THE CUTTING EDGE-12-4-2019 – Daily Nation

SOULLESS BEINGS: “Cry, a better nation” is Kanyi Gioko’s clarion call, echoing South African writer Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country. And his worry is that “Kenya is slowly, but surely, becoming a real ‘Animal Kingdom’ (à la George Orwell’s classic novel)”. According to him, “humanity, courtesy and empathy are slowly ebbing out of our souls, leaving empty shells that are living a robotic life devoid of conscience and love”. Kanyi is saddened by the hacking to death of a medical student, reportedly by her lover. “What does a person gain from hurting others? If there was a time for a national reawakening, that time was yesterday, and the next best time is now.” His contact is [email protected]

CHILD ABUSE: Children with special needs are being routinely “misused and abused in various parts of the country”, moans F. Mukembu, gutted by the utter callousness of some. And gets even more horrendous to just imagine that some of these children are abused by their parents or guardians, who place some of them at strategic points in wheelchairs or even on the hard and rugged ground to beg for alms from well-wishers. Mukembu would like to see an end to the sheer manipulation and blatant abuse. “They deserve love and protection,” he declares. His contact is [email protected]

KILLING FOR LOVE: Relationships gone sour are the cause of increasing deaths among young people on the campuses of colleges and universities, notes Naima Nemali. The girls, especially, she explains often become quite vulnerable when they depend on their boyfriends for money for their upkeep in a world that is becoming increasingly materialistic. Many men, she charges, only use women to satisfy their sexual desires. She is terribly saddened by the hacking to death of a Moi University medical student by a man said to have been her lover. Naima is calling for a thorough investigation to establish what exactly transpired and punish the culprit. Her contact is [email protected]

WHAT’S IN A NAME? While agreeing with Miriam Manya that the Nation got it wrong by referring the students’ organisation of the University of Nairobi as Sonu, Elvis Muruli, however, says she also got it wrong by referring to it in full as the Nairobi University Students Association. Sonu, he clarifies, stood for the Students Organisation of the University of Nairobi. The current organisation, which has just elected Anne Mvurya as its first female president, is the University of Nairobi Students Association (UNSA). But Miriam was spot on that there is no institution called Nairobi University. There is only the University of Nairobi (UoN). His contact is [email protected]

SABOTAGE: The collapse of the multi-million-shilling Galana-Kulalu Irrigation Scheme in Tana River County is a monumental failure that has been aptly dubbed a shame by Israeli Ambassador Noah Gal Gendler, naturally disappointed considering his country’s funding of the project. The top Israeli envoy, clearly in a fighting mood, Ken Butiko reports, has pointed the finger at maize importers and millers, accusing them of sabotaging the irrigation scheme. “If it’s true, then it is worth condemning roundly, as this project had been seen as a possible game changer in boosting national food security.” His contact is [email protected]

MENTAL HEALTHCARE: A serious matter that should no longer be treated casually, poor mental healthcare, is so sickening that Ruth Gituma wishes to draw the attention of the authorities to it. Says Ruth: “There’s an urgent need to address the state of mental health in this country. We have continued to bury our heads in the sand, but it’s increasingly becoming a serious challenge. Just the other day, we were treated to the sad news of a stalker, who killed his supposed girlfriend in a murder most foul and gruesome, and that should never happen in a civilised society.” Her contact is [email protected]

Have a sane day, won’t you!