and Muslims

On 29 August this year, I signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Muslim community, after approval from the ODM leadership. In that memorandum, I reaffirmed my commitment to protecting the rights of Muslims, as enshrined in our Constitution.

This memorandum was necessitated by gross violations of the fundamental human rights of Muslims by the Kibaki administration. This included the deportation of Kenya citizens to other countries where they would be subjected to torture and even death.

Two days later, on September 1, I announced in my acceptance speech as the ODM presidential nominee at Kasarani that I had signed this memorandum. I subsequently mentioned this memorandum at other public events as well, since I have every intention of honouring what I have formally committed myself to. Not all leaders are so opportunistic as to disown solemn memorandums in the interest of political expediency, as the Hon Mwai Kabaki so brazenly did after becoming president.

The August 29 agreement with the Muslims was not the first such memorandum to be signed. Just before the 2002 election, at the Nyali Beach Hotel, the Hon Mwai Kibaki, along with the late Kijana Wamalwa, Kalonzo Musyoka, Charity Ngilu, Najib Balala, Karisa Maitha and myself, signed a similar one with the Muslims.

That memorandum was needed because all these leaders recognized that Muslims historically have been a marginalized, and sometimes victimized, national minority who have been discriminated against. This discrimination reached new heights under this government.

I would like to condemn in the strongest terms all those who have churned out a stream of lies, disinformation and propaganda by deliberately misrepresenting its contents and distributing a fake MoU. This group has included PNU leaders and religious figures who sought to portray themselves as defending Christian rights. But their simple aim was to create vicious animosity between Muslims and Christians, in a bid to promote the re-election of the President. He should have asked them to desist.

In 2002, President Kibaki as a Christian did not feel the need on to sign a memorandum with the Christians. Nor did I. Like him, I am a Christian, baptized as an Anglican.

I believe in loving my neighbours. But I would like to remind my opponents about two other very important Commandments: Though shalt not lie.

AND THOU SHALT NOT STEAL.

Tel On 19/11/2007, Raziya wrote: The following is a must and excellent read. Something else that Kenyans should take note of is how, did Raila know of the two Albanians on our soil who were out to do us harm? Did anybody ask him for his source of information? None of the media, made mention of this stark fact. The cops, too, didn't (or did they?), ask him for proof. While he was right, how did he know?! Very, very strange, don't you think?

I totally agree with the description given of him, below. I suspected him to be so, and now, I have it straight from somebody who know him better. He sounds and behaves as a truly vengeful person and his aim is to get the presidency by hook or by crook, this time.

Also, the kinds of people he's keeping company with, is also highly suspect.

So, everybody and fellow voters - BEWARE!!!!

Razia.

Emailing: The revving, noise and smoke have started..., Trying to make it's way out, Out, at last and adding negatively to the surrounding scenery!, W

The revving, noise and smoke have started...
I had two guests visiting me for various reasons from KPLC and the Coast Development Lobby Group, when the racket from the truck park started and it was so disturbing that we couldn't hear ourselves talk let alone hear a phone ring, etc. Add to all that racket, the emissions from the exhaust. It can be seen in the pictures.

Trying to make it's way out
While it made it's way out of that gate which took quite a bit of maneuvering, the rest of the neighbourhood could do very little to protect themselves from the noise and the exhaust fumes.

Out, at last and adding negatively to the surrounding scenery!
When it eventually got out, they found they couldn't go further...One of my visitors had parked his car below. And it was not getting in anybody's way, except this tractor. These people are of the mind that nothing within the estate should bar their way, but, we were not about to convenience them by going down, and moving the car and then coming back up, thereby inconveniencing ourselves for their benefit. Therefore, I told my guest to ignore them and continue with what we were discussing. After all they are persistently inconveniencing us by being noisy and smoky pests! Also, they have no business existing in a middle of a residential area.

Was held up earlier, from venturing further due to a car barring it's way, but after 20 mins or so, it left and the tractor could continue on it's way.
Therefore, after a lapse of about 20-25 minutes, when we finished our discussion, one of my guest (the owner of the car), left, to their relief! For the rest, let the picture speak for itself. Also, note the two shacks, there. One where one of my neighbour's cooks (where's the Municipal Health Dept.?), for selling food to school children and others and the infamous charcoal seller. He too, continues his environment unfriendly business right under the Council employees noses. I have, over the months reported the matter many times to the various 'officialdom' concerned, about this activity, but business continues as usual. Typical of this country!

In the process, making a mess of our estate access roads
These monstrosities have, over the years, made deep gullies and broken up our tarmacked access roads within the estate. The rains too, add to the deterioration of the them.

Going, going....
Mercifully leaving and I hope and pray that it never comes back!

GONE!
While it went and was trying to come out of the gate, I rang up our Provincial Works Engineer, Eng. Omondi on his mobile to inform him that a huge tractor was just leaving and was about to make nonsense of their newly re-made Nyerere Ave. And his response was that he would mobilize his people to take action as he was at the time in Nairobi. Whether he did so or not, is anybody's guess. I hope he did.

The same can be said of the road junction near Nakumatt Likoni. The one just before the big round about, itself. There, huge trucks and trailers pass on their way from the little theatre road and to the new building site on the left on Nyerere Ave, opposite the access filter road to Nakumatt. There are 12 tall (11 storeys high), apartment blocks being put up which have no official board anywhere to say, who the builder, engineer, architect, etc., are. But, this construction requires huge quantities of building materials which arrive there in big lorries and trailers and use the route mentioned. In the process, that bit of road and especially around the island/junction, the awful pot-holes have reappeared.

