Maid Sabotage

I went home one day this week and found that the maid had sold my entire stack of precious newspapers that I have meticulously collected over the last 5 years.

It’s partly my fault because I had separated and tied several stacks to be sold with instructions that the others not sorted /tied up were not to be sold. However when the newspaper buyers came round, she sold the entire lot – tied & untied newspapers and away went historic articles from the nation, standard, people, weekly citizen, financial post, defunct tabloids like Kenya confidential, Patriot and some foreign newspapers – pages & pages of business articles, company & executive profiles, election & referendum stories, career guides, strategic & other business ideas, bar-fighting, sexcapades and corrupt deals of politicians etc. – vital sources of information and references for bankelele – all gone to be recycled or to wrap/pack pieces of meat at the supermarket.

The last time I sold my newspapers was after the referendum and 60 kilos of newspapers netted about 855 shillings.

The gain this time was much less (about 500/= to go towards groceries) but the loss was priceless

Related: More maid drama.

18 thoughts on “Maid Sabotage

  1. Rista

    ROFL…not at you, but with you? Afadhali you, have a family friend whose entire collection of novels, that he’d collected over at least 15 years, was sold pole pole by the maid. Tears (of frustration) still come to his eyes when he recounts the story.

  2. pesa tu

    @kenyanentrepreneur:Not all our print media is archived online.
    @Bankelele: You should get at least sh.30 per Kg.
    I have about 500kgs of annual reports and magazines lying around.

  3. gathinga

    very sad but also interesting
    perhaps banks should have been more careful entrusting such a delicate task to someone probably illiterate. but can you fetch more than 10/= a kilo. i usually offload mine at this price

  4. Mitzy

    I feel your pain! Next time I buy meat or fries in Nbi and its wrapped in newspaper or Weekly Review pages, it will probably be courtesy of your enterprising & eager mboch! Don’t leave her with your old clothes for the “mali kwa mali” folks!

  5. bankelele

    Rista: That’s even sadder, but how did your friend NOT notice books were disappearing?

    xtra-cash: My bad, I took too long to sort out the one I wanted to keep

    KenyanAnalyst & Majonzi: nothing I can do, have to move on now

    kenyanentrepreneur: very little stuff printed in our papers get’s online (maybe 1/10) for one to google. also many papers still do not have websites

    pesa tu: true. annual reports you may have to find plastics recycler

    gathinga: Actually she’s a very great lady – hardworking, honest, literate & decent. My instructions were not clear in this case. And I think we got 20/= kilo

    Mitzy: They have probably been used up by now.

    acolyte: There was just too much to scan. Also they were organized for easy reference.

  6. Nakeel

    woishe pole sana. I know how it feels. Ask me when my nieces decided to draw on my scrap book and I had an interview coming where I was supposed to go with the cuttings. Did I tell the mums to help me rub.

  7. Unyc

    I seriously want 2 laugh esp after readin ur first paragraph…..but…I can imagine what u felt. U sure u dint wrap the mboch n gv her off 2 mali kwa mali…?
    Pole.

  8. Anonymous

    Pole banks. Your story reminds me of my high school years. I used to fetch mbuyu’s old newspapers and sold them at the nearby butchery. Sadly, the old man went to buy nyama, which was then wraped on a newspaper bearing his signature, not once but several times. I had some expaining to do.

  9. Anonymous

    Banks – What’s the deal with City Trust? The price just hit 500/-… I have more updates on my blog…

  10. joe

    bankelele idont want to bring siasa to your respectable blog but can you comment of raila’s claim that the economy isnt growing and that the NSE is only awash with drug money

  11. bankelele

    Shiroh: Like I said, it was partly my fault – and no use crying over what can’t be undone. I’m cool

    Nakeel: How did you explain in the intreview?

    Unyc: No, she’s a great help. this was a very rare error

    Kenyanomics: Myfault, because I had given her the go ahead to sell, but had not properly separated them

    coldtusker: Very strange, and it’s under review. somebody got screwed

    Joe: I have not followed exactly what he said in the States – you can’t keep up with a politican and the media can magnify their statements. There has been improvement in the economy for sure esp. agriculture and tourism. I don’t see how drug money has influenced the NSE

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