Nothing is working...

Every month I go to the KP offices at Nyali Center when I do my shopping there. Last month due to health reasons I had to use Mpesa to buy my monthly token for my prepaid meter.

This month I went to the KP offices but like in March their system was not working. This is the 2nd month that it is not. Why?!

Are they working in cahoots with Safaricom to compel us to use mpesa? They charge us for buying the token from them. Is this some kind of monopoly?

Then, this morning when trying to buy via mpesa after putting all my details in I am being told that I should try later...

So, what should one do when one is urgently in need of a token?

What is wrong with Kenya Power?

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OUTAGES AND FLUCTUATIONS - 22nd, 23rd,....

Last night (10th April 2023), at 9.16 pm we had an outage of a few seconds.

Early this morning at 4.40 am, we had another one which lasted a couple of minutes.

The reason I am writing about this is because of promise when I started numbering these offensive outages and fluctuations that though this time these latest ones came after quite a few days, they did happen. Though, as far as we could figure out, there was nothing to cause the night outage while the early morning one today was amid a lot of thundering going on.

Does thunder cause outages? Lightening maybe, but thunder is just noise! Considering we will hopefully soon start our rainy season which this time is arriving with lots of thunder, I wonder what we will be put through by Kenya Power under the excuse of the weather...?!

OUTAGES AND FLUCTUATIONS - 20th, 21st,....

Yesterday morning we had an outage, though of a short duration, an outage, all the same.

This morning we had another one quite early, of the same duration. Again without rhyme or reason.

Also, since late last year, every time I go to buy my prepaid token at Kenya Power offices in Nyali, I have discovered that the number of units I get for the same amount that I buy every month I receive fewer and fewer units but am paying higher and higher TAXES for all kinds of things. WHY?!!!!  To the extent that our actual power bill costs less than the amount we pay in various taxes!!!

This brings me to the point that we Kenyans are being taxed, literally to death....this is DISGUSTING! What 'services', if any, are we receiving for all these taxes we pay? And we in fact end up paying taxes more than once for the same thing... Every 'service' we buy (we get NOTHING FREE), is taxed!!! Think about this and calculate... I am beginning to believe that we are soon (if not already), even be paying taxes for the air (of whatever quality) we breathe!

FLUCTUATIONS AND OUTAGES - 16, 17, 18, 19,...

This morning while trying to watch the news at 10 am, the power fluctuated three times starting at 10.13 am, the next at 10.17 am, the third at 10.19 am and the 4th at 10.44 am!

As expected, the phones went unanswered as usual. Which means that these people who are supposed to be in-charge of making sure that we, the consumers get an uninterrupted supply had no idea what was happening and therefore could give no reason for these repeated fluctuations within minutes of each other...

It has been a novelty that since my last missive, we have not had either outages or fluctuations, Alhamdulillah!

Raziya

OUTAGES AND FLUCTUATIONS - 13, 14, 15,...

We had just over 24 hours of respite from Kenya Power's shoddy 'service', and at around 1.15 pm, the fluctuations started..

Nos, 13 and 14 were nearly together while the 15th was about an hour and a half later. What causes them? May we know, please?

They cause lots of damage to our appliances not to mention the tension they cause. Now that Ramadhan has begun, is this the kind of questionable 'service' we are going to be getting - erratic in the EXTREME!

FLUCTUATIONS AND OUTAGES - 10, 11, 12,....

Since just after midnight, we have already had three outages and fluctuations which brings my numbering to twelve and counting...

As I was about to start writing this, the power went off then came on a couple of minutes later, but it was low voltage where the regulators showed RED for quite a while. Tried calling but this time not only were the phones not being answered but a message showed me that the numbers I was dialing were not registered on the network....! How is this possible?

Also, the 11th one happened as is quite common of late - in the morning at just after 8.00 when people need power the most. This outage was of nearly 15 minutes and no one can enlighten us the reason for it. Was it because, since we live in a 'banana republic', due to the start of the rain?!

What is Kenya Power really up to? Doesn't it have responsible employees who can ethically and accountably work to provide service?

