Chronimas

Do You Know Who You are Talking to? Am a Writer

2011-12-12T17:35:00.003+03:00

Yesterday I finally took a serious look at the Confessions of Jean Jacques Rousseau and after some five odd years of dancing around the text I think I am finally reading it this time. Anyway the first three paras of the book really struck me. Here is what I consider one of the best openings of any literary work:

I HAVE begun on a work which is without precedent, whose accomplishment will have no imitator. I propose to set before my fellow-mortals a man in all the truth of nature; and this man shall be myself.
I have studied mankind and know my heart; I am not made like any one I have been acquainted with, perhaps like no one in existence; if not better, I at least claim originality, and whether Nature has acted rightly or wrongly in destroying the mold in which she cast me, can only be decided after I have been read. I will present myself, whenever the last trumpet shall sound, before the Sovereign Judge with this book in my hand, and loudly proclaim, "Thus have I acted; these were my thoughts; such was I. With equal freedom and veracity have I related what was laudable or wicked, I have concealed no crimes, added no virtues; and if I have sometimes introduced superfluous ornament, it was merely to occupy a void occasioned by defect of memory: I may have supposed that certain, which I only knew to be probable, but have never asserted as truth, a conscious falsehood. Such as I was, I have declared myself; sometimes vile and despicable, at others, virtuous, generous, and sublime; even as Thou hast read my inmost soul: Power Eternal! assemble round Thy throne an innumerable throng of my fellow-mortals, let them listen to my confessions, let them blush at my depravity, let them tremble at my sufferings; let each in his turn expose with equal sincerity the failings, the wanderings of his heart, and if he dare, aver, I was better than that man."

This statement from one of the world’s greatest philosophers really got me thinking about the reason writers do what they do. It is already an established fact that real writers write their lives and live their words. The question I glean from Rousseau’s opener is how many writers feel the same way as him. How many of them believe they are irreplaceable and their material is one of a kind. In business it is referred to as the unique selling point. How many writers believe that if they died the world will have lost a valuable repository of knowledge that cannot be attained from anywhere else? How many believe that on the day of judgment they will be able to stand before their respective maker and claim, this is the talent you gave me and with it I have been able to change the world. I stopped child labour with my poetry. I brought an end to domestic violence with my prose. How many writers will be able to say to themselves, my existence had value?
If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then don’t write, because our culture has no use for it.
Anais Nin

Why I Want to Be 3 Years Old Again

2011-11-28T08:16:00.003+03:00

Yesterday I was at a friend’s place and her four year old daughter did something naughty so like any good parent she spanked her. Not hard just enough to let her know that she was doing a mistake. The child did what most kids do when in the same situation, she slumped off to a corner and proceeded to pout. Don’t mind her mom said, coz if you do then she will cry and make a fuss about everything. Soon she will come round. I did not quite understand this mostly because I am not very good with kids so my sought to explain it to me. She’s seeking attention and sympathy. If you even as much as look in her direction she will try to make you feel guilty for spanking her and trust me she can be very convincing. It’s just a form of manipulation that kids do. In the end, after her efforts to get our attention failed, she slowly trotted to where we were and she was soon laughing and everyone was happy. But the scenario had me thinking about the different stages of our lives and the different methods we use for getting attention. Kids pout and sulk in corners until they are given sweets and bembelezwad to smile again. They know that if they look sad enough someone will ask “Nani amekuchokoza mami”. For grown ups though, we have a more difficult time trying to get attention. We can’t sulk, pout or cry coz people will call us childish so we have to suck it up. We try to reach out and do strange things that are not the norm in the hope that someone will witness our change in routine and ask, “kwani what’s up?”. The problem with this kind of methods of attention seeking is that not everyone falls for it and those that do ignore the signs and assume that whatever is bugging us will soon disappear. In the process we sink further in depression and loneliness and hate our friends and loved ones for not caring. It’s little wonder someone coined the joke, never tell people your problems coz half of them won’t care, and the rest have bigger problems than yours. So in this problem festered adult-world that I am slowly getting accustomed to I just wonder who will help us when we need that al important shoulder to lean on? Who will listen to us when we want someone to commiserate with us? No wonder we are a sad, lonely lot; aging faster than we really should and getting even sadder as we grow older. And you ask why children are so happy?

What Illegal Structures?

2011-11-24T08:44:00.003+03:00

I have refrained from speaking about the Syokimau, Utawala, Eastleigh and wherever-the-government-is-going-next demolitions but somehow you can’t claim to be a commentator on contemporary issues if you do not talk about the demolitions, can you? So here goes. One thing that struck me was one tenant of a flat in Eastleigh who said “why couldn’t we get a notice in the newspaper and the matter be reported in a huge headline that says this is going to happen and we need to prepare ourselves..”
What strikes me about this comment is that this is one of the most relevant questions in the ongoing blame game and confusion. Where was the media when structures were coming up illegally near airports? We are quick to blame the government for sitting back and folding their arms watching flats and bungalows come up only to wait after the buildings are done to come and demolish them.
It is a known fact that human settlement is forbidden in the vicinity of some areas. River banks, airports, fuel pipelines, railway lines, etcetera. However here was a multi-million estate literary coming up under the noses of both the print and electronic media which was routinely canvasing the region doing feature stories on various diverse boring issues while missing the main story.
We really dropped a ball on this one and I know you are asking me where I was and how dare I start screaming about the media with such self-righteousness while am part of the lethargic machinery. Well I was in school but even if I wasn’t I doubt I would have picked it up. Yes I know am not immune from fault but I still get to criticize me and my fellow watu wa magazetti.
My heart however goes out to all those who had their dreams of home ownership go up in dust. Literally. Imagine how difficult it is for someone who got a sh5 million building loan and had just completed building the house and is now financing the loan. He’s paying for nothing really. To make the matter worse, maybe he borrowed at 16% interest but he now has to repay at 26%. Cruel and inhumane is all I can say and I agree with house speaker Marende; someone has to take responsibility.

Phoenix

2011-11-23T08:40:00.001+03:00

This is a revision of a post that I wrote on the comeback issue of Chronimas, almost three years ago. The comeback was not that successful and I know you are asking me why I think it would be successful this time but what do I lose by trying right? So here goes. The first post on Chronimas in a year. Awful stats I know but I sure hope that changes soon… There’s a problem that sometimes comes with dreaming. It happens when we become so used to dreaming that we do not realize when the dream has come true. We are unable to differentiate between reality and our wishful thinking and mistake the reality for the illusionary. The result is that we are taken up by the confusion and we forget to live our dream. We get caught up by the moment and before we realize it the dream is gone. Vanished. Disappeared. Never to be seen again. Two years ago ﬁ ve guys in Maseno had a dream. It was a dream that they could create a weekly independent newsletter. Through this newsletter, all students would be free to express themselves in various literary forms. Soon the ﬁrst issue of Chronimas graced our notice boards. Chronimas was more than a collection of poems and stories posted on a notice board. It was a statement. A deﬁant proclamation from those that dared to dream to a world that cared more about politics and academia than poetry and fantasy. It was a heartfelt unedited script about life. About joy, sorrow, pain, happiness. It was the realized dream of telling the world what was in the mind and heart of the writer. With time however Chronimas suffered the fate of many a realized dream. The creators refused to believe the reality of their creation and soon reality became an illusion and the dream that was Chronimas sank to oblivion. But not all is lost. This semester the dream that was Chronimas rises like a Phoenix from the ashes. We invite you to live the dream with us. To share in the fulﬁ llment that comes with free expression.After all, we are Chronimas. Welcome.This is third attempt. Third time’s the charm right…

Cradle By Anis Mojgani

2010-11-02T14:54:00.003+03:00

Set the warriors to sea in a ship stacked with shields, layers of swords, mountains of gold. Lay them out with their wife. With their child. Lay them out with their livestock, with the whole farm. The rain is not coming here. Not today. For today the gods welcome one of their own back home. So set the hero out on the soft waves that will carry him to the other side of the pink ether where he will float on fire until the ash consumes him like the mighty warrior he once was and like the legend he will become. The flames will dance over his possessions, his goblets and arrows, his blankets, his paintings, his passions. The flames will dance across his flesh like the soft fingers of the soft lover he left, and as he sleeps this last sleep, the fires will eat him away, the heat will write his skin across the night sky to join the constellations that will guide the sailors at storm, the herders lost in the clouds, they will all come home by facing the direction his eyes are facing. The heavens are filled with smoke. This is history this is legend this is what we once were. Where the stories come from, what we are. When you fall in battle, they will take your body with the life you made in this world and set it off to sail behind you into the next, so that you will stay a king, remain forever the golden being you breathed as on this side of the mountain. When you pass, may your life follow you like a shadow into the light. When I go, bury me with nothing but my own skin. I spent far too many days trying to outrun this thing called mine, so if I set myself into your arms would you hold me like the earth, quietly? I am yours. Give me a field, give me a big sky. A mountain. Give me your mouth. I’m just looking for a quiet place that I could die inside of.

Anis Mogjani

Fathers day

2010-08-03T08:24:00.001+03:00

a memorial at St James
as the organ plays
i forget why i came
the material father?
i celebrate the purple white vestments
the testaments, forgivenes
i thank my Father
in Heaven
for Mr. Mwangi, the forgiven.

Serching for Ezra

2010-08-03T08:23:00.000+03:00

cyan bricks follow a perfect symmetry...
shaded farenheits below
a sullen newt dreams
of violent things.

An Experiment in Haiku

2010-08-03T08:18:00.002+03:00

a certain laboratory
a student's
thinking about
dry ice, frozen ovaries-
running away to Poetry

Equity Posts sh3 Billion Profit In Half Year Results

2010-07-20T17:24:00.003+03:00

Equity bank today announced a sh3.88 billion pretax profit in the half year June on increased lending supported by the ongoing recovery of Kenya’s economy in the current financial year.
The figure saw a 46 per cent increase from the sh2.66 billion posted during the same period last year.
The bank cited a conducive operating environment that was buoyed by the ongoing drive for political reforms and the upcoming referendum campaigns.
Profits after tax rose by 44 per cent from sh2.09 million registered during the same period last year to stand at sh3 billion.
Releasing the results at the bank’s head offices at Equity Center this morning, Equity’s CEO Dr. James Mwangi said that the rise in the banks profit margins was due to the improving macroeconomic environment, new innovations and improving asset portfolio among other things.
“The groups continued quest for new innovations in the financial sector coupled with continued optimism in the economy means that customers are voting with their feet as indicated with the one million plus new deposit accounts in the period under review,” he said.
With 4.95 million account holders, the bank commands a 56 per cent lion’s share of Kenya’s bank accounts and is ambitious to expand this margin.
The bank partnered with telecommunications firm Safaricom two months ago to launch an innovative banking platform M-Kesho targeting the larger unbanked population especially in rural areas.
The unique banking service enables individuals to withdraw money from their bank accounts via their mobile phone handsets and also allows Equity customers to deposit money into their accounts through Safaricom's M-Pesa agents.
With deposits from as little as Sh100, individuals can credit and withdraw money from their M-Kesho account using the M-Pesa money transfer service.
The M-Kesho platform has no monthly charges on the account holders or a minimum balance and the cash deposited attracts an annual interest depending on the amount an individual banks.
The service that is targeting to create 10 million accounts and make Kenya the most banked developing country in the world has so far registered 400, 000 new account holders.
According to Dr. Mwangi, the positive response from the market is an indication of the viability of the telecommunications sector to drive the economy.
“Our partnership with Safaricom means that we are on the fast track to virtually create 17,000 bank agents and 10 million new accounts”, he said.
The bank also reported to have increased its network with the addition of 20 more branches to its network that stood at 145 in June last year.
The East African community protocol that came in effect from the first of this month broadened the market for firms in the region and Equity Bank is exploring new opportunities in the region.
“The effecting of the common market protocol has provided limited opportunities for the Bank to play its role in providing effective channels to households and small businesses in the region”, said Mr. Mwangi.
By Frankline Sunday

The Gospel according to Mama

2010-07-08T17:17:00.002+03:00

Son, the world is a cold case,
A box of unsolved crime,
Of which your father is guilty,
God the Father forgive me!
(Way of the cross!)
Switch of that music,
And record the sermon
On 93.9 F.M,
Heed the Nine Fruits of the Spirit
And a Tenth; a Job.
Trust no one,
Family comes first,
All women are serpents.
I can forgive some lust,
But your first salary is mine.
Man must Live, Yes;
But mine is a small acre,
Somewhere in Murang’a.
So don’t get caught;
Joseph of Arimathea
Will not Deliver you there.
I sang no Magnificat,
Heaven knows it was difficult.
I knew no Aunt.
And no one leapt for you,
No myrrh. I did burn some incense.
As I looked up towards Aries.
These old crusts of Earth,
Are all I ever had.
No proverbs. Maybe a few verbs;
Eat, Sleep. Go, Come.
The sum of the Psalms
Was the food on my palms.
Don’t worry about paying me back,
I know the world is an Old place,
All I can wish you for,
Is God’s Grace.

