RAILA CUTS DEAL WITH MOI

DEAL CUT: Former President Daniel Arap Moi with PM Raila Odinga

PRIME Minister Raila Odinga and the Moi family have cut a political deal. Gideon Moi will be appointed to head the Mau Forest evictees’ resettlement committee. And former President Daniel arap Moi will be allowed to keep the Kiptagich Tea Factory. In return, Gideon will help Raila secure the Kalenjin community votes in next year’s general election.

Raila is expected to make the appointment in tomorrow’s issue of the Kenya Gazette. Gideon will lead the committee that will also include East African Cooperation minister Musa Sirma, Energy assistant minister Magerer Langat, assistant minister in the Vice-President’s office Beatrice Kones, and Sotik MP Joyce Laboso.

Gideon’s appointment will end plans to demolish his father’s multimillion-shilling Kiptagich Tea Factory that the Mau Forest task force decided was inside the gazetted  forest and should be done away with. “By giving Gideon the job, it is an endorsement that he (retired President Moi) will not be touched as no one can evict himself,” said a Kanu member who did not want to be named.

Gideon will be able to take the credit among the Kalenjin if the resettlement is successful. It will be a win-win scenario for Raila because he will be able to claim credit for facilitating the resettlement, but should it fail, he can  distance himself by saying he handed over the programme to the community leaders.

All the MPs appointed by the PM to the resettlement committee are his political allies although they are from the Kalenjin community that largely favours William Ruto for President in the 2012 election. “After Ruto’s exit from ODM, Raila is combing every corner of the Rift Valley for people to spearhead his campaign in the region. He has realised his allies in ODM cannot do it on their own and if Moi endorses him, it will give him a big advantage,” said the Kanu official.

“He is also telling Ruto that we can sort out this issue without you. That is why he left out Ruto’s allies from the resettlement committee including area MP Zakayo Cheruiyot,” said the Kanu official. The controversial first phase of the Mau evictions targeted settlers without title deeds in December 2009. The second phase targets settlers with titles within the forest but is yet to start.

Former Pesident Moi and his former aide Joshua Kulei were guests at the wedding of Raila Jr and Yvonne Kibukosya earlier this month. Moi received a rapturous welcome from Raila’s allies from Nyanza who formed the bulk of the guests at the wedding. The MPs who included some Cabinet ministers chanted ‘Nyayo! Nyayo!’ and applauded as Moi entered the venue.

A pleasantly surprised Moi was jovial as he addressed the guests and reminded them of the importance of dialogue. “Even if I have have different views, it does not matter. We should not differ at all. We can sit around the table and even share a meal because we are guided by love,” he said.

Raila told the wedding guests that unity among Kenyans was paramount. “This animal called tribalism is dying. Tribes only exist in people’s imaginations. We can make Kenya great if we shun divisions,” said Raila.

Observers said the presence of Moi was an indication of high level politics being played out during the wedding. “Who sent an invite to Moi for Raila’s son’s wedding? Obviously the card was not sent through a courier. There must have been some emissaries,” an MP from Rift Valley said.

The MP said it was not a coincidence that Chief Justice Willy Mutunga paid a courtesy call on Moi at his home at Kabarnet Gardens soon after the wedding. “The visit was meant to ease tensions and assure the old man that the CJ was not there on a specific mission to fix some people but was there to work for all people,” said the MP.

Speculation has been rife that the CJ’s visit was made at the request of Moi. However, Moi’s long-serving press secretary Lee Njiru said the courtesy call was made at the request of the CJ to discuss the ongoing reforms he has initiated in the Judiciary.

Source: http://www.the-star.co.ke/national/national/41320-raila-cuts-deal-with-moi-family

Potential, Poverty, Politics & Parties: Why Kenya Attracts America’s Best & Brightest Young Social Entrepreneurs

They flock from America’s top universities, grad programs and consulting firms to the pulsing heart of a new Africa. From glass towers and Ivied halls to cramped garages, cooperative work hubs, and overflowing makeshift live/workspaces, these young, talented and driven entrepreneurs are riding a new wave of social enterprises, crash landing into a rapidly rising east African capital.

The most populated city in east Africa, and one of the fastest growing, Nairobi, Kenya has become an extremely strategic regional center for business, banking, development, and politics. A destination hosting a diverse mingling of foreign inhabitants, from emissaries, ambassadors and development agencies to mobile innovators, technologists and consultants, Nairobi has just recently to crept into the international market as a city to keep an eye on.

