Kamlesh Pattni: The Bible Told Me to give back the Grand Larceny Hotel
Someone ought to give Kamlesh Pattni his own reality show.
This man is a total comedian and why do these Indians who’ve been born and raised in Kenya sound like they just flew in from Kolkata?
Anyway, why is the government getting into the hotel business?
And that Central Bank Governor is one arrogant man.
He ought to answer questions from the media because his salary is being paid for by the taxpayers of Kenya.
A reporter asked him a very fair and legitimate question: What does the government plan to do with this hotel and the governor refused to answer it.
Are Kenyan journalists not tough enough or are they just afraid of getting roughed up?
~By Kenyan Entrepreneur
Link: http://www.kenyanentrepreneur.com/kamlesh-pattni-the-bible-told-me-to-give-back-the-grand-larceny-hotel
Monday 26 July 2010
Thursday 22 July 2010
Kenya Torture Victims get Compensation Payment ...
Kenyan judges have awarded 21 former political prisoners almost $500,000 (£330,000) between them in compensation for torture they suffered in the 1980s. 
They were among hundreds of people who were illegally detained and tortured during the government of President Daniel Arap Moi, who retired in 2002.
Their lawyers, who first brought the case in 1988, said the constitutional court had made a landmark ruling.
The victims had described spending days in waterlogged torture chambers.
For almost as long as Mr Moi ruled Kenya, Nyayo House in Nairobi became an unutterable synonym for torture, terror and detention.
Daniel Arap Moi has always denied his government condoned torture
The upper floors of the building housed the department of immigration, but beneath them in the basement worked the special branch of internal security - Mr Moi's secret police. His government always denied torture, but more than two decades ago, while he was still in power, 21 former prisoners tried to sue the administration for violating their fundamental rights.
At the time, the court ruled that the case could not continue while the government remained in office.
So it is only now - eight years after Mr Moi retired - that the case has finally concluded.
During the hearings, victims told of being left in waterlogged torture chambers without food or water, and being hung from the ceiling while police beat them.
Judge Hannah Okengu said it had been a violation of their rights to liberty and freedom from torture. She awarded the 21 victims a total of almost $500,000 in compensation - a blow to the credibility of Mr Moi, who is now campaigning against a new constitution.
~By Peter GresteBBC East Africa correspondent
They were among hundreds of people who were illegally detained and tortured during the government of President Daniel Arap Moi, who retired in 2002.
Their lawyers, who first brought the case in 1988, said the constitutional court had made a landmark ruling.
The victims had described spending days in waterlogged torture chambers.
For almost as long as Mr Moi ruled Kenya, Nyayo House in Nairobi became an unutterable synonym for torture, terror and detention.
Daniel Arap Moi has always denied his government condoned torture
The upper floors of the building housed the department of immigration, but beneath them in the basement worked the special branch of internal security - Mr Moi's secret police. His government always denied torture, but more than two decades ago, while he was still in power, 21 former prisoners tried to sue the administration for violating their fundamental rights.
At the time, the court ruled that the case could not continue while the government remained in office.
So it is only now - eight years after Mr Moi retired - that the case has finally concluded.
During the hearings, victims told of being left in waterlogged torture chambers without food or water, and being hung from the ceiling while police beat them.
Judge Hannah Okengu said it had been a violation of their rights to liberty and freedom from torture. She awarded the 21 victims a total of almost $500,000 in compensation - a blow to the credibility of Mr Moi, who is now campaigning against a new constitution.
~By Peter GresteBBC East Africa correspondent
Wednesday 21 July 2010
New Kenyan Washing Machine
An alarm-fitted television set.A manually operated washing machine.
A Jiko (Stove) built of wood and windows.
George Kabiru, a 44-year-old resident of Nairobi, Kenya, is the inventor of all of this.
George Kabiru's washing machine was designed for those without electricity
When I paid Kabiru a visit, I was in for a shock. I touched the television set in his living room. and an ear-splitting sound immediately went off.
"Who will want to run down a street with a TV howling at them?" Kabiru comments wryly.
He has fitted a matchbox-sized alarm, which operates with batteries, at the back of the television set.
"It is a good crime deterrent," Kabiru says. "The alarm can sound for something like eight hours."
Charcoal stove
A medical technician at the Mathari Mental hospital in Nairobi, Kabiru earns extra money from what he regards as his invention, charging customers about $15 (Ksh1200) for the alarm and its installation.
The alarm can also be attached to fridges, computers and video players.
Many people have invented or created things but they are discouraged from patenting them
George Kabiru
And at his work-place, Kabiru puts his innovative skills to good use.
"My colleagues and I have been forced by circumstances to come up with incubators, lighting equipment and casualty beds which have proved to be better than conventional ones," he says with a laugh.
Kabiru has also made a solar Jiko (charcoal stove) which he sells for about $44. He says it is best to cook on it between 0900 and 1500 in cool, high-altitude areas.
Patent
The Jiko is an insulated wooden box with two glass windows on the top. One improves heat absorption, while the other allows heat from the sun, and the reflection of it from a coating of aluminium, to penetrate the box and cook the food.
