Heap heap, hurray! Now Nyeri town’s full of garbage

Mike Owuor

We regret to announce the sad demise of Town Planning in Nyeri. The deceased’s death knell was apparently sounded when the myopic Municipal Council supposedly failed to acquire a new location for the town’s tonnes of garbage.

What followed was an inconsiderate decision, which dealt a fatal blow to our beloved Town Planning, who was known as an organised and visionary person.

The council, in all its stinking wisdom, turned Jan Mohammed Recreational Park, which is in the Asian Quarters, into a dumpsite. We suppose a certain haughty Mr I-Don’t-Care and his sidekicks, the rash Mr Knee-Jerk and Mr Stopgap, informed the move.

Causing a stink

We imagine that after the feat, these chaotic characters and their ilk, including the filthy Mr Housefly, joined municipal officials in shouting, "Heap heap, hurray!" as mountains of garbage piled up in the estate.

Meanwhile, residents hold their breath in the hope that a religious outfit like Figure of God or Kingdom Forsakers will pray for the resurrection of Town Planning and return of common sense to the council.

Risky road that drives reader crazy

The road between City Cabanas and Old Airport is so chaotic that Stephen Onyango fears it is only a matter of time before something more tragic than the daily minor accidents occurs. His description leaves no doubt that City Council of Nairobi and the police should restore order on this road.

"Cyclists, handcart pushers, pedestrians, hawkers and motorists share a single lane that is riddled with potholes the size of craters. To make matters worse, long haul trailers are parked on both sides of the road," he says.

This denies pedestrians use of the footpath and forces them to walk on the road, putting lives at risk.

Although the road was rehabilitated in 2008, Onyango says its current condition tells a lot about the standard of work. He points out that City Hall should start with the section between Transami and Kenol/Kobil Petrol Station.

"This quagmire is the cause of incessant traffic jams and accidents. The other day a water tanker run over a handcart pusher and motorcyclist. It was a ghastly scene, and more will follow as every road user shares this squeezed space called a road," he warns.

Constituency bursary worry

Long after schools reopened, Mr David Too alleges Ainamoi Constituency Development Fund (CDF) bursary is yet to be sent to various education institutions.

This, he notes, means needy students who rely on the bursary have been sent home for fees as their counterparts continue with studies.

"Some college students cannot register for the semester before clearing fees," he says

Too asks: What is the cause of this delay?

And Ms Violet Muluka wants to know the criteria used to award bursaries in Amagoro Constituency, Teso District. She gives the example of a boy who got a place at Friends School Kamusinga after scoring an impressive 376 marks in KCPE.

"His single mother is a peasant with no other means of income, but he was still not deemed deserving," she says.

Needy case

Then, adds Muluka, her daughter who studies at the University of Nairobi was also denied bursary even after getting clearance from the chief and assistant chief as a needy case. Somehow, she claims, "somebody high up" denied the student money.

"How are these bursaries awarded?" she asks.

Word-perfect world, anyone?

On a recent visit to Homa Bay town, Mr Davis Mulimi noticed an interesting warning in Akamba Hotel that seemed to add spice to the drab, "No idling here" caution: "Joy sitters are not allowed, only eaters and drinkers." Mulimi did not know what category he belonged, although he says sitting in the hotel was a joy as he ate and drank.

In the meantime, standing on the ruins of PointBlank’s spelling error, Mr Leonard Juma is amused by the ‘d’ and ‘t’ mix-up in yesterday’s caption, which created a non-existent word. The warders’ houses were certainly not ‘dilapitated’, but were surely ‘dilapidated’. That dilapidates our ego.

Take steps to make pass out parades more lively

For hours, as he waited for the pass out parade to officially begin at Eldoret Recruits Training School last year, Mr S Macharia said the boredom was unbearable (Parade fails to pass fun test, November 26). He claimed the nearest the audience came to being entertained was an annoying monologue on the microphone that started and ended with, "Sound check one-two," punctuated by "Sergeant so-and-so you are needed at the dais!"

Macharia’s suggestion to Defence Minister Yusuf Haji was that there needed to be a bit of "loosening up" and entertainment: "The Armed Forces are known to be very good and innovative entertainers. At least there could have been some demos to occupy bored guests. Please consider something better for the audience next time."