It seems that there's nobody to monitor the traffic and even if there are, they can't be bothered. I've informed Eng. Omondi about this since last week, so, I hope that he will be doing the needful. We do not want to drive on horrible roads, again, which do damage to our persons and vehicles...., even if it's a pedestrian or a motorist.

We want accountable people doing their work zealously.

NB-

I thought there was a restriction on the number of storeys that can be allowed to be built on the Island of Mombasa and these blocks are exceeding the number by quite a few. Who passed tho-se plans? Our very unprofessional Council? Do they still have a working Town Planning department, there?

The 143rd reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED

Our many and 'interesting' water and sanitation officials among whom one is the highly questionable Council and the Water Board are very strangely and suddenly but not surprisingly not available when we would like to meet and discuss with them all that they had promised us during the launch of the CRCs in Nairobi six months, ago.

One wonders why they've made themselves so scarce... and gets suspicious. Maybe, they are trying to avoid this meeting? We would like to meet up with them every six months to, among other things, decide and come up with ways for them to serve us more effectively in getting this vital fluid - WATER - to our taps as well as keep our environments clean by dealing with solid and liquid waste.

But, alas, most of them are playing hide and seek with us! Or have they started off on their December holidays, already? Or worse still, are they politicking instead of providing vital services?

Emailing: My neighbour's latest receipt, What she got from the Council's Tudor office.

Attached are two photos of what our council does regarding rent payment. On the face of it, there's nothing wrong, but, when one takes into account my previous emails about this issue, one wonders about how they work.

My neighbours now are compelled to pay 2300/- which is an increase without us being given a written notice about it, since last year. I went to a lawyer who helped me write a letter to them and on whose advice I paid my first quarter's rent for this year by sending them a banker's cheque with copies to the Ministry of Local Government and the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission. This payment, the Council immediately, without any objection, accepted by sending me a receipt via post dated the 16th January, 2007. Subsequently, I've paid for every quarter, in advance, at the original rent of 1375/-. At no point did the Council raise any objection nor did they send me or any of my neighbours any notice of a rent increase.

Then, suddenly on the 30th of October 2007, in the afternoon, a person appeared on my doorstep saying he was from the Council and handed me an undated paper on which was written my late father's name, and asking me to go to the Council's Buxton office the next day by 9.00 am. The messenger also told me that I should go with all my rent receipts of 2006/2007 as they wanted to adjust their ledger books!

Before I proceed further, I'd like to put in some questions. Why was the paper not dated? Why did they give us such short notice to go to their offices? Some of us work and others might not be free to go to their offices at that hour, i.e. it was a notice of less than 24 hours! Then, considering the name of the tenant has been changed officially from my late father's since he died, to mine, they should have this in their records and therefore, why was it addressed to him. I'm not trying to split hairs, of course, but, trying to point to the Council's inefficiency and by extension, anything that they do is suspect. That, their right hand does not know what the other is doing!!!

Another point of contention was where we were actually supposed to go - not to the Buxton office but to the Tudor office. This, most people didn't find out till they got to the Buxton office where they were politely and irritatingly told to proceed to the Tudor office. Do they really know what they are doing? And why?

When I went there, I encountered the most slovenly and insolent couple of female clerks who were sitting with their backs to us. When, it was my turn to be 'served' one of the clerks took my receipts and started writing in a huge ledger book with a calculator ready into which she kept feeding numbers. She made no overture of explaining to me what she was doing, so, I decided to ask her. In the process, I had to get up and go nearer and I kept seeing the figure 2300/- in one of the columns of this ledger. So, I asked her what she was calculating to which I got no reply and instead, she pulled a form like paper towards her and wrote on it 9250/- in rent arrears from July/October and no year. I again asked her to explain what she was doing and she answered that this was what I owed the Council. When pointed out to her the fact and the receipt that I'd payed my rent till December 2007 (but according to the receipt it says Jan 2008!), why were there arrears? The only reply she seemed to be capable of giving was to go and see the housing manager at Buxton and if this person was not there then the Director of Housing and Social Services at the town office.

Subsequently, I decided to see a lawyer at Kituo Cha Sheria, who wrote them a letter asking them to explain this strange figure considering my rent has been payed up till the end of this current year. After a week we both got a reply hand delivered in bulky envelopes. This was due to the photocopy of the Kenya Gazette of 7th July 2006 where among the many and irrelevant pages is a note with a suspicious squiggle and lines along the Nyerere flats and the rent is supposed to be 2500/-!

Another question and observation. If they could deliver this strange missive by hand to both my lawyer and I, why couldn't they do the same by following the law and of sending written notices to their tenants giving them 3 months notice of a rent increase? Also, the increase is a very ridiculous one and quite shocking of over 100%. These are low cost Council flats, which are very old (between 60 and 70 years), and they do no maintenance whatsoever to them. So, on what grounds did they increase the rent? And why weren't we given a written notice of the same?

Now, comes the issue at hand and the attachments. The Council is still collecting 2300/- from all of my other neighbours one of whom was in arrears of 500/- due to them (the Council), having told them to pay 1800/- at the beginning of November 2006, which is what one of the attachment reads. And she has to balance this off, when she pays the January 2008 rent. The other is a picture of the receipt for the payment of the months of November and December 2007 whose total is 4600/-.

