Karuti Kanyinga

On the New Mukuru Estate, a friend commented, "These are village people. They don't need these houses. They already have homes and cattle back in the village." Another asked, "Kwani si they're built with our money?" Yet another worried, "With these congested gorofas, watoto watacheza wapi?" Curiously, none of the three would agree, under any circumstances, to spend even one night in the old Mukuru. That, I know for sure. So "village people" deserve to live in sewage, fire traps and iron-sheet purgatory because they have homes and cattle? And, who really are these "village people"? Yes, the houses are built with "our" money. That is the whole point. Public money is not a souvenir for a select social class or ethnic group. And about watoto kucheza wapi, interesting concern, coming from people who never asked where Mukuru children played before. Between open sewers, burning shacks and flying mabati. Anyway, being an unemployed villager with no child, cattle or contribution towards the AHPs, I can't understand these concerns being raised by well-meaning, fellow Kenyans.