The killing of fugitive master of terror Osama bin Laden by the American soldiers in Pakistan on Monday was the best news this year on fight against terrorism. Many innocent people have lost their lives around the world as a result of his wicked plots.
No justifiable reason can stand the ground as to why lives should be taken away by a person who swore enmity with American people. It is good riddance that at last he was smoked out and his extinguished at the height of combating terror globally.
This should serve a lesson to his henchmen who are hiding in various countries like Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq. The message to those terrorist is that their days are numbered and they will be exterminated no matter how they feel safe at the moment. It has taken more than a decade to catch up on Osama but at last he is resting in misery (oops! peace) somewhere under the sea in Pakistan.
No stone shall remain unturned in the quest for terror combat.
James Mwangi Kanyi
olewakungu@gmail.com
Nairobi.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Need to reform Petroleum industry.
The footage of long queues by the motorists around the country to buy fuel from the filing stations last week was very embarrassing to say the least. It depicted a state of confusion and irresponsibility by the key players in the Energy sector.
To start with, there has been no disruption of supply of the precious commodity on local or international scale. The unavailability of petrol in the filing station was by and large attributed to unethical trade practices such as hoarding.
Therefore, it is very important that Government’s intervention in this sector should be aggressive to avoid such a recurrence. The loss in revenue collection for the four days the shortage was there runs in billions of shillings.
Even as the President Mwai Kibaki directed that the Energy and Finance ministers to put their act together to ensure that supply is done normally and at an affordable price, there need to be radical reform in this sector. In the past, the petroleum industry has been run by cartel-like operators and this is the main reason the oil prices have been adjusted upward in an arbitrary manner.
Now that South Sudan will be an independent country on July 9th this year, it is imperative to grab the opportunity of outsourcing the precious commodity from there on a long-term plan. This will go a long way in reducing the costs and thus matching the prices.
James Mwangi Kanyi,
Nairobi.
To start with, there has been no disruption of supply of the precious commodity on local or international scale. The unavailability of petrol in the filing station was by and large attributed to unethical trade practices such as hoarding.
Therefore, it is very important that Government’s intervention in this sector should be aggressive to avoid such a recurrence. The loss in revenue collection for the four days the shortage was there runs in billions of shillings.
Even as the President Mwai Kibaki directed that the Energy and Finance ministers to put their act together to ensure that supply is done normally and at an affordable price, there need to be radical reform in this sector. In the past, the petroleum industry has been run by cartel-like operators and this is the main reason the oil prices have been adjusted upward in an arbitrary manner.
Now that South Sudan will be an independent country on July 9th this year, it is imperative to grab the opportunity of outsourcing the precious commodity from there on a long-term plan. This will go a long way in reducing the costs and thus matching the prices.
James Mwangi Kanyi,
Nairobi.
Government should address police needs.
In the year 2006, I reunited with a bosom friend in Nairobi.Naturally; he recounted to me his whereabouts for the last nine years. He informed me that since we sat for our KCSE exams in 1997, he stayed at home for two years after which he was enrolled at Kiganjo Police Training College in 2000.
That time we met, he had just been posted at Wilson Airport police station. He was optimistic that his new station would give him a new lease of life having spent about five years in Meru.
I took the opportunity to ask him about his working conditions in the police service now that was an “afande”.I knew for sure that he was the best suited person to disclose to me the nitty gritty of the career I had given a thought in 1998.
He candidly told me, “Kanyi, I am frank with you; I have been in the police service for close to six years and I can tell you that I’m truly disappointed about the working conditions. We work long hours at night and in the process we get exposed to dangerous criminals with sophisticated weapons.
“We are not provided with bulletproof jackets and you can be sure that death is imminent should there be a shotout.What irk us is that there is no insurance policy to cover us for any eventuality. If one of us dies in the line of duty, he is on his own.
“Another thing that troubles us is that it takes so long for one to be promoted. You can’t imagine I am still a constable and I have no idea when I will be promoted to a corporal. By and large, promotion in the police is on a who-do-you-know basis.
“I don’t want to talk about the salary issue because it simply sucks! We just hope the Government will review our package so that we can lead a decent life to avoid temptations of engaging in crime to make ends meet.”
I spent the whole day with him and I learned how frustrated the police officers are with their work. I urged him to soldier on and maybe one day he will smile all the way to the bank.
Fast forward this month, a police officer at Parklands police station shot dead his boss and fatally injured his colleague before he turned the gun on himself. Such an incident happened in Naromoru police station on March this year. It is a worrying trend that police officers—administration and regular—have in the recent years taken the law into their hands and killed their colleagues and civilians over unexplained reasons.
Evidently so, there are a lot of challenges facing police officers and it is the high time that the Government takes a bold step in reforming the police service. Police plays a very important role in the society and it’s important to motivate the officers by addressing their numerous needs amicably. Most of the extra-judicial deaths caused by police stem from issues that can be addressed before getting out of hand.
