Friday, February 29, 2008

House rent payment Feb-Jun 2008- 1st Reminder...

Subject: House rent payment Feb-Jun 2008- 1st Reminder...
Date: Fri, 29 Feb :56:29 +0300
From: Raziya Mohamedali;
To: info@localgovernment.go.ke, Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission - Mombasa kaccmsa@kenyaweb.com, Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs - Public Complaints Standing Committee info@justice.go.ke
CC: Centre for Governance & Development, Kisamwa Lambi flambi@cgd.or.ke


This is a reminder to the Mombasa Municipal Council regarding this payment which was made to the Council by sending them the attached letter and the Banker's Cheque (photo included, too), on the 6th of February 2008, but, I have not, to date, yet received any receipt or feedback from them.

The registered receipt No. is - 722 dated 6th February 2008.

Razia.

CC - Ministry of Local Government via email attachment (like before)
Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs - Public Complaints Standing Committee via email attachment
Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, Mombasa via email attachment (like before)
Centre for Governance & Development via email attachment

Tuesday, 05 February, 2008

RE: Tenant - Raziya Mohamedali

REGISTERED MAIL

The Treasurer

P.O. Box 90440

Municipal Council of Mombasa

Revenue Section

Mombasa

KENYA

ATTN: The Treasurer

Dear Sir or Madam:

Subject: House Rent - C5 or D5, NYE

Attached herewith is my remittance by way of a Banker’s Cheque No. 02778, issued by Equity Bank Ltd, Mombasa, in the sum of Kshs. 6,875.00, being rent for the months of Feb – Jun 2008 at the rate of Kshs. 1,375.00, per month.

Please, let me have the necessary receipt for the said remittance and acknowledge receipt hereof.

Sincerely yours,

Raziya Mohamedali

Enclosure (1)

cc: Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC)

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: House rent payment Feb-Jun 2008
Date: Wed, 06 Feb :28:39 +0300
From: Raziya Mohamedali
To: info@localgovernment.go.ke, Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission - Mombasa kaccmsa@kenyaweb.com


'Morning!

Please, find attached a letter to the Treasurer at the Municipal Council of Mombasa with a picture of the Equity Bank's Cheque being rent payment for the period mentioned in it and above in the subject line.

Salaams,
Razia.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

The 155th reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED

Business continues as usual regarding water delivery. My persistent question to our water sector including the Ministry is and will continue to be, why don't we get water? And why is the situation instead of improving, getting worse, every week, month, year?! What exactly is being done or not done (more likely the 2nd!), to 'improve' our lot? How is the money that is collected from residents who pay phantom water bills, being used to improve the situation? And how and why is it possible for these 'water officials' to be so prompt in sending us bills but, not the water?

I have found of late that these numerous water officials and bodies, are continuously having an unbelievable number of meetings. What are these meetings for? And do the attendees demand 'sitting' allowances? This last would give an inkling as to WHY, these meetings would be so popular.

Our service providers have an unlimited craving for money, like our useless and warmongering politicians, who like to do the least amount of work and demand fat salaries and perks!

There should really be some kind of mechanism to discourage this kind of attitude. For example, no 'sitting' allowances should be paid for these countless meetings that these people attend, would be a good start, I think. Another would be that, no performance, no pay....

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

The 154th reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED and my meter saga....

While we don't get water and haven't done so for over a YEAR, our Water Company employees (2 of them), came by yesterday and disconnected my meter for reasons best known to themselves. Of course, as mentioned countless times in these reminders, I pay for the phantom water plus the garbage collection, only, and not the sewerage charges, so, on what grounds did these questionable couple come here to remove my meter?

Ironically while this was going on, the water vendor was filling my downstairs water tank! My maid who was also there, noticed this person doing something at the man-hole cover and went nearer to observe and saw him removing the meter. She came up and told me about it, so, I sent her back down to ask who they were and why they were removing my meter. But, when she went back, the two had disappeared. She quickly came back up and we both rushed to the front balcony to try and call them back to question them which is when we noticed them about to leave Mr. Joho's compound.

Now, if you refer to these reminders of a few weeks back, you'll read and see the pictures of people in this family who have been 'stealing' water. And this MP is supposed to be a public servant and his work is to benefit the constituency that he purports to represent. Is he there to benefit his pockets or his constituency?

