The city’s problems are now being pinned on a pair of worn out socks spotted on the governor’s feet (Image and original story – The People http://www.thepeople.co.ke/64976/im-sorry-hubbys-socks-mrs-kidero-says/)
Over the past week, there has been a huge uproar. This is after the Nairobi Governor, Evans Kidero, happened to unshoe his feet, exposing a gaping hole in his socks.
Some people immediately started smelling a scandal, and others pointed out that it was embarrassing for a whole governor – a man of the people, to be seen in a pair of torn socks.
Others pinned the problem to Susan Mboya, a highly respected lady in Nairobi, for failing to ensure that her husband was well groomed. She should have inspected her husband to present himself for inspection before leaving the house.Kidero is not the only flag-flying man to have been caught with bits of his socks missing. John Michuki, a high flying minister in previous governments, was also caught with a pair of torn socks, which was declared un-befitting of his status.
The author of this article has also been caught a few times with socks that were not 100 percent cotton as they claimed to be, but consisted of cotton and a few holes. The author’s plea that the socks were part of a recent trend of “unfinished†garments fell on deaf ears.
So, why do men who clearly can afford socks – be it those 50 bob ones from a well-dressed guy who approaches you in the streets before unleashing his wares – walk around in torn socks?
The first reason is very easy. We wake up before the crack of dawn, when lighting is poor. Socks tend to be dark coloured, and therefore it’s quite easy to miss holes in errant pairs when dressing up. As the Bible says, whatever is done in the dark will one day come to light – you only discover such holes in broad daylight when perhaps visiting a friend and have to take off your shoes.
Blame us for lack of attention to detail, but we really are not particular to details of dressing, or rather most men are not. After all, we dress in under 5 minutes, while ladies have been known to take hours dressing. Clearly, sometimes it is a choice of speed versus quality.
Second reason why we end up with pairs of torn socks in our wardrobes is because we take too long to replace bits of our wardrobe. Any man who has tried shopping in Nairobi will tell you it’s an activity that is done only when absolutely necessary.
Shopping for socks in these sock-forsaken city can bring tears to one socks. You’ll walk for miles trying to find the right type of socks for you – are they cotton, 100% cotton, organic cotton, comfortable enough without being too warm like a sweater?
The other thing is that it is irritating to do shopping in most of Nairobi. Save for in morning hours and late in the evening, you’ll find retail outlets crowded by lots of Kenyans, with their characteristic bad use of shared spaces. They block alleys, suddenly bend in your path, park trolleys across alleys, walk in crowds that expand to occupy available space and which seemingly lack a sense of direction, and more.
It also does not help that shopping attendants seem to be hired not on delivery, but on affordability. Many seem to have no knowledge of products they sell, or are usually chatting in their mother tongue with their colleagues and appear bothered to be serving you.
Simply put, a worn out sock is not much of a bother for the Nairobi man, and the situation is such that replacing a worn out pair might not be just worth it.