You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Veews' category.
There is a lot of stuff going on in my country, most of which I’m not entirely sure I understand. One of them is the Media bill that has managed to cause problems at exactly the same time last year. I hear that all is good with it except for the part where the Minister of Information has a right to raid media stations and take what they decide is banishable equipment and information. Personally, I think that’s just a bad idea because it’s tantamount to giving the estate watchman the right to come yank your TV out of your house because you are watching something that is likely to pit you against the estate management of the day. Yes that example is far fetched but it proves the point that the said clause is that ridiculous! In any case I am not expert in the matter of the said bill but I do have a heart and that’s what I am going to speak with in this post.
On the evening of February 28th 2008 we all watched in glee as President Kibaki and Right PM Raila shook hands with Kofi Annan to start the process of forming the coalition government. I’m not sure if it was because that meant the end of the fighting or because we actually believed in the new government structure. Which ever it is there are people right now in the cold and/or hot sun under flimsy structures they have called their homes for the passed 10months who can barely remember that day because they were hearing of the news from the very same flimsy structures they are in now. Despite the fact that some might have been moved to other camps, or others tried to go back home and others did a smart thing by buying land together, either way these are people who only last year were able bodied and capable of sustaining their lives something they are dearly struggling with as I write this. These are people who believed that their vote is a guarantee of a secure future for both them and their families. These are people who today have lost all hope in a system of government that promised to ensure that their basic needs and freedom of living in this country would be catered for. These people are Kenyans whose basic but clear lesson that is never to be forgotten is that once you become a Kenyan Member of Parliament selective amnesia checks in and it is only slightly curable come the next general elections.
The thing we didn’t realize on that 28th day of February is that with a coalition government there wasn’t any opposition. An opposition is basically supposed to fight the government of the day on issues that will affect the mwananchi both positively or negatively. There was some slight hullabaloo a few months ago about the formation of the grand opposition; and the question begs of where those that were calling for this grand idea are right now? Or have they realized the momentous task that is defending the people of Kenya? Have they realized that it is better to be ensconced in the backseat of privilege and fortune rather than on front line of making sure that every Kenyan gets his rights, gets a home, gets his maize that constitutes a major part of all the “probable” 3 square meals a day? Let it be noted that the very people in the government right now and especially the President and his Prime Minister were only less than 10 years ago fighting with Wanjiku on the various battles against the Moi Regime; and that they, especially the Prime Minister was harassed by the very same police force that was seen shutting up and beating down one Mr. Odhiambo and locking up activists, journalists and youths on our 45th birthday last Friday. But not only do those in power not empathize but they don’t sympathize at all; after all they have fought their battles and long won the war of getting them within the chambers of plenty that all know are well paying, and comfortable’ whilst escalating them into the life of being among the haves of these country.
In my suggestion if the media wanted to make itself useful they should have a media black out rather than running on the streets because the very same people they are demonstrating to are the very same ones that perfected the street battles of the 90s. Let there be a Media Black out to all MPs wherever they maybe, be it in the funerals or weddings or community activities where they are said to be generously donating money from their excess allowances or even to the Jamhuri day celebrations. Black them out till they agree to pay taxes on their allowances. Black them out till every last Kenyan citizen refugee is back on their feet and homes eking a living like they were less than 12 months ago. Black them out till they realize that the very same Media they are attacking put them in the 222 seats they now occupy with much grandiose.
Let the media only report to us things that will help us wananchi move forward as a country. Let’s see on our TV screens and radio speakers stories about people and/or communities that have decided enough is enough let’s do it on our own – let us be the ones to cater for the future generations because no one else will. Let’s look to the private sector and learn from people who had start up companies only couple of years ago and are doing well because of sheer determination and hard work. Let’s look to those who get things done and bring benefit to the man on the street. Let’s do this because clearly we have very few if at all no role models in our current Parliament.
However, since everyone has freedom of speech (but only if you aren’t against the government) – IF you think I’m being absurd I request that you give me a name, just one, of an MP who is fighting tooth and nail for Wanjiku on the issues of the day.
