Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Earth Tremors Return To Nairobi

In the midst of all the news and incidences unfolding in the country at the moment, an interesting development has been quietly taking place in the Kikuyu area in the outskirts of Nairobi.

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Residents are complaining of constant earth tremors in the area that are so serious that some buildings have been badly affected. Recently a church in the area was shut down because serious cracks had started emerging on the walls so much so that the church members were certain that it may collapse at any time. Experts from the government were brought in to inspect the building and promptly shut it down. To allay the fears of the public they announced that they were shutting it down for further inspection. However it is clear that they firmly agreed with the verdict of the public about the imposing structure.

Interestingly many buildings in the area are semi-permanent structures and it was not immediately clear to this blogger how seriously they have been affected by the constant earth tremors that have swept through the area in recent weeks.

One possible reason why the tremors have been downplayed by the press is probably to stop panic setting in.

A certain Dr Awuor has predicted that the city of Nairobi will be swept by a major earthquake. Last year some unknown persons started forwarding text messages via mobile phones saying that a serious earth tremor was expected in few minutes, which spread fear and panic in the city centre causing workers in high rise building to abandon their work stations in great fear.

21 comments:

  1. So what are you trying to suggest here??

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  2. We, the Kumekuchans, don't want diversions. We want an investigative report on how Mr. Molasses Raila acquired his staggering wealth without ever breaking a sweat. Do you understand that, Chris?! The time has come to call all devils by their names.

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  3. annon 2 a.m . Dont dare abuse Raila.he inherited his father's clean money. you think it was free like Kenyatta's? you are just a Kikuyu thief out to protect ill gotten wealth. now prepare for the earthquake going to take down kikuyus in Nairobi and their stolen wealth,run, run and die elsewhere or commit suicide kikuyu style.

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  4. Chris,

    Why false prophesy and Armageddon?

    You should be a well updated person culturally to detest all these people who prophesy doom in the name of God, people like Dr Awuor. Even in ancient Greek Mythology, Poseidon the god of earthquake did not punish people through earthquakes so will you please stop those bollocks! Look at what happened to China early this year, where over 10,000 people died most of them school children. What did they do?
    In 1923, 140,000 people were killed by earthquake in Japan alone and there have been many other similar earthquakes in Japan after that, but of course at lesser degree. Is God always angry with Japanese people?

    In school did you learn things like plate tectonics or seismic waves? Then if so, you should know what causes earthquakes.

    And there are many reasons as to why an earthquake can occur in Nairobi and the surrounding areas.

    First, Nairobi lies at the edge of the Great Rift Valley, a geographical fault line that runs from Syria passing Kenya to Mozambique. The East African Rift which includes Kenya is a continental rift zone that appears to be a developing divergent tectonic plate boundary which makes the surrounding areas prone to earthquakes. If you follow the news properly then you will remember in recent years there has been numbers of earthquakes in the region. Notably the one that happened early this year that killed 40 people in Rwanda and DR Congo and in 2005 along Lake Tanganyika and DR Congo with shock felt in Nairobi.

    Second, in large African cities with dominantly Westernized types of construction (high-rises), the earthquake risks are greater. The East African Rift Valley contains some of the most densely populated areas in the continent.

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  5. Chris,
    I thought your post was simply reporting the tremors around Naoiroi and in no way did you ask for historical revision of the Kobes and China quakes.

    BTW what is the slang word for earthquake (QUAKIE, Ivy anyone?). It is long since I revised upper primary geography and what a nostalgic feeling to read about the tectonic plates lecture fashioned as ROCKET SCIENCE. Well, just like teenagers crowding a bus often imagine no passenger is schooled, they shout little knowledge oblivious of the shame. You see when you learn about Rift Valley in GSCE it sounds so exotic to much so that mouthing the same soothes the ego oblivious of the fact that you don't have to introduce camels to the Barbers. Speak of obtuse self-obsession or misplaced pride.

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  6. Chris,
    While at it self-appointed civic peddler did't inform us that an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 on the RS has struck Sichuan province in China today.

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  7. Very timely education, Kwale.
    Now, back to bread and butter. When will the MPs start paying taxes?

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  8. taabu

    hehehe upper primo geog revision, good one

    meantime did you know an interesting date and time is coming ahead

    08:08 08/08/08

    if nothing else, just say sober (or somber) for that minute

    hehehehe

    UrXlnc

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  9. UrXlnc

    And the olympic games will start at that time. 08:08 08/08/08


    Taabu

    Typical of you

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  10. Taabu, you know I always give you run for the money and that's why you can't stomach me.

    I am here to comment on articles posted here to the best of my abilitiy and knowledge. I don't bullshit, I write facts. They may sound cocky, flaunty and self-obessed (whatever that means)to some, but at least I contribute positively to this blog.
    And quite frankly, I don't care whether you like it or not. I will continue to comment here as long as this blog continue to exists with some occasional times off like now is summer school holiday, so I will be on and off so I can spend more time with my kids.

    So, you better get used to me cos I ain't going nowhere and I aint going to change the way I comment here.

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  11. Kwale,

    Finally you are back (no we didn't miss you). This is the sweetest statement I have read in a long time. Now, I realize you don't bite - hard.

    ....so I will be on and off so I can spend more time with my kids.

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  12. There are a lot of sub-standard buildings in Nairobi. Ever heard of buildings that collapsed even as they were being put up?

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  13. Its interesting that no one mentions that Nairobi is sitting on water! (place of cool waters eh?) There is plenty of underground rivers in the area...if you remember why the building that houses Uchumi adjacent to koinange street(?)couldnt be built higher than the five floors it is now....AND a local council by-law that states no borehole should be dug within a 100 metre radius of another, because of this very reason (yet we know the state of water supply in Nairobi and the amount of boreholes being dug thus!) are any of you suprised that sooner or later we would dig the foundations out from under us?...add to that the seismic activity from the rift valley....

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  14. Cryptobuzz

    I won't purport to speak for anyone, but personally i didn't know had no idea. Trust me today i have learnt alot, nairobi under water and quakes in the peace valley.

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  15. Thanks for the 08/08/08 pointer Urxlnc, I better jot that down in my diary.

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  16. Why cant all the people who are always quick to put Kwale down do so with their brains? I would expect knowledgeable people to put across counter-arguments to what they dont agree with. Not behaving like std 5 girls. I mean put up or shut up. If you dont know, you come across as someone terribly scared of anything intellectual or at least factual.

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  17. Upepo mbaya vikii,

    Wacha wivu! sura mbaya!

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  18. Vikii, the likes of taabu don't know how to put their point across. Like you said they rather shit themselves than been seen as not 'knowdgeable'. taabu is the 'blue boy' of this blog and he doesnt like to lose that status here. thats why he feels insecure.

    Ivy

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  19. "....an interesting development has been quietly taking place in the Kikuyu area in the outskirts of Nairobi.."

    You know all is lost when nature goes tribal.

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  20. pkw,

    That is hillarious!

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  21. pkw

    i could be wrong and perhaps chris should clarify, when i read this i assumed he meant Kikuyu area where Kikuyu Campus is a little past kawangware, now why would someone think otherwise? its unimagineable that a tremor or act of god would actually seek out a tribe or political party as has been repeatedly announced here

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