The cutting edge

WRONG PRIORITIES. Shouldn’t the City Council of Nairobi be putting the little money at its disposal into sorting out its key priorities? asks Ken Ogutu. In the past couple of weeks, he adds, the pavements on Kenyatta Avenue between NSSF headquarters and the Uhuru Highway roundabout, which were fairly okay, have been dug up and repaired at a tidy cost, when roads in other parts of the city remain dilapidated. He would rather some of the cash was used to fix the potholes in Eastleigh, for instance. His contact kenogutu@ymail.com.

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SORRY FOR INCONVENIENCE. Kenya Airways regrets that James McIlwaine was denied boarding on June 10 which was caused by the closure of the JKIA runway in Nairobi. “Unfortunately, we could not provide him with the denied-boarding compensation given the extraordinary circumstances,” KQ CEO Titus Naikuni explains. “However, we would like to thank Mr McIlwaine for writing to us. Our customer relations team has since been in touch with him as we seek a speedy amicable solution.”

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WHERE'S MY AIRTIME? Airtel subscriber Ezekiel Koskei says he was quite excited on June 16 after he received a text message from the company announcing a special offer, which read in part: “For every top-up of Sh100 and above, you get 25 per cent bonus airtime.” The following day, Ezekiel rushed to buy himself some Sh1,000 credit, expecting to get a bonus of Sh250, but, to his utter disappointment, it was never granted. “Airtel should learn to walk the talk,” he advises. His number is 0734054118.

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WAY TOO CHEAP. A regular visitor to Nairobi, Priti Patel, says that every time she comes, she always makes a point of going for a meal at her favourite restaurant, Mr Wok, at Parklands. “The food is probably the best I have tasted in East Africa, the ambiance is great, and so is the service.” The only disappointment, she adds, comes after the meal when mint sweets are brought with the bill. “Surely, an establishment of this calibre can serve better mouth fresheners!” Her contact is ppatel064@gmail.com.

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FUNERAL JAMBOREES. The attendance at the funerals of the six people killed in the June 10 helicopter crash in Ngong Forest confirms that politicians love status recognition, says Emily Chepkorir. “Prof Saitoti’s funeral service was a full house with speeches running from morning to 5pm, but assistant minister Orwa Ojodeh’s was over by 3pm. Only a few MPs went to Captain Nancy Gituanja’s and co-pilot Luke Oyugi’s service was attended by only his MP. They seem to rank the intensity of death according to how famous one was.”

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CITY TRAIN GREAT. He has been travelling by commuter train from Embakasi to Nairobi’s city centre lately and John Mungoo is a happy man. Says he: “It’s amazing just how fast the train is compared to matatus, which are always stuck in the heavy traffic jams on Jogoo and Mombasa roads.” But every time he is on the train, John adds, he worries about his safety and would like the company to enhance security, not just at the Nairobi Railway Station, but also at the various stops. His contact is mungooj@yahoo.com.

Have a hassle-free day, won’t you!