I am waiting.
Now there are some people who might get ticked off when we say, “You know we as Kenyans, we….” mainly because humanity tends to be the same across the globe. But in our defense, we as Kenyans are very special in some nuances that we poses, whether or not others across the world do the same or not – it’s not up to me to find out but only talk of what I know.
Just before I stepped out for lunch an accident occurred right outside our office on Waiyaki Way and as I type this the sound of an ambulance is rife in the air. Gladly no one died and at least the traffic jam is easing off as we speak. But what made me write this post is the fact that as soon as I heard the screeching sound I was up on my feet ready to investigate as best I could what had occurred. It’s amazing how only 2-3 split seconds after an accident or a breakdown there is a crowd which only a few seconds before was no where to be seen; and always in this crowd is a mechanic ready to offer a hand with his tools wrapped up in a tool cloth to boot.
As soon as I set foot outside the office building I spotted a watch man with a look on concern on his face, returning from the direction of the accident. I quickly realized I could make very good use of another Kenyan tendency and save myself the trip to the scene of the accident – word of mouth. I briefly asked what happened and sure enough a quick but descriptive and accurate account of what occurred was given to me with much aplomb. I was made to understand where the car was coming from (hand gestures included), at what speed, how many passengers were present and what specifically caused the accident. The summary was that no one was hurt and it therefore seemed there was no more to report.
With such concrete information at hand I was ready to pass on the information in case anybody had the need to know… sadly there was no one so I proceeded for my lunch and decided to come share it with the world.
A number of things cause major traffic jams in Nairobi City, but I shall discuss one or two in this post. One of main causes are when the Police take over the work of traffic lights at major intersections. The second is the same Police halting traffic so that the President and his Escort(s) can move.
Now I hear that the President actually never leaves at the time he is supposed to mainly because of security. Apparently there might be leakages in his security system enough to sabotage his travels due to explicit knowledge of his travel times.
Anyway that being besides the point… I was hoping that someone would suggest the President’s travel plans be printed in the National Dailies to serve as a small heads-up to the general public who would at that time be trying to “build the nation” in various ways and means. After very little thought of that idea I immediately saw the loopholes and therefore proceeded to the next best idea (of which I think I should earn a medal):
Innovative ways to reduce traffic pile up and increase security in Nairobi.
The President must now be with the times and therefore have teleconferencing sessions from his manor on the hill. I think that would reduce the stress of him traveling from point X to Z, which in turn would reduce the fuel cost, extra security, car maintenance et al that the tax payers have to foot. It also means that he can relax at home with a blazer, shirt, tie and a pair of shorts (as so long as the camera doesn’t veer away from the area that’s from the waist down) while addressing the meeting(s).
Such a move would also help everyone in Nairobi cut their fuel costs by some significant % and also save on the time wasted on the roads while we wait for him to pass. It will also save the Police the stress of standing on the streets busy stopping traffic and once they realize they are not needed on the streets to control traffic (mainly because the Ministry of Nairobi Metropolitan has done a good job installing hi-tech, 21st Century traffic lights that actually work) they will then be transferred to the foot patrol Police squad.
This would subsequently mean that more police would be manning the streets and therefore the random CBD Terror Hold-up Gangs will be once and for all caught and/or shot dead. This basically means that we would have a safer, traffic jam free Nairobi City.
All this if only the President would teleconference.
The following hypothesis has yet to be proved in a reputable institute of research but until then it shall remain as such…
When a woman asks that dreaded question… she is most likely asking the man as a lover and not as a friend. Now the man on the other hand on hearing that question, assesses and decides that the best way to answer is as a friend and forgets to be tactful in his answer as a lover should. Hence when the lady hears the answer… she gets offended that her lover doesn’t think she looks good enough. This therefore creates the perpetual and everlasting dilemma of that being a universally accepted trick question.
