the ignoring of the sign ‘ Usikojoe hapa ’ when you can easily see and smell that the place is the designated public urinal . One wit even went as far as scribbling below the sign ‘ Nikojoe wapi ?
Kamau reminded Ochieng that the CBD is notorious for not having public facilities to relieve oneself of that most natural biological function . Is it that the city council cannot fathom that people will answer to the call of nature at some point in the CBD ?
Charging for this basic human need to Kamau is discriminatory in that it allows the affluent to relieve themselves while the poor are expected to hold onto their urine . Since this is clearly a physical impossibility they find discrete corners to do their business .
Kamau pointed out that this type of sign comes up usually after the public have designated the area a public relief area with a view to dissuade the public from using the area but without providing an alternative location , hence the reason the sign is ignored .
Kamau went on to indicate that there are signs that he particularly enjoys seeing in the CBD that remind him that the government has a sense of humor and ‘ This is a corruption free zone ’ is a case in point . These signs are only put up in places where corruption is the only way to transact .
Kamau believes that it is actually an aide memoire to remind the public that if they expect service without the usual consideration then the person may as well not even bother to enter the premises . One is expected to consider this fair advice on what to expect .
Another one that Kamau likes is the ‘ No posters sign ’. One will notice in most cases that where the signs are put is where all the posters are actually affixed especially the ones that are offering traditional waganga ’ s that ostensibly deal with male and female love and fertility issues .
He informed Ochieng that if he was to call the number that is prominently printed on the poster , he is likely to get a go between who will then inform him that the ‘ doctor ’ will be in town in two months ’ time as he was still busy at some town in Tanzania .
One is likely also to see the government put up a poster saying no posters and whoever is sent to put up the signs seems to believe that one sign is not sufficient and proceeds to put up twenty posters with the same message hence managing to poster litter the area with warning signs .
Ochieng is also quite aware that the no posters sign is in force in every year except an election year where in Kenya all no poster signs are routinely ignored as political rivals attempt to out-poster their opponents and in the process mess up walls , buildings and the environment .
Related to this is the ‘ No hawking ’ sign which is a contradiction for a nation that is trying to model itself as a hustlers ’ paradise . Kenya is a nation of hawkers so how do you even bother to put up signs that prohibit hawking .
Kamau ’ s theory is that the no hawking sign is actually a request for hawkers to get in touch with the management for a trading fee since hawking is most rampant in areas that prominently display the no hawking signs .
Kamau even believes that the hawkers are just another income stream especially for bars and food courts because they