Utalipa Lini or is it utajilipa lini?

Kenya is a country of uniqueness. From the people who were once described by the once guru of Kenyan telecommunications the previous CEO of Safaricom, one Michael Joseph as having peculiar calling habits which roughly translates to being peculiar all the time all Kenyan, to our market and business principles which in Kenya means everyone for themselves and how much can I steal while office.

First off, i find this topic very dispecable. Free primary education money went missing, enough said. When we reach the point when we steal from our children and our future, we have clearly lost the plot furthermore sensitivity does not come to mind. The story is that since about 2005, the officials in charge of disbursing the money and making sure it is correctly used, have run amok lining their own pockets with the funds and in the process, raising their middle fingers at our children who we are constantly reminded are the future of the country and will look after us in our old age. Some went as far as setting up bogus schools with school accounts in banks, where the funds were diverted and then used for drinking sprees and taking klandes to Mombasa where lazima chuma ilale ndani. The donors who help us fund this lovely project that was meant to not only raise the levels of literacy in the country but also help us achieve the millennium goals, vision 2030 and set the country into a developed country and not a developing one have decided enough is enough with the white elephant thus demanding the funds be returned. The taps have been cut of and the pipes are dry until such time, we get our act together and return the looted funds. I believe there is a very special hot corner of hell for miscreants like you. To top it off the minister of education Ongeri says he is not resigning and it was not him who stole. Mr. Ongeri, the term honorable truly by passed your understanding. Your docket, your mess, your officials and I agree with the PM, you should have been fired last year in February but as always the Baks was playing politics and being an ass thus we still have a clown handling one of the most important dockets in our government.

Business in Kenya is clearly not for the faint hearted. Many companies have been formed and failed in the first hour let alone the first year. Companies that have in the past come to challenge the monopolies or already existing giants in Kenyan business have tucked tail and left running e.g South African Breweries (SAB) which is now eying a comeback into the market after surprise surprise, being screwed by EABL in Tanzania. It will be a very welcomed move by the consumers especially those that recall the beer wars of the late 90s and early 2000s. My throat gets dry just envisioning the comeback. Another company is Essar Telkom that came and was meant to bring down a peg Safaricom and give Zain or is it Airtel now some competition. But as is evident, the green machine known as “The better option” has fought them off and still is the ahead of the pack while kicking mud in the competitors eyes. Airtel has perfected the art of  changing names like underwear but not seems to have a some what stable ship to give the better option a few sleepless nights, while the other player called Orange or chungwa is just bitter and we don't know what they are up to. Rumor has it that Essar better known as YU is secretly looking to sell. Pepsi is also looking to come into the market in a big way and this has the coke marketing department gearing for a war and stepping up their game. As a consumer who is always screwed by providers, let the markets open up with a few more players especially another electricity service provider other than the famed Kenya Lanterns Candles and Paraffin company (KPLC), which is plagued by power blackouts, load shedding and any creative words they want to come up with. They need to style up and provide what they promise without unnecessary down times and the inevitable power blackout when it rains. In the words of STL biashara ni biashara, fanya kazi then bila me this fabricated amounts.

The new Chief Justice Mr. Willy Mutunga has been appointed to office after all the hubbub and circus surrounding his interview including the stud he wears. Speaking of which, how many of us have studs or wore studs and today are still productive Kenyans holding important positions in Companies, industries and government? To truly show his defiance, the CJ decided not to wear the ceremonial robe upon his swearing and a week after taking office has written a letter to the AG stating that judges and judiciary staff who were not paying taxes before should from hence forth do so and back date to when the new constitution came into effect. Kudos Mr. CJ and may you continue shaking the tree until the rotten apples have fallen and the tree is clear of the rot.

FIda was at it recently making a mockery of the process of vetting just because they considered themselves misrepresented. Their claim was that a third of the supreme court was not female, furthermore they claimed there was only one woman on the bench  and in addition no one with a disability. Kwani FIDA you think Nancy Barasa is what, a Zebra? If you don't apply for a job, can you sue for not having been given an opportunity? FIDA should try another way and find better ways to raise it’s profile among the donors who fund them and look for money to do something more worth while especially with the elections due mid next year.