But the invention Kabiru is most proud of is his washing machine - a plastic container fixed on a stand and operated manually by turning a wheel.
"I had people without electricity in mind when I made the machine," Kabiru says.
"You can wash clothes, blankets, linen and canvas bags in it and it takes a load of 40 kilogrammes."
He sells the washing machine for about $68. So proud is Kabiru of the invention, that he has patented it.
"It was a lengthy and demanding procedure. The government has to simplify it," Kabiru says. "Many people have invented or created things but they are discouraged from patenting them. It means that other people can steal their ideas and make money out of them."
~ By Ogova Ondego
BBC Focus on Africa magazine
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The BBC World Service programme Africa Live goes in search of African inventions next Wednesday: Necessity is the mother of invention they say, but does African creativity offer anything for development? Have you ever invented something or thought of a practical solution to an every day issue? Are you worried that your idea could be stolen? Have you ever tried to get an idea patented?
Use the form to send us your comments, some of which will be published below.
If you want to take part in the radio discussion, include your phone number, which will not be published.
Bahaya Invented Steel
"Early sub-Saharan Africans developed metallurgy at a
very early stage, possibly even before other peoples.
Around 1400 BC, East Africans began producing steel in carbon furnaces (steel was invented in the west in the eighteenth century).
The Iron Age itself came very early to Africa, probably around the sixth century BC, in Ethiopia, the Great Lakes region, Tanzania, Kenya and Nigeria.
Iron technology, however, only spread slowly across Africa; it wasn't until the first century AD that the smelting of iron began to rapidly diffuse throughout the continent."
Source and further information:
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/CIVAFRCA/IRONAGE.HTM
Further information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel#Ancient_steel
"Iron technology has a long history in Africa. Steel is an alloy of iron. A high quality carbon steel was produced by the Bahaya people nearly 2000 thousand years ago. The Bahaya people are from the north-west area of what is now Tanzania, in East Africa.
This quality of steel was not found in Europe until about the year 1800. The iron ore used by the Bahaya people had the formula Fe304.This was added to the top of the furnace with charcoal, as the source of carbon. The air entered the furnace through blow-pipes at the bottom. In this way the air was preheated, which improved the yield and quality of the iron. The temperature reached in the furnace was 1800°C."
Source and further information:
http://www.jamiiforums.com/jukwaa-la-elimu-education-forum/10253-bahaya-invented-steel.html
"In Tanzania, Africa was smelting steel at 1850 degrees centigrade in a single process, using less fuel than later comparable Western methods, when this technological innovation was yet unknown in the Western world."
"These years have seen the discovery of African steel-smelting in Tanzania 1500- 2000 years ago, an astronomical observatory in Kenya 300 years before Christ"
Source and further information:
"Re-inventing Africa By Ifi Amadiume"
http://books.google.com/books?id=KeZUhtDhujsC&pg=PA90&lpg=PA90&dq=steel+invention+tanzania&source=bl&ots=fCkBdh0DV6&sig=NvSuLCoqWX-Gm0vosYy4SEwlZyU&hl=en&ei=1f_MSb7cGMiKsAaS1JGgCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result
"Steel technology was not confined to the Mediterranean and the European North West. India may well have been at the apex of steel technology and China had its own technology centered around cast iron, used not so much for warfare but for civil objects like pots and pans.
And lets not forget the Haya, a people who lived in what is now Tanzania. They had a highly developed Fe technology and used it for beautiful sculptures, too. Their myths and fairy tales contain many stories relating to the making of iron, using a vocabulary that was heartily enriched with expressions relating to the making of humans.
There is even some evidence - collected recently (and, of course, being discussed controversially), that the old Africans had the highest temperatures of all, even reaching the melting point of iron some 2000 years ago (long before everybody else did)"
Source and further information:
http://www.tf.uni-kiel.de/matwis/amat/def_en/kap_5/advanced/t5_1_4.html
Further information:
"African Iron Production: A Review of Recent Publications"
http://www.tf.uni-kiel.de/matwis/amat/def_en/articles/african_iron/african_iron.html
Read more: Was steel invented by Africans in ancient Tanzania? was it used by the ancient blacks in Tanzania initially?
http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1366803#ixzz0uLfHbw88
very early stage, possibly even before other peoples.Around 1400 BC, East Africans began producing steel in carbon furnaces (steel was invented in the west in the eighteenth century).
The Iron Age itself came very early to Africa, probably around the sixth century BC, in Ethiopia, the Great Lakes region, Tanzania, Kenya and Nigeria.
Iron technology, however, only spread slowly across Africa; it wasn't until the first century AD that the smelting of iron began to rapidly diffuse throughout the continent."
Source and further information:
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/CIVAFRCA/IRONAGE.HTM
Further information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel#Ancient_steel
"Iron technology has a long history in Africa. Steel is an alloy of iron. A high quality carbon steel was produced by the Bahaya people nearly 2000 thousand years ago. The Bahaya people are from the north-west area of what is now Tanzania, in East Africa.
This quality of steel was not found in Europe until about the year 1800. The iron ore used by the Bahaya people had the formula Fe304.This was added to the top of the furnace with charcoal, as the source of carbon. The air entered the furnace through blow-pipes at the bottom. In this way the air was preheated, which improved the yield and quality of the iron. The temperature reached in the furnace was 1800°C."