Clifton Gachagua

Slave Trade is Back

2010-07-07T16:20:00.003+03:00

Slave trade is back

It was a thin cloud of native
So the strong wind brought hope
As it was removed to pave way for knowledge
And our vivid happiness of he heave
Of the black inhumane slave trade!

But no the direction of wind has changed
Its back; the heavy black cloud of slave trade
Clinging tightly and mercilessly to drape
Our last optimism of hope
Of black to black slave trade

The politicians enslave the innocent people
By exchanging their golden vote
With useless promises of high hope
While every term mass murder encore
Of civilians not villains who lead a simple life

Their whale tummies reflect the prime
While poverty and its counterpart corruption are on the rise
The battle of life is unbearable
Because our ‘trusted’ watchmen the police
Exchange the truth with cheap bribe

It’s extra useless to truth grope
For we are in a democratic loophole
Where the best way to truth silence
Is a hired gangster’s bullet in your temple
That’s the dear slavery price

Africa is simply an ignorant slave
Sold to the loose
With unholy stinking mess of pottage j
Just imagine fellow the digger of the grave
Is the very trusted executive ones!

The prime like our ignorance
You see use a thief to catch another that is the game
That’s why the epitaph of Africa is; that
‘She kills her sun’ no wonder
Her granary is full of poverty and corruption.

So comrade don’t think she is docile
No! She is a mad wild horse
That is hopeless to tame
For she hides the virgin hope
And silence the truth

Composed by:
Manuel Odeny
manodeny@yahoo.com
Communication & Media Technology Maseno University

A Sunday Mass

2010-07-07T16:15:00.002+03:00

A Sunday Mass

There’s a marketplace
Where we meet every Sabbath
That’s, of course, after our escapade
Running to and fro Hades!
Previous nights of illicit desire
We are the girls and boys of The Sire;
Nights on the green grass
(with our primates watching as a passive audience)
Or three inches of mattress
(with our three roommates peeping through the blankets)
Our market of wild men,
Quietly holding their bibles, saying Amen!
Meanwhile
In the back of a boy’s mind, an empty aisle,
Boy: have we met?
Yes, girl nods her head.
Boy: Do you remember Friday night?
Quiet, recognition, shame, blushes….
Girl: That’s no talk for the day of the Lord. Shhhh!
Oh Friday! We walked the narrow way.
Saturday, such a lonely day…
Priest: Peace be with you.
Boy, girl and all: and also with you.
How can I forget, you served it wet!
Girl: Chance, did we use protection?
Time for prayer, confession…
Boy: Hold on….
Girl: Then, did we?
Boy: You were musical like the beatitudes.
Such magnitude!
Nine times you said “Bless You!”
Priest: Happy are those who mourn…
Girl: Boy! This is no pun
Did we or didn’t we?
Boy: None was intended, Hun.
All I remember, I was a comforted mourner!
Priest: Canaan, land of honey and manna…
Boy: Sad what we should pay for a tit –bit-a-fun
Why the sneer,
Didn’t you like the sheets, dancing and cold beer?
Girl: This is a church for Christ’s sake!
Priest: They made it a local market place,
A place for bribery, lies and false trade!
Boy: Nay be troubled, it’s but sweet fate
You never made a mistake
Gin, some beer, the weed; maybe a little too high!
But heaven knows I was too tired to rake!
After all, it is a Sabbath
Haste and forgive me Sweet Pie,
And you, Father!
The mass is ended!
Are boy and girl’s hearts mended?
Boy: Pretty lady,
What are you doing on Friday?

Clifton Mwangi

Social Media Becomes New Suggestion Box for Consumers

2010-06-30T14:40:00.003+03:00

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has had profound effects both on the aquatic environment and on the global energy company.

The firm reportedly loses $6 million daily since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig blew up in April 20 2010 with the worst being far from over as containment efforts still remain futile.

The multinational has over the last two months come under intense pressure over its handling of the Gulf oil spill crisis. Under duress from the Obama administration, BP recently pledged a $100 billion compensation fund for the victims of the oil spill.

The company’s image has drastically suffered owing to its handling of the crisis and calls of a BP boycott have already been sounded by consumer protection groups in the US.

Experts are however quick to point out that a BP boycott could do little to the overall profits of the company. That did not stop Public Citizen, a public interest advocacy group in the US from launching a BP boycott online campaign.

Boycott BP, a Facebook page that is the main carrier of the group’s message, was started in the last week of May 2010 and initially registered 25,000 clicks a day. Currently, the page has close to 700,000 followers and is growing by the hour with new posts every 35 seconds.

The situation is not any different on Twitter. A search with the key words “Oil spill” will give you thousands of tweets with new tweets registering every 3-6 seconds.

Ever since the explosion of the oil rig, over 17 twitter accounts have been created against the company with a combined 27,000 tweets and over 20,000 followers.

Samples of some of the most followed tweets include, “the ocean looks a bit slimmer today. Dressing it in black really did the trick. And some sarcastic ones like, “are people mad at us for drilling in the ocean? Maybe God shouldn’t have put oil in there in the first place. A recent one read, “Rumor has it BP paid off idiot referee Koman Coulibaly to distract everyone from the oil spill”, in reference to the ongoing FIFA World Cup.

This online crusade by social media against a corporate organization is not the first one in recent times. In 2008, confectionary giant Cadbury faced the wrath of disgruntled customers who waged a social media campaign war against the British based company over plans it had of introducing a new ingredient into its product.
Cadbury planned to add palm oil to its chocolate in Australia and New Zealand. The company insisted it was doing so to improve its chocolate as the palm oil produced a softer product than chocolate made with real cocoa butter.
The public was however certain that the company was introducing the palm oil to cut costs since palm oil is considerably cheaper than cocoa butter usually the normal ingredient.
Furious chocolate lovers organized anti-Cadbury campaigns on Facebook and Twitter and the issue blew to proportions Cadbury did not anticipate. The company was forced to shelve its proposals and a week later, Cadbury joined Twitter.
Social media sites have gradually evolved over the years as a vital tool for consumer action by disgruntled customers against corporate organizations.

This has been partly owing to the evolution of new media as a faster and more interactive source of breaking news. The blogging revolution and the age of social networking witnessed in the last decade has seen an audience shift towards social media as an important source of information particularly entertainment news.

Through social media sites, audiences can read and comment on occurrences in real time without waiting for the 7 or 9 pm bulletin.

A major turning point on social media as a source of information was occasioned by the death of pop icon Michael Jackson last year. Traditional mainstream media outlets were caught unawares as news of the singers death sifted through the blogosphere.

TMZ.com, the American entertainment website was the first online media outlet to report the news. Newsrooms were for several hours crippled with confusion as to whether the pop idol had suffered a heart attack or was dead with some believing it was an elaborate hoax.

The story however made massive landfall in the blogosphere and in social networking sites with Twitter being temporarily shut down from the massive chatter among the members. A whole two hours after TMZ.com broke the story, The LA Times and Associated Press confirmed that Michael Jackson was indeed dead.
Back at home and only three months ago the local social media network witnessed the first local digital content to go viral. The exploits of Makmende for several days punctuated the online lives of Kenyan Facebookers as users tried to establish who or what Makmende is.
Today, a Google search of the word Makmende gives you more than 242,000 results including a Wikipedia entry and a Facebook page with 50,000 fans.
Internet users in Kenya have become more aware of the power of social media. According to a report by Synovate 54 per cent of Kenyans use the internet for entertainment while 45 per cent use the net for social networking. The report further goes to peg the number of Kenyan Facebookers at 2 million.
The trend in the exploitation of social media as a source of information however goes beyond celebrity gossip and entertainment news. Corporate organizations are realizing that social media is vital in terms of getting consumer feedback.
Raabia Hawa, a presenter with a local radio station in Kenya who has realized the importance of social media as a tool for consumer advocacy.
Raabia has formed two groups on Facebook with a combined membership of close to 6000 members aimed at addressing animal rights issues and environmental degradation. One of her campaigns is aimed at reducing the use of polythene bags by local supermarkets.
“I tried reaching to the management of the supermarket through their suggestion box but my comments were largely ignored so I took up social media,” she says.
I set up the group where members could and sent out invites to my friends and soon the group grew on its own accord. Members who had the same issue of concern posted comments and sent out invites to their friends including BBC's Saba Douglas-Hamilton
And just how successful is it one may ask. Last week Raabia was called in a meeting by the management of a local supermarket chain to discuss the issue of environmental pollution from polythene bags and what could be done about it.
“We set out to realize a greener Kenya and the outcome of our talks goes to show that someone was listening”, she says.
In a bid to avoid being left out of the loop, local media companies have expanded their online divisions to include social networking sites. Virtually all TV, radio stations and newspapers have Facebook and Twitter fan pages that form a vital source of feedback.
The social networking bug has bitten many companies ranging from telecommunications firms to government parastatals. The Interim Independent Electoral Commission, (IIEC), the Kenya ICT Board and the Committee of Experts are just a few of government agencies that have Facebook fan pages.
Politicians have also set up base on social media with numerous Facebook accounts some even announcing their bids for the 2012 elections.
With the number of Kenyans getting access to the Internet ever on the increase, awareness of social media is set to grow. As more consumers turn to social sites for consumer action, corporate organizations are coming to terms with one stark reality: What happens on Facebook does not remain on Facebook.
END

Griffin Remembered

2010-06-28T08:57:00.002+03:00

The parents, students and faculty of Starehe Boys Center yesterday held a memorial ceremony to commemorate the Center’s founder Dr William Griffin.

Among the guests was Gatanga Member of Parliament Peter Kenneth an alumni of the institution who praised Griffin for his love, care and concern for needy students.
“I used to wash Dr Griffin’s car with my friend and in turn would give us sh 20 at the end of the month,” said the MP as he remembered the former director.
“The only privilege we would get was riding in his vehicle when we went for a trip to Mombasa at the end of the year. Kenya has indeed lost a great man”.
Dr. Griffin was widely revered as a man who inculcated a culture of discipline and many at the ceremony agreed that if Kenya had more leaders like him, the country would be developed.
Under his strict code of conduct, Starehe Boys Center distinctly emerged as a center of excellence nationwide. The school became famous for being one of the few that did not tolerate bullying at the time when bullying in schools had become rampant.
Mr Njenga Ragu, Chairman of Old Starehe Students Association told the congregation in his speech of how Griffin never tolerated tribalism in the school.
He remembers being punished together with his friend for speaking in their tribe though the two of them did not come from the same ethnic community.
“We can only achieve more in this country by condemning tribalism,” he said.
He praised Dr Griffin for teaching them hard work, integrity and embracing Christianity. He was un-dramatic and looked at serving others.
One of the founding directors Mr. Joseph Gikubu recalls how he met griffin. “It was in Manyani detention camp where I was detained and Dr. Griffin was a police officer. I was later on transferred to Othaya Approved School where Dr. Griffin was a colony youth organizer.
“Dr. Griffin later asked me to resign and finally we both founded the school. I do not regret any bit,” he added emotionally. The two were along Jeffrey Geturo who has since passed on.
The director and principal of the school Mr. Mathew Kithyaka said that in the brief moment he spent with Dr. Griffin, one major attribute was outstanding, humility. He described him as humble, patient and a good listener.
Onesmus Abdul a former student who spoke to the Nation, said that Dr. Griffin was out going and free. “If you had a problem, it was very easy to approach him and he always gave room for dialogue” he said with fond remembrance.

