The 170th reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED

Yet another week has gone by with no water. I wonder how many years or centuries it will take for our various water bodies to supply us, the residents of Coast Province and Mombasa in particular with a consistent and predictable supply of piped water?

Since it is now a few years short of half a century since we got Independence, and where before we got piped water everyday, it doesn't say much for our so-called Independence, does it? Is it going to take another half a century (by which time the writer of these 'reminders' will have definitely become past tense!), for us to get a steady supply of PIPED water? Or maybe longer or NEVER?!

Yesterday, I reported to our Water & Sewerage Co. (MOWASCO), that the pipe behind my place before the meters, was, again broken and was reassured that the matter would be reported to the area manager. But, it seems nothing has been done and should water start magically and miraculously flowing through the pipe it would all go to waste, while we (the couple of residents who still have connections), would all be going without, though, knowing my crooked neighbours who have in the past (despite most not having any meters), would be gleefully filling their containers.

Why does the Ministry still keep such pathetic employees on it's payroll? Is this a 'novel' way of creating employment with the motto, "we eat and you eat, too, doesn't matter about your performance and to hell with the people whom you are supposed to be 'serving'!" Nothing is done and they are anything but 'transparent'.

The only thing they are good at is holding countless meetings at the tax-payers expense with nothing to show for it. What do they really do at these endless meetings of theirs? One wonders.....

Religious and incessant other noise - the 23rd reminder

Another Sunday has arrived and the racket from the hired MWA Hall, by the Christians, many of them so-called 'saved' totally belies their 'condition' of being saved! They seem to care not a jot that they are disturbing the entire neighbourhood for hours on end. Not just on Sundays, but, every single weekday during the lunch hours.

I will continue to 'harp' on this as long as it takes for the many 'bodies' including NEMA, concerned with this pollution, and who can invoke the relevant law to take action and stop these noises whether religious or otherwise, in our midst. And especially, near hospitals and residential neighbourhoods.

If these people want to make themselves deaf and get into a moaning type of trance, can they please invest in sound proofed locations? We, the general public would like to protect our environment and have it nice and peaceful and quiet! And protect our ears and sanity, too.

Re: Religious and incessant other noise - the 22nd reminder

Yes, I'm sure that's exactly what they might be thinking. You could have hit the proverbial nail of the head!

Yes again, to the 22 reminders. In fact, they are more than that. I started the count like for the water reminders, just to see, how many, if any, it will take for these people to apply their law/s.

These 'reminders' are an indictment of their own, don't you think? And a voice for the 'silent' majority. Btw, I was recently told by a very reliable source that in Nairobi there were two different 'reactions' to officialdom's don't care attitude and at least one involved noisy church 'services'.

In one case, the neighbourhood got together (which is more than what my neighbourhood is capable of), drove in their cars and surrounded this offensive venue which was playing loud something, and they all collectively started hooting! I think this got the message across, one hopes, on a permanent basis.

The second case was more 'tragic' but fortunately, nobody was in the church at the time. The neighbours got together and set fire to the offensive place!

One wonders how fast the cops appeared and what they had to say, then.... Normally, they couldn't be bothered. It's such attitude that results in the Wananchi taking the law into their own hands out of sheer desperation.

Yet, in this country, all these so-called officials ignore the many reports which in turn then lead to further lawless acts. That adage about 'justice delayed is justice denied' is so very true and still applies in this country of ours, unfortunately.

Razia.

Muneer Khandwalla wrote:

salams

maybe they feel they are God's Gift to Mankind

22 letters and never a word yet of any action! how sorry can we get for our Nation how many just continue with life too tired to protest all the injustices . . .

Religious and incessant other noise - the 22nd reminder

Will there ever be a let up with the Christian racket at MWA Hall? While the neighbourhood mosque has apparently become, mercifully, much quieter (though the real test for this will be on Fridays before mid-day prayers and the soon to arrive holy month of Ramadhan in a couple of months time), the Christian organization which hires the MWA Hall every working weekday during the lunch hour seems to be completely impervious and insensitive to the neighbourhood's sentiments.

This includes the critically ill patients at the Aga Khan Hospital next door to them. And NOBODY responsible for dealing with this noise pollution, i.e. NEMA, etc., seems to be capable of applying the law that they passed in 2005. Why?

