Emailing: Noisy wedding at Joho's house, The place is choke a block with women facing a white tent from where ear-splitting noise is emanating, Our whole neighbourhood compound is full of the revellers cars, The gate is suddenly dark where some young boys

Since around 8.00 pm women have been arriving at our redoubtable MP Joho's house whom I have the misfortune of having as a neighbour. He has built a private house in the middle of our Municipal Estate and seems to be under the impression that he owns the whole place and can do as he wishes and to hell with the neighbours' sentiments.

As I write this, there is ear-splitting noise of supposed music emanating from his compound as you can see from the attached pictures which in turn is continuously, due to the vibrations, setting off my car alarm. Of course, it will result in a very dead battery by morning since, I understand that this racket is going to go on till morning. All this in the name of a wedding.....?!

I've made numerous phone calls to the police, but, their visit (if they did), seems to have had no effect on the volume. In fact, this MP and his family seem to be under the impression that since they (all our questionable politicians), are above the law, they can ride rough shod on all of the rest of their constituents. In fact, they seem to be under the mistaken impression that we even 'love' them!!! Unfortunately for them, most of us, don't and consider them the scum of the earth.

And are those women deaf? Why does the 'music' have to be at such a high volume when they are sitting metres away from the speakers? And do any of them have any conscience? That they are disturbing the whole neighbourhood, quite a few of whom have not been invited and/or don't share their taste of the racket (music). Also, the fact that they are damaging somebody's property as their noise is setting off the car alarm. Unfortunately, it is one of the requirements of my insurance company that the alarm be on when the car is not in use, i.e. is parked.

Do these people have any morals? I don't believe that they do nor do they have any consideration for the neighbours. Our police, too, get intimidated by politicians and as soon as one shows his face or 'credentials', they let them get away with any kind of law breaking. Why are politicians above the law? Is this an official directive? That they can do anything as they please and no law or cop will touch them?

This kind of behaviour gives us the impression that laws are only for the 'little' people. The high and the mighty, especially moneyed are beyond it.

Is anything ever going to change in our country with such an attitude?

Raziya.

The message is ready to be sent with the following file or link attachments:
Noisy wedding at Joho's house
The place is choke a block with women facing a white tent from where ear-splitting noise is emanating
Our whole neighbourhood compound is full of the revellers cars
The gate is suddenly dark where some young boys have gathered
And within extremely loud 'music' is being played within metres of the women

Re: Outages & our supposed Independence Day.....? and now the fluctuations are back, too

Since early this morning before 5.00 am, we've been having awful fluctuations. Thinking they were doing something at that time and the thing would be dealt with, I didn't bother ringing Eng. Mbaluka. But, two and a half hours later the situation still showed red on my Sollatek regulators, I decided to rouse him and ask him why this was the case.

While he answered his mobile, he was completely at sea as to why we were having this problem for so long. And he told me to give them an hour in which time, it would be dealt with. It was.

Then, sometime in the afternoon, a similar situation arose and this time I didn't bother waiting. I called him at once. Again, he promised that it would be seen to and sure enough after some intense fluctuations, it got back to normal.

But, as I write this, my regulator is reading red again since around 10.45 pm and am working on my battery power. Trying to call Eng Mbaluka immediately resulted in no response since he or his phone were out of network range. Eventually after a while, I got through and again asked him why this was happening. I got one answer only - that they would investigate and treat the problem.

Why is it that he cannot give me an explanation for this state of affairs? Is it such a secret? And why isn't somebody out there at KPLC monitoring how they are feeding us with power? Why are these people completely ignorant about anything going on when we ring with such problems?

The response I got from them to one of my recent emails covers just one aspect of this persistent problem. Despite having got their transformer, we're still having outages and fluctuations. Can somebody again answer this question? The response below does not cover all of my allegations.

Raziya

Customer Care, Mombasa wrote on 15-Dec-08 10:38 AM :

Kindly note that the cause of the outages we have been experiencing were as a result of the distribution transformer serving the island blowing. This led to the overloading of the remaining transformer and hence we had to ration so that all get power. This carried on until we got another transformer of such magnitude which came by road from Nairobi.

The transformer has since been installed and the situation normalized.

We regret any inconveniences caused.

Noisy functions

The people concerned with giving permits for noisy functions in residential areas are highly irresponsible and immoral.

The Kizingo area among many others, is a residential area with at least two hospitals there. Unfortunately, the people who hire the MWA Hall and the various churches and mosques and the KPA club in it's vicinity are also extremely insensitive to the residents' plight.

Last Tuesday night, somebody had hired this contentious hall and was having a very noisy function there till very late at night. Short of calling the cops who are usually all at sea regarding the directions to this place and also quite averse to doing anything about the disturbance, the merry makers are also completely insensitive to the fact that there is the Aga Khan Hospital right next door to the hall.

Now, that we're approaching our many 'holidays', starting from tomorrow, I wonder how much noise, we're going to be enduring.....?

Below, is an email I received from another resident of Amba Apartments regarding these noisy issues.....

We're all really FED UP with the noise issue and I wonder what is the reason for existence for NEMA offices in this town?! They don't seem to be doing anything about our numerous complaints.

Raziya

Nircon wrote:

Hi Razia,

I wish to know how effective are NEMA when you report to them about noise. I am sure you must have approached them with all the noise you experience from the MWA Hall.
We are having frequent problems of very very loud noise from the KPA Club near our Apartments.

Last to last Saturday there was a disco in the middle of their pitch – loud music went on till well after mid-night.

It was worst last Saturday! Some TUSKER celebration which started at about half 11 in the morning till about 3.00 a.m. on Sunday!!. There was screaming, shouting and dancing and music from the mega speakers at full blast. We were literally stuck to our bedroom with every door and window closed – curtains drawn. The whole day and virtually the whole night till dawn. And guess only 4 people were dancing late in the night with blaring music. The whole function was set very close to our building leaving the whole pitch. We have located the NEMA office and are going to lodge our complaint. I don’t know how effective this organization is. We are also planning an audience with the KPA authorities esp. the Club manager and other officers who are in charge of this club.

Muru had talked to the manager on the phone but he seemed list bothered. Last Saturday’s function was a nightmare!!!!.

I am sure you must have been affected by this noise. We are certainly losing patience with the behaviour of these thoughtless people who have no regard for the privacy and peace of the law abiding citizens.

Salaams,
Zainab

The 186th reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED (power outages, too)

Yet, another 'Independence Day' will be celebrated with lots of hot air being spewed into the atmosphere and false promises and empty chest thumping will be done, tomorrow to mark our so-called Uhuru Day.

What exactly will we be celebrating? Most institutions having been run down and some positively not working? So what are we so proud of?

The residents of this country and especially Coast Province, have been crying for water and the various 'water bodies' that the Ministry of Water & Irrigation has given 'birth' to, has reduced the province into a desert like place. Despite the the Ministry and many others who are involved in the business of providing us with water having received a petition nearly 3 years ago with over 900 signatures with the suggestion of desalination, every 'official' recipient has shamelessly ignored it!

And we're, tomorrow, 'celebrating' independence day? For what? In fact, even as I write this, the power has gone off, yet again!

As is their wont, the KPLC like the overflowing 'water bodies', NEVER give any proper and reasonable excuse for their insolence. Why?

Outages & our supposed Independence Day.....?

Since the beginning of this month, especially, not to mention the previous months, of course, our whole country has been experiencing power outages of the most ridiculous kind. In fact, of late one gets the impression that we're living in war time for the KPLC (renamed to Kenya Weakness & Darkness), have put the whole country a number of times into pitch dark. Probably in the mistaken belief that if there's no total blackout, we'll be bombed by unknown enemies!!!!

Of course, somebody out there (KPLC), is probably in cahoots with thugs thus facilitating their looting and maiming of the rest of the residents under cover of darkness.

Not a day passes without any given area of Mombasa not going through an unexplained outage and this despite their supposed 'maintenance' outage last Sunday. I really wonder what these people really do during their 'maintenance'? For they have 'planned' outages and others, which they call 'unplanned'. Why should they have outages if they are doing regular maintenance? And what would be our (consumers), fate had we been living in a country where we had freezing temperatures instead of the banana republic that we are forced to live in? We'd most likely all have collectively frozen to death!

I, like many others, subscribe to Mitsuminet Cable Vision, and currently, we cannot watch anything on it thanks to KPLC. That's the reason that I've been given by these people. They say that their control room has had no power since the past 3 days!!! And even their back up system has given up. They have no idea when power will be restored, either.

So, despite paying ridiculous amounts in power bills, we also have to pay for and not get the required services of others thanks to KPLC.

And tomorrow we're 'celebrating' our over 40 years of independence? Independence from what?! In fact, we've been getting steadily worse since then!

The 185th reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED

My questions of last week to the Coast Water (Dis)Services Board and others have still not been answered nor acknowledged by the various and numerous 'water bodies'. Why? One wonders at the insolence of these people who are supposed to be giving the residents services. They couldn't care less about the opinions or conditions of the ones they 'serve'.

The only thing they 'serve', like our burgeoning cabinet, is their own pockets. That's all!

One just has to see the condition of this town to appreciate that none of the services that these people are 'offering', are in place. Look at the overflowing garbage cans which make some neighbourhoods into mini-Kibaranis due to the stench they emit. Numberless complaints to the Council regarding these, have had not a bit of effect or improvement in the conditions that the people of Coast Province live in....., and work. In fact, when some neighbourhoods tried to re-locate these bins, the Council promptly sent their minions with threats that if their bins are moved, the residents will face dire consequences.