Yet economic potential and business prospects are only part of the reason why Nairobi’s become a bustling hub for young social innovators and social entrepreneurs from Brown, Harvard, Stanford, and MIT, who give up jobs at McKinsey, Bain, and Goldman Sachs to be here. So what is it?

It’s what I’ve come to dub as the four P’s — Potential, Poverty, Politics, and Parties — a unique blend that draws a distinct class of Gen-y ers looking to make money, make a name for themselves, and make a difference.

Let’s start with potential. At a dinner recently, I asked a few folks what their favorite part of living in here was. Hands down, they all said, it’s the people. Not just their fellow expatriates, who seem to keep coming in droves and reinforcing a self-fulfilling prophecy of the city being a great emerging capital for bright young social entrepreneurs, but the young Kenyans. They feel that Nairobi has a certain buzz, the collective revving of engines by a generation of Kenyans craving something different.

The country’s slowly improving education system is churning out a new generation of university graduates who are aggressive, ambitious, and hungry for a better future. They are fiercely proud of Nairobi, and feel they hold the responsibility for its economic future and its emergence in the global spotlight in their hands. They no longer graduate university with hopes of ending up at the once best paying jobs in town — UN agencies and the scores of other well financed NGOs. Instead they dream of starting their own business, or finding work in an increasingly robust private sector full of entrepreneurial ideas. The same cannot be said in most of Kenya’s neighboring countries.

Plenty of the young Kenyan diasporas, after living, studying, and working abroad in places like the UK, Australia, and the U.S., have returned home — and not just to crash on mom and dad’s couch for awhile (although free rent is a certainly a huge plus). They want to be a part of Kenya’s movement — in art, film, technology, finance — and they spot Nairobi as the place to make it happen. It has a pulse. It has potential. And people want in.

Many claim that MPesa, the mobile money transfer service that launched in Kenya and captured the world’s attention, contributed to putting Nairobi on the map, and this is certainly true. But so did budding microfinance institutions, the widespread need for nonprofits due to government failures and regional environmental crises (like the recent drought), and — I’m going out on a limb on this one — a half-Kenyan President of the United States of America.

The mobile phone revolution, from services and applications like MPesa, Ushashidi, M-Farm, M-Shop, and MedAfrica, have unquestionably ignited a newfound interest from foreign investors in the tech sector, and international companies are beginning to put Nairobi on their map as an emerging market waiting to be served. As the middle class rises, companies are eyeing tremendous potential and opportunity for Kenya, as well as a base of operations to capture the rest of east Africa when those economies rise.

Lending to all of this is an ease of communication you don’t find in other parts of east Africa. Kenya’s colonial history left plenty of negatives I won’t dive into, but one positive outcome, at least for attracting international business, was a wealth of fluent English speakers, and English and Kiswahili both being official languages integrated into the education system.

Next up? Poverty. The business of poverty is, sadly, still booming in Kenya. Despite decades of nonprofit (and, on occasion, government) interventions working to make life more livable in places like the Kibera slums (one of Africa’s largest slums) there’s little to show for it all. Even so, nonprofits continue to spring up in hope of “saving the day,” and social enterprises are emerging to create more tech-based sustainable, even profitable, solutions to the health, water, sanitation, energy, financial and housing challenges Kenya’s vast poor still face.

Yet for a city that hosts an elusive allure of poverty, alongside the “groundbreaking,” “innovative,” and [insert buzz word here] solutions to it, it’s also still filled with all the modern amenities needed to make expatriates feel right at home (fancy shopping malls, sports clubs, fine scotch, bagels). In fact, most young expats here live exceedingly higher quality lives than they would be in the States, as long as they don’t mind occasionally choking on clouds of black smoke pouring from the buses or accidentally falling into a flooded man-eating pothole.

As for politics, well, with three extremely high-ranking government officials splitting their time between The Hague and serving their duties in Parliament, plus endless corruption scandals, it couldn’t be a more intriguing political environment to work in. A dash — okay, a fat dollop — of corruption makes an everyday activities seem like game of chance, and prepares you to always expect the unexpected — and more often simply the inconvenient — in pursuing business. It’s challenging, yes, but in a way an exciting learning experience for young Americans eager to build businesses in developing economies.

