We did Not Attain Independence ...

"We Did Not Attain Independence To Have A Country Of Ten Millionaires and Ten Million Beggars."
~J.M. Kariuki (RIP)

GP's Told to Stop Prescribing Antibiotics for Coughs & Colds.

Family doctors are to be told to stop prescribing antibiotics for coughs and colds because overuse is contributing to the spread of hospital bugs and putting vital treatments under threat.

The European Centre of Disease prevention and Control is to write to all GPs warning them of the dangers of routinely handing out the drugs.

Experts at the influential centre, based in Stockholm which is focused on controlling infectious diseases in Europe, say the prescription of the pills, which are not necessary in most cases, is fuelling the rise in the number of infections that are resistant to antibiotics.

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They have warned for the first time that modern medicine is reaching a point when it will no longer be able to function because antibiotics are powerless to fight life-threatening hospital infections.

It will mean that organ transplants, hip replacements and cancer treatment may have to be halted because antibiotics used to protect patients from hospital infections will no longer work.

GPs have claimed they often feel under pressure from patients who are angered if they are refused treatment for colds and sore throats even though antibiotics do not combat viruses.

The European experts admit that part of the problem is caused by pushy parents who demand medicine for their children.

Dominic Monnet, senior expert at the Scientific Advice unit at the ECDC in Stockholm, said: “If this wave of antibiotic resistance gets over us, we will not be able to do organ transplants, Hip replacements, Cancer Chemotherapy, Intensive care and Neonatal care for premature babies.

“It is the whole span of modern medicine as we know it, that we will not be able to do if we lose antibiotics.”

More antibiotics are prescribed in Britain than in nine other European countries including Norway, Sweden and Denmark, and it has one of the highest rates of resistance in Europe.

Last year 38 million prescriptions for antibiotics were written by GPs at a cost to the NHS of £175 million.

UK Government scientists agreed that there was 'a public health treat’ from infections that are resistant to multiple antibiotics and there was an urgent need to develop new treatments.

Dr Laurance Buckman, chairman of the British Medical Association’s GP committee, said: “The BMA has been campaigning for years to discourage inappropriate use of antibiotics.

“This means two things - patients should not ask for them when they are not needed, and GPs should not give them.

“The idea that antibiotics cure coughs and colds and are all purpose things that are good for you has to be discarded.

“Some GPs are fearful of getting into an argument with their patients but they should not give antibiotics when they are not needed.”

Rates of certain bacterial infections, including MRSA, have been reduced with the use of specific antibiotics and improved hygiene. However, there is a growing threat from a new family of bacterial infection including Acinetobacter, which affects around 1,000 patients each year. It is normally harmless but can cause blood poisoning and life-threatening pneumonia in the vulnerable.

Dr Monnet said while there were 13 new antibiotics under development for the family of bacterial infections including MRSA, there were only six under development for the second family, known as Gram-negative and including Acinetobacter, and E-Coli.

A spokesman for the Health Protection Agency said: “Antibiotics are a precious resource in fighting infections and one that we must do everything possible to preserve.

“New antibiotics need to be developed to ensure the range of treatment options for some infections does not run out.

“There remains a public health threat posed today by multi-resistant Gram-negative bacteria and therefore there is an urgent need for the pharmaceutical industry to work towards developing new treatment options to tackle infections caused by these bacteria, in the same way as they did for bacteria like MRSA.”

Sarah Earnshaw of the Health communications unit at the ECDC, based in Stockholm, said doctors were often pressured to prescribe antibiotics.

She said: “Patients are often demanding antibiotics especially parents demanding them for their children.

A survey in 2002 showed that 60 per cent of people did not know that antibiotics do not work against viruses such as flu.”

She said the ECDC would be writing to all GPs on November 18 warning them about overuse of the drugs and giving them materials to help them explain to demanding patients that antibiotics must be used sparingly.

Alan Johnson, the former Health Secretary launched a £270 million advertising campaign earlier this year telling patients that antibiotics will not help with a cough or cold.

In July, the National Insititute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued guidance to doctors telling them not to prescribe antibiotics to patients who are suffering from minor illnesses such as an ear infection, sore throat, tonsillitis, a cold, sinus infection, cough or bronchitis.

~By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor, and Kate Devlin - Published: 9:59PM GMT 08 Nov 2009

An Inconvenient Truth ~ John

This is an article...written by a Kenyan....whose insightful writings are always a pleasure and occasionally painful to receive...but to the point.

A genuine reality check...all so necessary...and sometimes....to coin a phrase...

'An Inconvenient Truth'. - John

Why the duka wallah is smarter than you
This from the Standard on 07 Sept 09 - By Ted Malanda

In the unlikely event that the British decided to rebuild the Kenya-Uganda railway, rest assured that the man-eaters of Tsavo, if they still exist, would not be carting away Indian coolies into the boondocks for snacks and dinner.