Therefore, why are they asking me to pay 2500/-? And why am I in arrears when I have receipts to prove that I've paid my rent till the end of this current year? As they made no objection at anytime and quietly issued me with legal receipts of payment where nowhere does it say that there is a balance remaining to be still paid.

Does all this mean that their own collection is suspect and are trying to victimize their tenants for their own inadequacies? I have not refused to pay. The only thing I insist on is that they adhere to lawful and accountable practices. And example being that we should be given a written notice of any rent increase at least 3 months in advance. The other being that there should not be discrepancies in the rent collection. Aren't they computerized? They did not have to inconvenience their tenants by asking them to go with receipts to update their ledger books. As they are computerized, this information should have been on their fingertips as to who is paying what.

Can somebody answer the above questions, please?

My neighbour's latest receipt

What she got from the Council's Tudor office.

Luos abroad call Raila lies

The following is a must and excellent read. Something else that Kenyans should take note of is how, did Raila know of the two Albanians on our soil who were out to do us harm? Did anybody ask him for his source of information? None of the media, made mention of this stark fact. The cops, too, didn't (or did they?), ask him for proof. While he was right, how did he know?! Very, very strange, don't you think?

I totally agree with the description given of him, below. I suspected him to be so, and now, I have it straight from somebody who know him better. He sounds and behaves as a truly vengeful person and his aim is to get the presidency by hook or by crook, this time.

Also, the kinds of people he's keeping company with, is also highly suspect.

So, everybody and fellow voters - BEWARE!!!!

Razia.

