Strange maintenance .......

Yesterday late afternoon about 5.45 pm, we in Nyali, suddenly had an

unwarranted outage. And the power was not restored till around 9.30 pm. Why?

The reason I am asking this question is that these people had a
'planned' maintenance outage on Sunday thereby messing up our off day.
While the advertisement said that it would return by 5.00 pm, it did
not! Instead, the whole of Sunday was spent with power going off and on
at least 5 times!! When it did not get back at the scheduled advertised
time, I rang up Mr. Mkomba who at first refused to answer the phone,
but, eventually, did. He told me that after this maintenance, there
would not be any more 'unplanned' outages in this area. In answer, I
told him that should there be one soon after (knowing them, it was
highly likely and I was proved right, yesterday), I would write this
email to all of my usual recipients, including a copy to him, of course.

Why did they have to choose Sunday to do their so-called maintenance?
And after having messed it up why does the power still keep going off
and on without warning? Why don't they answer their emergency phones?
Nor do their 'officials' answer theirs? Does not KPLC have any
professionalism left, anymore? They seem to be joining our growing
number of useless 'service' providers who just exist, but, do not really
accomplish anything much!

There was a time when it bothered KPLC, that their reputation was at
stake, but, not anymore, it seems. They seem to have become totally
impervious to criticisms, do not think that they have to answer to their
consumers and are beginning to practice impunity like many in our
so-called government.

They care less about all the damage they cause, including damage to the
country's economy and have no plausible explanation for all of these
outages. They behave like it is some kind of vital secret affecting the
country's security. In fact, their actions or rather non-action is
landing us in a number of security problems, i.e. danger, when it
happens at night, especially. Are they aiding crooks? And what about the
people who have disabilities and cannot see properly and who might fall,
etc., and get hurt, some badly? Have their thoughts ever turned in these
directions?

The only reason that I can think of for them not answering their phones
is because they have no answer for what is happening and when they
supposedly 'fix' something, it is a short fix, not destined to serve us
long time. Hence, the frequent outages, here.

Will this email warrant an answer from these people? I wonder.....

GOD MAKE ME A TV

Something to read and think about....

GOD MAKE ME A TV

A teacher from Primary School asks her students to write a essay about what
they would like God to do for them... At the end of the day, while marking
the essays,she read one that made her very emotional. Her husband, who had
just walked in, saw her crying and asked her:- 'What happened?'
She answered- 'Read this. It is one of my students' essay.'

'Oh God, tonight I ask you something very special :
Make me into a television. I want to take its place and live like the TV in
my house.
Have my own special place, And have my family around ME.
To be taken seriously when I talk....
I want to be the centre of attention and be heard without interruptions or
questions.
I want to receive the same special care that theTV receives even when it is
not working.
Have the company of my dad when he arrives home from work, even when he is
tired.
And I want my mom to want me when she is sad and upset, instead of ignoring
me...
And... I want my brothers to fight to be with me...
I want to feel that family just leaves everything aside, every now and
then, just to spend some time with me.
And last but not least, ensure that I can make them all happy and entertain
them...
Lord I don't ask you for much... I just want to live like a TV.'
At that moment the husband said :- 'My God, poor kid. What horrible
parents!'

The wife looked up at him and said:- 'That essay is our son's.

MSG please read

Take care in reading labels when buying.

Article on MSG

Here's an interesting article that warrants a read....we will be extra vigilant in checking labels from now on....

The content of this article has links to substantiate its claims - Scary stuff

MSG (a slow poison) - Very interesting

The food additive MSG (Mono-Sodium Glutamate) is a slow poison. MSG hides behind 25 or more names, such as Natural Flavoring." MSG is even in your favorite coffee from Tim Horton's and Starbucks coffee shops!

I wondered if there could be an actual chemical causing the massive
obesity epidemic, and so did a friend of mine, John Erb. He was a research
assistant at the University of Waterloo in Ontario , Canada , and spent
years working for the government. He made an amazing discovery while
going through scientific journals for a book he was writing called The Slow
Poisoning of America ..