There would be no Indian coolies in the first place. Instead, the whole railway line would be bustling with youthful - and not so youthful - indigenous Kenyans under the Kazi kwa Vijana
initiative.

Yet just over 100 years ago, the locals wouldn’t be caught dead doing such ‘menial’ work, to the extent that the railway line’s entire labour force had to be shipped in from India .

But if it was massive muscle drain for India, then, rounding up the descendants of those coolies today and throwing them out Idi Amin style would result in brain drain so severe that the national economy would be clobbered to its knees.

How did they manage this transformation from sweaty labourers to captains of industry when locals are still doing what they were doing then hunting squirrels, pretending to raise maize on barren land and engaging in tribal warfare every five years?

Strength to strength, Equally, the Brits who were lording it over everyone have virtually scattered.

Grogan is gone; Egerton’s castle is in ruins while Lord Delamere now hawks mandazi and milk on the roadside in Naivasha.

But the Kenyan Indian just seems to grow from strength to strength.

I could hazard two reasons for this: One, the Indian doesn’t give a hoot about land. All he needs is a roof over his head and a place to sell his wares.

Wazungu, on the other hand, will lease thousands of hectares of desert land and then pretend to make money out of it from tourists.

How the hell do you do that when crooks are turning all the trees upstream into charcoal?

Africans, on the other hand, will steal and kill each other for land. But after that, they do absolutely nothing with it apart from walking around admiring farm boundaries and selecting burial spots.

The second reason is that the average Indian is more tenacious than a donkey.

Note: A millionaire duka wallah will own the same pair of shoes for years unlike a local man who changes wives with his first bank loan.

It’s not easy minting money from a duka, either, as the many locals who sink their retirement benefits into roadside shops can testify.

But I admire Indians most for their marriage customs. They are just brilliant, these Indian men.
How did they connive to have women pay them dowry and still manage to sit on them?

Aging mothers, In fact, as soon as they have eaten the dowry that the bride brought, they install her in the family home so that she can take care of their aging mothers as well.
Would you believe it! And to seal the deal, they cover those women from head to toe making it
virtually impossible for wife snatchers to salivate. Have you ever seen an Indian woman’s underwear?

Now contrast that with African women who seem hell bent on baring it all to the nearest passer by.

My ancestors thought they were smart yet all they cared about were useless gizzard rights.

Why couldn’t they think up a scam like this? Here we pay dowry through the nose yet if one’s mother visits for two weeks, the wife issues an ultimatum: "Either that old hag goes or I’m out."

Life is, indeed, a circus!
~Ted Malanda

You Will Profit

"You will profit by the failure, and will avoid it another time.
Every failure teaches a man something, if he will learn.”
~ Charles Dickens

2009 Kenyan Maize Scandal

This is an on-going scandal in Kenya that became public in January 2009, over the sale of imported maize.

In late 2008, the ban on importation of maize was lifted by the government to allow capable businessmen to import maize to supplement the local produce that was short of the minimum require to satisfy the local market.

The scandal alleges that the following events might have taken place.

Briefcase millers, existing only on paper, some of whom were defunct at the time when the scandal unfolded, were awarded large quantities of maize by the Strategic Grain Reserve.

They accomplished this by inflating their milling per-hour capacity and having 4 Permanent Secretaries approve them.

The briefcase millers and local businesses that were either awarded quotas by the SGR or awarded import permits by the NCPBK (National Cereals Produce Board of Kenya respectively might have also re-directed the bags of maize outside the country in order to avoid price controls stated by the government and thus make bigger profits.

Some of the maize imported in 2009 by local businesses was certified unfit for human consumption and might have been released into the market after directions of senior government officials.

The following ministries and departments as have been implicated:

Ministry of Agriculture - The PS in this ministry was a signatory to the SGR quota allocations.

Ministry of Special Programmes - The PS in this ministry was a signatory to the SGR quota allocations.

Ministry of Finance & Treasury department - The PS in this ministry was a signatory to the SGR quota allocations.

Ministry of the Prime Minister - The PS in this ministry was a signatory to the SGR quota allocations. The Office of the Prime Minister also gave instructions not to return the contaminated maize back to South Africa and was retained in Kenya to be destroyed.

The Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission is currently investigating the scandal but is yet to make an official report on its findings.

When are we going to get our house in Order ?

World of Economics

World of Economics

It is the month of August, on the shores of the Black Sea ..
It is raining, and the little town looks totally deserted. It is tough times, Everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.

Suddenly, a rich tourist comes to town.
He enters the only hotel, lays a 100 Euro note on the reception counter, and goes to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to choose one.

The hotel proprietor takes the 100 Euro note and sneeks to pay his debt to the butcher.

The butcher takes the 100 Euro note, and runs to pay his debt to the farmer.

The farmer takes the 100 Euro note, and runs to pay his debt to the supplier of his feed & fuel.

The supplier of feed and fuel takes the 100 Euro note and runs to pay his debt to the town's Prostitute that in these hard times, gave her services on credit.

