Wednesday, 20 May 2015
Lessons learnt from my amazing round of golf:
I am now playing my golf of handicap 6 thanks to a famous victory one fine Saturday afternoon at Limuru Country Club in the Standard County Golf Series where I emerged overall winner out of a field of almost 200 golfers. My photo recieving the winner's trophy even appeared in the local dailies as a factual confirmation that I had done it and the many congratulatory messages both from my golfing and non golfing friends suggested that they were mighty proud of my achievements!!
Non golfers stop right here as the jargon is about to flow fast and furious!! Every year I assign myself a handicap target to achieve in my golf. The lower the handicap you want to play off the more difficult it is to attain that target because you need to spend more time on the chipping green and putting green simply because the sharper your short game around and on the greens is the easier it shall be for you to score points, play better and avoid expensive mistakes……………something that all golfers are well aware off!!
However many golfers do not assign themselves an annual handicap target so they go on playing tournaments and friendlies hoping to shoot a good score and play a great round and somehow reduce their handicap by sheer luck which is mostly a fallacy since if you need to get somewhere you need to set yourself a target and then consciously work towards achieving that target. Many golfers also go straight from the changing room to the tee and do not warn up or do any practice which is a big disservice to their golf game………and handicap.
My handicap target for the year 2015 is a modest 5 handicap (down from 7 handicap at the start of the year) which is quite achievable given that many of my scores while playing of handicap 7 have been mainly within my buffer zone of 34 stable ford points or 74 stroke play points hence my handicap did not vary much for over a year within handicap 7 or 8. My analysis of my game made me realise that playing two handicaps better was well within my reach and all I needed to do was find out where my mistakes were and correct them.
So on that amazing Saturday, having studied and analyzed my game and having figured out where I was going wrong and determined to prove that I was right in my analysis, I shot an amazing 13 pars, 1 birdie and 4 bogies for an amazing 75 gross points and 40 stable ford points with a 1st nine of an excellent gross level par score and three dropped shots on the 2nd nine. As someone commented, if it were a professional tournament I would have qualified for the second round based on my score of +3!!
Common mistakes amateur golfers often make thus retarding their ability to reduce their handicaps include too much body and foot movement during the swing, over or under clubbing, taking your eyes off the ball, cutting your swing particularly when chipping, using too much strength, the wrong grip and posture, the wrong attitude, using the wrong length of clubs for your height, opening the club face on the strike etc. As they say, "golf ne thwingi"
!!
My mistake was somewhere within that general mix of mistakes that I have mentioned above. However, details are not important given that everyone has a unique style of swinging, putting and yes even temperament and they are the only ones who can accept and correct their mistakes so as to improve on their handicap.
While I am happy with my achievement during such a big tournament, I still have a ways to go to get to handicap 5 (my actual handicap is 6.2) and I need another big win of 40 stable ford points or better (or 68 gross or better on stroke play) to achieve this which is not impossible, after all I have shot a round of 42 last year off handicap 8 and emerged overall winner in another big tournament having dropped only two shots in the process.
So that was that and I look forward to accomplishing my amateur golfing handicap target of 5 for the year 2015 as golfing to me is a way of life and an important source of exercise and a healthy lifestyle and needs to be given the respect that it deserves.
The people you team up with in your four ball also play a big role in sharpening your golf game when you are playing well so kudos go to the guys (you know yourselves) who played with me on that Saturday because they were supportive of my efforts, did not offer unnecessary criticism or advise and let me get on with my game and at my pace even when I fumbled on those three strokes on account of nerves!!
As for the non golfers who choose to read to the end.....poleni sana if I lost you somewhere along the way, but you had been warned!!!Just decide to take to the course and see what all the excitement is about golf and you'll be hooked.
Thursday, 14 May 2015
Cheating Death
A few weeks ago I almost went to keep my maker company, which tells me that I shall live to a ripe old age as I have always intended to. It all began like all incidences innocently enough!
Tired after a hard day’s work during which I had skipped lunch on account of the amount of work I had to push through my desk that day, I stumbled home more hungry than tired. It was one of those days where my house help doesn’t visit so no dinner had been prepared. So it was me to prepare my dinner this evening or have a date with my maker on account of starvation.
Now one of the lesser known skills that I possess is that I am a great cook particularly anything meat related and I constantly experiment with all kinds of ingredients and condiments both fresh and packaged. I have even told my colleagues at work that one of the reasons that I don’t invite them over for a meal is that once they taste my cooking they shall seek permanent refuge in my house to the chagrin and annoyance of their husbands, boyfriends, wives and girlfriends!
Today I had some pork chops that I was going to dry fry in a frying pan with onions, tomatoes, dhania and other secret ingredients (every chef has a secret recipe only known to them) and then add a dash of soy sauce at the last minute for the darkening of the meat and as a final flavoring. No “pilau Njeri” or that goulash so loved by my tribes’ mates comprising potatoes, meat, peas, carrots, cabbage and boiled maize thank you! All went according to plan and half an hour later I sat down to feast on a delicious dinner of pork chops and pasta.
Soon sated and the dishes cleaned I decided to retire to my sanctum sanctorum (which doubles up as my bedroom, my study and my TV room) to catch up on some reading and watch TV but not before filing the now blackened (soy sauce does that) frying pan with water and then leaving it on the stove to heat up so as to make the job of washing it up later easier after all the goo had dissolved in the hot water. Half an hour later I smelt something strange in the air but dismissed it as probably a neighbors cooking. A few minutes later I noticed smoke in my sanctorum only to realise that the cause must be the long forgotten frying pan warming on the stove.
Rushing into the kitchen I almost passed out due to the thick smoke emitted by the now dried our frying pan making visibility in the kitchen almost nil whereupon I stumbled blindly to the kitchen windows which I threw wide open as well as opened the backdoor for the smoke to dissipate after which I went and put off the stove and rescued the now useless frying pan whose non-stick bottom had melted and was the source of this thick clearly carbon laden smoke.
