Re: [CofekDigest] #2: What the new Finance Law means to you as a consumer

Reading or listening to the local news these days brings so much anger and pain to the Wananchi that it's unbelievable. Our so-called 'elected' government is responsible for this, unfortunately.

We are some of the highest taxed people on this planet, yet we are a developing country with over 50% of the citizens unemployed and/or living below the poverty line. We also do not get all the services that we pay for through our high taxation system. My question is - WHY?

In fact, we get persecuted instead! Let me elaborate....

Starting in full swing a couple of  months ago, this government suddenly woke up to the fact that a lot of it's public land had been misappropriated and 'developed' and decided, as it usually does, that it should all be returned. 

So, how did it start doing this? Not by going to the root of the problem, i.e., by taking the crooked 'officials' amongst themselves who acquired this questionable land and then sold it to the public as well as the so-called 'town-planners' who, despite knowing that this was questionable land, continued to pass plans for residential and commercial buildings. The buyers of these parcels of land do not necessarily know that what they are buying or investing in is 'public' property. Very few do know, in fact. 

Therefore, by demolishing buildings, the government is punishing people who are most likely innocent of any wrong doing and most will be financially ruined since they would have invested their savings in buying property. 

So, why has this government victimized the buyers only and NOT the sellers and the ones who passed the plans? Very selective, I feel and not at all JUST!

Next, the government has been borrowing for various so-called projects, it claims, without the wananchi knowing all the details and not necessarily with their approval and is now suffering from a huge debt which it needs back to pay pronto. Guess who is at the receiving end of the 'solution'? Yes, we the wananchi, of course! And how is this govt., planning to do this? Of course, by taxing us. 

So, they've passed a VERY UNJUST finance bill taxing an already over-taxed mwananchi, most of whom are unemployed and find it near impossible to lead a decent life. 

I noticed something very interesting in the way the taxes have been enumerated. The one thing that taxes have been drastically reduced for is betting, i.e. gambling. My question to GoK is - is it trying to encourage gambling?! A vice which will ruin some more lives, no doubt.

And as I write this, I've just found out that KRA is going to be fishing into our bank accounts, especially those of us who file 'no returns', to tax what we have in the bank. 

This government is on its way to taxing its citizens to  death all under the spurious label of 'development', for they cannot see or appreciate conditions of life of the majority of this land. They are too high and mighty to even begin to understand....

And to add insult to injury, we are also arrogantly being told to leave if we don't like it. We would, if there was another place than this which we could call home. We are THAT fed up!

🤔😥😪

On Fri, 21 Sep 2018 at 18:49, Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) <hotline@cofek.co.ke> wrote:

Dear All,

The controversial passage of President Uhuru Kenyatta's memorandum after rejecting the Finance Bill means that Government may raise Sh130 billion in taxes up to end of June, 2019 … http://www.cofek.co.ke/index.php/news-and-media/1977-what-the-president-ushuru-kenyattax-law-means-to-you

**************

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Campaign racket

As I  write this, we, in this residential area of Nyali (near Cinemax), are being inundated with an unbelievably ear-splitting campaign racket coming from the main road. This happens EVERY SINGLE DAY come rain, hail or shine. 

We, the residents are least interested in this kind of 'banana republic type' of campaigning that our useless, brainless and idiotic so-called politicains have of trying to get themselves votes from us.

Since we cannot engage them with our questions on what they stand for, etc., most of us WILL NOT BOTHER TO vote for such insensitive and disturbing politicians, most of whom are a 'recycled' lot who care NOTHING for law and order or justice!

Can the present, nearly on the way out (hopefully), politicians still holding office, please do their final service to the residents of Mombasa by getting rid of these noise polluters, please?

THE 'EATING CULTURE' of KENYAN MP's(sic)

This is VERY SICK news, indeed!

Our legislators really don't seem to be living in this country or even on this planet. If they were, they would (hopefully), not be so callous as to award themselves such largesse in such an insidious manner as reported below.

They seem to be totally impervious to the country's poor who are at over 50%! They have no sympathy for the common man, yet they expect this same mwananchi to give them a vote in the forthcoming elections because, most of the candidates are the same old re-cycled bunch!

Fie on them!!!! They are NOT getting even a fraction of mine.

Raziya

MPs award themselves Sh9m send off perk

Tweet

Updated 51 mins ago

By PETER OPIYO
MPs engaged in yet another nocturnal conspiracy to hand themselves hefty gratuity payment of Sh9.3 million each.
They also lavished President Kibaki with a sweetheart retirement deal handing him Sh12.6 million lump sum pay. On top of this, the President would get Sh560,000 monthly pension, an entertainment allowance of Sh105,000  and Sh161,000 house allowance. The President earns a monthly basic salary of Sh700,000.
Also to benefit are Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, Speaker Kenneth Marende and his Deputy Farah Maalim, Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his deputies Uhuru Kenyatta and Musalia Mudavadi.
In the gravy train, are heads of Security Forces, the Attorney General, the Chief Justice and his Deputy and Secretary to the Cabinet.
Worryingly, the MPs reinstated the Sh9.3 gratuity payment rejected by President Kibaki just less than a month ago. The gratuity had been contained in amendments to the Finance Bill 2012 but the MPs sneaked it in another Bill, The Retirement Benefits (Deputy President and Designated State Officers) Bill 2012.
All eyes would now be on the President as the deal can only be executed if he assents to the two Bills- Presidential Retirement Benefits (Amendment) Bill and The Retirement Benefits (Deputy President and Designated State Officers) Bill 2012.
Calculated to cover all the 224 MPs, the taxpayer would cough at least Sh2 billion to pamper the legislators.
Coming with the package is one armed security guard, diplomatic passport for both the MP and the spouse, access to VIP lounge at all airports within Kenya and a maintenance expense for all.
Finance Minister Robinson Githae sneaked the amendments on Wednesday night to hand the MPs the package. Curiously, the amendments were not printed on the Order Paper and was only hinted at by Githae on the floor and endorsed without any reference to their contents.  
The package is arrived at by calculating at 31 per cent of the MPs' basic pay of Sh200,000 per month from the time they were sworn in on January 15, 2008 up to August 26, 2010.
Thereafter, they would benefit from 31 per cent of their gross pay of Sh851,000 as severance pay from August 27, 2010 until January 14, 2013 when their term expires.
Also to benefit from the pay are the retired Speakers of the National Assembly and Senate and their deputies, the Prime Minister, the Vice President, the Deputy Prime Ministers, Chief Justice and their Deputies, Chief of Defence Force, Director of National Intelligence Service, Secretary to the Cabinet, Inspector General of Police and the Director of Public Prosecutions.

