The Queuing Act

Recently, I had to go to a KPLC customer centre to pay my electricity bill. It happens that this was my first time, after a very long while. So, it being a working day, I got up early and set off to Adams Acarde. On getting there shortly before 8.00am, I was welcomed by a long snaking queue only to learn that it was an hour to go before the KPLC staff reported to work. A thought then occured to me that at Sarit Centre, the KPLC office is usually opened early. After meandering through the Nairobi morning traffic, I go there only to find a situation similar to that I had left at Adams-another long queue. Almost giving up, I thought it wise then to rush to work, and then take an early afternoon off to tender to my bills.

I started the afternoon at Sarit and the sight was to static: it seemed as if no one had moved not even an inch since I left there in the morning. Stupidly (and on the theory that the other queue moves faster), I rushed back to Adams only to find exactly the same state of things as I had left in the morning. Since, it was now approaching closing time for the KPLC office, and I stretched to the absurd limits of my imagination on how best to go about paying the bill, i stuck myself to the tail of the queue and with nothing else to do (other than queue and feed my eyes to the environment) patiently waited for my turn to be served.

Observing the crowd (for lack of a better word), I noticed that some people would join the queue for a short while then tell the fellows behind that they should watch or keep their spaces and then take off only to return when their 'space' was very close to the service counter. Of course for those that would protest against this person claiming his 'space' would be welcomed by stone-faced "I was here first".

As I harbour some 'almost political' ambitions, I thought then that if one day should I find myself in the August House (never mind my party-will probably call it 'space' or 'mlolongo'), I'll move for a motion, on the first day to enact THE QUEUING ACT, a Act of Parliament that will make it mandatory for everyone to queue without abandoning thier 'space' until served. I'm confident that my motion will receive overwhelming support form my colleagues, the Honourable members. In any event we, in the August House will just have come from elections and the electorate will have queued patiently behind the ballot boxes to vote fo us.

It's been over seven months since I last blogged. A lot has gone down since, including a full christmas and an easter. My endeavour from now on is to post, post and post, on everything and anything that I feel worth ranting about, with a view to calm my nerves as I take a deep breath. So, watch this space. I'll be dropping my first rant shortly.