As a confessed tomboy who is slowly coming into her feminine ways, I have hang out with a number of boys/men in my small short social career. It’s fun on the most part but it does get tricky at the point where you end up becoming one of the boys. Honestly it’s a frustrating place to be as you face the risk of your identity being swallowed up; and the problem with that is now the boys get very comfortable and end up treating you like a guy… but you aren’t. At the end of the day a brash comment that a man would be able to brush off might not be taken well by a lady; and the cracks start to form in that particular social group. But as I’ve learned one can slowly extract themselves from such a bind by hanging out with the boys in smaller doses but that entirely depends how much you value the individual relationship(s).
I can safely and honestly say that we all from time to time make mistakes in our communication when we don’t recognize to whom we are talking to and how we are talking to them. For example as teenagers our parents probably talked to us like children, when we really wanted to be addressed as adults and this offended us and made us rebel. The same thought to the one of the boys situation it’s all about being sensitive… otherwise we are at a risk of misrepresenting our ideas and selves. Meanwhile creating an oppurutnity of loosing out on great friendships.
Bare with me on the length of the post but the whole experience was so intricate there is no way I can miss out anything. This past week my boyfriend and I had an evening worth not forgetting. A group of people purporting to be marketers/sales people tried to not only put the wool over our eyes but put the WHOLE SHEEP over any sensory organ that was available at that time!
It all began with my regular visit to one of our local super markets over the weekend, where a young man with a bunch of papers and a pen happened upon me, asking me to fill in a questionnaire regarding my travel/vacation habits. I told him that I was tired and wasn’t in the mood for whatever he was selling, but he was so persistent even insisting on filling the key parts of the form for me to save me any stress. He proceeded to ask me for my name, number, if I travel frequently, my & my partner’s profession. At that point I was thinking this is all a little suspicious but I was tired and answering his questions seemed to be the only way out. I answered and moved on with my life with very little thought.
Then on Wednesday while I was within the quagmire of sorting out stuff at work, I get a call from one Mr. Wekesa, telling me that I had won a 2-night for 2 deal with Company X. That they had gone through the forms filled by their agents and they deemed me and my spouse worthy of winning this trip! Unless you get such calls regularly, you’ll totally understand how confused I was because for the life of me the young man at the supermarket was totally erased from my conscious and unconscious mind. Anyway Mr. Wekesa proceeded to tell me of this 6pm presentation that Company X was making that evening and that my attendance would be most imperative. I tried to ask Mr. Wekesa a number of questions regarding what he was talking about but he insisted that all my questions would be answered at the 6pm presentation. I was thinking it did no harm to say OK to a 2-day trip, it was something worth finding out about and I had nothing to lose but time. So I contacted my boyfriend and we planned to attend this mysterious event.
At 6pm we drove into a pretty new building in the Westlands area, oh and I forgot that we’d been previously been allocated Parking No. 7 & Table No. 7. So we drove in and parked but after being told by another gentleman at the parking to wait in our cars till we were instructed to enter the building. After a short 10 min wait, we were told to go to the 1st floor of the building, which we proceeded to do. We were then greeted by a young lady who gave us a form to fill, indicating our names (remember at this point I was a married woman), joint monthly income and whether or not we were willing to sit through a 90min presentation. After yet another short wait we were approached by another young lady and asked to follow her into the presentation room and have a sit. We were offered tea/coffee/water which we gladly accepted.
The presentation room was dotted with lovely and well printed images of various vacation/travel destinations. We tried to enquire as to who did the marketing paraphernalia, but we were told that it wasn’t information that she had at the top of her mind. We spent a few minutes answering our hosts questions about what we do, where we’ve traveled to recently and where our dream vacation spots are. Occasionally a ‘Manager’ would drop in on us, greeting, introducing and laughing at our pretty lame jokes. Our chat with Njoki ended earlier compared to the other couples, who seemed to have endless stories to talk about. Eventually we were asked to switch off our cell phones and listen to the much awaited presentation.
