…simply cannot converse without touching you. I really enjoy long chats about any topic that seems interesting. In the middle of such conversations I often find myself hating as well.

I cannot fail to hate those people with the nauseating habit of touching the person they are talking to. For almost every expression the fellow will keep poking his filthy hands on you as if to get your renewed attention.

The other day I saw a man (not a gentleman) who kept touching his colleague during a conversation. By the time they separated the other’s shirt was dirtier than the speaker’s ears!

…speak with too much disrespect. Those of you with a sound understanding of Kinyarwanda will agree that the word "Sha” oozes peer familiarity.

It’s not a bad word but it tends to suck out all the respect from a conversation. Once I hear it many times, I know it is time to hate. Some people actually think it is some form of punctuation that should follow every word.

The ones who say "Bite sha, amakuru sha, nonese sha, reka sha, ariko sha! Sha, uzi umuntu witwa Hater?” Well Mr. Sha, I would love to inform you that Mr. Hater really hates the way you regularly deplete a good language of any form of respect. And by the way I am not your peer sha.

…mispronounce words and confuse those listening. I understand the fact that English is not the first language for most of us. This however is not an excuse for someone who has been to school to perennially torture the language.

A friend recently told me about a Member of Parliament who keeps saying ‘high city’ instead of ICT. The honourable lady was quoted to have said, "Ibi ibintu bya high city leta yazanye…” At this rate I think this person should enrol for adult English classes or try to find the exact Kinyarwanda phrase that refers to ICT instead of murdering the queen’s language. Maybe she actually thinks that ICT is making Kigali a high city!

…smoke and leave their cigarette butts all over the place. Smokers should have realised that I totally have no love for them. It would be a waste of my love if I directed it towards people who are determined to kill themselves.

Of late I have realised that I have to hate them a little more. Much as they spare us the torture by smoking from outside, these guys just stand in the same place and do their smoking there.

At the end of the day the whole place is full of cigarette butts. I think legislators should pass a new law requiring them to clean their smoking spots.

Kigali’s cleanliness should not be messed up by these wanna-be-dead fellows.
 
…carry heavy luggage into commuter taxis. In case you didn’t know, a public commuter taxi is primarily a passenger transport facility. I am therefore compelled to hate anyone who enters the small taxis with heavy bags and other inconveniencing things.

I know you have been in those taxis where a passenger has a huge bag or even iron sheets. Others enter with pieces of timber that are pushed along the floor of the vehicle and in the process injuring some of the passengers.

You need to know that a taxi is not a Fuso truck to carry anything. If you really want it to then you can hire it and save us the torture of sitting with luggage. By the way this is even against traffic rules.

Let me help you hate by sending your suggestions to thehater2009@gmail.com or a text message to + 250 758 545293.

The Hater