Griffin was regarded as a competent administrator always in the school compound at eight to ensure people came for parade and at four where he would deliver announcements. He was dedicated and loved his job.
Pius Kioko another former student said that Dr. Griffin he encouraged each student to do their best in all aspects of life. He was also good to boys and could come down to their level.
He recalls him attending the Friday Baraza (a forum where students aired their views) and listening to their complaints .
“He was not just concerned with academics but would participate in school events like inter-house competitions. In fact he used to play badminton. As long as he was around there was a sense of security. After he passed on we missed the feeling” retorted Kioko with a touch of nostalgia in his voice.
The Starehe Boys' Centre and School was founded in 1959 as a street children rescue home by the late Dr. Geoffrey William Griffin, Geoffrey Gatama Geturo and Joseph Kamiru Gikubu.

By Emma Malin

Safaricom Named African Telecom of the Year

2010-06-23T09:12:00.001+03:00

Mobile service provider Safaricom has added another feather on its cap after being named “Africa’s Telecommunications Company of the year”.

The company was feted in the third edition of the African Business Awards 2010 held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on Monday June 21, 2010.

The firm emerged first in its competitive pack of other telecoms operators on the continent including Gateway Communications and Globacom Mobile, both of Nigeria, Mobinil of Egypt and Ghana’s Tigo.

Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph hailed the achievement of the company as recognition for Safaricom’s business and strategic model. “I congratulate all Safaricom employees, without whose overall contribution, this achievement would not have been possible. It is all the more befitting as Safaricom was chosen ahead of several peers from all over Africa,” he said.

Safaricom’s Chief Human Resources Officer Joseph Ogutu received the award on behalf of the company. This is the third edition of the awards that are organized by IC Publications, publishers of African Business magazine, and the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC).

The ABA celebrates excellence and best practice in African business and recognizes those who have driven Africa’s rapidly transforming economy.

Some of the 12 categories under which awards are conferred include: Lifetime achievement, African Business of the Year, best Global Business, best Public-Private Partnership, Telecoms Company of the Year and Business Leader of the Year.

The Telecoms Company of the Year, under which Safaricom emerged the winner, goes to the best business operating in the telecoms sector. The winner will have shown solid financial results, developed innovative products and services for consumers and generated significant returns on investment for stakeholders.

The award further rewards market penetration, innovation and transformation at the grassroots level, namely measuring the extent to which the telecom has improved citizens’ lives.

The award comes in the backdrop of Safaricom posting a colossal sh21 billion pre tax profit for the 2009/2010 financial year. Based on its latest annual results, the firm has proposed the doubling of its dividend payout from Sh4 billion to Sh8 billion.

The company’s increased profit was propelled by increased revenues from data services and the innovative Mpesa money transfer service. Mpesa was introduced in 2007 and in three years of its operation, the service has won global awards and managed to register close to 9 million customers.

Mpesa has seen several money transfer products targeting the low income market being rolled out by finance institutions and other telecoms as they rush to catch up with Safaricom.
Safaricom was also nominated under the much coveted African Business of the Year Award together with Bidco Oil Refineries Ltd, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, Citadel Capital and the De Beers Family of Companies.
The winners for the African Business Awards are chosen from consultations with multilateral agencies, the editorial board of the African Business magazine and experts from the Commonwealth Business Council. In last year’s edition of the ABA, Equity Bank won the prestigious African Business of the Year award.

Commenting on this year’s Awards, Omar Ben Yedder, Publisher of African Business magazine, said: “Every year we honour those who have contributed significantly to the dynamic and confident Africa we see today. It is heartening to see this list of successful entrepreneurs in a variety of fields growing longer each year”.

The recognition of Kenyan firms as important players in driving forward Africa’s development agenda forward will go a long way in increasing investor confidence in Kenya as a suitable environment for doing business.

Liberalized Mobile Market Hits Uptake of Post Paid Services

2010-06-22T16:02:00.004+03:00

Shaky credit histories and fear of contracts are keeping Kenyans away from post-paid telephony, industry analysts say.

Over the years, post-paid subscribers numbers have declined as the market progressively liberalised, moving from a predominantly post-paid market in the days of Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation to its current pre-paid state where multiple players exist.

According to a recent report by the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), the total number of mobile phone subscribers stands at 19.3 million.

Out of this colossal number, just 186,374 are post-paid subscribers.

Post-pay services give customers the opportunity to make phone calls then pay for the services at a later date, usually monthly.

Subscription therefore constitutes the advancement of some amount of credit by the service provider and hence requires the signing of a contract.

But many mobile phone subscribers are unable to meet the requirements, like a credit history, that are essential for signing a contract.

This can be attributed to the fact that the larger portion of mobile phone users does not have a formal banking service.

This has led to the propagation of a culture that has seen post-pay services a reserve of the affluent, working class mobile phone subscribers.

According to Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph, the disparity in numbers is caused by the economic variables of Kenya’s population and spending culture.

“Post-pay services are normally favoured by high-end, working class and corporate customers looking for convenience, control and freedom. Pre-pay service is a “pay-as-you-go” option, meaning that one does not have to pass any credit checks.

Many phone subscribers thus, opt for this option to avoid the hassles of end of the month bills and paper work,” said Mr Joseph.

Mr Sylvester Oduor, a stock broker, has taken up a post-paid subscription plan which he deems most appropriate to his line of work.

“In my daily activities, I have to make a lot of phone calls to my clients and a post-paid subscription plan means I do not have to keep on loading air time or worry about running out of credit when am in the middle of a phone call,” said Mr Odour.

Mr Odour said he views his mobile post-paid bill as a utility, likening it to the days when Telkom Kenya would send monthly bills for its landline service.

“Even if I took up the pre- paid subscription plan, the cumulative cost of the scratch cards I use up in a month is not much different from my post paid credit bill,” he said.

Conventional thinking reveals pre- paid subscribers have more control over their spending on phone calls since the credit limit agreed upon with the service provider naturally puts a ceiling one one’s spending.

But within the mobile industry, pre-paid customers are often given fewer benefits than their post paid counterparts, who are considered to be high value customers.

“Post-paid has historically yielded better revenues per user than pre-paid, but in this market, the dynamics favour the pre-paid user,” said Rene Meza, Zain Kenya CEO.

Post- paid subscribers benefit from a wider menu of services such as accessing a larger roaming network.

Roaming is the ability for a cellular customer to automatically make and receive voice calls, send and receive data, or access other services when travelling outside the geographical coverage area of the home network, by means of a visited network.

Under the pre-paid option, the roaming network is considerably small compared to the post-paid option that gives subscribers a wider international roaming network.

Roaming services are ideal for mobile phone subscribers who have to travel a lot on business.

This is because it gives them the convenience of maintaining their mobile handsets allowing them to seamlessly continue their business transactions despite the new geographical terrains.

It also eliminates the hurdles to obtaining a new SIM card that is compatible to the foreign network without which the subscriber cannot make use of his mobile phone device.

Despite these features of post-paid subscription, many mobile users still prefer pre-paid subscription plan.

Pre-paid customers largely outnumber post-paid customers, with many mobile phone users preferring to load air time using scratch cards.

In an effort to exploit subscribers’ inclination to pre-paid services, mobile phone operators have concentrated a bulk of their resources towards maximising returns from this market.

Air time scratch cards have over the years drastically reduced in denomination from around the initial Sh500 offered in 2000 to as little as five shillings currently.

This has seen most of the subscribers who make their advent into mobile telephony opt for the pre-paid subscription plan.

The accessibility to scratch cards, coupled with the reduction in prices of mobile phone handsets has led to lower maintenance and entry costs respectively, a major contributing factor to Kenya’s spiralling growth in the telecommunications sector.

Besides, the bulk of mobile phone operators’ advertising and promotional expenses are channelled towards increasing the number of pre-paid subscribers.

This has been witnessed particularly in the rural areas where mobile penetration has been increasing at a high rate.

The mobile telephony market still has room for expansion as many Kenyans are un-subscribed to any network.

The post-paid subscription market has potential for significant growth and mobile phone service providers have a reason to be optimistic of this.

As more and more Kenyans get access to formal banking services, many subscribers will gain access to a credit history.

This will demystify and ease the process of signing up for a post- paid credit account, with their mobile phone subscriber netting in more customers into the service.

The anticipated launch of a centralised credit rating bureau will further enable more customers, on the basis of their credit history, to walk in and access post-paid services.

It is this centralised credit rating that has enabled post-pay services in developed countries to achieve rapid growth.

Zain's new International calls offer

2010-06-16T13:46:00.003+03:00

Zain Kenya yesterday unveiled new international calling rates both for pre paid and post paid customers.

Under the new calling rates, Zain customers can make international calls from as little as sh10.

According to Zain Kenya CEO, Rene Meza, Kenya is one of the countries with the highest number of international calls in the region.

“This is particularly owing to the fact that many multi national companies have bases in Kenya and the communication between the regional offices and their headquarters is what constitutes most of the international traffic calls”.

Zain customers will be charged sh10 per minute to call USA, UK, India and Canada. Calls to South Africa, East Africa, china and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be charged sh20 per minute. Sh30 per minute will be charged for calls to the rest of the world.

The new rates are in effect immediately and to subscribe, Zain subscribers dial *111# free of charge. The new call rates come barely a month since the second largest telecommunications firm in Kenya rolled out a new off peak tariff, Jikonnect.

Under Jikonnect, callers are charged sh3 for Zain to Zain calls and sh6 for calls to other networks from 6pm to 6am.

On whether or not the company would be making similar cuts in data service packages, Mr. Rene stated that they were waiting on official communication from the regulator on the revision of the 3G license fee.

Last week, the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) chief Charles Njoroge stated that the commission had reviewed the 3G license fee to Usd10 million from Usd25million, a statement that did not go down well with market leader Safaricom.

Safaricom, which paid Usd25 million for the license, stated that it will be seeking Usd15 million in refunds from CCK. Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph stated that, “the CCK has a regulatory obligation to treat all licensees equally and we should not suffer for having obtained the 3G license earlier.”

The new calling rates are bound to step up the price wars in the telecommunications industry that remains the fastest growing rector in the country.
International calling rates for Safaricom to USA, Canada, and China are charged at sh25 while calls to the East African region are charged at sh30 per minute except for calls to MTN Uganda, UTL, Vodacom Tanzania, and MTN Rwanda which are charged at sh18.00 per minute.
The re-branding of Zain Kenya to Airtel was earlier this month set on course following the completion of Bharti Airtel’s Usd10.7 billion purchase of Zain Africa which has operations in 15 countries in Africa.
The buy out made Bharti Airtel the fifth largest mobile company with combined revenues of over Usd12.4 billion and a customer base that covers almost 180 million people.
Zain Kenya CEO Rene Meza has traveled to Kampala for a five-day conference where CEOs of Zain Africa subsidiaries will meet executives from Bharti Airtel to map out the re-branding process.

Focus Turns to Boosting Local Digital Content

2010-06-10T08:54:00.002+03:00

Six years ago, Mark Zuckerburg founded the iconic Facebook to allow his friends to share intimate thoughts with each other.

The billion dollar enterprise has turned into a vital tool for businesses — and now, the Kenyan government hopes a local entrepreneur can create a similar application, hoping to spark the creative juices of local developers.

Basing its belief on continued local interest in foreign websites such as Yahoo, Gmail, Google and Facebook, the ICT Board is pegging its hopes on local developers to come up with similar applications.

Kenya ICT Board CEO, Mr Paul Kukubo, said there was a considerable lack of local content on the Internet.

“There is a big need for investment in local digital content to spur economic growth in the industry. This is an area with great economic potential but remains largely untapped due to a lack of awareness,” he said.

