THE CUTTING EDGE - Daily Nation

ROAD LINKS: Let’s sometimes give credit where it is due, says Jim Webo, disappointed that the good work by the Kenya National Highways Authority is not appreciated enough. Jim is particularly fond of the elaborate bypasses built in Nairobi and along the major highways. “Somebody travelling from Kisumu to Mombasa need not get into the traffic jam in the city centre as the southern bypass from the Kikuyu junction takes vehicles to Mombasa Road.” The same applies to traffic from Thika Superhighway to Nakuru. “I am not eagerly waiting to see the elevated road linking JKIA to Westlands Shopping Centre. That’s what progress is all about.”

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DRIVING LICENCE RIP-OFF: The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) cannot be serious on this one, and Nigel Henson definitely has a point here. In January, the Mombasa resident renewed his driving licence for three years at a cost of Sh1,400, which is not small change at all. However, to his utter surprise, the NTSA is now insisting that he and all other motorists must acquire the new smart driving licences by July at a cost of nearly Sh3,000, also for a period of three years. Nigel wonders: “So, why are they still taking people’s money to renew those old licences? Secondly, what about the two and a half years remaining on my current licence?” His contact is

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BLOT ON ROAD: Nairobi’s Mbagathi Way is an important road connecting two busy thoroughfares, Lang’ata and Ngong roads. And since road was converted from asphalt to concrete some 15 years ago, not a single pothole has developed. There are four shortcomings, though. The guardrails at the sharp bend near the footbridge have no reflectors, hence the frequent accidents at night. Two, there are no visible lanes in the middle and on the sides. Three, the footpath opposite Shell Petrol Station has been turned into a dumpsite. Lastly, the building of a footbridge to replace the old one that was recently demolished “is yet to start”. His contact is

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POWER OF THE PEN: For the benefit of one John Nyaga, who said he could not understand how the all-powerful Moi government of the 1980s could have felt threatened by a poor little fellow like James Musyoka, who was charged with sedition over Mwakenya leaflets, Mwangi Wanjohi has an explanation. “The answer lies in the power of the word. Writers, especially journalists, the world over are feared for possessing a mere pen, which can bring down dynasties. A tweet is equally potent. Where I come from, they say that the antelope has no fear of the one who sees it but the one who raises the alarm upon seeing it.” His contact is

Have a powerful day, won’t you!