I am really beginning to believe that have 'jua kali' type personnel employed by Kenya Power.... What we would call 'matatu' mentality, also! A don't care attitude!

OUTAGES AND FLUCTUATIONS - 9

Well, it seems that Kenya Power has no SHAME whatsoever plus is impervious to the needs of their customers and are practicing impunity, too.

At just before 3.00 pm, we suffered another total outage with no one answering their phones. It returned after about 5 minutes. But, what we would collectively like to know is what are the causes of these persistent outages and fluctuations? Maybe, if they told us, we might, just might sympathise with them....

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OUTAGES AND FLUCTUATIONS - 4, 5, 6, 7, 8...

After I wrote about the outage in the morning yesterday, we had three more in the course of the day and into the night!

The 4th happened after I got a message (SMS), from one of the engineers of Kenya Power informing me that there would be an outage of half an hour at about 4.00 pm (4). Well, it went and came back after about half an hour. This engineer seemed surprised that I was angry with Kenya Power because he was informing me about the outage. He could not understand why I was angry. For his information and the rest of this redoubtable 'power' company, we get mad because of persistent outages and fluctuation, and much as I appreciate his informing me, what about the rest of the users of electricity?! 

But, then we had another outage hardly 30 minutes later about which KP knew nothing and for once one of them answered the phone and his voice showed surprise at this (5), outage! This one lasted another half an hour!!!

Again, after about fifteen to twenty minutes, we suffered another massive fluctuation (6), where the power regulators switched all our devices. This 'normalized' after about 5 minutes and mercifully we had no other incidents the remainder of the night.

Unfortunately, this morning we had another outage (7), of several minutes around 7.45 am. Then, at about 10.25 am (8), we suffered another massive fluctuation and this is just the start of the day....

We fear to think of how many more our irresponsible and careless power company is going to make us go through in the course of today....

OUTAGES AND FLUCTUATIONS - 3

First thing this morning at just before 8.30 am the power went off! It returned after about 5 minutes. We also don't know how many more fluctuations and outages we are going to go through in the course of the remainder of the day...

Again the question - why does this have to happen nearly EVERY SINGLE DAY?! 

This is already number 3 and it is not even a week since number 1.... As I said then, I am numbering the outages and frequency of them to give all my recipients including Kenya Power the seriousness of the problem.

POWER OUTAGES AND FLUCTUATIONS - 2

 Just before Kenya Power switched off our power this morning, I got a message (SMS), from one of our engineers informing me that we would be having an outage of 30 minutes. This meant that my last email regarding Kenya Power's attitude seemed to have borne fruit, Alhamdulillah! But, this outage was not of half an hour - it returned after nearly 45 minutes.

Anyway, at around twenty to one (mid-day), there was a massive fluctuation where all our power regulators switched things off and was on red for some few minutes. Calling the engineers was a vain pursuit as usual though one of them being a Muslim would have the legitimate excuse of attending Friday Prayers. But, the other one could and should have picked the phone.

So, was the earlier outage the cause of the later fluctuation?

POWER OUTAGES AND FLUCTUATIONS - 1

 Early on the morning of Saturday 11th March 2023, before 3.00 am, our power went. Tried to call Kenya Power's engineers to no avail. None of them was answering. After over an hour, one answered and was told it would take another hour to restore.

Unfortunately, this did not happen and when at 6.00 am we were still suffering in this awful heat, and I called, again no answer and when finally one of them, did, was told it would take another hour! Yet, a few minutes after hanging up, the power mercifully returned. So, why was this engineer lying to me? 

This is one of the reasons we don't have any confidence in these people and suspect that they don't work 24 hours as the long-suffering public is made to believe, but can only work during daylight hours. Kenya Power has lost its credibility with the public (consumers), whom they are supposed to serve because they do not keep its word and even lies to us. 

Forget about transparency, they are not even translucent but extremely OPAQUE!!!