Read this. I believe its true. Do you? Wajaluo Wenzangu, It is time for right-thinking Luos to speak. It is very unfortunate that a great lie is being told that all Luos are Raila damu and will vote as a block for him. This is coupled with the other lie that all Kenyans abroad support ODM. I can openly tell you that Raila has next to no support here in Canada and in some Luo stronghold back home. On his over-publicised visits here, he only managed to meet a handful of his supporters. It is time we made some facts clear. For starters, not all Luos follow Raila like sheep. As we talk now, residents of my home constituency, Rarieda, are the envy of the entire Luo land. From the time they voted Honorable Raphael Tuju in, they have seen the kind of development that they only dream about come to their door step. For too long now, Luos have been cheated that the only Moses who will deliver them to Canaan is an Odinga. The success of Tuju's effort have torn that Jaramogi mystic into shreds. It is now clear that other Luos can lead. However, instead of working with them, Raila wants to finish them. Tuju has been hands-on in the setting up of the Rarieda water project. Courtesy of the Internet, Raila can no longer hoodwink the rest of us abroad. How can we dismiss the picture we saw of Tuju in a construction worker's overalls supervising the construction of the water pipes? For over 40 years, luos have blindly followed the Odinga clan, and what do they have to show for it? Nothing but abject poverty at the grass roots. In the meantime, he has been raking money in.There is no question that Raila is the richest Luo in the world.Yet his supporters in Luoland and Kibera are some of the poorest people in Kenya . In a very curious twist that only Luos can enlighten us on, while the likes of Kenyatta and Moi were handing out goodies, plots and money to the needy, poor Luos see nothing wrong in handing over their meager earnings to Raila, all in the hope that once he is president, he will magically transform Luoland into the garegd od eden . Yet it is well known that Odingas have not brought an iota of development in Luoland. Just compare Luoland to their neighboring Kisiiland. While Kisiis have never even had a president, their hard work and development conscious leadership is well-displayed by their stone houses with mabati roofs. Now, visit Luoland and all you see are the same grass-roofed old round huts that Speke and Grant found in the late 1800's! Yet Raila feels no shame when he drives around there in his Sh 15 Million Hummer Military vehicle for show. In his selfish quest fo the presidency, Raila has been telling blatant lies, hoping that he can develop a momentum that will usher him into the high office before the people realise his lies. By then it will be too late. Raila is a clever manipulator who is working on Kenyan's predilection of being attracted by the grass on the other side of the river, the unknown and any idea from abroad, and sometimes mistakenly clamoring for change for the heck of change. We are therefore calling out his lies now: 1. Raila's hatred of Kikuyus is a ploy. All he is doing is working up the politics of the 1960's on the mindless Luo masses, yet Kenyans have been busy building barriers across tribes. If he hated Kikuyus that much, how could he let his son marry a Kikuyu just the other day? As Kenyans we have seen the kind of bloodshed that tribal conflicts can lead to. Think of the Rwanda genocide, Somali clan wars and the continuing massacre in Sudan 's Darfur region. Is this the kind of leadership Kenyans want? No! 2. Majimbo is a concept that has never worked anywhere in the world. Again this goes back to the Jaramogi politics of 1960. At that time the pros and cons of Majimbo were debated fair and square, and majimbo lost. Balkanisation of any country has never worked and one needs not look anyfuther than the Balkan states themselves. In the Euphoria of breaking up the USSR , majimbos and countries were formed along tribal lines. In less that three years, these breakway countries realised their mistake and came together and formed the CIS union. Do we have to break apart, kill each other, then regret later? From an economic point of view,and the fact that in a true majimbo system, each jimbo would be allocated developemnt funds based on their contribution to the national kitty, what does Luoland have to offer except dwiddling fish supplies? Raila did not raise a voice when Moi killed the sugar, cotton and rice farming by allowing tax-free imports, in fact he selfishly benefited from it. Raila's socialist ideas are outdated: Cuban's can't wait for Fidel Castro to die. North Korea is a dirt-poor country stuck in a time-warp. The sole purpose of creating majimbo is to provide Raila with a fiefdom to lord over once he leaves the presidency (assuming he gets it) in 2017. 3. Raila killed the Constitution reforms. By cleverly buddling some contentious issues with the main agenda, Raila was able to hoodwink some people into voting against proposed constitution reforms during the referendum. By now, Kenyans would be reaping from the benefits of those reforms. Can he tell us why we need a figurehead president, if the Prime Minister will end up doing what the current president is doing? 4. Raila cannot deliver a new constitution in 100 days. Simple logic. A constitution reform needs two-thirds majority vote in parliamennt. There is now way he can gather that in 100 days knowing the hatred he is causing. The law requires a referendum and that cannot be done in 100 days. 5. Raila's fight against corruption is a lie. While on the surface it would look like Raila is out to fight corruption, the truth is that he has been eating from the same corruption plate. This is precisely why he cannot touch those he has eaten with. A case in point is the Kisumu Mollasses plant. He was given this plant by Moi as a present for delivering Luo's to Kanu. Then he cleverly cheated Luos to raise money to buy the plant, money that he put in his pocket, and then allocated only 5% shares to them. The rest of the 95% shares and the money he collected he kept for himself. If he was clean and above board, shares for the plant should have been floated in the open market for all Kenyans to buy. He should have mobilised the various Luo organisations and groups to buy blocks of shares so that even the simplest sugar cane farmer would have had a portion of even one share. 6. Raila is selling the country to foreigners. Just the other day Raila announced that investors would flood into Kenya when he comes into power.What he didn't tell us is that he has been cutting deals with foreigners to sell them Kenyan assets and institutions one he comes into power.That has been a major reason for his numerous trips abroad. This cannot be allowed. While Kenyans have demostrated a hunger to invest in the stock market, Raila is selling us back to our old Colonisers. How can we allow this? 7. Raila is very vengeful. Another lie. Reacting to talk of his intended revenge on Moi and Kikuyus, Raila has responded that he will not revenge. Yet, when he was chased out by women in Meru ( for some reason reason he seems to bring out the wrath of women!), he was later quoted saying that those regions that don't vote for him will cry come December 29th. Which begs the question, if Raila won, would he be the President of Kenya or Nyanza? We read in the bible that "Vengeance is mine, says the Lord"..Raila is certaily not God. We cannot have a president hell-bent on revenge. We saw how Moi devastated non-Kalenjins (including Raila) when he came in with the idea of revenge. 8. Secret MOUs have been signed. This is an open secret. With pro-arab support ,Raila has signed on to transform Kenya into a Muslim state, something that would put Kenya at loggerheads with our western donors and partners. This pact is in addition to the creation of a Jimbo la Pwani, where a 10-mile wide strip along the Kenyan coast would be ceded, again, to the Sultans of the gulf, whole will then appoint Balala as Sultan. This will will result in the rest of Kenya being a land locked country. Taxes would levied on anything that comes through the port of Mombasa , including foodstuff. Kenya is predominantly Christian, but with freedom of worship for everybody. We do not need religious bigotry to lead us into faith-based chaos like those in Afghanistan (Taribans), and Sudan (Sharia law). 9. It is do or die for Raila. Even if that means bloodshed. Just the other day, the papers had the picture of Raila inspecting a guard of honor. Since when did a private person in Kenya have a private army? Is this not a signal for his intended take over of power by force? How can Kenyans allow one man to lead us into bloodshed? We lost our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and children in the Coup he led in 1982. We say, Not Again! 10. Raila is a Liar and Cannot be trusted. Very true. He tells lies knowing that the Common Mwananchi has no way to verify the truth. Sometimes this is a deft trap to get into a name-calling contest with Kibaki. Recently, Raila has been trying to woo the Muslim Vote by harping on the extradited Kenyan-Somali terrorists. Yet he knows very well that Kenya has extradition treaties with other countries (that is how "Miracle Babies" child slave trader Gilbert Deya will be brought back to Kenya to face the courts). In any case, why should the Kenyan Tax payer spend money on the terrorits's trials when this is not our war? The Bottom line: We need Raila to lead a strong opposition in parliament but not as president. Please pass this message to all Luos and right-thinking Kenyans. Luos can no longer afford to be alienated from the rest of Kenyans simply for the selfish satisfaction of One Dangerous Man (ODM). We want to make it clear that not all Luos follow Raila senselessly like sheep. You can fool some people some time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time-Bob Marley. McDouglas Owino Luos Against Raila Abroad (LARA)

Council houses rent hike

'Evening!

Since sometime last year, tenants who have been living in Council flats anywhere in Mombasa, have been told, when they go to pay their rent, that, it has increased, to an unbelievable amount. Considering that the Council does no maintenance of these houses as well as the fact that most of them are between 60 and 70 years old, this latest rent hike of over 1000/-, is totally ridiculous.

Add to this, the Council has not given us a legal and written notice of 3 months. The rent has also been collected in the most strange manner. Different tenants ended up paying different amounts for different months. If, the Landlord, in this case the Council, does not give us a written notice in due time as required by the law, there is nothing to hold the Council accountable for what it collects, when and how much.

The cashiers have been issuing receipts for payments. I have photographic proof of what they have been doing.

Below, is just one of the emails and the latest that I've written with the attached photos of what is happening.


Raziya wrote on 01-Nov-07 3:02 PM:

'Afternoon!

Below, is my account of what I'd promised you, yesterday....

Razia.

