Wanting conditions of 'hotels' at Stage

My WIKILEAKS: Watch out where and what you consume

I

 suspend my political writing duty and try to economically chew someone out. For a period of time, the health status of most individuals has been put under red alert and negativism by both doctors and parents or friends. The greatest of all reasons that has led to this situation is the level of hygiene on what and where we consume what.

I took a step towards discovering the untold stories about what we consume at the totally monopolistic shopping centre—the infamous Stage. Apart from a few well established hotels, most of our hotels and pubs are located at the back streets and are a big shame and an undermine to the university that has stood the ground for over 25 years. The conditions of these joints are largely retrogressive, punitive and repressive.

 One of the many provisions of the millennium development goals and the vision 2030 is to see Kenya eliminate the three-personed foe of our generation: ignorance, poverty and diseases. My million times question is, how do we fight diseases with the conditions of the hotel, pubs, dumpsites, drainage, and lavatories at the centre so demeaning and sickening?

Tenacious fighter

I decided to act in the way of an ingenious schemer, thick-skinned, fearless and a tenacious lone fighter, who can stir gender and class sentiments to his defense when threatened. I sneaked into the kitchen of one of the hotels and managed to capture a series of secret photos and what caught my eyes remains to be a toss-up. I went ahead to coin my ways into surviving in narrow strings to get information from the sources that are closely linked to the operators of the hotels but my investigations earned little substance.

Not only was I treated like an alien but also received some cold, mean, and threatening looks. I behaved the wolf way and sneaked out with my photos before the owner could get my neck. A wolf may never inform the rabbit that he will be coming to eat him tomorrow but would tell or lie to another wolf that a hunter is coming with a big gun. In return, the grateful wolf would share the rabbit’s meat. In my case, the other wolf became ungrateful and decided not to share the crucial piece of information. But what makes me walk shoulders high is the fact that the levels of hygiene are low as evidently disclosed by the photos.

When I got a chance to speak to some few employees of these hotels, most of them were plain-speaking and arrogant. The world at the shopping centre seems to stand at one end with every proprietor charging right into the battle field in seek for acceptance and winning more visitors. The air inside the hotels is filled with smoke and a combination of other diaries of choke generated from the wanting drainage.

It is bare truth that eyes were made to look but not see. The poncey floors, the rusting roofings, the blackish ceilings, and the mossy water points go unnoticed by the regular visitors. The merry melodies generated by the 14 inch TV sets lay the evils in necropsy. The belief that shoplots should be filled to the brim seems to contain the water. This in turn compromises on the quality of the food, services, hygiene, and the general eatery hacienda. These hotels are simply guttersnipes.

Rift Valley hypothesis

At one stage in life, if you give oppressive and substandard services over the dark counters, you should definitely expect the same reward. The services received are below the standards of even the worst of the pigs. Our abilities to remember the different colour, patterns, shapes, and odours emanating from these joints are a Rift Valley hypothesis. Our senses have redesigned themselves to make lies sound and look truthful. The eye – being the oldest part of the brain and the body, and having had multiples of millennia to evolve – has refused to see the reality and our health is becoming purely a product of certain aridity. No story appears as evident as the one told through the photos of what we have refused to see.

As customers, we have been unable to play the two sides of the argument against the middle to unearth the truth. The chances are that this is from phobia and not phlegm. During the period of my stake-out, a corrupt and dirty conscience built instability in my mind but I lifted off my lips and my prominent teeth in a series of little, fierce and totally unjustified grinned. The truth was finally here with me.

 Well, it will take us some time to disentangle ourselves from a number of health complications and challenges that we face. For years, we have been operating in an unpredictable and swiftly changing economy and environment. A hostile and in adequate economy, legal, policy, and regulatory environment continues to impact negatively on our health.

 By Koome K. Isaac (Mathiu2010@gmail.com)

Who is this Mwamburi Mwang'ombe?

