Religious and incessant other noise - the 26th reminder

Last night, the MWA Hall was again hired for a noisy function and despite calling our cops, nothing much changed in the way of decibels....., again, as usual. Why can't the people/person giving permits for these noisy functions, give the organizers a condition and ultimatum that considering this hall is in a residential area and right next door to Aga Khan Hospital, the noise should be minimal and not be heard outside the confines of the hall? Is this such a complicated issue?

As regards the organizers themselves, don't they have enough sense, not to make noise and to keep their function's noise level to be heard within the hall and not outside knowing that there is a hospital near as well as residential houses around and people might get disturbed? It would seem that short of the cops arriving there with warnings, these people are too daft to realize this on their own!

Next, comes the Imam and the patrons of the neighbourhood mosque and also the ones further afield. Since around last weekend, a new guy seems to be giving the early morning call to prayer as well as leading the morning (especially), prayers.

Regarding the first issue, he, too, does not seem to have the sense that every neighbourhood has at least one mosque and therefore when he gives the call to prayer, does NOT need to be heard right across town. And the second issue about his leading of prayers, he does NOT need to be heard outside the confines of the little mosque. Should he or his followers have a problem hearing him and who are in the mosque, they can fix a set of speakers INSIDE the mosque so that the ones outside don't hear him leading the prayers.

As matters now stand, I, who am at the other end of this mosque (estate), can hear each and everything that he's reciting and in the process am getting disturbed (many Muslims and non-Muslims, alike), and it interferes with my own prayers and subsequent recitation of the Holy Qur'an. For his information, and everybody else who make a racket and sound like they are fighting when giving sermons, etc., they are incurring God's wrath when disturbing others while worshiping.

For example, the mosque that I go to, has many others all around it. While we are trying to listen to our own Imam giving a sermon on Fridays, first, the loud recitation of the Holy Qur'an before Friday prayers and then, the equally loud and raucous sermons of different kinds from all of these mosques, has no sweetness to them but, sound more like they are competing and fighting with each other, than giving guidance to their followers.

Was this the practice of the Holy Prophet(pbuh), and his companions?

And tomorrow there will be the noise of the Christian variety for HOURS on end that this neighbourhood will have to endure, unfortunately. Not to mention, who might have hired the MWA Hall, tonight and tomorrow night, as well!

We are being inundated by noise. Doesn't officialdom know that this is a pollution, too, and equally harmful to our well being? In fact, it is sheer torture and a violation of human rights.

Emailing: The glue sniffer on the left with his 'friends' who instigate or are the ones who persistently, in the evenings and night, keep setting off

What a morning we've been spending in this neighbourhood! The smoke from the wood used in cooking (see picture), starts very early in the morning to catch the early morning 'traffic' that passes through this estate, while the noise from the truck park, contentious as it is, due to the fact that this plot is a road reserve and that it is allowed to continue to exist and operate in a residential area, sounds like a a factory going on without any control over the racket that it emits. Not to mention that the exhaust fumes enter our houses and lungs.

We also have a problem even holding a decent conversation as well as even hearing the phone ring. What is this? Can NOBODY in officialdom bring any order and sanity in this insane and lawless neighbourhood?

Unfortunately, for us, this is a Council estate where a number of Council employees also stay and all this is happening right under their don't care and corrupt noses, yet, they do nothing about all of these issues. Why? And why can't their 'bosses', i.e. the Ministry of Local Govt., the NEMA, etc., get their act together and deal with this gross violation of human rights?

Then, every evening as the first picture shows, the neighbourhood louts among whom is a 'resident' glue sniffer, sit at the well or the charcoal sellers' shed and either instigate or themselves, everytime they pass by, set off my car alarm and when asked who it was, will behave like they hear no evil, see none and would and don't want to do anything! In fact, one encounters a blank look. From the glue sniffer, who has been given accoutrements to stay under our staircase, who is most of the time under the influence one can expect anything. The others are his henchmen and protect him like their own. I wonder why? And how safe are we and our properties with such questionable characters being befriended to live among us?

Repeated reports to our questionable cops about this guy has brought no action. What, if anything, are they doing with all the reports that I've been making to them over the last one year?

When and for how long will we have to continue to live in such awful conditions? And why are the various people concerned not doing anything to deal with this situation? By allowing such atrocities in our midst, they are reducing this once exclusive neighbourhood into a concrete slum!

Add to all of the above the noise from the mosque and the MWA Hall every lunch hour and on Sundays too, for hours on end and this place is becoming worse by the day.

