Tough times as VAT law defiles Kenyans, condemns them to starvation

The stories of women roping their stomachs to appease the deadly pangs of hunger in far flung counties, of dying children and the blood cuddling pictures of starving, hunger stricken old women awaiting death now ring through the minds of most Kenyans as tough times reckon, this time round instigated by the same government that promised to shield its citizenry from starvation.

Tough times indeed for the common man.

It is now clear that Kenyan Members of Parliament (M.Ps) threw all caution to the wind and passed the now frowned upon and devastatingly unpopular Value Added Tax Bill (VAT Bill) that among other things sought to increase the prices for essential commodities like milk and flour, the staple for the common man. Consequently sending the cost of living to the rafters, and condemning Kenyans to a certain death knoll, death through starvation.

Death through starvation

It is common knowledge that most Kenyans live below the poverty line, or what the United Nations (U.N) describe as living below a Dollar a day.

And the move by the government can only sound like a sure death sentence.

The aftermath of the ripples created by the said law have been felt in every nook and cranny of the country, gripping a population with shock and disbelief.

The cost of everyday essentials, the basic needs like food has risen to unprecedented highs with a liter of processed milk now retailing for Shs.130, up from the previous cost of Sh. 75, the equivalent of one Dollar, while that of other commodities continue to compete on a free rise as unscrupulous traders connive with the government to rip off the already suffering Kenyan.

Majority of Kenyans eke out a precarious existence, some living off garbage while a raft of others sleep hungry hoping against hopes that tomorrow will be better, amid an avalanche of problems including run away corruption, high cost of living, poor sanitation due to a rise in population, mass unemployment, diseases ,poverty and deprivation.

Living below the poverty line

Unless the U.N redefines the popular cliché of “living below the poverty line” and sets it at three dollars a day, a colossal amount that most Kenyans will definitely not afford, it seems that one dollar can buy you nothing in Kenya now, save for a few rolls of chewing gum to assuage the dreadful pangs emanating from the empty stomach.

Or a  few rolls of toilet paper, a move which will be self defeating in that the trips to the lavatory will be infrequent and far between.

Tough times ahead

It beats logic to realize that a government cannot raise funds to finance its budget thereby resorting to hurting the already overtaxed Kenyan and subjecting him to untold suffering and hunger leaving him staring starvation, and death on the face.

And tough times are yet to come.

If Kenya Power, the company that supplies electricity decides to make good their threats of raising the cost of power due to the now effective VAT taxes, everything will shoot up, dealing the final and fatal blow to a population.

VAT Bill

The VAT Bill was passed in April 2013 and the president of the Republic of Kenya gave it the green light by assenting to its provisions, setting the stage for and seating as a judge in a case condemning Kenyans to” Death by Starvation”, and watching from the high table as the riffraff of the society, yours truly included, suffer from anguish and deprivation.

The Bill is reported to have imposed tax on previously zero rated items including foodstuff, bicycles, and a barrage of other basic necessities, only months after the new government assured Kenyans that the cost of living will be driven to an all time low and that essential goods will never be affected by the bill.

My crystal ball tells me that a hungry man is an angry man.

Kenyans are watching. Soon, push will come to shove and they will demand for justice.

Hut tax

A friend opined to this writer that during the colonial and postcolonial era, there were all sorts of taxes being levied to poor Kenyans, from the infamous hut tax, bicycle tax to a myriad of others, the government of the day defiled its populace left right and center, not only making life unbearable but also removing dignity from the very life, a scene that might sadly come back, half a century later.

I end where I started. The Kenyan scenario resembles the proverbial mother devouring her young ones.

The more things change, the more they remain the same. 

photo credits remain with respective owners.

Urinating problem seizes Nairobi City

The spectacular but few skyscrapers, the magnificently warm climate, crisp clear blue skies, the dramatic sunrise and the dreamy sunset are some of the features that throw the city into international repute.

Nairobi is truly, a city in the sun.

Away from the glare of curious tourists who frequent the city is a bleak picture of grit and sleaze, a delusion only too familiar to the locals that they have accepted it as common place.

It is a city grappling with a myriad problems, from an overwhelming influx of people who have made rural urban migration their past time, to the embarrassing problem of public urination.

Malodorous stench

From the previously well kempt flower pots to walls and trees, everyone seems to be having a goodtime irrigating the city in the sun, painting the walls wet and suffocating East Africa’s largest city with the resultant malodorous stench emanating from their irresponsible escapades.

Backstreet lanes and parking lots are worst hit.

A walk down River Road reveals the rot.