The presentation was quite dramatic, with one person speaking in English and another translating it into Swahili sentence for sentence ;much like those preachers on the streets “Ladies and gentlemen,” “Mabibi na mabwana…” sort of thing. It went on for 15 mins, they described for us the benefits of joining their vacation club, and how much we would all benefit from having a timeshare deal going on over the next 10/20 years. They also claimed affiliation to RCI and The Vacation Group, SA (tried to goggle them but it seems they don’t exist).
Then we had a short break where we were to ask questions and have a small tour of the images on the way depicting timeshare destinations available to us once we joined this exclusive club. After that we were asked to sit through another 15mins through yet another the english/swahili presentation describing to us the cost benefit of joining this timeshare club. We were given the option of 1) Finding out the amount it would cost us (which they had managed to dangle over us through the whole session) 2) Find out the amount and either join or not join 3) After saying yes or no walk out and get our 2-day complimentary stay at one of their cottages either in Mbs or Zanzibar.
The deal basically involved paying Amount X which was determined by a minimum of 7days + the number of years (either 10 or 20) + the number of family members (either 2/4/6) + the number of bedrooms (either 1bdrm for a max of 4 members or 2 bdrm for a max of 6 members) + the season (there were 3 options of Platinum/Gold/ Silver that guarantees one accommodation during hi & lo travel seasons depending on what package you chose). On top of which you are expected to pay 35,000 per annum for the next 10/20years. They claimed a 35% success rate in every group presented to.
For our package of 10 year, 4 members, gold season & one bdrm the amount was coming to 444,428/- and if we decided to join there and then we would get a 20% discount which means we would only pay 355,542/- better still if we were willing to pay cash or credit we would get a 35% discount meaning all you’d have to pay was a mere 288,878/-. If we were to go with the 20% option, we were expected to put down a deposit of no less than 80,000/- to guarantee that we were serious. BUT if we decided to come tomorrow (a mere 6 hours away) non of the discounts would be available to us and we’d not get a benefit of free membership to RCI which comes to 400$ per annum, meaning on the basis of tomorrow we’d be expected to pay and extra 268,000/- on top of the 444,4428/- which comes to 712,428/- an amount that we said we are willing to go think about, plan and return with the cash. That idea was immediately brushed off as they now had a better deal for us.
A 2 year deal where we would pay 135,000/- for the same 1 bdrm, Gold package and if we could put down 30,000/- there and then (cash or credit) we would be able to enjoy the benefits and after the 2 years we could come and the 135,000/- would be deducted from the 355,542/- and we can join up for the 10/20 years. We said we didn’t have the 30,000 on us and he immediately gave us a deposit price of 13,500/- to join the 2 year plan. I asked if we could give a post dated cheque for Sept 3rd (next week) and suddenly they all became hostile and at that point we were released (after filling in an exit form). We were then escorted to the reception, handed a ‘branded’ letter (without envelope) written in Comic Sans font telling us about the 2 day accommodation deal we are getting for free, how we only need to call reservations 1mnth in advance to secure a place either in Mombasa or Zanzibar.
The magnitude of the con only began to hit us once we got out of the building and into the fresh air. First and foremost we hadn’t walked out of there with any marketing/sales material to ponder upon. Secondly in the room were 14 tables (meaning 14 couples) for them to have a 35% success rate would mean that 4-5 couples would join per presentation. According to our hostess the presentations are made once on weekdays and twice on Saturday (and sometimes on Sunday). That is almost roughly 20 people joining per week. If those 20 people were let’s say able to part with 80,000/- on the spot that would mean the company would make an average of 1.6M in a week. Noting that they only opening in February (after taking over from a company - that was doing the same business of timeshare selling – but mysteriously closed their sales department to focus on the clients they had) which is roughly 29 weeks it comes to 4.64M so far only this year.
We called yesterday to book the 2day holiday in 2 months (rather than 1 month in advance) and we were asked for the voucher number (which was to be found on the letter) and a membership number. The latter was supposed to be given to you once you registered on the spot. Since we didn’t have this number, we were told that we would be contacted with by the company. I wouldn’t hold my breath on that.