The Prostitute runs to the hotel, and pays off her debt with the 100 Euro note to the hotel proprietor to pay for the rooms that she rented when she brought her clients there.

The hotel proprietor then lays the 100 Euro note back on the counter so that the rich tourist will not suspect anything..

At that moment, the tourist comes down after inspecting the rooms, and takes his 100 Euro note, after saying that he did not like any of the rooms, and leaves town.

No one earned anything.
However, the whole town is now without debt, and looks to the future with a lot of optimism....

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the world is doing business today.

Kenyan Mau Mau Case - Kenyan Veterans in UK Court Bid

An estimated 160,000 people were detained during the insurgency
A compensation claim against the British government brought by veterans of Kenya's independence struggle has been lodged at the High Court.

Three men and two women have launched the case over alleged human rights abuses in the 1950s and 1960s.

Thousands of people were rounded up and forced into camps by the British during what was known as the Mau Mau uprising.
The UK says the claim is not valid because of the amount of time since the abuses were alleged to have happened.

The five Kenyans - aged in their 70s and 80s - are the lead claimants in the reparations case.

'Beaten and castrated'
They want the UK government to acknowledge responsibility for atrocities committed by local guards in camps administered by the British in the pre-independence era.
Their lawyer, Martyn Day, said he believed his clients had "a good chance of success".
He added that the British government of the time had given "a blank cheque" to camp guards in their attempts to force people to abandon the resistance movement.
Mr Day told a news conference: "We want the British government to say what we did was so wrong back in the 1950s.

Not a day goes by when I do not think of these terrible events ~ Ndiku Mutua

The government has indicated that the claim is invalid because of the time that has passed and that any liability rested with the Kenyan authorities after independence in 1963.

Historians say the Mau Mau movement helped Kenya achieve independence.
But their actions have also been blamed for crimes against white farmers and bloody clashes with British forces throughout the 1950s.

The armed movement began in central Kenya during the with the aim of getting back land seized by British colonial authorities.

Veterans of the war say they suffered barbaric treatment, including torture, as the British suppressed the rebellion.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission has said 90,000 Kenyans were executed, tortured or maimed during the crackdown, and 160,000 were detained in appalling conditions.

The Five Claimants quote:
I was arrested in 1954, severely beaten and castrated with pliers, at Lukenya detention centre.
"I live with the physical and mental scars of what happened to me.
"Not a day goes by when I do not think of these terrible events. At last I can tell my story and at last I can hope for justice from the British courts." ~ Mr Ndiku Mutua.
I was Castrated ~ Paulo Nzili.
I was tied upside down by the feet and beaten. ~ Wambugu Wa Nyingi
I was Sexually assaulted ~ Jane Muthoni Mara.
I too was Sexually assaulted ~ Susan Ngondi.

Hence, If it was a WWII German soldier, the British would pursue him to the end with war allegations and ensuring that the “So Called” culprit was “tried and charged.”
Why two sets of international laws? ~ KSA

Urussi yatamka kushirikiana kuhusu swala la mashariki ya Katu

Wapigania uhuru kuishitaki Uingereza.
London,Uingereza - 23/06/09.Wapigania uhuru watano wa Kenya ambao walikuwa kundi la Maumau, wamefungua kesi ya mashitaka zidi ya serikali ya Uingereza kwa kuvunja haki za binadamu wakati wa utawala wa kikoloni wa Uingereza ulipo kuwa ukitawala miaka ya 60 kurudi nyuma.
Wapigania uhuru hao ambao wanamiaka kati ta 70 na 80. wanadai ya kuwa serikali ya Uingereza inatakiwa kulipa fidia na kuomba msamahaa kwa matendo yaliyo fanywa na Uingereza wakati Inaitawala Kenya.
Msemaji wa wapigania uhuru hao, Gitu wa Kahengeri, alisema wanafanya hivyo kwa ajili ya wapigania uhuru wenzao, wa kundi la Mau mau ambao walipoteza maisha kwa ajili mya kutetea uhuru.
Hata hivyo serikali ya Uingereza, imedai ya hali halisi ilipewa serikali ya Kenya baada ya kupata uhuru.
Picha hapo juu, ni ya bendera ya Kenya, nchi ambayo ilikuwa chini ya utawala wa Uingereza hadi ilipo pata uhuru 1963.
Picha pili, wanaonekana, baadhi ya wapigania uhuru wa mau mau wakiwa chini ya ulinzi, ambao wengi wao walipoteza maisha wakati wa kutetea uhuru wa nchi yao.

Likini Waki Kua Wao, Wanam fuata paka leo. Waki kutana yule ambao ali kua na Jesi wa Germany wakati wa WWII, watha'm fuata ata leo. ~ KSA

Your views: Kenya Mau Mau case
"What did we do in the period just after the Second World War, how many atrocities were we responsible for in that terrible period?"

Life ...