Lastly, of course, is parties. Booming nightclubs stay open till 7 or 8 a.m., where you can dance to deep global beats with an eclectic mix of Kenyans, Americans, Europeans, and whoever else wanders in. Yet come Monday morning, if you’re an American under 30, you’ll most likely be trudging around the slums of Kibera, testing out a new technology or service that does this-or-that to help empower residents — those who really are yearning for a leg up in life and a better tomorrow.

Despite the poverty, unemployment, and the immense infrastructural overhauls needed, or perhaps even in spite of all of it, Nairobi offers a little something for everyone. Especially for that class of fresh Gen-y graduates who seek a delicately fine balance of “doing good,” “doing well” and building a robust portfolio of challenging experiences and environments, all the while not sacrificing an entertaining social life.

But, let us not forget, there are plenty of young Kenyans who are migrating to, back to, and coming up in, Nairobi, for the same reasons. Though they have a bit more personal, and frankly patriotic motive to be here. It’s their country, their capital, and they’ll be damned if a bunch of foreigners are the ones who take credit for making things happen.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-kalan/potential-poverty-politic_b_969338.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

Priest is not the father of Kenyan woman, court told

TWO PATERNITY tests have shown that a Co Galway-based priest, featured in an RTÉ Prime Time Investigates programme, is not the father of a Kenyan woman, the High Court has been told.

The court heard that Fr Kevin Reynolds (65), who claims RTÉ accused him of raping a teenage girl in 1982 and fathering a child by her, had been restored to the priesthood since the results of the paternity tests became known.

Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy yesterday refused to grant judgment for defamation against RTÉ for having failed to enter a defence but ordered the national broadcaster to file one by the end of this month. He said it was wholly unsatisfactory that RTÉ had not already lodged a defence to the claim for defamation which Fr Reynolds had taken out in July last.

Solicitor Robert Dore told the court in an affidavit that Fr Reynolds was a Mill Hill Missionary priest who had worked for many years in Africa. The RTÉ Mission to Prey programme broadcast in May last alleged he had raped a girl identified as Venerenda who at the time was a minor.

Mr Dore stated that the programme claimed Fr Reynolds had fathered a child, Sheila, as a result of the rape in or about 1982. It had further alleged he had prevailed on the girl to remain silent about the rape or his involvement in it.

Frank Callanan SC said Fr Reynolds had been parish priest of Ahascragh, Co Galway, at the time but had been asked by his bishop and the Mill Hill Fathers to stand down as a priest. Fr Reynolds had agreed to take paternity tests which had revealed he was not Sheila’s father. Earlier this month Fr Reynolds had been informed by a journalist that the DNA tests had proved negative. Following the result of the tests, he had been restored to ministry but had not returned to his parish.

Mr Callanan said that in July, the Mill Hill Missionaries had received a letter from Fr Reynolds’s alleged daughter stating “Fr Kevin is not my biological father.” This letter had been passed on to RTÉ.

Mr Callanan told the court that RTÉ had not entered a defence within the normal 28 days and had further failed to file one during an extended period of three weeks.

He asked Mr Justice McCarthy to grant judgment against RTÉ and allow Fr Reynolds’s claim to proceed to an assessment of damages before another judge.

Mr Justice McCarthy said he would allow RTÉ until September 29th to file a defence and granted Fr Reynolds leave to bring another motion for judgment within 48 hours should RTÉ further fail to enter a defence.

David Keane, SC, for RTÉ, said the delay in filing a defence had arisen out of a request to have the first paternity test retaken and that it only had the results of the second test in the last few days. He agreed both tests had proved Fr Reynolds was not the girl’s father.

Source: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0922/1224304520330.html

Forced to be Widows in Kenya

There is a popular saying that you never know how it feels till it gets to you. Death still remains one of the most painful things on earth. Imagine losing someone you have known for a better part of your life; you literally lose a part of you. Women in Kenya are finding themselves widowed at early ages; something that leaves a sorry state. This is mostly due to dangerous lifestyles that they have adopted. Alcoholism and irresponsible s(e)xual behavior top the list.

Recently a total of twenty nine people died in Nyandarua and Ruiru towns after consuming an alcoholic drink branded `Yokozuna`. Several others have also lost their eye sight to the deadly drink. It is funny how the drink got its way on the shelves without passing through Kenya Bureau of Standards; a body that ensures all goods are of the right quality and quantity. Probably the person behind `Yokozuna` decided to play with the mentality of those who drink by naming it after a former World Wide Wrestler Yokozuna famed for stamina.