Then, just after about 36 hours of the above outage of over 3 hours, we had another one of these outage/fluctuations yesterday (12th March 2023), late afternoon. Again, there was no response when called and while the power returned after a couple of minutes, these play havoc with our electrical devices, and the regulators they are attached to, start malfunctioning. Who will pay for this damage?

This missive has the number 1 in the title. Henceforth, I will start numbering these fluctuations/outages so that both the receiving public and Kenya power for their record will be able to tell how often this happens with their so-called services.

PERSISTANT OUTAGES AND FLUCTUATIONS EVERYDAY!

This morning we had at least 2 outages and fluctuations with a matter of 15 minutes. Why?

And as usual, no response to calls, either. Why?

Can Kenya Power PLEASE get its act together and work more efficiently to give us with a consistent supply of power where our electrical devices will not malefunction? Otherwise, the long suffering consumers might entertain the possibility of demanding compensation for damage/s for their AWFUL 'SERVICES'...!

Considering the hefty bills we have to foot every month, it is high time we, consumers, demanded and equally responsible and accountable service in return.

WHAT ARE THE REASONS FOR CONSTANT OUTAGES...?!

 On Saturday, 4th March 2023, once again nearly the WHOLE COUNTRY lost power! Most of us do not know the reason why, but we have noticed that since late last year that there have been too many of these national outages. Why? Are we in a war 'mode' or suffering from some natural catastrophe which is usually the reason when nations suffer from such incidences?

Kenya Power, which has proved itself to be a very insolent outfit of late which takes its customers for granted due to it being the ONLY one that supplies us with this commodity, does not deem it fit to either answer our frantic calls and/or give an explanation and apology for the outage. 

On that fateful Saturday, we were forced to 'time' travel to a time before Mankind discovered electricity and put it to use for itself and developed further... In the sweltering heat and humidity of the coast, we had to suffer for over 4 HOURS without knowing when we would be put out of our misery.

None of the local engineers were answering their phones initially and when one of them finally, did, he could not give any specific time scale WHEN it would be back! When cornered, he told me 3 to 4 hours, but when the 3 hours were up and I called him again I  was told that it would take another 3 hours!!!!

Then, today the power went off, yet again in the morning and KP  wouldn't answer their phones. When this happens, we are left wondering what caused the outage, if it is country-wide, again, and how long it will last for... All of this is extremely frustrating for those of us who rely a lot on power. 

What is the matter with our monopolistic and EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE power company? They are becoming more and more insolent by the day...

KENYA POWER AND ITS UNJUST 'SERVICE'!

Why does Kenya Power even entertain increasing its tariffs when it CANNOT provide a reliable service? The problem with our highly monopolistic power company is that they love the money with the least amount of work! 

They DO NOT care that while they are increasing their tariffs, their 'service' heads in the opposite direction which causes its customers a HUGE loss for their constant fluctuations and outages - at times more than 3 in a day e.g. yesterday - result in our electrical appliances to 'die' on us and we, its customers end up with added losses and damage and we have to pay our hard-earned money to for fixing these AND pay their hefty bills. This is akin to adding salt to a festering wound and for the information of those who have not studied their power bills; what we actually pay for their 'dirty' power consumption, ironically, is less than the umpteen taxes that are listed in that bill.

Now, can our redoubtable power company please explain to us why they keep increasing their tariffs while their so-called services go in the opposite direction without a thought to the effect it has on its consumers and their many electrical appliances and any sense of responsibility for the damage caused? 

POSTA employees...

I subscribe to Mpost which is a very convenient and cheaper option (if you don't get too much mail everyday), our POSTA has come up with since the last few years. One does not have to rent a box, but uses our phone number (unfortunately only a safaricom number can be used for this service), instead of a box number to receive mail.

How it works is that when we get mail, the nearest POSTA to us, the zip code we registered under and which we use with our phone number, will send a SMS to us to come and pick our mail.

And as you will see in my signature line below, I happen to be a registered user of this service since its inception.

Now, one would think that this is so convenient and great. But, not so, unfortunately. Of course, our mail still can get lost/stolen like it does with regular box subscribers, but I discovered yesterday to my misfortune that due to POSTA's employees some of whom lack in commonsense and competency, they can really frustrate and cause needless expense in these days of high cost of living.