“Chenye Mwanzo Hakikosi Mwisho...”
“What Has A Beginning Has An Ending…”

IPL~Billion Dollar Baby

The overall value of Indian Premier League (IPL) is already worth $2.01 billion, according to UK-based brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance, which has put the IPL’s brand valuation at over $311.94 million.
$42.1 million, Kolkata Knight Riders,
$41.6 million Mumbai Indians,
$39.5 million Rajasthan Royals,
$39.4 million Chennai Super Kings,
$39.2 million Delhi Daredevils,
$37.4 million Royal Challengers,
$36.3 million Kings XI Punjab,
$34.8 million Deccan Chargers
“IPL will create substantial value, which does not get captured in a routine profit /loss estimate.
This will be seen when the teams manage to build fan loyalty and performance and choose to list,” says Unni Krishnan, MD, Brand Finance.

Bloggers Have No Right To Privacy Says British Court

The High Court in London has ruled that bloggers have no right to privacy under British law since blogging is essentially a public rather than a private activity.

The case was brought by The Times newspaper after it discovered the identity of a blogger in the police service who wrote the popular Night Jack web page, which was awarded the Orwell Prize for political writing in April.

The author, Richard Horton, a detective constable with Lancashire Constabulary, had sought an injunction to stop the paper from releasing his name but his application was denied.

It would seem to be quite legitimate for the public to be told who it was who was choosing to make, in some instances quite serious criticisms of police activities and, if it be the case, that frequent infringements of police discipline regulations were taking place, said Mr Justice Eady, The Times reports.

I do not accept that it is part of the courts function to protect police officers who are, or think they may be, acting in breach of police discipline regulations from coming to the attention of their superiors.

The Night Jack blog was very popular with the reading public, getting up to half a million hits a week. Horton has now deleted the blog and received a written warning from his superiors.

The case will have a chilling effect on other workplace blogs, since the lack of any expectation of privacy will cause some to abandon their blogs.

Thousands of regular bloggers . . . would be horrified to think that the law would do nothing to protect their anonymity if someone carried out the necessary detective work and sought to unmask them, said Hugh Tomlinson, QC, for Mr Horton.

The police force has supplied a number of authors of popular blogs, so much so that the forces have introduced guidelines on blogging aimed at limiting what can be said by officers on the beat.
~ Iain Thomson in San Francisco (Wed 17th Jun 09)

Air India Pilot Refuses To Fly Faulty Plane.

A possible Air France-like disaster was averted by a firm Air India pilot. But instead of lauding him, the Air India management grounded him and stopped his salary.

The pilot, Captain NK Beri was grounded after he refused to fly flight number AI-822 from Riyadh to Mumbai after the aircraft developed a technical snag on May 27.

The pilot declined to operate the aircraft with over 300 passengers on board despite Air India’s top officials mounting pressure on him.

A baffled Air India, which feels the airline “incurred heavy monetary losses and was subjected to an embarrassment” due to the episode, has issued a show cause notice to Capt Beri, the captain of the Boeing 747-400.

The airline has stopped payment of his salary and declared him “not available for flying duties”.

A show cause notice issued by Air India executive director (Operations- II) Capt Rakesh Anand said the action on the part of Capt Beri caused 24 hours delay in the departure of the flight from Riyadh.

Capt Beri told HT he had refused to operate the flight in the night with landing gear down, said “I didn’t want to risk the lives of so many passengers. Flying an aircraft with landing gear down at night is against the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) regulations.”

A senior technical examiner of Boeing 747-400 aircraft, told HT on condition of anonymity, “When the gear is down, the aircraft’s performance gets severely compromised — it can’t go to higher altitudes, fuel consumption increases manifold, speed gets considerably reduced and it’s not easy to avoid harsh weather conditions. Nobody should insist that a pilot fly such aircraft at night.”

The flight developed a problem in the landing gear soon after take-off. The pilot-in-command, Capt Beri, informed Air Traffic Control that the aircraft's landing gear was not going up and he would have to return to Riyadh.

Surprisingly, he was asked to bring the flight to Mumbai with all passengers on board by Air India officials. But Capt Beri refused.
The episode, which took place four days before an Air France aircraft from Rio de Janeiro to Paris crashed, killing 228 passengers on board on May 31, and has raised questions about Air India’s concern for passenger safety.
Air India chairman-cum- managing director Arvind Jadhav, 53, was not available for comment.

Link: http://www.hindusta ntimes.com/ StoryPage/ StoryPage. aspx?id=1cebbab0 -b9ad-4498- 9477-ee23e3fdd43 6

Question: What would you have done?

The World's Greatest Act of Propulsion

“The World's Greatest Act Of Propulsion, Is A Pat On The Back.”

Uzuri Wa Mkakasi

Uzuri Wa Mkakasi, Ndani Kipande Cha Mti.
An ornate casket may be beautiful, but underneath it is only a piece of wood.
Beauty is only skin-deep

Home Brews~Are they Safe

This week Africa Live is discussing whether home-brewed alcohol has a place in modern Africa.

