Mashada Blogs » June 17, 2009

You Missed This: Another Tank Blaze: No Poverty Excuse Please

2009-06-17T21:00:00-04:00

We don’t learn, do we? Hardly 200 days since the Sachang’wan tragedy and yet we have human torches setting the bushes ablaze at Kapsoit. Now who will this careless public blame? They have been warned numerous times against siphoning fuel from tankers after accidents. But who cares when they can loot and make tidy money without any sweat?

Well until we disabuse ourselves of the mentality of freebies, we will continue to pay heavily for our stupidity both collectively and individually. The hollow justification of poverty doesn’t wash. Claiming that an empty stomach doesn’t reason is no excuse to plunge into hell from which you never live to tell the story.

Human torches
True, the body politics is stinking to high heavens. Also true is the latent complicity and enticement from belligerent tank drivers who jump out of moving near-empty tankers leaving them to overturn so as conceal their fraudulent tracks after selling most of the fuel.

Until we revert to basic human tenets of decency and hard work, breathing torches will continue setting bushes ablaze. That may sound insensitive to those in love of living lies and in denial, but it remains the painful truth with her hands fully stretched begging for a walk.Kumekucha

Kenyan Pundit: Techsoup Kenya Launched

2009-06-17T18:13:28-04:00

From the website: “Techsoup Kenya programme aims to assist NGOs in Kenya by providing software for very low fees in conjunction with ICT donor partners (currently Microsoft), as well as by supporting NGOs to make the most of their ICT purchases and infrastructure.”

Rugby in Kenya: Weekly Ramble

2009-06-17T09:00:00-04:00

Weekly Ramble

bankelele: Urban Inflation Index – June 2009

2009-06-17T06:21:00-04:00

Tracking changes in the three months since the March 09 index and to approximately a year ago with the July 08 index

It’s going to be a tough year given the financial results that we have seen so far. Safaricom had reduced profits, while Zain and surprisingly Kenya Airways also recorded losses for the financial year. And while most banks have growth of 30 – 40%, GTV went bust.

The arrival of the submarines/fibre cable are expected to bring down the cost of communications sometime in the future, but at the same time it is expected that the Kshs. 109 billion ($1.4 billion) to be raised from local financial markets in the next few months to finance the services, programs, and deficit of the Government of Kenya will in the process also push up interest and borrowing costs for individual and businesses.

Gotten cheaper

Fuel: A Litre of Petrol fuel (at local petrol station) is now Kshs 72.5 (~$4.18 gallon) down 3% from 75 in March 2009. A year ago, petrol was retailing at over 100 shillings per litre.

Staple Food: Maize flour which is used to make Ugali that is eaten by a majority of Kenyans daily. A 2 kg. Unga pack at Uchumi today costs Kshs. 92, down from 96 in March. However this is still much higher than the Kshs. 73 a year ago and a high food prices remain a sore point for many consumers – both urban and rural.

Communications: While phone calls through leading mobile company Safaricom are largely unchanged at about 8 shillings per minute (~$0.10), calls are cheaper at Orange and Zain, but probably from subsidizing consumers to lure them away from Safaricom. What has gotten cheaper is the cost of data. A Safaricom modem now costs Kshs. 4,000 ($51) and has been dropping periodically since it was introduced in 2007. Safaricom has also several ongoing promotions for laptops, blackberry’s and data-enabled phones as it competes with the likes of Access Kenya, Orange who sell the I-Phone, and Zuku from Wananchi who last month slashed in ½ the price of unlimited broadband.

Foreign Exchange: 1 US$ equals Kshs. 77.94 having appreciated from 80.07 three months ago. It was 67.4 a year ago, but few expect it to edge downwards for the next few months.

Unchanged

Entertainment: A bottle of Tusker beer (at local pub) is Kshs. 130 ($1.60) unchanged from three months ago, and also priced the same as last July. While prices have not changed, beer sales may on shifting sands. Former Trade Minister and member of parliament Mukhisa Kituyi was interviewed a few weeks ago on TV and he made some remarks on how the economy is impacting the mwananchi (ordinary man) – he said before someone would go and watch a soccer match on TV in a sports pub and have 4 beers, today that same person will nurse a single beer for the duration of the match (was he talking about himself?)

More Expensive

Electricity: my bill last month is Kshs. 2,100 ($27) up from 1,800 three months ago (comprising fuel cost of 436c/kwh, and forex adjustment of 63c/kwh – it was lower 649c/kwh last July). The expectation is that with drying rivers and water dams, electricity generation and consumptions costs (Kenya is still hydro or diesel fuel dependent) will become more expensive. In his Budget Speech last week, Kenya’s Finance minister proposed to remove taxes on generators and other power production equipment, perhaps in anticipation that more companies may be buying these soon. Already, blackouts (announced and unannounced) are becoming more common either from transmission failure or vandalism (some brave people steal wires or fuel from transformers!)

