WHERE THEY ROB HUMAN DIGNITY.

A carjacking is one of the most horrid incidents that anyone could ever find themselves in. we’ve often heard and read about how passengers are robbed of all their belongings and left helpless in the middle of nowhere. I have never in the life of me thought that the situation could get worse. Can you imagine a situation whereby the carjackers rob the passengers not only of all their belongings but of their dignity as well? Apparently, this was the case in a recent incident in Kenya’s coast province.

Hooded rogues on a highway ready to strike

A friend of mine who operates a small scale business in Taita Taveta town happened to be one of the unfortunate victims of the carjacking. He narrated to me over a cup of coffee how he and his fellow passengers, watched helplessly as their dignity slipped right through their fingers on that fateful night; this in addition to losing all their possessions. Here’s how.

Passengers boarded a 28-seater mini bus headed from Nairobi to Taita Taveta.  Their long journey kicked off some few minutes past 10pm and they expected to get to their destination at the crack of dawn. And arrive they did, only poorer and without a shred of dignity. It turned out that six of the ‘passengers’ were armed robbers waiting for an opportune moment to strike.

As soon as the mini bus was well out of the city and speeding through the remote plains, the bandits let loose their game. They ordered the panic stricken driver to veer off the main road into a thicket. Everyone was ordered out of the bus the armed bandits then proceeded to unleash terror unknown to the passengers. 

Travelers were ordered to surrender all their belongings, which included mobile phones, jewels and money. Two of the thugs collected the loot while the other four brandished guns at anyone who dared to defy. The gang also plundered the luggage which the passengers had carried with them. My friend lost all the goods he had bought to restock his shop as well as his money.

Just when the traumatized passengers thought that the worst was over, it turned out that the nightmare had just began. Everyone was ordered to strip stark naked and one by one walk back to their seats in the bus at gun point. And when I say naked, I mean that every passenger went back to that bus in their birthday suit, the driver and his conductor included!! 

Can you imagine the awkwardness that hung in that bus? Every passenger was blushing with shame as they quietly and helplessly watched the last of their dignity slip right through their fingers, with absolutely no available avenue for damage control!! The bandits not only stole all their possessions, but they also made away with every little piece of clothing they had on them!!

After a few hours of grappling to come to terms with the situation at hand, they resolved to continue with the rest of the journey. And as am sure you can imagine, it was quite a long one. “When it hit me that daylight would soon be here and find me in this condition, I wished the earth would open up and swallow me!” lamented my friend during our conversation. He went on further to tell me that the following morning was one of the longest in his life. I could get into the details, but unfortunately my word count cripples me.

 As is norm in Kenya, every bus that pulls into the bus park is met by eager business minded individuals, who come with the hope of selling their wares or offering carrier services to passengers with bulky luggage. This bus was no exception. Nor sooner had the bus pulled into the bus park, than eager traders rushed towards it, hoping to make a kill. Much to their surprise, passengers quickly scampered away from the bus windows as though their lives depended on it. For a moment in there, it was a situation of everyone for themselves and God for them all as each one tried to squeeze themselves under the bus seats!!

The traders were to shockingly learn the travelers in the bus were not just any passengers, but stark naked passengers, who could hardly bare the shame of exposing their nudity to complete strangers let alone have money to transact! In an emotional conversation that for good reasons had little exchange of words and more of facial expressions, arrangements were swiftly made to absolve the passengers from their predicament.

Towns women descended upon the bus armed with khangas (pieces of printed cotton fabrics worn in Africa), and the relieved passengers thankfully put them to good use. Thank heavens for the kind nature of Kenyan citizens, these carjacking victims got reprieve from their horrendous escapade.

Coastal women draped in Khangas

 Other incidents have been reported where the carjackers force passengers to engage in sexual activity with complete strangers at gun point! Worse still, the thugs could defile the passengers themselves. This is utter robbery of human dignity and is so wrong! These activities leave poor citizens in serious traumas, some of which take years to overcome.