Mwamburi Mwang’ombe: A man of diversty

The Muso Chairman of the just-elected 25^th SGC is a man you cannot quite wholly understand. His life revolves around a myriad of things. Below are pieces of the man who everyone in Moi now wants a piece of:

He is an LS-Literature student; 3^rd year.

He hails from Taita Taveta county.

He is a second born.

He is a vegetarian; and has reservetions about many “unhealthy” foods and drinks.

He is a good cook; armed with the recipes of Coastarians.

He is a staunch SDA; has studied both the Bible and the Koran.

His favourite soccer act is the La Liga.

On the night of Friday, 23^rd April 2010, he fought with “Peter Mashoka”.  He met face to face with a hit man at 11.30 p.m. in the route betweeen K and C-houses. The man’s first words on meeting him were: “Nitakuua.” But Mwamburi managed to overpower the man and grab off the heavy metallic object he had.

He has been representing The 3^rd Eye in several cases in the office of the Dean and of the Chief Security Officer.

He once got his money and stock stolen from his room,during the previous accademic year.

Is an assiduous reader and a great writer. 

Was among the few aspirants who did not amplify their faces on a canvas sheet—he just used the traditional sheets and relatively few posters.

Came back (after December holidays) for the second semester of the 2010/11 academic year nursing a broken leg; saying he was hurt “akitafuta unga” with  a bicycle at his home area.

He is fluent in both English and Kiswahili but more often uses Kiswahili; with a Coastal accent.

Muso 2011/12 SGC election results

Results of Muso elections, 2011

NB: + shows the winner

Director of Games and Sports
Lugano Peter—851—20.6%
Richard Korir—977—23.6%
+Brian Mukolwe—2,031—49.1%
Kipkemoi Nobert—176—4.3%
SPOILT—101—2.4%
TOTAL VOTES—4,136

Director of Health
+Patricia Tuwei—1,665—40.2%
Mary Achieng Obudho—470—11.4%
Mercy Kerubo Matwere—537—13.0%
Racheal Khalayi—1,365—33.0%
SPOILT—104—2.5%
TOTAL VOTES—4,141

Director of Catering
Nancy Koku Bosire—1,676—40.6%
+Joyce Wainaina—2,312—56.0%
SPOILT—140—3.4%
TOTAL VOTES—4,128

Director of Security and Accommodation
Moses Lisamila—826—20.0%
Enock Ogega—560—13.4%
+Olando Awori David—2664—64.5%
SPOILT—87—2.1%
TOTAL VOTES—4,129

Director of Entertainment and Communication
Joseph Ndambuki—288—7.7%
Derrick James Papa—299—7.3%
Dominic Ndege—125—3.1%
Oliver Mwanzo—231—5.7%
Stephen Opakwa Entamuku—710—17.4%
+Francis Mwangi Kimani—1,947—47.8%
Terence Elegwa—323—8.0%
SPOILT—151—3.7%
TOTAL VOTES—4,074

Director of Academics
+Ong’aro Silas—1,550—37.3%
Mutai Benard—551—13.3%
Emmanuel Birgen—476—11.5%
Kadera Benard—1,276—30.6%
Obolla Ronald—216—5.2%
SPOILT—93—3.2%
TOTAL—4,153

Director of Finance
Fowzaan Mohammed—39—9.0%
Livingstone Eyanae Lusac—158—3.62%
Waithaka Stephen—165—3.78%
+Cyprian Obwogo—2,558—58.6%
Mathias Koske—1,023—24.0%
SPOILT—65—1.5%
TOTAL VOTES—4,362

 Assistant Secretary General
+Kuria Simon—2,098—50.1%
John Victor—809—19.39%
Juliana Ndunge Kiio—1,003—24.0%
SPOILT—65—1.49%
TOTAL VOTES—4,362

Secretary General
Peter Maina—1,000—23.5%
Aloo Rolex Onyango—137—3.3%
+Okeri Victor—2,267—54.8%
Fredrick Odero—622—15.0%
SPOILT—113—2.7%
TOTAL VOTES—4,139

