Women be careful what you wear on the streets of Nairobi.

Just when I think I can't be shocked anymore by the behavior of Kenyans something happens to make me think I will never understand this place at all. Last week there was a story of a young lady who had her clothes stripped off her by a group of men at the Embasssava bus stage. The men attacked her for allegedly being indecently dressed. The attack was captured on video and posted on Youtube prompting outrage on social media under the hashtag #mydressmychoice. There was a protest march through Nairobi yesterday by both Kenyan men and women carrying placards that read "My dress, my choice" while others wore mini-skirts.

You would think that a protest like this would at least put a stop to these senseless actions but just hours later on the same day a middle-aged woman was rushed to hospital after she was roughed up and stripped naked in Kayole area over claims she was indecently dressed. This time around the police were called in and currently over 90 suspects have been arrested while the police investigate.

Incidences of women being stripped occur in many parts of the country including Mombasa and Nakuru. This has never made any sense to me because if you are so concerned over what little someone is wearing then help cover them up, why strip them and therefore expose more skin. These actions lead me to believe the people committing these acts are less interested in morality and are just looking for an excuse to commit sexual assaults on women.  This is an incident that makes one ashamed of their countrymen.

Reduction in Fuel Prices

The government just announced a reduction in fuel prices, diesel down by Kshs 6.15 per litre, kerosene by Kshs. 4.57 per litre and super down by Kshs. 4.09. 
Kenya being as it is the question becomes how soon will petrol stations reflect these changes and how many may actually refuse to make the changes. Even though they are always quick to reflect price hikes. Also does the reduction mean a decrease in transport fares. This is especially relevant during the rains when the matatus make their regular price hikes. It is ironic that the excuse the matatu operators often make to raise prices is the high cost of fuel. But now that the price of fuel has dropped, I doubt we will hear of any drops in fare prices.
One of the factors said to be driving inflation in Kenya is the rising price of fuel which increases transportation costs. However now that fuel prices have fallen I would be shocked if we actually see any drop in the price of goods. Maybe I'm being cynical but one thing you can say about life in Kenya is that it doesn't often lead to an optimistic view about anything. But you never know maybe this time will be different.

Back online for good

I was very busy the last couple of months moving to a new place and all that entails among other issues so I haven't been posting. But that's all done and now I'll be posting frequently. Hopefully people like what they read, keeping my fingers crossed.

Road Repairs: Daylight Robbery

    As a Nairobi motorist I dread the coming of the rainy season, not because of the rain which has the ability to turn ordinary drivers a little crazy but because of the roads. I'm sure every driver has had the same experience; it starts with a crack and suddenly you have potholes all over your regular route. My regular route is through Kindaruma Road in Kilimani in particular the section between Ring Road Kilimani and Rose Avenue. I cannot count the number of times that road has been repaired over the past few years and once again it needs repair. It makes no sense that throughout the year the road is fine and then a few weeks under the rain and it's a complete mess. After enough complaints from motorists a road construction company is contracted and the road is repaired. The next time the heavy rains come the cycle is repeated. Often the potholes appear in the same places where they were supposedly repaired. Over the past two years there has been a lot of building construction going on nearby which means heavy trucks on roads. Therefore it's not that I expect the roads to last forever I know that's impossible but come on, is it too much to ask that they last for at least one year without needing repair.

                There are roads in Nairobi that seem to last without needing constant repair every year which leads me to believe the main culprits are the road construction companies and by extension the people who award their contracts. Those constructing roads are meant to be professionals and are we honestly expected to believe that they are so incapable at construction that their roads need to be repaired every year. Then what about all the other roads that seem to withstand the heavy rains with no need for yearly repair. Were those roads constructed by some magic formula that other engineers are unaware of?

                What this comes down to as in so many aspects of life is money. Anyone can picture it in their minds. The local roads authority gets a report of a road needing repair. They advertise for a tender for a road construction company to bid for the job. The 'best' bid is awarded the contract and the company with the winning bid repairs the road and gets paid after construction. I'm simplifying the process but you get the general idea. Multiply this scenario by the number of roads in Nairobi that require repair every time there are heavy rains and you can see the scam for what it is: pure corruption and theft

                What I find hardest to stomach is how the local roads authority can justify repairing the same road every time after the heavy rains. I mean seriously, how difficult would it be to add a clause to the contract stating that if the road is damaged by the rains for the next year all repairs would be undertaken by the construction company at their own cost. I'm sure the companies could argue that this would increase the costs of constructing roads but if the roads were well constructed to begin with then there would be no problems in the future. I know that there are a few companies out there that carry out their road projects with integrity but the rest are giving the roads construction industry a bad name.

                Poor roads after heavy rains are not a new issue but seem to be a fact of life for the Nairobi motorist. We accept the misconduct of the roads authority and roads construction companies but in the end we pay the price. How much have you paid lately to repair or change your car's tires and suspension? The next time you go over a pothole that has appeared on your way to work or home, think about the last time it was repaired and if it has not yet even been a year you will realize you have been a victim of this scam.

                Maybe now with a new county government in place there may be some changes but I don't hold out much hope because the road construction companies have not changed and until their practices change the poor quality of our roads will continue.

In the beginning...

I've always wanted to write a blog but never had the time until now. I'm not really an outgoing person so sharing details about my life and views has always been daunting. But today I decided to take the plunge. The first thing was to decide what to write about and man was this hard. I finally got some inspiration from another blog where the writer advises people to write about their passions. My passions are anime, manga, kdramas, books but I also want to write about Kenya this strange land of ours. I don't know ultimately how this will turn out but it should be a fun.