Women who are left widows are forced to adopt new ways of coping with their not so interesting lives. I sought to find out how they spend their days and at some point I almost broke into tears but had to keep a brave face since I was on assignment. My first stop over led me to Kibera slums where I met one lady who could only identify herself as Martha. The 30 year old mother of five living in an iron sheet shark relayed to me her woes. From her eyes, it was pretty obvious she had lost hope of living; something she confirmed later on. Her kids remain her source of strength whenever she is overwhelmed by circumstances.

Martha lost her husband to a lethal brew that was being sold at ten shillings. It was five years ago and the pain was still as fresh as yesterday. She took me through her daily routine which made me realize her life was marred by hardships. She did not go to school, something that made it hard for her to secure a decent job. Many a times she wakes up early to go to the leafy suburbs that surround her home. This is to look for odd jobs like washing clothes, cleaning utensils and compounds. Normally the payment goes up to about 200 shillings on the higher side. She is forced to plan for that money appropriately. Her only consolation is that her kids are still in primary school which is free. Her money therefore goes to feeding and clothing her six man family.

When night falls for this young woman, the reality checks in. That is the time she greatly feels deprived off her needs as a woman. It is only normal to understand her as she is only human. However hard she tries to withstand the temptation of being with another man, more often than not she falls prey. At around 9:00 PM when all her kids are asleep, men come tapping on her door.

Any resistance from her side would mean louder knocking which in turn might wake her kids. So she succumbs and leaves with them to a lodging. She is quick to say she still respects her husband hence she can`t bring men to her house. According to Martha the offer is always better as she gets paid a few more hundred.

Looking at her speak, one can easily identify that she is not happy with the turn her life has taken. She is quite embarrassed of her night life since she spends it selling her wares in the market of condensation. She informs me of how people disrespect her and she feels she has lost her worth on earth. She is most saddened by the fact that her husband never died a natural death. She is optimistic she will come out of the situation before her kids learn about it.

This is just the life of one widow; what about the other Kenyan widows? Men should watch their behavior and take charge of their lives instead of letting things like alcohol and immorality take charge.

Source: http://thesop.org/story/20110916/forced-to-be-widows-in-kenya.html

Get Serious Woman!

By Caroline Mutoko

We live in a world where the recession has been kindly referred to as the he-cession, because it’s men who are hardest hit by loss of income and jobs. Yet women seem to be soldiering on and in some instance reviving failing economies around the world. I am horrified to note that Kenyan women are a long way away from embracing themselves and each other in a bid to be at the front of making a marked difference in the way this country is governed.

Women for the first time this year, became the majority of the American workforce and they’re starting to dominate lots of white collar professions. Over 50 percent of managers are women these days. So the global economy is becoming a place where women are more successful than men. If you look around you and open your eyes to what’s happening, you can start to connect the dots and stop sabotaging your fellow women as they open the door to a new world for all of us. Yes I’m speaking to the women. Men who are small-minded enough to still play the woman bashing game should not be spoken to at all.

A few months ago, when Martha Karua announced her bid for the presidency, the usual numb-skulls were heard blogging and commenting about several non-issues. There was the usual crap about – where’s her husband, where are her children. Apparently somehow, she’s meant to strap her adult children to her back, find something with a beard (I’m told by those who subscribe to this theory that anything will do), find her sufuria and mwiko and then head to the press conference and declare her wishes to be president. If she does that, maybe we’ll take her seriously.Without these very un-necessary accessories, then we simply can’t listen to her. Sadly most of these shallow, numb-skull comments are made by women and by men who are clearly neutered.

Last week, Kingwa Kamencu declared her wish to run for the Presidency of this great nation. Yes she shed a tear or two – sometimes I’m moved to tears by this nation- but really is the best we could do, is sink below zero? What was our first reaction? The nonsense with Maternity leave. Incidentally pregnancy is a temporary condition, not permanent. It’s not an illness and certainly not a handicap. Just for thinking and talking like that I wish your mother had never had you.

The equally dumb issue about taking a honeymoon break also presumes that she is planning to get married in the near future and that she will be going on honeymoon alone (I think a man is part of the package). Oh, please spare me the bull-crap about relationship issues – the current crop of male politicians married and otherwise have enough relationship issues to run 10 years worth of soap operas. Infact those relationship (sic) is you can call them that – dominate 95% of their time. To hell with you.

