Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Kenya Government Customs Denys Poor Children an Education

Two and a half weeks ago, I sent a shipment of 13 laptops from the US to Kenya. The laptops are
destined to classrooms with children from Kibera and children from an orphan home in Ngong.

Customs officials to my complete shock and disbelief are demanding taxes worth 200% of the value
all laptops. Total cost of the laptops is $1000.00. They want $2000 in taxes. One of the laptops has already been stolen. (No surprise there)...but still, its hard
to understand why someone can be so souless and heartless.

This is for POOR CHILDREN.. Kids who have lost BOTH parents due to HIV.. Why! I would love an explanation. It truely saddens me that there is
someone at the KRA who has no heart. Don't you have kids of your own? You were once a kid. Would
you steal from a child?

I told the clearing agent , DHL, that I am done. I have no hope anymore in these Kenyan officials.
Seriously, does none of them have a heart, even care about those way less fortunate then them.

So the laptops are gone. Who knows what they are going to do with it.  Maybe give it their cousin
in the rural area. THe laptops basically hold little value in the open market. They don't run windows.
I put Linux with Wikipedia, educational games and 4000 khan academy videos.

I remember coming to america. The first thing that totally overwhelmed me was the knowledge. The
university library just blew me away. I couldn't stop learning. I thought. If I had this growing up
I'd be an Einstein.  I just want some children to who would not get this opportunity ordinarily
to have access to this kind of information. It is just so liberating...

Good luck Kenyan Official. I hope you are happy! Now you can go and try and sell these laptops, which hold little value. See how much money you get.. Not much I tell you.

I am mad, but I written this post, because I want to let go of this anger. Give this up to God.
Let God deal with their selfishness and lack of compassion.

I thought after 20 years of being out of Kenya, things have changed. I saddened to see, nothing
has changed