Political pride is no reason to turn villages into districts

Mike Owuor

It is ironical that while President Kibaki continues with his district creation spree, Deputy Prime Minister and Local Government Minister Musalia Mudavadi has hinted he intends to reduce the number of councils from 175 to less than 100. For a bloated Government that says it is broke, PointBlank considers Mudavadi’s downsizing the way to go.

Amend Law

Apart from massaging politicians’ egos, making every village a district does not necessarily bring services closer to the people. Instead, it strains the public purse and creates conflicts about which hamlet should acquire the bragging rights to host the headquarters. We suggest this trend be halted.

As for the local authorities, even before the latest bogeyman—the world economic crisis—most were neck-deep in debt because of poor management and corruption. Merging some councils, dissolving others, reviewing boundaries and reducing the number of nominated councillors could help revive these walking dead civic bodies.

Go on, Minister Mudavadi, amending the Local Government act will do us a lot of good.

Flawed cops transfers cause concern

A transfer to northern Kenya is not one many police officers look forward to. But, says a cop in Garissa, there is always the consolation that no deployment will last more than three years. However, the seniors appear to have forgotten some officers, leaving them in the same rank and station for more than the stipulated time.

"It is as if someone deployed us and threw our files away. I am in my tenth year in North Eastern Province. We cannot even live here with our families because conditions are poor. Some of us have remained constables for years," he says.

Letting officers stay in the same station for a long time, he says, strains marriages and fuels the spread of HIV/Aids. It also inevitably tempts some wayward officers into getting so familiar with criminals they form "unholy alliances".

Sadly, he adds, some officers are transferred after staying for less than a year in northern Kenya. There are claims that they bribe their way out of the hardship area, and up the ladder.

Since "our seniors have refused to give us a hearing", the officer wants Police Commissioner Hussein Ali to ensure transfers are fair.

Run-down city estate

Kenneth Miriti says residents of Onyonka estate lower court in Lang’ata, Nairobi, had a welfare meeting on February 26, where concerns were raised on the state of infrastructure.

"The roads within the estate are badly potholed and the tarmac peeled off decades ago. The drainage system is also blocked with soil and stones, and when it rains the roads become flooded, further worsening their state," says Miriti.

Many streetlights, he adds, do not work and should be replaced, while others only need minor repairs and new bulbs. The residents think the lights will help police in their patrols and scare away criminals who take advantage of the darkness to rob passersby and break into houses.

Pathetic State

"As tax and ratepayers, we wrote to Town Clerk John Gakuo early last year, and copied the letter to senior City Council of Nairobi officials, asking that they provide us with services but City Hall has not even bothered to acknowledge the letter," he says.

Worried by the state of affairs, Miriti and other residents would like Mr Gakuo and his officers to explain if there are plans to repair the roads, clear the drainage and fix streetlights.

No sense having valueless cents

Who would imagine a coin as small as the 50 cents would provoke a debate that has remained unresolved for months? Mr Muasya Phillip adds his two cents’ worth to the issue by asking the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) to either issue a statement clarifying the status of the coin or withdraw it.

"With the high rate of inflation, the coin has become a worthless piece of metal, and most traders no longer accept it," says Muasya.

He claims there might be a conspiracy between CBK and some supermarkets to keep the ‘worthless’ coin in circulation by forcing it on customers.

Has ministry lost the energy to tame Big Oil?

The Ministry of Energy and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) have a way of blowing hot and cold, making us all think the proposed regulation of petroleum products prices is just around the corner. But, as PointBlank has maintained since July, last year, the cheers will only come when the ERC shifts gears from rhetoric to implementing the proposals.

While it may be true Big Oil has tried to reduce prices, the margins remain exploitative. Besides, there is no guarantee the oil companies will not revert to their greedy ways. As we said on February 20 (‘Spineless regulator mum on taming slimy Big Oil’), PointBlank refuses to be distracted. So, when should we expect price controls, Minister Kiraitu Murungi?

Point of Order

Kibera criminals are back in full force

The insecurity that our reader NA in Kibera’s Ayany estate thought was a thing of the past, after some effective police patrols, seems to have returned with a vengeance. The worst spot is near Ayany Primary School.

"Until two weeks ago, residents had reason to smile. There was an especially effective police officer who made the thugs move to other areas. For a while Kibera residents enjoyed a life free of thuggery," he says.

But this is all in the past. The vigilant officer is no longer seen and there are less patrols. In the last two weeks, claims NA, criminals have attacked motorists and pedestrians, robbing them at gunpoint.

"They have become so courageous that they no longer wait for nightfall. Last week they tied up a watchman before taking over a whole court and terrorising tenants. A day before, they carjacked some residents and drove off with them before abandoning them next to the Nairobi Showgrounds. And two days ago they attacked a motorists at 3pm," he claims.

Could Police Commissioner Hussein Ali order more patrols and return the effective cop?

Corrupt officials giving refugees documents

Mr Nafis Mohamed, a Kenyan of Somali origin, says his heart is bleeding after witnessing the actions of a few corrupt Immigration Ministry officials, police officers and brokers at Nyayo House, Nairobi.

"Since the Government decided that Kenyan Somalis be subjected to interviews before getting travel documents, it effectively relegated them to the level of refugees from Somalia. But rather than help matters, these supposedly strict rules have opened the doors for the refugees to use unorthodox means to get documents, thanks to corrupt and unethical officers," he says.

Mohamed is dismayed that the refugees secure their passports and ID cards faster than their Kenyan counterparts thanks to the Muqalis (a Somali word for brokers).

Many of the brokers and officials, he says, have become millionaires as a result of the shenanigans. Mohamed asks Immigration Minister Otieno Kajwang’ to investigate the corruption claims.

"I am willing to identify the people involved if need be," he says.

Which fish market?

GA says the troubles of another stockbroker at the "Notafishmarket Stock Exchange (NSE)" is further proof of the need for reforms. And all the while, he adds, the fish stalls at Nairobi’s City Market remain stable. Come on GA, this is not about the Nairobi Stock Exchange, is it?