Statistics reveal that most Kenyans flock to foreign websites to remain updated and to keep in touch with their friends.

A growing number are visiting local sites, and those registering the highest number of hits include media company websites like the Nation and the Standard online editions followed by Job advertising websites like kenyanjobs.blogspot.com and bestjobskenya.com among others.

The ICT board believes the disparity between the number of locally visited sites and Western and European sites is largely due to the fact that there is little local digital content on the Internet.

“We have realised that there is a lot of untapped talent, especially from our youth in the area of digital content. This has been evident through the vibrant participation we have witnessed through the Tandaa festivals that we have been organising around the country,” said Mr Kukubo.

Despite the perception, over the years, the amount of local content on the Internet has been on the increase.

This has partly been attributed to the advent of fibre optic technology in Kenya last year and an overall increase in the number of internet users both in the urban and rural areas.

Recent statistics by the Kenya ICT Board puts the number of internet users at 3.4 million as at May 2010.

“One thing about local content creation in Kenya is that we actually do not need to reinvent any wheel. There are good models that are being run in other countries that we can replicate here with relative ease,” said Marvin Tumbo, CEO of Socialight Media.

Mr Tumbo’s company specialises in providing social media solutions to businesses in Kenya where there is a booming market from mature Internet users looking to find relevant content.

“As a content developer, the most important thing to do is to find a niche and then hyper-target. Finding a niche, research on what other countries are doing in the same area, import it, build the platform and yell from mountain tops about what you are doing.”

An example is cited of the Kenyan website Eat Out that lists local restaurants and their services, including a map of restaurants in Nairobi.

Eat out is modelled on the UK website under the same name and providing the same services.

Similarly, iborian, a local social networking website, attempts to model itself on Facebook.

But analysts say most investors in the field shy away from new and untested ideas owing to the risk involved.

Many face hurdles obtaining funding for proposals that could be lucrative digital business solutions.

Another challenge to local digital content providers who are starting up is monetising the concepts.

“Some digital content developers make the mistake of starting projects from poorly informed business models thus monetisation becomes an issue,” said Mr Tumbo.

Analysts say it is advisable for investors in the content industry to attempt to get some traction by having an initial test period to explore various revenue streams and tweak their business models accordingly until they find something that works.

A sure way of getting known is in utilising social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, advises Mr Tumbo.

While it is not guaranteed that content will go viral like the Makmende craze, the networking effect of these sites can help investors cover a lot of ground in a short time.

Developing the proper content through appropriate business models is a sure way of banking on the local talent to ensure that culture is online at the same time making definite strides to bridge the digital divide between developing and developed countries.

Daydreams

2010-06-07T18:26:00.002+03:00

I’m transformed, through a curtain of dust, a time bomb
I’m a jazz maestro, deep baritone
like storytelling Olu Dara.
My sweetheart, she can play the Kreutza sonata
I’m a poet,
writing obscene verses
I’m the Marquis de Sade, forgive me
I’m a sculpture
under a soap stone goddess,
she is working at my bones, touching me
with trigonometry
kissing me, with vowels
from the Arabian alphabet.
I’m sitting with Dambudzo, Taban lo Liyong,
speaking French and Shona
smoking from lobelia flutes.
I’m an actor in a tragedy, and
my tailor has Alzheimer’s
imagine my costume, my script laughs at me.
I met a happy boy on a mule and cart
riding like possessed Saul on a chariot.
Oh Lord, why can’t I play David’s Harp?
Why can’t I ride like the brat?

© Antony Gachagua

to this cold place:

2010-06-03T11:03:00.000+03:00

Shiver

Tranquil grace expand,Cover;
quilt thine soft.
Exposed hairs
brisk,Brushed chills
Only light
With goose
Pimples.

cinx

Death of a muse

2010-06-03T10:59:00.002+03:00

I killed my muse the other day,

twas a slow death she died each day,

tried hard to hold on to life bit i,

relentlessly cut her loose and watched her die.

Now i sit alone with my empty slate staring,

at the quill between my finger desperately waiting

for the voices in my head to make landfall on paper

only silence as the ink dries in a full pitcher

locked inside without an outlet of reprieve,

the ghosts in my head beg and scream for release

they claw and scratch and bite from within

till my mind is numb from the burning and bleeding

i reach for my unused quill and in pain i cry

for my fingers now shrunken and bent from leprosy

indeed no worse fate can i assume

than for a penman to kill his beloved muse.

by Frank

Cloud Computing, new oportunity for Kenyan Business firms to catch up.

2010-06-02T16:31:00.002+03:00

Cisco signaled its intent to enter the growing cloud computing field last week following an announcement that it would be offering a full suite of products aimed at helping companies minimize their operational costs.

Speaking during the launch of Cisco’s TelePresence Virtual Meeting Solution, Den Sullivan, CIO Cisco’s Emerging Markets said that the Cloud computing could help firms cut costs in half.

“The fact that cloud computing drastically reduces capital expenditure and provides flexible payment modules makes it ideal for businesses in a growing economy”, he said.

Cloud computing essentially refers to internet based computing where shared resources, software and information are provided to computers and other devices on demand.

It is where a cloud service provider creates an infrastructure of sorts complete with appropriate software and storage platforms and provides these services to clients on demand like electricity or water services.

The up side about cloud computing that makes it a novel IT business solution is that users save on capital expenditure in terms of hardware, software and IT services by between 40 – 50 per cent as these are all taken care of by the cloud provider.

In Kenya, Cisco Systems, the communications technology multinational, has placed itself strategically as a cloud service provider and is reaching out to the business community to adopt cloud computing.

Speaking to Business Daily, Den Sullivan, CIO Cisco’s Emerging Markets stated that Kenya’s business community has a lot to benefit from the adoption of cloud computing.

Cloud computing offers users elasticity in that, users can use as much or as little of the cloud services depending on their computing demands at any given time.

A cloud can be private or public. A public cloud sells services to anyone on the Internet. While a private cloud is a proprietary network or a data center that supplies hosted services to a limited number of people.

A cloud service provider can dole out its services in three platforms; infrastructure-as-a-service, platform-as-a-service and software-as-a-service.

Infrastructure-as-a-service provides users with virtual server instances with unique IP addresses and blocks of storage on demand. In this model, users buy storage capacity and payment is made on the basis of the amount of capacity one utilizes.

Platform-as-a-service model on the other hand is where the provider offers software and applications to its users as a service.

In the software-as-a-service cloud model, the cloud service provider supplies the hardware infrastructure, the software product and interacts with the user through a front-end portal.

One of the biggest selling points of cloud computing is that it levels the playing field for small companies to compete with bigger ones in terms of IT infrastructure. Business firms can save in terms of capital expenditure and transfer the money to operating expenditure.

Cloud computing services are billed on a utility or subscription based model. In the utility billing model, users pay only for the services they consume while the subscription billing model gives users the option of subscribing and paying for the cloud services for a period of an agreed upon time.

Cloud services can be helpful to a business firm in short term computing needs like payroll management and annual auditing considerably saving digital infrastructure, IT personnel, and maintenance costs.

With the presence of several fibre optic cable networks in Kenya and the ever increasing number of internet users, business firms in Kenya are well placed for the adoption of cloud computing.

However, the technology is not without its weaknesses one of which is security. The prospect of companies storing sensitive data and information regarding their operations on off site reserves is not one that many are ready to embrace.

There is a concern that the information can be susceptible to hackers and viruses like Trojans and internet worms. Also, in the likelihood scenario that one cloud service provider hosts two competing user firms, industrial espionage can be a potential threat to either users.

Another limiting factor is system compatibility. Most business firms in Kenya have IT systems that run on earlier operating and network system versions. They would thus have to carry out an entire overhaul of their systems to ensure compliance and compatibility with the cloud service. This would introduce maintenance costs which the firms had at first set out to cut by subscribing to the services.

Frankline Sunday

Miss Poppy

2010-05-17T09:54:00.000+03:00

Lull me to sleep;
Send me to a place between
This rosary I carry and my vices,
Fix me a last fix,
And watch me pierce a vein
Stay there in my liquids;
Under my skin.
Go down my pipes,
And fill the once silky lungs
Now with pollens that mar pipe dreams,
Play me a solemn sonata;
Read me a medieval sonnet;
Indulge me in an Arabian night story,
Of a snake playing a flute
And a charmer coming out a basket!
Or about chasing dragons
Rising from a hot concave valley.
Watch me sleep,
As I surfeit in my misfortune,
Under the influence.
Lull me to sleep miss;
Sooth me to stupor.
Don’t remind me of dogma
And things I’ll miss in this sleep.
A hundred years past
I will remember you were my first.
A sweet hallucinatory love
Between and betwixt Miss Poppy and I.

Clifton Mwangi

The Lieutenant’s Wife

2010-05-17T09:49:00.000+03:00

I was only aware of the never ending urge to leave home and the smelling mesh of chaos that had trapped me there like a tethered goat, within a small patch of drying leaves of grass. I wanted to be away from the crowded bedroom and the smell of dump clothes and the sweaty bodies of my brothers as much as our bodies shared warmth at night; away from the chorus of curses from my parents that were meant to be concealed by the dirty curtains that separated our two roomed house; away from the heavy breathing of my youngest asthmatic brother; away from the fear that one day he would get tired of breathing.
I was in my final year at a school where broken desks and seats with peeling blue paint and the mystery of the Air Base gave me more solace than I ever expected to find in my mother’s bosom. Samora, the only friend I had, was unlike my blood brothers in every way, so much that I believed water to be denser than blood. He also had brothers at home and I hoped that I was closer to him than they were. Samora’s father was a lieutenant in the army, an occupation that provided enough temptation for me to make stupid jokes about their family. I’d joke about the lieutenant inspecting a guard of honor made up of his sons in their cotton pajamas, with her mother at the end of the line with a mwiko ready to punish whoever had wet their bed. Then I would silently imagine him in front of me and my brothers, with all the urine soaked clothes we slept in and the fantasies that we hid at the corners of our minds. Samora was always willing to listen and I never stopped talking even when he did not laugh at my jokes.
At the last cry of the bell I found myself walking Samora back to his home in the Base. I was more excited than he was to go back to his home. The house had nothing special about it. It had the same stone walls and roofing tiles that the other houses had. It was there that I met Samora’s mother, Mrs. Tabitha, and the maternal grace that came with her ample size and courtesy. Maybe instincts made all mothers sensitive to the quiet calls of their lost children, but she took me in like her own child. Nature had given her antennas by which she felt for my dying pulse and tried to revive it with Cadbury’s cocoa and ginger biscuits, and I, like a sulking calf took it all in with a zeal that must have surprised her. I never cared to look but I suppose Samora must have thought me a little mad. I always left before the lieutenant came back home. One day Samora and I had been found admiring a riffle and the beating that followed instilled a fear in me that made me stay as far away from the man as possible. Mrs. Tabitha would send me home, shouting regards to my family and reminders to study hard, all the while smiling, but all I could remember back at home was her affectionate confectionaries and ashy eyes.
I kept going back to the house after school in the pretence of making sure that Samora got home safe and sound. Every time Mrs. Tabitha went into the kitchen and come back carrying a silver kettle and plate, her eyes and face embodying me, making me feel alive. Those eyes bore into me arousing feelings as alien as the ideas of war that her son and I had entertained as we lay in the field watching war planes. As the giant shadows passed over our bodies we felt an awakening as if we had been baptized by an imaginary force. I remember those stares especially from a certain afternoon when she clothed me in an oversized soldier’s jacket. I had looked at her with blank eyes waiting for her face to usher me into what it is she expected me to feel. I had never seen her look at Samora that way. I decided to be a patriot in love with his mother country; to be a man. Then she took a long rifle into her hands, admiring it like it was the first time she had seen it. Mrs. Tabitha rubbed its magazine so carefully, as if it were a source of life. At that moment she could have been a florist polishing a ceramic vase for the delicate stems of her flowers. Sometimes I was not sure whether to feel safe or frightened under her stares.
The change that took place on my way back home must have been the toughest recurring rite of passage that I had to go through. I had to thrust the warmth that was in me from my heart and dump it along the garbage heaps of Mathare Valley, and if the stray dogs did not devour it in their cold nights then I could pick it up on days that Mrs. Tabitha was not at home, embrace it, and use it to rekindle a memory of the warmth of the confines of her huge body, trespassing to an unfamiliar grace. This must have been the same feeling I got when I stood beside a sanctuary staring at the stature of the Virgin Mary at church. Mrs. Tabitha taught me how to feel tangible miracles smooth as her bare skin. She had turned me into something that did not walk on air or land but hopped from one electric pole to the other, tempting the volts that dangled below me.
My youngest brother was always happy to see me; he’d jump on me and narrate the events of his day which were half-remembered stories with broken plots and characters without names, set against imaginary places and using words that he was still learning how to use. There was no time or space for homework after that, not in a mosaic house of settling dirt and rising screams. All this time I was in a sort of trance, already back in the Base gazing at Mrs. Tabitha.