By now this carbonaceous smoke had spread to the rest of the house mainly to my bedroom which is next to the kitchen and so I had no choice but to also open all the doors and windows in the house to try and get some flow of air circulating to push out this deadly toxin of smoke that now permeated most of the house. Strangely in all this drama none of my neighbors appeared any the wiser to my misadventures that night which I can only conclude was due to the fact that I never panicked and did not start screaming wildly. Two hours later with all the smoke now cleared from the house, the possibility of asphyxiating in my sleep only a lingering thought and all back to normal save for a lingering smell of something burnt………...and the frying pan relegated to the outside verandah to be trashed the next day I went to bed.
Now, imagine for a moment that I had fallen asleep before I had realized that I had left something heating on the stove, there would have been only two outcomes, death by carbon monoxide poisoning or death from being burnt alive had the frying pan then heated up to an extent that it triggered a chain reaction of an exploding gas cylinder with the attendant mayhem.
The grim reaper came calling that day and my date with my maker would have been sealed save for the good luck that caused me to stay awake long enough to realise that all was not well!
Expect me to be around for a long, long time folks……!
Tired after a hard day’s work during which I had skipped lunch on account of the amount of work I had to push through my desk that day, I stumbled home more hungry than tired. It was one of those days where my house help doesn’t visit so no dinner had been prepared. So it was me to prepare my dinner this evening or have a date with my maker on account of starvation.
Now one of the lesser known skills that I possess is that I am a great cook particularly anything meat related and I constantly experiment with all kinds of ingredients and condiments both fresh and packaged. I have even told my colleagues at work that one of the reasons that I don’t invite them over for a meal is that once they taste my cooking they shall seek permanent refuge in my house to the chagrin and annoyance of their husbands, boyfriends, wives and girlfriends!
Today I had some pork chops that I was going to dry fry in a frying pan with onions, tomatoes, dhania and other secret ingredients (every chef has a secret recipe only known to them) and then add a dash of soy sauce at the last minute for the darkening of the meat and as a final flavoring. No “pilau Njeri” or that goulash so loved by my tribes’ mates comprising potatoes, meat, peas, carrots, cabbage and boiled maize thank you! All went according to plan and half an hour later I sat down to feast on a delicious dinner of pork chops and pasta.
Soon sated and the dishes cleaned I decided to retire to my sanctum sanctorum (which doubles up as my bedroom, my study and my TV room) to catch up on some reading and watch TV but not before filing the now blackened (soy sauce does that) frying pan with water and then leaving it on the stove to heat up so as to make the job of washing it up later easier after all the goo had dissolved in the hot water. Half an hour later I smelt something strange in the air but dismissed it as probably a neighbors cooking. A few minutes later I noticed smoke in my sanctorum only to realise that the cause must be the long forgotten frying pan warming on the stove.
Rushing into the kitchen I almost passed out due to the thick smoke emitted by the now dried our frying pan making visibility in the kitchen almost nil whereupon I stumbled blindly to the kitchen windows which I threw wide open as well as opened the backdoor for the smoke to dissipate after which I went and put off the stove and rescued the now useless frying pan whose non-stick bottom had melted and was the source of this thick clearly carbon laden smoke.
By now this carbonaceous smoke had spread to the rest of the house mainly to my bedroom which is next to the kitchen and so I had no choice but to also open all the doors and windows in the house to try and get some flow of air circulating to push out this deadly toxin of smoke that now permeated most of the house. Strangely in all this drama none of my neighbors appeared any the wiser to my misadventures that night which I can only conclude was due to the fact that I never panicked and did not start screaming wildly. Two hours later with all the smoke now cleared from the house, the possibility of asphyxiating in my sleep only a lingering thought and all back to normal save for a lingering smell of something burnt………...and the frying pan relegated to the outside verandah to be trashed the next day I went to bed.
Now, imagine for a moment that I had fallen asleep before I had realized that I had left something heating on the stove, there would have been only two outcomes, death by carbon monoxide poisoning or death from being burnt alive had the frying pan then heated up to an extent that it triggered a chain reaction of an exploding gas cylinder with the attendant mayhem.
The grim reaper came calling that day and my date with my maker would have been sealed save for the good luck that caused me to stay awake long enough to realise that all was not well!
Expect me to be around for a long, long time folks……!
Wednesday, 6 May 2015
In the nick of time:
Recently I have come to the realization that I got out in the nick of time! I got out in the nick of time from Nairobi due to my being posted to Nyeri early last year because it is apparent that things traffic wise have deteriorated quickly into what may be called a mini crisis of sorts in Nairobi our capital city which has been my working environment for many years.
People, of whom I am a witness as I leave Nairobi for Nyeri at 5.30 am on Monday morning, now routinely, leave home as early as 4.00 am so as to avoid the perennial traffic jams plaguing all the roads into the capital city. It is better after all to get to work early and then read your newspaper in the car or office then cool your heels in a traffic jam for two hours. Having been called to Nairobi for a series of meetings some weeks ago, it took me a good 1 ½ hours to my chagrin to cover a distance of 12 kilometers to my meeting a period which would ordinarily see me at Karatina at 7.00 am on Monday morning.
Things in Nairobi must be (as we used to say back in the day) ‘elephant’ because the decision by the county government to team up with the Central government recently to come up with strategies to unlock the gridlocks on the capitals roads and tame the day long traffic jams in Nairobi was long overdue in coming. At this rate it’s no wonder that all negative things associated with slow moving traffic like snatch and grab attacks by thugs either walking or on boda bodas is on the rise as are incidences of traffic policemen out to make a quick buck pouncing on unsuspecting motorists who have failed to buckle up (does one need to buckle up in 30kmph traffic?), are transacting business or are explaining to someone on their mobile phones why they are late for that all important meeting.
I am not entirely sure that the initiative to remove the five roundabouts along Uhuru Highway shall have the needed results given that past initiatives including installing traffic lights and CCTV cameras don’t seem to have worked at all in alleviating even a small amount of the problem. Millions have been spent on worthless initiatives that have resulted in zero progress. It would make more sense if the by passes were completed faster and then the heavy commercial vehicles rumbling along our highways would be forced to use these routes and decongest the traffic along Uhuru Highway which has to some extent been achieved along Thika Road during off peak hours.