I got a notification yesterday (28th April 2022), mid-morning that I should collect my mail from Mkomani Posta. Since I am not very mobile, I usually send somebody else to pick my mail and until now have not had a problem till yesterday. I sent my house-help to pick my mail as she usually does, but when she got there the person manning the place was not the same one with whom she is familiar and she was told that I should go there in person with my ID to pick it.

Well, my girl came back and informed me that there was a new person there and she insisted that I have to go there myself with my ID. Now, this is not possible for the reasons stated above (the POSTA seniors), know this, too, and so I sent my girl back with my ID and also sent a SMS to Mkomani telling her that since I cannot come there in person, I was re-sending my girl to pick my mail and that she should be given it.

Unfortunately, this poor girl bounced again because this horrible person very rudely told her that it was not acceptable according to POSA regulations for anybody else to pick the mail other than the person whose mail it was and that I MUST go there myself with my ID. It mattered not in the least to her that I had given my ID to my house-help to show her as well as the fact that I had also sent her the SMS!

Now, my househelp comes to work only 2 days a week and this was the last day of work till after a 5 days break. I also live alone and so have no other person I can ask to go and collect my mail for me.

Therefore, I was in a dilemma and decided to call the Regional Manager of POSTA Mr. George Andati, who mercifully immediately answered my phone and listened to my problem patiently and promised that he would try and deal with it and get back to me.

He did so within a few minutes and told me that the matter was being dealt with by the person (I could not get his name due to hearing problems), in charge of these people who work at outlying post offices within the county.

The woman at Mkomani sent me a SMS again, telling me to go and pick my mail and could send my house-help as her boss had told her. Unfortunately, by this time my girl had gone home so I sent a message to Mr. Andati via WhatsApp that I no longer had the househelp at home and had no one else to send. Therefore, this person at Mkomani Posta, should deliver my mail to me instead at her own expense which would teach her a lesson!

This was not acceptable to POSTA's high command for some reason. That employee also called me just about half an hour before closure time to apologize and that I could now send my house-help to pick my mail. The tone that she was using was a metamorphosis from the previous nasty, horribly rude creature who had been answering my calls.

So, now I still have not got my mail and will only get it till sometime next week when my house-help comes to work.

Can POSTA please explain to me why this employee of theirs has been lacking so much in commonsense that despite being told of my circumstances and despite being presented with my ID, she refused to part with my mail? And she really was very horrible and rude on the phone as well as to my girl when she went to collect my mail - both times!

I wish our POSTA would start joining the rest of the majority of the countries of the world where mail is delivered at home, offices, etc. It would really help...

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NHIF, outpatient facilities and the doctors available..

I had to visit the Wellcare Medical centre last tuesday (12th October 2021), for a problem which was getting worse by the day. 

Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long to see a doctor after I had gone through the initial process at the reception after I presented my NHIF card.

The doctor is a GP (I think), who asked to see my health issue and when I showed it to him, he 'jumped' away and was very upset telling me that what I had was very contagious and the name he gave me was something I had heard about, but did not know much else. Anyway, I was given some medicines to be applied to the site and told to even get my place fumigated!

The medicines, after more than 3 days of usage, did not make the slightest difference and the problem got even worse! Also, as soon as I got home from the clinic, I went online to find out more about the problem I was supposed to be suffering from and found that I could only have 'caught' it from another human in close contact or if I'd shared my personal stuff with another who suffered from the same problem.

Now, I live on my own and hardly get any 'chance' to be in that kind of close contact with anybody and especially during these covid times, it is better to keep as far away as possible from another person. Covid-19 has made all of us very anti-social where we don't shake hands nor hug another however close the person might be to one.

Therefore, I could not imagine how I might have contracted this stupid disease. Also, even I, as a lay person, could see that the pictures and description did not match with what I had. So, how did this doctor jump, to the conclusion that he did? 

