Wednesday, 19 December 2018

A MONTH OUT OF POLICE LINES


Should it be a big deal that some folks in uniform are leaving/vacating government houses and will henceforth be paying their own house rent? I think it should not be as other Kenyans do so year in year out without creating any hype about it. However, for me, this is a big deal as this is the place I have lived in throughout  my employment life.

Growing up in my village-Kiaritha, the sight of an oncoming police vehicle was met with all of us scampering for our safety whether we were in the wrong or not. This meant that few of us if any knew how police officers lived and how their estates/dwellings looked like. Fast forward, when I joined the Police force back then-28/12/2004, I still did not have an idea of where I would reside after passing out but I imagined that I would at least get a single room, a place that I would be housed as I work for my country. Sadly for me, the sight of uni-huts and bush tents at GSU Miti-Mbili camp, my first work station revealed to me the reality that is policing housing.

Block U door Six
A year later, my company -Alpha Coy, moved to GSU headquarters and I had an opportunity to live in a stone built house for over twelve years since I never left the place till 17th November 2018. Back then, when I was allocated a house at the camp, it had missing window panes, taps, a broken sink, broken water closet, all the walls were plastered with old newspapers among other defects but having lived in a bush tent for one year, this was not a bad deal at all. With time, I was able to repair and fix some of these defects but I lived with others for all the time that I occupied this house especially after someone stole a tap that I had fixed the night before. Honestly, I gave up on any further repairs.
Life in a police line meant that I never paid any utility bills; the government did so. This explains why broken taps in many houses had water running 24/7 with zero worries. Our electricity bills were also footed by tax payers-hence we used electric coils/cookers all through and rarely would you meet a sizeable number of officers using gas cookers or charcoal burners to make githeri, after all, we had free electricity 24/7. Throughout the years, I never paid garbage collection fees too as we had a unit truck that collected our garbage once in a week and that was a fair deal.

Ignore the 'window panes'
Occasionally, we used to have lines inspection that I thought would have led to repairs being done to these premises but for all the years, I never saw any single repairs after such inspections. Whatever the Inspection reports were used for, heaven knows. Living in a GSU Camp meant that we had our camp guarded 24/7 hence few instances of insecurity. I can’t remember any major security problem apart from a few house break- ins and the suspects were obvious to a large extent. 

To me, that was a life to cherish as I was shelved from many troubles/bills that folks living in Nairobi are exposed to; this I say with  humility. Mid 2015, even after being transferred to the General Duties police, I was not quick to leave police lines until things took a new twist three years later after the president okayed police restructuring that came with a provision to allow officers of other ranks (Police constable –Senior Sergeant) earn a house allowance and live out of police lines. This was a welcome move after years of earning a meager housing supplementation allowance which I came to learn recently that it was supposed to help us undertake minor repairs to our houses which we rarely did. 

This new housing arrangement meant that I had to leave GSU Drive In camp. Vacation notices started coming my way as the house that I was occupying was to be allocated to someone else who will be paying some economic rent to the government each month though the same houses miss basic fittings that would make an officer live a better life. Though I loved this place, I had to act fast to avoid the reality of forceful eviction and trust you me, a section of GSU officers can evict one out of a house within five minutes and before one notices, everything is scattered out there.

With this reality and after rumors of us earning a fairly tidy house allowance starting December 2018, I quickly spoke to my chama folks where I requested them to loan me a few coins that would enable my family relocate to another house a few kilometers from the city. My two chama dudes and a lady did not let me down hence on 17/11/2018; I vacated my house which also marked my first day out of a police line/house. This was a fulfilling moment; I give God all the glory and honor.  Without His visible hand in all this, I am sure the transition would have been frustrating, messy and noisy. 


From this day, water bills, power bills, garbage collection fees among other expenses were shifted from tax payers to one, Oga-Martin. It has been exciting, living and mingling with Wananchi, living in a new world of reality. This has been an eye opener since what  we call KUJIPANGA is now not an option lest water disconnection, blackouts from unpaid power bills and accumulated garbage becomes a true anti climax to this new life. Ksh 200/Month garbage collection fee is the damage to my pocket, water rationing is now a reality with our mtaa receiving the precious commodity twice a week with no GOK water browsers around like it was the norm in the police lines. I also have a new kinyozi guy but it costs 50 bob more to shave in my hood, I thought you should know. Manmo matatus are no longer my javs, I got Rukagina, Nazigi and Sunbird buses where i have to cough fifty bob more one way and leave my house one hour earlier than I used to do at Ruraka. I also have access to countless shops and grocery stores compared to one and the only one we had in Ruaraka,this place is Canaan!

With rumors of a slashed house allowance even before it reflects on our pay slips, I remain optimistic that in the fullness of time, my colleagues and I will fit in the new arrangement but I honestly see huge challenges. Land lords may be facing an uphill task in the near future as I am sure that some ninjas will be tempted to bulldoze their way into these estates on their own terms and conditions and without adhering to the laid down rules that common wananchi follow. This I say as I know that some of us have a serious sense of entitlement that few can tame. 
  
By the way, did any folks steal my tap this time round?Yes! They raided my compound in the wee hours of Sunday 9th December and took off with two taps and a gate valve.

Missing gate valve
Missing tap.
Did I replace them? Yes I did since I knew that these were thugs and not my uniformed buddies. 








To cut a long story short,change is as good as rest.


12 comments:

  1. Alot funny....😂😂😂😂

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  2. Welcome to the other side of the world where everybody is for himself but God for us all

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  3. oooh yeah nice story this is an open eye bro.Now wait and see how things will change and the circulation of money will be soo good coz God has raised u to another level.

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  4. Hahaha welcome to the real world of bills...I hate bills!!

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    1. Thank you. Bills aren't bad as they make us work harder. Freebies make most of us stagnate in life.

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  5. This is where reality dawns on us that there is life after work. You get to see your neighbor as source of security rather than a source of income. The fact that you have to bow down to the torments of a landlord as he initiates you into the tenant world is a gruesome reality check. Bravo my brother for a worthy move.

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  6. Welcome to this other side of the world Mr. Martin,i take this opportunity to welcome you to wananchi estate. #Good #shadelight of police line quarters.

    Did you say" A unit Of G.S.U can evict you in a span of five minutes" nilidhani there is courtesy atimes

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  7. Thanks bro.

    Back then. One used to be evicted and stuff thrown outside the gate especially if one has been sacked.

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