GO TO PAGE 1 2 Next

MAMA NGINA DRIVE MOMBASA & ENVIRONS STATUS.

Yes, it's really pathetic the way our 'officialdom doesn't' work, isn't it?!!!!

Just to make this a public awareness issue, I'm going to post this on FB's - Mombasa Traffic Expose....

Btw, had you read sometime back in a local daily that Eldoret Council has and is applying the law regarding these monsters (like in Msa), love driving at breakneck speeds through town as well as loved parking overnight at various places within town, too? They are no longer allowed to park within town overnight.

I think Msa's Council should also do the same and in our case since our roads are extremely narrow and unkempt as they are without 'help' from continuous misuse by these heavy vehicles, they should be banned completely from Mombasa's CBD and environs.

There was a time when these were not allowed at all within these areas, but, that is no longer the case and NOBODY applies the law with the result that these things cause traffic jams, spoil the roads and are a nuisance in general.

On Mon, Dec 10, 2012 at 10:00 AM, SHAILEEN wrote:

Hello

Mr.Tubmun Otieno, and  Mr.Omukata,

Town Clerk,MMC                   PTO,COAST

Mombasa.         

As per my various txt messages and calls the following pertinent points have to be investigated and SOLUTIONS put in place ASAP:

1.The Street lights SWITCHED ON during daytimes:WHAT a WASTE of the RATE PAYERS monies.

2.ALL The above shud be examined,repaired & kept FUNCTIONAL!

3.PLASTIC WASTE strewn ALL over!WHY?

4.Matatu’s and TUKTUKs ‘speeding’ on the drive @speeds exceeding 50KPH while a SPEEDLIMIT board points out a speed limit of 20KPH.

5.Storm Drains COVERS stolen and not replaced with plastic ones.

6.COMMERCIAL TRUCKS parked on road sides thru out MOMBASA.  

7.Drivers of PSV and commercial Lorries are the biggest TRAFFIC OFFENDERS and playing with WANANCHI’s LIVES!

And i could go on on,ON with the malaise in MOMBASA and its surrounding areas.

Just a reminder: On 12.12.2012 we will be 49 years OLD as a  INDEPENDANT KENYA,and examine/observe our WORK ETHIC with EFFICIENCY in ALL PUBLIC ‘SERVANTS’!!!!!!!

ARE WE CAPABLE of MANAGING our COUNTRY for the benefit of ALL KENYAN’s???????/

A BORN KENYAN always expecting HIGHER EFFECIENCY in our PUBLIC SERVANTS.

Mr.Shaileen NPN Shah,B.Sc.Pharmacy(Hons)

What a President!

I wonder when we will see such a transformation in Kenya....?!

Raziya

IS THERE ANY POLITICIAN IN THIS WORLD WHO WILL REALLY APPRECIATE THIS KIND OF LEADER? FARIDA

ONE IN A MILLION!!! The World's 'Poorest President' José Mujica, Uruguay's president While the title president is often synonymous with plush living and hefty pay cheques, Uruguay's head of state is contrasting the norm. José Mujica who is commonly referred to as the "The World's Poorest President" donates 90 per cent of his salary, taking home approximately Ksh105, 000 of his allotted Ksh1,050,000. Speaking to a Spanish newspaper, the 77-year-old head of state explained that the amount he takes home is sufficient "I do fine with that amount; I have to do fine because there are many Uruguayans who live with much less," he told the paper. Mujica also refused to live in the presidential residence, opting to reside in a small farmhouse owned by his wife. Like her husband, Mrs. Mujica donates a large sum of her senatorial salary. The president, who was previously a guerilla fighter, has no bank account. When declaring his wealth, Mujica stated that his most valuable possession is his aged Volkswagen Beetle. Known as a man who shuns formalities and high-end living, Mujica has endeared himself to many as a generous leader and a true man of the people. After 10 years behind bars for his guerilla activism, Mujica has served as a senator and minister for agriculture. Though José Mujica is not the first president to donate his salary, his move is a sharp contrast to the leaders in Kenya and other who take home large salaries while the bulk of their constituents live below the poverty line.

Report: Poverty and political conflict in Mombasa

This is an excellent assessment of what ails

our once beautiful and safe and friendly town...

