Many Kenyans for years have not been paying land rates and
ignored that law assuming that it is there only on paper. Nairobi City
Council’s requests to City dwellers to pay land rates for their plots/lands
have fallen on deaf ears. I believe only a few people paid when buying land to
get their title deeds processed, but after owning the land payments stopped.
Many must have ignored paying the rates because of poor management
of City Hall for many years. In the 80s City Council was doing a good job the
City was clean. Things changed when population of the City increased rapidly
increasing demand for services. Instead of things getting better greed took
over, that is when there were many ghost workers on City Hall’s payroll, senior
staff employing their friends and relatives resulting in unqualified staff. In
the process they were loosing a lot of money through corruption and stealing.
Workers would strike every now and then because of salary arrears.
Therefore in that confused organization, laws could not be
implemented and who was going to waste their time and money to pay rates to
such an organization. However with transition of power and political changes,
City Hall has improved in so many ways but still Kenyans did not heed the call
to pay rates until we were given a deadline and told our properties will be
sold, that’s when we rushed to pay rates. Its not that City Hall is perfect now
but at least things have changed and we expect to see more now that they are
getting good money.
School holiday
tuition ban
When President Kibaki reshuffled the cabinet and moved Hon
Mutula Kilonzo from Ministry of Justice to Ministry of Education, to me that was
a demotion. Being a prominent lawyer was former President Moi’s lawyer for
years it was an awkward appointment. But now he is always in the news enjoying
his work in this Ministry, he does exciting jigs with students when they
entertain their visitors.
However his public utterances on this crucial Ministry, is
not going down well with Kenyans. The day he visited a girls’ school and
supported their request to wear shorter skirts and should not dress like nuns,
he annoyed Kenyans who attacked him for saying schoolgirls should wear mini
skirts. The Catholic Church also did not spare him for mentioning nuns. He
later said he was misquoted this is what all politicians say because they
rarely think before they talk.
On the other hand he is receiving some support now from many
parents who have been burdened by school fees, when he banned holiday tuition,
but as I said Kenyans are not cowed unless pushed. Only public schools obeyed
because “he warned that the Teachers Service Commission would discipline any
school head or teacher who will contravene the directive” (from the Standard).
For private schools it is business as usual because he did not push them like
he did with public schools. This has not gone down well with teachers in public
schools and parents with children in those schools, especially those preparing
for final exams. While their children are at home, those in private schools are
learning and revising. As usual when results will be out, private schools will
be in the top list. If the Government issues a ban it should apply to all.
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