When it rains it pours, but this time round the heavens have become a little something else. The weatherman forecasted that there will be heavy rains and potential floods across the country and Nairobi being one of them, it did not hit home until photos of a flooded Thika superhighway beneath Ngara footbridge this morning on twitter caught my hawk eyes.
For the many of us who live along Thika road, impassable roads due to floods and burst sewer systems are totally unrelatable unlike our friends who hail from God knows where. But these rains have been serving equal portions of destructions regardless of the infrastructure that connects you to your place of work.
As expected KOT have been running their mouths, firing Salvos at the county government for poor drainage and the inherent mess in the city due to the heavy rains, which is very true, but empty debes are not worth the distraction.
You should be thinking of ways of defeating the arch-enemy so that he does not come between you and daily bread. Whether you live by the road and it rains all day all night or you live in the outskirts of a town and you have to battle mud on your way to work, you gotta make it to work, punctual, neat and cheerful, totally indifferent about the heavy rainfall outside. But just how do you do it?
1. Step out all dressed up.
Those merchandise hoodies, trenchcoats, and heavy sweaters should be set aside for this weather. By all means, you need to keep warm to avoid catching a cold. Those pairs of socks and rain boots too should be off the shelves, without forgetting an umbrella whether your toxic masculinity allows t or not. The first step to beating the rains is dressing up comfortably so that you are not worried about getting wet or your make up washed away by the heavy showers of rain. Also, carry an extra pair of shoes just in case.
2. Nduthi for life
With floods and heavy rains, traffic is another nightmare you will have to deal with. Three hours on your way to work because it rained too much or everyone woke up late and is trying to get to work on time could kill your spirit fro the day. Some employers do not give a shit whether you live in the heart of Githurai and have to cross five rivers of sewage to get to work on time. Motorbikes come in handy because they can maneuver their way in traffic and get you to your destination safe and on time.
3. Leave home early and the office late
Nairobi becomes very chaotic when the rains kick in. And now that they have been persistent for a while now, it is not getting better any time soon. You need to adjust your way of life to pit in seamlessly. That means your arse should be up early to beat traffic and that same arse stay late in the office to kill time constructively while everyone is queuing for two hours in town to catch a Matatu home.
4. Work from home
If your boss is as good as mine, you can negotiate for a way to make you deliver. Instead of killing four hours in the morning trying to get to the office, you could be working on something constructive and join the rest later in the day. But you must have the discipline it takes and probably working online, otherwise, you will have to report to work like any other day.
5. Ask for a leave
Employees are entitled to leave. All to often employers do not carry forward leave days into the following year. Now will be a good time to utilize your leave for a long holiday of unwinding and laughing at folks struggling to get to work.