The safari rally nick named the world toughest rally is back  and growing but not as glamorous as it once was. Who remembers those Easter trips to the country side with the folks as you looked at the cars in awe and chased them around to better view points than the previous one? It was truly a grueling rally that showed everyone who the real makmende safari champion was. Half of the cars that started always broke down due to the harsh terain and the best source of news was the VOK aka KBC and news time was a must so you could see the cars on TV before you go out and make a replica with a coat hanger tied together with bladder. I remember a time when the safari rally had the like of Patrick Njiru, Juha Kankkunen, Miki Biasion, Carlos Sainz, Colin Mc Rae, Shekhar Mehta, Ian Duncan and if you are that old , Joghinder Sing in the 70s. It was the best 4 days of Easter and not over in a matter of hours as is the case today. We even had rally gum chewing gum to commemorate and the flying sausage of Ian Duncan fame. Incidentally, Patrick njiru is coming back out of retirement to compete again, although in a Porsche for the safari classic rally later in the year. I would like to join that team and give them a hand. All the best. This years rally was won by Carl Tundo and Tim Jessop while second place went to a Ugandan driver Jas Mangat and Gihan Desilva and, Ian Duncan did nt disappoint and came in third place. I did not get a chance to relieve my childhood but did however get to view the cars as they passed on ngong road on their way to the spectator stage.

It’s been an interesting two weeks. The budget was read or was it, any way we now have a trillion shilling budget and with it many anomalies as is the norm with chap who never held a job until Moi hooked him up. despite being part of the the family that virtually owns almost everything in Kenya. A few days later and the number of problems and unaccounted for amounts is ridiculous. The gaffs that come from Uhuru and the arrogance is astounding, this geezer hopes to be a Kenyan president and inspire confidence and loyalty yet all that we get is a feeling to urgently take a bamboo stick and cain him repeatedly. Uhuru you are letting down St’ Mary’s alumna with this behavior and looking like you were pulled up and not brought up with a decent education that is the envy of many.

In animal farm for those who have read the classic, there was a pig called Napoleon who took over as the leader and proclaimed, “Some animals are more equal than others” on the farm and thus did very little work or no work at all. That quote has recently been played out in public by the thugs we have in parliament known as our “leaders”. MPs or as a friend of mine fondly refers to them as Mpigs have decided they are more equal than the rest of the wananchi and as such is the case in their deluded minds, paying taxes is beneath them. Some of the Mpigs like John Mbandi of Gwasi went on the google box aka the Telly/TV and said it is unfair and unconstitutional for them to pay taxes while others asked for a payment plan. What a load of bullshit. Which constitution did you guys read? He then went on to further insinuate that if they are made to pay taxes they would hold the country ransom and delay on implementation of the constitution. All I can say is Mr. Mpig, you have lost the plot and the people of Gwasi should stand up and help you visit the lake shores in your retirement campaign. The story that caught me off guard was yet of another Mpig who I did not quite catch his name, proclaiming that it was like daylight robbery. He asked a journalist, how is he meant to survive on a salary of Ksh. 700,000 and yet he has a mortgage of Ksh. 400,000. Are you mad, what do you think the rest of Kenyans do even when we have a loan? What are you buying for that amount and it better be worth it and not some comical yellow colored shack with furniture from kikomba. The PM on the other hand has followed suit and payed taxes amounting to Ksh. 3,400,000, kudos to him and the rest of the MPs who have seen it fit to pay taxes in advance and give the squabbling a miss. Among the Mpigs, some have dared and declared not to pay while some have tried to make it seem like an in-sequential  thing that will blow over. one MP and minister for tourism Najib balala has decided that those who have payed the taxes so far are those seeking to run for the big house on the hill. my question is this, did you not also proclaim that you would run for the presidency earlier this year or was that just your usual chest thumping and theatrics of watu wa pwani? Lets see how long this will take and meanwhile the clock is ticking. When will you eventually pay your taxes so you can at least look as serious as Dexter the cartoon character. In other words, utalipa lini? In case you have forgotten, there is a saying that goes, “Empty drums make the loudest noise”. Over to you Balala.

