You.....Or Your House Girl!

[Sanda Matuta]

Jamani nina muda sasa sijaangalia cinema kwani DVD machine yangu imehalibika na sijui nani ameihaiharibu nyumbani kwangu tunaishi watatu tu Mimi,mke wangu(tunaondoka pamoja asubui nakurudi wote jioni kwani tunaishi nnje kidogo ya Jiji na tuna gari moja tu) na House girl wetu.
Hii ndio iliyonifanya nilete hili hapa,kabla ya kujadili naomba tusome article hii hapa chini;

Ever wondered how hard we work to fill our life with luxuries that we hardly have time to enjoy.

LOOK AT IT THIS WAY... The luxury Cars, Toyotas, Land Cruisers, Rav 4's; Mercedeses that are parked 8 hours driven 30 min to the office and 30 minutes back home 5 days out 7 ( i.e. 5 out of 168 hours in a week).... And whilst we sit on a not-so-comfortable chair in a small room called an office your Mansion lies idle with only the House Girl enjoying herself to the 'bacon and egg breakfast' relaxing on that very expensive leather sofa that we only sit on when we get home... and being so tired we just doze off to sleep anyway. When tired of work she takes a break turns on the Plasma TV and spoils herself with the fully subscribed DSTV, of course if she feels bored she can always turn on that brand name Hifi and swing a bit..... And whilst all that is happening where are you...you are eating a cheap take away lunch (chipsi zege) everyday and oh by the way there is no breakfast really, because it's just a cup of tea, a few slices of bread probably with some left- overs from yesterday's supper (for the fortunate few). Every moment you pray that it could just get to 4pm so that you can drive home and join... the House Girl!! (Poor you!). So this is your miserable lot for the rest of your working life... by the time you retire you'll have no pleasure in them anymore.



By now your children would have joined in the Rat Race of finding a good job working very hard and never enjoying the fruits of their labours... its all vanity isn't it?



SO MY QUESTION IS... WHO IS ENJOYING THE FRUITS OF YOUR LABOUR BETTER... YOU OR YOUR HOUSE GIRL?



And now!!! they want a raise coz they heard on MY! tv and radio that the minimum wage is 60,000/=. Does she know that is 50% of my salary ( kwa sie waajiriwa wa serikali?) Salary I earn after some solid years of school. Minimum wage my foot!

Before I raise your salary, please update your resume, and attach;

Secondary school certificate, a degree will be an added advantage.
Certificate in housekeeping from recognized institution.
A paper narrating your previous experience, minimum 5 years.
Should be fluent in English and Swahili.
Three reputable referees.
And since most of my household equipments are digital, like microwave, mobile phone, radio system, Cable TV and Video. You need to have basic knowledge of computer.

 

[Dua]

Tatizo ni sisi kule nyumbani, kwa nini unataka house girl akufanyie kazi round the clock? Nchi zilizoendelea kama UK, USA etc. Unamuhitaji mfanyakazi kwa masaa tu hebu niambie kama una vikolombwezo vyote hivyo why umwachie nyumba kwa masaa yote hayo? Kazi ya kusafisha nyumba na kuosha vyombo pamoja na kupika haichukui masaa 6 kwa siku labda uwe na nyumba kubwa sana. Tubadilike na kuwalipa kwa masaa wanayofanya kazi na wasiwe part of the family i.e. Wanakula chakula ambacho unanunua etc. wawe ni waajiriwa kwa masaa kadhaa kwa siku.

 

[Sanda Matuta]

You have a point Dua,
Lakini kwa sisi wenye nyumba kubwa na muda mchache wa kukaa nyumbani,House girl ni luxury we can not live without.
Na sidhani unahitaji msaidizi wa kukusaidia wakati una chumba kimoja?
Na utafauti uliopo kati yetu na nyie mnaoishi nnje ni kwamb mko huko in the caurse of studies au kipinde kifupi,ss wenzenu ndio tumeshamaliza (fainali) lazima uweke makazi ya kusubiri uzee wako au wajuu kuu!

 

[Kana-Ka-Nsungu]

Excellent Sanda! Idea ya housegirls kulipwa huo mshahara sio pragmatic kabisa. Nilipoona hii pumba kipindi cha budget-my only question was where is the justification for this?- wanakula bure, wanalala bure, no bills to pay,akiumwa unamtibu kwa hela zako, (hata akifa utamsafirisha kwao!) nguo za mama akizichoka kidogo anamuachia. Kama alivyosema Dua, ingekua wanakuja tu for some few hours na kuondoka, kungekua na uhalali wa huo mshahara. Nilikua ninamawazo kama yako Dua kwa kufanya kama wazungu wanavyofanya lakini kwa mazingira yetu ya kibongo, you need someone at home 24/7-kuna wizi wa mchana mchana-tena watu wanavunja kabisa, wageni wasio na taarifa (sometimes mkweo katoka bush!), kama una watoto pia hiyo ni another important factor. Niambie kama unaishi Kimara au Mbagala,unatoka job mitaa ya posta saa 11, ugombee daladala, by the time unafika huko ni sa 12-1 (if at all you are lucky), hakuna after school clubs wala babyseaters kama mamtoni, watoto wakitoka shule saa 9 hawana pa kwenda zaidi ya nyumbani. Ukishafika home uko hoi- maji hakuna, nyumba chafu, watoto wanahitaji kupikiwa wale(if at all cha kupikwa kipo otherwise itabidi uanze tena kwenda madukani au magengeni), kuogeshwa na kuandaliwa for school kesho, kama ni mwana mama tena ndio usiseme-umuandae mzee naye(mind you yeye atapitia sehemu kugonga mbili tatu so usitegemee msaada wake kwenye hizo tasks!). Nafikiri ulaya watu wanaogopa costs, lkini wengi wangependa wawe na mtu anaewafanyia kazi around the clock.