But then again save for my wife and daughters and my brothers and their families who live in traffic choked Nairobi, I have little sympathy to the whining and cursing I see on the various social media forums by those inconvenienced Nairobians because “rudini counties” is my rallying call going forward!!
People, of whom I am a witness as I leave Nairobi for Nyeri at 5.30 am on Monday morning, now routinely, leave home as early as 4.00 am so as to avoid the perennial traffic jams plaguing all the roads into the capital city. It is better after all to get to work early and then read your newspaper in the car or office then cool your heels in a traffic jam for two hours. Having been called to Nairobi for a series of meetings some weeks ago, it took me a good 1 ½ hours to my chagrin to cover a distance of 12 kilometers to my meeting a period which would ordinarily see me at Karatina at 7.00 am on Monday morning.
Things in Nairobi must be (as we used to say back in the day) ‘elephant’ because the decision by the county government to team up with the Central government recently to come up with strategies to unlock the gridlocks on the capitals roads and tame the day long traffic jams in Nairobi was long overdue in coming. At this rate it’s no wonder that all negative things associated with slow moving traffic like snatch and grab attacks by thugs either walking or on boda bodas is on the rise as are incidences of traffic policemen out to make a quick buck pouncing on unsuspecting motorists who have failed to buckle up (does one need to buckle up in 30kmph traffic?), are transacting business or are explaining to someone on their mobile phones why they are late for that all important meeting.
I am not entirely sure that the initiative to remove the five roundabouts along Uhuru Highway shall have the needed results given that past initiatives including installing traffic lights and CCTV cameras don’t seem to have worked at all in alleviating even a small amount of the problem. Millions have been spent on worthless initiatives that have resulted in zero progress. It would make more sense if the by passes were completed faster and then the heavy commercial vehicles rumbling along our highways would be forced to use these routes and decongest the traffic along Uhuru Highway which has to some extent been achieved along Thika Road during off peak hours.
But then again save for my wife and daughters and my brothers and their families who live in traffic choked Nairobi, I have little sympathy to the whining and cursing I see on the various social media forums by those inconvenienced Nairobians because “rudini counties” is my rallying call going forward!!
Friday, 3 April 2015
In memory of those killed in the Garissa University attack.......!!
This couldn't be happening!! I had posted on my Facebook page about 70 innocent lives having been lost in a massacre in a University in Garissa as reported on the 7.00 pm news. Barely 2 hours later, the death toll had risen to a staggering 147 so far.
This massacre of 147 innocents at Garissa University could have happened at any of our universities, colleges or schools spread across Kenya. As a father of a university student I am shocked to the core that so many young, aspiring, bright Kenyans have lost their lives so needlessly.
We shall never know how many of those killed so callously would have turned into brilliant surgeons, engineers, economists, accountants, bankers, designers and so on their dreams shattered and no more through a cowardly bullet or a suicide bombers vest.
Today I dedicate this blog to those innocent students and others who have lost their lives in Garissa and I reproduce comments by my friends as they condole with those who have been bereaved.
_______________________________________________________________
We need to pray.... Go down on our knees and pray for our beloved country Kenya. Our hearts weep for the needless loss of innocent lives.... 147 lives snuffed out, and for what?? My son asked that we pray for God to not let those "bad men" come to Nairobi... and when we said our prayers he was specific "God, please do not let those bad men come to our school or to Nairobi"...
I wanted to curl up into a small ball and weep for my country, but I know there is more power when we are on our knees. When we stand in the gap on behalf of our land.... let us come together and pray even as we mourn with those who have been affected by this vicious act... let us pray for our leadership, our president and his deputy, and our armed forces as they come out in defence of our country. Let us pray that God would grant them wisdom, and equip them with every good thing that they need to fight this monster called terrorism, to defend us.
For those who have lost their loved ones, that God would grant them grace, peace and comfort during this time. That the souls of those who were slain would rest in eternal peace.
And let us pray for ourselves, for the wisdom to know that our security starts with us, that we can make a difference when we take responsibility for our security, and the grace to take up that responsibility without excuses. Kenya is you and me.... let us light a candle for the 147....
-Annie Kirumba, Nairobi, Kenya
'Lord as I watch and enjoy this sunset I pray for the families in Kenya that have been affected by the attack at Garissa Univ and ask for A PEACE that passes all understanding!!! Amen!'
-Katuu Mwanzia Alleyne, Barbados
Today we lost 147 innocent Kenyan Citizens mostly students.May Wahe Guru rest their souls in peace. May He protect us and console the families of the hurt and departed. POLE CRY MY BELOVED COUNTRY CRY.Then rise in unity
- Rajesh Mahan
He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign LORD will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The LORD has spoken! (Isaiah 25:8 NLT. Dear Lord, on this sad and distressful day, this is our Prayer. Come to our rescue and protect us from evil men and evil spirits. In Jesus name, Amen.
- Sam Atandi
So many senseless deaths in the Garissa massacre in eastern Kenya - hatred can never be justified as a belief system... Violence dehumises the perpetrator more than it does the [innocent] victim
- Mugendi K M'Riitha, Cape Town
With my colleagues we came to console our colleague xxxxxxxxx who lost her daughter.
-Snr. Njeri Mungai
1. If you must share images of blood and bodies do not tag me and do not share with me using any platform #OneKenya
2. My sincere condolences to all those who lost loved ones as they sought a better future for themselves and Society #OneKenya
3. Let the Police Recruits report to college. Sometimes, a Nation must choose to be progressive & reject unnecessary pauses #OneKenya
4.There was a major improvement in the coordination of rescue efforts today #OneKenya
5. To those who survived and got injuries, to you I offer a sincere prayer and best wishes for a speedy recovery #OneKenya
6. To You, (you representing each of us), my challenge is that you heed the timeless call to respond to Terror with courage, unshakable resolve & optimism,do not flinch #OneKenya
7. Finally, O God Of All Creation, Bless This Land and Nation #OneKenya
-Dennis Itumbi
Numb. Just numb
-Waruguru Wa Kiai
Day 1 of Bible verse challenge. May the Lord watch over our country Kenya
-Jackie Kitulu
147 dead!!! I condemn this al shabaab terrorists! Shame on you!! Why attack unarmed children? YOU ARE COWARDS AND DESERVE TO DIE EXTREMELY PAINFUL DEATHS #GarrisaAttack
-Margie Syekonyo
God help us! Garissa Siege. 147 confirmed dead. Too painful to bear. God Almighty come to our rescue. This is tragic and a big loss to this Nation.