The Harun Mwau saga still continues, he now claims that Obama wants to take away his multi million business empire in the states. It has always been whispered that he was a big time drug dealer and crossing him was like signing your own death certificate in advance. The US government has decided to take him hands on and call him for what they think he is. My two cents worth of advice is don't just do a trial in the court of public opinion but help this so called lazy utumishi kwa wote of ours get to court and for once win a case. Knowing the Judiciary, the case will take years and even when gift wrapped for us, he will be acquitted on the incompetence of some chap from kiganjo who has received a massive clearance for the loan he had taken  5 years ago to buy the 2 ng’ombes and the eighth of an acre parcel of land that he wants to fit a house from Karen in the space of a buru buru plot.

Someone once described Kenya as the city in the sun housing hyenas, foxes and sheep. Where do you stand? To the Mpigs yet again, Utalipa Lini?

Kampala Part 2

The roads in Kampala or champara are a figment of our imaginations. Once upon a time, there was a smarting of tarmac, a few dusty roads and the semblance of infrastructure when it comes to roads. Today all i see is pot holes, big pot holes and the gapping hole that swallows your car. They have certainly gotten rid of one or two of the roundabouts and that helps the traffic flow,..... is the Kenyan Minister for roads Mr. Franklin Bett listening? But, in doing so, they forgot that you must have tarmac on the roads leading to the intersection especially in the CBD. To get to a place round the corner in a special (thats what they call taxis here) a trip of 5 mins in a straight line turns into meandering twists and turns, side roads and alternative roads resulting in an exergerated fare and 15 mins out of your time just to avoid portholes. To say it is ridiculous is an understatement.

On the bright side if they can sort out a few issues, i would not mind staying here for another 4 years. the housing market has certainly blossomed and the construction boom is evident. Gated communities, apartments, regal mansions and serviced apartments are the order of the day. Rent used to be so cheap and i would pay about KSH 12,000 for a 2 bedroom house in a compound of 3 but today even that is a rumor. To live in luxury would off set you upwards of around $1, 000 and more and woe unto you if you require a place with a view. I did however see impressive houses and apartments that have made me realize that what most of us to is irk out an existence while some of us are actually living. When you have a place on Kololo hill overlooking at least 3 of the Kampala hills and the lights, the word panty dropper comes to mind. Being single i noticed in that city is a headache and a war of the heart and mind. The women are very deserving of your attention and take time to dress up for an evening or night out. If in a club and you come across a lady in jeans, be sure that she is a Kenyan. The ladies in addition are also brave and do not avoid i contact. They chat up the men and by the time you recover from the shock and pick up your jaw from the floor, they have you hook line and sinker. Ladies here are taught how to treat their men, cook for them, seduce them both in public and in private by the sex aunties known as sengas. If you come across a lady with beads around her waste she is said to have graduated from the senga the equivalents of first class honors, magnum cum lade. The competition is stiff for the ladies and men try to out do each other by being very flash in terms of their cars which have personalized number plates, the amount of money they spend when they go out, the clothes they wear, how much money you give her for shopping and where you live. A few men have lost the battle and in doing so the war. I once knew of a fellow who lived in a servants quarter but had an Escalade and Mercedes S500 parked outside his place. He would pick up the girls and head to a hotel or lodging. His argument was that he was building and did not want to spend, later we found out that he thought what he saved in rent could be used as money for the hotel each weekend meanwhile during the week he would be home. While another stole money from his employer to the tune of UGS 300,000,000, yes 300 million which is equivalent to KSH 12 million to seduce a Kenyan lady he was madly in love with. Problem was that he did not bother to find out if she was in love with him. A visit to Kampala is not complete without a visit to the red light district known as Kabalgala. It is a a strip of road leading up a hill that is flooded with bars on each side overlapping each other and women of the oldest proffession in the world today, prostitutes. Here you can find what ever you are looking for or your heart desires and more. It is also home to the famous Capital pub, Als bar and cheris. Anything goes here including your wallet, morals and draws.

Kampala has made men and women lose their minds because of the abundant fun that is in the city fondly referred to as sin city. It is one of those trips you just must take in East Africa along with such exotic desitinations such as Mombasa, Malindi, Masaii Mara, Zanzibar, Jinja the source of the River Nile, Kisumu home to Lake Victoria and the curious and fasinating species known as the Luos or Jangos plus the Serengeti in Tanzania. We complain about the lack of tourist destinations in our own countries and would rather go abroad to far away places before we sample and delight in what is in our own back yards. Next time you are planning a trip, keep it Kenyan and if that is hard, keep it East African

Kampala 2011

Life in Kampala is certainly interesting, a lot can change in a couple of years. The last time i was in this country about 5 years ago, the city was still in darkness, life was slow and getting around was much more fun. Today it’s all bright lights in almost every corner, shopping malls and restaurants at every corner, new discos and bars plus the advent of coffee houses with unimaginative names like Javas (yes with an S at the end). 