In hundreds of studies around the world, scientists were creating
obese mice and rats to use in diet or diabetes test studies. No strain of
rat or mice is naturally obese, so scientists have to create them. They
make these creatures morbidly obese by injecting them with MSG when they are first born.

The MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creates, causing
rats (and perhaps humans) to become obese. They even have a name for the
fat rodents they create: "MSG-Treated Rats."

When I heard this, I was shocked. I went into my kitchen and checked
the cupboards and the refrigerator. MSG was in everything -- the Campbell's
soups, the Hostess Doritos, the Lays flavored potato chips, Top
Ramen, Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper, Heinz canned gravy, Swanson frozen prepared meals, and Kraft salad dressings, especially the "healthy low-fat" ones.

The items that didn't have MSG marked on the product label had
something called "Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein," which is just another name
for Monosodium Glutamate.

It was shocking to see just how many of the foods we feed our children
everyday are filled with this stuff. MSG is hidden under many different
names in order to fool those who read the ingredient list, so that they
don't catch on. (Other names for MSG are "Accent, "Aginomoto," "Natural
Meat Tenderizer," etc.)

But it didn't stop there.

When our family went out to eat, we started asking at the restaurants
what menu items contained MSG. Many employees, even the managers, swore they didn't use MSG. But when we ask for the ingredient list, which they
grudgingly provided, sure enough, MSG and Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein were everywhere.

Burger King, McDonald's, Wendy's, Taco Bell, every restaurant -- even
the sit-down eateries like TGIF, Chili's, Applebee's, and Denny's -- use MSG
in abundance. Kentucky Fried Chicken seemed to be the WORST offender: MSG was in every chicken dish, salad dressing. and gravy. No wonder I loved to eat that coating on the skin -- their secret spice was MSG!

So why is MSG in so many of the foods we eat?
Is it a preservative, or a vitamin?

Not according to my friend John Erb. In his book The Slow Poisoning
of America , he said that MSG is added to food for the addictive effect it
has on the human body.

Even the propaganda website sponsored by the food manufacturers lobby
group supporting MSG explains that the reason they add it to food is to make
people eat more.

A study of the elderly showed that older people eat more of the foods
that it is added to. The Glutamate Association lobbying group says eating
more is a benefit to the elderly, but what does it do to the rest of us?

"Betcha can't eat [just] one," takes on a whole new meaning where MSG
is concerned! And we wonder why the nation is overweight!

MSG manufacturers themselves admit that it addicts people to their
products. It makes people choose their product over others, and makes
people eat more of it than they would if MSG wasn't added.

Not only is MSG scientifically proven to cause obesity, it is an
addictive substance. Since its introduction into the American food supply
fifty years ago,MSG has been added in larger and larger doses to the
pre-packaged meals,soups, snacks, and fast foods we are tempted to eat
everyday.

The FDA has set no limits on how much of it can be added to food. They
claim it's safe to eat in any amount. But how can they claim it's safe when
there are hundreds of scientific studies with titles like these:

"The monosodium glutamate (MSG) obese rat as a model for the study of
exercise in obesity." Gobatto CA, Mello MA, Souza CT , Ribeiro IA. Res
Commun Mol Pathol Pharmacol. 2002.

"Adrenalectomy abolishes the food-induced hypothalamic serotonin
release in both normal and monosodium glutamate-obese rats." Guimaraes RB, Telles MM, Coelho VB, Mori C, Nascimento CM, Ribeiro. Brain Res Bull. 2002 Aug.

'Obesity induced by neonatal monosodium glutamate treatment in spontaneously hypertensive rats: An animal model of multiple risk factors."
Iwase M, Yamamoto M, Iino K, Ichikawa K, Shinohara N, Yoshinari Fujishima.
Hypertens Res. 1998 Mar.

"Hypothalamic lesion induced by injection of monosodium glutamate in
suckling period and subsequent development of obe sity." Tanaka K, Shimada
M, Nakao K Kusunoki. Exp Neurol. 1978 Oct.

No, the date of that last study was not a typo; it was published in
1978. Both the "medical research community" and "food manufacturers" have
known about the side effects of MSG for decades.

Many more of the studies mentioned in John Erb's book link MSG to
diabetes, migraines and headaches, autism, ADHD, and even Alzheimer's.