Every country in Africa has a home brew:
Ogogoro in Nigeria.
Umkomboti in South Africa.
Nsafufuo in Ghana.
Kurova Guva, Chihwani Dheyizi & Tototo in Zimbabwe.
Chibuku, Shake Shake, Katata & Lutuku in Zambia.
Kong in Sudan.
Katikala in Ethiopia.
Chang'aa, Tapu Tapu, Mbege, Chibuku & Muratina in East African Coast, Kenya, Tanzania & Zanzibar.

Did you know that Scotch whisky was like Chang'aa, illegal? Brewers of whisky in Scotland did running battles with the police just like Chang'aa brewers in Kenya but eventually sense and sensibility prevailed. Legalise Chang'aa like Konyagi and Waragi in neighbouring Tanzania and Uganda, respectively.

Local brews can provide much-needed money for poor families. They are also used during traditional ceremonies such as pouring libation, weddings and funerals.
But if not brewed properly, they can be dangerous and each year hundreds of people die after drinking these spirits.


In my Opinion, It is important to understand what we are debating about.
Alcohol~It is known to be harmful, if drunk excessively.
Local Brew~Is also a Alcohol, just as good and as harmful as any other.

Important~The point here is to ensure that the untensils used are clean & sterilised, whilst making Home Brew.
It is also important to use the correct ingrediants and not take short cuts and use other chemicals and change it from the original recipes that have been handed down fom generations to generations.

It is human Greed that leads us to cheat others of the real produce.
Reduce your consumption. Keep it away from our Children.
Western Alcohol and Brews are just the same and as any other Home brew.... Period.

What I cannot accept is, When "So Called Westerners" try and justify ONLY thier brew's are legal and are less harmful then any other brews around.

For those who Drink ~ Enjoy your Drink.... Don't let the Drink enjoy you!!!.
~K Attalia, Mombasa, Kenya (Now UK)

What is your experience with home brew? Do you think it has a place in modern Africa? Or does it encourage alcoholism and laziness? Send us your comments and experiences.
Should we drink home brews? ~ Do you make local brews?

Hence I am of the opinion that it does more harm than good to the society, as these drinks cause more health problem to these folks. In Nigeria among the lower classes, local brew has become an integral part of their every day diet. As early as 07:00 in the morning you find people at the bus park taking their usual "Shot" as they call it. The most painful part of it all is that the bus drivers also "mark register" with the sellers.
~Owolabi Kayode, Nigeria

I don't think it is fair to criticise home made brews because if it isn't abused it is just like any other commercial alcohol. What's the difference between popular Irish whisky, traditional Japanese Sake with any other brew? Traditional brew is a cornerstone to our cultural society. In Zimbabwe we have traditional ceremonies such as "Kurova Guva" and you can never do that without traditional "Ndari" brew prepared by old women. Traditional brews need to be integrated into modern society by ensuring proper hygiene and discouraging abuse. Traditional brews are a cornerstone of communities in Zimbabwe.
~Elias Matinde, Japan

I believe the main reasons why people get involved with home-brewed alcohol is poverty and the speed at which this brew can make you drunk. You only need less than half a pint and you are in a different world. This is compared to the European whisky and beers that are slow in response. Trying to control the home brewing will not solve any related problems, however, it will make it worse and the brew will be in high demand.
We need to educate people and make them understand the consequences of drinking any home-brewed alcohol. Also jobs must be provided to keep them busy as anyone working for seven or more hours a day will have difficulties balancing their working and drinking life.
~Jean-Paul Muana, DR Congo/UK

It's been over a decade since I stopped drinking African home brews. I simply think that all home made brews pose health risks. Try inspecting it from start to finish and then tell me if you won't quit drinking it.
~Daniel Deng, Dallas and Denver, USA

I don't think home brew production should be stopped altogether but distinctions need to be made. Drinking "Chibuku", "Shake Shake" and various types of grain beers is about as harmful as drinking any other bottled alcoholic beverage, it's all in the moderation.
But drinking home brewed spirits like "Katata" & "Lutuku" is dangerous and highly addictive. These drinks carry an alcohol percentage that's high enough to darken a piece of meat. This is dangerous. Some way of limiting the alcohol content in these spirits should be agreed on and made enforceable.
~Chibale, Zambia

Yes we should drink home brews because such beverages are a part of our culture. With these we feel we are contributing to sustaining our culture. This is however not to say that care should not be taken in the preparation of such brews to avoid unnecessary death.
~Emmanuel S Koroma, Sierra Leone

Well, as a child whose father is an orphan and who never went to school; it was the local brew called Chang'aa that gave me a chance to learn how to write my name. My mother who never drinks made the brew and bought me school uniforms, books and pencils. That was in western Kenya after independence when the schools were free.
Yes, I think it has a place in modern Africa because there is no difference between Whisky, Wine, Beer and many other drinks that the Europeans stock in their department stores and the African brews.
~Victoria Dyhr, Helmsange, Luxembourg