One can only hope and pray that the perpetrators of these crimes identify with their humanity for Pete’s sake. And when the long arm of the law finally catches up with then, justice should be served steaming hot!!!

THE SHAMING LEVELS OF CORRUPTION IN KENYA (PART II)

One would stand forgiven to think that the corruption kingpins in Kenya would at least shy away from, or have a shred of humanity to spare the sick and the dead. But the bitter truth is that they too haven’t been spared from the tentacles of corruption threatening to overwhelm the country.  It is absurd, the soaring level of moral decadence that can assail a state.

Nairobi city residents carrying a coffin during the protest against the city's cemetery scandal

At the time of putting together this piece of writing, millions of Kenyans are on the receiving end of yet another scum in the making. The NHIF scandal it is. The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) is the organization mandated by the government to maintain a health insurance kitty for the civil servants and teachers.  Monthly remittances are made to the national health insurer through deductions made on employees pay slips. Any Kenyan civil servant or teacher who falls sick visits a health facility and gets treated and the subsequent cost is borne by the insurer. If anyone thought that everything could flow this smoothly for long, am afraid they were wrong.

NHIF Boardroom wrangles, which played out before the glaring cameras for all to see, were enough indication that there was more than met the eye. It was definitely not business as usual at the national health insurer. Reports surfaced of how two little known clinics got the lion’s share of the funds while the major health institutions were allocated insultingly low amounts. This even as it emerged some of the clinics said to be operational across the country were ghost clinics. If that is not a clear signal of fraud playing out, then I don’t know what is.

It is frightening to think that a citizenry can starve, their children are denied an education, and when they fall sick, they can’t access treatment since their insurance money was plundered. Yet that is not all, even in death, they cannot rest in peace, as was rudely confirmed by the Nairobi cemetery scandal!!! Thanks to the disgracing levels of corruption in the country.

patients in a hospital ward in Kenya

The mention of the Nairobi cemetery scandal makes one blush with shame on behalf of its authors. One finds it hard to believe that anyone would be so cold hearted as to extend their greed this far.

The city council of Nairobi set out to purchase new cemetery land, since burial space at the city’s existing cemetery, Lang’ata, was nearing exhaustion.  Good intentions were soon to turn ill, in what became one of the council’s biggest scams.

A pricey piece of land was purchased and to the rude shock of Kenyans, it was worth way much less than it was bought for. And that is not all, the piece of land was very rocky and it didn’t take a college degree for anyone to figure out that it was definitely not fit to be a grave yard!!!

Upon the surfacing of reports on the looming scandal, scores of agitated citizens took to the streets of Nairobi in protest. The situation was surely befitting the proverbial move from the frying pan to the fire. 

Nairobi residents were left grappling with the nearly exhausted space in Lang’ata cemetery, coupled with the fact that there wouldn’t be any new grave yard just yet. Apparently, citizens would not Rest In Peace, or so it seemed; corruption troubled them even in death!!!  

If you imagined you’ve just read the end of it, am afraid it is not so. At least not until you’ve read of how some members of Kenya’s legislative assembly are supposedly being bribed to support or overturn bills that favor some at the expense of others. Surely, can it get worse?  Stumble on the details in the third and final part of this article.

THE SHAMING LEVELS OF CORRUPTION IN KENYA (PART I)

Trust Kenya’s ridiculous corruption levels to make your jaw drop so far you’ll have a hard time picking it back up any day. No kidding!! Hardly does the country’s citizenry go for long without been treated to stage shows of fraud cases blowing up, which are always a case of same script different cast. If you imagined you had seen the nastiest forms of fraud, rest assured this will put to shame whatever you had in mind.

  

Following Kenya’s post election violence, serious destruction of produce and subsequent low yield, an outrageous shortage of maize hit the country not so long ago. The prices of maize and related products skyrocketed to inconceivable levels, making Kenya’s staple food unaffordable to most citizens. This prompted the government to turn to the Strategic Grain Reserves, which stores grains to be used only in times of urgent situations. 

A hungry child in Kenya.