Maybe, the whole lot are so-called 'saved' Christians and seem to be under the mistaken impression that just getting their religious racket into other people's ears will give them blessings? Or is it that they are a superstitious lot who think that they will be cursed to all eternity if they put a stop to this racket?

In the event that it's the first reason, I personally, am cursing them everytime I get disturbed, especially when trying to say my own afternoon prayers. And if it's the second, then, let me disabuse their minds, for, only that will happen that God wishes, i.e. don't have to be afraid of mere humans. Stand up for JUSTICE and apply your own LAW!!!!

The 169th reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED

On the 23rd of May 2008 (Friday), the Water Consortium had called a meeting, which I was not able to attend, for a 6 monthly update on what our Water and Sewerage service providers (this includes the Council), have been up to.

I was told by one of the attendees, yesterday, that nobody from the Coast Water Board showed up and only a few 'officials' from the Water and Sewerage Company, did, while our Council also tried to hedge.

Now, with such a group of so-called service providers, what can one expect? Over a year ago, the World Bank organized Citizens Report Cards and their findings were publicized for 3 'cities', Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu and it was understood that the citizens were going to meet with the various stake-holders every 6 months to be informed about the progress of their service provision.

This is being done by the Coast Water Consortium and if the latest 6 monthly meeting is anything to go by, I fear for the residents of this province where water and sewerage/solid waste management, too, is concerned.

What a waste of public and corporate money! This is typical of our horrible water sector. The reason very few of them showed up and none from the Water Board, proves my ages old contention that these people are not serious about what they have been employed to do and therefore and especially the Coast Water (dis)Services Board (CWSB), should be collectively wound up and sacked, pronto! They are wasting public funds. The Council, too, as everybody can see, smell and feel, the total lack of seriousness in dealing with the mega garbage problem assailing this 'city'!

They also allow, all kinds of food vendors to still operate to the detriment of the environment and health. In other words, they are corrupt to the core, i.e. when given something 'small', they leave these vendors alone. Why?

Re: Relocating phone No. 041-2221001 - Ref. No. A93139

It is now, yet, another month gone by since I last wrote about the above line and NOTHING has been done about it nor has anybody in Telkom Kenya Ltd., bothered to contact the 'owners' of this number despite having their contact details, i.e. mobile number/s and their email addresses. Even this email contains these in the 'cc', field.

I'm including the whole lot of correspondence with is email, yet again, so that the few more additions to the Telkom Kenya Ltd's recipient list can also get up to date with what's been going on.

Is this company really interested in 'serving' it's various clients? And have they really got themselves 'privatized'? As far as the Mombasa clients are concerned vis-a-vis this company, they get the same old shoddy treatment with employees of the company giving them the old run-a-round of 'button, button, who's got the button'! After all it's the same old employees who populate these questionable and horrid offices. What else can one expect?

And when is the above line going to be dealt with? We hope, in this century and while we are all still alive! Below, is the correspondence for everybody to get updated.....

N.B. the other emails are entitled the same for follow the thread...

Religious and incessant other noise - the 21st reminder

Since before 8.00 am this morning the various (4 of them), churches in our neighbourhood started their noise. And while 3 have considerably reduced their racket, the same cannot be said about the smallest of them. This one is right next to Aga Khan Hospital and I pity the patients admitted there for the administration of this hospital seems to care little about it's seriously ill stuck there. Yes, I use the word stuck, for I would personally HATE to be a patient there, especially in the ICU which happens to be right next to this contentious church which the MWA Hall has allowed to be built within it's grounds.

After all, with the committee which runs it's affairs and which allows loud functions to be held in it's hall, it's no wonder that an equally loud, though, small church, has been allowed to be built on it's grounds! Why should they care? As long as all of these people get the money for the various activities. This, of course, also includes the hospital for they seem to care less for the conditions of their patients and as long as they get the money, they too, do not seem to care.

I say this, for a few years ago, after getting consistently disturbed by the various rackets in our neighbourhood, I went to see a Mr. Juma, their human resources manager, who admitted that their patients do and did complain about this variety of rackets going on, next door. But, was very averse to doing anything about this by joining hands to deal with it. And so, the noise continues unabated.

I cannot understand the use of a public address system by this 'church', considering it is as small as the neighbourhood mosque. This pastor makes such an unbelievable racket scolding his congregation at intervals and sounds, at times, like the whole bunch of them are in extreme pain and are collectively moaning!