By Mwangi Gachagua Clifton

November

2010-05-17T09:46:00.000+03:00

Whispers before dusk has fallen.

Remember remember November ,
That weather chilled November,
Hug pensive with shadows.
Sailing like lazy frigates
Before I could first succumb
To the lurid fields of frightful tempest.
Child remember that November.

The other year,
Their procession set afoot
On the mold to lay their dear.
Thence they scurried and left;
Hurried much faster
Than an honest farmer.
They saw a gleaming seed
Cold like the year
White like their dear.
Remember that December.

Child remember the hash tone
Of that petulant bone.
The one they saw gleam
At saint Patrick’s bloom
To wish my days gloom.
Remember also the vine
That cast a shadow
And raced its marble spine.

All this in November remember,
When my breath is still,
And my boughs are somber,
For the youth in me is aslumber.
When a cold draft shall quiver,
And the leaves wander
What has become of November.

CinX

The Fall

2010-05-17T09:45:00.000+03:00

I slipped
I felled
and never regained my balance
I grouped frantically for something to save me
And in my confusion I looked
and thought
I was falling in love with you
only to realize I was alone
with a broken heart
to keep me company

Gullibly I offered you my hand
but
you took my heart and life too

You were always there
you smiled, giggled, chuckled, joked and laughed
you listened, understood, comfort and counseled
you advised, sympathized and empathized
we touched, hugged and kissed
all clothed with friendship
to cover the nakedness of love

Am seated patiently waiting for love
but the man standing is not yet satisfied
how can you talk to the seated
when people standing are still empty-handed
am crawling to love
but some one is running to the alter
how can you run before you even learn to walk?
how can you run to unknown destination?

Silently like falling dust
the smoke rises and floats away
from dying embers of love

Manuel Odeny
manodeny@yahoo.com
Communication & Media Technology Maseno University

Bitter Sweet

2010-05-17T09:44:00.000+03:00

My sweet one,
Meeting you taught me to beg,
Leaving you made me a beggar,

The moment sharing,
Made me feel like flying,

A secret, by two’s shared,
The birds in two’s listened,
And the trees guarded,

Now, the skies are testifying,
Lights shining,
The wind’s blowing,
But with a different waving,

I loved to be hated,
From a fume that’s chambered,
The innocent soul is being oxidized,
No, the process’s redoxed,

How for once we love,
Next hated,

The enemied,
Why feel loved?
Life a curve, it is, sigmoid.

By Philip Ochola.

Letter to Daddy

2010-05-15T11:34:00.000+03:00

“Life is pleasant and death is only but peaceful. It is only the transition that is trouble some. As we look deep within we comprehend our perfect balance. There is no fear of the cycle of birth, life and death; for when we stand in the present moment we are timeless…”

It never occurred to me that you would depart this soon. You had promised to walk along with me to the end of time, but it never was. You worked so hard to make me what I am today, you inspired my life with big dreams and great ambitions and you always wanted the best o f me. You always made me proud and believe in myself. You mad me believe I was the best and your love was everything I needed in life.
You were my greatest friend. I remember during my lowest moments in life, your shoulder was always there for me to lean on. When I cried you wiped my tears and gave me a reason to smile again. When I was down you picked me up dusted my sleeve and helped me take yet another step. You were a true friend.
You were all I needed for a daddy, a mentor and a role model. I only wish I could see the future, then things would be different now. Though for the time we shared we couldn’t have been anything less than best friends. How I wish that the Heavens could wait just for a few years with you, then we would be somewhere, we would have been the best friends. But then it is also true that life is unfair but God is good. He knows why. Why you wouldn’t hold on, not even for a moment to have a last word with your friend.
Your desire to always be a victor shall lead my life. Your love shall forever be cherished. Your sense of humor shall always remind me of our beautiful days and times. Your kindness shall be missed by many. Your service to the community and generosity will be cherished. Your virtues I shall forever embrace and your principles will I uphold to keep my heart shinning. I will always keep your counsel and walk in the ways you taught me. Daddy you shall forever remain my hero.
Though you went to a place I cannot see you, I am sure that you are watching over me and also praying for me. That is why at time when am at the verge of giving up in life, that sweet still voice echoes at the back of my mind, “…Jikaze mwanangu jikaze…” I know one day I will be the best you wanted because your love is true!
Living with your loss has always been a great challenge and the worst reality in my life. It hurts to know that I will never see you again, and even talk to you. It hurts more that you are gone forever. All am left with are memories … memories of our sweet days, sweet moments and beautiful places we went together. Each of these memories sends a painful tear down my cheeks, tears that will never dry up, tears of your loss. But I have to live with the bitter truth that you are no more. These memories shall never leave my mind because they are all I am left with and I cannot risk losing both of you… if only God could give me a chance to hold you and speak to your face then I would beg you to get back, but this is not possible!
Goodbye my friend. You fought a good fight and I pray that God shall keep your soul until we meet again. May you find peace and rest with our father! Rest in peace Daddy!
…Everything under the sun happens for a reason, and Papa knows why. He is your strength and will make you Strong.”
Charity Gitira

Gazi and the Mechanics

2010-05-14T19:15:00.000+03:00

Everyone knew that there was no bone in them steady enough to lift a screwdriver and concerning nuts and bolts none of them knew which went in first. The only tools they were fond of using were their mouths for Mama Njambi’s beer and their filaments on mama Njambi’s girls. They would rise in the morning from whatever pit they had fallen into and make their way to the garage.
While outside the gate to the garage Gazi would lead them into doing nothing in particular. Occasionally they helped customers who pulled in with their broken pickups and old Toyota corollas and then demanded for a hundred shilling note thank you that would be spent on Mama Njambi’s famous concoctions which had won the hearts of many, the chief and coffee farmers included, with their potency and cheap price.
Gazi was known for his peculiar and queer rosemary smell which came from the rosemary trees on his half acre shamba. He was not exactly the most handsome man in Gakira village although stories had been heard that back in high school he had received enough scented letters from anonymous lovers to earn him the reputation of Mr. Lady’s Man, or as some would have it; Mr. Rexona. His hair could have carried fewer lice and his eyes would be a little less scary if they were not always bloodshot. In his many drunken stupors, falling and rising down in the banana plantations, he was fond of calling himself the King of Gakira. The other mechanics let him believe in anything as long as he could guarantee free alcohol. He could be Moses for all they cared but as long as he could strike stone and command holy water to come forth.
Gazi and the mechanics were the best grave diggers in the district. For such a profession that had unpredictable patterns of employment, they were always available on short notice. But the wages on such ceremonies were packets of Sportsman and Roasters and a meal of Mukimo and cabbages.
At night you could find him twisting rolls of cannabis to replenish his stock. He did this with so much skill that one day when Njambi had been lying next to him after a frustrating night of unrequited passion she was so overcome by jealousy and yelled, ‘If you could only be a man and hold me with such steady care and skill.’
Njambi did not notice at the moment but Gazi’s pupils dilated and the veins on his arms stuck out like writhing earthworms under the skin. He placed the last roll gently with the others and walked to the door to make sure that the locks had been tightly shut. He switched off the hurricane lamp that had been their only witness and proceeded to pull out his black leather belt from his pants, silently asking Njambi to lie on her back. Her first instinct was that a fiery night of passion was being born under the now absent moon. She did as she was told, quietly, like a school girl.
The screaming that followed next has been talked about by ailing grandparents and school children alike. Njambi had been infamous for her habitual screaming at night, especially on Fridays when Gazi was the unmistakable customer. It had been an accepted fact that something unworldly would take a hold of her and send her into convulsions but those who knew the things of this world understood exactly what the screams meant. The screaming was no cause for concern so the neighbours turned in their beds and curdled around each other and around lonely dreams for those who slept alone. Not even the stray dogs barked. It was after what some say must have been an hour of screaming that villagers came out into the cold night with stuffy blankets wrapped around them, eager to see what was going on at the inn. Some say that the belt made sparks of static electricity, brief as lightening, as it fell on Njambi’s bare skin. Some say that the habitual devil had possessed them both and driven them into an endless, vehement courtship of passion.
The former theory has been widely accepted among the villagers. Go ahead and ask Bosco the peeping madman, he too will tell you that Njambi had received a dosage of her own medicine from the man Gazi.
Bosco will also tell you everything else that happened on that Friday night. At some point, as he would have it, three whole devils took a hold of Njambi and thrust her violently against Gazi as they both fell to the earthen floor. She hit him on the head with an embassy ash tray enough times to send him into a concussion but the man’s head was an unyielding alloy of bone and metallic spare parts.
The villagers had their interrupted night compensated when they witnessed Gazi running out of the room yelling, his manhood, a meager chicken drumstick, peeping shamelessly into them. Njambi was on his back riding him like a jockey, holding on to his long goatee and panel beating him senselessly with her free arm as her teeth were lodged deep into his deltoid muscles. Everyone laughed like they had never laughed before. Could this be Gazi, now at his heels exposing his bare black emaciated buttocks?
Gazi was up the next morning before the dew had rested on the leaves of grass, desperate to spread the gospel that it was him who had chased away Njambi. His mechanics listened to him but burst out laughing when he finished reciting the tale. Bosco had already started a bush fire and spread it to the farthest homesteads in the village, nourishing it with his own dramatic effects. King Gazi now sits on the bricks outside the garage with his friends, quietly counting the days and faithfully avoiding Mama Njambi and anything remotely associated to Njambi.

By Mwangi Gachagua Clifton

How Two Words Can Cost the Taxpayer KSHS 330 Million

2010-05-13T18:04:00.001+03:00

As the row rages on over the secret alteration of Article 24 (d) of the bill of rights in the proposed constitution, stake holders of the constitution making process are currently engaged in an intensive damage control campaign to ensure that the situation is kept under control.

This came even when the No campaign team instantly pounced on the anomaly and pitched its campaign agenda on the grounds that the “entire review process is now damaged beyond repair”.

If the likes of Hon Ruto are taken seriously, the entire referendum process could very well be struck with a death knell that would see Kenyans back to the drawing board and with more than 330 million shillings down the drain.
The revelations sent the state law office reeling with the man who is supposed to be the chief editor of the draft Hon Amos Wako asserting that he had nothing to do with the alteration.

The sheer magnitude of the storm no do

ubt brings into focus the implications of the two words neatly inserted almost giving the impression that they were there all along.

The correct version of Article 24 (1) (d) reads:

“The need to ensure that the enjoyment of rights and fundamental freedoms by any individual does not prejudice the rights and fundamental freedoms of others”
While the altered one reads
“The need to ensure that the enjoyment of rights and fundamental freedoms by any individuals does not prejudice national security, the rights and fundamental freedoms of others”

Looking at the two versions closely it is quite clear that someone was hell bent to force his/her agenda. First of all the fact that the phrase only consists of two words without an explanation of their definition lays the Kenyan citizens vulnerable to state agents.

The insertion merely states that a threat to national security would deem that a limitation to a fundamental freedom is warranted. The interpretation of the phrase “national Security” is thus left to the state agents who’s understanding of the same has over time proved draconian at best.