The government set out to equitably apportion the maize among millers so as to ensure there was affordable flour in the market to caution ordinary Kenyan’s against the looming starvation crisis. In addition, more maize was imported to cover the deficit. At last the situation was been contained, and the worst was over, or so the citizens thought.

Weeks down the line, and the ‘maize scandal’ blows up. Maize meant for cautioning Kenyans against the looming starvation crisis was illegally apportioned to people and companies who were neither millers nor did they own milling premises. They then sold the maize to genuine millers at exorbitant prices, making abnormal profits; this at the expense of millions of Kenyans staring starvation in the face. Who in their sound mind does that??”

Heightened shortage of maize and maize flour as a result of the scandal, the high cost of the commodities in the market coupled with the looming scandal created a lethal mix. Scores of angry citizens took to the streets of the capital Nairobi bringing business in the city to a near standstill. They chanted anti government slogans and carried placards demanding that all focus be shifted to address the serious situation.

citizens carrying a dummy packet of maize flour during the demonstrations over the commodity's high cost

 If this swindle astonishes you, please don’t be, because you’ve barely read this article.

Just when ordinary Kenyans thought they had seen the worst, it emerged that over 4 billion shillings which had been donated by the United Kingdom government towards the very noble Free Primary Education program, was missing and could not be accounted for. This new development bore the ‘F P E funds scandal’ (the Free Primary Education funds scandal).

For those who may not know, let me bring you abreast with the specifics relating to the education sector in Kenya. There aren’t enough teachers in public schools. In some parts of the country, students have to study under trees due to inadequate classes or non existence altogether; never mind the harsh and extreme weather conditions. There aren’t enough reading materials for the pupils. The desks in most public schools have to be shared by more students than they were meant for, to mention but a few challenges facing the F P E program.

students in a classroom under Kenya's F P E program

a class in session under a tree

In view of these challenges, it is appreciable that donor funds meant for the program would have been such a big relief to millions of Kenyan school going children. This was not to be. Not only were the donor funds missing, but worse, they could not be accounted for. As if that is not enough to cause anyone a heart ache, an infuriated United Kingdom government demanded their money back, strongly stating that their taxpayers money could not be out to benefit a few greedy Kenyans. That translated into two things; the Kenyan government paid back the donated amount from the public kitty, since the donated funds were missing, and Kenyans were left worse off than they were before the donor funds!! 

It is frightening to think that some individuals would be as sly as to steal from a starving citizenry and innocent, defenseless school going children, thus putting into jeopardy the nation’s future. I hate to break it to you ladies and gentlemen, but these are facts, and facts are stubborn things. 

I had you on my mind when writing this article, and I thought it prudent to spare you a rash despondency. In part two of this piece of writing, you will be shocked beyond words upon learning that in its quest to feed its insatiable gluttony, corruption in Kenya has not spared the sick and more disgracefully, the dead! It’s an article you don’t want to miss out on!

THE NAIROBI SUPERHIGHWAY OF DEATH

It was intended for the sole purpose of civilizing the movement of goods and persons in and out of Kenya’s capital Nairobi, as well as easing traffic on East and Central Africa’s busiest highway. But the virtually completed Nairobi – Thika superhighway is now seemingly an expressway of death, if chilling statistics released in recent times are anything to go by.  

The ultra modern Nairobi-Thika superhighway

  

Thika road is an ultra modern twelve lane superhighway and a first of its kind in the region. Its construction came as a big relief to motorists in the city, who previously had to contend with dreadful traffic snarl-ups for the longest time. As the eagerly awaited multibillion shilling project nears completion however, it is reprehensibly emerging that the most horrible road carnage nightmares yet, have just begun.

the traffic nightmare that was characteristic of the highway before its expansion

Alarming police reports reveal that the superhighway claims about two people every 24 hours, while another ten are left nursing serious injuries, this resulting from fatal accidents. Further, an estimated 70 people are reported to have lost their lives on the highway between the 1^st of January and the end of April this year, this figure not inclusive of those who succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment.