Then, considering he has no meter (these two were nowhere near where this stand pipe is and where one would expect a water meter to be), what were they doing in his compound? Because, they definitely had not gone there to disconnect him!!!!

And WHY was my meter disconnected? And on whose say so? Because, immediately that I found out about this, I rang up the Water Company and was told that my meter was NOT supposed to be disconnected! This adds to the mystery....

Of course, a meter was reconnected sometime in the afternoon, but, is it the same meter that was removed? I tried getting my maid to write the meter number down this morning, but, she couldn't find it (the number).

One gets very suspicious with such happenings. In the same manner why are we not getting water since over a YEAR, now. Not even a drop! And there's no sign of things improving in the near future. So, do we carry on paying phantom water bills, ad infinitum?!

Monday, February 18, 2008

Emailing: Check the guys on the earth-mover behind the white truck, They have just started the racket - note the time in the picture, The noise and th

Check the guys on the earth-mover behind the white truck

The noise carries on with no sign of officialdom, least of all our local authorities whose by-laws this truck park is breaking. I wonder if the Ministry of Local Govt., is even in working order, yet?!

They have just started the racket - note the time in the picture
If you check the time the picture was taken, which was soon after the noise started, and if you see the last picture of this particular date, you'll see for how long we had to endure this offensive smell and racket.

The noise and the fumes carry on and on and on.... ad infinitum!
I thought that NEMA has passed a law regarding this kind of pollution, since nearly a year. What are they doing about this considering they are one of the recipients of this email with photographic evidence?

Till our houses and our lungs and ears are saturated with their obnoxious fumes and noise!
This horrible piece of land that has been 'allocated very questionably' to Nisha Printers since the mid 1990's, is the cause of many of our health and social problems. Do something about these law breakers, immediately, or the public officials charged with this duty are just there as ornaments. Are they?! They are definitely NOT earning their KEEP!!!

A couple of the guys who cause the pollution
The scooter they are using was equally noisy and they had to rev even that before they got going.

Check the time when this racket and the fumes started
This morning this racket started again. We cannot even have a decent conversation with anybody...,even on the phone. This started at around 10.30 am and as I write this it's still going on and on with no end in sight.

A better view of the obnoxious neighbourhood truck park and the noise and fumes are still going on...
Trying to get them to stop, just resulted in them making more noise. They are some of the most offensive and thug like people around.

Our newly washed clothes hanging on the line make nonsense of any cleaning. Despite the fact that all the windows and doors are shut, the fumes and the noise still enter our houses and lungs. Do any laws exist any more in this lawless country of ours?

Calling the police, and this is also a traffic offense, has resulted in absolutely no action being taken. It seems that the owner of this truck park has such inroads among our useless politicians and others so-called civil 'servants', that he might as well be the supreme 'head' of this corrupt land! Everybody in authority seems to be in his bottomless, capacious and corrupt pockets!

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

The 153rd reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED

What an irony that this shameless sector provides no service...., even that of sewage/garbage collection, yet sends us these phantom bills - every month without fail!

Garbage collection is erratic in the extreme where some places like the one in Ganjoni that I've written about and sent pictures of, are beginning to look and smell like another 'Kibarani'! Not, what a residential area should look and smell like, at all!!! Another irony being that all this is right outside a hospital, too. I pity the patients.

Many written and verbal requests by the residents of this and other places, to the Council and the Water and Sewerage Co., seem to have fallen on deaf and uncaring ears.

In fact, when, some of the Ganjoni residents decided to take the matter into their own hands and tried to move this offensive and overflowing bin elsewhere, they promptly got a warning from the Council to leave it to them, as it was their JOB!!!

How strange that they moved with such speed to stop the residents from doing a JOB that they are SUPPOSED to do and are not. One wishes that they would apply this same speed and promptness in performing their other duties and services for which they are paid....

As regards the delivery of consistent water - business continues as usual and we are still waterless without being given an explanation as to WHY this is so. Here too, one wishes that they would forget about sending us phantom bills, also.

In fact, I got a suggestion from one of my many recipients that we should all collectively send a bill to the Water & Sewerage Company, for non-delivery of water, as we have to buy this commodity from water vendors who in turn fill up at the various water kiosks...... if, we want the 'fresh' variety.