So what can we do to stop the food manufactures from dumping this
fattening and addictive MSG into our food supply and causing the obesity
epidemic we now see?

Several months ago, John Erb took his book and his concerns to one of
the highest government health officials in Canada . While he was sitting in
the go vernment office, the official told him, "Sure, I know how bad MSG is.
I wouldn't touch the stuff." But this top-level government official refuses
to tell the public what he knows.

The big media doesn't want to tell the public either, fearing issues
with their advertisers. It seems that the fallout on the fast food industry
may hurt their profit margin. The food producers and restaurants have been
addicting us to their products for years, and now we are paying the price
for it. Our children should not be cursed with obesity caused by an addictive food additive.

But what can I do about it? I'm just one voice! What can I do to stop the poisoning of our children, while our governments are=2 0insuring financial protection for the industry that is poisoning us?

This message is going out to everyone I know in an attempt to tell you
the truth that the corporate-owned politicians and media won't tell you.

The best way you can help to save yourself and your children from this
drug-induced epidemic is to forward this article to everyone. With any
luck, it will circle the globe before politicians can pass the legislation
protecting those who are poisoning us.

The food industry learned a lot from the tobacco industry. Imagine if
big tobacco had a bill like this in place before someone blew the whistle on
nicotine?

If you are one of the few who can still believe that MSG is good for
us and you don't believe what John Erb has to say, see for yourself. Go to
the National Library of Medicine at http://www.pubmed.com/. Type in the words "MSG Obese" and read a few of the 115 medical studies that appear.

We the public do not want to be rats in one giant experiment, and we
do not approve of food that makes us into a nation of obese,
lethargic,addicted sheep, feeding the food industry's bottom line while
waiting for the heart transplant, the diabetic-induced amputation,
blindness, or other obesity-induced, life-threatening disorders.

With your help we can put an end to this poison.
Do your part in sending this message out by word of mouth, e-mail, or by
distribution of this printout to your friends all over the world and stop
this "Slow Poisoning of Mankind" by the packaged food industry.

Blowing the whistle on MSG is our responsibility, so get the word out.

These outages....

Considering that most of the North Coast of Mombasa mainland has unpredictable and numerous outages nearly every day, it is not in the least surprising that one cannot find an email address (in this technologically advanced 21st Century), for the Ministry of Energy or one (except an online form) for Kengen, either. Nor one for the Electricity Regulatory Commission (formerly Board). They've changed their name!

You see if they gave their contact emails, i.e. displayed them under contact information at their websites, they would be inundated by a lot of emails from people who might have the courage to write to them about their expensive and shoddy 'services'.

It is also very ridiculous that while on one hand the KPLC advertises that they can connect people 'mara moja', they will not be able to give them an uninterrupted supply. That 'service' will leave a lot to be desired and will be full of frustration for those who get attracted to this prompt 'service'. For they know not what they are letting themselves in for - 'where ignorance is bliss......

Those of us who live in Nyali and it's environs could tell them otherwise.

First, the bills will really floor them when they get them at the end of the month!

Second - despite paying for their connection through their proverbial noses, they will not get a constant and uninterrupted and constant supply. In fact, they will not be able to do any predictable work which involves electricity due to the very real and frustrating thought that the power will and can go off without due notice at any time. And while it might just go for a second or a couple of minutes, whatever they might have been doing using it, will all go to waste due to this erratic 'service'.

Third - when they will try to ring the emergency numbers, most of them will be engaged or not be answered. And if they do get an answer, they will most likely not be given any reasonable reason for these persistent outages and if, like me, they start making noise about this, the person at the other end will either hang up or start making empty promises.

Over a week ago, I had been promised by Mr. Mkomba, that by the end of that week, our outages would be a thing of the past and that we would get a normal and predictable service. But of course, as I have mentioned earlier, this was an empty promise, as usual and it was made under a kind of duress. He had to say this to delay me from writing an email such as the present one, I think.Since then, the power has gone off here umpteen numbers of times and when I've tried calling Mr. Mkomba to remind him of what he had told me, I managed to get through to him only once! Subsequent calls all went unanswered!

