Thursday, January 26, 2012

HIGH POWER BILLS

On the 9th of November 2011, the Standard Newspaper(Kenya), carried an article under the heading" High Power bills shock customers". A Nairobi resident, Simon Kamau said that he was" convinced that Kenya Power is out to fleece him". Kamau claimed that since Kenya Power replaced his old meter with a new prepaid one( No 0145358195), his elecricity bill had quadrupled.The article continued to state that "it was an outcry from all the way from Mombasa" that bills had skyrocketed. "The customer is king" goes the saying. How are Kenya Power customers kings then? What power do customers like those of Kenya Power have over their suppliers? Do they have power to dictate how their suppliers do business? In my view, Kenya Power customers have the say in the way the company can conduct its business. The job of a customer is to teach the supplier how to do business. Consumers would have been consulted before Kenya Power decided to replace the old meters with the prepaid ones. Although the installation of smart meters is one of the best ways the company can get accurate meter readings, and get its money upfront, customers would have had a say because they are the ones who were going to be affected by that change.
     Smart meters(prepaid) are not all that accurate. In the USA, " the race to install smart meters is starting to lose momentum" reports Bloomberg Businessweek of September 20- September 26, 2010. Under the article" Smart Meters May Not Be So Clever", the article continues to state that " In Hawaii, regulators rejected$115 million plan in July by Hawaiian Electric to install smart meters that residents and businesses would pay for. Almost a dozen California cities and counties have asked regulators to halt installations, saying the devices send inaccurate data to utilities. Home owners in Bakersfield Califo; have filed a class action against PG&E, accusing the utility of overcharging since smart meters were installed in houses". The article continues to state that " The meters don't benefit the consumer; they cost a lot of money, and we can't opt out", says Joshua Hart, the California -based director of Scotts Valley Neighbors Against Smart Meters.
      Although these customers' claims may not be justfied, their concerns must be addressed, and it is up to the utilities to convince them that the meters do not overcharge, or send inaccurate data to the utilities. But why are the customers complaining of huge bills? Definitely, the cunsumers have a point. Why the drastic jump?When the Californian consumers complained, PG&E responded by saying that " A study by independent consultant, The Standard Group found that PG&E's smart meters are more accurate than the older versions they replaced. PG&E spokesman Paul Moreno says that the meters will save customers money over long term". The question now comes: were the old version meters inaccurate; and if so, how? Are utilities losing if they continue using old version meters, or will the customers lose if they use the smart meters? Where is the truth about these two types of meters? This is what the utilities need to address.
    Kenya Power customers should know that they have the right to know about these so called smart meters. As   customers, it is their right to be heard. Ludwig Von Mises as stated that "The fundamental law of the market is: the customer is always right". Customers should therefore use that right, to teach the supplier how to do business. Ludwig further states that " The real bosses in the capitalist system of market economy are the consumers.They, by their buying and by their absetention from buying, decide who should own the capital and run the plants.They determine what should be produced and in what quantity and quality.Their attitudes result either in profit or in loss for the enterpriser.They make poor men rich, and rich men poor. They are not easy bosses". So what Mr Kamau and other Kenya Power consumers should know  is that they are the bosses, and not the Kenya Power.They by their  buying power,will make the company poor or richer.They can therefore dictate how the company does business; can they allow it install smart meters or not?

Monday, January 16, 2012

PROSTITUTION IN THIKA TOWN(KENYA).

On the 22nd of December 2011, an article appeared in the Standard Newspaper under the heading "Protect Us, Prostitutes tell government". These prostitutes alleged that the police were harassing them, and forcing them to have unprotected sex. They were therefore asking for the government to protect them from the police(an arm of the same government they are asking to protect them). The Thika OCPD came out strongly defending his officers, and he did actually informed the public that he will make sure that he eradicates the vice completely in that city. That was a very good idea. He further stated that he was going to investigate about the harassment claims, and take action on those  officers  who will be found to have harassed the complainants(prostitutes).As at the time I am writing this article, I have not seen anything regarding this case.
The prostitutes reminded the OCPD that their profession was the oldest on earth, and event  during Christ's time, Jesus never condemned them but asked them to go and sin no more( John :8). It was Rahab the prostitute who saved the spies who had gone to spy the city of Jericho( Joshua 2, :6, Hebrews : 11:31, James 2:25).  Jesus' great , great(many greats) was Rahab the harlot.Why do we harass of them? Rahab even gave the spies the hope of taking the city. Why did God use her?
   The OCPD is right to say that he wants to eradicate the vice in that city.But how can he do it? Prostitution like any industry is vulnerable to competition, an dis therefore subject to the laws of demand and supply. These laws are more strong than the laws enacted by parliament. One labour market that has been dominated women in centuries is prostitution. Who buys the services of prostitutes? Men. Why do they do so? Men have always wanted free sex, but are never satisfied. Prostitutes therefore come in to satisfy that demand(deficiency). For the right price, the prostitutes are willing to these men. Now, by arresting them(prostitutes), what the OCPD is doing is creating scarcity of services offered by prostitutes. The effect of this scenario is: the price will go up. The few prostitutes will increase their price, and this will attract more women to enter the market because of the price. What the OCPD should do is to go for those people who buy the services of the prostitutes. If men who buy those services are arrested, there will be more supply, but less demand, and this will bring down the price, and therefore discourage more entrants to the market as the prices will be too low to sustain the suppliers(prostitutes). What the OCPD should know is that the more arrests he makes, the more the services will be demanded, which will lead to more people(prostitutes) entering the industry. For example, if men who buy the services are caught and are castrated, the market will contract very quickly. Therefore, Bwana OCPD, if you want to eradicate the vice(which is a good idea), arrest the buyers of the service, not the supplier.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