Therefore, I decided to see a dermatologist at my own cost and found out that it was a fungal and non-contagious problem which was easily dealt with whose effect I could see within 24 hours! 

 

Therefore, my contention is that what kind of doctors are we producing? Who don't make the effort and take the time to really find out more about the patients they are treating and their problems. Because, if this doctor had taken the time and made the effort, he would have found out that considering my circumstances, it was not very likely for me to have picked up a contagious disease and then made further efforts to find out what it really was. And if he couldn't understand, then he could have referred me to a dermatologist.

So, is the reason he behaved the way he did, due to his limited knowledge and/or because NHIF has this agreement with these outpatient clinics to make sure that they are not charged a huge amount, or what? I am saying this because in the past, I've been given wrong medicines, have had to pay extra for some further treatment, etc.

What happens with people who are NHIF members who do not have access to all the info that I had to find the truth and/or don't bother following up on such laxity? Maybe, they could even die due to being wrongly diagnosed!

Can all the people concerned, please, get their act together and make sure that NHIF members really DO get quality healthcare at their accredited facilities and that the patients who go there are not just suffering from 'simple' everyday diseases and investigate properly before prescribing those medicines?!

Airtel and it's CreditControl....

For the past two days I have been having a terrible time trying to convince Airtel and its creditcontrol that I am up-to-date with my payments. 

I subscribe to their post-paid unlimited internet. 

Despite, having given them my bank's reference numbers regarding the payment, they still disconnect me every day and I keep getting their phantom 'bills' telling me that I am in debt to them for the month of July 2021.

Does Airtel's accounting dept., really work? One wonders why they are conducting business in this mafia-like manner! I spent HOURS yesterday being kept off-line while they kept insisting that I had not paid for the month of July and even after having given them the reference numbers from the bank for three months, they are not convinced, and I got another 'reminder' to pay late in the evening yesterday, long after working hours. 

After wasting so many hours yesterday in unproductive hassles of heated arguments with Airtel, they finally reconnected me way beyond working hours and this morning the saga started again!

I got disconnected and after making hectic calls seem to have got reconnected again......, but for how long, I wonder.

Can Airtel please get its act together and stop harassing their subscribers in such a manner? It is not the fault of the subscriber if their accounts are not registering the payment?

Covid-19 Registry Records

 I have a problem. Can somebody please tell me how to solve it?

I got my first covid-19 shot on 31st March 2021 at Jocham Hospital, North Coast and was given a certificate telling me that I should take my second one on the 26th of May 2021.

Well, the vaccines were not available on the given date and was verbally informed that I should go for one on the 23rd of June 2021.

Due to the places not being officially announced, I had to search for a place since the one I'd previously received it didn't have any and therefore was late by a couple of days.

I got my second one yesterday at the Tudor district clinic, 25th June 2021. There the doctor in-charge could not find some details regarding my first shot despite me giving her the printed 'cert' I'd been given at Jocham Hospital! But, when I got an sms from MoH, it congratulates me on getting my first dose and that I should go for my second one on the 23rd of June 2021!!!!

I immediately asked the doctor there about this discrepancy, but she was too overwhelmed with others waiting to be given the shot and therefore could not answer to my query.

Therefore, I am asking you on what I should do..?

I haven't yet discovered the secret of travelling back in time and therefore am at a dilemma on what this means..

The portal, too where we're supposed to be able to download our certificate for travel purposes also is stuck at 'pending' for the 2nd dose.

Being a member of NHIF... BEWARE!!!

I have just spent most of the morning and a part of my lunchtime trying to untangle the things that NHIF DOES NOT tell its subscribers!!!

It does NOT tell us that all those NHIF accredited places are NOT for ALL subscribers of NHIF. They tell all Kenyans to subscribe to them even with as little as they can afford e.g. 500/- per month which will cover their out-patients bills, too.

Ah, but there's a catch as I found out today - that not all facilities that advertise at their entrances that they are NHIF accredited are really so. Only SOME of them will agree to see you despite you paying their monthly subscription. The reason you'll be told is that ONLY civil servants and the police are going to be seen there. Not the rest of us common Kenyans!