James Mwangi Kanyi
Nairobi
That time we met, he had just been posted at Wilson Airport police station. He was optimistic that his new station would give him a new lease of life having spent about five years in Meru.
I took the opportunity to ask him about his working conditions in the police service now that was an “afande”.I knew for sure that he was the best suited person to disclose to me the nitty gritty of the career I had given a thought in 1998.
He candidly told me, “Kanyi, I am frank with you; I have been in the police service for close to six years and I can tell you that I’m truly disappointed about the working conditions. We work long hours at night and in the process we get exposed to dangerous criminals with sophisticated weapons.
“We are not provided with bulletproof jackets and you can be sure that death is imminent should there be a shotout.What irk us is that there is no insurance policy to cover us for any eventuality. If one of us dies in the line of duty, he is on his own.
“Another thing that troubles us is that it takes so long for one to be promoted. You can’t imagine I am still a constable and I have no idea when I will be promoted to a corporal. By and large, promotion in the police is on a who-do-you-know basis.
“I don’t want to talk about the salary issue because it simply sucks! We just hope the Government will review our package so that we can lead a decent life to avoid temptations of engaging in crime to make ends meet.”
I spent the whole day with him and I learned how frustrated the police officers are with their work. I urged him to soldier on and maybe one day he will smile all the way to the bank.
Fast forward this month, a police officer at Parklands police station shot dead his boss and fatally injured his colleague before he turned the gun on himself. Such an incident happened in Naromoru police station on March this year. It is a worrying trend that police officers—administration and regular—have in the recent years taken the law into their hands and killed their colleagues and civilians over unexplained reasons.
Evidently so, there are a lot of challenges facing police officers and it is the high time that the Government takes a bold step in reforming the police service. Police plays a very important role in the society and it’s important to motivate the officers by addressing their numerous needs amicably. Most of the extra-judicial deaths caused by police stem from issues that can be addressed before getting out of hand.
James Mwangi Kanyi
Nairobi
President Salva Kiir should resist war.
On 8th September 2009, the residents of Juba and its environ woke up to a rude shock.The roads to and from the fast growing capital city of South Sudan were cordoned off by army and police officers belonging to Sudanese People Liberation Army(SPLA) and Southern Sudan Police Service(SSPS) respectively. As if that wasn’t enough,they had also positioned themselves along the main and feeder roads for a major exercise that lasted for more than a week.
President Salve Kiir had ordered a disarmament exercise following the revelation that many civilians held with them illegal guns and other deadly ammunitions. The house to house exercise was successful since a cache of deadly weapons including pistols, assault rifles, anti-aircraft guns and explosives were found hidden in residents’ houses.
That was a clear indication by the Government of South Sudan that it was truly committed in promoting peace.
The world witnessed a peaceful referendum process on 9th-15th January, 2011.The citizens of South Sudan voted overwhelming for an independent status. It is therefore worrying that of late President Omar Bashir has been provoking the Government of South Sudan by attacking its citizens in oil-rich Abyei.
It is obvious that the Khartoum Government is not interested in honoring the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that was signed in Naivasha,Kenya in 2005.. The 21-year civil war that ended in 2005 left more than 2.5 million people dead. As I was working there back then, I witnessed first hand the devastating aftermath of that war. President Salva Kiir should totally resist war under all circumstances to for the sake of his people.
James Mwangi Kanyi,
Nairobi.
President Salve Kiir had ordered a disarmament exercise following the revelation that many civilians held with them illegal guns and other deadly ammunitions. The house to house exercise was successful since a cache of deadly weapons including pistols, assault rifles, anti-aircraft guns and explosives were found hidden in residents’ houses.
That was a clear indication by the Government of South Sudan that it was truly committed in promoting peace.
The world witnessed a peaceful referendum process on 9th-15th January, 2011.The citizens of South Sudan voted overwhelming for an independent status. It is therefore worrying that of late President Omar Bashir has been provoking the Government of South Sudan by attacking its citizens in oil-rich Abyei.
It is obvious that the Khartoum Government is not interested in honoring the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that was signed in Naivasha,Kenya in 2005.. The 21-year civil war that ended in 2005 left more than 2.5 million people dead. As I was working there back then, I witnessed first hand the devastating aftermath of that war. President Salva Kiir should totally resist war under all circumstances to for the sake of his people.
James Mwangi Kanyi,
Nairobi.
How to be a Kenyan and not pride in it.
Firstly, when you want to travel using public means, you don’t need to bother whether the bus or matatu you are traveling in is full. You just need to squeeze yourself in it since the conductor has convinced you that some passengers will be alighting at the next bus stop to create a space for you.Once,in you need not be concerned how dangerously the vehicle is being driven.Afterall,the other passengers are silent and you don’t want to start a verbal exchange with the crew.