The glue sniffer on the left with his 'friends' who instigate or are the ones who persistently, in the evenings and night, keep setting off my car alarm

Smoke from the wood 'stoves'...

Religious and incessant other noise - the 25th reminder

It would seem that while of late, the neighbourhood mosque had reduced it's noise considerably, since the beginning of this week, somebody new is leading prayers who is progressively getting louder by the day!

How many times do these people have to keep being told over and over again to reduce their racket? It's like talking to little children! Every morning while I am saying my prayers, too, I am again being disturbed by this Imam's leading of prayers. This has no justification as he's only leading the people inside the mosque, not the ones outside and this wouldn't be valid even if some of us wanted to follow him.

Then, while I have finished my prayers and then want to recite the Holy Qur'an, I can't, as his loud leading of prayers interferes with what I want to recite. Why do these people behave in this insane manner? Islam definitely does not subscribe to disturbing others and especially when their own prayers are being interfered with.

Next, comes that daily lunch time meetings of the Christians and their loud and lamenting prayers, if beating of drums, feet and other music with singing is considered praying. I thought that praying was a dignified action. Instead, these people sound more like a disco going on! And who allows these people to make noise in a residential area with a hospital right next door and another not too far away?

These practices smack of no town planning applied anywhere by our questionable council. Are they even aware of these pests? And if they are, what are they doing about it? After all Council employees stay in this estate and they must be having to put up with these incessant noises of different varieties every single day at different times. Don't they care?

Again, I would bring all this to the attention of our no nonsense Minister for Environment, Mr. John Michuki to deal with.

The 171st reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED

Since yesterday, there's no water. Even in those water kiosks! Why?

And it is specifically for this reason that a lot of environmentally detrimental actions take place. People, out of sheer desperation, end up digging boreholes and wells trying to access this precious fluid. Officialdom in the form of our water ministry, allows such things to happen as it has abdicated it's responsibility to supply the residents with clean reliable water.

Just in our so-called Municipal Estate, which now has at least 3 houses/blocks of flats and one mosque which are privately owned, there are numerous boreholes and at least one well. The latest borehole is being dug at one of the blocks of privately owned flats not 20 meters from one that has been dug using CDF money. In the process the whole neighbourhood has to put up with industry like noises from the racket that this boring machine makes. I wonder how long it will take before they eventually get to the water? Or rather for how many days are we going to have to endure this racket?

Not to mention the fact that our ground water system is being over used. What does that spell for the environment? Is our Environment Minister, Mr. John Michuki, listening?

And why does this happen? Because, our overflowing water bodies, other than having umpteen meetings in a week and thereby getting 'sitting' allowances, are doing absolutely NOTHING to improve water delivery. Isn't there somebody out there who holds these people accountable?

It would seem that where these water bodies are concerned, money flows more freely (into their pockets, of course!), than in our pipes and now even the water kiosks which have been reducing Mombasa into a giant village, seem to have run dry. Why?

What exactly are these bloated organizations doing to alleviate our dehydrated condition?

Religious and incessant other noise - the 24th reminder

It would seem that none in officialdom has lifted a finger in doing anything about these offensive and highly disturbing Christian services nearly every SINGLE DAY, i.e. weekdays they hire the MWA hall during the lunch hours and make an incessant racket and comes Sunday the 'official' day of worship for Christians, they congregate either at the hall or their tiny 'church' right next to it and also the Aga Khan Hospital with total disregard for the patients there or the residents in their midst.

This will now go on for HOURS on end! What is the need for them to be heard outside? Will any of these offensive priests and preachers please, explain to us, this strange behaviour of their's and by extension their horrible congregation/s? Anybody interested in their LOUD services, can very well attend these without them having to be heard by the rest of the world at large.

This world consists of many different faiths and some, none at all, but, every one of them would agree that they wouldn't like to hear their 'rivals' noises. As mentioned before, it is nothing but noise for nobody can exactly hear what they are all, singing, shouting and lamenting about. If they are trying to make God aware of their praying, they need not worry. He hears even the most silent prayer of his worshipper/s and they don't need to scream, shout and lament at ear splitting levels for they are incurring the wrath of His many other believers who are in turn also getting disturbed when they are trying to worship their Maker in their own way. And they are also being cursed in the process by not just the ones who are disturbed but by the ones whose little children are sick or themselves are not well, or the patients next door at the hospital.

Is this such a difficult and complicated issue for these horrible preachers and their followers to understand? YOU DON'T NEED TO BE HEARD OUTSIDE BY THE REST OF THE WORLD!

