The Tax-Eaters Are Destroying The Tax-Earners
Someone please give me an answer because I was watching this video about the fire at Nakumatt and the reporter mentioned that the city council fire trucks run out of water and had to go back and refill their trucks. 
Then, an employee at the city council mentions that they have 5 trucks (for a city of 3 million?)…. but … aw…shucks… 3 of the trucks were not working and that’s why only 2 appeared. You got that?
Now, 40 people are still missing from that fire and probably feared dead, but don’t you worry my dear Kenyan taxpayers because your government is working hard for you… by ….yup….you got it honey….giving away more of your money!
According to the Standard, the government… “has commenced payment of ex-gratia to former MPs. Some 250 former MPs who served between 1963 to 1983 are to receive Sh1 million each, meaning the taxpayer will part with Sh250 million for the retired legislators. The amount is to be paid in two instalments of Sh500,000 each spread over two financial years starting this year, but the former MPs have protested at the decision by the Government to tax the send off package.
I’d like to hear from all the people in Kenya who are paying taxes. I’ll give you this space to vent. I think you deserve it — because it’s getting to the point now, where even the taxpayer’s patience has been taxed.
** A tanker explodes. More from the Nation:
“An eye witness told the Sunday Nation that officers from a nearby GSU camp were the first to arrive at the scene after the tanker crashed. According to the witness, the officers began demanding a fee from those who wished to scoop petrol spilling from the tanker”.
….“I heard someone saying that they were going to avenge the fee by starting a fire and left the scene fearing for my life“…..
What you need is a Health and Safety group, too late for this fire it is true, but when all the Risk Assessments are written and put in place it means that the crowds would be protected by fencing and cordons and the crew fighting the fire would have all the equipment needed and all the words to read to enable every tiny risk to health and safety to be covered. Effectively this means everyone in Kenya would have a job and get paid for their efforts and so would be able to buy maize from the market. The reason everyone would have a job is that the manual to cover “Using a Kick Stool” runs to 230 pages of A4 paper, double sided. It takes about 4 hours to read and must be refreshed every year and a 6 page questionne filled in and filed in the right place. This means lots of manpower on the wordproccessor and proofreading and other tasks like doing the Risk Assessment in the first place, this is a highly skilled job as every eventualiy must be covered. You wonder why go to all this trouble? Sue me Sue you blues. Insurance payouts are big for failure to comply with the H & S regulations. Everyone thinks the H & S is nuts but it would have been useful in Kenya.
Amazing… the rise of the zombies… WTF?
It’s like the entire tribe of ‘legislators’ and most of whom were corrupt bastards who squandered the goodies they got… are rising from the dead!!!
What next? The bastard’s wives & kids will ask for ex-gratia payments? When teachers are being paid peanuts? When the jobless numbers keep on growing?
When michael wamalwa kicked the bucket – I hear it was AIDS – his wife got MILLIONS… for what? She got the house (Kes 60mn in 2002)… as a ‘gift’ from the government!!!
City council has debts owed to nssf of 5 billion. this is more than they collect in a year. even if gakuo tried magic, there is no way kanjo can buymore fire engines.
At least Gakuo has improved NCC… I amworried about the next guys who take over especially if the guys are political appointees!
As for fire engines, even the PRIVATE guys came in to help but there was NO water at the fire hydrants… if they worked at all…
Honestly, I think it would be in everyone’s interest for a creative accountant to point out various loopholes in the tax code so that they could minimise their bills.
It almost isn’t worth paying taxes any longer. Traffic is terrible, the police are carrying out ex-judicial killings, fire trucks don’t have enough water, schools are overcrowded and most of the revenue collected goes to a bunch of people who are only guaranteed to turn up to work if they’re voting on their salaries.
What Kenya needs now is a tax strike; the citizenry should refuse to hand over any money until the government is slimmed down and made accountable. In the meantime, any accountants who start specialising in tax avoidance could make a killing.
I said that this coalition government was going to end up bankrupting the country. It was obvious to me that this would happen because governments are not income generators. The only place they get money from is through taxation or from running the printing press (I have a countdown going for when Ndungu is going to have to start printing).
I can see why the average Kenyan would think that the government has all this endless money — the MP’s are making these obscene salaries, ministers are driving around in $50,000 dollar luxury cars, etc, etc…..but in fact, what is happening is that these gluttons are literally sucking the blood out of the economy.