Secondly the phrase “national security” is inserted as the first condition in the clause. This implies that the perceived threat to national security is the first condition that will occasion a limitation to a fundamental freedom.

With such glaring repercussions to the adoption of such a clause, it is no wonder that everyone is up in arms baying for the blood of the culprit. While it is quite obvious that the perpetrators knew that they could not get away with the forgery, the question that now begs is, what in God’s name was their motive?

While the country waits for the offender/s to be shamed, the burden of damage control falls on the CoE. Having freshly embarked on an ambitious multi-million civic education campaign, the committee has now to restore the faith of Kenyans on the now seemingly tainted draft.

By Frankline Sunday

In That Village of Mine

2010-05-13T16:42:00.000+03:00

In that village of mine:

Which is like every other village

People do not work

People gossip and eat talk.

In that village of mine:

Which is like every other village

Women scream 24 hours a day

Those maimed women are beaten black ands blue

Because men aggressiveness have got an outlet

In that village of mine:

If you happen to be there friend of mine

You will never find girls

They were all defiled and ushered

To womanhood at five months

Will be husbandless mothers at ten

Undisputed grandmothers at twenty

And finally greatest grandmothers at twenty-five

In that village of mine:

Which is like every other village

There is no need to marry

Because your neighbors wife

is in surplus and was your ex!

In that village of mine:

Which is like every other village

Every child never resemble the father

Because every one has cajoled the mother

In that village of mine:

Which is like every other village

I do give it an abyss abhorring

Abysmally big bodied, big bellied

Women with unmemorable age

Are shameless boy-mongers

In that village of mine:

Which is like every other village

Men work at chang’aa dens

Bragging and boasting of sexual escapades

Bring home: monies which never pay fees;

Beatings and bags of STDs to their wives.

In that village of mine:

Which is like every other village

Youth good-byed school once upon a time

And are the best idlers, drunkards and thieves

These le grand football donators of balls to girls

Know it is the in-group thing

In that village of mine:

Which is like every other village

Poverty is past epidemic

It is pandemic!

By:

Manuel Odeny

Tribalism rocks public universities

2010-05-13T16:31:00.000+03:00

By Samuel Otieno

The Government wants administrators of the seven public universities and their constituent colleges to tackle rampant claims of tribalism in their senior cadres.

The Higher Education ministry also called for an audit into how top officers in these institutions were recruited to establish if the law was followed. The order follows an outcry on alleged flourishing of tribalism in appointment of principals and senior management staff at constituent colleges of our local universities.

Curiously, the main complainants are the Chancellors themselves, which could point at how serious the problem is and hint to the fact that powerful external forces, could be at play.

A copy of the letter from the chairman of Chancellors’ Committee.

Chancellors managing the universities have said it is shameful that the vice, which can be blamed for almost all problems in the management of the public sector, has found its way into institutions of higher learning.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education Prof Crispus Kiamba said the ministry received the concerns raised by the Chancellors through Dr Joseph B. Wanjui, who chairs the Chancellors Committee, in March.

"We have invited Chancellors, Vice Chancellors, Chairmen of Councils of Public Universities and constituent colleges to a meeting for us to study how it happened and then address the issue," said Kiamba.

He revealed a meeting would be convened as soon as the new minister for Higher Education Mr William Ruto settles down in office.

The widely held view is that universities are expected to offer examples of merited leadership that is beyond reproach and tribal bigotry but unfortunately that seems not to be the case. Worse still, appointments appear to bear political meddling and meant to placate communities around which the national institutions are based.

Restore credibility

The Chancellors asked the Government to address the issue with speed and restore credibility of the institutions of higher learning.

"This trend should be avoided as it does not promote a cohesive society and further to that, these new institutions need a national and international outlook that is essential in propelling them to world-class universities," said Wanjui who is the University of Nairobi Vice Chancellor.

He said the appointments flouted the Universities’ Act and lamented the "apparent tribalisation of top appointments in the new university colleges."

Wanjui lamented at the manner in which top appointments in academia were made, saying they smack of tribalism and nepotism and could erode faith in the public universities.

The audit report was shelved at the Eleventh Hour when Dr Sally Kosgei swapped Cabinet portfolios with Mr William Ruto who was in Agriculture.

In a letter to Kosgei seen by The Standard, Wanjui and his team asked for an appointment to see her and the PS, "so that we can consult on these matters."

The news broke days after Head of Civil Service Francis Muthaura directed State corporations to balance their ethnic profiles so as to reflect the face of Kenya.

Early this year, Parliamentary Committee on Equal Opportunity heard that Maseno and Chuka Universities were among the most affected by ethnic imbalance. The report came from the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) after its maiden meeting with the committee. NCIC Chairman Mzalendo Kibunjia accused the campuses of flouting the law.

According to the law, no entity should have more than one-third of its employees from one ethnic group.

"We have received many complaints from the public… the public bodies made mistakes and we now need to correct them," said Dr Kibunjia.

Wanjui’s letter dated March 10th, was copied to Prime minister Raila Odinga, Muthaura, Prof Kiamba, all chancellors of public universities and their deputies. The chancellors argue the new colleges needed a national and international outlook that is essential for propelling them into world-class universities.

In an interview with The Standard, Kiamba acknowledged receipt of the letter and said the matter deserved urgent attention adding that tribalism within universities would not be accepted.

Kiamba said there was need for institutions of higher learning to have an international look in principle and management and that the top administrators be recruited in a competitive and transparent manner.

He said the national outlook should be jealously guarded in universities because of the nature of their functions.

"If it is true that the management does not reflect the face of Kenya, then we will have to strategise on how we will review and confront the situation," promised Kiamba.

He said Ruto assisted by the technical officers of the ministry would make a decision after analysing the report.

"We want a student from the Coast Province who is admitted at Maseno University finds a true refection of a Kenyan face in terms of leadership and academic performance," said Kiamba.

Post-poll chaos

But the PS was quick to point out that some professionals shy away from applying for positions in other regions of the country. Post-election violence worsened the situation in 2008.

Kiamba said positions of top administrators and principals of constituent colleges are usually advertised. It is only those of chairmen of councils that are not advertised.

"For instance, if you look at those who applied for the position of principal at Bondo University College, you see that they come from one region. Same applies to other constituent colleges across the country," said Kiamba.

He explained the audit would first look at whether those who applied were taken through the correct process and if those selected were appointed in accordance with the law.

However, he said Chancellors and chairmen of councils are appointed by the President but after recommendations from the university. In the same case, the minister does not appoint senior management of the public universities.

According to Kiamba, the minister appoints principals of colleges after recommendation from the councils and chancellors.

Currently, there are seven public universities established by various Acts of Parliament and largely supported from public funds.

These are University of Nairobi (1970), Moi University Established (1985), Kenyatta University (1985), Egerton University (1987), Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (1994), Maseno University (2000) and Masinde Muliro University of Science & Technology (2007).

There are 13 constituent colleges under the seven public universities.

Last December, the parliamentary committee summoned Muthaura, and asked him to correct the ethnic imbalance in government recruitment. Muthaura promised to act on the issue, but the committee is yet to get an update on the matter.

However, the Civil Service boss assured the committee then, that the Public Service Commission was already implementing the one-third rule.

Is Africa Really a Dark Continent?

2010-05-13T15:57:00.000+03:00

1.0 Introduction
Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² (11.7 million sq mi) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people (as of 2009) in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the World's human population. The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Not counting the disputed territory of Western Sahara, there are 53 countries, including Madagascar and various island groups, associated with the continent.
For a long time, the Europeans were unaware of existence of a continent called Africa! So, when they first discovered and explored the continent, they called it by the name, ‘the dark continent’. Actually one of the world’s oldest civilizations, the ancient Egyptian civilization flourished on the banks of the Nile more than 5000 years ago. In addition, Africa was home to many other kingdoms and empires in later times. But the rest of the world had little knowledge about the interior of Africa for a long time, and hence the myth of ‘the dark continent’ comes into existence.
Among reasons for the European invasion of Africa was the search for raw materials both in terms of minerals and cheap labor in terms of slaves. This was due to the industrial revolution that was just then starting to gain momentum in the west. The Portuguese were first. Led by Vasco Da Gama in the 15th century, they invaded the east African coast in search for overseas colonies. The Europeans followed suit in the 19th c. They came in form of missionary settlers, doctors and teachers. Reasons advanced for their invasion included a desire to civilize, educate and convert the natives into Christianity. According to them, the African natives were backward and uncivilized. Primitive and devoid of any form of education; they were wrong.

2.0 AFRICAN HISTORY

Africa is considered by most anthropologists to be the oldest inhabited territory on Earth, with the human species originating from the continent. During the middle of the twentieth century, anthropologists discovered many fossils and evidence of human occupation perhaps as early as 7 million years ago. Fossil remains of several species of early apelike humans thought to have evolved into modern man have been discovered.
Throughout humanity's prehistory, Africa (like all other continents) had no nation states, and was instead inhabited by groups of hunter-gatherers such as the Khoi and San.
At the end of the Ice Ages, estimated to have been around 10,500 BC, the Sahara had again become a green fertile valley, and its African populations returned from the interior and coastal highlands in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, the warming and drying climate meant that by 5000 BC the Sahara region was becoming increasingly dry and hostile. The population trekked out of the Sahara region towards the Nile Valley below the Second Cataract where they made permanent or semi-permanent settlements. A major climatic recession occurred, lessening the heavy and persistent rains in Central and Eastern Africa. Since this time dry conditions have prevailed in Eastern Africa, and increasingly during the last 200 years, in Ethiopia.
The domestication of cattle in Africa preceded agriculture and seems to have existed alongside hunter-gathering cultures. It is speculated that by 6000 BC cattle were already domesticated in North Africa. In the Sahara-Nile complex, people domesticated many animals including the pack ass, and a small screw horned goat which was common from Algeria to Nubia. In 4000 BC the climate of the Sahara started to become drier at an exceedingly fast pace. This climate change caused lakes and rivers to shrink significantly and caused increasing desertification. This, in turn, decreased the amount of land conducive to settlements and helped to cause migrations of farming communities to the more tropical climate of West Africa.
By the first millennium BC ironworking had been introduced in Northern Africa and quickly spread across the Sahara into the northern parts of sub-Saharan Africa and by 500 BC metalworking began to become commonplace in West Africa. Ironworking was fully established by roughly 500 BC in many areas of East and West Africa, although other regions didn't begin ironworking until the early centuries AD. Copper objects from Egypt, North Africa, Nubia and Ethiopia dating from around 500 BC have been excavated in West Africa, suggesting that trans-Saharan trade networks had been established by this date.
Thus the assertion that Africa has no history that is discernible is at best, inaccurate and the result of biased European historians.

3.0 AFRICAN CULTURE

3.1 Introduction
Culture refers to the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations. Further, culture is given an extended meaning to indicate the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group. It’s passed from one generation to the next mostly through language and the socialization process.

Africa’s cultural traditions are extremely diverse. Traditionally, art, music, and oral literature served to reinforce existing religious and social patterns. During the colonial period, some educated city dwellers rejected traditional African cultural activities in favor of Western cultural pursuits, but a cultural revival sprang up with the rise of African nationalism and independence in the mid-20th century. Arabic written literature has a long history in North Africa, while European-language literature has developed more recently. The governments of most African nations sponsor national dance and music groups, museums, and to a lesser degree, artists and writers.

The white man’s belief that Africa has no culture was wrong in that Africa has a vast collage of multi cultural ethnic groups whose culture is as colorful as it is different from the next. The following examples give a sample of the various existing cultural groups and their practices. The list is however far from exhaustive.

3.2 Child Birth and Naming
Culturally, upon birth, many communities in Africa administered the newly born through ceremonial cultural rites of naming that were mandatory. Feasts were organized and ritual rights were performed.
Other aspects like birth of twins and triplets were treated differently in different communities. In some communities, twins ad triplets were seen as a blessing whilst others believed they were a bad omen and thus treated birth of the same with conpempt.

