African Timer

There is a song i like by Boomba Clan
African Timer you never keep time, you are just an African Timer unapenda kuchelewa.

I have no idea why Kenyans like me have this thing that if a function is starting at 8 it means 9 and if it is starting at 3, it means 4,5. Take for example

1. An event hyped by Capital Fm the Locomotive Cervical Cancer Awareness Trip which i attended. Thankfully my friend had won a ticket on capital so we didn't pay the 3,000 bob. We were meant to arrive at the Railway station at 7 a.m. I got late by 20 minutes and it is after i had ran through town. So i get there at 7.20 in panic mode. Then an hour later no word, another hour no breakfast no word.
Nobody knew what was happening. So later someone who i think must have been the Mc for the event came (she was a horrible public speaker btw) and told us breakfast is being served. They had been trying to get a train and it would be there soon. Breakfast was to be served i.e. a minute cup of Milo. Guys had not even had breakfast running to catch a train which was not there 2 hours later (someone musta been kiddin). So the train finally arrives and the coaches are so horrible i.e. the seats are torn and all and the organizers by then had managed to pull 6 buses i dunno from where and chose to use them. There goes locomotive.

Some guys at this point asked for refunds which i am sure couldn't be given.

Its amazing how people can be patient and tolerant, no dramaz were caused.

The rest of it went smoothly. So i wondered just what makes organizers think they can play with people's time and money. If you say locomotive shouldn't you go out of your way to make it locomotive, it cannot be the same again Drat!

2. Sometimes when i get home early,  i go to a local gym. So, jana was such a day. The aerobics start at 7 so i checked in a bit early so that i could make sure i didnt miss any minute of the class.
What surprised me was that the instructor came by and then left. 7.10 no instructor, 7.20 no instructor, 7.25 instructor comes. By then some guys who have gone for the classes and even know better than the instructor had started instructing us, but then everybody was feeling cheated. Hereby you are paying for an hour and yes 25 minutes have gone and there is no reprieve and she comes acts like nothing had happened.

That's some of the reasons why we will not be saying goodbye to the mkokoteni economy.

It reminds me of several things
The days we would open campus and the lectures would begin 3 weeks later.
And even then the lectures would shortchange us by doing half the time they are supposed to be in class.
The long queues endured every place, the banks, KRA, safaricom customer care desks, because of failure of efficiency, did somebody ever study simulation?
Empty counters at the banks

To be honest there is terrible service at every corner of this country.I call it the Makanga principle. The Makanga can do anything to woo somebody to their buses or matatus but after that the passenger is treated like Dirt.