Like everybody else…

Being the textbook Nairobian I am, I am headed for shagz this Christmas. It is that time of the year again when all of Nairobi moves to shagz. In ridiculous fares and bad roads, in empty pockets and heavy rains, in all that nature will throw our way, to shagz we must go.

I intend to be a good boy and stay away from the internet, and effectively therefore this page. Not that its hard. See, in our shagz, there is only the Post Office that has something you would say resembles internet. The fares will make sure am bankrupt but thank God they reintroduced flights to my nearest town, I could be grabbing one of those, if they arent all packed that is.

My Christmas in the village will be the subject when we resume. Have a great one.Dont let that Mahinda guy from Ruaraka get to you. Peace.

Fare thee well, 2005

This isa little too early but this year is gone and we are ushering in an election year. The year that all our dreams and expectations will be broken (doesnt it happen every year anyway?) The year also that we will vote in the same bad years for five years (what happened to the recall clause) Oh, and Parliament launched (sorry, that would be relaunched) their website. Lemme check it out and deliver a judgement in five minutes…

Pretty informative and a great graphic on the home page. Kenyan parliament has never been more open. Plus, for some reason, they changed it form parliament to bunge.go.ke perhaps to give it a more mwananchi outlook? Even something on careers? Great, I just dont have time now. The Mps’ profiles section is one you must check out. It even has their contacts and education, more like a mini CV. Looking at it, I just remembered that majority of the House members are actually NARC members and we never hear anything about it anymore.

In matters unrelated, after 7 weeks, Tusker project Fame came to a close with Daystar University student Valerie Kimani winning the crown. Did she deserve it? Dont ask me, ask EABL and PwC.

So that was the year 2005. Kibera remains volatile because of some political mischief. On a sad note, the music scene lost Feroze in a road accident at the city’s Museum Hill area. He was with a friend, the media will forget. Speaking of the media, anybody noticed the game shows mushrooming on TV?

Have a blessed Christmas and a great 2007.

Irony is: the Dedan Kimathi statue story

I dont understand Kenyan leaders, in respect of our freedom fighter heroes. Now, they are building a statue of Dedan Kimathi on Nairobi’s Kimathi Street. Thoughtful, very thoughtful, a good 43 years later. Before I continue, there are a number of Dedan Kimathi photos, Google gave me:

                                                        

Pics from Wikipedia, www.illfygli.blogspot.com, www.childrenslibrary.org and www.fantasticfiction.co.uk

Now reputation of the government in dealing with freedom fighters is not exactly legendary or appealing at all. They can praise them well and eloquently but is that followed by action? The Standard reported on the story and I got a few observations. This is from the paper

However, 76-year old Kimathi’s widow, Mrs Mukami Kimathi, decried lack of compensation from the Government for freedom fighters, saying she and her children lived a poor life.

“Our land was take from us and the Government is yet to acknowledge our selfless acts to our beloved country in the struggle for independence,” Mukami said. See, the government is putting up the impressive statue at the princely sum of  Sh 7m. Just remembering them on public holidays and taking them to stadia in government vehicles is not too much service isnt it?

For example, the Sh 7m instead of building a statue to Dedan(which is a good idea by the way, only the wrong time) how about his family? His remains are still imprisoned at Kamiti Maximum Prison, and we are talking about some of our greatest heroes.

Anyone remember the Ethiopian General Mathenge?  Just thought I’d remind you.

A good man, at least this one time

Kibaki, the president that is, is often blamed for the many bad things that have befallen Kenyan politics over the last few years, and for good reason.

 Pic from the State House website

For the first time since the beginning of Kibaki’s torturous presidency and in remembered history of Kenya’s annoying political occurrences, a politician actually did what is RIGHT! It is not everyday that a politician rejects a Sh 3.2 million paycheck but Kibaki did, and am proud of him for that. His vast personal wealth notwithstanding, he did point out valid issues. The economic (under)development at this time can not support that kind of pay hike. It was in the public domain that he would be earning a higher salary than the president and premier of the US and Britain respectively, leading first world economies with budgets many times larger and complex than ours.

Many of us ourselves put in the same situation would have done quite the opposite. It may be argued that he only bent down due to press criticism but either way, he did it and that’s what matters. It will be interesting to see our MPs do something of the sort but then again, knowing who our elected representatives are, that sure is a tall order isn’t it?  If we had more public servants acting like Kibaki (in this case) we sure wouldn’t be in the murk that we are in.

A few days ago, I would have been the last to praise Kibaki but today, I just want to congratulate him and tell him to keep it up and who knows, may be Kenyans will just look at him with favour and grant him another term. Now, only if he started a little earlier.

Million madness

I am very concerned and it has everthing to do with what you have probably seen already. Everyone seems intent to swing me a million shillings. It is even more the serious because much as I would do with the said million, I didnt ask any of these people offering!

See, it has been said all over the place that we live in a materialistic society but no one time is this proved more than at Christmas ironically. The idea that this is a period when giving should be top on the agenda has been overstated and I will not bother with it here.  I just want to know why marketers insist that I must buy their products and stand a chance to ‘lose’ a million and my credit.

Of late, say in the last week alone, I have counted at least seven that are sure that I need their money badly, for some reason I cant just understand. See, if I have brand lloyalty to your product, I will buy it whether you promise me a car or fifty of them. It all depends on what advertisers call ‘share of love.’ Somebody please tell all those marketing novices that no amount of persuasion will convince me to buy your damn product.

AM outta here for now, more coming soon. Holla!