3.3 Music Rites
Important stages of an African person’s life are often marked with music. There are lullabies, children’s game songs, and music for adolescent initiation rites, weddings, title-taking ceremonies, funerals, and ceremonies for the ancestors. Among the Yoruba of Nigeria, the mother of twins must perform a special repertoire of songs, and in Ghana there are songs for teasing bed-wetters and for celebrating the loss of a child’s first tooth.

3.4 Male circumcision
This was the practice that brought about various age sets. They were founded through circumcision.there was teaching from the old men on the initiates roles and their cultures prior to the occasion. Passage into adulthood remains a strong cultural activity the continent over and it’s still done traditionally across different cultures.

3.5 Female circumcision
Female circumcision was practiced in earnest by a number of communities in AfricaIn the past, female circumcision was a sign of maturity. It was practiced by the samburu locally and the ethnic Somalis. The Ameru and Gusiis also did it. Some communities in West Africa also held high the cultural practice. Circumcised girls received important recognition among their peers and within the community. It increased a girls marriage opportunities and thus ensured a favorable economic situation for the family.

In today’s society however, female circumcision has been regarded with distaste with many cultures taking a modernistic approach to it. Many nations have adopted modern aspects of western cultures that condemn female circumcision and regard to it as Female Genital Mutilation.

3.6 Story telling
The Whiteman, through missionary activities, influenced some to think telling of stories was an ungodly act. Story telling though was a strong culture all across Africa to date. It was rich.

3.7 Garments and ornaments
These, especially depicted a strong culture amongst various African cultural divides in Africa. Different communities dressed differently for different occasions. Western saharawi women’s niqqabs covered their entire faces except their eyes when married. The east African Maasai women carried on without covering their bosom. The Ethiopian women emblazoned their feet, arms and neck in ivory…all of which were powerful cultural practices.

3.8 Weapons
Today, as in the past, African men may wear swords, knives, spears, and other weapons for display to indicate their status. Many societies restrict the use of ceremonial weapons to specific individuals or groups. Some traditions practiced today are hundreds of years old. Swords served as emblems of authority as far back as the 15th century in the Kingdom of Benin, which had its capital in what is now Nigeria. Only the king of Benin wore the ceremonial ada, an ancient, long-bladed sword that symbolized his right to take human life. Chiefs carried other types of swords. Brass plaques from the 16th and 17th centuries depict this tradition.

3.9 Regalia
During investiture ceremonies, kings and chiefs receive courtly regalia—notably crowns or other special headgear—that proclaim their power and authority. Among the Yoruba of Nigeria, the tradition of the beaded crown, or ade, dates from the legendary first ancestor or ruler of the Yoruba, Oduduwa, who is said to have placed an ade on the head of each of his 16 sons. The ade consists of a beaded veil hanging from a cone-shaped hat that is covered with interlaced patterns of beads. Affixed to the cone are beaded relief sculptures of faces and birds with symbolic meaning in Yoruba culture. The beaded veil protects ordinary people from looking directly at so powerful a being. In turn, the king must never look inside the crown because that is where his power resides. Some say that looking inside could blind or kill him, while others assert that peering inside confirms a loss of power and that the king who has done so should commit suicide or face execution.

3.10 Rural Settlements
The way of life in Africa’s rural settlements determines the types of dwellings built. Settled farming societies have different requirements than herding societies, which are usually nomadic. Other rural societies in Africa are based on farming, hunting, and gathering in various combinations.
Nomadic herders need homes that they can easily build and take apart when they move their herds to different ground. The Maasai of eastern Africa, for example, construct homes using a framework of sticks that they seal with cattle dung.

3.11 Objects to Denote Importance
In addition to kings and chiefs, other Africans of importance in society may announce their position through items such as belts, emblems, and especially staffs. In the kingdom of the Ashanti (18th and 19th centuries, in what is now Ghana), court officials who served as spokespersons and advisers to the king were called linguists and carried linguist staffs. The chief linguist carried a staff with a decorated knob covered in gold. The knob typically illustrated proverbs connected to the position of chief. A knob showing two men seated on stools in front of a table, for example, indicates that “food belongs to the rightful owner and not to one who is hungry.” This proverb means that the position of chief must pass to the rightful heir, not to someone who thirsts for power.
3.12 African Traditional Religion African Religions, traditional indigenous (native) religions practiced on the African continent. A discussion of Africa’s traditional religions presents a number of problems. First, the languages of many African ethnic groups lack a term for religion in the Western sense, as an activity or entity separate from everyday life. Whereas Westerners conceive of religion as an independent system of beliefs or an organizational structure, in Africa religion is a complete way of life. Second, the term traditional is misleading, suggesting to the Western mind something ancient or unchanging. In reality, all religions change as they adapt to historical events and social circumstances, and African religious traditions encompass both continuity with the past and innovation.
3.13 Rituals African religions do not demand adherence to any single doctrine. Their focus is primarily practical: Religious rituals serve as strategies for reinforcing life, fertility, and power. The principal vision shared by African religions is that human beings must vigilantly maintain a harmonious relationship with the divine powers in order to prosper. African religions aim at harnessing these powers and channeling them for the good of the community, and ritual is the way to do so. Ritual helps ensure a community’s responsible relationship with ancestors who are guardians of the moral order, with spiritual forces within nature, and with the gods.

4.0 TRADITIONAL AFRICAN COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS
Prior to colonization, contrary to the Whiteman’s belief that Africans couldn’t communicate and thus had no communication systems, Africa had well established communication that people used to information from one person to another, to the masses e.t.c before the invention of the press and its development in Anglophone westafrica,southern and eastern Africa.

4.1 Languages
Africa had and still has a complex collection of phonetic and syntactic linguistic that is rich and diverse in comparison to other languages in the world. All African communities had a certain language they used in passing on messages. The coinage of words and sounds by various groups to refer to various objects and situations very much existed. Different groups assigned different meanings to words, signs e.t.c

4.2 Drums
There was the use of drums. If there was a function that involved an audience for instance, a chief’s address, messengers went about beating drums to announce the meeting to the masses. The drum beats were varied in accordance to the type of message that was to be transmitted. Drum beats that signified a marriage ceremony were different from drum beats were announcing he passing of a villager.

4.3 Horn blowing
It was also used to communicate to the masses, to bring them to the attention of various occurrences. Horn blowers were trained and different horn sounds depicted different occasions.

4.4 Smoke
Due to the uneven geographic terrain of Africa, Africans devised use of smoke signals to pass information. Smoke signals were of special importance in mountainous or hilly regions. It called on people to converge at the point where the smoke was emanating from. Once there, the message was passed on.

4.5 Shouting
Shouting was mainly used as an accompaniment of other communication methods. Messengers moved around in settlements and shouting out the message. Market places were also targets for “shouters” as it was a place where people converged for barter trade.
Communication systems in Africa during the past were diverse and well coordinated. They served to pass along the massage as well as denote the proper emphasis that was meant to be transmitted to the public.

5.0 Conclusion
When the white man came to Africa, he was looking for land to colonize. A land without owners. He was looking for raw materials to advance his vast growing industries. Instead he found a land rich with diverse cultures and practices that he misunderstood for barbarism. In his haste to bring light to this “Dark Continent”, he nearly wiped out a culture that had been established through long centuries of socialization and culturalization.
It was not until very recently that Africans came to understand that the civilization that was being peddled to them like the gospel truth was indeed foreign and inferior to their unique and sadly forsaken culture. Africans need to reconstruct the aspects of their culture that has lost bearing due to the intrusion of western culture. It is only then that Africans will be able to foster and nature their pride and unique cultural existence.

6.0 References

1. Assa. O. (1985) Essays on advanced level history: 1855-1914.Heinnemen ed.books.

2. Isichei, E.A (1970) A history of African societies to 1870. Cambridge univ. press.

3. Ainslie, R (1967) The press in Africa: communications past and present. Walker and coy.

4. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

The autism club

2010-05-13T14:44:00.001+03:00

Days like these

i wonder how many hours of day

are in some parts of the other hemisphere

i can feel the pigment in my skin

hypereal,

am thinking of the university's autism club

of botulism cars

and fragments of sin

St Ursula's Club Against The Atomic Bomb

a prose i read about dyslexia

my girlfriend doesn't know it

but she has glaucoma

my roomates read and debate

about 'God's Debris'

Days like this

the grass along the stream

is arranged in a pattern

like a dance i did

when i was thirteen

spermache - i hope Miriam Webster knows about that

last semester

i almost joined the university's autism club.

There's a poem i never finished

about cell phones, magnetism,

osteoporosis and old ladies.

I had fear

that the autism club holds meetings

in my bed when am out sleeping...

I almost stole

a beautiful crucifix in the school's hall

Must have been wood and bronze

bronze tears, now thats something for the Autism Club.

Days like this

i search for syntax errors

in old newspapers.

By Clifto

A prelude to our October kiss

2010-05-13T14:35:00.000+03:00

am writing you a verse

something about the evolution of nova

it remind'd me of that october

and that poets are never to be trusted

i have met a new woman

a lady, a widow called Miss Riva

she is a character in a story

but the way we dance

'tis like the evolution of a nova

we should have kissed that october

there is so much life between the lines of a verse

with these verses

i get to kill you and burn you into ashes

i get to meet real poets

wonder at the suicide

in a halvard johnson poem, so etherial

i've kept your ashes in a safe place

tomorrow Miss Riva, in my new verse

i will name you Miriam.

By Clifto

Letters from the fume cupboard

2010-05-13T14:34:00.001+03:00

Dear Young Poet,

I'm afraid of the darkness. I have to be. Only people with no imagination are not afraid of it. Some nights i go into the darkness to scare myself. I play with the many hands that greet me, snatch me. Inevitably they let me go because everything in the dark is a product of my creation, even my fear. I cannot stand shadows, or any form of shade. I don't understand how nature creates half-nights at the middle of the day. On days when night seems too far i go hunting for the darkness. Its quite an easy affair creating it, all you need is a bag of protons and electrons, and a celestial body. So, son, when you get this letter come to me only after nightfall and tell me how you like the night i will have created for you. This two lines i wrote at 2200 hours when i was sitted outside my house, gazing at the sky choosin which celestial body to steal for the next day...

'the insect crawls on the cement, drawn by my scent

shaped like a ferrous rhinocerous, unaware of the night...'

Yours Forever.

May, 3rd.

By Clifto

Article 104 of the Draft Constitution. Right of recall.

2010-05-13T13:52:00.001+03:00

In the spirit of civic education and seeking to examine the draft deeper, I’d like to call your attention to article 104 (1) and (2) which states;

(1) The electorate under Articles 97 and 98 have the right to recall the

Member of Parliament representing their constituency before the end of

the term of the relevant House of Parliament.

(2) Parliament shall enact legislation to provide for the grounds on which a

member may be recalled and the procedure to be followed.

The first notion that hits the electorate is that they now finally have the power to rope in errant politicians by using the very tool they used to put him/her to power: their voter’s cards.

Article 104 is one piece of legislation that the Kenyan people have long since desired and lacked. It also comes at an opportune time given the fact that Kenya is slowly climbing out of the morass of economic stagnation occasioned by the 2007/8 post poll chaos and the global recession. It is at such delicate times that Kenya more than ever needs committed and transparent leaders to steer the economic recovery and the development agenda.

Over the years, corrupt and inept politicians have been a major cause of economic growth and development both at the constituency level and at the national level. This is not only owing to their incapacity to speedily enact legislations that provide for economic development but also being the cause of misappropriation of development funds.

With Article 104 in place, politicians will have to watch their conduct as they will no longer be ‘untouchable’. Article 104 will also increase the voter turnout. This is because some non-voters have the notion that if they vote for their MP all he will do is retire to Nairobi only to be seen in another 5 years. This situation will change as MPs will be made aware that service to their constituents is key to their staying in office.

Service delivery will also be improved as Article 104 will ensure that MPs are answerable to their electorate hence they will be duty bound to deliver. This will ensure better management of constituency development projects and local resources.

There is however a rider to Article 104. That is clause (2) of the same article. It states that; Parliament shall enact legislation to provide for the grounds on which a member may be recalled and the procedure to be followed.