This is the city that truly does not sleep. The mecca for club party goers and the place that makes every Kenyan realize what we have in nairobi is bars and kafundas (Ugandan dialect for a small shop or sheebeen). You can find a club to tantalize you at any hour of the night or day depending on your location. On my first night back, i went to Mateos which has become the yoyo spot. A place with lovely young ladies, TV screens at every corner so that you do not miss the sporting action or international news as was the case on this night and cold beer. It’s the first spot people normally start with as the night gets going and the music is certainly on point with a mix of old school, hip hop and R & B of the 90’s era. By the time i walked out it was warming up to the late 90’s. Next stop was a place i thought i knew, Garden City. FYI Sarit Center, Village Market, Yaya and other malls, you need to come have a quick look at this place. On one side you have a majestic hotel called the Golf Course Hotel and on the other, many shopping outlets, restaurants, casinos, movie theater, bowling alley and most importantly abundant parking which you do not pay for. They believe in come in, walk around enjoy and you will be tempted to come again or buy something. So the club i left there called the Venue is now called Boda Boda. Don't confuse it with the motocycle fad driven by suicidal kamikazi youth on the streets of Kampala. This club is managed by a friend of mine called Lui who certainly has held on to the term class rather nicely. One side has a bar and dancing area and if you walk through the outside partition on to what would be another side of the building, you find the dinning area that ouses pomp and glamour with a cute quaint bar and who’s who of Kampla. A double whiskey at this spot will set you back UGS 20,000 about KSH 750 which is not bad, but, considering the average price in this city, that is certainly high. Most establishments sell a double black at KSH 450 the equivalent of UGS 12,000. By the time we walked out of this club it was well past midnight and we hit the new club Guvnor that i had heard so much about. entrance is KSH 2,000 UGS 50,000 but the ambience is definitely worth it. The decor is all white including the speakers, the lighting and, sound is superb and on point. The place is a tad bit packed seeing that everyone and there grandmother wants to be inside but after talking to the owner Charlie Lubega of the Angenoir club fame, he tells me they scrutinize and make sure only well to do and people who spend are allowed in but in a way that it does not discriminate. Judging by the tables i saw, most people were out with their wives girlfriends or significant other aka mpango wa kando aka klande and, they were purchasing by the bottle i.e bottles of Jameson, Johnny Walker, Amarula, Chivas Regal, Absolute Vodka etc, the list is endless. The dj kept us on our toes until time to vacate at almost 5am. This was only Friday and i had been in the town for less than 10 hours, but that is a story to be continued at a later date.

Sadly there are a few draw backs to the development and fun loving town of champara. One major one is the fear of terrorist attacks since the world cup bombing last year at the Kyadondo rugby club and the Ethiopian restaurant in Muyenga, two places i constantly visited in the 4 years i was there from October 2002 to june 2006. It was a sad event and showed the vulnerability of the country. Something both President Museveni affectionately known as M7 and the people of uganda do not like to admit especially with the the kind of military and police wings they have. Incidentally in 1985 there existed 5 branches of the military and police wings combined, today April 2011, there exists 17 different wings of militia that range from anti terrorism to traffic and they all wear a coca-many of uniforms varying from fashion fatigues that look like Tommy Hilfigure to those that are plain and look like KK security guards back home. So with every corner or roundabout, you will find a bunch of security people milling around a tree or sitting lazying the day and night away on the grass and, around every other road where they wait sultry for a drunk driver or someone new in town to take a wrong turn into a one way street, a feat i managed on Buganda road a place i now so well. As is the case when in doubt, help the police man with chai and you are good to go. As i sit here hammering away at the laptop and staring at the hills of Kampala and the new buildings around me, i cant help but wonder what is in store for me on this wonderful impromptu holiday i took on the guise of a working holiday. A feat i have managed with only 2 meetings in 4 days and of the two, one was cancelled

Life Through Radio

They say life sucks but to many people it is but a bare existence. Life sucks when you have problems and no solutions in sight,when you have debts that cripple you or when your sick or have lost a loved one. Little wonder that we do not take a moment to reflect and savor it when we have a chance or are enjoying ourselves. 

