By Dikizo the Poet
So yesterday a man died in Kisumu… in some flooded backend alley just next to his favorite “uji” spot
They say he backed into that recently done drainage in Migosi
His turbulence overcome by intense flash floods
You see, we live somewhere in a valley,
Surrounded by those high hills in Kajulu and Miwani
But our leaders know this rather too well,
because hills do not sprout overnight like shoots,
And this our valley never sank yesterday.
I also heard of a neighbor who slept in a bed,
Only to wake up floating in a sea at midnight,
The sad part, she has never boarded a ship
In the plains of Kano, is where that viral soundbite broke through —
“Aki serikali saidia,” the Citizens wako “saidi mbaya kabisaa”
It was a welcome distraction – a cover up for the failure of leadership
You see, Kano floods is something we all read about back in school
And these are not emergencies – they’re glaring indicators of poor planning
In Drowning Villages – Choppers still land to launch boreholes
Kibera had a prolonged issue with water connection
Yet, just the other day, residents thirsty for water
Were seen aloof and displaced upon roofs, seeking refuge from a scarce resource
Just the other day, over 50 lives drowned in the dry and hard streets of Nairobi
And the government minions were quick to remind us that the City is a swamp area
The Governor spoke rather candidly of the “unnecessary” one-off 25 Billion expense,
And I was left wondering how much a single Kenyan life costs –
And if our prayerful State House couldn’t fast for 40 days to cover that Bill
