By Njoroge Kinuthia
Why retirement is death sentence for public servants
Ever wondered why most civil servants shudder at the mention of the word retirement? Well, wonder no more. Retirement for them, according to a former Ministry of Education employee Mr William Otongo Obuba is tantamount to being put on death row.
Otongo, 65, says many retirees don’t live long after retirement due to ‘stress’ as the pension they get is hardly enough to last a week. Majority of them, he reveals, earn between Sh2,500-Sh5,000 per month. Obuba, who retired at job group N is lucky as he earns Sh13,000, but he says this is still peanuts.
taught Kajwang
He laments that has been ‘stagnant’ for a long time and wonders why the Government has forgotten about people who worked hard to build this country. “We have been forgotten just like the freedom fighters.
Does Government think all of us are dead?” Obuba who claims to have taught Cabinet minister Otieno Kajwang “all the English that he speaks” wants MPs to spare a thought for the suffering pensioners. According to him, pensioners should earn between Sh25,00-Sh30,000 monthly.
Why Mogoon is at mercy of goons
Safaricom risks losing hundreds of customers at Mogoon along Ziwa-Moi’s Bridge Road in Eldoret due to its failure to improve the quality of signal in the area. Karen Chepkoech claims that most mobile phone users in the area, including 600 workers at a local flower farm, “belong to Safaricom” but are completely frustrated by its poor and at times unavailable network.
Unfortunately for them, there is nowhere to run to as no other mobile service is available in the area. Meanwhile, criminals, aware that locals can’t call for help, have established a ‘strong network’ to give residents sleepless nights. Ms Chepkoech appeals to any willing mobile firm to come to Mogoon’s rescue. Her email is karenchebet2012@yahoo.com.
From Kerbut, Marakwet East Constituency, Francis Kipsok reports that the recently erected Airtel mast hasn’t boosted mobile communication. The network, he says, at times is unavailable even for a week. This is usually blamed on power shortage. He wonders how this can happen while the power line is only a few metres from the mast. He can be reached at fkipsok@yahoo.com.
