The Cutting Edge - 27 March 2014

ELIMINATE TERRORISTS. The mounting insecurity in Mombasa, with frequent attacks on hapless worshippers in churches, is really worrying, says Antony Irungu. Terrorists and other killer gangs must be dealt with firmly to assure the local residents of their security. He would like to see the security forces step up efforts to eliminate the criminals radicalising youth to attack fellow Kenyans in a needless orgy of violence in a region that has known religious harmony for years. “A tree is not killed by pruning, but by uprooting it,” he declares.

________

MARK THIS ROAD. The ongoing patch-up job on the Kericho-Litein-Sotik road couldn’t have come at a better time as the potholes were already posing a grave danger to road users, says W. Kimariech. However, he hopes that this time round, the works will include marking the road which has never been done before. Many accidents have occurred in this area, especially at night, due to lack of markings. “Let the authorities not just talk about curbing road carnage yet they contribute to it by ignoring this.”

_________

WHERE IS MY REFUND? Nearly a year since he returned from South Africa where he had lived for a while, Daniel Maina is still a bitter man. On realising that he had misplaced his repatriation fee receipt, he was advised by the South African embassy in Nairobi to swear an affidavit in order to get a refund, and he promptly did. However, since August last year, he has made numerous trips to the embassy and sent many emails to SA’s department of home affairs in vain. “I had borrowed the money and I need to repay it soon.” His contact is [email protected].

________

FIX ALL THE DEFECTS. Welcoming Kenya National Highways Authority official Charles Njogu’s assurance that the contractor has a few months to fix any defects on the Thika Superhighway, J.K. Munyiri says the remaining liability period should be made good use of. He would, for instance, like to know about the missing footbridges that Transport Cabinet Secretary Michael Kamau said were part of the project and would be built soon. “Or shall we have to contend with having speed bumps on a highway?”

________

ROAD IN A MESS. A section of Enterprise Road in the Industrial Area, one of the busiest in Nairobi, has been left to go to the dogs, moans Noorani Munir, a regular user, about the proliferation of potholes, especially near the Fire Station. The dilapidated surface is largely to blame for the seemingly never-ending traffic jams at the spot and beyond. This has been the case for a long time, and certainly not the best way to ensure that fire engines move quickly whenever called to put out fires.

________

AT CROSS PURPOSES. What Stevenson Karanja finds rather ironic is the apparent failure by the government to walk the talk in its efforts to reduce the ballooning wage bill in the public sector. He cannot understand why a government that is cash-strapped would promise thousands of county assembly members huge car grants, host all manner of expensive retreats, and fail to deal with the cartels that are to blame for some of the revenue haemorrhage. His contact is [email protected].
 
Have a committed day, won’t you!

E-mail: [email protected]
or write to Watchman,
POB 49010, Nairobi 00100.
Fax 2213946.