-KNUT, Nyeri
No one was meant to die this way....very sad indeed....
-Tejinder Rihal
May their souls find peace n salvation .
-Jessica Pattni
As we remember the Garissa massacre by these cowards may we be more vigilant n lrt nobody put a wedge btwn Xtians n Muslims in Kenya.
-Karungo Njoroge
It's a sad day in Kenya. 147 young people have been robbed of their precious lives. #GarissaAttack #PrayForKenya http://t.co/r8eRlRY7Oi
-Isaac Kalua
A very sad day for Kenya. Garissa University siege ends and the death toll rises to 147 people. May their souls rest in eternal peace and may the Almighty grant those poor families all the strength they need to come to terms with this horrific, heinous, criminal and wholly barbaric act of terrorism. Our condolences and prayers go out to all affected
~ Alliance Reallty
Condolences to the families who lost loved ones..
-Margaret Muthio Mbaluka
Today I weep for our beloved country, and for the unborn child. May the Most High have mercy on us, as we mourn the senseless massacre of innocent lives in Garissa.
-Larry Kimani
Day 20... As we pray for Kenya let's stand on this verse
2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
-Njeri Muturi
Have a Blessed Easter. May God grant us peace even as we pray for and mourn with our Kenyan families in Garissa
-Mugo Gath
My heart goes out to the families of our children in Garissa. Jehova take over this situation.....In prayer...very sad indeed!
-Ndutz Flo
They will Never Win! Together in grief
-Gatonye Mukami
147 lives lost, I am stunned and lost for words! My heart goes out to all those who lost their loved ones and wish the injured a speedy recovery. A sad day indeed for Kenya.
-Ali Mwangola
Praying for Kenya. Praying for world peace.
For those who lost their lives in Garissa, may your souls rest in eternal peace.
And for your families and friends, may the Lord comfort you.
Terrorism needs to end already!
-Eva Kubai, USA
More than double the Westgate toll and 223 still missing. It's a sombre start to Easter. I agree with the President's order, however illegal, to get on with the police recruitment. He must also dramatically upscale the resources available. Including offensive air cover, (giving the IG control over KWS helicopters is a start but even KWS often has to hire private choppers, a sign that they are not well resourced). When will you save your people? O Lord of mercy, when?
-Joe Gichuki
In the middle of this tranquility and peace that I find myself in, let me take a moment to condole with the families of the victims of the brutal and cowardly attack on #GarissaUniversity. May God grant you peace and understanding.
-Munene Patrick Mathenge
Oh My God.. 147 lives lost in the #GarissaAttack.. My heart in pain... God see us through.. And giv my president courage to keep leading from the fore front.. And together we shall conquer... Peace Peace Peace....
-Ngatia Thuku
Worse than West gate.
My friend says "The hue and cry will be negligible though....Garissa is not Westgate".
I pray & cry now as I did then.
Amen. Amen.
-Caroline Mutoko
Its deja vu all over again.Yet more senseless killing of innocent people. Prayers for our country!!!
-Mary Angela Mwangi McCorkle, Atlanta
Very tragic
-Rosemary Wainaina
Woi.... Pole sana to my fellow beloved Kenyans.
-Lillian Covington,Chicago
Very sad indeed. Innocent lives have been lost. Sad day for Kenya.
-Moses Karanu
Tragic
-David Mambo
Dangerous trend
-Fred Odhiambo
Shocked beyond comprehension.
-Nicholus Mureithi
As my heart grieves with the families who have lost their loved ones united in grief over this tragedy, may these prayers together with those of the other millons of people across the world grant us the peace our country so desparately needs AMEN!
This massacre of 147 innocents at Garissa University could have happened at any of our universities, colleges or schools spread across Kenya. As a father of a university student I am shocked to the core that so many young, aspiring, bright Kenyans have lost their lives so needlessly.
We shall never know how many of those killed so callously would have turned into brilliant surgeons, engineers, economists, accountants, bankers, designers and so on their dreams shattered and no more through a cowardly bullet or a suicide bombers vest.
Today I dedicate this blog to those innocent students and others who have lost their lives in Garissa and I reproduce comments by my friends as they condole with those who have been bereaved.
_______________________________________________________________
We need to pray.... Go down on our knees and pray for our beloved country Kenya. Our hearts weep for the needless loss of innocent lives.... 147 lives snuffed out, and for what?? My son asked that we pray for God to not let those "bad men" come to Nairobi... and when we said our prayers he was specific "God, please do not let those bad men come to our school or to Nairobi"...
I wanted to curl up into a small ball and weep for my country, but I know there is more power when we are on our knees. When we stand in the gap on behalf of our land.... let us come together and pray even as we mourn with those who have been affected by this vicious act... let us pray for our leadership, our president and his deputy, and our armed forces as they come out in defence of our country. Let us pray that God would grant them wisdom, and equip them with every good thing that they need to fight this monster called terrorism, to defend us.
For those who have lost their loved ones, that God would grant them grace, peace and comfort during this time. That the souls of those who were slain would rest in eternal peace.
And let us pray for ourselves, for the wisdom to know that our security starts with us, that we can make a difference when we take responsibility for our security, and the grace to take up that responsibility without excuses. Kenya is you and me.... let us light a candle for the 147....
-Annie Kirumba, Nairobi, Kenya
'Lord as I watch and enjoy this sunset I pray for the families in Kenya that have been affected by the attack at Garissa Univ and ask for A PEACE that passes all understanding!!! Amen!'
-Katuu Mwanzia Alleyne, Barbados
Today we lost 147 innocent Kenyan Citizens mostly students.May Wahe Guru rest their souls in peace. May He protect us and console the families of the hurt and departed. POLE CRY MY BELOVED COUNTRY CRY.Then rise in unity
- Rajesh Mahan
He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign LORD will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The LORD has spoken! (Isaiah 25:8 NLT. Dear Lord, on this sad and distressful day, this is our Prayer. Come to our rescue and protect us from evil men and evil spirits. In Jesus name, Amen.
