Last night, the price of petrol (gasoline) went up to around $4.15 a gallon in Nairobi. On the radio, the government minister in charge of such things said the extra revenue would go toward fixing the roads. I often joke that the potholes here are measured in meters and not inches - in depth, that is. I also say (not joking this time) that roads are often made with one inch of asphalt. The first good rain that comes, and oh well, so much for that road.
I don't have a problem with roads getting fixed. But I do have a problem that all too often such earmarked funds "disappear" before they reach their intended purpose.
I also don't mind that the rising cost of fuel may cause someone to pause before they make an unnecessary extra drive somewhere. But that extra cost will negatively affect the average person taking public transport just to get to work.
As a reference point, petrol in England now costs about $7.00 a gallon! The government there (and in western europe) slaps high taxes on fuel to reduce pollution and petroleum consumption. It works.
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On weekend mornings, I brew enough for Heather and me. On weekday mornings, I only brew enough for me. (Heather gets her caffeine via tea, d...
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Today I have a guest photographer - Josh Cadd. He and his family moved to Nairobi about six months ago. Part of getting settled meant buying...
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This old petrol (gas) station is close to Voi, the closest town to the main entrance to Tsavo National Park. Tsavo is even bigger than some ...
5 comments:
The gas is expensive here in Germany, but the public transportation is really very excellent and costs very little. I can get everywhere I want to go for about 60€/ month.
You're lucky on the public transport thing - in England it costs a fortune. (One English friend here told me that his sister spends about $8000 a year on public transport commuting.)
Here a public minibus ride costs about US 30c. But to the average person, that's more like $3 to you or me.
Perhaps the minister meant the road to his place.
That is always the case! Members of Parliament here have great "driveways".
Lol at US 30c being equivalent to 3 dollars for the local, I guess the incomes are to low in Nairobi.
Great insights on kenya on this blog.
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