Instant urinals

Kenyans have turned every street corner a urinal. At times it gets even worse.

Shop owners have to clean their premises doors every morning after drunkards and sober men, and sometimes women, turn them into instant urinals in their wake.

A bitter man who had parked his car in downtown Ronald Ngala found rivulets emanating from the tires of his prized asset, only to learn that a man had urinated on them.

And the problem is eating into the beauty of the city like a bad strain of cancer, slowly but surely.

A few flower beds along the busy street remain barren of flowers and stand out like sore thumbs.

Reserve for women

Although tens of public toilets dot the city, the problem persists. The toilets are increasingly becoming a reserve for the women folk as men seem to have finally adopted the natural and primitive run of affairs, urinating whenever the urge bites them.

:”I always look right and left before urinating since City council askaris are always on the prowl, then do my thing,” says Waura Kameni, a fruit vendor .

Keneth Atinda, a city salesman blames the menace on the few number of toilets.

“The toilets are not well distributed sometimes you feel pressed and there are no toilets around so you just pop into the backstreet allies and relieve yourself”, he says.

Alex Ochieng operates an IKO branded toilet near Tom Mboya Street. He says business is booming but majority of their customers are women.

“We charge a paltry Kshs 10 but I think most men prefer buying other things like cigars and chewing gum rather than pay to use a toilet” he adds.

Multiple sources from City Hall, the department obligated to deal with such misdemeanors say that every day is a field day as they nab men urinating in public, in broad daylight.

Runaway corruption

“The offenders’ favorite place is Uhuru Park and other public parks, every hour we arrest them here and charge them in courts,” says one of our sources who requested anonymity.

“However, not many of those arrested appear in courts, thanks to run away corruption,” another source intimates.

“Some part with cash whenever they learn that they will be taken to courts,” our source adds.

According to city Council by laws seen by this writer, urinating in public is an offence that attracts a fine of Shs.500 or a jail term not exceeding one day.

The torrid collusion between corrupt law enforcing officers and members of the public can only leave the city with a bad smell, low tourist numbers hence dwindling revenue, and a bad repute.

As Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero braces himself for the onerous task of transforming the city to a Metropolis and restoring its jaded past, we hope he will curb the teething problem that is bound to change the city from a beauty in the sun to a urine sodden blot in a magnificent landscape.

Why Mutula’s autopsy report will never be released

His demise was a complete shocker to Kenyans.
 

A cabinet minister is found dead in his bedroom. A nation mourns. Jokes, facts, truths, propaganda and theories saturate the air.

A daily spectacularly claims he was assassinated, another chips in with a sordid claim that Mutula Kilonzo could have died of a Viagra drug overdose, a drug used to enhance stamina during sex.

Thousands of Kenyans take to social media sites Facebook and Twitter where they milk their theories dry, making wild claims and trading sick tirades. The onslaught continues…

Bloated with theories

Kenyans had been bloated with theories, information and misinformation about the death, while gutter press materials flew left right and center, quenching the massive demand for information.

Their editors go on overdrive, serving the population with uncalled for information and pure hogwash, the twists and turns changing faster than a chameleon changes colors.

Surely, everyone knew something about the mysterious death.

The government assures of a quick and transparent autopsy.

A private pathologist is flown into the country to oversee the whole process, transparency looks a sure bet, not the elusive character it was before.

After a few hours post mortem the media reports that all the pathologists were in agreement over the cause of Mr. Kilonzo’s death but surprisingly the results were to be released three months later.

Kenyans went on a daze. They had time to prove their theories and speculations right or wrong.

Few gave up, They were sure the results will never be made public. Thousands forgot.

Pockets of others hoped and waited with baited breath. They wanted to know what killed their cabinet minister.

Sinister motives

They accused the family of harboring sinister motives. Accusations were traded.

Fast forward to August 2013, more than three months later. Machakos senator Johnstone Muthama acting as the family spokesman drops the bombshell.

The family is going through a lot, including court cases and this is not the right time to release the results, he says. The results have to wait for another two months.

Deathly silence greets the announcement. Kenyans protest the declaration. Fingers are pointed at the family. 

 

Hushed tones claiming cover up start emanating from different quarters. Most whine and grumble. They had been shortchanged.

More mystery.

And the question goes unanswered, again.

What killed Mr. Mutula Kilonzo? Silence, more silence. Speculations.

And the anguish continues.

Where there is smoke there is fire. Maybe Kenyans were right. Maybe their speculations could hold water.

What if he was assassinated? We would like to know who did it and why?

And what if he had a visitor in the night preceding his demise, had fun but the reportedly blue drugs took the better off him? 

