CHIEF WALKERS: Having to trek 15km to reach a local chief when one has a grievance is not funny at all. This is what the people of West Maragoli location in Vihiga have to contend with, says Japheth Amugada. The location stretches from Wangulu Secondary School in the east to Kegondi Secondary School in the west, but the chief’s office is in Kegondi. “This is very inconvenient for the people whose homes are in Wangulu, as they have to walk the 15km to report a matter an assistant chief can’t handle. There are no regular matatus and the boda-bodas are very expensive.” The chief’s office should be at a central place, such as the Chavakali-Kaimosi junction. His contact is [email protected]
****
SPRING OF RISK: There is a rich natural resource that some residents in Nakuru County have only been too glad to tap for their own benefit, as it comes free of charge, but could also pose a health risk, says James Muriithi King’au, about a hot spring that runs along the Molo-Mau Summit road. The locals, he reports, have been flocking to the place to tap the hot water gushing from underneath a cliff. “Some of the water is carted away for domestic use, while the rest is used for laundry at the site.” James strongly feels that, as a matter of public health interest, this water should be subjected to tests, as “it could be laden with high levels of fluoride that would be hazardous to the public, especially the very young”. His contact is [email protected]
****
DOWN THE DRAIN: There is no road in Nairobi that has been talked about in recent days as much as General Mathenge Road in Westlands, which residents claim is falling apart a few months after a tidy sum was spent on refurbishing it. Shelly Naito takes issue with the contractors that had been given the job. “The repairs have been done continuously, including the recent job, which is being washed away by the current rains.” She faults the leaders for not taking serious precautions against disasters. “We are wasting time on agendas that do not improve the people’s welfare. There is a lot of business on General Mathenge Road in Westlands and Parklands. We just need good roads.” Her contact is [email protected]
****
WIND OF FORTUNE: Kusi, the name of the upcoming international ideas festival in Kigali, Rwanda, for heads of states, entrepreneurs, innovators and other experts, derived from a southerly monsoon trade wind in the Indian Ocean, Dr Jeremiah Akumu notes, resonates with the traditional folklore in the lakeside, where he comes from. He adds: “I’ve just learnt of the origin and meaning of Kusi. I am surprised that in the tongue of my father, who came from Kisumo near Nam Lolwe, currently called Kisumu near Lake Victoria, Kalausi has some semblance to a windstorm or whirlwind. This makes me believe that we were all initially one, but we have got disintegrated slowly as time goes by.” His contact is [email protected]
Have a fascinating day, won’t you!
