These greedy poli-ticks will milk poor Kenyans to death

No one has ever described Kenya more aptly than Tanzania’s  founding father, the late Mwalimu Julius Kabarage Nyerere.  Kenya is, indeed, a man-eat man society. No wonder, we were ranked recently as the third most unequal society in the world.

The country has a huge disparity between the minority rich and the majority poor. The rich are obscenely wealthy and poor extremely needy. And this will forever be the case as those who are supposed to ameliorate the suffering of the poor, by crafting better legislation, are busy designing how to amass more wealth for themselves.

The most pressing matter for our new MPs, just like their predecessors, is better pay for themselves. Sh5 million donation  luxury cars is peanuts, they want the figure upped to Sh7 million. Sadly, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission has partly given in to this lot’s mischief. Who will protect us from these avaricious leaders?

Well, we called it upon ourselves when agreed to increased the number of MPs. By the way what work do they do besides shouting in Parliament?

Help ease pensioners’ pain, Uhuru

Mr James O Kihali remembers two past Finance ministers for different reasons. Mr David Mwiraria, he says, ordered pensioners’ money to be locked up until they attained the age of 55 years before earning it and caused pensioners a lot of suffering.

However, Uhuru Kenyatta, now President, showed great concern for pensioners and not only reduced the age limit one can start earning pension to 50 but also removed tax on pension income of up to Sh25,000.

“Currently, everyone is talking about helping the youth, the marginalised, the challenged, the women but no one appears to remember the retirees.  These are people who need help even more to make their lives a bit comfortable,” says Kihali.

As part of “public participation” in budget making, Kihali suggests that the Uhuru Government should go a step further and make pension tax-free for all.

“Pension amount is small and miserably inadequate. Besides, pensioners paid taxes when they were in active employment. Why follow them into retirement and tax their meagre income as well?” Why, Finance ministry?

Superhighway’s shortcut to death

There is a disaster in waiting  at Ngara, Nairobi that J Mwago would like the  Director General of Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) to help avert before it is too late.

Mr Mwago explains that after the completion of the footbridge in the area, a fence was erected to separate the two sides of the highway.

This effectively forced pedestrians to use the footbridge for their own safety and that of motorists.

However, those who built the fence left a small opening in the fence which now pedestrians and mikokotenis are now using  as a shortcut to cross the road.

“The resultant crowding is exposing them to the possibility of being run over by the motorists as well endangering motorists’ lives,” he says.

 Mwago recently witnessed a motorist being beaten, almost to death, by a mob after he hit a mkokoteni at the spot.

He also wonders why the  Nairobi County Government  has  “allowed” hawkers to use part of the Thika super-highway. “And why allow pedestrians  to compete with motorists for use of the Globe-roundabout fly-over? Please do something urgently!”

DON’T YOU FORGET

Did police finally arrest  highway robbers?  

Mr Haggai Aura wrote to PointBlank on November 6, 2012, saying  he had lost faith in the police force. Last year, Aura was attacked by criminals, along with 40 other bus passengers and robbed of  his effects, including a mobile phone. Most of the passengers too lost their money, phones, laptops, clothes among other valuables.  They reported the incident immediately, and even made follow-ups, but finally Aura gave up after he realised that the officers he was dealing with “were not interested in pursuing the gang”. And he had a good reason for making the conclusion. His stolen phone had a tracking function, which alerts him every time there is SIM-card change. “My phone circulates among seven users, which is the same number of gunmen who robbed us,” he said, wondering why police wouldn’t arrest them.

Bright and dark side of elections  

Mombasa resident R Munkunza would not mind another General Election. During the campaigns for the recent polls, Munkunza says the roads close to his residential estate of Bustani in Maweni, Kongowea were fitted with streetlights all the way from beach road to Maweni Primary.

However, immediately after the elections, the lights were switched off and to date they have never been lit up again.

 “In addition, the same beach road to Maweni is now impassable due to the ongoing rains,” says Munkunza.  Who stole Maweni’s light rights, Governor Hassan Joho?

Right of Reply
Any plans to grade Kabendera road, Kieni Roads Committee?
I complained to the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (Kerra) through Pointblank on February 26 over the state of Kamariki-Kabendera Road in Kieni West District, Nyeri County which was partially graded and a section of 1.2km left undone.

Kerra admitted that following the prioritisation for grading of the 4.5km road by the Kieni Constituency Roads Committee last financial year, only part of the road was graded, gravelled and had drainage works done.

It also admitted that the remaining sections of the road, a 1.2km stretch leading to the Nyeri-Nyahururu Road Junction remains in extremely poor condition.

Kerra said it had placed a request with the Kieni Constituency Roads Committee to consider including the remaining section under their allocation of the Roads Maintenance Levy Funds.

The people of Kamariki Village are still suffering over the poor condition of this road which is currently not motorable. The road has been worsened by the on-going rains. I am just wondering whether the Kieni Constituency Roads Committee ever included the remaining section of the road under their allocation of the Roads Maintenance Levy Funds and, if so, when works will start.

As the committee will appreciate, this is an important road and that is why it was prioritised in the first place.

Water drained from the completed section has been destroying the incomplete section since drainage work has not been  done.

Kerra noted that it intended to alleviate challenges experienced by pupils of Kabendera Primary School in accessing the school during the wet weather. However, this objective was not fully achieved since students from Kamariki who also go to the same school, feel discriminated as their part of the road was not done.

C Ndung’u,

Nyeri

Lucky Summer’s unlucky lot

I would like to add my voice to yesterday’s plea by a resident of Lucky Summer in Nairobi (Where thugs go for summer holiday). The thugs roam the estate during the day and night.

The criminals are well known and their names have been forwarded to the OCS, Ruaraka but no action has been taken so far. Rarely do we see police from Ruaraka patrolling here. Inspector General David Kimaiyo, how much longer are we going to be terrorised in Lucky Summer estate?

Concerned resident,

Lucky Summer