It was a tragedy-packed week. First came the Sinai fire disaster, which has so far claimed 101 lives. Then came the illicit brews, which killed over 20 people. And as if this was not enough, 11 passengers died in a crash along Mombasa Road.

The same day, a building tumbled killing four people in Luanda. It is as if the once feared August jinx has shifted to September. But there are no jinxes here. As The Standard explained last week, our tragedies are man-made ticking time bombs that must explode. And as usual when 'accidents' occur, there is a flurry of activity and police are on their toes turning drinking dens upside down.

Knee-jerk reactions

The Government is exploring ways of averting future Sinai-like scenario. Construction experts are telling us what went wrong. Unfortunately, these are time-worn knee-jerk reactions that will take us nowhere. Business might be back to 'normal' soon. We can only hope the rivers of blood and tears that have been shed will make those concerned take their work seriously and take action to avoid such shameful loss of lives.