‘CIGARETTE-SWEETS’

In the past couple of years I have been trying to find out exactly what kind of influence the Chinese have on our fine country Kenya. Truth be told I am no fun of the ‘Ching Chong’ invasion, I feel that we can do some of these things that they are doing for us on our own.  How many degree holders sit at home with no jobs while foreign companies take over these jobs that we so craved for when we laboured and worked ways around the system for years in colleges and campuses all over Kenya.

Well I finally have something. My friend Selly went to the shop this morning an came home with a special gift from the shop lady. Before you read on keep in mind that while our government is busy making deals to BUILD OUR COUNTY- VISION 2030, they forget that vision 2030 is not just the infrastructure… but also the little things that make us who we are. What do you see when you look at this picture.  

A cigarette… well may I shock you… sure, I will do exactly that, this is a form of candy; according to the shop keeper. I live in the suburbs of Nairobi – Kasarani, so this is not the city centre, if a shop in the middleclass suburbs can have a sweet in this form – of a cigarette being sold to kids, in primary schools and even younger! Where are we going as a nation, is it really that important to have great structures all over the country and have our children’s morality faced because no one at the seaport or the airport thought to check what exactly was being imported. I am not perfect but I think that this is negligence of the highest order. ‘This Cigarette-sweet’ is inscribed in Chinese symbols illustrated below.

Like any other sane person out there my friend and I tasted the sweets! Little white pellets inside… they tasted horrible! These may easily been the worst sweets EVER created! As part of brainstorming, to answer the questions in our minds… it hit us like a hurricane that these might actually be Nicotine Tabs…. And am thinking, why the fuck could possible Nicotine Tabs be sold as sweets in shops!

“We have failed this city!” We really have… or rather they that run this country have failed it! I need to have a serious chat with our local shop keeper. What will you do about this…?

Nekh