The Law of Price and the Time of the Month

Yesterday, I arrived home past 10 in the night, which is quite late for my area. Reason been that I was trying to satisfy the law of demand and supply of transport to Kahawa, where I live. According to the economics I was taught before my university was abruptly closed, price drops when demand is low and supply is high. As for yesterday, the more than 20 empty matatus at the bus stop insisted that they had to charge rush hour fare-despite absence of willing passengers at the bus stop-which had only enough passengers to fill 2 omnibuses(Nissans).

I came to realize that the law of demand and supply is not the case in this metropolis of ours, Nairobi. Apparently, its population is quite sizable for the metroplois to disregard common economic laws and come up with it's own replacements. After a quick research, albeit free of common typing errors, I found out that we now have a law of price versus time.

This law states that the price of a good or service will increase & remain constant at a high price at the beginning/end of a month , and then drop to adopt the normal laws of demand and supply during other periods of the month. Below is a graph depicting the law of price and time of the month.

Despite this law, after sourcing carefully, and avoiding common typing errors, you can find a seller whose price is dictated by the law of demand and supply. For example, I had to connect home via Githurai matatus , resulting in a 20-30 shilling(50%) difference for the same journey. As for those who do not have time to source for such sellers, you have no option rather than to follow such laws, you can give your comments below on your encounter with this law.

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Beers in Kenya: A sober opinion

I have had a short beer swigging stint in my life. It has however been long enough for me to share my opinions of Kenyan beer. Interestingly, over the course of sharing such opinions with other drunkards connoisseurs, I have found that we all have different views as to what beer is the best, which one makes you too drunk, or which one gives a free, extra hangover for every hangover you get from it.

For starters, like everyone else, I discovered that beer isn’t as sweet as it looks like in those adverts that show golden barley swaying in breezes, happy men smiling and toasting chilled, foaming glasses of beer as a deep voice does some narration in the background.

Beer is bitter! Now, it turns out beer is intentionally made bitter. See, beer shares the same ingredients as bread. The major difference is that bread isn't fermented. Bread is sweet, so why isn't beer sweet?

The bitter story of the downfall of Mumias Sugar company

Have you heard the bitter story of Mumias Sugar?

Regarded by many as Kenya's most successful sugar miller, Mumias Sugar Company was a disaster waiting to happen.

Many pointed out how Mumias Sugar Company was a fortress in the wreck that is Kenya's sugar industry, only unaware that it was just a matter of time. As the old wise men said, "Ukiona cha mwenzako cha nyolewa, tia chako maji".

The proverb means that if you see your neighbour's head getting shaved, your head will soon be undergoing the same - you'd therefore better wet your head for a smoother shave, otherwise you will be forced to undergo a painful, dry, shave.

But what ails Kenya's sugar industry?

The Kenya sugar industry is under legal siege. The typical Kenyan issue of coming up with laws to tackle a problem is evident here.

Many of Kenya's sugar factories are owned by the government, and have slowly declined under mismanagement and corruption. The appointing of political cronies and trib…

EuroTrip: Madrid in 2 Days - it has its parks

This article is part of a series of my visit to different European cities. Read about my visit to Barcelona here.

Like Milan, Madrid is another capital city with not much to offer, unless you are a football fan. However, unlike Milan, Madrid does have some soul and even prides itself as the gay capital of Europe, which is a title that Berlin also claims.

My transport option from the airport in Madrid was the subway, which I found dependable. Alighting at the Plaza De Espana, I slightly got lost before making my way to the Nemrut restaurant for a late lunch and early drink, followed by laundry at the highly recommended Open Wash Lavandería Autoservicio. It is more automated than my other laundry at Milan and I had learned not to shrink my clothes, yet, the setting I chose was not as satisfactory in cleaning my clothes.

How much Nairobi Residents Pay in Rent

In my last post, I explained how difficult for people looking for housing in Nairobi. The main challenge is lack of information. On this front, I began a project that will collect some information, which will provide some start for those looking for housing in different areas in the city.

In the last one month, 33 people have given their responses.

Interesting enough, majority of the respondents, 16 to be exact, live in 2 bedrooms. This may mean that either 2 bedrooms are the most popular rentals in the city, or the most available. Only one way to find out - if you live in a 2 bedroom rental, here’s another survey.

10 of those who filled in the survey live in self contained 1 bedrooms.

5 people have 3 bedrooms, including 2 in Kikuyu, 1 in Ngong and Lower Kabete each, and another around Langata/National Park.

1 respondent has a 4 bedroom, while another one has a self contained bedsitter.
Pricing

Turning to pricing, the price of 1 bedrooms ranges from Kshs. 10,000 in Rongai to Kshs…

EuroTrip: Barcelona in 3 Days

This post is part of a series of my Eurotrip. Read about my trip to Nice by clicking here.

From Nice, I caught a flight the next day out to Barcelona. This time, the flights were cheaper than the trains and the buses took too long. I also found out I happened to be lucky in that this was not one of the weeks that Vueling delayed a literal thousands of flights.

Important to note is that if you want to have fun flying cheap between Schengen countries, then ensure you only have hand luggage. The queue to check in luggage can be horrendous, and so can be the costs. So, travel light. It is cheaper to keep laundering a bag of clothes than to pay for check-in luggage.

Dennis Kioko

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