Once again, the nasty comments about Kamencu came from women and neutered men. Like I said, I don’t speak to those men, they are already dead ,I will however speak to the women. Stop it. Stop it immediately. The only reason you won’t see the value in what it means for a woman such as yourself or greater than yourself to seek a position in leadership is because you think so little of yourself. Admit it. You define yourself as inept, unaccomplished, unable, and worse still ill-equipped to be anything more than tits and ass.

And because this is how you see yourself, you don’t believe in the ability, power or success of another woman and the mere fact that a woman could be so different from you scares the hell out of you. Here’s what you need to know ,Kamencu is going places. She might not make it to Statehouse, but unlike you my dear, she will be forging on while you’re still clucking away in your small mind about honeymoons, relationship drama (who told you we all have that) and maternity leave.

The reason a lot of the women vying for top jobs have such a hard time is because the majority of women have yet to learn that we are not only entitled to it but we can darn well do it. Here’s the thing, we can talk all we want about the allocated seats and harp on about more opportunities for women until our lipstick comes off; but unless we begin to see ourselves in that space and embrace the idea that we are good enough; then another woman will lose out on a chance to make a difference. Some inept man will get the job and we’ll all start bitching about him but when given the option of a great woman, we’ll shoot her down and the mad cycle continues. Stop it. Stop it this instance.

I don’t consider myself a journalist, far, far from it. I write because it’s something I habitually I do.

I keep a diary and a journal and I have for a very long time.

Writing is something I do for life for sanity for peace of mind.

I write to begin a conversation, alittle controversy always helps that along.

I write myself out of my nightmares and into my dreams- it’s why I keep a journal.

I write to soothe the voices shouting inside me and the anger and despair I feel

when I see the things going on around us.

I write because I believe in words -I write because I cannot sing???.?

Source: Nairobi star

International stars show love for Kenya

A host of international artists are due in Nairobi next week to hand over their donations to the UNICEF kitty for famine relief in the horn of Africa region, personally.

The artists, most of whom have visited and performed in Kenya before, did not hesitate when called upon to give back to the country in its time of need.

Under the Give Africa Hope movement, neo-soul artist Anthony David, Peetah and Gramps Morgan, and J Boog of the hit-song “Let’s Do It Again” will be in Kenya for a series of week-long activities, including a visit to Northern Kenya where residents are worst hit by the famine.

Prior to the visit, the artists will team up with Jamaican superstar Alaine for a series of charity concerts on September 23-24 in Dallas, Texas, where the donations will be handed over to Project Maisha, through UNICEF’s iRelief Org.

Project Maisha is also working with the Uhuru Clothing Company, who have specially designed T-shirts that will be sold and proceeds sent to help with famine relief.

David who was in Kenya recently for The Lounge Unplugged said he did not have to be asked twice.

“The warmth given to me by my sisters and brothers in Kenya is one I will always cherish and helping them aid their needy communities is a good way to share the love. I look forward to getting back to Kenya and doing whatever necessary to assist with this and other situations and hopefully on a long term basis,” he said.

Gramps on the other hand plainly expressed his love for the continent.

“I hope to do my part in helping to alleviate the issues there and not just this one time, I hope to work with them for years to come to ensure our people’s welfares are taken care of through my foundation “Gramps Music Orchestrating Miracles”.

The grouping of artists is courtesy of the Give Africa Hope (GAH) movement, which is ‘a non-profit pursuit, uniting people & organizations from around the world to raise the awareness of famine relief efforts in Africa’.

“The Give Africa Hope movement was created to rally Africans & friends of Africa in the dispora to help with the relief efforts. This movement is far greater then just providing some food and water to residents living in Africa’s horn region,” says GAH team member Ann-Marie Oyugah.

“It is really great how everything came together organically,” she says. “We were brainstorming on how to do our part in the relief efforts when a close friend of mine, Thomas Mwicigi, designed a famine relief t-shirt to sell via his clothing line, Uhuru Clothing, to raise money. We discussed the need for large-scale collaboration and planning. A charity event was a natural first step and we all went to work right away.”

As part of celebrations to mark its 15th birthday, Capital FM has joined GAH as their media partner to highlight the activities they will be involved in locally.

As the fire dies down on the Kenyans for Kenya initiative, the concert in Dallas hopes to extend the cause to Kenyans in the diaspora and anyone else willing to give a helping hand.

Source: http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/lifestyle/2011/09/21/international-stars-show-their-love-for-kenya/

See related post: http://habarizanyumbani.jambonewspot.com/2011/09/17/give-africa-hope-concert-dallas-september-23rd-and-24th-2011/