Raziya

For those who want a comprehensive analysis of Mombasa
here is a detailed report available in pdf format .
> http://www.bvsde.paho.org/bvsacd/cd26/enurb/v12n1/153.pdf
>
> Poverty and political conflict in Mombasa
> Carole Rakodi, Rose Gatabaki-Kamau and Nick Devas
>
> SUMMARY: This paper describes how complex political struggles in Mombasa
> underlie the inadequate provision for basic infrastructure and services, and
> the corruption and lack of accountability within government. These struggles
> are underpinned by overlapping responsibilities and rivalry between central
> and local government, and a political system (both national and local) which
> plays on ethnic and tribal loyalties as a basis for support and reward. The
> paper also describes how and why the city has failed to fully realize its
> economic potential, has extensive poverty and experiences major inadequacies
> in provision for water, sanitation, garbage collection, health care,
> education and housing. Drawing on the findings of
> a recent participatory poverty assessment, the paper outlines the coping
> strategies of poor and very poor households and suggests measures which
> would help ensure that their needs receive more attention.
>
> In this article, the state of the city's economy is analyzed, with
> particular reference to the opportunities it generates for the poor. This is
> followed by a review of the evidence on the extent and nature of poverty.
> Important in this context is the social heterogeneity of the city, a product
> both of the economic opportunities available and of its history.
> Responsibility for governance is divided, mainly between the Mombasa
> Municipal Council (MMC) and the district organization of central government.
> Central-local relations are key to understanding the city's politics. The
> performance of public service providers is assessed in Section IV, followed
> by an analysis of the characteristics, dynamics and governance of the
> informal settlements in which the majority of the city's population,
> including
> the poor, live. Finally, recent attempts to devise more appropriate
> approaches to poverty reduction are described.
>
> Carole Rakodi is a professor in the Department of City and
> Regional Planning, Cardiff University and course director of the
> international MSc in Urban Planning. Rose Gatabaki-Kamau is a
> researcher in the Housing and Building Research Institute, University of
> Nairobi, Kenya. Nick Devas is a senior lecturer in the International
> Development Department,School of Public Policy,
> University of Birmingham.
> Address: Carole Rakodi,
> Department of City and
> Regional Planning, Cardiff
> University, Glamorgan
> Building, King Edward
> VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10
> 3WA, UK; e-mail:
> rakodi@cf.ac.uk
> 1. This is a summary of one
> of nine city case studies
> prepared as part of a
> research programme on
> Urban Governance,
> Partnerships and Poverty,
> funded by the UK
> Department for
> International
> Development's ESCOR
> programme. This involved
> research teams in each of
> these cities and a coalition
> of UK-based research
> groups from the University
> of Birmingham, the
> International Institute for
> Environment and
> Development (IIED), the
> University of Wales,
> II. ECONOMIC GROWTH, URBAN DEVELOPMENT
> AND THE POOR
> SINCE AT LEAST the eleventh century, Mombasa has been a trading port.
> Arab and Shirazi settlers established themselves as farmers and in coastal
> towns, including Mombasa. Conflict over control of the towns followed
> the arrival of Portuguese explorers in the fifteenth century. Early in the
> eighteenth century, the Portuguese withdrew and Mombasa came under
> the control, first, of Omani Arabs and then of the Sultan of Zanzibar. The
> economy of the port depended on trade in ivory, grain and slaves. In 1895,
> the British government took over administrative responsibility for Kenya
> from the British East Africa Company, and from the Sultan of Zanzibar
> for the coastal strip. Construction of the railway to Uganda was started
> and, in 1907, the capital of the colony moved from Mombasa to Nairobi
> which, subsequently, rapidly overtook Mombasa in terms of population
> and economic importance.
> The city has a diverse economy based on trade and commerce, tourism
> and manufacturing. However, none of these sectors is as prosperous as
> might be expected. Trade has been damaged by regional and intra-national
> instability and conflict, external shocks and poor management of the
> national economy, before and since the adoption of intensified structural
> adjustment policies at the beginning of the 1990s. The total volume of
> cargo
> traffic (8.5 million tonnes in 1998)(3) has stagnated over the last 20
> years.
> The small annual increase between 1992 and 1998 (0.54 per cent per
> annum) can be attributed to increased imports associated with trade
> liberalization,
> rather than export growth. In addition, operation of the port is
> hindered by poor rail and road transport links within the city and with its
> hinterland, and by congestion and mismanagement. The import-export
> trade is widely associated in Kenya with corruption and tax evasion, and
> the responsible parastatal, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), is generally
> regarded as inefficient. Between 1993 and 1995, increased congestion at the
> port was compounded by mismanagement said to be associated with the
> appointment of Rashid Sajjad, a local businessman of Asian origin, a
> nominated

Minister of Education, Mr. Mutula's unsavoury comments

I was quite surprised and disgusted that a Minister of Education should promote indecency in our schools by allowing mini-skirts as part of the school uniform and calling the current rules and regulations as outdated!

Has it escaped the minister's notice that defiling (even by teachers - mostly male), and rape is on the rise in the country? Or does he think that it is considered 'civilized' and modern to have women expose more and more of themselves at a very young age?

Let me remind our minister that our forefathers whom we consider uncivilized as compared to today's definition of the word, used to go around half naked. Therefore, if our girls and women start exposing more and more of themselves, he would be taking us back to that uncivilized state, again, wouldn't he?

Then, there's the matter of likening decent clothing with a religious order, eg. nuns. How would he describe Muslim women who insist on covering, yet, they are not nuns?

Nearly all religious orders insist on a decency of dress, be they Christians, Muslims, Hindus, etc. And by making such irresponsible comments he seems to be allowing underage girls to rebel against authority be it, the school or their parents.

