Water and electricity rationing

So today I'm going to briefly discuss the rationing of water and electricity throughout Kenya, mainly Nairobi where I'm currently living. Throughout the area, water and electicity are scarce and the rationing is part of a plan to manage these resources. In the neighborhood where I live, electricity is shut of every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 6 am to 6pm. In the neighborhood where our campus is located, electricity is turned off for Tuesdays and Thursdays during the day. This time frame, however, is on "African time", meaning it's more often 4 or 5 am until as late as 7 pm. On these days work must be done completely without power, which is difficult to say the least. My host mom doesn't hold a full time job outside the home, and mentioned to me that she spends a lot of time literally "waiting around for the power to come back. I sleep to pass the time. It is so boring". Interestingly, or perhaps ironically, when there is power, the television is constantly on. They watch a lot of American shows that are several seasons outdated, but my family gets really upset if I mention that I already know who wins the cycle of America's Next Top Model that aired four years ago in the US; they believe it's brand new. It seems to us, from an outsider's perspective, that it would make more sense to conserve power all day and not have need for rationing, but like the people of many "developing" countries, Kenyans want to be free to use electronics just as much as is standard practice in the US.
Even on days that aren't technically considered "rationing days", sporadic blackouts are extremely common. That was difficult to get used to at first, but now seems just like any other aspect of daily life.
A big cause of the electricity shortage stems from the shortage of water due to the current drought in Kenya. The long rains that were expected several months ago have yet to come, and Kenya relies heavily on hydroelectic power. No rain means no water, which means limited electricity production. The drought also lead to rationing of water, though the schedule isn't as clearly defined as the electricity rationing. A person pretty much has to try to turn on a tap to figure out if water is available or not. This also can be frustrating at first. For example, I got home Friday afternoon after playing soccer and ultimate frisbee for three hours in the hot sun. I was sweaty and very dirty, since all the roads and fields are made of dust. The plan was to take a quick shower and clean up before heading out with the group for our first weekend in Nairobi. I got home a little before 6 and by 6:30 there was still no electricity, meaning no hot water. I soon found out there was actually no running water at all, hot or cold. I've gotten very used to heating a bucket of water over the gas burner until it's slightly warmer than ice- cold, then bathing with that.
I've also learned quickly that the process of development has the potential to widen the disparity between the rich and the poor. During rationing, while many families have to learn to go without power all day or waste much of their time and energy finding water, wealthy families and businesses are often able to afford a generator, granting them access to electrical power.