- Sam Atandi
So many senseless deaths in the Garissa massacre in eastern Kenya - hatred can never be justified as a belief system... Violence dehumises the perpetrator more than it does the [innocent] victim
- Mugendi K M'Riitha, Cape Town
With my colleagues we came to console our colleague xxxxxxxxx who lost her daughter.
-Snr. Njeri Mungai
1. If you must share images of blood and bodies do not tag me and do not share with me using any platform #OneKenya
2. My sincere condolences to all those who lost loved ones as they sought a better future for themselves and Society #OneKenya
3. Let the Police Recruits report to college. Sometimes, a Nation must choose to be progressive & reject unnecessary pauses #OneKenya
4.There was a major improvement in the coordination of rescue efforts today #OneKenya
5. To those who survived and got injuries, to you I offer a sincere prayer and best wishes for a speedy recovery #OneKenya
6. To You, (you representing each of us), my challenge is that you heed the timeless call to respond to Terror with courage, unshakable resolve & optimism,do not flinch #OneKenya
7. Finally, O God Of All Creation, Bless This Land and Nation #OneKenya
-Dennis Itumbi
Numb. Just numb
-Waruguru Wa Kiai
Day 1 of Bible verse challenge. May the Lord watch over our country Kenya
-Jackie Kitulu
147 dead!!! I condemn this al shabaab terrorists! Shame on you!! Why attack unarmed children? YOU ARE COWARDS AND DESERVE TO DIE EXTREMELY PAINFUL DEATHS #GarrisaAttack
-Margie Syekonyo
God help us! Garissa Siege. 147 confirmed dead. Too painful to bear. God Almighty come to our rescue. This is tragic and a big loss to this Nation.
-KNUT, Nyeri
No one was meant to die this way....very sad indeed....
-Tejinder Rihal
May their souls find peace n salvation .
-Jessica Pattni
As we remember the Garissa massacre by these cowards may we be more vigilant n lrt nobody put a wedge btwn Xtians n Muslims in Kenya.
-Karungo Njoroge
It's a sad day in Kenya. 147 young people have been robbed of their precious lives. #GarissaAttack #PrayForKenya http://t.co/r8eRlRY7Oi
-Isaac Kalua
A very sad day for Kenya. Garissa University siege ends and the death toll rises to 147 people. May their souls rest in eternal peace and may the Almighty grant those poor families all the strength they need to come to terms with this horrific, heinous, criminal and wholly barbaric act of terrorism. Our condolences and prayers go out to all affected
~ Alliance Reallty
Condolences to the families who lost loved ones..
-Margaret Muthio Mbaluka
Today I weep for our beloved country, and for the unborn child. May the Most High have mercy on us, as we mourn the senseless massacre of innocent lives in Garissa.
-Larry Kimani
Day 20... As we pray for Kenya let's stand on this verse
2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
-Njeri Muturi
Have a Blessed Easter. May God grant us peace even as we pray for and mourn with our Kenyan families in Garissa
-Mugo Gath
My heart goes out to the families of our children in Garissa. Jehova take over this situation.....In prayer...very sad indeed!
-Ndutz Flo
They will Never Win! Together in grief
-Gatonye Mukami
147 lives lost, I am stunned and lost for words! My heart goes out to all those who lost their loved ones and wish the injured a speedy recovery. A sad day indeed for Kenya.
-Ali Mwangola
Praying for Kenya. Praying for world peace.
For those who lost their lives in Garissa, may your souls rest in eternal peace.
And for your families and friends, may the Lord comfort you.
Terrorism needs to end already!
-Eva Kubai, USA
More than double the Westgate toll and 223 still missing. It's a sombre start to Easter. I agree with the President's order, however illegal, to get on with the police recruitment. He must also dramatically upscale the resources available. Including offensive air cover, (giving the IG control over KWS helicopters is a start but even KWS often has to hire private choppers, a sign that they are not well resourced). When will you save your people? O Lord of mercy, when?
-Joe Gichuki
In the middle of this tranquility and peace that I find myself in, let me take a moment to condole with the families of the victims of the brutal and cowardly attack on #GarissaUniversity. May God grant you peace and understanding.
-Munene Patrick Mathenge
Oh My God.. 147 lives lost in the #GarissaAttack.. My heart in pain... God see us through.. And giv my president courage to keep leading from the fore front.. And together we shall conquer... Peace Peace Peace....
-Ngatia Thuku
Worse than West gate.
My friend says "The hue and cry will be negligible though....Garissa is not Westgate".
I pray & cry now as I did then.
Amen. Amen.
-Caroline Mutoko
Its deja vu all over again.Yet more senseless killing of innocent people. Prayers for our country!!!
-Mary Angela Mwangi McCorkle, Atlanta
Very tragic
-Rosemary Wainaina
Woi.... Pole sana to my fellow beloved Kenyans.
-Lillian Covington,Chicago
Very sad indeed. Innocent lives have been lost. Sad day for Kenya.
-Moses Karanu
Tragic
-David Mambo
Dangerous trend
-Fred Odhiambo
Shocked beyond comprehension.
-Nicholus Mureithi
As my heart grieves with the families who have lost their loved ones united in grief over this tragedy, may these prayers together with those of the other millons of people across the world grant us the peace our country so desparately needs AMEN!
Tuesday, 24 March 2015
So racial discrimination is alive and well in Kenya:
Why am I not shaking in righteous indignation now that discrimination has been exposed as alive and kicking in uptown Chinese restaurants in Nairobi? Why am I not livid about this kick in the groin by people that we have welcomed into our country that have then branded us as possible Al Qaeda operatives hell bent on sending them and their Chinese, Mzungu and Asian diners to an early grave? How many other Africans have suffered the indignity of being turned away by a guard with the now infamous phrase that “waafrika hawakubaliwi hapa baada ya saa kumi na moja”?
Well the writing is now well and truly on the wall that the same people whom we have accommodated as friends in our country are slowly turning against us, and it had to take a couple of journalistic types to expose the shenanigans of our Chinese guests running this restaurant who seem to have grown too big for their britches and are now openly threatening and discriminating against you and me!