Source and further information:
http://www.jamiiforums.com/jukwaa-la-elimu-education-forum/10253-bahaya-invented-steel.html
"In Tanzania, Africa was smelting steel at 1850 degrees centigrade in a single process, using less fuel than later comparable Western methods, when this technological innovation was yet unknown in the Western world."
"These years have seen the discovery of African steel-smelting in Tanzania 1500- 2000 years ago, an astronomical observatory in Kenya 300 years before Christ"
Source and further information:
"Re-inventing Africa By Ifi Amadiume"
http://books.google.com/books?id=KeZUhtDhujsC&pg=PA90&lpg=PA90&dq=steel+invention+tanzania&source=bl&ots=fCkBdh0DV6&sig=NvSuLCoqWX-Gm0vosYy4SEwlZyU&hl=en&ei=1f_MSb7cGMiKsAaS1JGgCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result
"Steel technology was not confined to the Mediterranean and the European North West. India may well have been at the apex of steel technology and China had its own technology centered around cast iron, used not so much for warfare but for civil objects like pots and pans.
And lets not forget the Haya, a people who lived in what is now Tanzania. They had a highly developed Fe technology and used it for beautiful sculptures, too. Their myths and fairy tales contain many stories relating to the making of iron, using a vocabulary that was heartily enriched with expressions relating to the making of humans.
There is even some evidence - collected recently (and, of course, being discussed controversially), that the old Africans had the highest temperatures of all, even reaching the melting point of iron some 2000 years ago (long before everybody else did)"
Source and further information:
http://www.tf.uni-kiel.de/matwis/amat/def_en/kap_5/advanced/t5_1_4.html
Further information:
"African Iron Production: A Review of Recent Publications"
http://www.tf.uni-kiel.de/matwis/amat/def_en/articles/african_iron/african_iron.html
Read more: Was steel invented by Africans in ancient Tanzania? was it used by the ancient blacks in Tanzania initially?
http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1366803#ixzz0uLfHbw88
Saturday 17 July 2010
Tanzania: Poaching On the Rise ...
Arusha — Poaching cases are on the increase in Loliondo game controlled area in contrast to limited number of game rangers in the vicinity.
The Ngoro Ngoro District Wildlife Officer Betekire Rubunga said there are just four game rangers including him, to patrol the rather large game controlled area, "We also have only one vehicle, a single-cabin Land-Rover 110 Tdi, which had resumed operation last week after being grounded for repairs since December 2008," said Rubunga.
Loliondo game controlled area measures 4000 square kilometers much of it being jungle, savannah bush land and hill ranges. That kind of topography coupled with underdeveloped infrastructure in the area impede rapid movement in case of emergency and works in favor of better equipped poachers.
"The entire landscape is dotted with traps, snares and dug out pits. The problem with these traps is that they catch both the intended and unintended animal ," said the Officer adding that poachers also use military-like heavy guns.
According to the Wildlife Officer, his department has been making arrests " within the first four months of this year, we have nabbed several offenders and a total of five cases been taken to court by the end of April 2009"
"We sometimes get assistance from the Loliondo based Ortello Business Corporation (OBC) which operates a hunting block in the vicinity and in some cases from the anti-poaching units based in Arusha," said the Wildlife Officer explaining that in order to be effective his department needs at least 10 more warders in the area plus an addition vehicle.
Between January and December last year a total of 15 illegal hunters were arrested three of whom were sentenced up to 15 years in jail with other cases going on at the District Magistrate Court. "The nation incurred a loss of over Tsh 30 million from such practices in 2008," stated Mr Rubunga.
According to the wildlife officer figures of the previous year 2007 indicate total arrests of 12 poachers who were apprehended and taken to court with most of them now serving various jail sentences.
The Wildlife officer explained that mot illegal game hunters come from Mara region and neighbouring Uganda and Rwanda. He also pointed out that there is an increase of Zebra killings in the Game controlled areas mainly for the animal's skins which of late have been on high demand. The sale is mostly to tourists via Kenya to the Far East
Elephants are also a favourite kill of the poachers; "We keep coming across carcasses of these large land mammals everywhere we go within the Game Controlled Area and so far we have recorded six recently killed Jumbos three in Njoloi Ward and other three in Arash village," he stated.
All the carcasses have been missing their tusks providing clear motives of their planned deaths.
Other than poaching, witchcraft beliefs are also said to be taking toll on wildlife killings, "We recently caught a suspect with teeth of recently killed lions," said Mr. Rubunga adding that upon further probing it turned out that the teeth were ordered by a witch doctor.
Lions have also been victims of 'Prestigious hunting' among local indigenous tribes like the Maasai who kill the ferocious animals to prove their manhood.
"We have had five cases of prestigious Lion killings, but as time goes by, buffaloes keep being added to the list of such ritual poaching, this year has debuted with one case of a large male buffalo that was killed to prove somebody's bravery in the community," said Mr Rubunga.
