Mystery of flush buttons on SGR, and the bitter-sweet drink of classes

A section of Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) train at Syokimau in Nairobi.[David Njaaga, Standard]

I took the SGR to the Coast last weekend, partly because I like it when upcountry folks have cleared from the beaches, after camping there not to swim, but to watch the ocean and take selfies about their Christmas at sea.

Yes, I did get to the sea, but no, I did not take any selfies because I don’t do clichés. I just wanted to enjoy the sea breeze and breeze back to the city, rejuvenated. The highlight of the trip was a friend who happened upon some refreshingly sweet juice squeezed from yellow passion and green mangoes.

We spent the rest of our holiday scrounging for all the yellow passions and green mangoes we could find at the local market, then agonised about getting them through the SGR security screenings without pouring out!

The sip that I enjoyed the most, however, was an alcoholic beverage that I won’t disclose because I am not paid to market beer brands, but it left a bitter taste when the announcement on SGR declared that the cafeteria was only open to First Class passengers.

When shall we end this upumbavu, Kenya Railways, and treat all Kenyans equally? Why this compartmentalised service? Does it mean Second and Third class passengers have no pangs of hunger or thirst, which is restricted to First Class passengers only? Bure kabisa.

But what takes the biscuit on SGR is the lavatory. The flush button is one of the mysteries that requires hours to crack, because it is coded in Chinese!