A few months ago 50 or so Chinese citizens were arrested in the upmarket Runda area and accused of operating an illegal communication system (as an aside, is that case still alive?) that was not licensed by the competent licensing authority. Now we have come to learn that this discriminatory Chinese Restaurant also had not renewed its license since 2011. Is there a connection here? Methinks that this is just a tip of the iceberg and a scandal of epic proportions is brewing in regards to the Chinese people that we have so willingly allowed into our country to build our roads, homes, hotels and railways while engaging in restaurant and hotel businesses dotted in many of our large towns and cities across the country.
If two incidences of unlicensed operations have been unearthed so close together how many more such cases are out there with the licensing authorities blissfully unaware that they are businesses operating illegally or fully aware that they are unlicensed businesses owned and operated by immigrants in the country thanks to a handsome bribe to look away. It is also highly possible that these unlicensed businesses could be fronts for other nefarious activities because why would a legitimate business refuse to pay a paltry annual license fee of Kshs. 45,000.00 when they expect an African to spend a minimum of Kshs. 20,000.00 before they can be admitted into the hallowed guest list to be admitted into the restaurant after 5.00 pm. Who, pray, is protecting these chaps? I stand to be corrected but it is likely that if they pay no license fees, they also pay no taxes be they VAT, Corporation, NSSF, PAYE, NHIF etc for themselves or their staff members. These foreigners could also be illegally working and running businesses in this country for all I know!!
What is the way forward given that this is a glaring security threat for this country when you allow foreigners to run, own and manage businesses without any seeming audit process in place to ensure that they respect the rules and laws that govern the operations of their businesses?
Let us start by scrutinizing the immigration records of these chaps because there must be some record of how the person came into the country, what type of visa he had and how long his intended stay was likely to be. If there is no record he is here illegaly so throw him out of the country. Then go on to the business records of the outfits that they own and manage.
Have they met the minimum threshold for investment by foreigners in the country? How were they licensed and do their businesses have an element of local shareholding as prescribed under the investment rules? Have the foreign directors been properly vetted and cleared by the CID as genuine investors and do they have the correct paperwork to support their continued stay in the country? Do they have business permits and licenses from the authorities to run the type of businesses that they own and manage? Do they pay taxes regularly as well as other levies and statutory payments required under various laws and statutes in the country?
This scrutiny also needs to be extended to those other beach hotels at the Coast that we time and again read about as being discriminative in their handling of locals seeking to visit their businesses because despite the ‘management reserves the right of admission’ signs plastered all over the place discrimination should not be on grounds of race, sex, gender or creed!
Renewal of licenses for foreigner owned business should be even more thorough than those owned by locals so that they also be required to provide compliance certificates from the tax authorities, NHIF, NSSF and others when applying for license renewals to confirm that they are unto date on all their returns and taxes because were they to pack up and go back to their countries without meeting their obligations then the country and its citizens would be the losers.
And while at it is there a hotline that I can call if I have been discriminated against because I am sure that this practice of discrimination against Kenyans of African descent as well as other Africans living in Kenya happens at very many other restaurants, hotels and other establishments in Kenya but remains unreported because no one know which authority to turn to for seeking redress!
The Chinese seem to be the culprits in this case but I can bet that other races also practice some form of racial discrimination in their businesses albeit in a more subtle way having been in Kenya longer and they are as guilty as the Chinese are naïve in the current scenario and should not be allowed to continue with this nonsense anymore!!
Well the writing is now well and truly on the wall that the same people whom we have accommodated as friends in our country are slowly turning against us, and it had to take a couple of journalistic types to expose the shenanigans of our Chinese guests running this restaurant who seem to have grown too big for their britches and are now openly threatening and discriminating against you and me!
A few months ago 50 or so Chinese citizens were arrested in the upmarket Runda area and accused of operating an illegal communication system (as an aside, is that case still alive?) that was not licensed by the competent licensing authority. Now we have come to learn that this discriminatory Chinese Restaurant also had not renewed its license since 2011. Is there a connection here? Methinks that this is just a tip of the iceberg and a scandal of epic proportions is brewing in regards to the Chinese people that we have so willingly allowed into our country to build our roads, homes, hotels and railways while engaging in restaurant and hotel businesses dotted in many of our large towns and cities across the country.
If two incidences of unlicensed operations have been unearthed so close together how many more such cases are out there with the licensing authorities blissfully unaware that they are businesses operating illegally or fully aware that they are unlicensed businesses owned and operated by immigrants in the country thanks to a handsome bribe to look away. It is also highly possible that these unlicensed businesses could be fronts for other nefarious activities because why would a legitimate business refuse to pay a paltry annual license fee of Kshs. 45,000.00 when they expect an African to spend a minimum of Kshs. 20,000.00 before they can be admitted into the hallowed guest list to be admitted into the restaurant after 5.00 pm. Who, pray, is protecting these chaps? I stand to be corrected but it is likely that if they pay no license fees, they also pay no taxes be they VAT, Corporation, NSSF, PAYE, NHIF etc for themselves or their staff members. These foreigners could also be illegally working and running businesses in this country for all I know!!
What is the way forward given that this is a glaring security threat for this country when you allow foreigners to run, own and manage businesses without any seeming audit process in place to ensure that they respect the rules and laws that govern the operations of their businesses?
Let us start by scrutinizing the immigration records of these chaps because there must be some record of how the person came into the country, what type of visa he had and how long his intended stay was likely to be. If there is no record he is here illegaly so throw him out of the country. Then go on to the business records of the outfits that they own and manage.
Have they met the minimum threshold for investment by foreigners in the country? How were they licensed and do their businesses have an element of local shareholding as prescribed under the investment rules? Have the foreign directors been properly vetted and cleared by the CID as genuine investors and do they have the correct paperwork to support their continued stay in the country? Do they have business permits and licenses from the authorities to run the type of businesses that they own and manage? Do they pay taxes regularly as well as other levies and statutory payments required under various laws and statutes in the country?
This scrutiny also needs to be extended to those other beach hotels at the Coast that we time and again read about as being discriminative in their handling of locals seeking to visit their businesses because despite the ‘management reserves the right of admission’ signs plastered all over the place discrimination should not be on grounds of race, sex, gender or creed!