EDUCATION STANDARDS IN GREATER KISII AREA

The recently released KCPE results indicated that performance at the greater Kisii area( Kisii and Nyamira counties) was below expectations, which led to some demonstrations, even some parents demanded that a name of one school be changed from Nyakemincha to a new name(how this will improve performance remains to be seen). The question we should ask ourselves is: what went wrong or what has gone wrong, and what can we do to uplift performance? We may ask ourselves the following questions:
1. Do we have qualified teachers like other counties, and are schools better stffed?
2. Do we have facilities?
3. Do we have proper co-ordination between teachers and parents?
4.What about discipline-both teachers and students, even parents?
5. Do we hav ewell qualified people in school boards?
6. Are schools properly managed?
7. Do our schools have models for success?
8. What is the current student teacher ratio? Is it the ideal ratio?
9. What about motivation for both student and teacher? Do we have this in place?
10.Have we empowered parents to demand success from the teachers?
11.Who is the worker; the student or the teacher?
This list is not exhaustive, but can guide us see where we have failed, and do something.If some of these questions can be answered, we can improve the education standards in our schools. I wolud like highlight some areas which need to be addressed:
(A).
 Parents and teachers must work together if we have to improve the education standards in our two counties.Parents must help teachers to ensure that their children attend school regularly, and do their both classwork an dhomework without failure. Parents must instill discipline on their kids. Some teachers find it difficult to assist a child  who have not been disciplined by their parents.

(B). Our schools must be run as business entities. Organizations whose CEO are not able to deliver are shown the door, and those who deliver are rewarded. Our teachers must be rewarded where reward is due, and if they do not do well, they must be told so point plank. As all other civil servants, teachers must also sign performance contract, and if they do not perform, they must be told at the time they are evaluated, and any shortfall  mus be pin pointed out.
(C).
There must be a code of conduct for teachers, an dif it is there,it must be enforced. All professions have code of ethics, which every professional in that profession must follow or subsribe to. If such code exists, it must be seen that it is being adhered to.
(D).
Students must be made to be workers, an dnot the teacher. Teachers are only facilitators. Teachers should evaluate students on what they teach them to see if they have understood what the teacher has been teaching.Let our teachers do their work professionally, and those who interfere with their work should b etold off.
(E).
When our teachers were teaching far from home( I am not saying that they should not teach near their homes), performance was good. Some good teachers who teach near their homes are normally being compromised, an dthus lowering standards.
(F)
Let teachers come to the table and tell the people(we stake holders) what they would like done for the standards to improve. Let the teachers lead the change in collaboration with the local communities.
(G).
What of the teachers union? Is it only there to fight for the teachers' salary increases, and   forgetting  their performance ?The KNUT must inform their members that if they would like to be well remunerated, they must perform. Teachers, like all other public servants depend on us to pay them. KNUT does not pay them, but taxpayers. Why should we pay people who are not performing?
(H).
Schools should organize filed days whereby professionals, business people etc, can be invited to address the students, and motivate them by their speeches, in turn students will have been encourgaed to strive to succeed so that they can in turn hold such positions in future.These professionals can mentor students, students can ask questions about how they can also be professionals in many areas. Some of these students have never been addressed by even politicians, but only their teachers.
(I).
Students should be exposed to other students in the country, by organizing study tours like debating clubs. These will motivate students. Study tours to manufacturing facilities, hospitals, electricity generating stations should be encouraged. These tours will definetely motivate students, an dmake them work harder.
(J).
School boards should have professionls among their members. People like businessman should also be included in such boards.They can use their business acumen to encourage schools administrators on how they should run schools like business enterprises(ensuring success).

This list is not exhaustive. If we follow some of these recommendations an dfix them, we can improve our education standards. Education is not filling a pail with water, but it is lighting a fire. Let us all come forward and fix this mess, as it is only education which we can giv eto our children, an dit is the only thing which can lead us ou tof poverty. Eucation can take us to the promised land of opportunities. If our children are well educated, jobs will look for them, an dnot the other way round as it is now. Any body with ideas/ thoughts?