Vice Chairperson
Rebecca Muthoni—279—6.5%
Wanjira Gathuru—311—7.3%
Karen Cheronoh—1,694—39.8%
+Judy Waweru—1,832—43.0%
Dianah Kimani—97—2.3%
SPOILT—47—1.1%
TOTAL VOTES—4,260

Chairperson
Mutimba Christopher—74—1.8%
Stanley Gicheha Maina—77—1.8%
Collins Bett—1,299—31%
Sakwa Masai—249—6%
Mwalimu Florence Doghana—15—0.3%
+Mwang’ombe Mwamburi—2,376—56.7%
Kassim Kipkorir Swaleh—22—0.5%
SPOILT—78—1.8%
TOTAL VOTES—4,190

LT 3 crossfire ends chaotically

Confusion as crossfire degenerates into chaos

By Elvis Ondieki

The crossfire session organized yesterday in LT 3 ended on a chaotic note after a student who rose to ask the last question of the session caused ripples in the building. Below is an account of events. 

≈ 4.50 p.m.: Last Secretary General candidate to be called to the podium, Mr. Okeri Victor, stands up amid cheering from the audience. He gives his speech over noisy cheers.

≈ 4.53: Okeri is done with his speech. There comes a time for questions. One student asks his, and then another student is given the microphone. The student goes against the norm by going to the platform. He hugs Okeri before he begins speaking. He talks of a certain entrepreneur in campus and before he consummates his point, Students’ Electoral Comission (SEC) officials stop him from speaking in a move likely to stop him from speaking ill of someone. 

The student refuses to hand over the mic willingly. Getting it off his hands leaves the mic decapitated. When the mic is handed to the Zungu Sounds proprietor to be checked, he realizes that the mic can not be repaired. 

The SEC officials decide to get hold of the student so as to ensure he is held responsible for the destruction of the wireless mic. They move him out in a move akin to putting him under arrest, which triggers immediate uproar.  

Okeri tries to respond to questions asked to him but attention is shifted to the arrest spectacle.

4.56: Part of the audience starts complaining over the ‘arrest’ of the student. They shout, “Freedom! Freedom!” Irate students disrupt order by jumping to the space reserved for those addressing the audience. The SEC is unable to contain the situation. 

The SEC Chairman Mr. Moses Orang’o tries in vain to control the situation.

Mr. Dominic Karega, former Muso Chairman, goes to the podium, inviting more shouts and chants. He is talking in an animated manner; angered over the ‘arrest of a student. Shouts send him out, and he later claims that some students roughed him up in the process.

Students start shouting “Haki yetu,” demanding for the immediate release of the student restrained by SEC officials. 

5.00: Mr. Orang’o signals the crowd that the meeting is over. 

The student is taken off the SEC’s custody after parting with his student’s ID. He is lifted shoulder high; amid shouts.

Okeri, too, is lifted by supporters.

5.11: All the students have left the lecture theatre, leaving SEC officials in a consultation meeting.

Mr. Karega comes back to the theatre, complaining spiritedly. He tells off the officials who try to restrain him: “Nimeona SEC mingi,” he says. He complains that the manhandled student is crying. He wonders why the SEC took the student’s ID card. He tells SEC to give people equal chances tomorrow.

5.15: Students gather in hordes on the road alongside LT 2. Campaigners for different aspirants spiritedly try to sing for those they support. Others gather around the area.   

  

5.19: Two conflicting parties on the zebra crossing by LT 2 have a disagreement and a commotion arises, making students run in different directions. SEC officials rush to calm the situation.  

Students assemble in scores, chatting over the turn of events. 

SEC Chairman’s say over the matter

Speaking to journalists after the commotion, the Students’ Electoral Commission (SEC) chairman Mr. Moses Orang’o said he could not cancel the questioning part in the next crossfire session. He pointed out that no aspirant could be penalised over the matter.

He added that the questioning section of today’s crossfire will require those asking questions to be more direct.

“We will try to rectify the mistakes we committed yesterday,” said the chairman in a phone interview.