I've asked my regular provider to give me receipts for what I pay him over and above paying these phantom bills. He is trying to get all of his colleagues to do this. When they agree to do this, we are going to send the MOWASCO, our own bills in return for what they send us...., soon, Insha'Allah. Also included in this will be any doctor's bills that are incurred for any disease that we suffer from being forced to use questionable water due to their negligence.

In other countries with more accountable service providers, that's what the citizens do when they don't get what they are paying for. What these people do with all the money they collect for services NOT RENDERED, is anybody's guess. Probably goes into paying their useless 'sitting' allowances, I suppose....

Monday, February 11, 2008

Re: Noisy events...

Hi, Phyllis!

Thank you very much for this further enlightenment, below. I really appreciate it.

Now, as regards our local authorities, i.e. Council...., the less said the better. They are all hot air (talk), and very little besides as you must have noticed. Therefore, taking this up with them is an exercise in futility. I've tried this, believe me.

And about NEMA - as you must have read that little 'quote' from KARA in the email, the noise pollution act or law, is applied very selectively. If you'll have noticed that while noise is something that most Kenyans have to put up with all around them, ONLY Karen's problems were dealt with. Doesn't that strike you as odd?

Yes, you bet. That only in this country are people's rights thrown to the four winds and these so-called public service officials are more there for servicing their capacious pockets than the public!

And just as an aside which will give you an idea about how sensitive our cops are to the plight of the disabled. Just a little while ago, I went around to hand deliver those copies of printed out emails and when I got to Central Police to hand it to the OCS, he/she was or wasn't in his/her office, which, I never found out. Because, this office is up a very handicapped unfriendly flight of steep stairs (there are no grab bars, even), and therefore I requested one of the cops at the enquiry counter to please, pass it on. In reply he tells me that the office is upstairs and made no move to take the email from me. When I brought to his attention that it would be difficult for me to climb those stairs, the reply he gave me was that I was no different from the many other disabled whom he has sent up. The end of the matter was that I just turned away from him, handed it over to another cop manning a desk at the entrance and left!

There's no end to these people's insolence.

Razia.

Phyllis Muema wrote:

Raziya, I have read your email and wish to advise as follows:-

1. That the public health act provides the noise levels that can be allowed in certain areas which is enforced by the council and the public health officers. Calling the cops might help but noise pollution is dealt with by the act please access it as it provides a recourse for that.

2. NEMA too has a provision for noise pollution which the district and provincial officials based in Mombasa can clarify and we hold them to account if no action is taken.

It is only in this country where law and order is abused and public officials take matters as light as the way the cop answered (enjoying for a day)? It is only in this country where peoples' rights are violated while others do not take responsibility for their actions and 'walk freely making irresponsible comments that touch on peoples' privacy.

Noisy events...

Now, that relative calm has returned to Coast Province and Mombasa in particular, weddings and other functions which involve ear-splitting noise has also resumed.

Unfortunately, these organizers and the officialdom that gives permits for these events, give little thought to the effect and disturbance their noise and by extension 'permits to make noise', cause, to the neighbourhood/s.

Our neighbourhood has a hall called Mombasa Women's Hall (MWA), which gets hired out nearly every single weekend sometimes starting on Friday evening... While for the people having the function, it's just one day, for the neighbourhood which includes two hospitals one of which is right next door to it, sharing a perimeter wall with it, suffer the racket till all kinds of hours.

One such noisy wedding started taking place there yesterday, late afternoon/evening at around 6.00 pm. Ringing the cops on their 'hotline' number of 020-3556769 (not 999 which hardly EVER gets answered), got a quick answer, but, it took numerous subsequent calls spaced over one and a half hour, to get some action!

Even when they got there and requested the noise makers to reduce the volume, which they did.... till the cops left. As soon as they departed, the volume, too, increased. All subsequent calls to the above number, while answered, went without ANY action. From the officer who was answering my calls, I found out that I was not the ONLY resident ringing them to complain! Yet, they were averse to do anything about it. Why?