The message is ready to be sent with the following file or link attachments:
So many discrepancies...
If, you look closely, you'll find that there is no Ref. No., the notification is to my late father's name, they have asked me to go to Buxton, while in actual fact we were supposed to go to the Tudor office and nowhere does it say that we should go with our rent receipts. This notification was hand delivered on the mid-afternoon of the 30th October 2007, though, again, nowhere is the date written.

Do these people really know what they are doing?

Then, when, I reached the Tudor office at around 10.30 am, the two clerks (women), were out somewhere on a tea break! There was already an old blind man who was accompanied by another young man who had helped him there, from another Council Estate, waiting. As I, too, waited, another tenant showed up (from my estate). And we all waited....

Eventually, when the two clerks showed up after about half an hour, they lazily strolled to their tables and equally lazily and insolently started working. The person who had come last was dealt with first and if one objected, you were ignored! Like the old man was, by one of the clerks (who could have been his grand-daughter). She was extremely rude and insolent to him and started quarelling with the old man and answering back. This, in our culture is not a done thing and the old man rightly found her behaviour insulting and rude. Therefore, he spoke up and told her so, in no uncertain terms that she was there to 'serve' him and not the other way round. She carried on being offensive but mercifully and eventually, when the old man wouldn't keep quiet, left the room. She couldn't be bothered that she was doing no work in the process. The other clerk, after finishing with the guy who had come in last, took up the old man's case and dealt with it.

Then, came my turn. She took my receipts, which show that rent has been paid till (according to the receipt) January 2008, but, she kept calculating something on her calculator and not explaining to me what she was doing or how she arrived at the figure pictured. Do these people really work transparently? When I brought to her attention that my rent had been paid well in advance, she said, it was not and that it was in arrears. When asked for an explanation, she told me to go see the Housing Manager at Buxton. Knowing how our Council employees work, or don't work, I further asked her what or whom I should see if he/she wasn't in the office. I was told to go to the town office and see the Director of Housing!

The reason, I'm writing this is because, I've had previous misadventures with the Council many, many times and especially so when, soon after my father's demise, I had to let them know and get them to change the name of the tenant. It took many trips to the Council and being shuttled from one office to another and another, before, this simple act was done many months, later!

I wonder what and where is the Minister for Local Government? I've sent him, at the beginning of the year, by post this contentious increment of rent without the tenants being given written notice 3 months in advance as per the law, but, NOTHING seems to have been done about this and business continues as usual at our so-called Council.

The rent paid in advance

Proof of having paid my rent well in advance. Why issue me with a receipt if it's not the correct amount? And why haven't they given us a written notice of rent increment as the law requires? And on what grounds have they increased the rent by nearly a 1000/-?! And from which month/year?

Since the above, I've had to go to a lawyer at Kituo Cha Sheria who wrote a letter to them to explain the arrears of 9250/-. We've, just received, yesterday, another strange figure of 14,750/- as at November 1st (no year), with an attached copy of the Kenya Gazette of 7th July 2006 where it says in one of the pages that the rent for Nyerere is 2500/-!

Now, if you check the attached pictures of the various receipts from my neighbours paid for different and the same months, they all differ.

So, to date, the rest of my neighbours have ended up paying 2300/- since last year while I have been paying the original before this strange rent hike of 1375/-.

Why hasn't the Council given us a legal written notice of this increment. And if one believes the Kenya Gazette, it's a hike of 1200 nearly, for flats which are not maintained, leaking and pretty old, too. Isn't there some kind of law as to how much a landlord, in this case, our redoubtable Council, can increase the rent? These are also low cost housing.

Please, investigate this issue and have the Local Authorities obey the law as they would have us, do so, too.

The 142nd reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED

It is now nearly 6 months since the launch of the Citizen's Report Cards for water and sanitation both in Mombasa and Nairobi. At the launch, all these 'service' providers talked in the most positive manner about improving their services in the above mentioned fields and our Mayor, Mr. Mwidani even gave his mobile number to the people attending in a moment of extreme enthusiasm. This, he seems to have regretted within a few hours of giving it out because subsequently, people who tried calling it, couldn't get through. He and the others from the Municipal Council of Mombasa in the public health and environment offices had promised us that they would always be available for any feedback or complaints.

This, I found out to my detriment, is completely untrue. I have personally tried seeing the environment people, but, they are hardly ever there and even when one finds them around they are perpetually rushing off to meetings and have no time for you!

While reading these reminders of mine, one must be feeling a sense of utter despair, but, I think, we have a faint light of hope on the horizon where the new Managing Director of the Water Company, Mr Chitavi, is concerned. He impresses me as a very organized and straight person as well as properly qualified and sincerely wants to solve the waterless problem of Mombasa. He also is very enthusiastic about the whole issue of my suggestion regarding desalination. He has borrowed two of the latest magazines on the subject of affordable desalination, filtration and waste water management from me and I believe is going through them.

I hope and pray that his work ethic will infiltrate through the rest of the many bodies that are set up for the provision of water, sanitation and solid waste management, Insha'Allah.

Re: Campaign noise!

How are you? I've just sent you another email with pictures of these rowdy politicians and what they do in their respective neighbourhoods. They are among the most SELFISH creeps imaginable as they care little for anybody other than getting votes by fair means or foul. In this case, it's mostly FOUL!

Then, they call themselves MUSLIMS????! Their behavious belies what they supposedly profess. They are an INSULT to every human being, especially their professed faith! Their behaviour is of the hooligan and gangster type, also.

Therefore, they MUST NOT WIN a single seat in the next parliament. We will have ourselves to blame, if they do.

