Time Nguyai did some work in his own backyard

Time Nguyai did some work in his own backyard

Charles Ndegwa

Kikuyu constituency is the home of Local Government Assistant Minister Lewis Nguyai.

However, the deplorable state of road in the environs and estates around Kikuyu town do not speak of a man who can crack the whip and get the Kikuyu County Council to stir from its deep slumber and get down to work.

If you are not in the picture, let PointBlank fill you in. The dusty donkey ruts that pass for roads in Kidfarmaco, and the one just after the bridge that goes to the Kikuyu Country Resort, are in such a poor state that residents are dreading the onset of the rainy season and the accompanying knee-deep mud.

Crowd puller

The resort is a major crowd puller especially on weekends, and it just won’t do for motorists to be counting losses every time they drive up to spend quality time with their families.

It has been three years since you were elected MP. What will you tell you dusty and muddy constituents when and if you choose to defend your parliamentary seat? Will you solemnly pledge, again, to ensure that the roads are passable?

Speed up the construction of road bumps

A concerned parent is raising the alarm over the high number of school children being killed or crippled after being hit by speeding cars on the Ngong-Kiserian road on their way to Ngong Township Primary School.

"This is a long-standing problem that does not appear to have a speedy solution. Several weeks ago, we held a demonstration before gaining audience with the DC, Mr Hiram Mwangi. He was understanding and promised to look into the matter," the parent says.

But in the meantime, it was resolved that the school would hire people to be assisting the children cross the road. The school paid them for the first two weeks while Mr Mwangi paid for the third week.

"However, in the long run, this arrangement is not sustainable. And while we understand that our MP George Saitoti’s plate is full (presumably because he’s running the Internal Ministry and Foreign Affairs dockets), we would be grateful if he could intervene in this matter. The bumps that were situated at Ngong Stadium before being removed several years ago should be re-built," is this parent’s plea.

Shareholder pained by delay

While Ms Susan Kasera appreciates the services offered by Custody and Registrars Services Ltd (CRS), she believes there is room for improvement.

"My father has been trying to immobilise Express Kenya share certificates and to say the process has been long and tedious would be an understatement. He started the process in July last year and has been at it ever since," she says.

The list of requirements is long, and he was once required to travel back to Kendu Bay to get his chief to write a letter stating that he does not possess an electricity utility bill. But worst of all, the officer who serves you today in their offices at Bruce House is not the same one who will serve you next time if your matter is not sorted out.

Extra mile

"These hiccups just add to the complication and misunderstanding. I wish CRS would appreciate that some people have to travel from very far and go an extra mile to help them sort out their issues. In stark contrast, it only took him a day to immobilise his Jubilee Insurance shares," laments Susan.

Her e-mail address is kasha73@hotmail .com.

No signal from Safaricom staff

Mr Ken Kithaka says several weeks have passed since Safaricom subscribers who live along the Ol-Kalou-Nyahururu road requested and got audience with the mobile firm’s engineers.

"The issue was over erratic and sometimes non-existent network coverage. The Safaricom staff came and confirmed that there was indeed a problem with their signal and promised to get back to us. But so far, nothing has been done and no explanation has been forthcoming," he said.

Could CEO Bob Collymore get involved and come to his subscribers’ rescue?

MoU between KPLC and cops will be illuminating

The last we heard from a police officer attached to the Nyamaya Police Station in Gucha Division was that electricity was still a foreign commodity (Powerless police station still in the dark ages, February 11).

"Imagine when police officers have to write reports, they are forced to use torches to see what they are doing. Sometimes a small lantern is provided, which barely provides sufficient illumination," our source had revealed. He had gone on to narrate that provision of clean drinking water was a mirage and how officers were forced to put in ancient, wooden houses that had seen better days.

Now that rural electrification has become a reality, can’t Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere strike a deal with KPLC to light up these officers’ world?