One wishes that they would be as prompt in offering legitimate services and attend to the well-being of the residents. Of course, they will not since our Council/s (countrywide and especially Mombasa), is populated with mafia like people with questionable literacy levels. One can't reason with them.

Yet, they are involved with our various 'water bodies' in the delivery of water?! What an irony! They expect us to believe that they will do this despite the whole town overflowing with garbage.

Yesterday, afternoon I saw their garbage truck near the 3 bins in Ganjoni (they have multiplied from one), which are perpetually overflowing to quite a distance. Their slow moving employees were picking up the muck, crossing the road to where this truck was parked and dumping the stuff inside. All the while birds and the wind was redistributing the garbage elsewhere as the truck was open. This is exactly what happens even as these garbage trucks make their way to Kibarani for dumping.

So one wonders if they are really into the cleaning business or redistributing it elsewhere! Have they nothing to cover this muck up?

Such are the 'officials' that are given the job of supplying us with water. No wonder we still haven't got any.

The rent issue, again and the way our Council 'works' - Emailing: Note the date it's been rec'ved and when it's dated - 5 days ago!

'Afternoon!

At just around 12.30 pm this afternoon (just over an hour ago, in fact), my doorbell rang and I found an employee of the Council at the gate. He delivered the attached notice from the Council's housing and social 'services' which contains a signature but no name for it says, 'For:' Therefore the person has no name that one can read, but, just a squiggle for a signature.

Considering it's a 7 day notice of so-called rent arrears and dated 21st Nov 2008, it's being delivered to me 5 days late. Why? And that too, on pain of being evicted should I not do so. So, technically, I have a 2 days notice instead of the supposed 7 days. When I tried to call the housing Manager, Ms. Moka, who operates from the Buxton estate, her one sentence was that I should pay (reminiscent of the Mafia), or else ...... She wouldn't tell me why the notice while dated the 21st of Nov 2008 was being delivered in the afternoon of 26th Nov 2008, when she very well knows that none of her colleagues would be working in the afternoon!

Then, about the rent being in arrears - I have receipts from the same Council to prove that I've paid my rent in full till December 2008. They claim that the rent has been increased since Nov 2006 by over a 100% with no written notice given to the tenants of one month. Another thing, if I'm in arrears, why has the same Council been issuing me with receipts at the old rent all this time and not mentioning on the receipts that I still have a balance to pay?

All of my neighbours and now also I, will have to not just pay the rent at the Town Hall to the cashiers, but, then go with the receipt all the way across town to the other end in Tudor to have some more of their employees supposedly balance their ledger books. Why harass the tenants with such things when they are computerized? If the Council employees are so incompetent, can't they employ others and fewer in number, who are more qualified?

Is there any justice left to speak of at the Council and for that matter the country at large?

Missing publications and the disabled

In any given year, I end up missing a number of my monthly magazines that I subscribe to. Why is this the case? One wonders what happens to them....

I can only think of the following reasons:

1. They never arrive. This is highly unlikely since they do, for the rest of the year.

2. The sorters at the post office have vision problems and therefore don't put them in the right box.

3. The sorters are either under the influence and/or are semi- or illiterate and are not doing their job of putting the mail in their right boxes.

4. When these are put in the wrong boxes, the 'recipients' either throw away what they wrongly receive or if it's an interesting magazine, etc., take possession of it and never return it.

Now, considering that we pay through our noses for publications and the postal services, it's very infuriating for our mail to go missing on a consistent basis, despite making numerous complaints about it to the various employees of POSTA. Other than saying 'sorry', there's not much they can do about missing and lost mail.

Second point - Since some years, I've been trying to get our post office to become disabled 'friendly', to no avail. So many of their offices are up staircases with no lift (elevator), working and the parcel office is an insult to the disabled. Do our postal authorities think that disabled people don't get any mail or parcels? I was assured many years ago and even recently that there are plans to move the registered post window/s downstairs as well as a ramp with a grab bar built at the parcels office, but, none of these have as yet materialized. Why?

They also seem to think, like many other places, that the disabled don't drive and/or are driven and don't provide any parking places for them. Again, why?

Their employees are also highly insensitive to the various disabilities that a person can suffer from. One example in recent memory was last week when I went to pay my box rental fee. Now, I have a hearing problem among many other things since I suffer from Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The lady who was attending to the counter continued mumbling despite me telling her that I couldn't make out what she was saying and that I needed to see her lips moving and could she also speak louder. Her response to both my walking stick and my request was an annoyed look and a reluctantly raised voice. Is this the way they deal with the public?

And one gets the feeling that their continuously rising postal rates are inversely proportional to their 'services'!

The 184th reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED

We still don't get a drop of water! Why is this the case?

What is the Coast Water (Dis)Services Board doing to alleviate the problem? Considering many have had their water meters removed and are either buying suspect water from the mkokoteni vendors or have sunk in bore-holes and wells all over the place with the permission of the Ministry of Water (we hope....). This is allowed despite it being environmentally unfriendly, especially on the island of Mombasa.

Why are the water kiosks getting water but not the residents? It makes one suspicious. Since we live in an unaccountable country, who knows how many 'employees' of the various water bodies set up to 'improve' water delivery are benefiting from these, i.e. water kiosks and water vendors.....?

Therefore, we, the remainder of the 'possessors' of water meters, one would think, should be getting water since the demand has reduced due to the above mentioned reasons. But, we still don't get water! Why?

Now, regarding the garbage and sewage - neighbourhoods like the infamous one in Ganjoni with 3 perpetually overflowing garbage cans, are suffering from the Kibarani like stink emanating from these. Despite many entreaties to our useless and insensitive Council, have gone over and beyond their heads and one wonders if they have any kind of working health dept., anymore.

Of course, all this garbage attracts not only the pesky crows, but, other unwanted pests...., even the human glue sniffing kind. This brings to mind, a notice a few weeks ago in the Daily Nation from our Town Clerk, no less, regarding all 'small' businesses and about them getting licenses and health certificates in the event that they are dealing with food. I wrote the following email to our Town Clerk from Nairobi, but, have yet to get any response or change.

...... and life continues in this sub-standard way.......

Raziya

Raziya Mohamedali wrote on 03-Nov-08 12:08 PM:

'Morning!

It was very heartening to read in today's Daily Nation, a notice by the Mombasa Town Clerk about licenses for all small businesses and also regarding hygiene, etc.

The only thing is that how effective is this notice going to be. For our Town Clerk's information, he could start with the Council's own Nyerere Estate where his Council employees also live in the Staff flats. There are a number of questionable businesses going on there. Will the Council investigate and take action? I wonder.....

A few months ago some of his Council askaris showed up on a Saturday morning (when they technically don't work), at the place where an expanding business of an eatery is going on every single day come rain, hail or shine. They arrived there in a Council lorry and after 'socializing' with the eatery's umpteen numbers of cooks and employees, merrily took off. One wonders why they had come there and then did nothing....., on a Saturday morning?!

Also, within a stone's throw away of this business is a charcoal one going on which is highly questionable, too, since this person usually gets his consignment in the dead of night. This person also sells and keeps goats within the estate whenever the fancy takes him.

In fact, last July, he was a suspect in my car being smashed up when I was the only one who wrote umpteen numbers of emails/letters to, among others, to the Council's environment and health department about those goats. And on the very day that the goats and the 'owner' were arrested, sometime in the middle of the night, my car was smashed up!

Subsequently, I've been threatened and intimidated by this charcoal/goat seller and his mother even tried to push me down the stairs in front of 3 witnesses. I have reported all these matters to our questionable police and am still waiting for a feedback from them.

All these things happen within sight and sound of a resident Councillor, Kushe, and other Municipal employees.

And for our Town Clerk's information, both these businesses are highly disturbing due to the noise, mess created and the smoke from the eatery's charcoal and wood stoves.

There are enough noises around without having school children and other questionable characters making a racket when they come to buy charcoal, goats or food at these places not to mention some of the 'patrons' dirtying the staircase when they use this for sitting there when eating.

All of this 'public' is also enticed into setting off my car alarm over and over again till the battery sometimes goes down. Do we have any applicable law anymore in this lawless country of ours?

The charcoal/goat keeper/seller has also, since at least a year and a half, befriended a glue sniffing street boy who lives under the staircase. How safe is the neighbourhood with all this going on?

There are all kinds of Municipal by-laws and tenant/landlord agreements being broken, yet the Council does nothing about them. Why?

Raziya

The 183rd reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED & Re: MOWASCO; Good indications

Hi! (whoever this is!),

I've been in Nbi since the past 5 weeks for health reasons and just got back yesterday. Therefore, I had no idea about the goings on out here and when I rang Mr. Chitavi's office, this morning, I was told by one of the secretaries that he'd been transferred as an MD of the Malindi office.

This would not, to my mind, translate as being a dismissal otherwise why would the Ministry continue to employ him? And anyway, what are the charges that he's supposed to answer to? You've NEVER been very clear about that, EVER!

As mentioned umpteen numbers of times previously by me, the CWSB is more to blame for our woes than anybody else and it's high time that they were taken to task about their so-called service provision, for I and the whole of my neighbourhood among many others still gets not a drop of water.

I was also very upset to read in the papers a few weeks back while I was in Nairobi, that these unaccountable people are even thinking of raising the tariffs without providing the service. So, does this mean that we're going to be, now, paying much more for the same old phantom bills?

And could you (whoever you are), please learn to sign your emails, henceforth?

Raziya.

ConsumerFirst Network wrote on 11-Nov-08 3:56 P:

Hi Raziya I was waiting to hear your voice over dismissal of 'your friend' the embattled former MOWASCO MD. At last investigations proved he had charges to answer. Now we can move to CWSB. You have been right the CWSB has failed to license reliable water service providers in the Coastal region. And the campaign begins......