Of concern also is the quality of electricity supplied. In the last week, my microwave and kettle have been knocked out, while a neighbour lost both water heating boilers in her house. The inconsistent electricity supply also knocked out my TV a few months ago and I’m scared of charging my laptop except late at night when i expect supply to be stable!

Other food item: Sugar (2 kg. Mumias pack) is Kshs. 175, up from 165 three months ago, and a year ago it was 145 (now costs 21% more than a year ago).

Kenyan Pundit: Podcast of It’s Our Turn to Eat Reading in Nairobi

2009-06-17T05:53:26-04:00

As you might know there have been numerous efforts both by Michaela Wrong and others in Kenya to try and circumvent the self-imposed ban that book-sellers in Nairobi have put on the book, It’s Our Turn to Eat.

Among the efforts is a programme called “It’s Our Turn to Read” where readings of the book will take place throughout the country along with discussions as well as distributing 5,000 copies of the book through various channels e.g. media (the Nairobi Star campaign(, street vendors, churches and school).

The first reading was done at the Kenya National Theater in Nairobi where about 4,000 people showed up. You can catch a great podcast of the event here. Also see Rasna Warah’s op-ed on whether this campaign can be the beginning of something larger.

Black Looks: Nigeria government launches attack against bloggers

2009-06-17T05:48:49-04:00

The Nigerian government has just launched a “$5 million war” against bloggers and online news media such as Sahara Reporters. Three security sources, who are privy to the plan, revealed that Yar’adua last week approved the covert operation to stop websites and bloggers from influencing public opinion in Nigeria. The president’s Chief Economic Adviser, Tanimu Kurfi [...]

My part of the world.......: Long Time, No Post

2009-06-17T05:39:00-04:00

I recently noticed that it's been a minute and a half since I posted to my blog. I call it a combination of being very busy and not being motivated to do so, yeah bad Acolyte!

With my current economic situation, can someone give me access to where Real Madrid get their money from? They have spent $282 million this month on 2 players! All I ask is just a small donation of 1% of the transfer fee spent and I shall leave quietly. Till then I think I am taking a plan to Spain to state my case.

I was reading an article in the NY times about how their are very many sexless marriages in the States.

Married men and women, on average, have sex with their spouse 58 times a year, a little more than once a week, according to data collected from the General Social Survey, which has tracked the social behaviors of Americans since 1972. But there are wide variations in that number. Married people under 30 have sex about 111 times a year. And it’s estimated that about 15 percent of married couples have not had sex with their spouse in the last six months to one year, according to Denise A. Donnelly, associate professor of sociology at Georgia State University, who has studied sexless marriage.

The reasons range from health issues to poor libido by one partner all the way to infidelity. What was most entertaining were the comments.

I had sex with my ex all the time until I gave up my apartment and we moved in together. After that, he just watched football all the time! When I wondered what had happened to us, he claimed that level of performance was not sustainable. I felt I had been lured in by false pretenses. - Yes this is a woman commenting, I often thought it was women who were guilty of the bait and switch when it came to sex but I guess there are some men out there who are just as guilty. I wonder if he was on some special fitness program to keep up his performance levels.

My wife never was interested in sex, or in understanding anything about it. I love her for many other reasons, but I go to prostitutes for sex. I’d go out of my mind without them. - My question is, "Why did you marry her then?!"

I was in a virtually sexless marriage for 18 years.

I agree that lack of intimacy is the main factor in declining sex. Indeed, being starved for intimacy was really what impelled me to leave the marriage. I think I would have tolerated lack of sex (say for medical reasons) had there been true, deep intimacy.

Another BIG factor so far not mentioned: most women meet/marry spouses while on birth control pills. The Pill blunts pheromone detection, which underlies “chemical” attraction. A few years into a marriage you go off the pill and discover you actually aren’t a chemical match. - I wonder how accurate it is about the Pill and women's attraction or lack there of? Any ideas anyone?

People have gotten very fat. Why isn’t this discussed. That might be an important reason for the sexless marriage. - Talk about being blunt! All those accounts have given me great pause when it comes to marriage. Sex isn't everything but if you are in a marriage and the sex sucks or is absent, let's just say in my case; there would be issues and that's putting it mildly.

Anyway last week I went to see Femi Kuti perform. I narrowly missed his Kenyan performance a few years back at Safari 7s so this more than made up for it. I'm pressed for time, so I shall post a few pics next time I post.......

MREMBO: Nobody, nobody

2009-06-17T03:42:33-04:00

not a single person on earth has thier shit together. I’m like this. If I like something or impressed by something, I have to find out everything about it or her/him. Yesterday I posted about “The Road Less Travelled” by M. Scott Peck. I mentioned I had read the book many years ago. I bought it a few [...]