El Nino reminds me of 1996/1997, bare chest and in sandak flip-flop in the slopes of the elegant snow-capped Mt. Kenya. My cousins and I were ‘sliding’ – (‘Munyoowee’ we called it) on slopes and diving in the little rivers created by the heavy down pour without a care in the world, it drove Mama crazy and when she caught up with us in the dim-lit, smoke-filled little kitchen in the village of Gatuyaini, Nyeri County chilling cries would be heard ridges over, mind you, the very next day we would be on the very antics again! She would yell, hiss and puff with anger but we were too swift for her, God bless her! Green grass, too much water and loads of fun was all I can remember about that thing they called ‘El nino’ and the presidential elections, we don’t talk much about them but the party with a symbolic ‘lantern’ was resoundingly defeated by the ‘Jogoo’ party and I had two months of school holiday!
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| Wading through... |
We have little faith with our public institution to say the least don’t blame Kenyans for it, the institutions have relentlessly and emphatically failed us for the past five decades and when the Metrological department mentioned this phenomenon that has a Spanish name, I had faith that he trusted not what he said. For months they had sermonized how we need to build an ark but I am yet to see one.
There is a group of ‘Fat’ fingers housed in the government ‘lodge’ code named parliament and these #MPigs have for the longest period ever discussed and mitigated around disaster preparedness. Personally, I think the rot in the society is properly vested and portrayed in each ‘hog’ and with every possible means they mint and mince the public for each and every coin. Yes, I agree we need to be ready for the El Nino ‘thing’ – and thus the ‘El Nino Billions’. So much was the hype that I imagined the wetlands of South C Estate would never need canoes again, but I guess the only deep pockets clogged are those of duty bears, clogged with ‘El-Nino billions’ as the rest of us get submerged in poverty and now sewage littered Nairobi waters. We talk too much as Kenyan, about the problem never the solution. In the Perception Corruption Index 2012, Kenya is ranked 139th out of 176 countries, pathetic right? This rich history spans the era of Jomo Kenyatta, Moi, Mwai and Uhuru. Did I mention ‘Kidero grass’ that was planted in plastic bags and later leased back to the owners till Pope’s visit… the narrative is no longer annoying just amusing in that one Ps Mangiti presented an audited budget to a committee sitting and days later disowns his own masterpiece. Don’t ask if we have an emergency fund, but the need to buy a 16 cylinder twin turbo monster supersedes that of a drowning middle aged lady in
Syokimau, Nairobi. And the rains continue to pound.
50 Million. That’s the amount set aside to unclog the drainage but surprisingly on my way home we drove in a river. Strangely rains water had decided to follow me home. If any work was done to improve drainage in Nairobi then it must have been done in the near future! I had to wade through dangerously accelerating waters to get to my house and the pit developing on the access road is on an epic deep and when I asked my local county representative he said the road isn’t my mothers’ and I agree, my grandparent faithful fought for independence but by the time the war ended its spoils had already been shared. They said I need to know my rights but what do I do with the knowledge?
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| My pedals, man... |
I am yet to understand a modern ombrophobia phenomenon only Narobians exhibit, whenever a drop hits the ground we all get panic attacks and abandon whatever we are doing and jump into our cars and it’s a mad dash to try and get home, and by grace we turn the whole city into a parking lot! I guess Kenneth Kaunda was not speaking to us when he said a gentleman is never dictated by weather, and ladies too for gender equity and equality. As city residents slowly cruise into their nests in the leafy, well-manicured lawns and proper drained communities we the city dwellers claw slowly in the public transport marred by mayhem into shanty town that dot the city map. The resident complains of stomach ulcers caused by too much spices in their meals, as a dweller I sleep my stomach rumbling; I couldn’t make a meal: Mama Mboga Kiosk was swept away by the raging waters; El Nino is here with us.
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| Super WaterWay! |
At 4am in the old rickety jalopy bus, heading to my station of work I reminisce of the cool morning, sunny days and predictable raining we had in the past. The good old times, when prices were reasonable and opportunities many but today whenever I turn with my degree papers they say ‘we are trimming’ the work force the new synonym of ‘Hakuna Kazi’. All we are left to do is hustle a term synonymous with working in a field we know nothing about, welcome to the ‘Jua Kali’ sector.
Whenever the sky turns black my heart is riddled with fear and worry, I am quite sure I will spend two dollars to get home, yet I make less than a dollar per day in a country where an elected member of parliament makes four hundred dollars in a day! How do I break even? Talk of equality! If only we get the political question right, Kenyan will prosper but for now I have to live with people who continually and religious rape and molest the dreams and aspiration of the Kenyan people the effects of hiring goons and thugs to lead this great nation we need redemption even El Nino cannot wash our misdeeds away!
(Opinions are my own)
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