Road reserves and their allocation....

I have some questions that I would like to ask our officialdom and in particular the people in charge of the wanton destruction of structures that are put up on supposed road reserves.

1. Who sells, allocates these 'road reserves' in the first place?

2. Why are these 'offending' structures allowed to be built on by the various local authorities? After all, they are the ones passing these plans, aren't they?

3. So, why aren't these so-called town planners getting away scot free? Why is nobody holding them accountable?

4. How is the average Mwananchi supposed to know what they are renting/buying is on suspect property or not? Are they supposed to hire detectives to find out for certain that what they are renting/buying is on the up and up? Can officialdom please, announce to the whole country the criteria one should use to rent/buy 'straight' buildings......., or else?

5. Why is officialdom selectively removing structures from road reserves? What about all the well known ones all over the countryside that are still insolently allowed to stand?

6. And when they (officialdom), do bring down these offending buildings, do they have to use cavemen tactics and uncivilized ways?

The whole nation saw the intimidating way that those crane 'drivers' were using their tools on the protesting by-standers when they were bringing down buildings on Thika Rd., recently! And the way the usual Kenyan public was gleefully stealing things from these buildings with the cops doing nothing.

What an uncivilized nation we have become.....

Our Town Clerk's notice....

It was very heartening to read in today's Daily Nation, a notice by the Mombasa Town Clerk about licenses for all small businesses and also regarding hygiene, etc.

The only thing is that how effective is this notice going to be. For our Town Clerk's information, he could start with the Council's own Nyerere Estate where his Council employees also live in the Staff flats. There are a number of questionable businesses going on there. Will the Council investigate and take action? I wonder.....

A few months ago some of his Council askaris showed up on a Saturday morning (when they technically don't work), at the place where an expanding business of an eatery is going on every single day come rain, hail or shine. They arrived there in a Council lorry and after 'socializing' with the eatery's umpteen numbers of cooks and employees, merrily took off. One wonders why they had come there and then did nothing....., on a Saturday morning?!

Also, within a stone's throw away of this business is a charcoal one going on which is highly questionable, too, since this person usually gets his consignment in the dead of night. This person also sells and keeps goats within the estate whenever the fancy takes him.

In fact, last July, he was a suspect in my car being smashed up when I was the only one who wrote umpteen numbers of emails/letters to, among others, to the Council's environment and health department about those goats. And on the very day that the goats and the 'owner' were arrested, sometime in the middle of the night, my car was smashed up!

Subsequently, I've been threatened and intimidated by this charcoal/goat seller and his mother even tried to push me down the stairs in front of 3 witnesses. I have reported all these matters to our questionable police and am still waiting for a feedback from them.

All these things happen within sight and sound of a resident Councillor, Kushe, and other Municipal employees.

And for our Town Clerk's information, both these businesses are highly disturbing due to the noise, mess created and the smoke from the eatery's charcoal and wood stoves.

There are enough noises around without having school children and other questionable characters making a racket when they come to buy charcoal, goats or food at these places not to mention some of the 'patrons' dirtying the staircase when they use this for sitting there when eating.

All of this 'public' is also enticed into setting off my car alarm over and over again till the battery sometimes goes down. Do we have any applicable law anymore in this lawless country of ours?

The charcoal/goat keeper/seller has also, since at least a year and a half, befriended a glue sniffing street boy who lives under the staircase. How safe is the neighbourhood with all this going on?

There are all kinds of Municipal by-laws and tenant/landlord agreements being broken, yet the Council does nothing about them. Why?

Persistent national outages

Yesterday morning we had yet, another National power outage within the course of a week. Why?

The first one, unfortunately happened to start in the late afternoon and continued off and on through the night. And while Nairobi got it back sometime around 3.00 am, Mombasa didn't get lighted up till after 5.00 am. Why?

These persistent unplanned power outages create untold damage to people and appliances. I know of at least one fall by an elderly man on his staircase which eventually resulted in his death, yesterday, thanks to these outages by the incompetence of the KPLC which should rename itself to Kenya Weakness & Darkness!

If this was a law abiding country (which it definitely, isn't), this company would have been sued over and over again for the damage it does to persons and property.

Considering the sudden spate of robberies with violence, one gets the impression that in cahoots with our questionable cops, the KPLC is also facilitating these. Alarms and darkness are all in the favour of these excrescences around us.

So, who will take the responsibility for all this? There seems to be no accountability in any service provision in this country. Why? Yet, we have umpteen numbers of supposed outfits to deal with these. It seems that they are just there for cosmetic reasons. To hoodwink us and further siphon off more of the tax payers hard earned money! It's really disgusting.

The 182nd reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED

The people in the Water delivery sector seem to be totally devoid of a conscience. Nothing seems to be penetrate their proverbial thick skins. Despite so many reminders over the years and I've just started keeping a log of the numbers a few years ago. Before that, I used to write to them as well as pay them repeated visits regarding the deteriorating water delivery, but, got no concrete answers that one could to hold them to.

In fact, IF, they even replied my 'snail mail' letters, it would be a couple of lines long and a kind of standard reply saying, ' Could I please avail them of my account number so the matter could be investigated', i.e. as though I was the ONLY one missing this precious fluid.

Probably, because the same old employees still populate those offices though the names have changed, i.e. from the Ministry of Water to NWCPC to what it is at present Mombasa Water and Sewerage Company and the Coast Water Services Board. The NWCPC was split into two as seen above. None of the above mentioned and present outfits have made any difference to the Coast's and in particular, Mombasa's water situation any better. If anything, it continues to worsen.

One wonders why this is the case when the powers that be, seem to be under the impression of, 'the more the merrier', in this service sector. Therefore, we demand that our precious money collected in various forms - unbelievably high taxation and while paying our phantom water bills every month - that our Honourable Minister Mrs. Charity Ngilu, dissolve all these various outfits forthwith and come up with only ONE organization for us to deal with and other than her, not another politician within sight or sound, please!

We are VERY FED UP of these last bunch of very questionable individuals who insist on politicking at every opportunity they get while no water flows from our taps, nor any improvement seen over the years. Can she and is she capable of doing this?

The Charcoal sellers saga, continues.....

At just before 2.30 am this morning, a Canter arrived here, full of sacks of charcoal. At around the same time, all the lights in the neighbourhood, including the street ones, went off, and the mosque's generator started it's noise! In fact, the neighbourhood erupted with various types of noises, the loudest being the generator's and the remainder coming from the Canter which started it's off-loading of the sacks in a very clandestine manner. Unfortunately, I couldn't make out the Canter's registration number, this time, since it was pitch dark and the headlights of the canter were on.

Anyway, I immediately called the 112 emergency number from my mobile to activate the cops, but, I don't think anybody came despite the cop answering, assured me that he would send somebody here.

Now, it amazes me that these cops who answer the emergency calls are totally at sea when one is trying to give them directions to any place that needs their attention. Add to this the fact, about how this Canter full of charcoal sacks managed to avoid the many road blocks on it's way here from wherever! One gets the feeling that the traffic cops as well as various other 'officialdom' are in cahoots with these crooks. And therefore, their fellow cops are very averse to doing anything about stopping or investigating such incidences. All the while, our forest cover keeps getting destroyed and by extension so does our water catchment areas.

I last wrote about this issue on 6th February 2008 when this neighbourhood charcoal seller got his last consignment. And I thought, 'officialdom' had taken action since then and stopped him getting anymore. He's not got any, all these past months. But, it would seem that nothing has been done about the issue, still.

Does anybody out there care about this country, anymore? Enough to take 'action'? I truly fear for our country's future and it's so-called future leaders and citizens! This charcoal seller (hawker?), has befriended a glue-sniffing street 'man', to do his bidding and who 'squats' under our staircase. Everytime I get a visitor, he asks for money in exchange for keeping an eye on their car, if they have any. And when they leave (especially the female ones), follows them in a kind of daze! How safe are we in such a neighbourhood?

The 181st reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED - Re: Reishi Water Plea

To continue from where I'd left off the 180th 'reminder', last week....

I'd mentioned a Water Petition with over 900 signatures to the various water bodies including the Council and the following email gives added weight to the solution that has been suggested there - Desalination.

This Province would never have a water problem IF, starting from the ministry level going all the way down, the officialdom concerned, would really get to work and put our hard earned money (tax and what we pay them in phantom water bills), was put to constructive use instead of paying 'sitting' allowances and all those countless meetings that these people attend but which result in absolutely NOTHING.

Years have gone by with no improvement in water delivery services while the sector has 'expanded' to unbelievable proportions, like a many headed monster, yet, still no water coming through our taps! So, what is being done about it? Why does nobody out there answer our query?

What an insult to the people of Coast Province and especially the signatories of the Water Petition! The so-called 'service' providers in this sector can be called highly INSOLENT!!!

Raziya.

Reishi Arun Parikh wrote:

TO BE KINDLY FORWARDED TO THE PRESIDENT OR THE PRIME MINISTER OF KENYA

Your Excellency(s),

My warmest greetings to you. I send you this Email with the hope and prayer that it reaches you and that you read it with the understanding as you always do in other matters. WATER is the reason for my Email. Daily, all around our Country, Kenyans struggle to get WATER. Some get it illegally through corrupting Water Authorities with wrong pipe connections, some steal, some hoard, some misuse where there is plenty.... the Poor Kenyan at the end of all this suffers. Health wise it's a hazard as people resort to borehole and well water, even in Urban areas.

If KENYANS have enough clean WATER, the overall sentiment to Life changes positively.