~ Arusha Times ~ 27 June 2009
The Ngoro Ngoro District Wildlife Officer Betekire Rubunga said there are just four game rangers including him, to patrol the rather large game controlled area, "We also have only one vehicle, a single-cabin Land-Rover 110 Tdi, which had resumed operation last week after being grounded for repairs since December 2008," said Rubunga.
Loliondo game controlled area measures 4000 square kilometers much of it being jungle, savannah bush land and hill ranges. That kind of topography coupled with underdeveloped infrastructure in the area impede rapid movement in case of emergency and works in favor of better equipped poachers.
"The entire landscape is dotted with traps, snares and dug out pits. The problem with these traps is that they catch both the intended and unintended animal ," said the Officer adding that poachers also use military-like heavy guns.
According to the Wildlife Officer, his department has been making arrests " within the first four months of this year, we have nabbed several offenders and a total of five cases been taken to court by the end of April 2009"
"We sometimes get assistance from the Loliondo based Ortello Business Corporation (OBC) which operates a hunting block in the vicinity and in some cases from the anti-poaching units based in Arusha," said the Wildlife Officer explaining that in order to be effective his department needs at least 10 more warders in the area plus an addition vehicle.
Between January and December last year a total of 15 illegal hunters were arrested three of whom were sentenced up to 15 years in jail with other cases going on at the District Magistrate Court. "The nation incurred a loss of over Tsh 30 million from such practices in 2008," stated Mr Rubunga.
According to the wildlife officer figures of the previous year 2007 indicate total arrests of 12 poachers who were apprehended and taken to court with most of them now serving various jail sentences.
The Wildlife officer explained that mot illegal game hunters come from Mara region and neighbouring Uganda and Rwanda. He also pointed out that there is an increase of Zebra killings in the Game controlled areas mainly for the animal's skins which of late have been on high demand. The sale is mostly to tourists via Kenya to the Far East
Elephants are also a favourite kill of the poachers; "We keep coming across carcasses of these large land mammals everywhere we go within the Game Controlled Area and so far we have recorded six recently killed Jumbos three in Njoloi Ward and other three in Arash village," he stated.
All the carcasses have been missing their tusks providing clear motives of their planned deaths.
Other than poaching, witchcraft beliefs are also said to be taking toll on wildlife killings, "We recently caught a suspect with teeth of recently killed lions," said Mr. Rubunga adding that upon further probing it turned out that the teeth were ordered by a witch doctor.
Lions have also been victims of 'Prestigious hunting' among local indigenous tribes like the Maasai who kill the ferocious animals to prove their manhood.
"We have had five cases of prestigious Lion killings, but as time goes by, buffaloes keep being added to the list of such ritual poaching, this year has debuted with one case of a large male buffalo that was killed to prove somebody's bravery in the community," said Mr Rubunga.
~ Arusha Times ~ 27 June 2009
Somalia Islamists threaten to invade Kenya
Somali Islamists battling the transitional government of the Horn of Africa nation have reiterated their threats to invade Kenya unless the east African nation pullout it's military from the common border.
The local Daily Nation newspaper reported on Thursday that Sheikh Hassan Yakoub Ali, an official of a coalition of Islamists ruling Kismayo town, near the country's border with Somalia, said Kenya and Ethiopia have planned to deploy their forces in Somalia.
Sheikh Ali told both Kenya and Ethiopia to withdraw their forces from Somali borders. "These countries must redeploy their forces from Somali soil. Otherwise, their armies will meet defeat and humiliation," he said.
Sheikh Ali said the hostile forces will not be welcome in Somalia. "You will collide with the same insurgents that forced the Ethiopian troops to withdraw from Somalia."
Somalia's government fears Al-Qaeda is positioning itself in the capital Mogadishu as a base to launch attacks across the African continent.
The newspaper said that Kenyan soldiers in the northern region's border in Wajir town seized 1,000 bags of sugar smuggled into the country from Somalia.
"There have reports that the Islamists are financing their war campaign with money from contraband sold in Kenya which include sugar and electronics," the newspaper reported.
A Kenyan military officer in charge of Wajir station, who sought anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the press, told the Daily Nation that the intercepted sugar was part of assorted goods that illegally crossed into the country.
"They were ferried in two heavy commercial vehicles," the officer with the rank of Major said. "We are now investigating whether illegal firearms from Somalia can be hidden inside the sugar." The vehicles are now held up at Wajir military base.
Somalia's capital Mogadishu has again been rocked by intense fighting between government forces and the militant group Al-Shabab, which has links to Al-Qaeda. At least 22 people have been killed this week in the latest battle, including Mogadishu's chief of police.
Regional analysts said the death of Colonel Ali Said will be a significant setback for the pro-government forces, as he had often been on the frontline encouraging his colleagues to defend their positions.
The Islamist insurgents are determined to oust the western-backed government.
The Somali government has warned that an increasing number of Al-Qaeda members are being drawn to Somalia with the aim of seizing control of the country. It fears that if they succeed, they will create havoc across Africa.
The government has called on African and western nations for logistical and financial support.
Last Saturday, the Hezbul Islam insurgent group accused the Somali government of allowing Ethiopian troops to sneak back into Somalia.