There should no place for local brews like Ogogoro, Chang'aa etc. in Africa. Apart from the fact that they promote laziness as experience shows in both Nigeria and Kenya, it is hazardous to people's health. In fact it is the Highway Code to the grave. It is true that income from local brew supports some poor families but at the same time, those spots are breeding place for criminals.
~Aleke Patrick, Nigerian in Brazil

Recently Uganda topped the list as one of the countries that has the most citizens drunk, almost all the time. I think this home brew is pulling us backwards - how will we develop with people whose minds are always clogged up with alcohol?
~Lajul Faith, Uganda

Local brew is not just economically feasible to make but it gives women in African society a chance to earn their livelihood. It also gives them pride because they are following a long tradition. It becomes a problem when Western Chemistry meets an uninformed mind.
~M Wuoi, Kenya

Whether home brewed or factory brewed, alcohol is bad and people should be discouraged from drinking alcohol! The Bible says: "A country whose leader dines and wines till late is in trouble." In my country Uganda, all the problems were a result of the drunkard president, Milton Obote! Even Id Amin used to drink Whisky secretly! We are lucky now that Museveni only drinks Pepsi Cola!
~Balaam Bamwenda, Kampala, Uganda

Home brews are being abused in Africa. They are an offshoot of the traditional African beer, which was part of our culture. Then, the beer was prepared and consumed under strict cultural rules and conditions that made sure that it did not disrupt the societal norms and harmony. There were rules as to when it should be drunk and by whom. Normally only adult married men were allowed to drink. Today all this is abused under commercialisation, with even children having access to the brews. The brews are a source of death to the body and societal norms. They are prepared under very poor conditions! Away with these killer brews!
~Peter Ndichu Karanja, Cape Town, South Africa

Just to add another country to your list. Ethiopia. They have a homemade alcohol; it is called "Katikala". It is a very strong cultural beverage and has almost 100% alcohol per volume. Sometimes they drink this beverage while eating raw meat. I have never done it but I see many people using it especially in the rural areas. The other advantage to consuming this product is that it is affordable.
~Leul, US

I think drinking is part of man and cannot be separated from our day to day activities. This brewing provides jobs to about 40% of the farming populace. Hence I think what we as Africans have to do is to research and improve the quality of these drinks and educate our folks on the quantities to be consumed to avoid health related problems, which could affect the continent's productivity and dive into our meagre donor funds.
~Okine, Richmond, Ghana

Homemade brews are part of our heritage as Africans. Before the days of colonisation a lot of our socialising and activities were in one way or another connected to our brews. So let's just improve on the quality and set standards so that we can maintain our identity and celebrate Africa with Africa's own. Alcohol can cause harm to us irrespective of what type it is so if you must drink why not let it be something local.
~Flora Aduk, Uganda

No-one can stop local brews in Africa, simply because it is a major source of income for the rural folks. The local alcohol can be used for other medicinal purposes. But the only bad aspect of it is, it can be dangerous when intake is too much. One needs to be careful when dealing with it.
~Reagan Fianko, Kumasi, Ghana

Love it or hate it, home brews are just like commercially produced alcohol. Difference is though that they are not lab tested for percentages, potency, shelf life etc. Some western country homes also make their own concoctions out of various fermented products. If hygienic conditions and nutritional values can be maintained it is alright. Alcohol is alcohol and will cause some harm if drunk in real excess! A shot of fresh made "Munkoyo" once in while brings a smile to my face.
~Gabriel, Lusaka, Zambia

I think home brew encourages alcoholism and laziness. And because people get so drunk they then have sex, which leads to HIV. The governments of different countries should not encourage this foolish and stupid business. See for yourself what HIV has done in our society. 80 percent of HIV infected persons get it from sex. and what causes this? For me it's alcohol. I encourage people to stop drinking alcohol and if they do they will be happy and see that they have a good and healthy life. Even though it's difficult, turn to the almighty God for help.
~Awanto Augustine Anye, Bamenda, Cameroon

Home made beer comes in two categories just like the factory brewed alcohol. There is a brew that is generally good to drink whose percentage is within the permissible range of which it is the one that we are discussing here. Then there is pure spirit dubbed "Tototo" in my country Zimbabwe. This type of home brew can burn your liver and knock you out within minutes. It has claimed a number of lives in and around Zimbabwe and the Mozambique area. People love this beer because it is cheap and is a food supplement for them. However because of poor yields not so many people are brewing the beer anymore - people are more worried about getting a decent meal.
~Bingepinge Chengetayi, Canada

A big yes because communities must patronize their locally produced products. Africa in particular must urgently consume African made products. However, there is the need to improve the quality of our products to avoid poisoning ourselves, as has been the case in some areas regarding local drinks.
~Francis Owusu-Ansah, Ghana