Mr. President / Mr. Prime Minister, Sirs, I suggest a DESALIATION Water Plant to be installed at the Coast - Mombasa. This Water Plant can then supply and Store the surplus Water to other parts of our Country through the existing Water Pipeline Network.

Dubai, Oman, Saudi Arabia etc never have a Water Shortage... their Water Desalination Plants can Desalinate 150 Billion Litres of Clean Water Daily! We just need a small fraction of this.

I Trust you shall put a thought on this matter during your very hectic schedule at the moment.

Your Excellency(s), my deepest and sincere good wishes to you. Asante.

I earnestly await your reply to my Email...i do!

Your's Truely,
Mr. Reishi Arun Parikh

The 180th reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED - Re: Reishi - Letter to the Editor

Now, if 'proof' is needed about the diverting of our precious water (little as it is), to the show ground during the month of August, then, this email below, is one.

Why are the umpteen water bodies 'created' for 'efficient' delivery of it, so very suspiciously silent, of late? Do these people think that the residents will forget that they exist and might leave them alone? Never! Our water problems are still there, and I, for one will not leave them alone.

Our garbage problem, too, is getting impossible. What is our redoubtable Council doing about the burgeoning garbage bins all over? And why are they getting involved in water delivery when they can't even deal effectively and efficiently with garbage collection and disposal? And what exactly to these people do with all the money that they collect from all over? When were the Council's accounts last audited, anyway? Most likely decades ago!

Remember, that the residents of Mombasa and Coast Province at large, are having a mega water problem which can be solved by having a desalination plant/s, IF, these 'water officials' will only think outside the proverbial box. And what is officialdom doing about the water petition I sent them a couple of years ago with over 900 signatures?

Please, can somebody in authority, answer the questions above?

Raziya.


Reishi Arun Parikh wrote:

Dear Editor,

Kindly publish in the interest of the Mombasa residents

RE: Mombasa ASK Show 2008

I was personally traumatised and dejected during my visit for this years Mombasa ASK Show. After deciding to visit the show, the apprehension was high. On the Friday at around 2:00 p.m we were abruptly stopped at the Bamburi Cement Silos at Mkomani by few "Officials" saying the entrance fee for cars is Ksh 500/-. When i politely protested the "Official" rudely gestured me to return in the direction i came from with some verbal additives with his physical gesture.

The Ag. Chairman - Mr. Antony Mrima needs to answer me on my very unpleasant experience.

I am thinking aloud, who cares for these shows anymore? People visit paying Ksh 150/- to enter spend more on Food and drinks, little entertainment and go home. Where is the Business Crowd who will trade goods and build contacts? No one is interested! Where are the International Exibitors?

To add to all this every year Mombasa residents have to cope without water as its always diverted to the Show for "Exibition Needs". Leave alone the uncarpeted Internal Roads, the Dusty Environment and smart pickpockets!

The Mombasa ASK Show is a dying horse and should be scrapped from the National ASK Show Calender. I am very sure the Nairobi and upcountry Shows are by far better. What is the Management of the Show thinking?

Any unrhetoric and logical answer for me?

Mr. Reishi Arun Parikh
Mombasa - Kenya

The 179th reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED

Well, the very strangely very dry month of August has gone, and we still don't have water and some areas like Kizingo haven't had water in YEARS!!!! With no explanation from our questionable water providers (umpteen numbers of them, in fact, giving a whole new meaning to the adage, 'too many cooks spoil the broth'), for this state of affairs.

This kind of irresponsible behaviour gives rise to a whole lot of environmental problems mainly to our ground water system and playing havoc with it. These days wherever one goes or is planning on renting a house or even buying one (this goes for offices, too), this is a major issue. Everybody who can afford it makes sure that wherever they move, there's water available and consistently. In fact, it's one of main selling/renting point for any house or building.

Now, when one considers that there are so many bore-holes and wells all over the place, which means that there are fewer people making demands on the piped 'fresh' water system, it's highly strange that despite this, our various water authorities can still not supply this precious fluid. Why?

Hence, my allegations that our Coast Water (Dis)Services Board is doing nothing to lay, expand and maintain the water infrastructure and therefore there is no reason for their existence! Please, get rid of these horrors as well as any connection to our equally useless and unaccountable council and by extension all the politicians involved in this very important sector.

These last politicize everything imaginable for their own personal benefit and aggrandizement while the Council is directly interfered with by these same politicians and service delivery to the residents is minimal if at all. Some glaring examples are the overflowing garbage cans all over town, street lights are kept on day and night and some are in a time warp where they are on during the day and off during the night! The crow problem is back with us, too, thanks to the overflowing garbage bins all over and so are the other scavengers in human skin, the glue sniffing street 'boys'. In fact, one of them has been 'befriended' by one of my neighbours and overlooked by a Councillor living in the same block and this guy is now a squatter under the stairs! Informing the Council's housing manager, has brought no action, of course. He was harassing a visitor of mine, yesterday.

Is there EVER going to be any change for the better of which the residents (not politicians), approve? At least in our lifetime?

Religious and incessant other noise - the 34th reminder

This country is going from bad to worse and all the while our over-flowing cabinet and our equally insolent and rude cops do NOTHING to make it better. They all believe in talking BIG when making useless 'speeches, throwing mud at each other', while they do scant little about walking their talk! They politicize every issue imaginable while the country burns!

The Muslims, who should be what the Holy Qur'an calls them, 'the best of people evolved for Mankind who enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong', themselves are some of the biggest law breakers, unfortunately, and pests. While the Christians are no better and think nothing of competing with their other fellows in faith as well as the Muslims, in making as much racket as is possible.

All this, in the name of their respective faiths, too!

And now that Ramadhan is about to start, these fellow Muslims of mine will make life really impossible by trying to give the impression to everybody that they are some of the holiest people on earth while the reverse is the fact. They, by their behaviour, show the world that they are some of the most despicable, unfortunately. They make unnecessary noise, all in the name of Islam, while the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the holy Prophet (pbuh), teaches the opposite, i.e. not to disturb others, especially non-Muslims, for they in their ignorance might curse the true God (Allah).

Since, even I and many others (who are terrified of giving voice to their objections for the repercussions they fear from these kinds of Muslims), also pray and fast during this holy month, why should we be disturbed in practicing our injunctions? What do these people get out of making noise? And why can't the authorities like NEMA who even have an environmental police unit apply the law in this? Are they afraid of these people's 'fatwas', too? Then, of what use is their law about noise and making nuisances of themselves?

Last night and the night before, the MWA Hall, again had wedding parties and they were making so much noise that it's surprising that the Aga Khan hospital next door didn't take any action on behalf of their suffering patients. These merry makers, on Friday night, carried on and on till after 11.30 pm which is when I couldn't stand it any longer and rang up the cops. The one on duty at and emergency, I think, did do something about it, but, these people have again got only one car and take AGES getting to where they are needed! Also, their toll-free numbers of 999 and 112 are never answered! They ring, but, the cops claim that they are not working....

Last night, there was another noisy party there and when I called the cops this time earlier than 11.00 pm, the one on duty was thoroughly insolent and asked me what I expected him to do! Do these cops really know their jobs and the law? And what do they think is the reason for their existence in the country? He told me this after many calls, which he kept disconnecting as soon as he heard my voice. Then, I was told to go to Central and report the matter! This in complete disregard that it was after 9.00 pm and there would be many inconveniences in getting there and the fact that I don't drive after dark. Not to mention that even if I'd done so, what the cops at Central, if they weren't in a semi-comatose condition, would be capable of doing. Which means that he was just harassing me.

So, what kind of cops do we have? He told me to report the matter to the PPO, but, this man, too is really awful. I'm talking from experience. They do absolutely NOTHING about the many complaints that you make to them - about their subordinates as well as the matter that you're complaining about.

In fact, a year ago, I even went to see the DC and the PC about these noisy mosques and churches, but, to date, they have done NOTHING!!!

Which brings me back to my first allegations about this being a lawless and insolent country, which cares little for the average Mwananchi, but does, in a mega way, about their capacious pockets, ONLY!!!!

The 178th reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED

While most of us in Coast Province and in particular, Mombasa, don't get reliable water through our ancient piping systems, the few households that do, also join the rest of the 'dehydrated' lot during the month of August.

Since it's during this month that we have our A.S.K. show, rumours are rife since years among the general public, that the reason we don't get this precious fluid is because, all the available water is diverted to the show ground on the North mainland!

As our numerous water bodies are not the type to tell the truth about why we don't have even the little that a few were getting till showtime. Hence, these rumours doing the rounds that the water is diverted every year for the benefit of the show. The water 'officials', as is their usual way, add to the mystery by keeping quiet - a no comment attitude. They neither deny the allegation nor confirm. Why?

Which brings me to the matter about the water infrastructure that our questionable Water (dis)Services Board (CWSB), is supposed to improve and expand. IF, these 'professionals' were really doing their job, wouldn't our condition, now be improving instead of deteriorating? Therefore, what is their reason for existence? Which further leads one to ask, why are they allowed to continue to exist? They are NOT PERFORMING!

And by extension, and I will keep repeating myself - why is the whole exercise of water delivery so politicized in this particular province? And why isn't the government doing something about this, i.e. de-politicize it, pronto?! After all we are becoming highly allergic to our particular brand of politicians including our useless and unaccountable Council. In case, the powers that be would like evidence of the incompetence of the last mentioned lot, I can avail it to them.

Please, remove politics and politicians from this sector asap.

