@Oketch got to see you now get the picture. I agree with you sending mail about this issue every time it happens just gets on peoples nerves ----- Original Message ----- | From: "Okechukwu" <okechukwu@gmail.com> | To: "Skunkworks Mailing List" <skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke> | Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2011 1:58:16 PM | Subject: Re: [Skunkworks] <OT> : No Electricity, No Fuel, No Cooking gas! I need my hot coffee or need some | answers..... | | @Steve thanks for letting me know the situation so graphically & I | empathize with the situation although I may have never experienced | it. My point is, if you have to send skunkworks mail every time this | happens, it will probably be at the very least, once a day. Will | this change anything? | And you would have significantly contributed to clogging the mailbox | & wasting both bandwidth & time! | | ../Ok3ch | | Sent from my iPad | | On Dec 22, 2011, at 12:53, Steve Obbayi <steve@sobbayi.com> wrote: | | > @Okechukwu I'll be glad to answer. You know how they say from space | > the earth looks blue and green and is calm. But when you step into | > earth thats when you realize the pollution, wars, disease etc. The | > same case. If you think coz your hood has stable power, then I | > will tell you, welcome to the rest of the reality of Kenya. | > | > | > Here is how it goes based on kakamega county... | > | > Scenario 1: | > | > you have land owners who have transmission lines passing through | > their land and these owners have trees with leaves and branches | > only inches or feet away from these lines. Now seeing in kakamega | > it rains almost everyday of the year and these rains come with | > fairly strong winds. You end up having wet branches and leaves | > swinging and swaying close to the power lines and guess what | > happens when there is contact... the line trips. When you report | > this to KPLC they don't come to fix it until after 8PM reason | > being they have to test all is okay when the line has maximum load | > to make sure all is okay. so if the rain was at 2pm, you guessed | > it. no power until after 8pm. | > | > Scenario 2: | > | > There was a day about 2 months ago when the power line breaker | > switch broke. Now that switch happens to be in the compound. Nway | > without going into details it affected power to many customers | > along the grid including the sub-chiefs residence. People went | > without power for 3 weeks and can you believe no one reported it | > except me, yet it didnt affect me. When I reported it, at 3PM KPLC | > people came to fix it at 2am the next morning and didn't do | > anything but left it like that for the next 3 weeks. I called | > again... guess what their excuse was? That bees had built a hive | > inside the utility pole and they needed to figure out a way to get | > rid of the bees before they can restore power.... yeah right!!! | > | > Scenario 3: | > | > From reliable sources I got this story where an angry employee cut | > off power coz he was forced to come in to work on his day off and | > there was a soccer game he was going to miss. So you guessed it, | > he decided to screw it up for others as well and go ahead and cut | > the power. | > | > | > Scenario 4: | > | > I have watched during prolonged rain showers the transformer blow | > out over and over again since it sits 20 meters from the building | > and is in clear view from where I sit. When they come to fix it | > they take no measures to plug the hole where the rain water goes | > in... so guess what its a never ending cycle. I got a confidential | > answer to this. These guys capitalize on those faults so they can | > earn overtime on off time field trips | > | > and you say dont blame KPLC? Seriously?? | > | > I can assure you there are places in Kenya, especially the rural | > areas where power is unstable because people in the rural areas | > dont care about power. These guys are so poor they have barely | > enough food to go on the table let alone think about electricity. | > So with poor service no one gives a damn. You can call kakamega | > customer service and ask them how many times obbayi has called to | > complain and you will know the reality. our transformer can serve | > way over 100 homes but it serves only 15 homes of which the owners | > of those homes are all in Nairobi throughout the year leaving an | > average of 3 customers at a time being served by the transformer | > so overload is not an issue here yet stability is. | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > ----- Original Message ----- | > | From: "Okechukwu" <okechukwu@gmail.com> | > | To: "Skunkworks Mailing List" <skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke> | > | Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2011 9:44:14 AM | > | Subject: Re: [Skunkworks] <OT> : No Electricity, No Fuel, No | > | Cooking gas! I need my hot coffee or need some | > | answers..... | > | | > | @Aki I have not said that you should be banned or stopped from | > | posting | > | about this article, I