Sheikh Hassan Mahdi, the spokesman of Hezbul Islam, an Islamist group opposing the government, said the Ethiopian forces were in the southern and central regions of Somalia.
"The TFG is behind the Ethiopian troops coming back to Somali territory," said Sheikh Mahdi. "It is part of the government's plan to seek Ethiopian assistance if need arises."
Ethiopia has denied having forces in Somalia.
~Daily Ethopia ~ June 18th, 2009
The local Daily Nation newspaper reported on Thursday that Sheikh Hassan Yakoub Ali, an official of a coalition of Islamists ruling Kismayo town, near the country's border with Somalia, said Kenya and Ethiopia have planned to deploy their forces in Somalia.
Sheikh Ali told both Kenya and Ethiopia to withdraw their forces from Somali borders. "These countries must redeploy their forces from Somali soil. Otherwise, their armies will meet defeat and humiliation," he said.
Sheikh Ali said the hostile forces will not be welcome in Somalia. "You will collide with the same insurgents that forced the Ethiopian troops to withdraw from Somalia."
Somalia's government fears Al-Qaeda is positioning itself in the capital Mogadishu as a base to launch attacks across the African continent.
The newspaper said that Kenyan soldiers in the northern region's border in Wajir town seized 1,000 bags of sugar smuggled into the country from Somalia.
"There have reports that the Islamists are financing their war campaign with money from contraband sold in Kenya which include sugar and electronics," the newspaper reported.
A Kenyan military officer in charge of Wajir station, who sought anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the press, told the Daily Nation that the intercepted sugar was part of assorted goods that illegally crossed into the country.
"They were ferried in two heavy commercial vehicles," the officer with the rank of Major said. "We are now investigating whether illegal firearms from Somalia can be hidden inside the sugar." The vehicles are now held up at Wajir military base.
Somalia's capital Mogadishu has again been rocked by intense fighting between government forces and the militant group Al-Shabab, which has links to Al-Qaeda. At least 22 people have been killed this week in the latest battle, including Mogadishu's chief of police.
Regional analysts said the death of Colonel Ali Said will be a significant setback for the pro-government forces, as he had often been on the frontline encouraging his colleagues to defend their positions.
The Islamist insurgents are determined to oust the western-backed government.
The Somali government has warned that an increasing number of Al-Qaeda members are being drawn to Somalia with the aim of seizing control of the country. It fears that if they succeed, they will create havoc across Africa.
The government has called on African and western nations for logistical and financial support.
Last Saturday, the Hezbul Islam insurgent group accused the Somali government of allowing Ethiopian troops to sneak back into Somalia.
Sheikh Hassan Mahdi, the spokesman of Hezbul Islam, an Islamist group opposing the government, said the Ethiopian forces were in the southern and central regions of Somalia.
"The TFG is behind the Ethiopian troops coming back to Somali territory," said Sheikh Mahdi. "It is part of the government's plan to seek Ethiopian assistance if need arises."
Ethiopia has denied having forces in Somalia.
~Daily Ethopia ~ June 18th, 2009
Crocs Kill 9 as Floods Wreak Havoc
Crocodiles have killed at least nine people in Somalia, where devastating floods have displaced at least 50,000 others, bringing the death toll to over 50 in the lawless African nation, elders and witnesses said Sunday.
The nine died in Buulo Barte district in the central Hiraan region, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) north the capital Mogadishu in past three days, they said.
Survivors in other parts of the district were still clinging to trees in desperate attempts to avoid being eaten, local elder Ali Hassan Osmail told AFP.
"We are experiencing the worst crisis in this region, in addition to the evacuation and loss of property, people are expressing concerns over crocodiles that threaten their lives," Osmail added.
"At least nine people have been killed by crocodiles floating all over the floodwater in the past three days and the number could rise because the problems still persist," he added.
Witnesses and local officials have told AFP the deaths bring the toll to at least 52 killed in Somalia in raging flood waters since late October when torrential downpours first caused rivers to burst their banks.
The bulk of the dead were in the Middle and Lower Juba, Lower Shabelle, Gedo and Hiraan regions, all controlled by a powerful Islamic movement that seized Mogadishu in June and now hold almost all of southern and central Somalia, they said.
The United Nations said the current, unusually heavy seasonal rains were threatening Somalia with its worst floods in 50 years while the impoverished Horn of Africa country teeters on the brink of all-out war.
In addition, tens of thousands hectares of farmlands have been destroyed by the floods, which follow a prolonged drought that ravaged the entire eastern Africa region, causing a humanitarian disaster.
Relief efforts have been hampered by flooded roads and the military build-up and complicated further by a ban on flights to and from Somalia imposed by neighboring Kenya this week for security reasons, according the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Somalia, a nation of about 10 million people, has lacked a functioning central authority and any disaster response mechanisms since being plunged into anarchy after the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
The rise of the Islamists poses a serious challenge to the two-year-old transitional government that has been riddled with infighting and unable to assert control in much of the nation. - Sapa-AFP 15Nov06
The nine died in Buulo Barte district in the central Hiraan region, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) north the capital Mogadishu in past three days, they said.
Survivors in other parts of the district were still clinging to trees in desperate attempts to avoid being eaten, local elder Ali Hassan Osmail told AFP.