In case, you have downloaded their 'application', there's no end to the frustration you'll encounter to get information, though it claims that it is there for our convenience. Believe me, it is anything but that.

This 'app' only tells you that you're paid up or not, but not how long you are paid up, for, i.e. there's no way to find out up to what month you have paid. You send them a message from the same app and you'll NEVER get a reply!

Next, since they tell you that you are also covered for out-patient services, you have to choose from a long line of clinics and hospitals that are the most convenient for you. Well, there's a catch there. 

At no place does NHIF inform you that you can register yourself only at certain clinics and hospitals - not all of those that are listed there. Unfortunately, since they don't and I did not know that Premier Hospital in Nyali was not the one for me because it did not tell me so when I was registering there from their app, I went there today when I was in a lot of pain.

Soon after I presented my ID and NHIF card to them, I was told very politely by one of the girls working there that they only entertained and treated civil servants and cops NOT a commoner like me!

So now, I had to find another place that would accept my card, but since their app does not tell us which those are, I, and they (the two girls at Premier Hospital who were helping me out), were at a loss. They even tried calling NHIF and told them about my predicament, but didn't get any proper answer. In fact, they told the girls that I should go to their town offices to get sorted out!

Do these unfeeling people have any sense? How is somebody who is a senior citizen and not mobile, supposed to do all that? And also when I was in pain?

Therefore, I then chose to go to another clinic, where I used to go, and they had my record and which, the NHIF app told us accepted my card. I had no way of knowing if they really would.

Well, when I got there, they confirmed that they now accepted my type of NHIF card though previously they hadn't and I could now register with them. It was a relief, but again there was a catch. When the receptionist tried to register me there, it took her quite a while, but she managed it and I also got a confirmation that I was now registered there. Only problem was that I would ONLY BE ABLE TO USE MY CARD FROM 1ST JAN 2021!!!! 

Now, through no fault of mine I had to go through this run-around and that it is the fault of NHIF that I had registered myself at the 'wrong' place. So my question to this questionable outfit is - why don't they specify at their accredited facilities  that they list on their app as to which are available to the general Kenyan public and which are for the 'special people', only?! 

I would appreciate an answer as soon as possible.

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The VOK dumpsite and other environmental hazards within Mombasa County

Those of us who live in the North Coast of Mombasa and in particular the ones who are compelled to live and work around the above  mentioned dumpsite are suffering from all kinds of illnesses. 

Thanks to the County Govt. who moved the dumpsite from Kibarani, which was a real eye and nose sore and a very shameful site right at the entrance of Mombasa. It was a very unwelcome sight for ANYBODY entering Mombasa County. 

After YEARS of complaints, this questionable place was finally and 'officially' closed, but an equally questionable and horrible one is now being used as a (according to the County officials), temporary dumpsite on the main Mombasa/Malindi road. I  won't call it a highway for it is NOT. It is yet to become one...

This route is used by everyone heading to anywhere further north along the coast of Kenya. Which means that citizens, residents and tourists ply this road and suffer the same consequences that they did when the dumpsite was situated at Kibarani. The letter below is from the Nyali MP regarding this same issue. Nothing has yet been done.

There was another one written by the County to the residents promising to clear the dumpsite within a day or two, but it is now several weeks and NOTHING has been done. This was written on the 30th of  August 2018. As per below.

Unfortunately, this site is smack in the middle  of residential areas as well as businesses and therefore a health hazard. 

The County, instead of clearing it has taken to  burning this HUGE pile of mixed garbage, while at the same time preaches to residents not to burn their garbage on pain of fines and persecution. So why the double standards?

People who live around this dumpsite are suffering from respiratory ailments, etc., and all kind of pests have started to  invade their homes.

Is this County really a responsible one who cares for its citizens' well-being? Why doesn't it keep its word of clearing the dumpsite as its effects are worse than the ones felt at Kibarani? And as per our MP's letter, it seems that the Central government, is also incapable of doing anything! And business continues as usual..... 

I wonder if this email will have the required effect or impunity will continue?!