just feel you having to infor the gorup | > | when | > | your power goes off is not appropriate since if everyone was to | > | do | > | that, we would probably have too many mails - that was my point | > | which | > | you seemingly did not get. | > | I may never like what you say, by I will defend your right to say | > | it | > | ~ | > | I have no idea who said that! | > | | > | My other point was that you seem to be haing these blackouts all | > | the | > | time, I seem to be having none - and we in the same country? and | > | we | > | still blame Kenya Power? does that make sense to you? @Steve, | > | please | > | answer this too. | > | | > | ../Ok3ch | > | | > | On Thu, Dec 22, 2011 at 9:24 AM, Steve Obbayi <steve@sobbayi.com> | > | wrote: | > | > @Aki dude, you've got no luck.... | > | > | > | > @Oketch.. about the blackouts I can agree with @Aki on the | > | > rural | > | > supply sense. I'm curently working on some long term | > | > project in some small town near kakamega. Blackouts here are | > | > guaranteed to be a daily thing. Worse off when it rains power | > | > can | > | > go off for even 2 days a stretch, I kid you not. through out | > | > the | > | > day when there is power you cannot get a straight hour of | > | > uninterrupted power. it will go for 3, 5, 10 seconds every 10 | > | > to | > | > 20 minutes. a UPS here is no luxury, the only way you can get | > | > decent work done here is to either get a generator or have | > | > solar | > | > drive your gear. When we get a full days power it is something | > | > to | > | > be thankful for.. So I guess as far as power goes, kenya is not | > | > one country. | > | > | > | > KPLC blames the rolling blackouts on trees that have been | > | > planted | > | > near the power lines in peoples farms. when the trees get wet | > | > during the rains the wet leaves on power lines cause the | > | > blackouts... who want to argue with that so... | > | > | > | > ----- Original Message ----- | > | > | From: "Okechukwu" <okechukwu@gmail.com> | > | > | To: "Skunkworks Mailing List" <skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke> | > | > | Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2011 8:50:50 AM | > | > | Subject: Re: [Skunkworks] <OT> : No Electricity, No Fuel, | > | > | No | > | > | Cooking gas! I need my hot coffee or need some | > | > | answers..... | > | > | | > | > | @Aki either you complain too much or we do not live in the | > | > | same | > | > | country. All the time you have outages I have checked my home | > | > | computer and it's always on and since it's UPS can barely do | > | > | five | > | > | minutes, I know there is power. Maybe Kenya Power just | > | > | doesn't | > | > | like | > | > | your neighborhood, or people near you contribute to your | > | > | outages | > | > | by | > | > | building high storey's which cannot support the power | > | > | distribution | > | > | in your ares. Cut KP some slack, they have tried given their | > | > | resources. | > | > | | > | > | & I've had no gas for the last 2 months resorting to cooking | > | > | with | > | > | electricity - just to show you how reliable Kenya Power is to | > | > | me, | > | > | and I choose not to complain about the gas! | > | > | | > | > | I also have failed to understand the meaning of this thread. | > | > | I | > | > | stopped reading it a long time ago since if it's meant to | > | > | report | > | > | power outages, then it's the wrong forum. Maybe a thread to | > | > | help | > | > | out | > | > | in minimizing outages might be more helpful. If half the | > | > | people | > | > | in | > | > | this list decided to report when power goes in their | > | > | neighborhoods, | > | > | we would spend a zillion years goes through the mails. | > | > | | > | > | My 50 dollars worth of thoughts! | > | > | | > | > | ../Ok3ch | > | > | | > | > | Sent from my iPad | > | > | | > | > | On Dec 22, 2011, at 0:06, aki <aki275@gmail.com> wrote: | > | > | | > | > | > @Electricity back after a 13 hour outage. All electronics | > | > | > had | > | > | > gone | > | > | > dead : computers, phones, door bells etc. Things not | > | > | > looking | > | > | > good | > | > | > in the refrigerator, the stored meat has been the first | > | > | > item | > | > | > affected and could pose a serious heath hazard..... | > | > | > | > | > | > I'm really starting to miss staying in urban developed | > | > | > societies, | > | > | > it used to be so nice. You would plan your day, and have a | > | > | > very | > | > | > productive one. Only those who understand urban life can | > | > | > relate | > | > | > to | > | > | > this, not rural folks. Whether Summer or Winter, your daily | > | > | > life | > | > | > ran in an organised manner. The bus would show up at | > | > | > exactly | > | > | > the | > | > | > same time each day as expected, the underground trains | > | > | > would be | > | > | > the same. Night social life went on until 4 or 5am, you | > | > | > would | > | > | > find | > | > | > a cab to take you wherever you wanted, and not into into | > | > | > some | > | > | > checkpoints of "hatari". Traffic was organised mayhem, you | > | > | > would | > | > | > still reach your destination on time no matter what. Your | > | > | > physical | > | > | > mail got delivered to your doorstep, the weekends travel | > | > | > would | > | > | > always be timed distance/speed = time to destination. All | > | > | > household goods were so affordable, interest rates on | > | > | > credti | > | > | > cards | > | > | > were super low. You went out to eat great food that was so | > | > | > cheap, | > | > | > bought branded clothes that were so affordable etc etc. | > | > | > You | > | > | > went | > | > | > out and did grea | > | > | t photography, night time pictures, mall pictures until you | > | > | got | > | > | tired. Everything worked so well until you took it as much a | > | > | part | > | > | of life as the oxygen around us. Each morning and each night | > | > | delivered its promise as the rising and setting sun did each | > | > | day. | > | > | > | > | > | > But in wheeler/dealer, supply/demand economies all the | > | > | > above | > | > | > are | > | > | > luxuries. For every problem purposely created, there is a | > | > | > business | > | > | > plan that benefits from lack of a normal urban lifestyle | > | > | > thus | > | > | > creating new avenues of exploitation but normally hidden as | > | > | > regular business. Embraced highly as the growth basis of | > | > | > the | > | > | > economies, this is core of the thriving third world. This | > | > | > is | > | > | > the | > | > | > rural folks way of thinking, as long as the land is tended | > | > | > to, | > | > | > the | > | > | > rains will come and the soil will produce what it is | > | > | > supposed | > | > | > to. | > | > | > Only those who are urbanised know what a green house can | > | > | > do, | > | > | > what | > | > | > planning is and what projections are. I never seen any | > | > | > urban | > | > | > society go hungry, they will put in the more hard work than | > | > | > the | > | > | > rural folk and still have food on their plates, pay thier | > | > | > bills | > | > | > and raise their families. | > | > | > | > | > | > Bad choices means a bad future. Who is the next rural folk | > | > | > to | > | > | > be | > | > | > given control of an urban society? | > | > | > | > | > | > Rgds. | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > | > _______________________________________________ | > | > | > Skunkworks mailing list | > | > | > Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke | > | > | > ------------ | > | > | > List info, subscribe/unsubscribe | > | > | > http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks | > | > | > ------------ | > | > | > | > | > | > Skunkworks Rules | > | > | > http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 | > | > | > ------------ | > | > | > Other services @ http://my.co.ke | > | > | _______________________________________________ | > | > | Skunkworks mailing list | > | > | Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke | > | > | ------------ | > | > | List info, subscribe/unsubscribe | > | > | http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks | > | > | ------------ | > | > | | > | > | Skunkworks Rules | > | > | http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 | > | > | ------------ | > | > | Other services @ http://my.co.ke | > | > | | > | > _______________________________________________ | > | > Skunkworks mailing list | > | > Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke | > | > ------------ | > | > List info, subscribe/unsubscribe | > | > http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks | > | > ------------ | > | > | > | > Skunkworks Rules | > | > http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 | > | > ------------ | > | > Other services @ http://my.co.ke | > | _______________________________________________ | > | Skunkworks mailing list | > | Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke | > | ------------ | > | List info, subscribe/unsubscribe | > | http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks | > | ------------ | > | | > | Skunkworks Rules | > | http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 | > | ------------ | > | Other services @ http://my.co.ke | > | | > _______________________________________________ | > Skunkworks mailing list | > Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke | > ------------ | > List info, subscribe/unsubscribe | > http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks | > ------------ | > | > Skunkworks Rules | > http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 | > ------------ | > Other services @ http://my.co.ke | _______________________________________________ | Skunkworks mailing list | Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke | ------------ | List info, subscribe/unsubscribe | http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks | ------------ | | Skunkworks Rules | http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 | ------------ | Other services @ http://my.co.ke |