In my opinion the schools and the parents should be the ones to decide these kinds of matters - definitely not a Minister and especially of Education. He should have known better and should apologize to all concerned.

Could he please do so?

Infrastructure and Coast Province

It is with great irritation and frustration that I read on the front page of the 'Weekend Star', that the World Bank has coughed up, yet again, Ksh 25.5 billion for the upgrade of roads mostly in Nairobi and further up-country with NO MENTION of anywhere in Coast Province, especially Mombasa which is in dire need of not just roads but every infrastructure imaginable.

Is it any surprise that outfits like the MRC are born?!

Places of less importance like Kisumu and Nyeri are mentioned but not a SINGLE place in Coast Province made it.

Then, everytime some kind of development is carried out, it is ONLY Nairobi that gets first preference.

Mombasa and by extension the whole of Coast Province seems not to be in the list of priorities for our government. I, personally think that these officialdom, yes, including the President and the PM should experience Mombasa roads without having the traffic specially stopped for them, i.e. they should come here incognito without anybody knowing. Then, they will experience what every Mwananchi suffers every single day. Yes, the nasty condition of the existing narrow roads which are jam-packed with unruly, insane, untrained tuktuks, mkokotenis, matatus, boda bodas, suicidal pedestrians and nearly non-existent traffic lights!

I'm also hoping and praying that on the day that these officialdom make their incognito visit, they will encounter their first misadventure at the Makupa causeway which they will HAVE to use to get onto the Island as well as (depending on where they are going to be putting up and I hope that it is one of the North or South Coast hotels they are so fond of staying in while here), the other exit/entry points - the Likoni Ferry or the Nyali Bridge. On these, they will have more 'fun' making their slow, irritating and stressful way to wherever they are headed. Btw, they should also not use their car A/Cs which will make them experience the noise, smell (kibarani is one of them), and best of all the unbearable heat!

There are only 3 exit/entry points onto the Island of Mombasa. ALL of them need to be expanded and added to.

Our government loves the revenue that is brought in by Coast Province but they seem very reluctant to put back into improving the infrastructure in a major town (as far as I'm concerned it is still not a city since it's treated more like a village!), and a gateway to East and Central Africa.

Also, though The Nairobi Star has changed its name to The Star, it's contents are very much still from everywhere else in the country except for one page given to Coast Province. Most of it's articles too, are up-country oriented. Therefore, why should we invest in buying such a one-sided paper, pray tell us?

Re: The opaque workings of Kenya Power...

Assalamu alaikum!

I don't know why you can't stick to English when responding to my emails. I think I've told you previously that when I went to school, Swahili had not been introduced yet and hence, do not speak or understand the language properly.

I would appreciate it if you would keep this in mind when corresponding with me.

Your latest email is mostly written in Swahili and therefore am totally at sea as to what you're trying to say.

I do not believe in tribalism as we are all first and foremost KENYANS and then anything else. Now, regarding our so-called representatives in govt., - that is totally our problem (Coast Province), and we have nobody to blame but ourselves for electing half baked (both in literacy and morals), people. Despite knowing what and who were trying to stand for 'office', we still got carried away and put them there! I for one have been writing about this issue even supported by photographic evidence, but, NOBODY has paid any attention to what I wrote.

If you'll visit my blog and get to the election years, you'll find all of this info, there. Please visit my blog and read what I've photographed and written over the YEARS!!!

Btw, my blog address is - http://kenyanjustice.blogspot.com/

Do people at the Coast Province, especially, really have a criteria as to whom they will stand behind, i.e. what the person's moral standing is, his/her education, his/her working history, etc.? Or are they just going for loud mouths, i.e. people claiming what they can do for us? What proof can they offer us?

Btw, what is Suleiman Shahbal by profession? And how is he in that profession, I mean his reputation, etc. First, does he have a respect for time? And what has he delivered till now other than promises like all the others?

Believe me, I refuse totally to go and grovel at these people's feet or doors to ask for favours and that's probably the reason that our useless Council literally stole my council flat and everything that it contained on the 31st of Dec 2009. You'll find that account, too, in my blog. And did you know that this Council still has not answered the lawyer's letter that was sent to them, i.e. the current Town Clerk, Mr. Tubman Otieno?

Now, I hope and pray that you will begin to understand why I have no time for politicians, especially the Kenyan variety!

Salaams,
Raziya

On 6/2/2012 11:29 AM, Hussein A Abbas Al Hussein wrote:

Waalaykum Salam ,

Dear Raziya ,

Am with you 100% but some times we have to face them as when you go to those
who are suppose to service us they will tell you why don't you go to your area leader etc .

One thing I want you to know is that , we are going to face them on such problems
and ask them what have they done ???. Am keeping all the informations and then fire
them when the day comes and they stand to ask for our votes .

Raziya , I said Gov to be Suleman Shahbal Inshallah , cause when you look at the person
face you can judge him/her . We are grown up people . The way how he talks what in
short period he has done . Well we are not sure he will do the job as required , but we
have to change them all the old ones they go and rest now even though they have done
nothing . We have suffer allot its really shame to them when they stand am the MP of
so and so while for the last foru 4 years they have not had any meeting to face their
people and know what is their problems . Sasa now they have start to shower some funds
come to the meeting so and so is coming to hear them . Just imagine who is coming a
person from up Country and representing us here in Mombasa or Coast Province what
they need is their people to vote for them . The problem we as Coast People don't come
out in force to vote so we will be like this suffering and no one to help us .