Herein lies the catch. The major concern is: can we trust parliamentarians to define legislative terms that are meant to check their excesses? It is at this juncture that vivid recollection of parliamentarians enacting legislations to hike their perks every fresh term of office come to our minds.

The Right of Recall is a vital and welcome provision in the draft constitution however with the existence of clause (2) of the same clause; the effectiveness of the provision is called to doubt.

Civic Education: Baba Amesoma Akasema Iko Sawa

2010-05-12T23:05:00.000+03:00

An instant captured in the media back in 2005 during the run up to the referendum for the then dubbed Wako Draft had supporters of the No campaign set ablaze copies of the draft constitution.

When asked by a reporter if he had read the constitution, one gentleman replied without batting an eyelid, "Baba amesoma na amesema iko mbaya."(Father has read and says it is bad)

5 years later and Kenyans find themselves at the same juncture trying to figure out the answer to the same question, Yes or No.

However the bigger question is not whether it is a yes or a no, the bigger question is what are we voting for?

This is no doubt the question that the Committee of Experts seeks to have Kenyans answer with their civic education campaign dubbed Jisomee, Jiamulie Jichagulie.

The campaign seeks to empower Kenyans to make the decision by themselves by first reading the draft constitution thereby being in a better position to make an informed choice.

It is quite saddening to see undue focus being placed on two or three clauses throughout the constitution making process. Granted that the Right to life dubbed abortion and the Kadhi courts clauses are contentious issues they, are however not the only two clauses in the constitution

Whether clauses 26 and 170 are good or bad for the country is beside the question, at least as far looking at the Draft Kenyan Constitution in its entirety is concerned. As we continue to be submerged in the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ bandwagons, the greater part of the draft will go unexplored and misinterpreted.

The media is largely to blame for this. This is because coverage is more skewed towards the referendum campaign process rather than civic education. Media coverage on the debate about abortion and the Kadhi courts has been unreasonably heavy compared to the other 262 clauses.

It not really important which politicians support the constitution and who oppose it. Kenyan politicians have over the years been known for their opportunism, sycophancy and vested interests. While some of them could have genuine reasons to support the rejection or adoption of the draft, majority of them are testing the waters for 2012.

In focusing on the politicians and their campaigns the media is influencing the agenda and derailing the civic education process. This is what happened in 2005 and hence the philosophies, “baba amesoma akasema ni mbaya” were experienced.

The government in partnership with the Media should ensure that the interpretation of hte draft constitution is not left to the babas of politics but to the experts.

Only then will Kenyans be in an informed position to make the right decision on the proposed constitution of Kenya.

Ode to The Written Word

2010-04-29T18:27:00.000+03:00

If I were to lose all that I

call mine but my life,

Pray thee fate that i might preserve

the gift of the written word.

If friend and foe leave my side

and despondency be my eternal bride

Pray providence may she with me abide

the hope of the written word.

If the world becomes dark and dreary

from the evil of mans folly

May it shine ever bright and truly

the light of the written word.

Although it is legal, is advertising by professionals such as doctors, lawyers and dentists ethical?

2010-04-29T10:12:00.000+03:00

ABSTRACT

Advertising by professionals is not ethical. This is owing to a variety of unethical concerns that are associated with advertising in general. Over the past decade, interest has been mounting in the advertising and promotional activities of professionals. Those activities began to grow after the landmark Bates (Bates v. State Bar of Arizona) decision of 1977 in which the Supreme Court decided that prohibitions imposed on advertising by professional associations violated First Amendment free speech guarantees. The Federal Trade Commission also attacked bans by professional associations on competitive grounds.

Opposition to professional advertising is based in part on the belief that advertising is fundamentally incompatible with other professions like medicine, dentistry, law and accounting. In law for example, bar associations worldwide have historically argued that forms of competitive advertising necessary to most commercial enterprises would lessen the dignity of the professional.

Bush and Bush (1994) argue that ethical and moral issues resulting in controversy will always surround advertising because of the nature of the creative process. Creative advertisers take risks and chart new frontiers. However, by breaking new ground, they challenge components of the narrative paradigm and create controversy. Such controversy would tarnish the nature of the professionals practice and liken it to commercial trade.

It has been speculated that advertising will have a significant impact on the professional ethics. These ethical issues include:

1. Undue demand for professional services

Professional advertising would increase the aggregate demand for the said services. This increase presumably would be achieved by sensitizing the consumer to the need for professional assistance and by offering him suitable alternatives when his needs are recognized. As much as the rise in demand will realize increased revenue for professionals, more consumers will be led to believe that they need professional services when this might not necessarily be true.

2. Unfair Competition

It has been claimed that ethical canons preventing advertising are anticompetitive and function to preclude newer and smaller practitioners from effectively competing with established ones. A counter argument is that advertising would not redress the existing competitive imbalance, assuming one exists, but would simply exacerbate the problem since larger and more established practices could better afford to advertise. This would lead to over-commercialization of the professional practices as more value will be pegged on advertising and reaping the ensuing returns rather than on service delivery.

3. Employment opportunities

The supply of professionals particularly lawyers has substantially increased during the last decade. Some see advertising as a potential means of augmenting employment opportunities. With increased opportunities come increased risks. This includes the risk of unscrupulous individuals rushing in to fill the void left by increased demand in professional services. Without a thorough vetting process in place, this would have disastrous long term consequences.

4. Prices of Professional Service

The economics of advertising offer rival hypotheses concerning the potential impact on service prices. Prices should decline if:

Ø Economies of scale are achieved due to increased demand for legal services, thereby reducing per-unit costs; and

Ø Professionals attempt to create a competitive advantage by promoting prices lower than their competitors'.

On the other hand, advertising could lead to higher prices if its costs are not offset by additional revenue. Professionals would have to either absorb the increased costs or pass them on to clients in the form of higher prices. If the professionals resort to absorb the increased costs, they would have to dig deeper into their pockets and strain their already hefty operational costs. On the other hand, if the price increment is passed on to the consumers, many would find legal, medical, accounting and other professional fees too high.

5. Credibility of Ads

On the other hand, advertising could make the public suspicious of the professionals’ underlying motives. It might confuse rather than enlighten potential clients. The information may not be regarded as credible. Expectations may be artificially inflated by excessive advertising claims, thereby leading to dissatisfaction after services have been rendered.

Positive Effects

Advertising by professionals is not all disadvantageous as there are a few gains to be realized. These include:

1. Quality of Services

Advertising scholars and practitioners often claim that advertising leads to improved product quality. The underlying logic is that competitive advertising sensitizes marketers to product quality as a necessary adjunct of successful advertising and marketing effort. Advertising might lead to improved professional services if this premise holds.

2. Information Dispensation

Consumers rely heavily on personal information sources when selecting a professional. Choice is often based on inadequate information. Many consumers, particularly those with no prior experience in choosing a doctor, lawyer, accountant or dentist have not formulated a set of alternative practitioners from which to choose. How to select a professional and, even more basically, what attributes or criteria to consider are matters of great uncertainty for many consumers. Advertising may correct these shortcomings in information available to consumers. Advertising may make consumers more aware of their needs and may assist them in determining what practitioners are available and competent to handle their cases.

Conclusion

While advertising by professionals could realize quality of services rendered and better information dispensation, the demerits far outweigh the merits. Issues of ad credibility, price increments, and unfair competition make advertising by professionals unethical in the broader outlook.

Church V/S State

2010-04-29T10:10:00.000+03:00

The current situation of the standoff between the church and the state is not a result of a disagreement on clauses in the constitution but rather a millennia old power play.

Since the times of the ancient Roman Empire, the church and the state have always been on opposite ends in terms of representation and followership. On one hand the church is deemed to appeal to the emotional person while politicians target the rational aspect. Statistics state that over 75 % of the world population adheres to one religion or another with the bigger percentage being Christians. The state however claims and rightfully so that it is the one and only constitutional body that is recognized as the peoples representative.

Previous civilizations have dealt differently with the media. Emperor Nero burnt Christians on the stake and jailed the rest while King Henry VIII started a historic reformation. Napoleon Bonaparte stated that religion is a tool invented by the poor to oppress the rich. Over the years, most states have repeatedly sought to downplay the role of the media in governance except in religious states and regimes.

The church, not only in Kenya, has therefore over time found itself relegated to the duty of “watchdog” in the company of the media and the civil societies. This “demotion” of the church to a non-political, docile interest group has never rested well with the men of the cloth. Owing to their various cannons and doctrines however that prevent them from partaking in active politics in one way or another, the church in Kenya has over the years remained mum in matters political.

This was clearly witnessed in the 1997, 2002 and 2007 general elections and also the 2005 referendum. In fact, the church underwent intense criticism over it not guiding its flock. Players from both the civil society and, ironically, within government spoke out against the church’s sitting on the fence while the people needed its guidance.

The 2007/2008 post election violence however proved a loud wake up call for the church. They realized only too late the influence that they have among the church going population in Kenya. Whether it is guilt or a fear of repeated failure, the church has this time stepped up to the plate.

It will be interesting to watch how the debate will unfold as neither side can afford to lose despite Mutava’s remark that the church “can neither win nor loose’. If the church wins the referendum on one side, it would mean that the state has been giving religion a raw deal and that the church is entitled to much more. If the state wins however, it would mean that the church is better of playing its “watchdog” role to the state. Both stand to lose a lot in terms of allegiance and face.

Can Tahidi High Make Teens Rebellious?

2010-04-29T09:20:00.000+03:00

Any kind of behaviour or norms that we adopt in the society is always attributed to the media. Even in our universities the youth do what they do and later on blame the media. A few years back, the Kenya parliamentary committee that was formed to inquire into the strikes that dogged our high schools blamed the media. Their justification was based on the local program, Tahidi high which is based on a high school setting. This is very ridiculous of them to shift the blame on the local programs they are too championing to be aired.
nonetheless research that was done in the US on the effects of violent movies showed that their effects were not due to the movies but rather the environment one was exposed to. This was in the 60’s when television was strongly becoming popular with the American populace. In our scenario the media can tell the same owing that the consumption of mass media products is low. This is empirical evidence which suggest the opposite of our beliefs on the media. Although there are cases where the mass media tells us what to think but there is no supporting evidence to prove so.
The media do not necessarily tell us what to think but it influences how we think. This is such that when Kenyan youth decide to dress haphazardly it is not because the media tells them to do so but rather influenced by the media. It is that one has decided to dress but how he/she will dress will be influenced by the mass media. The media therefore acts like a catalyst to the actions we choose to do. When Kenya youths took the streets to protest the elections rigging claims it is the media which provide the way to do it better or worse.
The Kenyan society has allowed the media to play the parental role. This is evident in the way that children do not spend enough time with their parents but they rather spend time watching and listening to the radio and television. It is the failure of the parents and not the media for pollution that that the youths are facing. We do not realize the inadequacies that the society is facing hence we blame the media for our shortcomings. The society has also allowed various kinds of behaviours which our youths adopt without much ado.
The media is taken to be a powerful tool which influences the public whenever it is used. In America for example John McCain used the mass media heavily producing adverts and communication to the Americans his policies. Even though it was at first efficient but he lost it to Obama as the campaign was closing in. It proves that it with the aid of opinion leaders that the media can prove to be very influential.
Mass media cannot be accused for the bad behaviours that one chooses to adopt or the way we will act. The pornographic artifice that found in our streets is due to the societal erosion which has warranted their use. The fight against AIDS is also becoming a major concern due to lack of acceptance by the Kenyan society for abstinence and condom use. Let’s correct the anomalies in our society instead of accusing the media.

patosh

Who We Are

2010-04-29T09:04:00.001+03:00

Chronimas is an online interactive forum where the young and the young at heart get to celebrate literature. Over the years, the power of the written word has been proven to very powerful in realizing the dreams and ambitions of the youth. Through Chronimas, young people get to exersise their prowess in their various fields of writing. Chronimas caters for a wide variety of literature ranging from, poetry, short stories, political opinions and commentaries, academic articles among others.