Religious and incessant other noise - the 33rd reminder

Can somebody clarify this issue about 'rights', to me, please? When does somebody's rights infringe on another's? For, my persistent complaints about religious noises, seem to be falling on very deaf and unfeeling 'official' ears!

While, we have freedom of worship in our constitution, when does this become a nuisance? For, while some of us practice this 'freedom', we disturb other's right to peace and quiet. Does this mean that in the name of practicing this freedom of worship we can disturb those of us who would like to have peace and quiet for various reasons, some of these being that we might not be of the same faith, or we might, ironically, also be praying, or might be ill, or have small children we're trying to put to sleep, or just don't like noise in general?

As I've written countless times before, till now, I've started writing 'reminders', just to keep a log of how many times I have to write about this issue before somebody in officialdom, if they ever do, will do something about this persistent and highly irritating pollution.

Now, that Ramadhan is about to start next week, the Muslims among us will suddenly make more noise that they are already doing. I mean the religious variety. They will try to give the impression to the rest of the country that there is no one as holy as them. While the reverse is the fact. For as soon as the Blessed month is over and even before it - remember, those loud and rowdy wedding parties they hold at other times especially just before Ramadhan? This, of course, is not part and parcel of our faith yet, that's their practice. So, where is their holiness during that time? And I again challenge all these so-called self proclaimed 'ulema' and sheikhs - where in Islamic history or in the Seerat of the holy Prophet (pbuh) and his illustrious companions (r.a), was this the practice? Of holding such loud prayers in the mosques, that they can be heard outside? And of reciting the Holy Qur'an so loud after the mid-afternoon prayers, that others who are trying to do their own recitations get disturbed. Yes, we are supposed to read our holy book more that usual, but, not in the manner that is done at present by these imams and others in mosques.

And if these people cannot give a valid reason with references (legitimate ones), please, do us a favour and fear Allah's wrath and observe peace during this holy month subsequently, too, and let us pray to our Maker without getting disturbed by all this 'religious' noise.

Which brings me to the Christian noise. This continues, too, every single workday lunch time at the MWA Hall. These supposed holy ones, give no thought to the residents in the area and are cruel enough to disturb the very ill in the hospital next door to them! And these people call themselves 'religious'! What irony!!!

The 177th reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED - Affordable and environmental friendly desalination

The following is a link an affordable and environmental friendly way to desalination which will relieve the whole of Coast Province from it's persistent and severe water problems forever!

http://www.greenlivingtips.com/blogs/283/Wind-powered-desalination.html

Will our various non-performing and politically infested water bodies take the time to act, please? As has been written in my many reminders of late - we do not want a single politician, even a 'diluted' one, anywhere within sight or sound of ANY of our service provision and in particular, WATER, except for the water minister.

And whoever is working in this sector, should be employed with a performance contract in mind and be fully qualified for the job, too, of course! As well as, we want only one outfit to deal with, not countless ones who tend to pass the buck to each other and the public never gets a satisfactory answer. WE ARE VERY FED UP with the current attitude of these 'officials' and the way they 'don't work'!

water & environment friendly, affordable desalination

The following with the attachment is a very environment friendly and affordable way of desalination and very little excuse, now, for our 'officialdom' to ignore our pleas.

If only 'officialdom', i.e. the various relevant recipients who are responsible for our water delivery, could pay heed to this and contact Mr. Charlie Madden for more details, it would be a step towards us, in the Coast Province being able to get this precious, essential to life fluid.

Raziya.


On Thu, Aug 21, 2008 at 7:12 AM, Charlie Madden wrote:

Hi Razia

Chris Dickenson emailed me and gave me your details..

The attached water boatman is still just a dream. Barges are planned moored 1/4 mile offshore to harvest the sea breezes and fill their hulls with fresh water distilled from sea water.

Would they suit your part of the world, and who there is responsible for the water?

Best regards

Charlie

Sir Charles Madden Bt BSc MTech MBA – mech eng design marketing
79 Birksgate Dr, Urrbrae SA 5064
Australia

WindWater Pty Ltd
Dealer Four Seasons Windpower - www.fswturbines.com

P: 0433 565 039

water & environment friendly, affordable desalination

The following with the attachment is a very environment friendly and affordable way of desalination and very little excuse, now, for our 'officialdom' to ignore our pleas.

If only 'officialdom', i.e. the various relevant recipients who are responsible for our water delivery, could pay heed to this and contact Mr. Charlie Madden for more details, it would be a step towards us, in the Coast Province being able to get this precious, essential to life fluid.

Raziya.


On Thu, Aug 21, 2008 at 7:12 AM, Charlie Madden wrote:

Hi Razia

Chris Dickenson emailed me and gave me your details..

The attached water boatman is still just a dream. Barges are planned moored 1/4 mile offshore to harvest the sea breezes and fill their hulls with fresh water distilled from sea water.

Would they suit your part of the world, and who there is responsible for the water?

Best regards

Charlie

Sir Charles Madden Bt BSc MTech MBA – mech eng design marketing
79 Birksgate Dr, Urrbrae SA 5064
Australia

WindWater Pty Ltd
Dealer Four Seasons Windpower - www.fswturbines.com

P: 0433 565 039

Re: ELECTRICITY BILLS: Rational Billing?????????????A/c.no.2679842-01-13.8.08! and also 0354720

Yes, I totally agree with this. Consider this:

When we remove the fuel cost charge, the Forex one, the ERC levy, REP Levy, the VAT, the actual consumption amount is less than half. We are paying so many 'phantom' and unaccounted amount of money to GoK, it's unbelievable!

We pay taxes on nearly everything imaginable and sometimes it's repeated umpteen numbers of times that it can go under the title of daylight robbery.

Sometimes I wonder if the govt. we have has any idea how the rest of the country is managing to even survive and the quality of life the citizens are supposed to lead. I would sound like we are more like the serfs of Victorian times who existed just so that the high and mighty, the minority of this land can wallow in obscene luxury!

These people make me SICK!

Raziya


Shaileen N.P.N Shah wrote at 10:52 AM:

Hello,

Please explain the following:<

1.Consumption of 5 units of Electrical power is 'valued' at 188.80?

2.Actual charge for consumption is 10.00 only!

What a 'RIP-OFF'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mr.Shaileen NPN Shah,MRPharmS

Re: INEFFICIENCY,ENVIRONMENTLY unfriendly,etc., TELKOM KENYA!

This so-called 'privatized' company, still has the same old employees who are extremely insolent and slothful. I've, since early this year been visiting them, emailing them, etc., the same like you on behalf of friends of mine who are too busy and fed up to be frustrated by this company (in fact, EVERY service provider in this country is the same way), but, they are still waiting for their phone line to be relocated to their new house which is less than 500 meters from where they used to be.

But, till today, NOTHING has been done nor have these people even called or visited the place, i.e. given them a feedback as to WHY, their landline has not and cannot (it would seem), be relocated. After all their neighbours all have landlines except them! So, it's not going to be a 'rocket' science for Telkom Kenya to move their line, will it?!

This company or rather it's employees are totally impervious, inefficient and insolent in the extreme. In fact, they tried to pass the buck to me when the last time I went there and saw the Regional Manager, Mr. Kamande who is hardly ever available but that day I managed to see him, when he accused me without cause of having tried to bribe somebody there, etc., and tried intimidating me by saying that it was a grave offense.

Why should I have tried to bribe anybody there, since; first, I have NEVER ever paid a bribe to our officialdom or anybody for that matter to get something done and in the process I get frustrated at every turn!

Second, this was not my personal issue anyway but was doing a favour for a friend and therefore, why should I spend my money to pay a bribe should I have been so inclined?

Third, till today, this line has not been moved. Why? Nobody, including Mr. Kamande, can and is ready to answer this vital question. Why?

We live in a very crooked, unjust and unaccountable country where nothing and hardly anybody has the integrity, morals, professionalism, etc., to follow through on their work in a responsible manner. The ones who are there, are outnumbered by thugs, who eclipse the good work done by the few....., in fact, they sometimes undo it!


Shaileen N.P.N Shah wrote:

Hello Francis,

As per telephone conversation,please find my formal complaint:(communicated to TELKOM's previous RM's with NO ACTION!)

July'08 Telephone Bills(3) sent by seperate covers! WHY?

My Company has 3 phone nos registered in its name:2491467,2490049 and 2224954! Every month we recieve 3 seperate covers(paying extra to POSTA!),when only one could have sufficed! WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY,PAPER,TIME,ETC!!????????

This is NOT the 1st time we have CONSTRUCTIVELY Complained by phone,email,etc.,with the 'USUAL' NON- ACTION! HOW WILL TELKOM KENYA survive in a highly 'competative' field? Mind boggles!

ps. If your so called managers cannot increase EFFICIENCY,please sack them 'cause there are approx.7million Kenyans unemployed!!

4aBETTER; EFFICIENT KENYA!

sincerely
Mr.Shaileen NPN Shah,MRPharmS
HARDELECT Co Ltd

Religious and incessant other noise - the 33rd reminder - continuously surrounded by NOISE and harassment by neighbours!!!

Since last Thursday night as well as every weekday lunch times and Sundays, too, we have to contend with various types of noise in this neighbourhood.

The neighbourhood mosque and the many churches including the little one within the grounds of MWA Hall and right next to the Aga Khan Hospital make noise.

The mosque with it's loud (unnecessarily so), call to prayer early in the morning around 5.15 am and then, the equally loud and again unnecessary conduction of prayers from the public address system. Then, comes 12.30 pm and the weekday lunch time 'service' at the MWA Hall starts and it is also pathetically LOUD! While this is going on, the mid-day call to prayer is given at the mosque and soon after the leading of prayers through the PA system.