Just look like Mombasa now chafu haina maana hatta niaibu na look who are the leaders
most of them jamaa zetu lakini hawana maana kazi zao kufuwata matajiri ku renew licence
zao na kupasisha majumba yao wajenge watakavo . leo nyumba ghorofa 4 hatta lift haina
shariya ile ya Council kuwa nyumba onlyghorofa 3 ndiyo ambayo hazina haja kuwa na Lift.
leo mtu aumwa na yuko ghorofa ya 4 hatta akifika chini jee atakuwa hai kama ni serious ???.
Haya twendeni tutafika .   

Rgds

Hussein Abbas    

---

Date: Fri, 1 Jun 2012 22:34:07 +0300
From: rmohamedali@gmail.com
To: alhussein656@msn.com
CC: amutua@comms.go.ke; ss@gcaf.co; muhammaddor@yahoo.com; customercaremombasa@kplc.co.ke; h.khalid@muhuri.org; info@oldtownyouth.org; mtondoniyouth@hotmail.com; tubmun@gmail.com
Subject: Re: FW: The opaque workings of Kenya Power...

Assalamu alaikum!

Why should we ask politicians' help in solving our perpetual power or any other service problem? This is exactly why they seem to be under the impression that they are indispensable and get a big head like they are God's gift to us!

This is also why every service provision in this country gets politicized, too. Until and unless these questionable politicos get involved NOTHING gets done and that too if they think that the people demanding service are on their side. If, God forbid, they are not, then, no service or justice for them!!!

The so-called service providers should and MUST, as part of their work and profession deliver the service. Not because of some overly paid, useless politician, most of whom are out there simply spewing hot air and polluting the atmosphere with all talk and hardly any actual ACTION!!!

I simply have no use for them. The upcoming ones (who are not re-cycled), will have to really work hard, before, during and after (if they get elected), to convince me, at least, that they are any different from all the current ones. Also, why are you calling Mr. Suleiman Shahbal, Governor? He's not one, yet! And I think most Kenyans have now come of age regarding this and I have lots of company in my way of thinking.

As I've said many, many times, I'm very, very tired and FED UP of what we currently have out there.

Salaams,
Raziya

On 6/1/2012 8:35 PM, Hussein A Abbas Al Hussein wrote:

Dear Dr. Alfred Mutua ,

We need your help please its really too much now .

We also kindly request Gov. to be Suleman Shahbal and Hon Shk Dor 
to follow up with KPLC what's going on with them they know how
to charge and bring Bills for 3 months at one go . Delay in payment
the power goes out without any delays . This problem is because
of the building coming up on daily basis and also buildings going
high to 4/5 without lifts . How come this Municipality approved such
buildings ???. No plan nor thinking even kwa inside areas like Old Town
let them visit and see how the buildings are coming .

We also kindly request the Human Rights expert to do the same .
Let all of them come back with the report . What are they doing in such
situations .

Hussein Abbas
KADDU , NEC Member and Rep. for Coast Province
Mobile : 0720612905
Mombasa , Kenya

 

---

Date: Wed, 30 May 2012 23:56:01 +0300
From: rmohamedali@gmail.com
To:
Subject: The opaque workings of Kenya Power...

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

Subject:	The opaque workings of Kenya Power...
Date:	Wed, 30 May 2012 23:53:40 +0300
From:	Raziya <rmohamedali@gmail.com>
To:	Harry M. Vidzo <hvidzo@kplc.co.ke>, Aggrey Machasio <amachasio@kplc.co.ke>, Ben Chumo <bchumo@kplc.co.ke>, Bomba Mahaga <rmahaga@kplc.co.ke>, Eng. John Ombui <jombui@kplc.co.ke>, Eng. Joseph K. Njoroge <jnjoroge@kplc.co.ke>, Haid Yusuf <yhaid@kplc.co.ke>, David Cheloti <DCheloti@KPLC.co.ke>, Florence Obura <FObura@KPLC.co.ke>, Kimeu Mbaluka <KMbaluka@KPLC.co.ke>, Loice Ngugi <LNgugi@KPLC.co.ke>, Migwi Theuri <MTheuri@KPLC.co.ke>, pwambua@kplc.co.ke, Benson Muriithi <BMuriithi@KPLC.co.ke>, Faith Njuguna <fnjuguna@kplc.co.ke>, Fanuel Tsuma <FTsuma@kplc.co.ke>, Rosemary Gitonga <RGitonga@KPLC.co.ke>, National Assembly <bunge@swiftkenya.com>
CC:	Sisuel Ong'era <sidobosire@yahoo.com>, K24 Television - Dihoff Mukoto <di_ho_ff@yahoo.com>, sundaynation@nation.co.ke, weekend@nairobistar.com, COASTWEEK <coastwk@africaonline.co.ke>, kenyatimesonline@yahoo.com, mmwende@yahoo.com, Catherine Gicheru <catherine.gicheru@the-star.co.ke>, mwangiayub@gmail.com, vipslit@yahoo.ca, ntv@nation.co.ke, ronklif@yahoo.com, The Star <newsdesk@nairobistar.com>, Wanjiru <wanjiru.kinoti@nairobistar.com>, "Oscar - Editor, Fountain Media (The Speaker Newspaper)" <fountainmedia@fep-group.com>, Maria/Fakhru Kaderbhai <maria@civiconkenya.com>, 'Ann Wambua' <holwg@yahoo.com>, 'Steven Ogwapit' <steven@architronic-ke.com>, 'Dan Abwao' <danabwao@hotmail.com>, 'Timothy Mugo' <timothymugoh@yahoo.com>, 'Dhiru Shah' <jj@wananchi.com>, 'Donato Fonseca' <marajani@marajani.com>, "'Dr. Hemant Patel'" <hemantpatel@kioskafrica.com>, "'Dr. R S Marjan'" <drrsmarjan@yahoo.com>, "'Dr. S. S. Dhillon'" <dhillon@africaonline.co.ke>, 'Sarah Spacer' <coco@africaonline.co.ke>, 'Faiyaz Anjarwalla' <faiyaz@africaonline.co.ke>, 'Timothy Mugo' <t.mugo@mombasawater.co.ke>, 'Gurdeep Nayer' <pirates@africaonline.co.ke>, 'Heinz muller' <heinz.mueller@interfreight2000.com>, 'Sadiq Ghalia' <law@ghalia.com>, 'Jenny Somji' <somco@africaonline.co.ke>, 'Kuldip Soar' <kuldip@africaonline.co.ke>, 'kuldipsoar' <kuldipsoar@africaonline.co.ke>, 'Lisa Nesbitt' <lawnes@africaonline.co.ke>, 'Mahesh Dhutia' <mahesh@dhutia.com>, 'Marwan Mishah' <info@solarteknowledge.com>, 'Ravi Bhagat' <urjadistributors@gmail.com>, Toby <refcoservices@gmail.com>, jazzpolo@yahoo.com, Christine Obiya <info@amazingspace.co.ke>, Caroline Gommans <carolgommans@yahoo.com>, Gulsun Ahmed - Standard Newspapers <Gulsunahmed@gmail.com>, Miriam Shivachi <Macleanlaundry@gmail.com>, Insiya <inzo_04@hotmail.co.uk>, vnmulji@africaonline.co.ke

