I met this group of ODM supporters walking to Uhuru Park from Panafric Hotel.
The THUNDER rally out shined all the weekend’s activities with their spectacular event attended by a crowd of over 400,000 at Uhuru park. It was a true picture of what majority Kenyans want CHANGE. ODM Pentagon has promised the change that Kenyans are yearning for. We have been promised this in the past but majority of Kenyans have not seen or felt the economic growth. The economic growth means nothing to the common mwananchi (citizens) if Ugali (maize meal) costs more, if prices for bread, milk, sugar and other essential commodities go up. Some becoming a luxury for poor families. So I believe the common mwananchi will vote for a coalition that has a new change to offer not the change for the worst they have experienced.
I couldn't attend ODM rally at Uhuru park because I had some errands to do in the morning and had to take my kids to the Nairobi show, they told me you will see ODM everyday but show is only once a year. So I had to obey these young Kenyans who also have their rights.
I have attended the Nairobi Agricultural show, which is now known as Nairobi International Trade fair since I was young and got used to the long queues at the gates. We walked to the gate on Kibera side and expected a long queue like it has always been but was shocked that there was no queue, only a few people and kids standing outside the gates (many may have opted to attended ODM rally at Uhuru park). When I went to pay I came to realize that those people with kids outside couldn’t enter because of the charges. Adults were paying Kshs. 200/- and children Kshs.150/-, one man came with nearly 5 kids who were so eager to enter the show, he enquired about the charges, after being told he said sita weza kulipa hiyo (I cannot afford that). The father walked away with very annoyed kids.
Kids entertainment facilities at the show, charges range from Kshs.50 - 100
I can imagine that this man was from the slums, his kids insisted on daddy to take them to the show like other kids. This man and many other parents of kids from the slums could not afford to pay the gate charges. Most people in the slums are casual laborers who earn as little as 200/day. This is the money they use to pay rent and to put a meal on the table for their families. So one cannot take their weeks salary of Kshs. 1000 – 1200 to go to such a show. On the other hand the show cannot be free but I feel the organizers should have set a date for kids to be charged less if not free, to give Kenyans of all walks of lives an opportunity to see what our country has to offer. I only concluded that this was not a poor man’s show.
-Jamii ya Kenya-
Raila Odinga secretly met John Githongo in London last month
Guess what John Githongo's nickname was when he worked at State House
When will PNU wake up and get a serious campaign going?
Sue,
ReplyDeleteI challenge you to show me any country where the price of anything (even a toothpick)hasnt risen in 5-10 years and I will move there! Hypnotised kenyans!
Kumekucha,
ReplyDeleteSomething i need clarifiacation from ODM supporters is whether they are expecting a nanny state where the gava provides everything...even free entry or money to events like the show!!! You guys will have to still work to put food on the table. Then come Jan08 and Raila is Rais... will food prices start falling?; reconstruction activities everywhere?; distribution of resources to everyone from the city to the grassroots.... What economic model will be applied by a Raila government? How will regeneration,reconstruction, devolution, redistribution, etc take place? Who will gain what and who will lose what, as is inevitable in a 'redistribution', 'devolution'? Who will be targeted in the fight against corruption, keeping in mind Raila's recent comments and the constitution of his team? What you guys are giving here are just generalities camouflaged as high sounding words. Can you keep it simple for simpletons like yours trully to understand?
What is urge is for every one here to be realistic. For example, what are the timelines for the achievement of these 'promises'? You see the problem with euphoria is having everybody expect heaven in the first 100 days, then when there is no delivery, despair, apathy, etc. Are you guys deliberately setting up your man for failure, that is, if he wins? Remember the Narc dream died not because the current administration could not deliver, but because of the perception that it was taking too long to do so....surely you can't deny that things are already happening....
JEFF
Anonymous there is no country where prices of commodities have not risen in 5-10 years. The rise of high prices is felt so much when earnings remain constant for years like the case of casual laborers or jobless Kenyans. Just the other day the standard bread used by the common mwananchi was 23 then 25 now its now 30. Milk was 20 and 25 depending on the pack, now its 23 and 30, sugar prices have risen very fast within a short time.
ReplyDeleteThis could be due to new regulations on plastics but the common man is suffering because of high costs due to packing. No employer is going to increase their salaries because of rising prices of commodities. In fact many casuals working in plastic companies have been laid of and many are still to go. The other issue is transport costs due to fuel. Who is to blame for all this?