 

And what if some unknown assailant planted deadly chemicals in a bottle in his room and he drank the poison unknowingly?

And what if life had reached its natural run and it was his time to meet his creator?

Silence. More speculations.

The more things change the more they remain the same.

Someone tell us!

Not yet, Uhuru!: Fraud or blackmail? Tell us, Kethi

Not yet, Uhuru!: Fraud or blackmail? Tell us, Kethi: Her rise and fall read like a script from a Hollywood movie.  Many described her as a no nonsense young lady when she vigorous...

Fraud or blackmail? Tell us, Kethi

Her rise and fall read like a script from a Hollywood movie. 

Many described her as a no nonsense young lady when she vigorously argued cases at the Supreme court of Kenya, where she represented parties challenging the legitimacy of an Uhuru – Ruto presidential win.

She had made her name before. She had represented thousands in courts, was a daughter of a seasoned lawyer cum politician, but this particular case inked a permanent mark in her checkered career.

Three months down the line and her star is still shining bright. She was grooming herself to succeed her late father.

Her campaigns had hit feverpitch. What with denizens shouting and dancing themselves hoarse in praise of her name?

It was so clear she could have clinched the seat with a land slide win. But as fate would have it, she didn’t.

It was like De Ja Vu. Within weeks she was riding on an orgasmic wave, making news, chickening out her opponents in the race. But, within days, she was back in the courts, this time round, taking the stand reserved for the accused.

 A tribunal had to be formed to determine whether she had registered as a voter or not, a core qualification for anyone seeking political office.

It was helter skelter, the drama, the arguments, the heated submissions, the intrigues, and the hue by Kenyans who watched their inspiration being capitulated and annihilated on set. It was like a movie.

The Television cameras that made her a heroin were at it again, this time ready to undress and expose her to all.

It was a massive fall reminiscent of that from glory to grass.

Her political ambitions were hanging on a balance. Within days she had been declared unfit to run. All the political dreams she harbored were evaporating, and fast.

They say it doesn’t matter whether you fall, what matters is how fast you rise again and dust yourself up.

She proved her detractors wrong. She was made of sterner stuff.

She rose again, challenging the tribunal’s decision in the Court of Appeal which gave her the much needed lifeline.

Though she couldn’t seek election anymore, her party was given a green light to field another aspirant.

Her brother fitted the bill. He was made a king in a split second.

But her deterioration continued, it was like a bad strain of deadly cancer. Justice was after her neck.

She had helped thousands get the same justice, now roles have changed.

They say laws are cross cutting and apply to all and sundry. Sadly, the same courts that make heroes can also make villains.

Inasmuch as we loved you, there is this little thing you are not telling us. How and where did you get that voters card? You can opt to remain mum and wish the question away; unfortunately, the courts of law want the same questions answered.

Accusations of fraud, foul play, and mudslinging politics come at play. But the onus is on you alone to unleash the truth. Was it blackmail, fraud, foul play or mere poly-tricks?

We are listening……..

Drama Galore….A crooked look at Kenya’s social scene

While America is touted as the land of milk and honey, Kenya on the other hand makes the cut for the land of captivating, nerve wrenching and at times orgasmic drama.

Stuff that will make the proud and much hyped about Mexicans (or do I say their male folks) quake in their boots in face of cut throat competition for dramatic soap content.

Take for instance the free for all drama witnessed by party hungry, Reggae music levelers at the Kenyatta international conference center, Saturday.

Taking law into own hands

A respectable duo of reggae spitting musicians, consisting of Jamaican superstar Tarus Riley and Ivory Coast’s Maestro Alpha Blondy were supposedly coming to town to throw a never seen before, fun filled reggae concert, according to a promoter by the name Big Tunes Entertainment, who I learn, were uniting them with their loyal fans.

Kenyans, as has become the norm whenever such music bigwigs come to town, had purchased costly advance tickets to have a night of fun.

The tickets went for between Kshs 2, 500 and 5,000, clean amounts that without a doubt left many a fans wallets heavily dented, considering that Kenyan Reggae fan base consists of some few pockets of the well to do  middle class and a sea of dirt poor humanity, commonly referred to as the sufferers.

Local musicians entertained the expectant crowd, setting up the stage, and perhaps the mood for the big stars.

All hell broke loose at around 3.00 am when it became increasingly apparent that the stars were nowhere to be seen.

Hell hath no fury.

Bloodthirsty bang smoking and thuggish levelers descended on the assembled reggae fans, looting and destroying speakers and music systems and harassing organizers and other levelers as they demanded for a refund of their cash. From who? No one in particular.