'Evening!

Since the beginning of this week, our redoubtable 'power' company has again started it's obnoxious business of plunging most of North Coast into darkness without a word of warning, apology or explanation.

As usual, their phones go unanswered for HOURS on end and when finally, one is picked up, they can offer no explanation or even be able to tell us when we'll return to the 21st Century, again from the dark ages!

It seems that Kenya Power, like the National Security, has a policy of being highly secretive about it's operations. The last time (about a week ago), when they gave a full page advert/explanation by their CEO in the Weekend Star, I even felt a twinge of guilt for picking on them everytime we have an outage, but, not anymore. Not after the past couple of days and especially today.

How can a power company which charges an arm and a leg function in such an unprofessional, unethical, irresponsible and haphazard manner? How dare they have such insolent employees who do not care about answering their phones, who have phantom emergency numbers which hardly ever work or are answered effectively (they have discovered the automated answer system which tells you to wait till a line is free and one can hold on for ages as though one was calling a toll-free number), and satisfactorily from the customer's point of view, of course.

In fact, should we miraculously manage to get through to a human at the emergency number, we will find that they are totally at sea regarding your outage! They are a very frustrating lot while some are quite impertinent, too.

Just before I started writing this email, we had two very quick outages of a couple of minutes. Why? After all, we haven't had power most of the day starting very early in the morning around 4.30 am. Of course, as I mentioned earlier we've been having early morning outages the past couple of days and also later in the evening around sunset. And while today's first outage lasted for nearly 5 hours (it came back at around 10.45 am), we lost it again, after an hour, and it continued that way - off and on for most of the day.

How long is this going to continue and at what point will Kenya Power get its act together and give us a continuous and predictable supply without suddenly without warning force us to travel through time (they've discovered the secret of time travel of science fiction!), when artificial light/electricity had not been discovered, yet?

And yes, those people of yester years were also as uncouth as the employees of Kenya Power in the way they treated others.

Raziya

Re: FW: The opaque workings of Kenya Power...

Assalamu alaikum!

Why should we ask politicians' help in solving our perpetual power or any other service problem? This is exactly why they seem to be under the impression that they are indispensable and get a big head like they are God's gift to us!

This is also why every service provision in this country gets politicized, too. Until and unless these questionable politicos get involved NOTHING gets done and that too if they think that the people demanding service are on their side. If, God forbid, they are not, then, no service or justice for them!!!

The so-called service providers should and MUST, as part of their work and profession deliver the service. Not because of some overly paid, useless politician, most of whom are out there simply spewing hot air and polluting the atmosphere with all talk and hardly any actual ACTION!!!

I simply have no use for them. The upcoming ones (who are not re-cycled), will have to really work hard, before, during and after (if they get elected), to convince me, at least, that they are any different from all the current ones. Also, why are you calling Mr. Suleiman Shahbal, Governor? He's not one, yet! And I think most Kenyans have now come of age regarding this and I have lots of company in my way of thinking.

As I've said many, many times, I'm very, very tired and FED UP of what we currently have out there.

Salaams,
Raziya

On 6/1/2012 8:35 PM, Hussein A Abbas Al Hussein wrote:

Dear Dr. Alfred Mutua ,

We need your help please its really too much now .

We also kindly request Gov. to be Suleman Shahbal and Hon Shk Dor 
to follow up with KPLC what's going on with them they know how
to charge and bring Bills for 3 months at one go . Delay in payment
the power goes out without any delays . This problem is because
of the building coming up on daily basis and also buildings going
high to 4/5 without lifts . How come this Municipality approved such
buildings ???. No plan nor thinking even kwa inside areas like Old Town
let them visit and see how the buildings are coming .

