Governor Mutua laments about lack of water in washrooms at SGR station
Machakos governor Alfred Mutua on Monday penned a blog on his experience in the newly launched Madaraka Express train station in Nairobi.
Mutua praised the efficiency at the stations but lashed out at the management for having no water in the washrooms, and stench-filled ladies washrooms at the Nairobi terminus.
“The station’s toilets are brand new, good, but in a mark of shame, had no water (despite the station being new). The ladies toilet had water spilt everywhere on the floor but the taps were dry and the stench was starting to build. I hope Gen. Kianga, Chairman of Kenya Railways and able CEO Atanas Maina will move with speed and have no mercy as they take care of this Third World mentality failure common in Africa,” wrote Mutua.
DESCRIBING EVERY MOMENT
In his post, the governor detailed how he took the Nairobi-Mombasa train on June 10, describing every moment of the four and a half hour journey.
Nonetheless, the governor praised the comfort offered by the trains also noting how popular the Madaraka Express has become as thousands of travelers were on the journey.
“The train journey was comfortable. The coaches are clean, have plugins for charging phones and clean toilets. Contemporary and popular music was piped down the 15 carriages…The train’s movement was a surprise – very smooth and deceiving in terms of speed. I looked at the trees and grasslands pass slowly outside. You do not notice the speed unless you look down at the tracks. Signs on an LED display on each end of the couches indicated the speed – averaging 110 to 120 kilometers an hour. However, it felt as if we were only doing 40 kph. Well controlled air conditioning added to the comfort,” he wrote.
TRIBAL BALANCE
Mutua further narrated how he chatted up the crew on board and got information of how they applied for the jobs that were advertised on a local daily emphasizing the tribal balance in hiring by naming a few who come from different communities.
“I noticed some travelers had carried their own snacks and drinks. ‘Wewe Governor Mutua, ambia Uhuru awachilie hawkers wauze chakula ndani ya SGR,’ one man shouted on seeing me. ‘Chakula hapa haitoshi na bei yake in kali sana. Chupa Ndogo ya maji ni mia Bwana.’ Fellow travelers cheered as they agreed with him. I made a mental note to inform the Kenya Railways CEO. There is a reason President Uhuru lowered the ticket prices to 700 shs. The train tickets and food sold on board should be of an affordable rate for the common mwananchi,” he wrote.
The governor concluded by describing the ride as magical adding that he was “working on how to get the SGR service to Machakos”.
