The idiom “don’t be silly” is an informal idiomatic expression used to tell someone to stop saying, thinking or doing something foolish, unreasonable or unnecessary.
In the Cambridge Dictionary, the term carries different shades of meaning depending on the context, including doing something unwise, thoughtless or foolish.
Watching and listening to Nairobi Governor Sakaja and also the Nairobi Regional Police Commander Issa Mohamed when they made their ‘concerned’ visit at the collapsed 18-level building in Eastleigh is a perfect case of very silly leadership, and for which they must exit.
According to the two “excellent” leaders, development of the collapsed building was never approved by the county government and that construction had been stopped on several occasions, with enforcement notices given to the owners and contractors.
Police Commander Issa’s at the Site
The Eastleigh case is a replica of thousands of illegal and unapproved developments being undertaken by monied local and international investors, especially in the high-end neighborhoods of Westlands, Lavington, Kileleshwa, Kilimani, South B and C, Parklands, Gigiri, Loresho, Runda and even at Muthaiga.
Cases in point include the demolition of the school principal’s residential house at North Highridge School along 6th Avenue, Parklands and the construction of a 30-level apartment building by the Mandera Governor on the school land, and the construction of illegal and unapproved classes and dormitories on two parcels of land along Taza Lane, City Park Drive, Parklands by directors and shareholders of Baitul Hikma Intergrated International School. The directors include Hon. Umulkher Mohammed, the Nominated Woman MP for Garissa County.
In both incidents, the County Government has stated in pleadings filed in court cases that no approvals for development approvals were applied for granted. Orders stopping all developments were given, but these have been ignored and disobeyed. The Regional Commander, together with the Officer Commanding Police Station, Gigiri have been named as some of the Contemnors for their deliberate failure to stop construction works as ordered by court.
The school along Taza Lane is not licenced to provide or maintain any type of schooling. After several parents withdrew their children after learning of the court order, and also due to the daily presence of Administration Police Officers brought by the school administration to supervise the ongoing construction, learners are now sourced from as far away as Garissa County.
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And as Governor Sakaja, Issa Mohamed and the officers working under their control continue making solemn visits to Eastleigh, construction on the two school sites continue. The adverse consequences, whether now or in future, are obvious.
They can only be avoided if these leaders
stopped being silly.