NAIROBI, KENYA, Nov. 22 - If you have read the Bible, you might have come across Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan. This is the man who helped a traveller who had been beaten, robbed, and left half dead along the road. But before he got help a priest had passed by and avoided him. Then moments later, a Levite also came across the injured man and looked the other way.
It was the Samaritan, however, who did the human thing and helped the man. It appears there were many bad priests and Levites those days. But they certainly can’t beat our record.
We have the most callous brand of Levites who ever walked the earth. They are so mean that they not only leave the injured to bleed to death, but also rub salt into their injury by robbing them. Sadly, they are all over town praying to their god that an accident happens or terrorists spill some blood.
They were aplenty in Eastleigh, ferreting bloody, dead bodies and turning the dying in search of cash and mobile handsets. These are the latter day Levites—the living dead, who have not even a single drop of humanity left in their veins. God save us.
Bank client loses cash via remote ATM
Edwin Gachie is a loyal customer of Kenya Commercial Bank—so loyal that he has several accounts with the bank. However, his loyalty was slightly shaken on October 29 when Sh8,000 was withdrawn from his account via an ATM. The transaction was traced to Kipande House in Nairobi.
Interestingly, on the day the cash was withdrawn in Nairobi, he was faraway in Nyahururu where he resides and works. Furthermore, he was in possession of his ATM card.
When he discovered the theft, Gachie reported the matter to KCB, Nyahururu branch on November 1 and his card ATM was deactivated. He was asked to write a complaint letter, which he promptly did.
He visited his River Road branch on November 15 and was surprised to learn that no progress had been made on the issue. In fact, he was asked to write another complaint letter.
“Nothing has been forthcoming...Please help me recover my cash since I don’t want to leave this bank because of my businesses,” he says. Githui can be reached at edwingithui@gmail.com or 0734126933.
Contractor builds chaos on road
Residents of Kabaru location in Nyeri County recently took to the streets to protest the poor state of their roads, which have been rendered impassable by the current rains.
According to Annastasia Wanyika, the residents were angry because the contractor assigned to carry out repairs ignored their advise to stop building the road during the rainy season.
He excavated the road and in the process created a muddy mess, which made motoring along Tagwa-Kabaru road impossible.
Kabaru location is an agricultural rich are and is one of the main suppliers of fresh produce to Karatina market. But with the newly “built” road, farmers are incurring huge losses and watch helplessly as their vegetables go to waste.
“I have lost about 2000 cabbages, which I have fed to my cattle since I can’t reach the market,” said Mr Muthee, a farmer. If the rains continue, the residents will have endure more suffering as this road is their only link to the civilised world.
Can the Kenya Rural Roads Authority come to the aid of these poor souls?
DON’T YOU FORGET
Did Kampala Coach probe assault allegations?
Ms Anne Eboi, a regular traveller to Kigali, Rwanda, wrote to PointBlank on September 6 complaining that she had been mistreated by crew of Kampala Coach Bus Services. Eboi and her friend booked bus (Reg. No. KBN 901F) on September 5 and were to be picked up in Eldoret. However, when the bus arrived, there were no seats reserved for them as agreed. When they asked why, the driver rudely told them that he “wasn’t concerned and they should ask whoever did the booking”. In the ensuing exchange, Eboi said the driver jumped out of the bus, ran after her friend and assaulted her. When her friend went to complain at their office, the bus drove off with her luggage, which was later left in their Bungoma offices. Did the management of Kampala Coach investigate these serious allegations by their customer?
Where Probox is as good as a bus
Kisii is in a class of its own when it comes to impunity on the road, according to Mr Motari David who claims that public service vehicles there routinely flout traffic rules.
Passengers, whether in 14-seater matatus or the small probox vehicles are parked with passengers in excess of required carrying capacity, he says. Motari says a Probox can carry more than 10 passengers, including luggage, while a 14-seater matatus carry more than 20 passengers and “easily go past traffic police road blocks”. “Traffic commanders should swing into action and discourage this habit,” he says.
