Toilets, not politics define what is wrong with Kenya

A washroom in one of the buildings in Nairobi: what are padlocks and metal bars doing there? Photo by XN Iraki

A visit to several toilets, better called washrooms, cloakrooms or bathrooms in the city of Nairobi and other towns leaves one perplexed.

Why are cisterns protected by metal bars and padlocks? Long before you see the padlocked cisterns, you have to go looking for the key to the washrooms. If you enquire, you will be told that if washrooms are left open, the cisterns, their handles and other parts of the sewerage system will be stolen. That is not in slums, but in high end estates and streets.