The cutting edge

By THE WATCHMAN
Posted  Tuesday, August 16  2011 at  18:19

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This is idiocy. Have we become a country of jokers or idiots? asks Wilson Awili, baffled at the jubilation in Kisii Town after the High Court annulled the election of Walter Nyambati as the MP for Kitutu Masaba. “Why would anyone celebrate that justice has been done, with the ruling coming three years later? Besides the salaries and allowances the ejected MP has earned all that time, there will be yet another useless by-election on which a colossal sum of money will be spent. This system exposes us to ridicule.”

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Wine called Kanu. The mysteries of South Africa according to X. N. Iraki, include a popular wine called Kanu, which could have been named for the mythical bird of promise, but reminded him during his recent visit, of a political party back home. But not far away from the winery in Cape Province, he came across Kimilili Farm. “I did visit the farm, but did not find any Kenyans there. How did the name Kimilili end up there?” asks Iraki, who, in retracing the Great Trek, found that South Africa is, indeed, a First World Country in the Third World.

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Route for crooks. A victim of pickpockets on the Kikuyu/Kinoo matatu route, Robert Njuguna is warning fellow commuters to be on the lookout for a gang operating at Odeon Cinema on Tom Mboya Street, Nairobi. The man he suspects stole from him boarded the matatu he was in and though there was a vacant seat behind, chose to sit next to him. His accomplices then occupied the empty seat and by the time the vehicle reached Westlands, they had done their job and alighted. He easily fell prey when one of the thieves dropped coins and he bent to pick them up for him, not knowing this was a trick.

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Living in fear. Rising insecurity in Kitengela has become a nightmare for the residents, moans Gerald Maina Nderitu. Gangsters, he claims, have literally taken over the town, with robberies becoming rampant. A few days ago, he reports, two people were shot dead and money stolen from an M-Pesa shop outlet. Last week, a businesswoman was shot in the leg and her cash stolen. “For how long shall we continue living in fear?” asks an alarmed Gerald.

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Too many problems. Traders on Mwatate Lane off Ukwala Road in Nairobi have two serious problems, a burst water pipe and uncollected garbage. Vikas Gudka says water has been gushing to waste for a whole month and complaints to Nairobi Water Company have fallen on deaf ears. Secondly, a large portion of their road is now covered by garbage, with stench engulfing the area. Vikas is also concerned that a building under construction is being weakened by the water seeping into its foundation. For details, he can be reached through vikasgudka@hotmail.com.

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Remove this truck. There is a disaster waiting to happen right outside Pangani Police Station in Nairobi, warns Abdi Haji. He is worried about the potentially risky situation as a result of a truck loaded with a container, which is precariously perched on boulders by the roadside. “I always shudder at the thought of a matatu or car veering off the busy road and smashing into the lorry! It should be removed and taken to a safer place far away from the road,” urges Abdi, whose contact is amowerdi@yahoo.com.

Have a safe day, won’t you!

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