We have recently plugged our radio alarm clock, which has been gathering dust for years, into the kitchen. We initially bought it with the intention of waking to the gentle murmurings of the radio rather than bleeping alarm, but discovered that frequent (almost daily) power cuts wrecked havoc with the digital clock and the thing therefore cannot to be relied upon.
Ironically, the only station we can receive clearly is Easy FM because the reception is not very good in the kitchen. This is ironic as Easy FM is also the only radio station I can get in my car since my aerial broke. Now I am seriously overdosing on instalments of popular real life phone in; ‘Busting cheating spouses’ (the radio station were offering free paternity tests to settle disputes a while back!) and ‘Blues and R&B’ generally. The upside is that Easy FM run hourly five minute news updates which I am addicted to. I arrive at the school car park and won’t shut off the ignition until the news is over. There is not too much to report, mostly wrangling over constitutional review, MPs pro or against the taxation of their allowances and the ongoing problems of resettling Internally Displaced Kenyans (who fled their homes since election). Curiously, Zimbabwe’s problems have hardly been touched upon in the local press, especially in light of the fact that Kenya was so recently caught in the mire of a flawed election itself.
Back to the point. Yesterday evening while chopping vegetables, I heard a news item about the construction of public toilets in Nairobi. It flashed through my mind that when shuttling between school drop offs and pick ups every day, one of the most familiar roadside sights is to see a man peeing, bold as brass, on the verge. I must see at least twenty per day and wonder why my children never point and laugh, but I guess they are as used to seeing people attending to calls of nature it as I am. Last week I spotted a child squatting down in the open right next to the road in a built up area. I thought to myself, it won’t be the same old Nairobi if there are public toilets. As my mind wandered I heard that the Minister of ‘whatever the relevant department was’, say that the public toilets were planned in an effort to try and combat disease in the city, I thought;
‘OK then, great idea!’
I visualised the state of the art, self cleaning stainless steel models that I had seen in England. The newsreader then told listeners that using the facilities would cost five shillings per time and crestfallen I thought;
‘It will never work because they are asking people to pay.’
The lack of public toilets in Nairobi is a major problem giving people no choice but to use the roadside as their public convenience. On Monday, whilst picking up my middle daughter (aged 5) from kindergarten, I casually asked the youngest (aged 2) if she needed a wee. She gave the usual response of ‘No’, but I had a hunch she was lying. We clambered into the car and started on the 25/30 minute drive to the school of my eldest daughter. After about five minutes in the youngest piped up and said (predictably);
‘I need a wee – and I can’t panic!’
I kicked myself for not frogmarching her to the loo in the kindergarten, after all she is only two (though soon to be three) so doesn’t really know better. However, this did not stop me from feeling cross, mainly because I wasn’t sure about my options. Pulling up on the side of the road and letting her do a wee there might be socially acceptable here, but I was driving along a road that is renowned for car jacking and I didn’t fancy being unlucky – I was in too much of a hurry. We bounced over the potholes with my middle daughter consoling the agonised youngest;
‘We are coming up to a smooth bit of road soon!’
And I was driving like a crazed woman, risking accident, in order to get to my next stop as fast as possible. We passed one shopping centre but to search for a parking space, then sprint past all the line shops to the loos inside at the back would take as long as it would getting to our destination. When tears began to spring from the youngest’s eyes, I had a brainwave, we were passing a small children’s medical clinic with off street parking so I screamed in there, ran past expectant receptionists and made it just in time. When I had finally strapped the relieved youngest back into her car seat, the middle daughter said sweetly,
‘I actually need a wee too, but its OK Mummy, I can wait…’
Ironically, the only station we can receive clearly is Easy FM because the reception is not very good in the kitchen. This is ironic as Easy FM is also the only radio station I can get in my car since my aerial broke. Now I am seriously overdosing on instalments of popular real life phone in; ‘Busting cheating spouses’ (the radio station were offering free paternity tests to settle disputes a while back!) and ‘Blues and R&B’ generally. The upside is that Easy FM run hourly five minute news updates which I am addicted to. I arrive at the school car park and won’t shut off the ignition until the news is over. There is not too much to report, mostly wrangling over constitutional review, MPs pro or against the taxation of their allowances and the ongoing problems of resettling Internally Displaced Kenyans (who fled their homes since election). Curiously, Zimbabwe’s problems have hardly been touched upon in the local press, especially in light of the fact that Kenya was so recently caught in the mire of a flawed election itself.