Renewal of licenses for foreigner owned business should be even more thorough than those owned by locals so that they also be required to provide compliance certificates from the tax authorities, NHIF, NSSF and others when applying for license renewals to confirm that they are unto date on all their returns and taxes because were they to pack up and go back to their countries without meeting their obligations then the country and its citizens would be the losers.
And while at it is there a hotline that I can call if I have been discriminated against because I am sure that this practice of discrimination against Kenyans of African descent as well as other Africans living in Kenya happens at very many other restaurants, hotels and other establishments in Kenya but remains unreported because no one know which authority to turn to for seeking redress!
The Chinese seem to be the culprits in this case but I can bet that other races also practice some form of racial discrimination in their businesses albeit in a more subtle way having been in Kenya longer and they are as guilty as the Chinese are naïve in the current scenario and should not be allowed to continue with this nonsense anymore!!
Thursday, 5 March 2015
How a difficult customer met is match!!
Many years ago I was employed in a certain financial institution in Nairobi.
One of the clients that I served was a sour puss and a particularly difficult person who wore a permanent scowl on his face. His soul(pun intended)purpose in life semed to be to make everyone's life miserable and his mantra whenever he came to the office was that someone would shed tears that day and many (ladies particularly) had indeed shed tears when he was in one of his fantastically foul moods and complaining bitterly about none issues and making up stories and reporting to the superiors completely out of context. Consequently, no one wanted to serve him and many were completely scared by him unable to construct a single coherent statement or even utter a feeble good morning to him lest he spews his verbiage on you..........except for yours truly that is!
He was one of the larger depositors of the institution and was therefore well respected mostly by the seniors who seem to take his word for the gospel truth. He was hated by everyone else that had the misfortune to serve him. After all wasn't the customer always right? Mr. Sour Puss had no grace and would barge into an office oblivious of the fact that one could be serving another customer and insist that he be served first as he was always in a perpetual hurry over every one else upsetting clients and staff alike. No one seemed to have the guts to tell him off lest he takes his money away and you lost you job in the process. We weren't even sure if he loved his wife at all because so nasty and loutish was his behaviour he was probably the same at home!
Now I was another thing all together, blame it on the innocence of youth or the foolhardiness of inexperience, I will never really know. On my first encounter with Mr. Sour Puss he barged into my office when I was serving someone and I gave him the one minute finger to show that I would be with him shortly and that he should close the door on his way out thank you! He stood there looking confused and not knowing what to do, "didn't this young whipper snapper know who the f*** he was dealing with" probably writ large across his face. I was too busy then to notice his face turn an unhealthy shade of red in anger but he stepped out nonetheless!
As fate would have it, Mr. Sour Puss had gone to God knows where (probably to report me to my boss for gross insubordination I suspect) when I opened my door to let out the client I had been serving. Naturally I took on the next client who was waiting to be served. A few minutes later he poked his now decidedly annoyed face through the door to indicate his presence but by now I was well ensconsed with my client and I was having none of his bullying so another one minute finger went up.
The next thing I heard was a tirade of unprintable words and explectives from the other side of the door because as I came to learn, Mr. Sour Puss could curse with the best of them, then my door was flung open and Mr. Sour Puss now accompanied by one of the Managers strode in almost at the point of a fit and shaking in uncontrollable rage glaring at me with his red eyes and his moustache shaking on his top lip like a frightened mouse!
It was a sight to behold and that ladies and gentlemen was my first encounter with a difficult customer! I shall not go into the details of that shambolic maiden visit with Mr. Sour Puss but I shall mention that he was rude and abusive and a real war monger but somehow I survived that encounter pretty much unscathed.
I am not sure Mr. Sour Puss had ever met someone like me younger than his youngest child as he told me later but completely nonplussed by his scowly face and irrascible behavior. I was the opposite of all my colleagues calling out a cheery "Good Morning" whenever he stepped into my office (after waiting for the person I was serving to conclude his business by the way) even if his only response was a grunt and concluding with a "see you next time" as we ended our meeting. I was determined to ensure that his famously belligerent behavior would never make me have a bad day and if anything a cheery, positive and right attitude would eventually win the day and from then on my mission in life was to make him break into a smile however pained it looked when he came to the office.
Over the next few months, my strategy seemed to work because eventually he started coming to the office in a better mood and even took to greeting the staff members he met as he made his way to my office and even began staying a little longer to share stories and his experiences of life this time with a smiling face, a real contrast to the haughty and arrogant man I had encountered a few short months ago that was ready to eat me for lunch on our first encounter for not recognising the important man that he was.
Over the years,experience has taught me that a positive attitude is everything. It does not matter how difficult a person is, they all have a spot that you can touch and change them to a more pleasant human being in time!!
One of the clients that I served was a sour puss and a particularly difficult person who wore a permanent scowl on his face. His soul(pun intended)purpose in life semed to be to make everyone's life miserable and his mantra whenever he came to the office was that someone would shed tears that day and many (ladies particularly) had indeed shed tears when he was in one of his fantastically foul moods and complaining bitterly about none issues and making up stories and reporting to the superiors completely out of context. Consequently, no one wanted to serve him and many were completely scared by him unable to construct a single coherent statement or even utter a feeble good morning to him lest he spews his verbiage on you..........except for yours truly that is!
He was one of the larger depositors of the institution and was therefore well respected mostly by the seniors who seem to take his word for the gospel truth. He was hated by everyone else that had the misfortune to serve him. After all wasn't the customer always right? Mr. Sour Puss had no grace and would barge into an office oblivious of the fact that one could be serving another customer and insist that he be served first as he was always in a perpetual hurry over every one else upsetting clients and staff alike. No one seemed to have the guts to tell him off lest he takes his money away and you lost you job in the process. We weren't even sure if he loved his wife at all because so nasty and loutish was his behaviour he was probably the same at home!
