Dear Aspiring Governor for Mombasa County,

I write to you as a concerned resident.

I have been a resident of Mombasa for the last ten years and during this period I have come face to face with the many problems faced by residents of Mombasa County and the Coast province at large. These problems can squarely be attributed to failed leadership. As we enter into the final stretch of the campaigns, those seeking elective positions in Mombasa especially the gubernatorial position should clearly tell us how they will deal with these problems. Mombasa lies at the shores of the Indian Ocean and for this reason it offers sand and sun to tourists mostly from the European nations during winter season. Being a tourist resort and seaport town it is expected that communication and transport infrastructure, waste disposal and sewerage systems and security among others will be of the highest standards. However the story on the ground is entirely a different one altogether.

Moi International Airport is the entry point for most domestic and international tourists visiting the various touristic destinations in Mombasa. As one drives from the airport to the Makupa causeway he/she encounters endless traffic jams and roadside structures not reflective of the tourist resort town that Mombasa is. I wonder what first impression we want to create to our esteemed visitors. The drive along Kibarani section of the Makupa causeway is another of the many unpleasant drives one will have all the way to their destination. For years now the Mombasa Municipal Council (MMC) has been using the section between the Makupa causeway on your left as you drive out of town and the creek next to the port as a dumpsite. This has attracted all sorts of scavengers including human. The smoke from burning refuse combined with the stench from decaying waste matter leaves the place with one hell of a smell - it gets worse during the rainy season. This section of the road is also hilly or sloppy depending on whether you are driving from or to the island and because of the many trucks collecting or dropping containers to the port or various CFSs around the port, its also prone to endless traffic jams with many man hours lost here. Now Mr. Aspiring Mombasa Governor, how does this reflect on the first-time tourists to Mombasa? What plans do you intend to put in place to deal with the dumpsite? How do you intend to decongest the town and most especially around the port? How do you intend to improve the road infrastructure around and along the airport so that visiting tourists, investors and other business people or even the residents of these environs do not waste precious time in traffic jams?

SOAR HIGH UP WITH THE EAGLE!

We are in that period again when we spend all our energies arguing on who is best suited to lead the nation. Like many of you I too have my preferred candidates for the various positions. When I started on this post I had intended to drum support for my preferred presidential candidate but as I progressed I felt that the qualities of an eagle (Eagle being the coalition of my candidate of choice) are indeed qualities that we should look for in the candidates up for election regardless of their sponsoring parties. I thus put down why I feel EAGLE leadership is what we require in Kenya:

1. Eagles have a vision: We have an economic blueprint namely Vision2030 and for us to actualize this vision we too require visionary leadership. If you are tired of the old rhetoric from our overly recycled and reused leaders then look no further than the visionary leadership of an Eagle.
2. Eagles are fearless: An eagle uses the currents of a storm to soars to greater heights. Likewise, the Eagle leadership will take us to greater heights by taking challenges head-on. Our country faces a myriad of challenges and for us to wade out of the murk we need fearless leaders. And in fearless I don't mean fearless when it comes to hitting brick walls with their bare knuckles or when hurling stones at the opposition.
3. Eagles are high flyers:  An eagle is the only bird that can fly up to an altitude of 10,000. I believe under an eagle leadership Kenya will be on the right trajectory. We have been told time and again that at independence Kenya was in the same economic standing with Malaysia and South Korea, today the difference is as big as the distance between Kenya and these countries. We thus need a leader who will steer the country to the right economic flight path and fly us high up above the stormy economic weather.
4. Eagles never eat dead meat: Are you a scavenger or an eagle? By voting back the overly reused and tired leaders you are only proving that you are a scavenger. On March 4, 2013 become an eagle – vote for fresh ideas, vote for visionary leaders who are both fearless and high flyers. An eagle leader will spend time with people who are vibrant and liberal in their thinking and not hobnobbing with his/her fellow bourgeoisie.
5. Eagles possess vitality:  An eagle leader is full of life and a visionary but he/she finds time to look back and reenergize. Great leaders are the ones that always do “check and balance” of their personal and professional lives and make an effort to learn things every day. This is the jubilee year for Kenya; a year for us to take stock. Look back at how far we have come, look forward at where we want to be, then pause and ask yourselves these questions; is this the best we could have done? What or who held us back? What do we need to do to cover up on the lost ground? The answer to the last question lies in your pocket or purse – use it wisely.
6. Eagles nurture their young ones: Need I say more to the youth of this country. We need a leader who will empower our youthful generation, a leader who will create opportunities for the youth. We have lost some many youthful people in crime, drugs, HIV/AIDS and this is the time to put a stop to this.

Whoever you choice is, vote wisely and above all maintain peace!