Back to the point. Yesterday evening while chopping vegetables, I heard a news item about the construction of public toilets in Nairobi. It flashed through my mind that when shuttling between school drop offs and pick ups every day, one of the most familiar roadside sights is to see a man peeing, bold as brass, on the verge. I must see at least twenty per day and wonder why my children never point and laugh, but I guess they are as used to seeing people attending to calls of nature it as I am. Last week I spotted a child squatting down in the open right next to the road in a built up area. I thought to myself, it won’t be the same old Nairobi if there are public toilets. As my mind wandered I heard that the Minister of ‘whatever the relevant department was’, say that the public toilets were planned in an effort to try and combat disease in the city, I thought;
‘OK then, great idea!’
I visualised the state of the art, self cleaning stainless steel models that I had seen in England. The newsreader then told listeners that using the facilities would cost five shillings per time and crestfallen I thought;
‘It will never work because they are asking people to pay.’
The lack of public toilets in Nairobi is a major problem giving people no choice but to use the roadside as their public convenience. On Monday, whilst picking up my middle daughter (aged 5) from kindergarten, I casually asked the youngest (aged 2) if she needed a wee. She gave the usual response of ‘No’, but I had a hunch she was lying. We clambered into the car and started on the 25/30 minute drive to the school of my eldest daughter. After about five minutes in the youngest piped up and said (predictably);
‘I need a wee – and I can’t panic!’
I kicked myself for not frogmarching her to the loo in the kindergarten, after all she is only two (though soon to be three) so doesn’t really know better. However, this did not stop me from feeling cross, mainly because I wasn’t sure about my options. Pulling up on the side of the road and letting her do a wee there might be socially acceptable here, but I was driving along a road that is renowned for car jacking and I didn’t fancy being unlucky – I was in too much of a hurry. We bounced over the potholes with my middle daughter consoling the agonised youngest;
‘We are coming up to a smooth bit of road soon!’
And I was driving like a crazed woman, risking accident, in order to get to my next stop as fast as possible. We passed one shopping centre but to search for a parking space, then sprint past all the line shops to the loos inside at the back would take as long as it would getting to our destination. When tears began to spring from the youngest’s eyes, I had a brainwave, we were passing a small children’s medical clinic with off street parking so I screamed in there, ran past expectant receptionists and made it just in time. When I had finally strapped the relieved youngest back into her car seat, the middle daughter said sweetly,
‘I actually need a wee too, but its OK Mummy, I can wait…’
6 comments:
I must say, the relief of ones self on the side of the road was initially a surprise to me, especially on Langata Rd. I guess modesty takes a different approach here in the States, which I view as much less modest as a whole.
I would think that the lavatories would be somewhat cost prohibitive for most that pee on the side of the road. Probably 1 precent of their monthly income each time they have to take a leak. That would be similar to me paying $6 US, which I probably would not do.
Wonder why not something similar to Amsterdam where they have free "round-a-bout" johns? If it is truly for health reasons, why charge?
Sounds familiar. Seattle installed 5 public toilets downtown at an enormous expense(US$5 million dollars) to the taxpayers. They are those stainless steel self-cleaning loos. Just the other day I heard they are all being removed this summer because too many drug deals/prostitution are occurring in the loo and the homeless are sleeping in them. Maybe if they had charged people to use them it wouldn't have been an issue.
I think the problem is that most ppl still associate public toilets with unmaintained, dirty holes full of flies without realizing that there's also the option of having managed public toilets that provide enough comfort even for a longer call.
Let's wait another two years to see who will come up with affordable public toilets. Me thinks that wanainchii will pay that extra bob if they find clean toilets. Just as ppl are paying for Sufericom & Co.
And then of course there are nutrients in urine & faeces that may be reused as fertilizers, but that's another story...
the guy in the photo looks quite familiar. a known rally driver????
The picture the most suitable I could find in Google Images - no idea who it is..?!
More like a golfer, don't knwo which.
I hope the pay loos will work. It's certainly better than having to hold for ages or having to look for a convinient bush. Mostly you will note that men (especially drunkards) are the most notorious offenders in Kenya which begs the question, do women have bladders like a camel or are men just a tad bit more uncouth? I can't count how many times I had to remind my brothers/nephew that only dogs pee on the side of the road.
City Council is not helping the case but most of the road-side pee'rs should learn to hold (or not drink so much).
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