Why use Nairobi’s commuter train to the CBD?

On my way from work an evening this week, I was in the company of two colleagues - one who like myself has grown fond of the Nairobi commuter train and other who the mention of it paints an image of ‘the dirty crowded public transport system that typically serves the city’s hustlers who cannot easily afford other mode of transport’.   I cannot entirely blame my latter colleague as I had an almost similar perception two months ago.  For most Kenyans, our knowledge of the train service (except the Standard Gauge Railway) paints memories of the old non-reformed Kenya Railways service with poorly maintained train stations that would ferry thousands of passengers. These trains would be completely packed that you had no room to move a leg let alone breathe easily.

Credit: Kenya Railways Corporation

In case you have not used the commuter train from Syokimau to the CBD (this is what I use) largely because of negative perceptions. Then this post is for you. For starters, the reforms within the rail service allowed for an overhaul of some train stations to include ample parking bays where commuters can park for as low as ksh 100 per day. The stations are well maintained with adequate restrooms, restaurants and information monitors. As you make your way to the ticket desk on a week day morning, you are met by the smile of a newspaper distributor who hands you a copy of the freely circulated People’s Daily (PD) paper. Wonder why I mentioned the free PD paper? Again, it is all about perceptions.

In my first day interaction with the People Daily newspaper; I dropped my copy at a nearby seat because at the time, I regarded it as ‘the free, baseless and weak-content newspaper’. Those who know me reckon that I do not like 'free handouts' often associating them with mediocrity. Well, that has changed for the PD paper as I now enjoy reading it on my commute to the CBD each morning. In particular, I always look forward to reading the #WhackyWorld section on page 3 which publishes crazy global happenings or topical facts. For instance, during the international breastfeeding week, the columnist wrote interesting facts about the importance of breastfeeding.

How long is the ride to the CBD? In my case the ride normally takes about 25 minutes which is ample time to read my PD copy and a chapter of the Bible. I like how clean and spacious the coaches are - some seats go unoccupied occasionally. So if you are a person who loves your space….then this PSV option may just be the right solution for you. See, the Nairobi commuter train is not too bad after all. And no, it is not the cheap option for people who cannot afford to drive to work or otherwise! On the contrary, many people opt to park their cars at the station to enjoy the luxury of a fast, convenient, spacious and reliable mode of transport to the CBD. More importantly, by using the train, you directly contribute towards our national energy costs savings and overall reduction in carbon footprint.

While the Nairobi commuter rail service is not comparable to those used in the first world countries, I believe the Kenya Railway Corporation has made commendable steps in the right direction.  What remains is the need to change our perceptions as citizens and; for the government to invest on expansion of railway infrastructure within the city and its environs.

Plagiarism is a crime!

Ever found yourself knowing or unknowingly copying and using content from published material online or off the web?  While it is not bad to use previously documented material, it is a grave offence to use somebody else’s work (copied or paraphrased) without crediting the owner. This is what plagiarism is all about. It is understandable that it might be difficult to generate new content as an author/writer. Which is why it is important that we properly credit anything that is not originally our own piece of work – including images downloaded online. 

I recently reviewed a submission where the author had copied everything from an existing blog. How did I know the work was all copied? Well, the ability to read and determine whether content is genuine or not is a skill that is nurtured over time. Not to say that I am skillful, but to a large extent I have come to learn how to distinguish genuine literature from plagiary. I owe this growing skill to my graduate school experience at the University Of Auckland where I had to take a non-graded but compulsory course called Academic Integrity course. 

The university required all students to undertake Academic Intergrity course within the first months or semester of admission.  This was aimed at ensuring that all students exercised the institution’s integrity value and zero tolerance to academic theft. The use of content without proper citation was prohibited. Students were also required to understand the creative commons licenses and know when/how best to use any material they access within the university library or other approved sources in pursuit of their academic work. Most of my graded courses entailed a lot of researching and occasional writing of papers where it was deemed that unless novel work, most of the content a student presents have an original source; proper referencing of such sources is paramount. Looking back in time, I appreciate the University of Auckland for inculcating in me a high level of academic integrity. I learnt how to quickly read through numerous articles, papers and books within a short time and decipher what was most useful to my work. This has nurtured my ability to trace whenever literature is genuine or otherwise. I am certainly not an expert in this area but is determined to improve as I read wider over time and master the art to easily link a writing style to a specific author. 