They also looted mobile phones cash and other personal effects on their wake.

It was another installment of unprecedented drama and shame as Kenyan reggae promoters came on the limelight over unpaid artiste fees and poor management.

The Bonkke affair

Reinhard Bonkke is a popular televangelist whose religious crusades attracted tens of thousands of faithful and fans in the 1990’s such that they were legendary.

It is claimed that the preacher healed thousands of crippled Kenyans and other denizens suffering from mysterious maladies ranging from the feared and life threatening Kidney and heart diseases to the complex diseases like cancer and HIV.

While the 90’s crusades were a big hit affair that left many tongues wagging, this year’s event was uncharacteristically low key and boring. This was on account of a few people who attended the dull event at Nairobi’s Uhuru Park, running from Wednesday till Sunday and attracting just a few hundreds.

Even the media is reported to have given the event a wide berth.

On inquiry as to why the international preacher has lost his luster, a friend of mine opined that “Expecting Bonkke to shine on 20 years later is like comparing a menopausal woman with the beautiful damsel she was 2 decades ago,” I fainted.

www.facebook.com/amoxers 

Why Kenyan Senator Mutula Kilonzo died

Only days after the sudden and shocking demise of Senator Mutula Kilonzo, a seasoned lawyer turned politician who was not afraid to speak his mind however controversial the issue at hand was, and theories have begun precipitating left right and center, ranging from the mundane to the bizarre.

As the disturbing facts finally sink into our minds, many tongues have been left wagging, some pointing out that the good old lawyer might have committed suicide, others insinuating that food poisoning could have been at play; while still others believe it is just another political assassination.

Puzzled many

Perhaps explaining the reason why there have been calls for a probe into his death which puzzled many.

In a country where political assassinations have been part of our history, it becomes increasingly unbelievable that the high and mighty, and the politicians and the who is whos, and the “Top Honchos” in the society can actually meet their creator following natural death or old age or even failing health.

Sadly, only the poor, the “Riff Raff of society” die of natural causes.

As we console the bereaved and mourn the dead, we must be alive to the fact that anything could have been a cause of his death, including but not limited to natural causes.

 

A year ago, Kenyans witnessed yet another demise of a prominent politician, the late professor George Saitoti who was until his death, a cabinet minister.

Hon Saitoti died in unclear circumstances after his chopper caught fire and killed all the passengers.

His death has never been satisfactorily demystified, and a commission probing the death pointed to human error.

Such grim statistics raise questions over the deaths of any other politician.

Fast forward to 2013 and another cabinet minister bites the dust.

This time a controversial, intelligent and brilliant senator, barely a month into office.

According to a political journalist who interviewed him, Mr Kilonzo is said to have intimated that he had an explosive piece of information that could have shaken the whole country, but could reveal it at the right time.

But that was too late, death caught up with him before he could divulge his little secret.

The script changes

According to evidence pieced together by witnesses, Hon Mutula kilonzo ate his favorite meal of roast meat Friday evening at his farm house in Maanzoni, just a few kilometers outside Nairobi.

It was after he retired to bed when he passed on in his sleep, but not before vomiting in his sink.

“Mr Kilonzo was found dead in bed yesterday at around 11 am by is workers,” reported the Daily Nation.

Police and medical investigators thronged the home of Mr Kilonzo shortly after he was pronounced dead.

In sharp contrast to Hon Saitoti’s death in the thick of Ngong forest, police rushed to the scene but could not seal off the area, something that commissioners investigating his death said could have been a plot to compromise and tamper with evidence.

 

So, just a curious question, what were a whole contingent of police doing in Hon kilonzo,s home shortly after his death?

Medical forensic experts and the Criminal Investigations Department could have ably probed the matter.

We just wish that if anything else rather than natural death will be disclosed as a cause of death, we will not hear a situation where evidence could have been compromised as with the Saitoti case, which an investigative journalist concluded was a political assassination.

Perhaps this is the reason why denizens are refusing to believe that their beloved politician succumbed to failing health, or as the media suggested cardiac arrest.

Cardiac arrest has been confirmed as the single largest killer of humans in the USA.

As the government pathologist performs a post mortem of the late Kilonzo today, Thousands of Kenyans will be watching, to either give life to their myriad of reasons why he died, of dismiss them altogether.

And finally, as we wait anxiously to know the cause of his death, we pray that Mr kilonzo died of natural causes and that the truth will be revealed to all and sundry.

That said, death has robbed the country a revolutionary leader, who will be remembered for his firm stand for what was right, even when everyone else thought otherwise.

May his soul rest in eternal peace.