I'm posting these emails to my blog too, for everybody to read.

Salaams,
Razia.

elijah.agevi wrote on 11-Nov-07 11:36 AM:

Thanks Raziya for the very scurry updates on presidential candidate. What we seriously need is one country that is well governed where resources are equitably shared throughout the nation. Majimbo will not put food on the table!It will not by itself create jobs and wealth........ Anyway mambo ni mengi....  Things are moving on well here in Hargesia but the knowledge and capacity gaps are simply great. We in Kenya take too many things for granted.  As for our beloved country, we can only wish that the Almighty God/Allah will guide all of us during the forthcoming election so that we don't suicidal mistakes. We need divine intervention.  Have a truly blessed sunday. Here it is a normal working day!  Warm regards,  Elijah

Emailing: Have just arrived with those huge speakers..., Our quiet shattered!, They mercifully left, Again Shattering noise of drumming started, When

The message is ready to be sent with the following file or link attachments:

Have just arrived with those huge speakers...
We have some of the most lawless and questionable characters in our neighbourhood who are vying for political seats. As previously written but not captured on camera (but now, have), of their insolence. They insist on playing loud music interspersed with equally loud announcements, which very few can hear or are interested in hearing, all over this estate and further afield. By doing this, they are showing how shallow they are in their quest. Their one agenda is to acquire a civic seat, by hook or by crook and if they are NOW, behaving in this manner, I dread to think, what will be our lot, should they win! God help us!!!

Our quiet shattered!
Not only do they disturb our peace in the daytime, where, when one calls the police to restore it, they in turn are very averse to do anything about it, but, hordes of people arrive on the scene even by bus, to add to the din...

They mercifully left
This time, I was ready for them with my camera and when they saw the flash going, they quickly and mercifully departed.

Again Shattering noise of drumming started
Sunday morning brought some drummers on the scene who started the same old ear shattering racket...

When they saw me taking photos, they are being told to leave!
Again, when they saw me taking pictures of them, they were being told by some people at the gate to leave.

As I write this, a whole lot of cars arrived on the scene and one of the 4-WDs, has been fitted with huge speakers and a generator which are in combination continuously setting off my car alarm due to the vibration. And the next time I want to go out, the battery will have died and will have to jump start it.

This persistent noise, has also spoiled my alarm system and despite having got it fixed early last week, it's back to square one! I have also tried calling the cops, and while they promised to send somebody here to restore order, it's anybody's guess, when that will be done!

Don't we have some kind of law in this country about disturbing the peace? The irony is that, there's also a hospital within a stone's throw of this place. Add to this the children who are studying at home for exams and the others who are doing them in their respective schools in the neighbourhood, too.

Do these people have any sense? Or as mentioned above, they HAVE to get into parliament by whatever means to further hurt the Wananchi by doing next to nothing for the next 5 years, yet, getting the highest pay and perks anywhere in the land! WE DO NOT NEED SUCH PARASITES, do we?!

Kenyans BEWARE of such empty headed tactics to get your precious votes. We will all regret our folly for the next 5 years or more...

Re: Campaign noise!

Good to hear from you, again, getting the latest from your end. In a way, it must be better to start from scratch on all those building codes and standards as compared to this place where, though we have or are supposed to have these, nobody applies them.

In your case, those guys just have to make sure that all those things are adhered to. Not undo a whole behaviour pattern....

About the noise and ODM. Fr. Quinn of 'ukweli', last night, sent me some very interesting and disturbing fwds with attachments of actual signed documents that Raila Odinga has signed as MOUs with the Muslims of this country and a write up about him going to South Africa to 'consult' a very expensive witch doctor. A South African paper has done a very revealing story on his misadventures, there! I wish I'd kept the copies that were fwded to me. Then, I'd have been able to share the info with you. But, maybe, somebody else might have sent the same to you, too?

These noisy neighbourhood creeps seem to be spreading their noise pollution all over town and have little regard for other people's sensibilities. Whether we like it or not, we are being forced to listen to the garbage that they spew out. And they call themselves, Muslims? As far as I'm concerned they are an insult to their faith or what they claim to be following. And because, I object by calling the police, they get others to set off my car alarm till now they have spoiled it and it keeps playing for about 5 minutes and eventually the battery will die! Then, I'll have a hard time trying to start the car, when I next go out. The cops, too, are not too helpful as according to them, it's daytime and one can make as much noise as one likes. It's only at nights that it matters but, again, they are very unavailable, then.

About the MOU with the Muslims, I really dread these guys becoming the next government, because, they're planning on Taliban like laws for the Majimbo in the Coast Province as well as North Eastern. Despite being a Muslim myself, I cannot support them, in their quest. They are planning on being extremely intolerant and therefore anarchy will reign supreme.

Isn't our presidential hopeful, Raila Odinga, thinking about the chaos he's going to unleash on both Muslims and non-Muslims, alike with that contentious MOU of his? We will never know PEACE! We have enough examples of such one track minded thinking, among the Muslims, all over the world, I think, to help everybody make an informed choice.

While Islam preaches and professes complete freedom of religion and practice of tolerance, the MOU sounds just the opposite, unfortunately. Hence, I dread ODM winning these coming elections.

I really can't stand the semi-literates in my neighbourhood who are standing for office. They are pests of the worse kind.