At the same time there are hordes of various members of the public who arrive near a lean-to 'kibanda' downstairs, put up by one of my neighbours who is running an eatery whose 'patrons', young and old, seem to derive a lot of pleasure with the encouragement (I suspect), of these neighbours, keep setting off my car alarm. One wonders why? The only reason I can think of is to deliberately harass and inconvenience me. Why? What kind of warped minds are these? Even as I write this, somebody set it off and by the time I went to the balcony, they'd disappeared.... What kind of sick mind would derive pleasure from giving another neighbour who is disabled (me), to keep having to check on the car everytime the alarm is set off. After all it's not too long ago, when, my car was smashed up by some person or persons unknown and the alarm had kept going on and on, yet, none of my neighbours did anything about it. Strange!

While these people profess to be Muslims and consider themselves to be religious (whatever that means according to their vocabulary), one wonders, what their particular interpretation of Islam is?

Then again, it's these same kinds of Muslims who, when they hold weddings at the MWA Hall in the night, have scant regard for the fact that this is a residential area with sick and very critically ill patients at the hospital next door. They have their music, etc., playing so loud that we get no rest and till all hours of the night, too. And this time, it's been that way every night since last Thursday. Yesterday, too, there was another noisy one there and only God knows about tonight and the rest of the week, etc.

Who allows these things to be held within residential areas? Does this 'official/s' have any sense? I don't believe s/he does! We, as a country, have truly become the most lawless and insolent lot, haven't we? At times, I believe that we're beyond help!

World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

http://www.wbcsd.org/templates/TemplateWBCSD5/layout.asp?type=p&MenuId=MTUxNQ&doOpen=1&ClickMenu=LeftMenu

I've just tried sending the above url via the 'net to everybody, but, I don't know if it will be received. Therefore, I'm sending the link again. It has some very interesting and practical solutions to our on-going waterlessness!

And, I forgot to mention in my earlier (176th), reminder something that a very close friend had noted.

Immediately, that the MOWASCO Board was NOT launched by Hon. Mrs. Ngilu a couple of weeks ago, coincidentally, most of Mombasa and it's environs stopped getting water....., yes, even the water kiosks! Why? We suspect that the 'powers that be', who were very disgruntled by the Hon. Minister's very timely action, have been behind our woes. We suffered this for nearly 2 weeks!

Hence my repeated, of late, requests that all these politicians, other than the Minister concerned, involved in water delivery and by extension any other service provision, should be removed forthwith. We do NOT want every and especially water service delivery politicized and we'd also like all of the various outfits that have been given 'birth' too, by GoK, to be dismantled and want only one organization to deal with. This would include water infrastructure and delivery. Have everything very simplified so that our money can be easily accounted for as well as the people who DON'T do their work as required.

I believe this is not such a complicated issue for 'officialdom' to put into action. And I hope that everybody has not forgotten my Water Petition with it's over 900 signatures of nearly two years ago....?

The 176th reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED - Take the Pledge! Break the Bottled Water Habit

The following is a campaign for NOT using bottled 'mineral' water due to it's environmental consequences and the alternatives that we can use instead of littering our already plastic laden landscape with more plastic bottles!

But, in this lawless and one-track minded country of ours, it's very difficult to apply as most of us don't get safe drinking water from our taps. Therefore, what are we supposed to do?

The following also gives those alternatives, so, please read and follow it's advice. Since our many 'outfits' are so very totally irresponsible about supplying us with safe water through our taps, we have very little alternative. But, even so, we can still reduce this menace of plastic water bottles and it's contents.

Till such time as 'officialdom' gets it's act together and decides to apply my suggestion of desalination at the Coast, we will have to endure their slow thinking processes and use the other alternatives that the fwd below suggests. I just hope that the powers that be, will 'think' along the right lines during my lifetime, though.... and de-politicize ALL service provision, too.

Religious and incessant other noise - the 32nd reminder - continuously surrounded by NOISE and harassment by neighbours!!!

Since Thursday night, as usual, there's been no let up in the noise emanating from MWA Hall.

The people who hire this hall have complete disregard for the residents in the area as well as the critically ill in the hospital next door. How selfish and lawless we have become?! And the cops who should know better, do nothing about all this noise when summoned.

Therefore, since Thursday night, we've had little sleep and rest in this neighbourhood and the noise still goes on in the form of religious noise.... even as I write, it has been going on since soon after 9.00 am.

Last night, too, there was some party going on at the hall which carried on and on, till way after 11.30 pm despite the cops going there to ask them to reduce the noise, these thuggish people, raised the volume immediately they were gone and also carried on way after the supposed specified time of 11.00 pm which is the 'allowed' time that whoever gives these permits seems to be under the impression, that we should go to sleep - not before. So, our bed-time is being dictated to us, young and old, sick or well, by these 'officials' who give out these questionable permits for nightclub like racket to go on in a residential area with two hospitals in the neighbourhood!

Then, early this morning, as usual, the mosque started it's prayer racket which is totally uncalled for since he's not leading the whole neighbourhood in prayer and it is therefore invalid for him to be heard outside. And now, as mentioned above since around 9.00 am this morning, the neighbourhood church/es, are making an awful racket. One gets the impression that this preacher is in extreme pain, the way he's moaning over the PA system!

And all this is so strange that these people who are going to these prayers, are some of the worst creatures in the country! For if they were really so God conscious would they immediately, that they come out of their various places of worship, harass others who have done them no harm or whom, they don't even know?

I'm talking about my many neighbours and their children, who profess to either follow Islam or Christianity. They persistently harass me by setting off my car alarm, keeping their jikos in such a way that all the smoke gets into my flat and making noise in general as well as dirtying the staircase.

It is so strange that on Friday, when I went down to drive to the mosque for prayers at about 11.30 am, I couldn't start the car due to the battery having gone flat thanks to these same neighbours and their children and workers who consistently keep setting off the alarm which runs the battery down. They were all standing around watching what I would do next and not one of them came to help, either. And I, like always, had to ring my mechanic up to come with jumper cables to help start the car. This took him over half an hour, during which time I was sitting in a hot car waiting and in the process nearly got late for prayers.

Are these people really God fearing? And ironically, the mosque in the neighbourhood started his loud recitation of the Holy Qur'an on the PA system. Do these people really know what our Holy Book says about neighbours and their treatment? I'm sure that they, like the so-called 'muslim' terrorists, seem to think they will go straight to heaven if they harass somebody who is different from them. Never mind that as far as I know, I've not done anything to them, but, they incessantly disturb me as much as they possibly, can.

Will officialdom ever take any positive action?

The 175th reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED

I'm doing this today, as tomorrow, I have to go to the Council about this rent issue. But, then, that's another topic with another header.

For now, my apologies for not being able to write this reminder last week, thanks to my whole schedule messed up by this same Council and the way it works......, or doesn't work.

We continue to spend days which are turning into months and then into years and further still into decades and if officialdom doesn't do something about all our woes, these decades will soon be turning into at least one century and then......?!

Now, I will continue to add another point to our water and sanitation issues - over and over, again till somebody out there listens and puts our wishes into action. We do not want ANY politicians of any kind anywhere near these two 'services', PLEASE. As we all know, these politicos only use such services for their own personal aggrandizements and manipulations. The only politician we will tolerate is the Minister, that's all! The others can go jump into the Indian Ocean. We can't stand them, for their information.

After this, can the Minister please, have another look at my petition of nearly 2 years ago with the over 900 signatures and really read it and think about the implications that are mentioned there?

If, all these outfits that have sprouted up in the so-called water provision sector, especially at the Coast Province, were to be disbanded, and then all the money saved thereby, invested in a desalination plant, Coast Province residents would be so very thankful to her for putting us out of our deteriorating misery.

Will and can the Hon. Mrs. Ngilu, please, do this for us? We beseech her. And please, keep the Council out of it, too. If, they cannot deal with just the garbage problem in this town, how dare they involve themselves with water provision?! Let them stay very far away. We're very fed up of them.

Response to your SMS, Shaileen...

I've just got this message from a friend living within a stone's throw of the offensively smelling (more like Kibarani), garbage can that the Council has insisted on keeping in this residential area of Ganjoni.

They (the Council), objected to the residents moving this bin to another location, last year, and even threated them with dire consequences if they did. How strange! Does the health and sanitation department of this outfit really work?

He's telling me that I should go past, in case I'm driving, to keep my windows open and get a little experience of what the residents go through the whole time - day and night. Not to mention that this attracts all kinds of pests - human and otherwise. For I have seen glue sniffing street boys uncaringly going into the bin and collecting things.

This is the case all over this town...., sorry city. Even, where I live which is ironically a Municipal Estate within metres of Aga Khan Hospital, there are two over flowing garbage bins which only get emptied once in a while. This too, attracts all the same pests as the one in question at Ganjoni and the crows, who have not been 'educated' about sanitation, pick things at these bins and redistribute this all over. Even in our balconies! After all they are not human and therefore don't know that those bins are for the purpose of throwing garbage. Can somebody from the Council, please, train these crows to throw their unwanted stuff back to where they picked it?!

As long as this Council does not deal with this garbage problem effectively, we will, by extension, keep suffering from the crow problem, too, since these are scavenger birds.

Add to this ,the persistent waterless state of this place where water kiosks are supplying the residents with water despite paying phantom bills, makes it interesting 'living' in such conditions and one wonders why this town was upgraded into a 'city'. In actual fact, it should have been downgraded into a very remote 'village' since, that's to which level our Local Authorities have taken us.

Razia.

Re: Assistance - VERY URGENT!

What I have to narrate now, is further evidence of what an incompetent Council we have in this town....., sorry, city.