Sue, price of sugar was 45/kg in 2002, then shot up to 120/kg in 2005/6 but its now at about 100/kg. Thats more than 200% price increase. This is hyper inflation - similar to what is being experienced in Zimbabwe.
ReplyDeleteAbout the Nairobi Show... not surprised. Foreign exhibitors prefer to do their trade shows at KICC or Sarit Centre exhibition hall and target their invites potential customers. The Nairobi Show is a pale shadow of itself. It was at one time turned into a political arena and children fan fare by the Moi /KANU regime. Kibaki has made it worse, because being an 'acclaimed' economist, one expects his government to appreciate the importance of trade fairs, especially one like Nairobi Show which has traditionally been a place where the Kenyan farmer can showcase his produce and livestock. Remember KCC, KFA? Farmers came from as far as Australia to admire how Kenyan farmers could come together form co-operatives and market their products to international markets. This is no more.
What a shame, that currently such a large investment as the Nairobi ASK show can only be put to use for a few days each year yet we have vibrant economies running 24/7/365 all over the world!!! Just look at whats happening in Eastleigh then you will understand what I mean.
excuse me??? i have a question?? is it propaganda or pure coincidence that NTV,KTN and the EAST AFRICAN STANDARD all of which are mainstream medea houses are incresingly in favour of ODM?? SOMEONE PLIZ ENLIGHTEN ME????
ReplyDeletePhil. What have your type done to make the Nairobi show shine once more? why didn't take time off the internet to go and display fish products from kavirondo? You could even entertain tourists by giving a talk about talking about wife inheritance. Like other jaluo kihiis, you are only good at complaining..jinga wewe..
ReplyDeleteWhy is Phil making noise about the price of sugar? why doen't he ask Raila to buy sugar for his followers? I am sorry phil, if you haven't been taking sugar. You need to get a job and earn some money. Spending all you time on this blog doesn't pay. I would suggest you start by selling roast groundnuts in the city estates. This is already a trade controlled by jaluos and you could fit well in the business.
ReplyDeleteTo the victorious man/woman/Government who slays the 7-headed dragon of corruption belongs the spoils of "magic" money suddenly appearing Kroll style as if out of nowhere
ReplyDeleteImagine the surprise of beleaguered pumbavu Kenyans who all along have been led to believe that we are a 3rd world country the best we can hope for is to be middle-income by 2030 while managing forever revised GDP estimates of 6% over the past 1 1/2 years
In this case i agree with Sue and Bwana Phil-majority of Kenyans have not seen or felt the economic growth and its because no administration has been brave enough to kill the goose that steals our golden egg-corruption
I know that is not too hard to understand, whether you are a pumbavu or not
This blog is increasing getting populated with IDIOTS ranting and running on prejudice inherited from their villages. They must be disabused of these nude lies. One petty hawking (groundnuts) included is not a preserve of Luos. Maybe they do it honestly to put food on the table unlike thieves who use it as a cover before striking big time. Two the mentally UNCIRCUMCISED Kioko belives he is less black than Luos. Well if BEAUTY is not subjective then I would rather Lucifer than the GENOCIDE face Kibaki and Ogre-like Lucy. Three Kioko is a better DOG than the one he exhumed and ate. No wonder he is permanently choked on his cut foreskin and can only bark one word (kihii) like a dog. Come on Kioko grow up and spit the CUT, be a man and reason, stop shouting.
ReplyDeleteReason like you huh!
ReplyDeleteHonestly the language is pathetic. We dont have to neck each other coz of these politicians sababu by the end of the day we are still the same while they benefit from our sweat! Yeah life has changed a great deal in the last yrs and yeah life has to continue.
ReplyDeleteYes, Phil is right. The price of sugar has gone up four times. Kenya is 10 times worse than Zimbabwe. Under Kibaki the economy has actually deteriorated and now Kenya is amount the five poorest nations in the world. That is why we need majimbo. Our sugar mills in Kisumu can produce sugar for luo-nyanza for Sh5/- a kilo. we can then sell it to Mt Kenya for Sh200 a kilo. That is why we need majimbo now. Patrick Opondi.
ReplyDeleteI have just read the above positing that roast groundnut hawking in the city estates is mainly done by jaluos. It is an amazing observation that I never noted when I lived in Nairobi, but it is true. Can any blogger tell me how these nuts came to dominate this trade? How much do these nuts make in a selling roast nuts in a day? I am just curious.. Kioko. BC, Canada.
ReplyDelete