Salaams,
Razia.

elijah.agevi wrote:

Thanks Raziya. I am briefly in Hargesia, Somaliland trying to follow -up on the earlier work I had done on building codes and standards here. As you may be aware there are no guidelines, codes,norms and standards in the whole of Somalilland. Nothing. Everything went with war! War is bad. Very bad and as a country and people of Kenya, we must guard and be opposed to anything that can drive us in that direction.  In Somaliland there are no institutions and qualified people to undertake even very basic issues such as supervision of building sites. There are no clear cut procedures for even accessing and getting a building permit.In short there are significant challenges in Somaliland. The place particularly Hargesia is very peaceful.  I am therefore trying to assess what needs to be done in order to introduce codes,standards and procedures in the country under all these trying circumstances.  Once again keep up with the struggle. You have many admirers for what you are doing with such a passion.  Have a great afternoon and weekend.  Elijah.

Re: Campaign noise!

Thank you once again for your compliment and feedback, which I really appreciate.

You're in Somaliland? Whatever are you doing there? I hope the 'environment' is better than the one we have here, at present, though. Total insanity reigns here, unfortunately!

Re my noisy political neighbours and all the other re-cycled ones like them out there..... These people seem to be living in a massive time warp where they still think and behave like they did and have been doing the last couple of decades and also before that. They are under the impression that the electorate can be manipulated by their loud music and dancing making them think that they are attending a huge party. In the process, the impression they create among the outsiders is one of a typical 'banana republic' going to vote!

That it's a free for all and what can one expect from Africa, after all. What they should, in fact be doing instead, is giving and exchanging ideas (even with the opposition), about how they intend to improve the lot of the much maligned electorate. Answer and discuss the many serious issues confronting them and allowing the public and the press to question their policies...... in public! Show some 'civilized' behaviour, in fact. They would also be setting a good example to their electorate.

This way, they will also, let the people know how professional, ethical, accountable they really are, instead of this present empty headed and slanderous behaviour they expose with regard to their campaigning. For the present, the way they're behaving, one wonders what kind of people are going to be populating the August house comes next year. Most of the males among our politicians also, have little regard or respect for the women folk or their female counterparts and/or opposition. What a horrible and nasty example they set!

And as an aside - that charcoal issue still hasn't been solved and the guy is doing a booming business. I tried ringing that Forest officer in Malindi's number, but, nobody is answering!!! Now, you see what kind of people are out there supposedly 'protecting' our forests!!! They are a thoroughly, unethical and unaccountable lot.

Have a safe trip,
Razia.

elijah.agevi wrote:

Good afternoon and greetings from Hargesia Somaliland madam Raziya. Well put and I couldn't agree more with your accurate analysis! I am indeed happy that for the next one week will be away from this kind of madness. What however surprises me is that as a people we allow ourselves to be carried away with such gimmicks that are leading us nowhere. When shall we ever learn and be wiser!  Have a peaceful and informed afternoon.  Elijah

Campaign noise!

Since, the campaigning has started, my two neighbours have been behaving in the most obnoxious manner. One of them is Mr. Joho, who is standing for the Kisauni seat and the other, Mr. Adan Kushe who is vying to continue being the area's Councillor, both under the ODM ticket.

Now, these two people think nothing of behaving in the most insolent manner, therefore, I wonder (if just trying to attract voters, they are behaving this way), what would we have to put up with should the Wananchi vote for them. I fear that their insolence would know, no bounds!

Every single day and night, there are people gathered outside Mr. Joho's residence's gate. What they want there, is anybody's guess and he was using the whole month of Ramadhan under the guise of giving charity (which we, Muslims, are supposed to do during this Holy Month), handouts to crowds of people.

And his neighbour and friend, Mr. Kushe, also has crowds of people who look, to all intents and purposes, layabouts, who hang around the above mentioned 'hopefuls' houses.

They also have a pick-up which is fitted with two huge speakers, which they use to go all over including this estate (I have the misfortune of being their neighbour), playing loud music and 'announcing' things at ear splitting levels. They think nothing of disturbing the whole estate with this noise pollution every single day and night at anytime.

The volume is so high that the proverbial statement of, 'one not being able to hear ourselves think', could be very well applied in this case. The vibrations from these speakers also set off my car's alarm further disturbing everybody. All this bothers them the least! It seems that they are trying to 'attract' our semi- and illiterate masses for votes using this means. The same psychology that noisy matatus apply to attract passengers.

I wish, our candidates would use more intellectual means for attracting voters, because, when you come right down to it, what kind of people will we be electing? Those, who have very little 'upstairs', and nothing much besides and ones who can dance (our many challenges away?), with loud music?

If we vote for such people, we will NEVER improve our lot! Doesn't the public find the huge posters with their photographs, erected all over the place, demagogic? Remember that all dictators, past and present, anywhere in the world have this habit of erecting huge statues of themselves as well as putting up their pictures, everywhere else? This is akin to imposing themselves on the people and forcing them to 'hero' worship them! For what purpose?

So, people, please use your heads when going to cast your votes.

The 141st reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED

Another week has gone by without any water, of course, and hence this 'reminder'.

As you must have noticed, from one of my emails of yesterday regarding a charcoal dealer in our midst, our Council and it's environment dept., in particular, is not functioning. This means that when they are collecting garbage fees from us, via the water bill, it's only for the sake of collecting money (of which they are overly fond), but, not giving a service in return. The charcoal seller, in the same way is breaking many environmental and Municipal by-laws, but, getting him to stop his business has proved entirely fruitless.

In the same way, there are many neighbourhood wells and boreholes, but, they are allowed to exist, due to the Water Board's and the Water Company's gross and total negligence in providing this much needed fluid. Therefore, they allow, even at the expense of making a mess of our environment, locally and globally, such things to exist and nearly all new buildings that are built these days, have at least one borehole or well to cater for the occupants.

