WHY SECURITY (systems) work in some spaces…

One of my old time hobbies is not only walking short and long distances but also walking up and down the stairs whenever possible and especially when I am alone and go into storey buildings.

I prefer walking up and down the stairs all alone not only to enjoy my own company but also because many people find it difficult and odd to climb stairs. Some even find my hobby or adventure weird and wonder why I should punish my body instead of riding inside lifts which are freely provided.

Yet, I also detest crowded and squeezed areas including inside elevators especially the old ones that take like forever to even shut doors leave alone moving up and down..

…..

I often hear that walking helps one in losing weight and fighting stress so I endeavor to walk at any available opportunity.

Moreover, I find myself comfortable in keeping active any time any where if possible..

… Perhaps it is a habit i learnt from my paternal grandmother (Rebecca Wanjiru & may she continue resting in peace) whom I found very active even when old age caught up with her. I can thus claim that my body is generally wired for activities which engage my mind and body which consequently give me great satisfaction.

So in my walking adventures, I, on 3-6-2026, visited 4th Ave Towers in Upper Hill, Nairobi for an assignment and decided to walk up and down the stairs to a considerably high level.

As I walked up to the offices i needed to be at, my presence was noticed by security guards of the firm assigned to guard the premises through the CCTV cameras.

My assignment took hardly 5 minutes given that I was delivering documents. Back on my walk down, I did not know that I had been marked and as I walked down counting the floors to be sure I would not pass ground floor to the basement floors, a guard emerged just when I was reaching 8th floor and in a civil manner confronted me asking, “where are you going? You might get lost.”

“I’m walking to the ground floor. I had gone up to an office to deliver some documents,” I explained and added “I like walking and this isn’t my first time to use the stairs here and I’m keen to ensure that I don’t go beyond ground floor.”

“That’s fine then. Let’s us walk together to the ground floor,” the guard replied and we walked together to the ground floor up to the elevators point. We parted way as friends and he informed me that he had worked in many high profile buildings in the city where security issues are taken very seriously this explaining his keenness to follow up on my movements.

And as I walked out of the building to continue with my walking adventure and to my next appointment of the day, I was reminded of recent fire incidents in Kenyan schools and realized that CCTV camera that are manned professionally for 24 hours daily can really make a difference.

I wished that 24 hours professional manning of CCTV cameras could be made a mandatory security requirement in all our spaces and especially where security risks are .