Did Uhuru and Ruto really take pay cuts due to Covid?
Pay cut  When the Covid-19 pandemic broke out early last year, Stephen Masambu recalls, President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, Dr William Ruto, announced that they would take a 80 per cent pay cut and urged other public officers to do the same. He is wondering whether this is still the case and why the president's handlers cant make this public in the interest of accountability. His contact ismasambus@yahoo.com. ***  BRT  The search for a 12-year concession to run the bus rapid transit (BRT) on Thika Superhighway and Mombasa Road, Nairobi, should give the first priority to local bus companies or transport saccos, says Devere Mwangi. Firms such as Coast Bus, which has been operating since the early 1960s, understand the management of public transport in and out. His contact is devere_mwangi@hotmail.com. ***  Tax burden  Do the MPs ever care about the plight of the people who voted them into office, and who are being squeezed from all corners with all manner of taxes, asks James Gakuo. When the leaders say that the people love handouts why dont they ever look at themselves in the mirror and ensure they are not taxed? His contact is gakks2002@yahoo.com. ***  Teetotalism  Nairobis upmarket CBD is dotted with restaurants serving food, tea and soft drinks, notes Japheth Amugada. Simmers Bar and Restaurant, which used to sell alcohol, was demolished in 2018. Passara, in Lonrho House, was also closed. Teetotalism is now the order of the day, which is unfair to those who wish to have one for the road before bars close at 7pm. His contact is dr.amugada@gmail.com. ***  Ngweno  Veteran editor Hilary Ngwenos death is a great loss to the country, remarks Jotham Ndungu. I recall watching his documentary, Makers of a Nation, on NTV that Id eagerly wait for it every Sunday. Ngweno was one of the makers of the media industry in Kenya. The various outfits he founded and the journalists he mentored are proof of that. His contact is ndungu.jotham@gmail.com.