I believe our home brews are as good if not better than the factory ones. As you make your own beer you can easily alter conditions to suit your particular taste buds rather than the universal choice. Claims of brews causing laziness are unfounded especially here in Zimbabwe. There are some brews, like the yeast-laden "Chihwani Dheyizi", which are not original and have been known to become hazardous. As long as ingredients are well picked and brewing utensils are clean and of acceptable standards, there is no problem with these brews.
~Pascal Chinhamo, Zimbabwe

Some of local brews being produced in our African society are dangerous to our health. Like Chang'aa in Kenya and Tanzania, the material used is not suitable for people's health. Some use farm processed fertilizer like nitrogen which is harmful. Soft brews like "Mbege" or "Chibuku" can cause typhoid if boiled water is not used.
~Alex, Mwanza, Tanzania

What's the difference between home made and factory brewed alcohol? Home made alcohol is healthier and one of the cheapest alcohols ever sold on this planet. I have been doing research on alcohol for the last three years; so far I have found only the home-made alcohol is the best. I don't drink the factory-made alcohol anymore!
~Willie Iga, Canada

Much or if not all of what is today considered home made brew has a very negative effects on our African communities today. Can you imagine elderly people of our villages spending their whole day drinking the local Palm Wine, popularly known here as "Mbu", and doing nothing except playing draft while their wives labour in the farms? These take place in Yaounde and in Bafut, my home village, here in Cameroon. I think African liquor is doing away with our labour force. Period.
~Israel Ambe Ayongwa, Cameroon

I don't think home brew production should be stopped altogether but distinctions need to be made. Drinking ''Chibuku'', ''Shake' Shake''' and various types of grain beers is about as harmful as drinking any other bottled alcoholic beverage, its all in the moderation. But some of the home brewed spirits here in Zambia like ''Katata'' & ''Lutuku'' are dangerous and highly addictive. Their high alcohol percentage is enough to darken a piece of meat. This is dangerous!
~Chibale, Zambia

I love home brew. A little bit of "Shake-Shake" in the shade is not only good for the soul but beneficial for society as a whole. It's always good no matter what time of the day you're drinking it - breakfast, lunch and supper. Plus the cartons this wonder drink comes in are really colourful and very attractive - you almost don't feel guilty when you litter as it spruces up the environment a little. Just thinking about the wonders of Chibuku is making me thirsty.
"Shake-Shake" for ever!
~Rory, Botswana

Though I don't take beer, I do believe that home brew has nothing to do with what can be called a modern Africa or alcoholism and laziness. Despite the transformation of the world, we have to stick to our culture in one way or another and home brew is one of them.
Don't also forget that the beer from industry is not affordable to everyone and so home brew is a substitute. Give employment to Africans and you'll be disillusioned when you realize that Africans are not lazy people. They are only forced into it. Kapinga Ntumba, Harare, Zimbabwe
Many single mothers in African slums have raised their kids with money they get from local brews. Also, the local brews in southern Sudan called Kong encourage people to work a lot instead of making them lazy. For example, my father has a big farm near our small village on the bank of Sobat River. My mother visits him when he's working, bringing Kong.
He can spend the whole day working overtime. To me Kong is a useful traditionally made brew and has nothing to do with death or laziness. I remembered long ago the Sudanese government banned people from making it. They never succeeded though because 90% of the population love it and depend on it.
~Pal Gatkuoth Deng, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

Mkoloni

Nimejibu, Nimeuliza, Mkoloni, Ninini Alilofikiria Kuvunja, Kufuja, Kufutilia, Hata Lugha Yote Kupotea Mila Desturi, Fikira Maudhui Ukweli Tuliojua Uongo Tumejivalisha Koti, Shati, Tai, Kwa Ukoloni Twajidai
~ James Adolwa

A little 1960's style Swahili Poetry.

Most Expensive Cities in the World

Dubai Home Prices Fall 41 Per Cent; Still Rank World’s HighestSource : www.khaleejtimes. Com ~ Aneela Batool ~ 29 April 2009

DUBAI — Home prices in Dubai plunged by 41 per cent in the first quarter of the year compared to the previous three months, as a result of a loss of jobs and a drying up of bank credit during the economic slowdown, a property consultancy said on Tuesday.

The price plunge, which erased nearly two years’ of gains in property values, was the second consecutive quarterly decline, Colliers International said. Colliers reported an 8 per cent decrease in home prices during the October-December period, the first quarterly decrease since Dubai’s property boom began.

“We will see a further potential decrease in pricing, but it won’t see the same drastic fall that we have seen in the first quarter,” said Colliers Chief Operating Officer John Davis.Davis said it is too early to tell if Dubai might see a turnaround later this year.Some industry executives disputed Colliers’ outlook. “I don’t think the prices will go down further, as they have already touched the bottom,” said S. M. Syed Khalil, Executive Director of the Ilyas & Mustafa Galadari Group, a property developer.