Now, if the economy was highly productive or if the country had minerals like oil, this blood sucking would be somewhat cushioned, but since the country doesn’t have this, this parasitic gluttony is going to become very dangerous for the country because they’ll be no money left to invest in important social programs that would actually make a difference in terms of reducing the long-term poverty levels.
So, now, we are back to this issue of productivity: These ministers and MP’s are taking and taking, but they are not producing anything. Why can’t they see that? At some point, you need to seriously MEASURE what is being produced and what is not being produced. If nothing is being produced (no roads, no food, no water, )……then you’re just wasting time.
KIBAKI Is an IdioT. Fullstop..
How come nobody seem to answer the Question WHY the former members of parasite are being rewarded with all that money. Not even the poor Kenyan journalists. Please somebody enlighten me!
COLDTUSKER,
I think your brain is cold too. I saw from the previous article you grouped me with the children of the Kenyan elite who are beneficiary of coruption. Yes! I live in the West but my folks worked hard for it. My parents are retired civil servants and like most of us in the west, I had a fundraiser to support my initial travel. I am successful out of my hardwork and thats why i get bitter about the runaway corruption in our country especially when I visit home. So don’t assume every Kenyan in the West is a son or daughter of a high level personality. We are sons and daughters of teachers, farmers and jua kali artisians. Think about it!
CT,
You are a pinhead – Nobody wants to know If you live In the west or and all those other stuff – Honestly_
Being In the west these days Is synonymous with going to a grocery store-
These days too many people live in the west – And thats the truth!! The question is what have these people done ? – You complain about a country that you don’t pay taxes to – You prick- You need to stop living in your past !!
You claim to have worked hard – How come we don’t hear about a Kenyan richest people – We see Indians and asians – what about You ?
Did anybody notice the fairfax sign on the truck? The one the police or fireman was being interviewed infront of.It looks like used gift from virginia. Kenya cant even buy a firetruck the are given used ones from abroad.
Dee:
It was not coldtusker who linked you to the political elite. It was “lord” (go back to the previous article and double check that).
Faisal:
I went back and watched the video and did see that sign that says “fairfax Virginia”. Oh dear! Does that mean that city council would have no fire trucks if they weren’t donated to them?
This is the kind of stealing that Africa is known for: You steal everything up to the point where even the fire department is left without fire trucks! At least in a country like Malaysia or Indonesia, they’d steal 10%, but leave 90% around to purchase the trucks and to build water pipes.
Ole Mibei – Did your college mate give you a wedgie?
Dee – I have NO idea what you are on about…
KE: Thanks. I was confused on what the above 2 were blabbing about…
CT,
I don’t care -You and “Lord” are in the same category- rumor mongers and hate mongers.
I jumped on Dee’s argument but obviously from my Rant – You understand I have no liking of you.
KE,
Y do you delete my answer to his question ? – Am not the bad guy – He asked the question and I answered it.
CT- My bad. I guess it was LORD then. OLE MIBEI thanks. Good looking out. Back to the point.
KE and ALL,
Is corruption bigger today than Nyayo’s or is it just more visible? I think during Moi era, it was MONOPOLISED by a few crique led by BIWOTT and MOI’S SONS. Then the groupies included the likes of Hosea Kiplagat, William Ruto and the other RV elite. Maybe a few people outside the Kalenjin, the likes of Lee Njiru and chris Kirubi. But you see the numbers were few though they looted like ants. Today Kibaki’s like a Zombie and its everyone trying to milk something before the cow runs dry. I don’t think even Moi would have allowed this. Too many people creat unneccessary graber attention.Just a thought.
Dee..
Corruption today In Kenya is the order of the day – It has only become worse than akina Moi time – Every institution in Kenya Is corrupt – even the churches are in the band wagon !!
As the story goes – If you are not against It then You are part of It. Dee you know a friend of mine told me a joke the other day “The reason why Kenyans are not doing anything about the corruption Issue- Is because they’re are gaining from It” Ha ha !
I know – I thought it was a joke too !
Ohh yeah, they gain from the corruption till they are poor and go scoop fuel from an overturned fuel tanker. It is reported that the cops guarding the tanker were taking 50/= bribes to let people scoop fuel. One guy didn’t have the money and threatened to blow it up. 110 people dead 3 days after another 40. Kenyans, we need to look deep within and change our ways.
Ole Mibei:
Yes – I deleted a section of your answer because it was too much even for me, which should tell you something because my threshold for offensive statements is very low. Let’s move on.
On the tanker explosion:
Poverty breeds desperation. I’m sick of seeing these politicians showing up at these disasters!