How to avoid chaos, deaths during public ceremonies

How to avoid chaos, deaths during public ceremonies

Last Friday was a happy day for hundreds of families across the country. Some 3,969 new officers were passing out at the Administration Police Training College in Embakasi. That meant 3,969 families and relatives attending the ceremony from all corners of the country. 

That explains the uncountable buses, mostly school buses from all cities, towns and villages. College and university graduations are a big deal in Kenya and, therefore, hawkers and pick-pockets are also well represented during the once-in-a-year events.

Invitation cards

But while the ceremonies are important, it is crucial to control the number of attendants to avert the kind of chaos and death that was witnessed during the pass out at Embakasi.

Some institutions allow only small number of visitors to witness such ceremonies.

Usually each graduand is given a maximum of three or four visitor invitation cards.

That way, joy-riding villagers, hawkers, petty thieves and rabble-rousers are kept at bay.

That way, managing the crowd becomes much easier.

Here, no one knows about Mututho

Mr Aricolen Lasho wonders whether ‘Mututho law’ is still in force. From what he sees at Muthurwa and its environs, he thinks the law, if itstill exists, is only is only in writing.

Lasho claims that pubs in Muthurwa, some only 100 metres from Muthurwa police post, sell alcohol as early as 6am. By 8am the pub is full to the brim with patrons, some of who he suspect are muggers who “operate from muthurwa and railways containers”.

It is obvious, he notes, that police officers are not doing enough to stop the illegal beer sale and crime in the area. The Kenya Railways management, he says, should flush out thugs who hide in abandoned wagons in the shrubs on railways land just behind Wakulima market.

And from Mombasa, Jitu Haria laments that nothing can be done about noise pollution in Mtwapa. On Friday evening he was enjoying his dinner in a restaurant at 8pm when music blared from a neighbouring pub. He complained to police officers who said “they couldn’t do anything about it”. “Police actually called the owner and requested him to lower the volume but he just carried on with his noisy business.”

School where falling ill is sickening

Is falling ill a crime, Education minister Mutula Kilonzo? Apparently this is the case, according to Mr James Muchemi Kariuki, the parent of a Form Two student at Muthambi Girls High school, Meru. Muchemi alleges that his daughter was “expelled” after she was taken ill.

She had suffered convulsions and seizures and was taken to hospital where head scan revealed a (pilocytic) tumour between her skull and brain. An operation was done successfully on May at Outspan Hospital in Nyeri to excise the tumour.

However, the girl, did not return to school until July when she had recovered fully.

“The principal, however, categorically stated that she could not report back to Muthambi as it is a high performing school and forced her to clear, creating the impression that we sought to transfer her to another school,” says Muchemi.

Investigation

He adds: “The head teacher made comments to the effect that a head operation wasn’t a normal operation.” Well, PointBlank has never heard of Muthambi school of high performers but this definitely warrants investigation Mr Kilonzo.

Mr Muchemi can be contacted on 0720420586.

Solidarity song freezes attention

It’s yet another time for trade unionists to try their vocals on the workers’ all-time favourite hit “So-o-o-lidarity forever”. While this song and their other favourite “Mapambano” are by any standard good songs, Mr Gachiengo Gitau says they make his ears sore for being sung too often. “There is something intrinsically wrong with too much of everything. I usually mute the TV set whenever I see a trade unionist attempting to break into song,” he reveals. With teachers and doctors on strike and many more about to join the bandwagon, Gitau thinks it’s time for a creative composer to come up with another song.