The soaring figures of road carnage cases on the highway have largely been blamed on irresponsible road use. Reckless drivers are said to be over speeding on the highway, owing to its excellent condition and smooth flow of traffic. This jeopardizes their lives, those of their passengers, as well as the lives of the pedestrians and cyclists using the road. 

a section of the virtually complete superhighway

Pedestrians have also received their fair share of blame for bending road use rules, by crossing the road from non designated points rather than at the zebra crossings. Despite the fact that footbridges are currently under construction, it remains to be seen if citizens will take precaution by using them, or if they’ll opt to sprint across the highway, disregarding the hazard that looms.

Absence of sufficient road signs on the road has been raised as a matter of great concern and one that contributes to the rising number of road accidents reported. The authorities concerned are in the process of putting in final touches to the road, which will see it attain the required standards. 

The heart rending tales of horrid road accidents on this highway paint a grim depiction of a threatening crisis, which needs somber addressing as soon as yesterday. The government should seek to strongly and effectively see to the enforcement of traffic rules and regulations, to avert further loss of lives. On their part, every citizen should make sure they follow to the letter all rules and regulations stipulated. 

Motorists should drive within the set speed limit of 80 km/hr and carefully observe the road signs. Pedestrians should cross the road only from designated areas, and where existing, use footbridges.

Road carnage is an avoidable eventuality which can only be eradicated through a collective effort from all citizens. PLAY YOUR PART TODAY BY OBEYING THE TRAFFIC RULES!!!

KENYA’S BEAUTY TURNS TO BEAST

Heavy downpour and raging floods have continued to wreck havoc in Kenya. In the past few weeks, flash floods and heavy rains have hit various parts of the country, leaving in their wake a devastating trail of destruction. This, even as the weather man warns that the worst is yet to come.

 Kenya’s splendor is legendary. It is typified by her beautiful and culture rich cities, the gorgeous countryside, high snow capped mountains, scenic valleys and gracefully flowing rivers, to mention but a few. This beauty has now turned to beast, as rivers break their banks and grim landslides are witnessed, following heavy rains and violent floods, causing fear unknown to her citizens. The floods have spared neither the cities nor the countryside.

Kenya's beautiful countryside

Kenya's beautiful capital Nairobi

 Some of the roads in the Kenyan capital city Nairobi have been rendered near impassible, causing the city to experience ghastly traffic snarl ups. The city’s image has been dented further by the heaps of garbage washed off the dumpsites. Poor drainage systems along with poor planning in some parts have been blamed for the city’s current turmoil. Notorious power outages have also been experienced across the country as power lines are interrupted by trees felled by the heavy showers.

heavy traffic in Nairobi following the rains.

In the last few days, every news bulletin has borne tear-jerking news of Kenyan citizens losing their lives, having drowned in the raging flood waters or after their homes were swept away. Serious damage has smacked the country’s road network, rendering some towns and villages inaccessible via road. According to the Kenya Red Cross, at least 50 people have lost their lives and 60,000 households displaced due to the floods.

 A recent heartrending tale is of how some people spent three days and nights atop a tree, after a river broke its banks, making it impossible for them to go to safety without the high risk of been swept by the raging flood waters. Thankfully, a helicopter was sent out to rescue them. 

heavy flooding in one of Kenya's towns

Internally displaced persons (IDP’s) have been relocated to higher grounds by the government, this following the flooding in their camps. The government has also issued official statements instructing citizens living in flood and land slide prone areas to shift to safer grounds with immediate effect, to avert further loss of lives.

Even as most people continue to count their losses following the heavy rains, some people are viewing it as a blessing in disguise. This they say is because, following the breaking of banks by the rivers, the fish from the rivers have been swept to places that are easier for people to trap them easily!!  I am having a tough time believing that this is enough reason for anyone to stare disaster in the face! 

a flooded homestead

It is during these turbulent times that the country’s disaster preparedness is brought under sharp scrutiny. Questions are raised as to how prepared the country is to quickly and effectively avert disasters as they strike. Effort is seemingly been put to place, but does it always have to be a case of too little too late?