Kenya has a big problem. Despite being among the richest countries in Africa, the state of our infrastructure does nothing to support that.
The Chinese construct some really beautiful flyovers, and then we fill them with ‘Waititu 4 Governor’ graffiti and thousands of ugly posters. Then someone at KenHA comes up with a ‘brilliant’ idea to stop this practice… ”Why don’t we paint them yellow, with messages of how much we care,” he poses. The proposal passes.
I’m sure I’m not alone when I say the yellow colour sucks. I wish they just painted them plain white or grey like most of the world and left them that way. (Of course with the Sh85,000 warning).
But the issue of aesthetics (or lack of it) is not only in the roads department.
Sometimes we are left to wonder whether a blind person approved the SGR locomotives.
Read: POLL: Do You Think Kenya’s SGR Trains are Ugly
Whether or not they function as required, a little consideration on beauty and customer comfort is not asking for too much. Especially when a Sh300 billion budget is involved.
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Now come to Kenyatta University.
The Thika Road based campus has in the last 10 years witnessed the kind of transformation not seen anywhere in this country. From an ugly education college before Olive Mugenda came in, to a desirable institution that people actually want to enroll in.
However most of their new buildings, unfortunately, are still built like we are in the 70s. Small windows and bare visible bricks (stones) are the standard feature.
The new Kenyatta University Referral Hospital, and Children’s Hospital, has followed the same template. Mind you, this is a Sh10 billion project.
Here are some pictures.
Kenyatta University has more land than they know what to do with, and all they needed to do was hire a good architect and approve a good design. The only explanation as to how such an atrocious thing was approved and built, is that the architect knew people in the board.
Now, compare that to this Teaching and Referral Hospital in Dar es Salaam, completed this year.
The Tanzanian hospital is not of striking beauty, but is still miles ahead of the eyesore Kenyatta University has put up.
What about Ghana, a country with just about the same GDP as Kenya.
You will shed a tear for our beloved country when you see what they opened last year. Here’s the University of Ghana Medical Centre – a 600-bed capacity hospital that is the true definition of ultra modern.
I know you have a lot of questions, but I’ll say what we’re all thinking… Who cursed us?
Photos courtesy of Skyscrapercity