"We are experiencing the worst crisis in this region, in addition to the evacuation and loss of property, people are expressing concerns over crocodiles that threaten their lives," Osmail added.
"At least nine people have been killed by crocodiles floating all over the floodwater in the past three days and the number could rise because the problems still persist," he added.
Witnesses and local officials have told AFP the deaths bring the toll to at least 52 killed in Somalia in raging flood waters since late October when torrential downpours first caused rivers to burst their banks.
The bulk of the dead were in the Middle and Lower Juba, Lower Shabelle, Gedo and Hiraan regions, all controlled by a powerful Islamic movement that seized Mogadishu in June and now hold almost all of southern and central Somalia, they said.
The United Nations said the current, unusually heavy seasonal rains were threatening Somalia with its worst floods in 50 years while the impoverished Horn of Africa country teeters on the brink of all-out war.
In addition, tens of thousands hectares of farmlands have been destroyed by the floods, which follow a prolonged drought that ravaged the entire eastern Africa region, causing a humanitarian disaster.
Relief efforts have been hampered by flooded roads and the military build-up and complicated further by a ban on flights to and from Somalia imposed by neighboring Kenya this week for security reasons, according the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Somalia, a nation of about 10 million people, has lacked a functioning central authority and any disaster response mechanisms since being plunged into anarchy after the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
The rise of the Islamists poses a serious challenge to the two-year-old transitional government that has been riddled with infighting and unable to assert control in much of the nation. - Sapa-AFP 15Nov06
Kenya Jails 7 Somalis to 20 years for "Piracy"
A Kenyan court sentenced seven Somalis to 20 years in prison for piracy after they tried to attack a Danish cargo vessel.
A Kenyan court sentenced seven Somalis to 20 years in prison for piracy on Wednesday after they tried to attack a Danish cargo vessel.
British Royal Navy forces arrested the men in 2008 after they attempted to seize MV Powerful off the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping routes. Two pirates died in an ensuing fight.
They were then handed over to Kenyan authorities and charged with piracy.
"Having considered the seriousness ... of the offence, and circumstances under which the suspects were arrested, only stiff penalties can deter such activities," Senior Principal Magistrate Lilian Mutende said, delivering her judgment.
Pirates have caused havoc in the Gulf of Aden, raking in millions of dollars in ransoms, hiking insurance premiums on shipping and threatening humanitarian supplies.
Kenya is holding over 100 suspected pirates, and police say this is clogging jails and courts. Local Muslim leaders say Kenya should not be used as a dumping ground and foreign navies should take charge of the people they arrest.
International navies trying to counter piracy off Somalia are often reluctant to take suspects to their own countries because they either lack the jurisdiction to put them on trial there, or they fear the pirates may seek asylum.
The European Union, United States and some other countries have instead struck agreements with Kenya to hand over suspects to face trial there. Some pirates are being prosecuted in France and the Netherlands.
In Kenya, 10 other pirates are serving a seven-year jail term at a prison in Voi, near Mombasa.
A lawyer representing the seven, in their 20s and 30s, said he planned to appeal against the sentences.
"It is clearly stated in law that the court in Kenya ... has no jurisdiction beyond the Kenyan waters. Why should Kenya be the one to feed Somali aliens for 20 years?" Jared Magolo said.
Reuters-Wednesday, 10 March 2010 21:15
A Kenyan court sentenced seven Somalis to 20 years in prison for piracy on Wednesday after they tried to attack a Danish cargo vessel.
British Royal Navy forces arrested the men in 2008 after they attempted to seize MV Powerful off the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping routes. Two pirates died in an ensuing fight.
They were then handed over to Kenyan authorities and charged with piracy.
"Having considered the seriousness ... of the offence, and circumstances under which the suspects were arrested, only stiff penalties can deter such activities," Senior Principal Magistrate Lilian Mutende said, delivering her judgment.
Pirates have caused havoc in the Gulf of Aden, raking in millions of dollars in ransoms, hiking insurance premiums on shipping and threatening humanitarian supplies.
Kenya is holding over 100 suspected pirates, and police say this is clogging jails and courts. Local Muslim leaders say Kenya should not be used as a dumping ground and foreign navies should take charge of the people they arrest.
International navies trying to counter piracy off Somalia are often reluctant to take suspects to their own countries because they either lack the jurisdiction to put them on trial there, or they fear the pirates may seek asylum.
The European Union, United States and some other countries have instead struck agreements with Kenya to hand over suspects to face trial there. Some pirates are being prosecuted in France and the Netherlands.
In Kenya, 10 other pirates are serving a seven-year jail term at a prison in Voi, near Mombasa.
A lawyer representing the seven, in their 20s and 30s, said he planned to appeal against the sentences.
"It is clearly stated in law that the court in Kenya ... has no jurisdiction beyond the Kenyan waters. Why should Kenya be the one to feed Somali aliens for 20 years?" Jared Magolo said.
Reuters-Wednesday, 10 March 2010 21:15
The Radicalization Kenya Somali Youth ...