We also kindly request the Human Rights expert to do the same .
Let all of them come back with the report . What are they doing in such
situations .

Hussein Abbas
KADDU , NEC Member and Rep. for Coast Province
Mobile : 0720612905
Mombasa , Kenya

 

---

Date: Wed, 30 May 2012 23:56:01 +0300
From: rmohamedali@gmail.com
To:
Subject: The opaque workings of Kenya Power...

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

Subject:	The opaque workings of Kenya Power...
Date:	Wed, 30 May 2012 23:53:40 +0300
From:	Raziya <rmohamedali@gmail.com>
To:	Harry M. Vidzo <hvidzo@kplc.co.ke>, Aggrey Machasio <amachasio@kplc.co.ke>, Ben Chumo <bchumo@kplc.co.ke>, Bomba Mahaga <rmahaga@kplc.co.ke>, Eng. John Ombui <jombui@kplc.co.ke>, Eng. Joseph K. Njoroge <jnjoroge@kplc.co.ke>, Haid Yusuf <yhaid@kplc.co.ke>, David Cheloti <DCheloti@KPLC.co.ke>, Florence Obura <FObura@KPLC.co.ke>, Kimeu Mbaluka <KMbaluka@KPLC.co.ke>, Loice Ngugi <LNgugi@KPLC.co.ke>, Migwi Theuri <MTheuri@KPLC.co.ke>, pwambua@kplc.co.ke, Benson Muriithi <BMuriithi@KPLC.co.ke>, Faith Njuguna <fnjuguna@kplc.co.ke>, Fanuel Tsuma <FTsuma@kplc.co.ke>, Rosemary Gitonga <RGitonga@KPLC.co.ke>, National Assembly <bunge@swiftkenya.com>
CC:	Sisuel Ong'era <sidobosire@yahoo.com>, K24 Television - Dihoff Mukoto <di_ho_ff@yahoo.com>, sundaynation@nation.co.ke, weekend@nairobistar.com, COASTWEEK <coastwk@africaonline.co.ke>, kenyatimesonline@yahoo.com, mmwende@yahoo.com, Catherine Gicheru <catherine.gicheru@the-star.co.ke>, mwangiayub@gmail.com, vipslit@yahoo.ca, ntv@nation.co.ke, ronklif@yahoo.com, The Star <newsdesk@nairobistar.com>, Wanjiru <wanjiru.kinoti@nairobistar.com>, "Oscar - Editor, Fountain Media (The Speaker Newspaper)" <fountainmedia@fep-group.com>, Maria/Fakhru Kaderbhai <maria@civiconkenya.com>, 'Ann Wambua' <holwg@yahoo.com>, 'Steven Ogwapit' <steven@architronic-ke.com>, 'Dan Abwao' <danabwao@hotmail.com>, 'Timothy Mugo' <timothymugoh@yahoo.com>, 'Dhiru Shah' <jj@wananchi.com>, 'Donato Fonseca' <marajani@marajani.com>, "'Dr. Hemant Patel'" <hemantpatel@kioskafrica.com>, "'Dr. R S Marjan'" <drrsmarjan@yahoo.com>, "'Dr. S. S. Dhillon'" <dhillon@africaonline.co.ke>, 'Sarah Spacer' <coco@africaonline.co.ke>, 'Faiyaz Anjarwalla' <faiyaz@africaonline.co.ke>, 'Timothy Mugo' <t.mugo@mombasawater.co.ke>, 'Gurdeep Nayer' <pirates@africaonline.co.ke>, 'Heinz muller' <heinz.mueller@interfreight2000.com>, 'Sadiq Ghalia' <law@ghalia.com>, 'Jenny Somji' <somco@africaonline.co.ke>, 'Kuldip Soar' <kuldip@africaonline.co.ke>, 'kuldipsoar' <kuldipsoar@africaonline.co.ke>, 'Lisa Nesbitt' <lawnes@africaonline.co.ke>, 'Mahesh Dhutia' <mahesh@dhutia.com>, 'Marwan Mishah' <info@solarteknowledge.com>, 'Ravi Bhagat' <urjadistributors@gmail.com>, Toby <refcoservices@gmail.com>, jazzpolo@yahoo.com, Christine Obiya <info@amazingspace.co.ke>, Caroline Gommans <carolgommans@yahoo.com>, Gulsun Ahmed - Standard Newspapers <Gulsunahmed@gmail.com>, Miriam Shivachi <Macleanlaundry@gmail.com>, Insiya <inzo_04@hotmail.co.uk>, vnmulji@africaonline.co.ke

'Evening!

Since the beginning of this week, our redoubtable 'power' company has again started it's obnoxious business of plunging most of North Coast into darkness without a word of warning, apology or explanation.

As usual, their phones go unanswered for HOURS on end and when finally, one is picked up, they can offer no explanation or even be able to tell us when we'll return to the 21st Century, again from the dark ages!

It seems that Kenya Power, like the National Security, has a policy of being highly secretive about it's operations. The last time (about a week ago), when they gave a full page advert/explanation by their CEO in the Weekend Star, I even felt a twinge of guilt for picking on them everytime we have an outage, but, not anymore. Not after the past couple of days and especially today.

How can a power company which charges an arm and a leg function in such an unprofessional, unethical, irresponsible and haphazard manner? How dare they have such insolent employees who do not care about answering their phones, who have phantom emergency numbers which hardly ever work or are answered effectively (they have discovered the automated answer system which tells you to wait till a line is free and one can hold on for ages as though one was calling a toll-free number), and satisfactorily from the customer's point of view, of course.