Yet, these insolent service providers continue sending us their contentious and phantom water bills, all in the name of some of us having meters, still, and to add insult to injury, they have now (since nearly a year), added sewage charges! On what grounds?

How dare these people even dream up such charges? When they can't even provide water to the residents on a consistent basis, how can they, then, start charging us for sewage, whose infrastructure is in a shambles and when they release raw sewage into the sea? What nonsense is this?

If, the powers that be, have really 'privatized' the water sector, then why are the same old 're-cycled' employees still existing? It sounds exactly like our government, which has the same old re-cycled people, yet, again, standing for office in the up-coming elections!

We can rightly be called a 'banana republic' when we don't get water and our power supply, too, is shaky in the extreme. The combined efforts of both are effectively taking us back to prehistoric times, I think!!!

 'One learned man is harder on the devil than a thousand ignorant worshipers': Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

The Charcoal seller saga...

Despite having informed, by calling the Nairobi Forestry office this morning, and talking to somebody who gave me his name as 'Yusuf', who promised to mobilize the local (Mombasa), forestry people, nothing seems to have been done about this continued insolence. He has also taken my phone contacts promising to get in touch, but, it's now over 3 hours since I talked with him, but, have got no feedback....., yet.

I would have take a picture of the canter and what it was carrying, but, I don't have my camera with me just now, unfortunately.

The neighbourhood charcoal seller has just received the latest consignment of a Canter full of sacks of charcoal and this time it arrived in broad daylight on a weekday! In the past, it's done so in the middle of the night usually on weekends.

In fact, I'd gone to see Mr. Mwamela, our local District Forestry Officer who has recently taken up his post, replacing Mr. Mwai, on Friday, last week, but he didn't give me his contact number nor did he sound very enthusiastic about protecting our dwindling forests.

When, I told him that the charcoal seller had recently finished his supply and he would soon be rec'ving more, he told me that he would get in touch with his predecessor, Mr. Mwai, and find out what his investigations had revealed. Also, that this week he would be unavailable as he would be attending a workshop the whole week!

Now, my question to everybody concerned is - with such 'officers', it is any wonder that our forest cover is getting destroyed? Btw, the Canter's registration number was/is - KAU 865J and it arrived here at 10.00 am, 6th Nov 2007, if anybody is interested and anything can be done about following this up. Of course, the guy will have no sign or trace of charcoal in the Canter by now, but, if the relevant people had arrived here on time, they would have caught and been able to question both the carrier and the seller. Now, the seller might or will pass the buck to the carrier!

Hoping, that this will be investigated and stopped.....

Emailing: So many discrepancies..., The rent paid in advance - And example of how our Council 'works'...

Below, is my account of what I'd promised you, yesterday....

So many discrepancies...
If, you look closely, you'll find that there is no Ref. No., the notification is to my late father's name, they have asked me to go to Buxton, while in actual fact we were supposed to go to the Tudor office and nowhere does it say that we should go with our rent receipts. This notification was hand delivered on the mid-afternoon of the 30th October 2007, though, again, nowhere is the date written.

Do these people really know what they are doing?

Then, when, I reached the Tudor office at around 10.30 am, the two clerks (women), were out somewhere on a tea break! There was already and old blind man who was accompanied by another young man who had helped him there, from another Council Estate, waiting. As I, too, waited, another tenant showed up (from my estate). And we all waited....

Eventually, when the two clerks showed up after about half an hour, they lazily strolled to their tables and equally lazily and insolently started working. The person who had come last was dealt with first and if one objected, you were ignored! Like the old man was, by one of the clerks (who could have been his grand-daughter). She was extremely rude and insolent to him and started quarelling with the old man and answering back. This, in our culture is not a done thing and the old man rightly found her behaviour insulting and rude. Therefore, he spoke up and told her so, in no uncertain terms that she was there to 'serve' him and not the other way round. She carried on being offensive but mercifully and eventually, when the old man wouldn't keep quiet, left the room. She couldn't be bothered that she was doing no work in the process. The other clerk, after finishing with the guy who had come in last, took up the old man's case and dealt with it.

Then, came my turn. She took my receipts, which show that rent has been paid till (according to the receipt) January 2008, but, she kept calculating something on her calculator and not explaining to me what she was doing or how she arrived at the figure pictured. Do these people really work transparently? When I brought to her attention that my rent had been paid well in advance, she said, it was not and that it was in arrears. When asked for an explanation, she told me to go see the Housing Manager at Buxton. Knowing how our Council employees work, or don't work, I further asked her what or whom I should see if he/she wasn't in the office. I was told to go to the town office and see the Director of Housing!

The reason, I'm writing this is because, I've had previous misadventures with the Council many, many times and especially so when, soon after my father's demise, I had to let them know and get them to change the name of the tenant. It took many trips to the Council and being shuttled from one office to another and another, before, this simple act was done many months, later!

I wonder what and where is the Minister for Local Government? I've sent him, at the beginning of the year, by post this contentious increment of rent without the tenants being given written notice 3 months in advance as per the law, but, NOTHING seems to have been done about this and business continues as usual at our so-called Council.

The rent paid in advance

Proof of having paid my rent well in advance. Why issue me with a receipt if it's not the correct amount? And why haven't they given us a written notice of rent increment as the law requires? And on what grounds have they increased the rent by nearly a 1000/-?! And from which month/year?