Secondly, when you get enough money to construct a storey building, you need to realize that there is something called time value of money. Money earned today will be of more value tomorrow. Bearing this in mind, you need to bribe the relevant authorities to hasten the process of construction. With their blessings, your building will be constructed in a record speed without paying attention to the basics of buildings. When an “accident” happens and the building tumbles down like house of cards—killing and maiming tens of innocent youths—you blame your architecture and contractors.
Thirdly, if you are minding your own business near a major highway and a 22-wheel tanker loses its break and tip over at your vicinity, you immediately fetch empty containers for a windfall. Oblivious of the danger, you need to gather as much as you can to sell the loot at half-price at a future date. If anyone reminds you about an accident that happened in a place called Sachagwan that claimed more than a hundred people, you just tell him or her that someone is taking care of smokers.
Fourthly, if you are lucky enough to be employed by the Government, you never bother to check whether your salary has been credited at the end of the month. Why should you when you can make a lot more through dubious deals? You should look for ways to pay ghost workers; embezzle funds meant for crucial projects; overprice invoices and initiate elephant projects.
Last but not the least, you need to quench you thirst. You need to realize that work without play makes jack a dull boy. Since you don’t have enough money to buy a bottled beer, you need to realize that there are things called substitutes in economics. They are things that serve the same purpose for a specific need(s).Like tea and coffee. Bearing that in mind, you need to pop in Mama Pima’s den to down a few glasses of cheap but lethal demon drinks. Only after your sight has been lost will you realize that it have been wiser to be a teetotaler.
James Mwangi Kanyi,
Nairobi
Secondly, when you get enough money to construct a storey building, you need to realize that there is something called time value of money. Money earned today will be of more value tomorrow. Bearing this in mind, you need to bribe the relevant authorities to hasten the process of construction. With their blessings, your building will be constructed in a record speed without paying attention to the basics of buildings. When an “accident” happens and the building tumbles down like house of cards—killing and maiming tens of innocent youths—you blame your architecture and contractors.
Thirdly, if you are minding your own business near a major highway and a 22-wheel tanker loses its break and tip over at your vicinity, you immediately fetch empty containers for a windfall. Oblivious of the danger, you need to gather as much as you can to sell the loot at half-price at a future date. If anyone reminds you about an accident that happened in a place called Sachagwan that claimed more than a hundred people, you just tell him or her that someone is taking care of smokers.
Fourthly, if you are lucky enough to be employed by the Government, you never bother to check whether your salary has been credited at the end of the month. Why should you when you can make a lot more through dubious deals? You should look for ways to pay ghost workers; embezzle funds meant for crucial projects; overprice invoices and initiate elephant projects.
Last but not the least, you need to quench you thirst. You need to realize that work without play makes jack a dull boy. Since you don’t have enough money to buy a bottled beer, you need to realize that there are things called substitutes in economics. They are things that serve the same purpose for a specific need(s).Like tea and coffee. Bearing that in mind, you need to pop in Mama Pima’s den to down a few glasses of cheap but lethal demon drinks. Only after your sight has been lost will you realize that it have been wiser to be a teetotaler.
James Mwangi Kanyi,
Nairobi
We need to protect our land
As much as we love to have real property investors in Kenya,it is important that we vouch the source of their money.It is an open secret that many buildings in Nairobi,Mombasa and other big towns have been constructed through the proceeds of piracy and drugs running.In essence,this has led to the escalalting price of houses in these areas.I have heard of cases in Eastleigh whereby Somali buyers have bought pieces of lands double or triple of their original values--on cash basis.God gave us this country to enjoy what is in it not to bequeth it to the highest bidders of foreign origin.Our forefathers paid the price to redeem our country with their blood and sweat.It is our right to protect what we have courageously and religiously.
James Mwangi Kanyi,Nairobi.
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Sent via Nokia Email
James Mwangi Kanyi,Nairobi.
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Sent via Nokia Email
Averting Drought in Kenya
The gesture by Safaricom,Kenya Commercial Bank and the media to open a emergence benevolent account to help hunger-striken Kenyans is laudable.However,the Government need to look at a bigger picture so as to alleviate the hunger and break the vicious cycle of deaths of human and livestock year in year out.It is important that measures are put in place so that Kenya is food secure whether rains are late or totally fail.Such measures include adopting better farming methods,diversifying on more foods,reviving stalled irrigation schemes,refforestation,training pastrolist communities how to farm,improving on logistics so as to move food from areas with bumper harvest to less endowed,constructing modern food storage facilities,harvesting rain water,etc.
James Mwangi Kanyi,Nairobi
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Sent via Nokia Email
James Mwangi Kanyi,Nairobi
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Sent via Nokia Email
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