This answer I got from a quite senior officer on which was given to me by another cop at Police HQ in Nairobi, which I rang, out of sheer frustration. This senior cop, it seemed, was aware of this noise even as I started relating it to him. All the way in Nairobi he seemed to know about it!!! How strange! Because, he told me that the people having the wedding (I hadn't yet told him that it was one), had a permit and that I should let them enjoy themselves as it was just one day and that they had paid MONEY for it!!!! And it was still early, yet (it was nearly 9.00 pm!), and according to him (one deduced), one can make noise and disturb the neighbourhood as long as it's not past midnight, at which time, they MIGHT take action. Are the cops and other upholders of the law deciding what time we should go to bed, now? And what about the young, the very old and the sick, especially at the hospitals?

Does this attitude mean that as long as one has the money to pay for making noise, one can break the law and to hell with the disturbance of the peace..... at ANY time - day or night?

These morons were also hooting their cars as they arrived. Probably the bride and groom as they got there. There was a time some decades ago, where, when one went to learn driving, we were told not to use the horn in residential areas after 6.00 pm and around hospitals not at all. Has that law been re-written? In fact, now we make such nightclub like noises, right outside these hospitals and residential areas.

Last week, KARA sent out a newsletter where mention was made about noisy churches and and events company (see below), in Nairobi's Karen, and where NEMA issued order to stop them doing this. Was it because Karen is a 'rich' neighbourhood while others where nobody takes any notice, are just average or downright poor?

RESIDENTIAL NOISE POLLUTION: NEMA SETS A PRECEDENT FOR NAIROBI'S KAREN AREA:

Following KARA's intervention, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has

issued stop orders to a noisy church and an events company to stop their respective

operations...Read_more

And why are the police so insensitive? Have they not been told that it's against the law to disturb the peace AT ANY TIME? I have been told that it's one of their senior officers' who gives these permits for holding such offensive events. While doing this, can't the officer concerned also warn these people not to disturb the neighbourhood and that it's against the law and that failure to abide by this will result in confiscation of their noisy equipment?

In fact, every single weekday over the lunch hour, a small church, again, next to the Aga Khan Hospital, holds very noisy services. Writing to them and calling the police seems to have had absolutely no effect and business continues as usual. It would be an utter relief if all these noise makers including an equally small mosque would quit making their racket and realize that God is NOT deaf!!! We also pray, and, do not appreciate being disturbed while doing so.


CC The OCS, Central Police Station, Mombasa
The OCPD, Urban HQ, Mombasa
The DCIO, " "
The PPO, Provincial HQ, "
999/020-3556769 "

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

The 152nd reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED

It is now a week that we haven't seen any water coming through...., even at the neighbours who were 'stealing'(?).

Business continues as usual with regards to the various 'water bodies' in this town, too. And NOTHING, as far as the residents are concerned, is being done to improve our condition, either.

These people seem to be working in a fog..., that is, if they are working at all!

Re: The Charcoal sellers saga, continues..... follow-up - 1

At around 9.30 am the same Mitsubishi Canter KAY 034A arrived and as I write this, they are off-loading the sacks of charcoal.

I have tried ringing the Nairobi Forestry offices umpteen numbers of times but, for some reason best known to Telkom Kenya Ltd and the Forestry offices switchboard, none of the people whom I was put through to, could hear me! I wasted at least 10-15 minutes trying to get through over and over, again, to no avail.

Next, I tried ringing the Green Belt Movement offices and while the lady at the other end could hear me, thank God, the person whom I could talk to is not available till after 10.00 or 11.00 am. But, at least, they took down my number (wireless), and promised to call me back as soon as she got to the office.

Now, if you will read of my saga with this Charcoal dealer, below, you'll find that while officialdom sometimes does 'react', to my numerous and frantic calls, they don't deem it their duty to let me know if this is a legitimate business or not. In the process I waste a lot of my time, energy and money in trying to report a matter which might be on the up and up (so to speak), trying to save our dwindling forests.

Hence, this email, again to all of you.

Razia.

Raziya wrote on 15-Dec-07 10:29 PM:

'Evening!

After I wrote the following email, the cops arrived, but, as usual the whole neighbourhood gathered around them including this Charcoal dealer's mother (the one who had tried to push me down the stairs). I don't know what exactly they were telling the officers, but, they kept pointing to my flat. Immediately they left, my car alarm kept going off over and over again as somebody kept hitting the car!

So, I called the OCS ( I couldn't get through to Mr. Tebeny, the DCIO, whom I'd called earlier), who assured me that these people had a permit to do this. I wonder if the officers were shown it. He also told me that due to the time of year and there being so many holidays, etc., and celebrations, this charcoal guy was doing the neighbourhood a service!