They say to be loved is to be praised with the highest compliment,I think the person who wrote that never had a bad day in a relationship. Love is a cruel mistress who drains you repeatedly and moves on when you are totally spent or absent of love and anger or jealousy takes over. When in love we think the world is correct and we feel bullet proof, no wonder no one writes books about moving on or managing your life after. I believe the 3 biggest causes of love gone sour is infidelity,sex and finances. I do understand we are human but we always stray and that is why it is said we were moulded in his image but we are not perfect. Further more the joys of sex when withheld or used as a currency to batter with brings a tear to the eye. We are 1 of 2 mammals in this world that indulge in sex for fun n leisure and not only reproductive purposes. Coincidentally,the dolphin is the other animal even though we talk about the sexual throws of the rabbit,minx,lion and pigs. Lastly money, the root of all evil as dictated by society at large is both a blessing and a curse. With it you feel like climbing mount Kenya is but a task easily achieved by waving a hand.when there is no trust or transparency in finances, it makes our darker and sadistic side more visible picture a relationship ripe with any of the 3 mentioned above and now to play devils advocate picture roles reversed and the man on the receiving side.to crush a mans ego is to crush his soul. The romans new it, the slave masters perfected it and todays woman washes and constantly rewrites the book on it while screaming for all to hear the bad virtues of men while refusing to look at the hand they played in the fiasco.

Thus all the women in Nairobi have but one story on their lips each evening, what is the story on busted today. Team women or as i like to fondly refer to them as the biggest gang in the world, proudly discuss in the mattes, salons, houses and to any and everyone who will lend an ear for 5 minutes what happened on Cikus show this evening, the guy who is busted and how men are dogs who should be locked up and caged 24-7-365 and can only be trusted as far as you can spit. 

Ladies i only have one thing to say, if this is the highlight of your day, then truly all the soaps on citizen, NTV and KTN will not help you salvage that relationship of yours. You complain of how the man has a straying eye but you don't ask yourself when was the last time you made him a home cooked meal, or complimented something he did? When was the last time you were nice to him, by his standards and not what you think is nice in your book? When was the last time you said thank you or i'm sorry? When was the last time you did something without ulterior motives? If the answer to any of this questions is a long pause as you contemplate the last time or reach for your dear diary to chicken entries then for sure you deserve the hyena you get. However if you are doing all of the above and still get a monkey as a bed fellow then remember not all of us are rotten apples in the basket and as such wake up, leave the baggage and move on to a better person. Don't wait until the Ike Turner in him or Chris Brown chomokas before you call it quits and walk around for us like a suicide bomber lambasting all of us for your poor choice in life. 

How Easily Kenyans Forget

3 years after PEV, we still have IDP's to resettle with no money or land to give, inflation on a scale never experienced or seen before in Kenya and basic commodities like unga, cooking oil and kerosine unattainable. Drought is rampant and we hear we have not seen the worst of it  while the government tells us there exists drought resistance grains at Kenya Seeds company available for farmers to buy. Fuel and electricity have become commodities and services we can't afford while the energy PS and Minister watch their 50 inch flat screens and drive their gas guzzler cars. Fuel is now more expensive than a beer and it’s scarcity is whispered about in conspirators tones like the mwakenya era sedition papers and prosecutions. Electricity we are reliably informed will go up by 20% very soon, even though the dams are full and we stopped using generators last year to channel power to the national grid. Meanwhile we as a country Kenya, somehow gave a one million dollar cheque to Japan. I ask, where are our priorities!!! I understand it is but a trifle drop in the ocean compared to the aid they give us yearly but, what is the use of giving away your lump of ugali to the fat man only to turn around and demand a bigger one from him?

The budget reading which is normally a highlight of the yearly fiscal calendar as we find out what commodities will be unattainable for the rest of the year and those that we must simply forget about totally like a bad dream, will now be a mention instead of a reading. I'm perturbed by the treasury and how they managed to wait until shit had hit the fan before reacting. The minister reliably told the general public at a harambee a few weeks ago, that those telling him to do the mentions in parliament at an agreed time were idiots and did not know their place. Further more this was at the time there was an amount of over 700 million shillings missing and unaccounted for. If this is the geezer who wants to lead Kenya because he thinks it is his right and does things with impunity with a capital I, imagine what would befall us if he were to ascend to the highest seat in the land. The thought makes me want to build an underground bunker in preparation and stock up food stuff as we await the doom that may befall us.