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

You could ask your water vendor supplier where he gets his water from. A borehole, well or one of these water kiosks? Which brings up this subject of the numerous water kiosks that have sprouted up all over the place and are beginning to turn Mombasa 'city' into a village where the majority get their water at such places rather than through a tap via piped water, directly.

Re the worms and other 'interesting' flora and fauna that you saw in the water. One wonders what other microscopic nasties there are in it and these ones were so visible. What about the invisible ones? Who will take responsibility?

Definitely not our various water bodies including the Ministry, itself, for their representatives allow wells which are not properly covered (the one very 'loud' example being the contentious well in my neighbourhood), which is superficially covered with a grilled cover and on which everybody keeps all kinds of things including food! One has to witness what goes on there, to appreciate the worms, etc., that you saw in your water - I'm not at all surprised.

Refer to my latest email of this morning with pictures of overflowing garbage in Ganjoni and also my neighbours expanding open air 'kitchen' with the wood smoke, etc. As I've mentioned in that email and asked, too, of our various 'service' providers - what are they planning on doing to deal with the latest complaint/s?

Oh, due to the 'kitchen' and what it sells which attracts countless school kids from all around who are some of the most insolent imaginable. One wonders what they learn in school. They keep messing around with my car and setting off the alarm till the battery will go down and the next time I want to go out, it won't start. So, this afternoon, I've been taking pictures of the students who congregate around here to buy food and even eat here as benches and plates are provided by this outdoor 'kitchen'. So much for health and sanitation that our Council and the Water bodies keep talking about but do nothing.

Most of these kids are from Aga Khan Primary and High schools as well as Mombasa Primary. I'm planning to visit the school heads with the pictures, tomorrow, Insha'Allah.

Razia.


Muneer Khandwalla wrote:

Hi!  We buy our water supply from the numerous water vendors for our shop needs. We use various fluids, to sterilize this water. Sometimes the water is quite oily also. Where these vendors source the water is anybody's guess. Today I was looking in the water, I saw so many worms and other dudus. So, I ask, since the water bodies have failed in their duty to provide the populace with safe drinking water, and also failed to regulate and ensure the safe and clean provision of this life giving substance by the others, we are totally at the mercy of these water mercenaries!!  The LORD Protect us!!  fervently in prayer  M Muneer   

On 17/06/2008, Raziya wrote:   

'Morning!  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....

[Fwd: The 146th reminder.... to the PERSON/S CONCERNED - Re: HEALTH HAZARD]

I just got a phone call from a friend who is also the recipient of my numerous emails regarding so many service delivery issues and who has the misfortune of living within a stone's throw away from the below mentioned, with pictures, of the offending Municipal garbage tip.

This eye-sore still exists in exactly the same place and with all the rain which has given 'birth' to mosquitoes and flies, how safe (health wise), are the neighbourhood? Where is the Council's health department? Is it still working? And if it is, what are they doing about such health issues?

In fact, this friend and his family are all suffering from diarrhea with fever and to compound their misery, colds! Who will take responsibility for their suffering? Our Council which leaves a lot to be desired and this is putting is very mildly, is crooked to the core and other than threaten people when they try to remove the offending bin, cannot do much else. Why?

And while I'm having a crack at the Council and it's sanitation 'services', I'd like to include pictures of another potential health and environmental hazard.

My neighbours have started a mini-hotel downstairs and have expanded their 'kitchen' to the front and back and they use wood for cooking the various dishes. This smoke gets into our houses and lungs everyday from around 4.30 am in the morning till after 2.30 pm in the afternoon. Please, see the attacked pictures taken at various times.....

About two weeks ago, on a Saturday, a Council truck (do they work on Saturdays too, these days?), showed up and about 5 men got out and stayed around for the next half an hour or so and then departed. What did they come for? A pay off?

Did they not see that the cover on the contentious well is the 'grilled' type and therefore anything can fall into it, i.e. dirt, insects, etc.? Therefore how safe is the water for usage? And where exactly do these people get their wood from? They need lots of it for their mega cooking purposes. I've requested many times to them that their smoke is irritating me as well as dirtying up my house, to no avail. So, what should one do under such circumstances? For our Council's employees will just be paid off and they will then look the other way till it's time for payment to fill their own selfish pockets, when they will arrive, as previously mentioned, to collect their 'dues'.

When will they apply the law as required? Will they ever in our lifetime? We're all fighting a losing battle with such 'service' providers. Where and when will it all end?

PS - Please, refer to my blog of this 'reminder (146th)', below to see the pictures that I'm referring to.

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 . . .