Nairobi News

Concrete rails. There is an urgent need for guardrails to be erected on the bridge at the recently commissioned Imara Daima Railway Station on Mombasa Road, says Solomon Mwasame. He says that last week a car lost control and veered off the busy road and plunged into the valley, exploding into flames, killing all four occupants. The metallic rails that were once there have long been vandalised by unscrupulous scrap metal dealers, he says.

“We therefore need to put up concrete rails. Unless this is urgently done, he warns, the bridge will claim more lives, especially now that the Imara Daima Railway Station is fully operational and people often use the foot path below it to access the station.

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No excuse. David Ngome is apprehensive that Nairobians are literally chewing on more than they bargained for this festive season following the news that the theft of donkeys has become the order of the day in Ongata Rongai. He says his fears, though unconfirmed, are firmly founded on the fact that a water vendor recently stumbled upon the carcass of his donkey after it was missing for some days.

“An organised gang is said to raid owners’ homes and steal the beasts of labour,” he says. Despite reporting each theft, he adds, no arrests have been made so far. He accuses the police and veterinary officers of dragging their feet to stop the illegal business that poses risk to Nairobians.

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Car wash bays. It is high time the county government built car wash bays in estates as a way of improving sanitation and stopping the rapid dilapidation of roads, says Rael Kahenya. She observes that many car washes have been set up next to busy roads and their waste water, often finds its way into the middle of the roads, shortening their life span.

“Granted that the business is acting as a source of livelihood to many of our youths, we however, cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that in the long run they are bleeding the taxpayer dry in terms of repair costs,” she says. Her idea of proper car wash bays, she notes, will be additional sources of revenue for the already cash-strapped government.

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Exchanging demons. To the great dismay of Samuel Mwamboa life in Kasarani has not been in the fast lane as he thought when he moved houses a year ago. He says he was more than glad to bid farewell to the horrific Eastlands jam, but little did he know that he was exchanging one demon for another. He points out that, the water supply in the area is not as smooth as a ride on Thika Superhiway.

“I have lost count of the times I have had to wake up in the middle of the night to fetch water as soon as the first drop trickles,” he says adding it has been a difficult year. He is calling on the Nairobi Water Company to look into the situation and fix the problem behind shortage and in so doing give the residents a happier 2014.