The one person who answers is their (KPLC), Customer Relations Manager, Mr. Vidzo. Hats off to him! He tries his level best to give me a sensible answer but, I think he too, is running out of excuses.

Since these constant outages mess up our electrical appliances despite the Sollatek devices (they start misbehaving first), who will be responsible for the unbelievable expense and waste that they cause? Isn't it high time that the people who suffer from these outages get together and sue KPLC for damages?

Change in traffic rules.....

Driving around in this country, one gets a very nasty feeling of traffic
rules having been changed without road users being officially informed
about them.

The following are some of the most irritating...

1. Pedestrians have become totally irresponsible when they are either
alighting from public transport and/or crossing roads. They never seem
to bother to look right or left before stepping into the path of an
oncoming vehicle. Could this be because, when there is an accident,
NOBODY bothers asking the suicidal pedestrian if s/he bothered checking
before deciding to cross? It is ALWAYS assumed that it is the driver's
fault and everybody descends on him/her without a bit of evidence. And
to add insult to injury, the offending pedestrian is NEVER taken to
task. In other countries which apply better laws on the road, even
charge pedestrians for this misdemeanour, not just the driver.

2. On a highway, we are taught in driving schools, slow and heavy
traffic is supposed to stick to the left lane leaving the right one free
for faster traffic and for overtaking. But, in this country the rules
have been reversed and one gets the impression that all of the slower
traffic drivers were trained in countries where they drive on the right.
Nearly every slow traffic will be populating the fast lane thereby
forcing the other faster lot to overtake from the wrong side and making
them highly frustrated when both lanes have slow moving lumbering
nincompoops.

3. Traffic police seem to be able to do nothing about all of this,
either. They never seem to enforce the right traffic rules.

4. Having people selling all kinds of things at intersections. This
creates traffic jams when cars ahead start stopping to buy things from
these vendors not to mention that it is a dangerous pursuit in this age
of people being robbed and held up. How does one know that a vendor is
not a crook in disguise? Again, can't the traffic police regulate this
as well as the umpteen beggars/crooks(?), who also descend at your
window the minute you stop?

5. Matatus and tuk tuks stop and turn anywhere they wish, with
impunity. God help the person who tangles with them! They have become
awful pests.

Can the people and police concerned please bring order back onto our roads?

Tree cutting & power lines

Why is it that while tree planting is being encouraged all over the

country, our one and only power company, KPLC, is also busy chopping off
some of these trees? This is done in the name of protecting the overhead
power lines, of course.

But, one should observe the wanton way the power crew goes about
chopping them off and living in their wake skeletal trees (shadows -
anything but...), which offer no shade to anybody and some are left as
stumps! There are countless such examples all over the country, and
there is at least one perfect example of this misplaced enthusiasm
outside Nakumatt Cinemax in Nyali. Just a trunk stands there with no
hope of it every reviving to it's former glory!

Also, these people throw branches and all the debris onto road
indiscriminately, which gets in the way of traffic and can cause accidents.

So, my request to KPLC is that they be very conservative with their tree
cutting exercises since we urgently need these trees in this stifling
heat and the about to arrive torrential rains (we hope), to give us much
needed shade as well as relief to our tired eyes. It's such a relief to
see and feel something green (even if it is full of dust), after seeing
mostly a country whose towns and cities are turning into an unkempt and
disorganized concrete jungle!

I wonder how power companies in other more advanced countries manage
with trees and power lines? Yet, they don't have the number of outages
that ours does......?

Would love to see more greenery around,

Has Telkom Kenya really changed....?

After having spent the whole of yesterday, getting all the paraphernalia of having a 'fixed' telephone line and paying for it, nobody from Orange Telkom (previously known as Telkom Kenya), came to install the line. Why?

After all, they had promised me that it would be installed today and I spent the whole of today waiting for them. First, I was told by the technician, Mwaro, that he would come at 1.00 pm as he was very busy elsewhere. One wonders if they have only one guy to cover the whole of Mombasa.