Now I’m not saying with 100% certainty that this was an outright con. In my opinion for a con to work 25% of what one is saying has to be true. All they need to do is own or rent out a couple of beach cottages for the next 10/20 years and get an optimum number of people to register in the first 2 years (depending on how fast word spreads). Let’s be hypothetical and say that they would only be able to get 10 couples a week (and that’s being modest) @ 80,000/- per couple over a period of 52 weeks; that comes to 41,600,000M tax free money that will be split between the 5-8 people (those in the room who claimed to be management); a little rent here and a few cups of tea/coffee there… that to me is a killing plain and simple.
Luckily for us the only thing we were conned out of was our time (which by the way wasn’t 90mins but 3 hours).
THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR:
- You interact with different people at different stages with different level of knowledge,
- When you are arrive you are not allowed to meet clients leaving the previous presentation hence why we were told to wait in the car.
- You have to sit through a lengthy sales pitches before receiving promised prizes.
- They give oral promises with no documentation.
- They write on a white board but erase immediately after.
- They speak very fast and flamboyantly.
- You must close the deal today! They refuse more money tomorrow for a little today.
- They play relaxing/holiday music with subliminal messaging e.g Easy like a Sunday morning.
- They Read & write upside down very fast.
- They know the costs off head and only the managers come around with calculators, you or your designated sales person don’t have access to it.
- They have bookmarked specific locations based on where it is you said you’d like to go.
- When someone signs up, they reduce volume of the music and insist that we all clap for them.
- You don’t leave with any brochures, papers with figures et al.
Kudos to Imani and to all the guys who put their hearts and souls into the manifestation of what was possibly the best poetry gathering, performance and entertainment that Kenya has ever seen. I love being a part of something new, so that as it grows it’s like watching with joy a little child become an responsible member of society; because that’s what Slam Africa is going to be – a poetic platform that will be responsible in shooting Kenyan/African spoken word artists into the realm of all those that spoke before us and made a difference. But as one poet spoke yesterday, and I paraphrase: “…let’s come up with solutions rather than trying to make a difference…” Slam Africa is definitely a solution that will get us out of our ever complaining & blaming circles that the youth of Kenya often find themselves in. Kudos once again!
The beauty of owning a blog is to be able to vent at any which time… so bare with me.
It’s an exciting week/end mainly because for one I’m turning 21 years old for the 4th time tomorrow, which is quite exciting as I had been 18-till-i-die for a while before that. On top of that I have a new job starting August 1st therefore subsequently I handed my resignation this passed Tuesday without much hassle, so I am currently living out my statutory 21-days notice.
So it only makes sense why I now more than ever I have psyched to Bungee Jump on Saturday but the numbers of committed people is quickly dwindling and I’m afraid I won’t make the required minimum of 3 people to make it an official jump. Plus it is the only thing I have to look forward to this weekend as everyone I know has a family/social plan or is heading for Lewa Marathon! There is the option of attending my future boss’s birthday party on that same Saturday but I am afraid that I might drink myself senseless and misbehave in front of future colleagues…
It’s taken me a number of days to recover from the annual event that is Tusker Safari Sevens! My chest & nose remain clogged but my spirit is surely still soaring over the Kenya 31-12 win over the defending champions the Emerging Boks of South Africa. Watching that game was indeed the culmination of the weekend as Kenya beat Fiji’s C team and continued to shine throughout the whole weekend tournament. Even our Team B Shujaa didn’t let us down and made it to the bowl final against Japan – who subsequently won but not without a fight.
Then there was the Virgin hospitality tent that was to tears! It was the event’s party zone for those who are too old to hang out in the Tusker Village. It was also fun walking around in full Virgin regalia including the coveted red Virgin wigs! This time round I was assisting with the Announcing of games, teams and scores on he smaller non-Kenyan games such as the ladies finals et al. It was a great learning curve and experience, thankfully shyness disappeared and apart from having to shout and run around I had tons of fun.