Two month ago the Kenyan public joined the Kenya police and security agencies in lynching, mob justice, shooting and stoning peaceful Somali demonstrators in front of Jamia Mosque. A number of innocent Somalis were killed and injured. This was the turning point for Somali Kenyan youth who were patriotic Kenyan until that day. It suddenly dawn to them after all this years they were only considered a second class citizen like their parents and forefathers before them . It was painful to watch this scene unravelling in front of our eyes which has been captured vividly in YouTube. The Butchers at the council market joined the police in chasing and harassing this Innocent Somali Kenya who were demonstrating rightly or wrongly on issue that they thought touched them personally.
The issue of Somali Kenyans has now been rekindled and this incident which should never have happed in modern day Kenya has reminded them where they belong the second class citizen. It is clear that they are not considered like other Kenyans and this ripple effect have been felt world wide by Somalis of all walk of life. Who are now preparing for plan B.
Since Kenya's independence Somalis have been targeted for economic ,political and social discrimination. There province has been divided and large chunks annexed to Kenyas Eastern province . Their area is least developed in the country with ravaging drought that has brought the nomadic life to a stand still. NFD or North Eastern which is the second largest province in Kenya has no single university or referral hospital. The Education system is neglected as number of teachers per student has declined since independence. The recent result of Secondary school examination KCPE is clear indicator how this expanse province and population is treated. The first candidate in this vast province was not equal to the last candidate of the whole other provinces combined.
The recent census which had placed the population of North Eastern 3 million has been suppressed by the authorities who are now doctoring the census. The Kenya authorities will not believe that the population of Somalis has increased by 140%. This act by the government which is discriminatory will not go unchallenged in any democracy or emerging democracies. Thanks to the poor calibre of Members of parliament produced by North Eastern who are busy lining there pocket than looking at the bigger picture of developing and fighting for the right of their people. This Mps do not contribute to their respective constituencies leave alone debating national issue on the floor of parliament.
No single Mp in present and past Parliament is capable of being compared to the legendary and fearless the late Hon. Abdi Sirat Khalif who fought for the rights of his people. The present Somali Mps in th Kenya parliament who are 14 plus have not raised a finger to the open discriminatory acts caused by the Kenya against its population and land. Late Abdi Sirat Khalif fought tooth and nail with Kenyatta administration who in the end silenced him by rigging him out.
The North Eastern province has been under emergency laws for the last 46 years.The government have always dealt ruthless with population whom one time politician requested that all the well of this nomads in the province to be poisoned to wipe out the Somali population an advice that made President Kenyatta angry to the point of reprimanding that politician by telling him if he were to kill the population of North Eastern he will be left with no one to rule.
When I was young and I remember vividly during the 1977 Ogaden War all Somalis in Kenya were hounded and detained in large camps in Schools for over 3days without food and water. It is a bitter memory that stays with me till today. The harassment caused to my people is beyond imagination. I have buried it in me till the recent indiscriminate attack on Somali by Kenya security forces and the Kenyan public.
The memories Wagalla, Malka Mari,Garrisa 1984 massacre are fresh in our minds. Thousand of Somalis were massacred by the Kenya security forces without any reason. The reason was flimsy and it is that Kenya government has carried systematic genocide against people it claims to be its own citizen. No one come to Somalis aid.
Recently George Kinuthia Saitoti went to Israel and asked the Israeli security forces to help and train their Kenyan counterpart to fight Somali terrorism which is about to overtake Kenya. Yes the Kenya government now want to use Israelis to kill and maim more Somalis. What do you expect from us??? To watch when you prepare to kill our women and children? NO No No enough is enough we will no longer be bound by the rule of ballots. It is time we also took lead and armed ourselves. For me today I will prepare to lead our people to our journey that will lead to self determination a right that is enshrine n the universal declaration of human rights. I will fight to defend my people. Brutal force should equally be met with Brutal force. The Israelis will look after its interest of not antagonizing the Somali population in Kenya.
The process of radicalization is irreversible and has been triggered by the recent attack of Somalis by the Kenya security forces with help of it citizens. We will not accept second class citizen. If you do not want to recognize us as your equals then it is high time we parted ways.
~ by Sadia Ahmed - Monday, March 15, 2010
Let's have your view ... Perhaps a counter argument
The issue of Somali Kenyans has now been rekindled and this incident which should never have happed in modern day Kenya has reminded them where they belong the second class citizen. It is clear that they are not considered like other Kenyans and this ripple effect have been felt world wide by Somalis of all walk of life. Who are now preparing for plan B.
Since Kenya's independence Somalis have been targeted for economic ,political and social discrimination. There province has been divided and large chunks annexed to Kenyas Eastern province . Their area is least developed in the country with ravaging drought that has brought the nomadic life to a stand still. NFD or North Eastern which is the second largest province in Kenya has no single university or referral hospital. The Education system is neglected as number of teachers per student has declined since independence. The recent result of Secondary school examination KCPE is clear indicator how this expanse province and population is treated. The first candidate in this vast province was not equal to the last candidate of the whole other provinces combined.