Well, 1.00 pm came and passed, but, nobody showed up nor did anybody from Orange Telkom have the courtesy to call. So, I did, instead. To enquire first from the techy himself who told me that he was on his way and would be at my place soon. So, I waited some more and when more than half an hour came and went, this time I called various Orange Telkom numbers which were given to me by one of their staff.

This because, their latest directories, do not have a single Orange Telkom number listed anywhere in their glossy pages. And when one starts making enquiries about these numbers and if by mistake, thinking that 991 is a toll-free number, one makes a nasty discovery that it is not! You're charged for calling this number, so BEWARE!!! This is a directory enquiry number and it is an insult to injury when the directory that Orange Telkom publishes is deficient in giving this very important information - their telephone numbers. I wonder if they really deal with telecommunications.....?!

Anyway, to cut a very long and frustrating story short and after having even called their Nairobi number to get some 'action', my phone line has still not been installed and I wonder when it will ever be, for that matter.

I cannot spend my days being dictated to by so-called 'service' providers, i.e. that I cannot go where I want, when I want, just because these horrors cannot keep their word or time. That I have to stick around at home in the hope that somebody will come to install my phone IF, they feel like it. Otherwise I can go jump in the ocean for all they care. It does not matter to these incompetent people that I, too, might have certain important work to do and appointments to keep and I, unlike them, do not want my reputation to be spoiled by not doing so.

Therefore, I wonder now, when and IF, they are going to come. I have a nasty feeling that despite having told them that I will not be available on Wednesday, they will show up tomorrow, and then when I have to chase them away use the excuse that I was not available....., or not there!

So, as far as I and many others are concerned - while Telkom Kenya might have changed it's name to Orange Telkom, they have not changed their attitude one bit!

Persistent outages in Nyali....

Every couple of days, there are outages and/or fluctuations in Nyali. Why?

When we ring the emergency, after asking for the account number, they will tell you that they are sending somebody over. Now, considering the traffic jams on the one and only access road to Nyali, the bridge, one wonders how long this would take from the other side of the Island, for an emergency truck to make it's way all across town in the most awful traffic situations just getting through town.

Therefore, I have a couple of suggestions for KPLC.

1. They open an emergency office in Nyali to deal with the persistent outages here. They seem to be happening every couple of days. How come?

2. They also get their act together and deal with whatever is ailing the Nyali connections. Solve the problem immediately and in the process will not have to waste time and money on petrol and resources to make their way across town to deal with emergencies every other day.

Since they charge us an arm and a leg for this incompetent 'service', they really should solve this persistent problem once and for all or, as I said before, we'll all get together and sue the company for all the damage their outages and fluctuations cause to our electrical gadgets.

And they should also, with immediate effect reduce their tariffs that they charge for their shoddy service.

Btw, I've just rung them up about a half hour ago for the latest outage and am still waiting for the power to be restored. I'm working on battery power. Also, many of their numbers go unanswered. Why? They seem to have no explanation or reply to give to their consumers, I think!

Unlawful eviction by our Council

I've spent New Year's eve in the worst manner one can possibly imagine. Thanks to various senior officers of the Council.

I was about to have lunch with my elder sister on that day, when I got a phone call from a close friend informing me that some people had broken into my Council flat in Nyerere Estate (C5), and my things being taken out, etc., by the 'new' occupant with the help of these senior officers of the Council.

Since I've paid my rent in advance till March 2010, this was gross impunity on their part. Also, I've had nothing from the Council to give me notice of this action of theirs or why they would do such a thing. After all I've been living in that place for over 30 years! I've never defaulted on rent paying, either. Therefore, one wonders what and WHY this was done.

And why choose New Year's eve to do this? When none in officialdom would be available for questioning....? With a long weekend for the new occupants to nicely settle themselves in with no interference from any law enforcer/s.

I've spent most of last week trying to get some answers to this gross violation my rights and abuse by the Council to no avail.

I first went, on Monday, in the company of Munir Mazrui from MUHURI, to the Council's housing manageress, Ms. Miriam Moka(?), at her Buxton offices, but, she told us to go and see the Director of Housing and Social Services. This person, unfortunately, had not reported for work that day, and he told us (via phone with the housing manageress), to go and see the Town Clerk.