Now I was another thing all together, blame it on the innocence of youth or the foolhardiness of inexperience, I will never really know. On my first encounter with Mr. Sour Puss he barged into my office when I was serving someone and I gave him the one minute finger to show that I would be with him shortly and that he should close the door on his way out thank you! He stood there looking confused and not knowing what to do, "didn't this young whipper snapper know who the f*** he was dealing with" probably writ large across his face. I was too busy then to notice his face turn an unhealthy shade of red in anger but he stepped out nonetheless!
As fate would have it, Mr. Sour Puss had gone to God knows where (probably to report me to my boss for gross insubordination I suspect) when I opened my door to let out the client I had been serving. Naturally I took on the next client who was waiting to be served. A few minutes later he poked his now decidedly annoyed face through the door to indicate his presence but by now I was well ensconsed with my client and I was having none of his bullying so another one minute finger went up.
The next thing I heard was a tirade of unprintable words and explectives from the other side of the door because as I came to learn, Mr. Sour Puss could curse with the best of them, then my door was flung open and Mr. Sour Puss now accompanied by one of the Managers strode in almost at the point of a fit and shaking in uncontrollable rage glaring at me with his red eyes and his moustache shaking on his top lip like a frightened mouse!
It was a sight to behold and that ladies and gentlemen was my first encounter with a difficult customer! I shall not go into the details of that shambolic maiden visit with Mr. Sour Puss but I shall mention that he was rude and abusive and a real war monger but somehow I survived that encounter pretty much unscathed.
I am not sure Mr. Sour Puss had ever met someone like me younger than his youngest child as he told me later but completely nonplussed by his scowly face and irrascible behavior. I was the opposite of all my colleagues calling out a cheery "Good Morning" whenever he stepped into my office (after waiting for the person I was serving to conclude his business by the way) even if his only response was a grunt and concluding with a "see you next time" as we ended our meeting. I was determined to ensure that his famously belligerent behavior would never make me have a bad day and if anything a cheery, positive and right attitude would eventually win the day and from then on my mission in life was to make him break into a smile however pained it looked when he came to the office.
Over the next few months, my strategy seemed to work because eventually he started coming to the office in a better mood and even took to greeting the staff members he met as he made his way to my office and even began staying a little longer to share stories and his experiences of life this time with a smiling face, a real contrast to the haughty and arrogant man I had encountered a few short months ago that was ready to eat me for lunch on our first encounter for not recognising the important man that he was.
Over the years,experience has taught me that a positive attitude is everything. It does not matter how difficult a person is, they all have a spot that you can touch and change them to a more pleasant human being in time!!
Tuesday, 3 February 2015
Some jobs are difficult:
I tried doing it sideways, upside down, downside up, shaking vigorously, gently coaxing, tapping but nothing seemed to work! I tried it while standing up, while seated, while lying prone on the bed and while squatting as I vainly straightened, bent, pushed and kneaded to no avail. I even tried it on the kitchen counter, by the sink, on the table and on the couch to the same disastrous results and just as I was on the verge of giving up voila, it happened!
You know some jobs are very difficult since those that must accomplish their life mission have to force their way through a very narrow opening before any of the competitors are able to do so and then be the first to hit the mark while vigorously fighting a crowd of similar like-minded fellows. You must be fit and prepared at all times ready to run the gamut of various obstacles and impediments to be first to breast the tape………....figuratively speaking!
These guys fight tooth and nail to be the one that sticks their head out first and then to lunge with a final burst of speed at the finish line into a warm embrace before the others so as to be gainfully employed and the rest are then left unemployed until the next opportunity presents itself. Sometimes they try to come in two’s and three’s but usually the expectation is that it shall just be one at a time.
Folks, I am talking about the humble tooth pick………………………(as if I could possibly mean anything else) and specifically the type that is squeezed cheek by jowl into a plastic container with a hole in the top to escape from and whose sole mission in life is to extricate itself from that unholy crush of other toothpicks, pick your teeth and then be forgotten and discarded. Try as you may, it is always a struggle to free up one of these guys particularly in the early stages of their careers before more of their kith and kin have been jettisoned enough to make sliding out through that tiny hole not quite such a herculean effort. Even when a majority of the tooth picks have been all used up it still becomes a nightmare trying to thread those last remaining picks through that one teeny weeny hole!!
The feeling of total satisfaction on finally getting one of them in hand must feel the same to the toothpick as it latches onto your warm embracing fingers knowing that its time has come to do its thing before being consigned to the rubbish dump just another bit of fertilizer for the mulch heap!
Disclaimer – Any similarity to any other activity as seen through the eyes and minds of my ever expanding circle of influence is neither intended nor intentional and is purely a figment of their ever fertile imaginations!!
You know some jobs are very difficult since those that must accomplish their life mission have to force their way through a very narrow opening before any of the competitors are able to do so and then be the first to hit the mark while vigorously fighting a crowd of similar like-minded fellows. You must be fit and prepared at all times ready to run the gamut of various obstacles and impediments to be first to breast the tape………....figuratively speaking!
These guys fight tooth and nail to be the one that sticks their head out first and then to lunge with a final burst of speed at the finish line into a warm embrace before the others so as to be gainfully employed and the rest are then left unemployed until the next opportunity presents itself. Sometimes they try to come in two’s and three’s but usually the expectation is that it shall just be one at a time.
Folks, I am talking about the humble tooth pick………………………(as if I could possibly mean anything else) and specifically the type that is squeezed cheek by jowl into a plastic container with a hole in the top to escape from and whose sole mission in life is to extricate itself from that unholy crush of other toothpicks, pick your teeth and then be forgotten and discarded. Try as you may, it is always a struggle to free up one of these guys particularly in the early stages of their careers before more of their kith and kin have been jettisoned enough to make sliding out through that tiny hole not quite such a herculean effort. Even when a majority of the tooth picks have been all used up it still becomes a nightmare trying to thread those last remaining picks through that one teeny weeny hole!!
The feeling of total satisfaction on finally getting one of them in hand must feel the same to the toothpick as it latches onto your warm embracing fingers knowing that its time has come to do its thing before being consigned to the rubbish dump just another bit of fertilizer for the mulch heap!
Disclaimer – Any similarity to any other activity as seen through the eyes and minds of my ever expanding circle of influence is neither intended nor intentional and is purely a figment of their ever fertile imaginations!!
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