Why picking running mates, soul mates are no easy tasks

There were ‘wows’ and ‘oohs’ from the public as presidential candidates unveiled their running mates. “Ooh, Why him? Wow! What a perfect match!”

What political spectators should know is that choosing a running mate is a painstaking task. It is as hard as choosing a soulmate – the person you intend to make your wife/husband. If you make a bad choice, you’ll live a life of frustrations. S/he will not give you food, will insult you and kick you where it hurts most. You might even catch such people telling your most guarded secrets to the world: “Maina, King’ang’i, let me te-rro you. Mine even pees in bed. Bure kabisa (useless).”

Dirty linens

That’s is why some candidates took eons to make a choice. You don’t want a running mate with a name that stinks like a skunk. You don’t want to pick one whose appetite for public money is unquenchable or one who’ll air your dirty linens in public. Why, because to quote Chinua Achebe, “a man who brings home ant-infested faggots should not complain if he is visited by lizards.” Criticise them, like or hate them, but the aspirants put a lot of thought into their choices.

 

Client cries over ‘broke’ Co-op card 

Mr Kennedy Obara is accusing Co-operative Bank of Kenya of humiliating him before his family. He claims to have deposited Sh931 on January 16 at 4pm over the counter. At 7.30pm the same day, he went to Nakumatt supermarket for “normal shopping” with his wife and sons. After picking the goods, he proceeded to the teller intending to pay with his Co-operative debt visa card. To his dismay, he was informed that the card was short of cash.

He returned the goods and shame-facedly shepherded his crestfallen family out of the shop, empty-handed. The next day he went to his bank to seek clarification, but the person at the customer’s desk allegedly told him that he could not explain what the problem was.

He was back to the supermarket two days later and picked goods worth Sh1,009.  But just like previously, he was informed that his account had insufficient cash.

“I wonder why my bank refused to honour my card yet I had enough funds,” he mourns and asks the bank to apologise and consider paying him damages for causing him embarrassment. He can be reached on 0726541155.

Kemsa: Medicinal or toxic smoke?

The Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (Kemsa) warehouse in Embakasi went up in smoke (and we need to be told what or who caused the fire) last Saturday along with drugs worth millions of shillings.

Incredibly, the gutted building continued spewing pungent smoke for days after the fire, according to Ms Lucy Kawira.

The warehouse neighbours residential areas namely Nyayo Estate, Embakasi Village, Baraka, Simba Villas, and Army Barracks.

Kawira, a resident of Nyayo Estate in Embakasi, is perturbed that no public health body has stepped forward to explain whether the smoke, caused by burning drugs has medicinal value or to warn them in case it is toxic and potentially a harmful to health.

Our health

“We have a constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment and need to know what measures Kemsa is taking to arrest the situation as we believe isn’t good for our health,” says Kawira.

Can the Ministries of Medical Services, Public Health, National Environment Management Authority or anyone else who cares assure the residents over their health safety?

 

Did school expel students over poor performance?    

Due to the urgency of the matter at hand, PointBlank would like to know whether Education minister Mutula Kilonzo has launched investigations into complaints that were made by a parent recently. The parent, on January 16, alleged in this column that Makuri Girls High School in Tharaka Nithi had expelled eight students who scored grade D (plain) in last year’s Form Three examinations and forced another six, who scored grade D (plain) to repeat. We know fully well that schools are under pressure to perform well, but we also know that the Ministry of Education does not condone expulsion of students or even forced class repetition over non-performance. That’s why we requested the Education to probe the allegations and, if true, save the hapless students from needless punishment. Did you probe the matter Mr Kilonzo?