Why errant drivers should be made to hold ‘idiot’ signs

Many Kenyan motorists would easily brand a judge, who gave a woman an usual punishment for a traffic offence in Ohio, USA, an idiot. The   woman was arrested after she was caught on camera driving on a sidewalk to pass a school bus that was unloading children.

The Solomonic judge’s sentence? The woman was ordered to hold a sign at a busy road junction that read: “Only an idiot would drive on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus.” Well, she served her sentence under the glare of passersby and media cameras.

Notably, our new traffic laws have caused jubilation and mourning in the equal measure. While some are celebrating and hoping that the laws will help rein in careless drivers, motorists fear the prospects of being thrown into jail for a very long time for what appears like “small sins”.

This is where the idiot sign should come in. Perhaps our judges should borrow a leaf from their counterpart in Ohio? There is only one hiccup. Our sidewalks would be filled with people waving idiot signs. How stupid.

‘Rally’ drivers stun animals in park

The Kenya Wildlife Service  should crack down on motorists who speed inside parks, particularly at the Nairobi National Park. A concerned wildlife lover adds that residents neighbouring the park who have annual passes are the worst culprits.

He alleges that such motorists use the park as a shortcut every day and “instead of maintaining the speed limit and trying to conserve the environment, they endanger the wildlife and other motorists”.

“I witnessed the arrogance of one such driver on November 14 at East Gate. Not only did he expect those ahead of the line to be dropped and ignored so he could be served, but when this didn’t happen he started hooting and then jumped out of the car and demanded to be let through because he had a pass. In the park he overtook us and sped off.”

Pass holders, he says, should be made to understand that the national park is not a highway, byway or official shortcut for those in a rush. “Don’t go through the park when you are in a rush. There’s a reason why its called a national park and not the national freeway, he says. Or are parks highways as well, KWS?

Tired of waiting for service at Yana

Mr Kevin Avitsa, a long time customer of Yana Tyre Centre in Kisumu, says the branch has exemplary service and technicians who go an extra mile to give you tidbits on the mechanical condition of your vehicle not to forget the good services that they offer.

But he is now considering looking for an alternative shop after a recent visit to his favourite shop left him “dejected and inconvenienced”.

Avitsa and other customers were forced to wait for nearly two hours to enter the tyre shop, which he says is hidden inside a godown.

“That has been the norm ever since the tyre centre was moved from Nairobi Road. The meaning of coming to such a shop is lost because there is no difference with visiting to a jua kali garage,” says Avitsa.

Convenience

He adds: “I believe the management of Yana Tyre Centre Kisumu can do better than this. They should always remember that customers go to a place where there is convenience.”

Avitsa suggests that the Yana creates and alternative entrance to the workshop.

He  can be reached at kevitsa@yahoo.com.

DON’T YOU FORGET

Did Citi Hoppa probe commuter’s allegations?

On September 14, Ms Eunice Wanjiru wrote on PointBlank complaining that she overcharged while commuting on one of Citi Hoppa’s buses in the city. She claimed that on September 12 she boarded their Umoja estate-bound bus (Reg. No. KBS 716T) at 8pm at the Tusker terminus along Ronald Ngala Street.

The conductor announced that the fare would be Sh80. Most of the customers, Wanjiru included, gave him Sh100 expecting a change of Sh20. Amazingly, the conductor refused to give them change and was even rude when they asked why. In addition, he alighted before the final destination and left the passengers in shock.

“Is this the way to treat customers?” she asked and threatened to “hop away” from the bus company. Did Citi Hoppa investigate this unfortunate incident?

Help sought on Dickens’ work

Kaka Joss has an interesting programme on KBC which advocates for unadulterated Kiswahili language. Perhaps he can be of help to Mr Githuku Mungai who needs translation for a sentence he read in Charles Dickens’ Hard Times which reads thus: “Detected as the Bully of humility, who had built his windy reputation upon lies, and in his boastfulness had put the honest truth as far away from him as if he had advanced the mean claim (there is no meaner) to back himself on to a pedigree, he cut a most ridiculous figure.”

Mungai can be reached at githukumungai@gmail.com.

Right of Reply

iLima won’t  reveal paints with dangerous lead levels

Our attention has been drawn to an article dated November 14 in PointBlank’s “Don’t You Forget” section. We  wish to respond as follows:

The study on lead levels in paint was indeed carried out by our organisation iLima.

The objective of the study was part of a global campaign to eliminate lead in paint in the developing countries and countries with economies in transition to establish and implement safe chemical policies and practices to protect human health and the environment.

This was part of a global sampling carried out to draw attention of global policy makers to the lack of policy and legislative controls to regulate the use of lead in domestic products.

Other studies conducted, for example lead in toys in India and USA also revealed similar high levels, thus endangering the well being of children.

Lead is one of the heavy metals alongside mercury, cadmium, silver, among others, that have been identified to merit stricter control due to health concerns.

It may benefit the public to know that other than the health problems we enumerated, recent publications indicate that the end of the vast Roman empire could have been occasioned by lead. They used it as wine sweetener and this subsequently made them physically weak.

Extremely high levels of lead have been found in the skeletal remains  of the Romans of that epoch.

Our study chose to study lead in paints even though other sources of lead like car batteries equally poison and pollute.

We are legally constrained to name the companies since we as a country do not have statutory legal limits of lead in various products.

We have shared our findings with concerned government authorities who have their own mechanisms of taking action.

Cecilia Ng’ang’a,

Manager,

ILima

Point of Order

‘Bombed’ Kasarani road  makes the going difficult

Residents of Kasarani, Nairobi feel not only neglected but also despised, according to Hiuhu K. He says while many link roads have been repaired, the leading to Kasarani “looks like it has just been bombed”.

“It is sad that we spend 20 minutes from city centre to Kasarani and one hour to do the remaining 1km to our houses,” he mourns. That’s some real shocking news for Kenya Urban Roads Authority, Mr Hiuhu.