I wouldn't be surprised if God has afflicted them with much pain of various kinds for their disturbing the whole neighbourhood for hours on end which also includes the helplessly sick next door in the hospital. If they don't mend their ways, I believe, he and his congregation are in for a very hard time due to all who get disturbed, collectively cursing them. For they disturb others when they try to pray, too. Or is he trying to impose his offensive noise on others whether they like it or not?

Then, every single working day, he also hires the MWA Hall where, they again start their noise, from around 12.15 pm - 12.30 pm till at least, 2.00 pm and sometimes gets carried away even after this time!

As I've mentioned this in a previous reminder - either MWA Hall, these churches and the mosques, get rid of their p.a. systems, sound-proof their premises or move away from residential areas and they should be compelled to do this by the noise pollution law passed by NEMA in 2005!

Freedom of worship does not include the making of noise while worshiping for God is NOT deaf, Astaghfirullah!

Our Town Planners at the Council, seem not be doing their planning work and are also part of the problem as they allow such offensiveness to be built without consideration to the neighbourhoods.

For how long does one have to wait to get some peace and quiet in this lawless country of ours?

Terrible noise..... all the time - day and night, the 20th reminder....

How strange that our local MP, Mr. Joho, who purports to be a Muslim and so does his huge extended family which lives in a palatial house in our Municipal Estate, cares not a jot for the call to prayer or the neighbourhood.

Every now and then, there's a dark grey coloured small car which shows up at his place and it is ALWAYS playing very loud, boom, boom kind of music. Just now it's in his compound and for a while both the call to prayer from the mosque and this music (racket), were competing with each other on who could be the loudest!

This so-called MP and his huge family, seem not to care anymore about the disturbance they and their visitors cause to the neighbourhood at any time of the day or night. By becoming an MP, this man and his family have magically become above the law!

Calling our questionable cops is an exercise in futility (I've tried it and the last time I did a couple of days ago, I was told by the cop answering to first dial 999 which never works and to go and collect them as they didn't have a car!), of course, at the best of times and especially when they hear that this racket is somehow connected to a politician, then, they are very averse to taking any action!

According to them, our politicians are totally above the law....., still, though, when talking to them, they give the impression that this is no longer the case. In actual fact, it is STILL the norm and one can literally count on one's fingers the numbers of times a cop is bold and courageous enough to face up to these goons disguised as politicians!

With such 'leaders' and upholders of the law, is it any wonder that we're stuck in the same place - going round and round in endless circles? Will this trend ever end? We're perpetuating lawlessness even in the coming generations.

Religious and incessant other noise - the 19th reminder

What a racket I've come back, to!!! At present, I'm being forced to listen to two of the most rowdy religions anybody can imagine.

The Christian one has been going on since, at least 12.30 pm and the equally unnecessarily loud call to prayer from the mosque in the neighbourhood was just given. Now, after about 10 to 15 minutes, the Imam will start competing with the paster and his noisy congregation on who can be the loudest when he starts leading his congregation in prayers! They all forget that this is a residential area with at least two hospitals near them, i.e. within hearing distance and ironically one being right next to the Christian noise makers.

How long will it take NEMA to act on these noises? After all there's a law to back them up since 2005. There are two alternatives for these pests. Either, they take their noise elsewhere, out of residential areas, or sound proof their premises. Why is it difficult for officialdom to apply this? Could it be corruption in high places? I suspect both.

The 168th reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED

Well, I'm back in Mombasa and have found that there's been no water coming in the entire 3 weeks I was away in Nairobi!

My repeated 'reminders', seem to bother not one of the relevant recipients and they could care less..... as long as, they get a fat pay-check at the end of every month and also get to travel to far flung places to so-called, 'attend' workshops and conferences for improving the provision of this vital service.

Most of them come back with laden trolleys of shopping from these places rather than any attitude change - of providing a service rather than servicing their pockets with the tax-payers hard earned and ill-affordable money.

I earlier sent an email entitled, 'Letter from Nigeria', and what the writer is talking about is so relevant for Kenya, too. It's well thought out and expressed. Please, read it and get into action to improve our country, otherwise don't complain when others give us 'titles' we don't like. We truly deserve them.