There was a surprise pre-birthday party in between all of that i.e. on Saturday evening/morning. They got me on that one for sure – kudos to them. The 2am tequilas didn’t help one bit as the next day commentating was proving difficult indeed. Sadly I suspect with the party having happened last weekend not many guys are psyched to share my actual birthday which is tomorrow and or go bungee jumping with me on Saturday @ Sagana. Honestly I am not a party person and would really have loved a crowd at the bungee stint – but we don’t get what we really want in life do we? Anyway I fear that my birthday shall be the same as it is every year… depressing! Urgh!
“Oliech – Odinga – Obama” that was the recurrent chant that could be heard across the Nyayo Stadium @ the football match this passed Saturday. In addition to that I spotted a couple of flags that were the Kenyan flag on one side and the USA flag on the other (apparently stitched together). I am not a great fan of the Obama craze that has swept the country & continent but sometimes it gets so funny you have no choice but to join in.
I have one question however, is our feigned support of Obama just homeland pride or do we actually believe in his quest for the White House (wonder if it’ll be named Black House when he checks in – LOL!). Do we believe in his party’s policies, because in the land of USA that is what Presidential candidates run on – rather than tribal & financial affiliations that we base our votes on in Africa. If he came and stood in Kenya for MP (let alone President) would we have the same craze as we do now? Will we believe that our roads will be paved and livelihoods bettered? Why do we believe that Obama being President of the United States means better development for Kenya (esp the Western regions) rather than believing in the Vision 2030 that was just launched last Tuesday? If he ran in Zimbabwe – would Mugabe automatically step down in recognition of his superior political intentions?
I pity Africa when he steps into power, because we are going to be so greatly disappointed as he gets into the business of running a country’s budget that runs into trillions, among other more important international issues such as Nuclear power generation, the War in Iraq, Food shortage and rising fuel prices.
This passed Saturday I was privileged to be in Nyayo Stadium to watch our Kenyan football team – Harambee stars thrash out the Mugabe in the Zimbabwe team. I hear that this passed game was more organized in terms of people not pushing down the gates & causing havoc – in a bid to see our stars at work. Last weekend the tickets were being sold at the stadium but this time round people had to buy advanced tickets that were sold out a whole 24 hours before the game started. So kudos to the organizers for learning asap from passed mistakes.
What really amazed me was the psyke, adrenaline & energy that was in that stadium. By the time the game started people were on a whole other level & by the time the first goal entered the net the noise levels went up by 100% as all 40,000+ people in the stadium rose to their feet in excitement. There was, however, a small tear gas scare that people brushed off their shoulders when they realized it was a canister shot from the outside rather than internally.
The second goal by the stars surely pushed the energy levels off the charts but were quickly brought down when our star goalie hurt his knees as he tried to rescue the ball from the determined feet of the Zim players. It was sad to see him being carried out in an Ambulance but the crowd chanting his name was enough to show the sympathy that all felt for him. Having over substituted the players the coach decided that Oliech was now to take up the task of being the goalie, this caused some ripples of nervousness but luckily he was barely there for 5 mins as the game ended with a 2-0 score in favor of Kenya. I’m sure he’d have made a great goalie but this wasn’t the time to find out.
Having attended my first ever live football match, I slowly started to realize that we need to support our boys much more beyond criticizing K.F.F – by simply attending any live matches, even at the league stages. It’s a good thing that in this year’s budget the Finance Minister mentioned that 1M is to be set aside for each constituency to bring up young new players & run football leagues at a professional level. I hope that budget is passed and more so managed well. It is also great to have DStv screen our league matches live on our televisions, so we have no excuse to not know what is going on in the football circles. Next live match is versus Namibia so watch out for that & buy your tickets early.
Now having supported Kenyan football, let’s all now get out in droves to do what we do best – Support Kenyan Rugby by turning up at the Tusker Safari Sevens this weekend from the 20th-22nd of June 2008.
Recent Comments