They might be computerized but, their brains and attitude are still some time in the early 20th Century...., long before anything digital was discovered.

The following is what they have been doing...

On the 29th July 2008, my maid, who was sweeping the stairs encountered a man who gave her two sheets of printed paper purportedly from the Council. One was for me and the other for my immediate neighbour. These are dated 28th July 2008. They are notices to us of 7 days within which to pay ridiculously high amounts which the Council claims are arrears in rent.

This claim is totally ridiculous, since, we've been paying our rent regularly and even in advance. Mine is paid up till December 2008! Therefore, how did we get into arrears with our rent? The claim written on the notice to me, is a rent in arrears of 13 months and the amount being, 30,000/-! That is the mega question which nobody can, it seems, satisfactorily answer.

In the company of a representative of the Coast Lobby Group, Mr. Bakari, I went to see the Director of Housing and Social Services at the Council. We showed her my receipts and the stress causing notice from her various minions and she too, claimed ignorance about the notice...., i.e. why I should be served with one considering I was paid up till the end of the year.

Therefore, she rang up somebody whom she addressed as 'Miriam' and asked her why I was served with such a notice since I had proper receipts from this same Council confirming my payment till December. Unfortunately, we couldn't make out what this 'Miriam', told her, but, the Director, later tried to explain that due to computer errors (one wonders if the computers at the Council are 'alive' and make the errors or the persons operating them who feed in questionable information!), they wanted me to go with all (and from personal experience the more the better, i.e. for as long ago as possible!), my receipts to the Tudor ex-rent collecting office and have them make a proper record of my various payments.

So, this morning, in the company of a Nation reporter, Mr. Bakari and a colleague of his, we all paid the Tudor office a visit. There, we spent quite lot of time, but after studying all my receipts from way back in 2006, we were told that I now owed the Council 13,925/-. When they were asked why, despite having paid up till December 2008, we were told that the rent had been increased to 2300/- from what I've been paying - 1375/-, per month.

Now, this is news to me, as nobody in my estate has been served with a written notice of one month as the tenant/landlord agreement states in 5b. Therefore, how can the Council claim any arrears? Or is this a warped kind of thinking on the part of the Council to try and legitimize it's rent hike by trying to tell us that they are trying to 'correct' computer errors....?!

Also, since they have given us receipts of the amount paid with no indication that we owed them any other amount, how can they claim that we're in arrears as they haven't even abided by their own agreement with us as referred to above. And then, this Council has the temerity to send us threatening notices of eviction if we don't pay up their trumped up arrears. They sound more like the mafia than a Local Authority.

Another point is that this Council as a landlord is not interested in anything but collecting money by fair means or crooked and in this case it's more crooked than fair. They have not maintained these flats since decades, yet, keep increasing the rent without giving due notices. All of the top floor flats are leaking and despite many complaints to them, they have done nothing to rectify this. Therefore, on what grounds are they increasing rent and this time by more than a 100%?!

They do nothing about the many breaches of the tenant/landlord agreement by my neighbours who are running businesses from their premises and also are disturbing and harassing me when I complain. They (the Council), breaks its own by-laws by allocating a road reserve to a private developer who 'developed' one-third of the plot into a block of flats which have subsequently been sold to individual buyers and the remaining two-thirds is being used as a truck, tractor, earthmover, garage, junk-yard, etc., whose gate is through the estate. These monstrosities, are revved at all hours for hours on end as well as they come and go at all hours of the day or night. When they want the gate to be opened by the resident watchman, they hoot with complete disregard of the time of night. And this is just one example. There are quite a handful of others...., just in this estate.

They have also allowed one of my neighbours to keep a glue sniffing street 'boy', to sleep under our staircase. Is this place on it's way to becoming a 'haven' for squatters? Why isn't the Council doing anything about all of these issues which I have complained about to them umpteen numbers of times in the past? Therefore, one can't help but, reach the conclusion that our Council is not in the least interested in improving services to the residents and is becoming more like the proverbial Mafia - they've taken to intimidating the residents on pain of eviction if they don't part with their hard earned cash by pretending that their computers make errors all on their own!

Who will reign in such a Council?

Razia.

elijah agevi wrote:

Thanks for the updates and yes you are in our prayers! Yes today will be different and will bear fruits.

Mungu si asumani! and May justice prevail.

Regards,
Elijah

Religious and incessant other noise - the th 31st reminder

It was interesting to read in KARA's latest newsletter that I got just now, that NEMA has got itself a new environmental police unit which is already cracking it's whip on offenders. What encouraging news! Only problem is, nowhere in the entire newsletter was their contact number/s given. And if they operate only in Nairobi (very likely), or the country as a whole.

Ironically, as I write this, the noise from MWA Hall urgently requires these environmental police's attention for they, as usual, are making their racket over the lunch hour/s. And as mentioned umpteen times before, this is happening in a residential area with one hospital right next door and another not too far away.

Our Sundays too, are spent listening to these various churches in the neighbourhood loudly conducting their 'services' all through the day. The only time we might get some peace and quiet is after 1.30 pm or 2.00 pm.

But, then of course, the neighbourhood mosque continues it's 5 daily prayers. These days, depending on the particular Imam's whim, it's either mercifully peaceful or extremely loud. It seems that there are at least 2 men there, who conduct prayers and one of them is offensively loud, when he has no need to be heard outside by the rest of the neighbourhood.

While I'm talking about the mosque in my neighbourhood, this religious noise, from other mosques all over town and the country at large, continues. I wonder what kind of 'torture' we are in for, during the holy month of Ramadhan which is coming in about a month's time...?

And what will the new police unit do about this? I am waiting for them to take action, pronto.

Re: The 174th reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED

Thanks you very much for these encouraging comments. We need them. And if only everybody out there in so-called 'service' was accountable and transparent we wouldn't be going through these difficult times, would we?

Salaams from an equally dreary and waterless Mombasa,
Razia.

elijah Agevi wrote at 7:28 AM:

Thanks Razia for the updates and well done residents of Mombasa! Please keep it up. Let's all remain accountable and transparent in all our dealings at all times. If we all do this, this country will change for good.

Warm greeting from a cold Nairobi.
Elijah

Re: Mombasa Water War is a battle of Political Supremacy

Hi, there!

Thanks for this further elaboration. It really helps.

Razia.

elijah Agevi wrote on 23-Jul-08 6:33 PM:

Dear All,

I would like to fully associate myself with sentiments of Phyllis. It is extremely important for any lobbying network or group to remain objective all the time. It should never allow itself to "boxed" or to appear to siding with any warring party! Remain an "evidence based network" and people will take note of you otherwise you will be regarded as yet another name calling "gutter press" that nobody will pay attention to. I am sure this is not the position you would like to reduce youself. And yes let's continue correcting each other as we objectively focus on the key issues at hand and there are many! Have a solution orientated evening as we continue with the struggle.

Warm regards

Re: Mombasa Water War is a battle of Political Supremacy

Hi, all!

Arthur, while I personally am quite agreed with you about the return of the water provision back in the hands of the Ministry, direct, don't you think that you've got your cart before the horse? The whole problem about water starts with the CWSB, whom you seem to be completely absolving of any hanky panky, though, they are the main guys who are supposed to lay the infrastructure, i.e. maintaining pumps, laying pipelines, etc., and are the ones who get all the lolly dolled out by the various funders.

How come you and your outfit are not asking them for an accounting of what they do with the funding they get as well as the amount they are paid by the MOWASCO for any water that is 'pumped' to them for distribution to us, the residents? It sounds very strange and vindictive of you as well as suspicious, that you keep harping on one company and one person in particular (is there a personal vendetta between you and Mr. Chitavi?), about money, though, you seem to be very averse in publicizing your two investigative sources' findings. Which two sources are these and what did they find?

If you remember, I wrote to you to let me know about this report about a week ago, but, you have not only not replied to my email but, have not even acknowledged it! Why?

While you're talking about transparency from others, could you please, also do the same with your allegations? Otherwise, you're beginning to sound like the very politicians that you are decrying....

Razia.

ConsumerFirst Network wrote at 6:39 PM:

Phyllis,

I am disturbed with what you mean civil. The issue of water may not need being civil because it is an issue of life and death. Whoever is involved in mismanaging the resource must not be protected under whatever the circumstances. When I predicted the failure of these commercial companies some people in the civil society laughed us off. I want to repeat that the companies have failed to project what the Kenya Government called the most reformed sector.

I am also disturbed that the water consortium instead agitating for the dissolution of the company - they are talking about the Board composition. If you are todate with the water debate in Kenya - I can assure you that as long as politics get on board, believe you me the issue will never cease to be a campaign tool.

As consumers we are guided by a principle that water is an entittlement and its access will only be gauranteed if the public is fully in control. And for that we call for the dissolution of the Mombasa Water Company and full return of NWCPC.

Regards
Arthur

Re: Mombasa Water War is a battle of Political Supremacy

Well said, Phyllis. Thank you!

Razia.

Phyllis Muema wrote:

Dear Athur,

I must state here that this dialogue on water on water and governance issues in mombasa need to recognize respect for people. I am ashamed that you can directly attack the MD for water Mr. Chitavi like this unless you have evidence of these, claims, i am writing on behalf of Mombasa Water Consortium to dissassociate ourselves and our strungle for good governance in the water sector with this type of claims and name calling. This is character assasination and We, the members of civil society in Mombasa are civil and do not engage with each other like this.

Please remove my name from your mailing list if this is the approach Consumer First Network takes.

phyllis

Re: Mombasa Water War is a battle of Political Supremacy

While I agree with many of the points made below, I really do not believe in making attacks on people without proof.