This, we did, that same afternoon. After sitting in his outer office for nearly an hour, we were told to wait further in his 'inner' outer office! This too, we did and after making us wait further, he deemed it fit to see us, at long last.

Mr. Mazrui showed him my receipts that the Council had issued me with when making my latest payment for February and March 2010 on December 24th 2009, and asked him why I had been evicted. We were told that he (town clerk), did not know anything about this issue and that he would have to investigate. So, could we please, come back on Wednesday, 6th January 2010 at 10.00 am to his offices?

We did exactly that, but, when we got there on the hour, we were told that he was out and could we wait as he was going to come back shortly? Therefore we waited some more... The Town Clerk at long last made his appearance after nearly an hour of us waiting, but, did not even acknowledge our presence or give an apology for not being there for his 10.00 am appointment with us. Instead, he made us wait some more.

After about twenty to thirty minutes further of waiting after his arrival, we were told to go into his 'inner' outer office to wait some more and which we did. When it started getting to nearly 12.00 noon (we'd been waiting for nearly 2 hours!), and with no sign of him calling us in to discuss this issue, Mr. Mazrui and I decided that enough was enough and we left.

This Town Clerk, despite seeing us seated there in his 'inner' outer office when he came out a number of times, did not even acknowledge our presence leave alone apologize for his being late for his appointment with us that he himself had made with us two days before. What impunity is this?

Also, our next stop was to a lawyer's office right across from the Council who has since delivered a notice letter to the Town Clerk to explain the Council's actions regarding my eviction and the fate of all my stuff that was in the flat. Despite, there being no 7 day notice, but, instead it says with immediate effect, there's been no word forthcoming from that direction. Why?

This action by the Council is gross impunity by our Public Officer/s and highly irresponsible, too. But, in this country, the high and mighty ALWAYS get away with every kind of violation, unfortunately. There is no justice and there is no law here, anymore....., is there?

And what happens to all the damage to my reputation, flat, it's contents (my possessions), and the 3 months of this year that I've paid in advance in rent? Have the present occupants also stolen that with my name, etc? We have 'official' thieves, also, it seems who can break and enter any premises they feel like and take over throwing the rightful tenants out in the cold. What kind of precedent is this Council and it's 'officers' setting? The law of the Jungle seems to be prevailing in that direction.

Will I ever see justice done and compensation paid for this gross impunity by the Council?

Outages and fluctuations galore!

One would think that Nyali being such an up market area, there would be hardly any of the above and also the fact that we've just 'celebrated' the 46th anniversary of our so-called Independence (from what?!), citizens would expect that every corner of this benighted country would be lighted up. And it would be expected that this would be by means of clean, renewable energy like solar and wind instead of the same old 'dirty' fossil fuel kind.

But, since Independence our so-called leaders have done NOTHING but EAT and politicize every imaginable service provision in the country and run it to the ground if not left it destitute to die a 'natural' death. Unfortunately, for us, the Wananchi, we bear the brunt of it by philosophically reacting to any glaring impunity by saying, 'oh, what can we do (helplessly...!), we live in this horrible continent of Africa where things hardly ever work 'normally', if at all and there's corruption everywhere!'

Little do these people realize that had this been happening in any other country where most of us would like to escape to, these so-called service providers would have been taken to task and made answerable for their impunity and comes the next election, NONE of the perceived crooks been re-elected. But, that can only happen when the people are educated enough to take these service providers to court.

Nearly everyday Nyali suffers from outages and power fluctuations not once but umpteen times in a day. Why? I was told that there is only one long line from somewhere in Mishomoroni to everywhere and therefore needs to be shortened to deliver proper service. Since we're into our 46th anniversary of Independence, what have these people been doing all these years? They woke up just recently? Or when people started really complaining of their electrical gadgets packing up. And then, too, our Kenya Weakness & Darkness is taking it's own sweet time and taking shortcuts in dealing with the problem. Maybe, I should try and get ALL of Nyali residents and should the rest of the town want to join me, they can, in suing the service provider responsible. Any takers?

We are very FED UP of their lousy 'service'!!!!

We're still waiting for the power to be restored and since 9.00 am, this is the second time, already.....