In fact, should we miraculously manage to get through to a human at the emergency number, we will find that they are totally at sea regarding your outage! They are a very frustrating lot while some are quite impertinent, too.

Just before I started writing this email, we had two very quick outages of a couple of minutes. Why? After all, we haven't had power most of the day starting very early in the morning around 4.30 am. Of course, as I mentioned earlier we've been having early morning outages the past couple of days and also later in the evening around sunset. And while today's first outage lasted for nearly 5 hours (it came back at around 10.45 am), we lost it again, after an hour, and it continued that way - off and on for most of the day.

How long is this going to continue and at what point will Kenya Power get its act together and give us a continuous and predictable supply without suddenly without warning force us to travel through time (they've discovered the secret of time travel of science fiction!), when artificial light/electricity had not been discovered, yet?

And yes, those people of yester years were also as uncouth as the employees of Kenya Power in the way they treated others.

Raziya

KENYA @ 48: Any reason to CELEBRATE?

What a well analysed and written piece. I really relate to it, but, it is now 49 years. 

Unfortunately, things are still the same...., or worse!

Raziya

Kenya turned Forty eight on 12th December 2011. Forty eight months following the 2007/2008 post-election violence, I still live in the camps, internally displaced in my own country with my child of four years and nine months. Forty eight years after independence life expectancy is at a 'high' of 48, yet the economist holed up in the treasury tells me that the growth rate is at a mere 4.8 percent per annum. They attribute this to ignorance, poverty and disease.

Forty eight years on, it is politics without principle; pleasure without conscience; wealth without work; knowledge without character; business without morality; science without humanity; and worship without sacrifice. They continue destroying my country, my destiny.

Forty eight years on, we have created wealth and can proudly boast of 48 billionaires. What an achievement, yet 48 percent of the country lives under a dollar a day. We are rained on as they reign in on us.

At 48, many Kenyan citizens are jobless, homeless and hopeless yet the government spends not less than 480 million shillings for nationwide celebrations on this 'auspicious occasion.' They filled their bellies with tea at eight in readiness to address a hungry nation. A quick count showed not less than 48 fuel guzzlers parked around the dais for the forty million or so Kenyans to see and drool.

At 48, 4.8 million of us still live under the permanent threat of hunger as the government does 'all it can' to avert this crisis which has now become an 'annual event.' 

Corporates  join the fray to milk us under the guise of 'Kenyans For Kenya.' You pay to feed your own countrymen and women and they take the credit the same way soldiers fight the battle and the general wins the war!

Forty eight years ago, we vowed to fight ignorance, poverty and disease. 48 years later, it is a hungry nation, a poor people, a dying generation, a country on permanent 'strike' mode. If it is not the teachers, it is the lecturers and if not them, it is the nurses and doctors.

48 years on, you ask them to pay taxes and they say they spend their monies to feed, clothe and bury you. They say they have loans to service, will not afford to put a meal on the table and worse still will not serve you better. They forget that the majority live from hand to mouth. The populist will queue at the tax collector's office, pay his tax and go back to collect his refund from parliament - what a pity. How easily we get fooled. How fast we forget.

Forty eight years on, Dedan Kimathi's remains still lie somewhere; we still do not know who killed Tom Mboya, Robert Ouko, Ronald Ngala, Pinto, JM Kariuki and others. Only in death do we realise we had heroes and heroines who lived and dwelt among us. Only in death do we honour them either by affording them state funerals, erecting monuments, buying expensive caskets, turning out in large numbers to display our largesse, and lately a new trend has emerged where we build houses for their widows and 'invite' the press during the grandiose opening, to appease the spirits.

Theodore Roosevelt said: It is emphatic that it is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

Martin Luther tells me that human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. 

That change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. We must straighten our backs and work for our freedom.

A man cannot ride you unless your back is bent.

Lincoln said that the probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just. And lately, Obama told me that we are engaged in a deadly global struggle for those who would intimidate, torture, and murder people for exercising the most basic freedoms. 

If we are to win this struggle and spread those freedoms, we must keep our own moral compass pointed in a true direction.

Forty eight years on, I have no reason to find my way to the stadia, listen to radio or watch television to be treated to the usual song and dance, fanfare, parades, jets, display of armoury and military 'might' - the promise of a growing and working nation...'my government this, my government that'. 

Not this time round. Maybe never.

I lit up 48 candles in remembrance of bad leadership, ethnicity, corruption, insecurity, greed, poverty, inequality, historical injustices, vengeance, disease, hatred, discrimination, extrajudicial killings, unemployment, marginalisation and a host of other evils meted against the innocent people of Kenya.

For 48 minutes and 48 seconds, I was silent as I reflected on the intentions of the devious architects behind the unwarranted cost of living who have stolen, killed and destroyed my country. 

In the 49th minute I lit a candle to burn them down and blow them away, once and for all.

For 48 hours, 48 minutes and 48 seconds, I engaged in an act of self-sacrifice. I held vigil with progressive brothers and sisters. We denied ourselves food and drink. We straightened our backs so that they do not ride on us again.

The bad men combined 48 years ago; we, the good, must associate now; else we will fall one by one, a defeated generation in a contemptible struggle,

Forty eight years later. History will judge us.

We must be guided by the voice of our conscience.

We need a new Kenya, a new beginning, a new hope, a new future. God Bless Kenya.

By Jeremiah Kiwoi
The author  jkiwoi@gmail.com<mailto:jkiwoi@gmail.com> is a Rights Advocate based in Nairobi.