Plagiarism highly reduces your credibility as a person or institution. There have been cases where some political leaders were highly criticized or lost proportional respect because they gave speeches that were not of their original creation. In an academic setting, you may end up facing disciplinary actions including expulsion depending on the school’s code of ethics. As a researcher, peers lose confidence in your work if found to be ingenuine in which case your papers may not be published on peer-reviewed journals. Commercially, you may face a lawsuit for fraudulent use of content which could turn ugly. 

Beware that ignorance is no longer an excuse for committing crimes, plagiarism being one of those.  For starters, the internet provides a haven of resource materials and tools that you can use to help you learn and determine when your work is plagiarized or not. There are also multiple online platforms where you can run plagiarism checks on your works or submissions due for review. Don’t be worked up in case the check returns traces of ingenuity (some institutions have a level of plagiarism considered as acceptable – usually within 15% or 20% range). The world is alive to the fact that we do not need to re-invent the wheel.

Exploring the Women at NASA

This week I felt I really needed to draw a bit of inspiration and motivation to keep pushing on. Coincidentally, I bumped onto a tweet from Women@NASA on Monday morning which directed me to the website. A quick navigation through the site made me realize that I’d just found my hot bed of inspiration!  Hence I have dedicated lunch hour breaks all week long to read through the Women at NASA profiles and career journey.

Here are 10 lessons you may find useful. For more, visit women@NASA website.

1. Hard work pays! We hear this all the time, right? Well, these 50+ power women echo same thing.  You may have to spend sleepless nights or knock tons of hours at work to beat deadlines…don’t complain too much, it may pay off someday.
2. Be passionate at what you do and give it your best. You have heard that a million times by now. Well, it will keep on coming back around. Passion makes the hard concepts easier to understand. And you have a peace of mind knowing that you gave something your best regardless of the outcome.
3. There is no such thing as male careers. For women who shy off from pursuing STEM careers, there is no such thing as careers for men. You have heard that too, right? Well it’s true! So knock off the negative attitude and pursue STEM if you are truly passionate about it. This takes me to the next tip;
4. NASA accepts careers aside from STEM. If you were worried that space science or largely technical fields are meant for STEM academic background professionals only, you are wrong! Other careers do have room too. So hold onto that dream regardless of whether you have a STEM background or not.
5. Disability is not inability. Sometimes we shy off from pursuing certain opportunities because of physical disability. Unless it is totally impossible to chase your dreams due to severe condition, never let anything else hold you back. Check out this inspiring profile of NASA scientist Courtney Ritz . Diagnosed with a form of eye cancer which led to eyes defect, Courtney still went ahead to pursue a career in science and technology. She embraced braille science while in school and plays a number of musical instruments too!
6. Always have a dream and chase it. You may be discouraged by your friends or family or community from pursuing a certain dream…shrug it off and go for what you believe in! Anything is possible.
7. If you intend to pursue a technical field, embrace practical skills from an early age. There is no short cut on this one, you cannot make the best engineer or programmer or architect (and so on) if you don’t explore what you can do (your potential) off the classroom.
8. Have a work-life balance. Create ample time for family and friends. Engage in mentoring sessions at your local tech club or volunteer at church. Do something else that makes a change.
9. Be open to the lessons life sends your way. Life is never a bed of roses and neither are careers. Be open to failure and learn from them. Every opportunity is a chance to learn.
10. Trust God in all that you do. I preferred to write this last as a way to crown up everything else said already. I know there are moments where we feel God is not fair to us. But guess what, you are because He has made that possible. Let him be the center of what you do!