Photo credit: Pixabay

Happy New Year to one and all! We hope you all enjoyed your holiday down time, and for those that were still working, we know you enjoyed traffic-free roads at least! As 2015 kicks off, we’re sure you have resolutions for yourself, as well as for your supply chain management business, as we discussed last year. For this year, we kick off with one simple but important tip: be aware. By this we mean, stay up to date on the news and developments of not just the logistics industry, but the national financial climate and current events as well. For this first week of 2015, a few key headlines have so far captured the attention of the nation.

Soon after Kenya rang in the New Year, the unfortunate and sudden passing of Fidel Castro Odinga, son of former Prime Minister and long time political figure Raila Odinga. Losing a child is never easy and in the African context, the loss of a first born son cannot be put into words. Kenyans united in mourning the late Fidel, with messages of condolence pouring in from both the political ruling class and the regular mwananchi on social media. Many have stated that the abrupt demise of such a young man in his prime serves as a reminder that life is short and unpredictable; we say it is a heartbreaking turn of events and hope that the surviving family, friends, widow and young son find solace in each other as they work to accept this sad reality.

Nairobians were soon also confronted with a grim reality when a residential building in Huruma estate collapsed, raking up a death toll that stands at five. Such structural failures have occasionally been a tragic fixture of the Kenyan news scene, but each incident stands alone in the horror of the loss of human life. So far, an architect associated with the building’s construction has been arrested, with other constructors being ordered to record statements with the police. One of the worst possible outcomes of this investigation would be the discovery of human error or negligence in the course of putting up the building such as unethical decisions, corruption, under-qualified planners or other such reason would mean all the injuries, property loss and deaths could have possibly been prevented. To those affected by this collapse, we again offer our heartfelt condolences.

Photo credit: Pixabay

Another low for the 2015 so far has been the teacher’s strike currently in progress. Public school teachers have boycotted their classrooms in a bid to engage the government to meet their pay demands. Some have pointed out that this means children in private schools can continue learning and gaining ground on their public school counterparts. While this is true and unfair, it is also not fair to require our educators, who are charged with molding the young minds of our future generations, to continue to work on barely livable wages. De-motivated teachers concerned with making ends meet are hardly the best coaches for our children anyway, so in spite of the government’s assertion that there lacks the money to pay the requested higher salaries, we do see the point the teacher’s are trying to make. Still, we pray for a fast and mutually beneficial resolution to the issue, for the sake of the students.

So far, this new year has shown us the sad, which leaves us to take the optimist’s step forward. From such unfortunate beginnings, we can only hope 2015 gets better from here on out: after all, you can’t judge an entire year by just the first week. What are some of your plans for this new year? As for us, we promise to keep you up to date on all matters logistics, and current affairs for the air, so be sure to add us to your bookmarks! We wish you all a successful and prosperous year to come.