I'm agreed 100% that there should be just one water body that the residents have to deal with and that the CWSB should be dumped. They don't seem to be doing their job of laying the infrastructure of providing the residents with water and they and their Board should also be thoroughly investigated and the whole outfit overhauled and any holder of a political office should be removed immediately except, of course, the Minister.

We would also appreciate it if our questionable Council was removed from having anything to do with water or sewage. As it is, they can hardly keep up with garbage collection!

Razia.

ConsumerFirst Network wrote at 4:21 PM:

Fellow Consumers,

The directive by the Minister for Water and Irrigation, Hon Charity Ngilu, to the four Members of Parliament in Mombasa to agree on who should sit on the Board of Mombasa Water Company is a futile move. The Minister should know that the company is a cash cow to these MPs thus the wrangles and any agreement is not forseeable.

Complaints by a section of councillors that the Board was only constituted by people from one constituency is just but one side of the coin. The management of the Water Company revolves around a small clique of powerful business people in town. This is the same clique that funds the MPs and decides who should sit on the Company Board.

It is should also be noted that the current Managing Director a Mr. Chitavi who was brought to salvage the situation when the company board was last dissolved, is already sucked into this murky political war pitting a prominent Cabinet Minister and a first time Member of Parliament who enjoys support of some crooked business personalities in town.

Eng. Chitavi himself is under investigation for mismanagement of the water company's revenues by two distinct criminal investigation agencies and yet he is still in office as if nothing is going on.

Hon. Ngilu should continue to apply her residual ministerial powers to provide water services to consumers as provided for in the New Water Act 2002 section 67 and completely handover the management of water provision to the National Water Conservation and Pipeline Corporation. Failure to do this will mean water services in town will be in the hands of politicians who already have begun looting from public coffers to fund their next general election (2012).

Water is a life issue that should not be exposed to crooked leadership like the one in the region. Let it be managed as per the guidelines provided for in the new Water Act 2002. The Minister should not also allow the MD, Eng Chitavi who is widely mentioned in corrupt dealings to continue serving while investigation on his dealings are going on.

Water is an entittlement and not a charity good. Consumers need it in quality and quantity. And noone should play God in providing it.

Regards,
Arthur Achola
ConsumerFirst Network
Mombasa, Kenya.

Re: MOMBASA WATER COMPANY

Dear Phyllis,

Thanks for those further updates on what transpired, yesterday and who said what.

It's ironic that people like Hon. Mwahima, who has failed 'O' Levels is even in parliament and he even has the cheek to call people who question him and others like minded ones, 'children'. That's exactly what I was trying to tell the guy whom I met in the MD's office on Monday afternoon. That we are the ones who pay his salary and various other perks and therefore should remember that he's a 'servant' of the people - not the other way round.

When will these people ever learn this fact.....?

Like you, I'm very glad that Hon. Ngilu, read the current 'mood' of the residents and acted justly...., for once, Alhamdulillah.

Razia.

Phyllis Muema wrote at 12:04 PM:

Dear Raziya,

As members of the civil society and aggrieved residents of Mombasa, its is actually saddening that Mombasa should remain the only city without a functional board. Failure by the Town Clerk and the Municipal Council entirely to recognize the provisions of the rules and the fact that we are in year 2008 where accountability of not just MONEY but also PROCESSES is critical. The citizens of this country are alert, thanks to the government for opening this democratic space where people who hold public offices must become accountable is now long overdue. The speeches given by the members of parliament who tried to down play this important petition are still living in those days. For Hon. Mwahima to call protesters 'children' was not just an abuse but also a display of ignorance on the current wave.

Thanks to Hon. Ngilu who understood the mood of mombasa citizens and put to a halt the 'big event'. The ministry is currently recognizing consumer voices and is working closely with consumers through the Water Action Groups to enhance accountability from the demand side and Mombasa policy and services providers need to be alert.

phyllis

Religious and incessant other noise - the th 30th reminder

It was so very heartening to read on Page 35 of the Sunday Nation, 20th July 2008, that NEMA is at last fine tuning the various noises made all over the country. What utter relief!

Now, the only thing is to get it through our many law enforcers, to give it practical expression.

I am waiting for them to deal with the persistent noisy 'spiritual' gatherings that the Christians, the Muslims and many others have for various other reasons, everywhere making themselves pests to others.

And regarding the noise going further than 20 meters, wow! The noises they currently make goes far beyond their immediate surroundings.

The faster this law is 'enforced' the better for the sanity of the remaining public....

Re: Garbage Dump Sites In Mombasa

Assalamu alaikum, Muneer!

What you say is so very true. They NEVER walk their talk!!!

I too, don't know if the guy got paid for his 5 page 'speech', but, he definitely got a free lunch;) Also, he got the opportunity to mingle with the other 'important' and moneyed members of our society where he tried to do his public relations activities for the next elections, 5 years, hence.

Like all of our politicians, this one too, hasn't missed out on the opportunity to do 'campaigning' for his future and continued presence in politics. The only thing they do is spew out hot air with no substance, i.e. their words don't take the same walk, if at all!

These people really make so very SICK!

Razia.

Muneer Khandwalla wrote at 12:24 PM:

Their speeches depend on the audiences, for years they have been serving as officials, what do we see for all those years. BTW, do they get paid for going to these forums?

On 19/07/2008, Raziya wrote:

Hi Vinay!

Boy, you're so very right and I loved the tongue in cheek way you've made your point. I was sent the attached speech by KARA made by our Hon. Speaker of the National Assembly at KARA's 9th Quarterly Luncheon.

Check below what KARA's Stephen Mutoro has to say about it....

The Kenya Alliance of Resident Associations (KARA) wrote on 18-Jul-08 12:08 PM:

Dear All,

We hereby attach a powerful speech ably delivered by Hon. Kenneth Marende, Speaker of the Kenya National Assembly, at the KARA AGM last evening. It is on the theme, "Role of Parliament on Enhancing Public Service Delivery". The speech is a must-read. We recommend that you share it with your mailing list. We encourage your feedback.

We appreciate those of you who made time for our luncheon held earlier in the day. At the risk of offending the rest, we would like to single out Royal Media Services Ltd for special commendation following its live transmission of the 9th Quarterly Luncheon proceedings on Citizen TV. We take this very opportunity to applaud Loresho South Residents Association, Kenya Red Cross, The Kenya Power and Lighting Company, Kenya Wildlife Service, Centre for Multiparty Democracy and Safaricom Limited for sponsoring corporate tables. Thank you


Stephen Mutoro
Chief Executive Officer
The Kenya Alliance of Resident Associations (KARA)
Natu Court, Suite E-39, Ngong Rd/Ring Rd Kilimani Junction
P.O Box 1411-00100 GPO
NAIROBI, Kenya
Tel. 254-020-3874331, 3873828,
Telkom Wireless +254-020-2341515
Cellphones: +254725983445; +254733779585
E-mail: info@kara.or.ke
kara@accesskenya.co.ke
Website: http://www.kara.or.ke
KARA -"Together, We Will"
............................................
I Support "Amani Mitaani" - (Peace Within Neighbourhoods) Campaign

When you read the 5 pages of the attachment, one wonders what exactly the MP is trying to say and imply, for none of our so-called service providers really listen to us, the residents, do they? And when KARA talks about anything regarding neighbourhoods, they usually mean in relation to Nairobi and mostly up-country, if anywhere else. In fact, as I've previously suggested to Mr. Mutoro, they should change their name from Kenya Alliance of Resident Associations (KARA), to NARA - replace Kenya with Nairobi.

With regards to what our Hon. Speaker said..... not much of walking the talk, as usual.

Btw, not only does the non-action of our Council bring disease and other kinds of pests, human and otherwise, but, they also attract crows in large numbers. Have you noticed that we're, again, having a massive crow problem?

And with regards to my neighbourhood, the one you've mentioned in Kizingo, one of my neighbours has taken to running a very lucrative business of cooking food out in the open which, in turn, also attracts these flying pests. All this takes place right under the noses of the Council employees and ironically a stone's throw distance of an MP's palatial house as well as a Councillors! And none of these people do anything about it....

Then, our Speaker has the temerity to talk about service deliveries! What utter nonsense!!!

Thanks for sending me this write-up of yours,
Salaams,
Razia.

Vinay - VISH Consultants wrote:

Dear Mr. Mutonya,

Having read your article in the Saturday Nation of 19th July titled Service Delivery, I feel that you have not done proper justice to either the Town Clerk or the Hon. Mayor.

Both these gentlemen are so competent and powerful that they have converted 2 residential areas into proper garbage dump sites (which apart from the stench, crows, rats and thousands of flies have attracted multitudes of human scavengers), almost right on to residents door steps. It seems that Public Health officials and the new Minister for Public Health are powerless to do anything about this.

One site is Ganjoni along the Archbishop Mackarious Rd. across the road from a nursing home. This dump is growing size everyday due to the efficiencies of the Town Clerk and the Hon. Mayor. The other is outside the Municipal flats in Kizingo near the Aga Khan Hospital. Both these sites have over 2000 residents living in the vicinity.

Maybe what they moved away from the main streets, they took into these residential areas so that disease and scum can spread more easily and effectively.

Once again our concern has been about foreigners and how they will percive us at the expence of our own people. Maybe we should urge the tourists to visit our residential areas and see how we live.

Maybe a complete and through investigative report into this might prove to be a better article to write in the newspaper about. Or better still, maybe we should just wait till 2030 and then (just like the coundil before the marathon last year) the authorities can go arresting residents for littering on their doorsteps.

Best Regards,
Concerned Resident.