The recent census which had placed the population of North Eastern 3 million has been suppressed by the authorities who are now doctoring the census. The Kenya authorities will not believe that the population of Somalis has increased by 140%. This act by the government which is discriminatory will not go unchallenged in any democracy or emerging democracies. Thanks to the poor calibre of Members of parliament produced by North Eastern who are busy lining there pocket than looking at the bigger picture of developing and fighting for the right of their people. This Mps do not contribute to their respective constituencies leave alone debating national issue on the floor of parliament.
No single Mp in present and past Parliament is capable of being compared to the legendary and fearless the late Hon. Abdi Sirat Khalif who fought for the rights of his people. The present Somali Mps in th Kenya parliament who are 14 plus have not raised a finger to the open discriminatory acts caused by the Kenya against its population and land. Late Abdi Sirat Khalif fought tooth and nail with Kenyatta administration who in the end silenced him by rigging him out.
The North Eastern province has been under emergency laws for the last 46 years.The government have always dealt ruthless with population whom one time politician requested that all the well of this nomads in the province to be poisoned to wipe out the Somali population an advice that made President Kenyatta angry to the point of reprimanding that politician by telling him if he were to kill the population of North Eastern he will be left with no one to rule.
When I was young and I remember vividly during the 1977 Ogaden War all Somalis in Kenya were hounded and detained in large camps in Schools for over 3days without food and water. It is a bitter memory that stays with me till today. The harassment caused to my people is beyond imagination. I have buried it in me till the recent indiscriminate attack on Somali by Kenya security forces and the Kenyan public.
The memories Wagalla, Malka Mari,Garrisa 1984 massacre are fresh in our minds. Thousand of Somalis were massacred by the Kenya security forces without any reason. The reason was flimsy and it is that Kenya government has carried systematic genocide against people it claims to be its own citizen. No one come to Somalis aid.
Recently George Kinuthia Saitoti went to Israel and asked the Israeli security forces to help and train their Kenyan counterpart to fight Somali terrorism which is about to overtake Kenya. Yes the Kenya government now want to use Israelis to kill and maim more Somalis. What do you expect from us??? To watch when you prepare to kill our women and children? NO No No enough is enough we will no longer be bound by the rule of ballots. It is time we also took lead and armed ourselves. For me today I will prepare to lead our people to our journey that will lead to self determination a right that is enshrine n the universal declaration of human rights. I will fight to defend my people. Brutal force should equally be met with Brutal force. The Israelis will look after its interest of not antagonizing the Somali population in Kenya.
The process of radicalization is irreversible and has been triggered by the recent attack of Somalis by the Kenya security forces with help of it citizens. We will not accept second class citizen. If you do not want to recognize us as your equals then it is high time we parted ways.
~ by Sadia Ahmed - Monday, March 15, 2010
Let's have your view ... Perhaps a counter argument
The Kenyan Legislature ...
With a system similar to the United States and Great Britain, laws in Kenya are written and passed by their legislature, called the National Assembly. There are 224 seats in the Assembly, with 210 of them as elected representatives from all of Kenya's constituencies. The remaining 14 seats are directly appointed by the president himself.
The Judiciary ...
The judiciary is the body of judges and courts where the laws are upheld, and those breaking the laws are prosecuted. There are 8 sections of the judiciary, each with courts to handle different types of law. The courts cover civil, criminal, family, commercial, constitutional/judicial review, anti-corruption, city/municipal and children's laws.
The highest level of authority within the judiciary is the Court of Appeals, which hears cases only after they have already been through the High Court. Most average civil or criminal cases are tried through the lower Magistrate courts.
Overall, the judiciary is separate and independent from both the executive and legislative branches of the government. Influence from either body still exists, and the judiciary has not been free of corruption accusations along with the rest of the government.
The highest level of authority within the judiciary is the Court of Appeals, which hears cases only after they have already been through the High Court. Most average civil or criminal cases are tried through the lower Magistrate courts.
Overall, the judiciary is separate and independent from both the executive and legislative branches of the government. Influence from either body still exists, and the judiciary has not been free of corruption accusations along with the rest of the government.
The Law Society of Kenya ...
The Law Society of Kenya is the nation’s bar association, that regulates and serves Kenya's lawyers. There are more than 6,000 lawyers and advocates in Kenya, who are all members of the LSK. You must be a member in order to practice law. Besides being the regulatory body for lawyers, the Law Society also runs a Continuing Legal Education program, to help keep members informed of the ongoing changes and developments in the Kenyan legal field.
Kenya Law Reports ...
The Kenya Law Reports are published by the National Council for Law Reporting, and contains all the judgments, rulings and legal outcomes for the superior courts. As well as reporting on judicial results, they also publish monthly and weekly commentaries on legal issues with regard to the court judgments
Friday 16 July 2010
Kenya Law ...
How does the Kenya law system work? The Kenyan legal system consists of a mix of Kenya statutory (written) law and Kenyan and English common law, mixed with elements of tribal and Islamic law.
Kenya's basic legal system and body of law is very similar to that found in western or European countries. This is mainly a result of Kenya being a part of the British empire for many decades until 1963; Kenya is still a member of the British Commonwealth.
Kenya's basic legal system and body of law is very similar to that found in western or European countries. This is mainly a result of Kenya being a part of the British empire for many decades until 1963; Kenya is still a member of the British Commonwealth.
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