Unfortunately, for him and the country's depleting forests, he has given the same reason previously many months ago to the forestry officers who wanted to see his permit which he didn't have. He told them a vague story about the supplier having it....., probably. As these forestry officials don't seem to find it necessary to let me (who informed them, in the first place), know if this business of his is legitimate or not, I have no idea if this guy has any such thing. If he does, than, why not just display this for all to see? And why should his mother and himself get so upset at me bringing in officialdom, everytime he gets a charcoal consignment? Add to this, it's such a lame and ridiculous excuse, when he says that he's doing a necessary 'service' to the neighbourhood!

His mother has also, previously claimed that he will carry on with this business of his as they just have to pay off the officers who come by to 'make trouble', thanks to me.

If you remember, this same guy is a suspect for smashing up my car on the night of 13th July 2007, because at that time he had also taken to keeping goats. When I'd asked him a number of times the reason for these, he'd given me a runaround telling me that they had been ordered by a neighbour who was soon going to have a wedding. This was neither here nor there and instead of the goats decreasing they increased into a herd with a glue-sniffing goat herd taking care of them. And when, officialdom eventually took action almost 3 months later on the 13th of July 2007, the result was malicious damage to my car in the night.

This is also happening right under the noses of the Council employees. What is the Council's environment dept. doing about it?

And how safe am I and my property, considering all the things that have happened to me, to date? The cops, as far as I'm concerned, can't seem to be bothered. It is so futile, in this country, to fight for justice, where there's very little of transparency, ethics and rule of law. And where money plays the most important part rather than integrity and doing one's duty.

I just have one wish should I die as a result of all these threats and intimidations - that the people concerned will not let it be in vain, please.

Razia.

CC The DCIO, Mr. Tebeny, Urban HQ
The OCS, Central Police, Msa

Raziya Mohamedali wrote at 5:06 PM

'Afternoon!

I would have taken a photograph of the Mitsubishi Canter that is at present off-loading the sacks of charcoal. But, will and cannot do so due to reasons that you will read shortly. They will take at least 2 hours to do this and I have just rung the DCIO Mr. Tebeny on his mobile giving him the Canter's no. KAY 034A. I hope and pray that this time something will be done about this in a proper manner and my 'activities' of informing officialdom do not go in vain, considering that just last Tuesday this Charcoal dealer's mother, tried pushing me down the stairs. Fortunately, this happened in front of 3 witnesses, two of whom were my visitors from Canada.

We went to report this latest incidence of direct threat and intimidation, to the police where we all wrote our own reports, signed them and I was given the following OB number - 67/11/12/07. When we returned home after a couple of hours (this the cops don't know), we found a black polythene bag inside kept on the other side of the gate at the top of my staircase. It contained a dead cat! It was 'freshly' dead as it hadn't started smelling, yet. So, I just disposed of it, though, the same 3 witnesses saw it, too, and after having experienced our cops attitude earlier, didn't bother reporting it.

This can mean several things to different people, but, who and why was this cat's corpse deposited within my gate?

Will the people concerned now take the necessary action....., even on a Saturday afternoon when they are trying to enjoy their weekend, off? I hope and pray that somebody dedicated enough will do so, this time round.

Monday, February 4, 2008

The 151st reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED - stealing water

This 'reminder' is late by a few days due to various reasons, but, to date we still haven't got any water. I don't know what the Water company 'officials' are doing about the water stealing issue which was raised, with photographs in the last 'reminder', either.

There is one thing that is very unacceptable to us, the consumers and tax payers. That these so-called service providers don't work in a transparent manner. While we give them information about various suspect behaviour around us, they don't deem it to be their responsibility to let us know what they have done to address a complaint for example, like the one I made in the last email.

This, according to me, means that they don't want us to know how or what they are doing about it. Why? It is very suspicious behaviour. For the various water officials' information, the only time that we saw water coming (from afar), was when the hose pipe was again inserted into our neighbourhood politician's (MP), huge underground tank on Monday (last), morning. Since then, there's been nothing!!! Of course, this didn't mean that it was getting into our tank, either.


I still have to buy this commodity while paying phantom water bills, too.