We have become a nation of beggars and whiners. We beg the government to help us and everyday they laugh at us with contempt. The cries of tunaomba serikali itusaidiye has become a running joke like a bad sitcom on KBC that will not go away. We whine about the high price of fuel, unga, cooking oil and lack of jobs but we never do anything about it. No wonder halfwits like Sonko make it to parliament to be the court jester. We could be in a rather bad state or so says the minister of finance but what does he know about our daily suffering and our plight to irrevocably exist against insurmountable odds when he controls businesses worth billions of shillings and has never slept with just a belly full of air as a companion.

Of late the head sonkos in charge have decided to treat us with a bit of comedy in a bid to encourage openness in the hiring of civil servants. There is vetting of judges, senior police officers and the circus that is Willy Mutungas earring. The catholic charge has decided to throw in it's 10 cents worth by proclaiming he is anti family because he has had a few bad marriages and divorces and in addition that he is gay, and I don't mean the word happy. One of the them literally went as far as to ask him outright if he was gay. The term is homosexual and the word that comes to mind about the church is homophobic. This is the same church that is at this time facing criticism as one of their fathers Fr. Kizito is accused of sodomizing for a second time, some rather health strong and violent looking youths who would surely turn the tables on him with a serious thrashing, but hey, as the saying goes, there are 3 sides to a coin.

The world was also meant to have ended last month unreliably, and some not to clever villagers sold all their earthly belongings in order as to carry the money as travelers checks to heaven. As we can all see, the world did not definitely end. Instead, Osama bin Laden was caught shot and used as fish food and the price of commodities and the rate of foolishness of our politicians became astronomical. 

Free education was started in Kenya to make sure we develop as a nation, progress and punguza our ujinga but judging by what we see everyday some of our leaders beba the ujinga for their benefit. In the words of Bifoli the presidential wannabe aspirant, "woiye the government is a dictator and is not fair to it's citizens."

Sleeping dogs or is it cats...

After a long break that included a visit to sin city otherwise known as champala and a couple very disturbing turn of Kenyan events, the pen…or is it the laptop keys have proved a calling that I could not resist and thus attitudekenya is back, bolder and more brash. i doubt i  will be taking such an extended long break seeing the numerous questions i have received from my scant reading public. It is time for more ranting as we take aim and heap blame where it squarely should be, the government (mafia), the errant politicians (criminals) and the wanjikus (stooges) of Kenya. The baks (the Don) as always when he seems to want to try, he wakes up from his normally daze and does what we have now come to accept as the norm with him, mainly nothing. The island of Migingo has been yet again taken over by Uganda and it's still soldier at heart leader Museveni (miscreant) otherwise known as M7. After he was through thrashing the daylights out of his opponents, mainly Besigye, he turned his vexation on Kenya and his quest to make us part of the greater Uganda republic and grow many a plantation of bananas and g-nut sauce and, to make things worse, he is also teaching us what the real meaning of impunity is. The miscreant has decided to annex Ugingo Island as a bonus since the Don will just clear his throat and do bollocks. 

As if to further prove my point at the dons work-shy nature, in all his wisdom the Don also decided the situation in Northern Kenya was not dire enough and not enough people had lost there lives and property thus it did not warrant action. He has thus directed the police to deal with the militia that threaten our borders in North Eastern and are determined to turn Mandera and it's surrounding towns plus residing communities into the greater lawless state of Somalia. When will you stand up and protect the people of Kenya as is demanded by the constitution of Kenya that you swore to uphold? When will you send the military to deal with both these threats to our borders and get back our sovereign land? The fact that you helped bring to pass a new constitution that has not yet been fully implemented due to the obscure and distortion of the criminals plus the ICC fiasco, does not mean your job is done and the bottles of white cup in your store are your reward. I say Mwai Kibaki, you will be judged very poorly by history in rather poor light (pun intended) by this same criminals and stooges. And, as history has taught us with your predecessor Moi, the Kenyan people will gladly stone you as you leave and develop a rudeness that is akin to a delinquent standard three child who knows the teachers are not within the vicinity.