Just when we should be reaping big, who ‘ate’ the pavements?

Boflo, or unsliced bread, was one of those rare treats some of us used to look forward to in boarding school. Dormitory lockers would be filled to the brim with this precious commodity.

To make them last, you only ‘cut’ a tiny piece with your fingers every so often to eat. This trick would extend its lifespan but would not stop mold from forming. Even then, the moldy areas would be excised with surgical precision and the unaffected parts of boflo nibbled. Rarely did we get ill. The slow chipping of the bread left it looking like diseased giraffe skin.

Whenever I walk on the pavement, particularly in Nairobi and Mombasa, I see a lot of diseased giraffe skin. There are always huge chunks of pavement missing. I ask myself, how long before ankles are fractured? Like the boflo from our school days, it looks as if somebody, or something, deliberately attacked them. Not me. I tend to wonder if the elements and an ‘hidden’ force conspired to gouge them.

However, my suspicious mind thinks it has to do with poor workmanship.

We always hear the advice, ‘Think big’. I disagree: It is important to think small first in order to think big.

SMOOTH HIGHWAYS

Super, smooth highways, motorways and railways make travelling pleasurable and fast but, in these days of healthy living, people are increasingly adopting walking as an essential part of keeping fit.

There is a need, therefore, to consider having safe and beautiful pavements to enable walkers to enjoy their journeys.

One reason for huge traffic gridlocks is more people taking to personal cars. With the lack of decent and reliable public transport in our cities, who can blame them? The solution might lie in modern, fast, reliable trains and trams but we equally need walkways to complement future public transport systems. If they are safe, I fail to see why many of us will not swap our fancy boots and sneakers for sports shoes and jog home.

While at it, we should also consider cycle lanes to encourage more people to get on the bikes. Modern bicycles are faster and cleaner for the environment. Boy, do we need cleaner air in Nairobi!

‘Asian Tigers’ such as Singapore and Malaysia were at par with Kenya economically only decades ago but have left us behind.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

They have the most ardent and sophisticated cities that incorporate faster, modern and reliable public transport systems. Malaysia even hosts a Formula One racing circuit. Improved transport network has also increased investment in and around the stations and cities.

Here, we have retrograded to ‘eating’ pavements — poorly built in the first place.

The Nairobi regeneration team ought to consider in its masterplan durable pavements and other walkways. The greener the better; to encourage people to walk more.

Pavement cafes, common in cities such as Paris, could work even better for us. With the great weather, we can attract more investment and employment opportunities — particularly in the food and retail industries.

The secret recipe is the sunshine. We have plenty of sun but can’t capitalise on it for some reason like, say, Spain.

BEACHES

Our tourism industry has a great reputation and attracts tourists but mostly to safaris and beaches. With all-inclusive packages inspired by insecurity, most tourists prefer to holiday behind fortressed hotels.

They rarely go into the town centres, especially Mombasa and Nairobi, because we don’t have the beautiful, safe streets that would encourage them to come out and spend the dollars we desperately need.

I don’t agree that our cities are that unsafe, or have a crime rate any higher than most global metropolises: We only fail at managing expectations. Ours and our visitors’.

Mombasa had Marrakesh-type food markets and cafes that were full at night but have since disappeared. We now have streets full of garbage.

The lovely restaurants that served local Swahili dishes have long closed. The pavement kahawa tungu joints are all gone. The little boutique curio shops are few and far between. Traffic has chocked the small island. You cannot walk an inch without bumping into street people harassing you for change.

POOR MANAGEMENT

What I mean by ‘Who ate the pavements?’ is, who exactly kills the spirit of our city centres through poor management? Our cities could easily attract the heavy spenders if security and beautification were given priority. Why shop for Channel in Paris when you can find it in plenty at Pumwani? If foreign investors such as Java and KFC can spot potential in these cities, then it means we are lying on a pot of gold whose lid is firmly shut by incompetence and corruption.

Think small first. Think of the little flower pots, boutiques, rows of lovely cafes and boulevards. Beef up security to reassure investors and consumers. Then sit back and enjoy that well-earned drink on the pavement in a beautiful, safe, sunny and vibrant Kenyan city. Cheers!

 Ms Guyo is a legal researcher in Kenya and the United Kingdom. [email protected]