Nairobi News

General

The People’s Champion April 02, 2014


Inconvenience. The Government should consider mounting escalators on footbridges around the county to attract Nairobians who are too lazy to use them, suggested Everlyn Oduor. As much as she was saddened by news that pedestrians were hit and killed on Mbagathi and Thika roads, only a few metres from footbridges, she said it was hard to empathise with the victims. Ms Oduor said the Government had done its part and built the multi-million shillings infrastructures, but the overall responsibility of ensuring personal safety lay with pedestrians.

“Compared with the possibility of dying, it is not such an inconvenience to use a few minutes and burn a few calories climbing the footbridges to cross roads,” she said. But then again, she said, maybe the victims had a death wish.

*****

Inconsiderate. Linus Njagi was not amused the Judiciary was entertaining a case by former MPs, each seeking to paid Sh100,000 a month to cushion them from the high cost of living. Kenyans who earn less than Sh10,000 per month sacrifice luxuries to save for their children’s education, housing and retirement.

“These politicians left well paying jobs to run for Parliament, earned millions as salaries and obscene allowances. After failing to be re-elected, they were given fancy positions as heads of commissions, parastatals full with car grants and cheap loans and now they want to milk us more?” he asked. Mr Njagi said Kenyans would not stand as the inconsiderate individuals smile all the way to the bank. Definitely not while taxpayers were unable to afford a healthy meal, he added.

*****

Economical solution. The news by the Kenya National Highways Authority that a section of the Southern bypass would in July be opened did not excite Margaret Muthoni. Instead of pouring billions of shillings in building roads, the government should instead invest in expanding the railway network, she advised.

“Enough with the expansion of roads already. It is appalling the number of man-hours and thousands of litres of fuel lost on our roads in any typical day. What Nairobians need as soon as possible is a modern public railway system linking far flung upcoming towns like Ngong, Kikuyu, Ruiru, Ruai and Kitengela,” she said. Ms Muthoni pointed out that trains were the only economical solution to transport.

*****

Meagre income. Even after being presented with a motion detailing hazards of having eateries at or near petrol stations, Francis Manyala said he was disappointed that the County Assembly dismissed a bid to move them for monetary considerations. The County Reps, he said, were more interested in ensuring that people who work in such outlets keep their jobs than in safeguarding their health and safety.

“It is well established that continuous exposure to petrol fumes causes various cancers, yet these Reps would want us to believe that such findings are at best alarmist,” said Mr Manyala. He added that the cost of treatment that such workers would incur when they fell sick was not worth the meagre income that most of them probably made.

Write to The People’s Champion at nnchampion@ke.nationmedia.com