“By September the market will start getting stabilised.” Colliers compiled its data from prices in areas of Dubai where foreigners have been allowed to buy property since the real estate market was opened to non-Emiratis in 2002. These areas were largely responsible for Dubai’s real estate boom. In spite of the recent sharp correction in its property prices, Dubai had the most expensive residential real estate in February of any city surveyed in 34 of the world’s emerging markets, a new industry study showed.With its home prices averaging around $7,000 per square metre, Dubai ranked first among 59 cities — even after property valuations in the emirate had plunged from their peak late last year, according to the study by REIDIN.com, an online real estate consultancy.

The study found Singapore to be the second most expensive city, followed by Moscow, Hong Kong, Beijing and Tel Aviv.
According to the survey on housing costs and practices for employees sent on overseas assignments, Mumbai has emerged even more expensive than New York and Beijing.
New Delhi: The country’s financial hub, Mumbai, and New Delhi are among the world’s 10 most expensive cities for expatriates to live in, says a survey by global HR consultancy Mercer.

According to the survey on housing costs and practices for employees sent on overseas assignments, Mumbai has emerged even more expensive than New York City in the United States and China’s Capital Beijing.

Mumbai has been ranked as the world’s fourth most expensive city in terms of rental property for expatriates, while New Delhi is eighth, the survey for February 2009 said.
Mumbai has moved up by one notch from its fifth position in the September 2008 survey, while New Delhi has fallen two places from its sixth place in the previous ranking.
Russia’s Moscow has topped the list of world’s most expensive cities and is followed by Tokyo (2nd), Hong Kong (3rd), Mumbai (4th) and New York City (5th) as the five most expensive cities across the globe for expats to live in.

The survey highlighted that Asian cities have dominated the list of the world’s costliest locations for expats living there, with as many as six locations from the region being among the world’s top 10.

Alibhai Mulla Jeevanjee

Alibhai Mulla Jeevanjee (Makers of Kenya's History)by Zarina Patel

The Next Book, I'd Like to read, but cant seem to lay my hands on it.

Can anyone help?

The Man who Refused to Keep Quiet

Makhan Singh: The Forgotten Son Of Two Continents

Makhan Singh, an unsung Sikh hero of Kenyan and Indian freedom struggles, who has been forgotten by India and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), has been portrayed in a play Mungu Comrade (Mungu is a Swahili word for God), by noted playwright Atamjit.












1913-73~Makhan Singh, Few Indians know Makhan and other India-born persons who had made sacrifices in the freedom struggle of Kenya. He was born at Gharjakh village in Gujranwala, a Sikh majority area in the province of Punjab (now in Pakistan).

1927~At the age of 13, he moved with his family to Nairobi.

1935~Makhan Singh formed the Labour Trade Union of Kenya.

1949~Makhan Singh and Fred Kubai formed the East African Trade Union Congress, the first central organisation of trade unions in Kenya.

A Sikh by faith and true Communist leader, Makhan Singh was the founder of East African trades union movement. He spent 17 years in prison during the struggle for Indian and Kenyan independence.

Alas! Makhan has been virtually forgotten both by India and Kenya after their independence.

While the Punjabi version of the play will be staged in various parts of India and other countries, its English version will be arranged in African countries where Makhan waged a non-violent war against British imperialism.

Inspired by Zarina Patel’s book, Unquiet: The Life and Times of Makhan Singh published from Nairobi in 2006, Atamjit visited Kenya twice to write his play Mungu Comrade.

After reading sessions, one each in Delhi and Ludhiana, amongst a select audience of literary and theatre persons, he read out his long play at Naat Shala, opposite Khalsa College, here. He plans to go to Kenya once again with the English translation of his latest script after one or two more readings in different cities of Punjab.
Supported by Makhan Singh’s son Hindpal Singh, Atamjit shall produce the play later.

Explaining the rationale behind all these readings before its production, Atamjit explained that the play depicts an unsung hero who contributed to the freedom struggle of Kenya. He wishes to be sure if the play projecting an Indian situated in an entirely different political and social setup makes sense in an environment where he is totally unknown. Similarly, the author wishes to correct himself if he has given any wrong information on Kenyan politics and society.

There are interesting references to Sikh, Gandhian and Marxist philosophy in the play.

The biggest contribution of Makhan Singh was he crossed the race barriers and brought together African and Asian workers on a platform. Though the British offered to release him on condition he left Kenya forever, he did not pay any heed and continued to fight for the struggle of Kenya.

Makhan Singh also ignored the advice of his near and dear ones to leave Kenya and save his life.

He fought for independence, suffered in the struggle and sacrificed all he had, including his family life and comforts, to see Kenya free from colonial rule.

“Other Resistors: The Asian African Community
In fact, the Asian African community had long been involved in dissent and political activity against oppression Kenya.

As Kenyan history shows, there are figures such as Makhan Singh and Pio Gama Pinto spent years in detention in the struggle for Kenya’s freedom.

Pio Pinto, over the 35 years since his assassination. Both Pio Pinto & Makhan Singh remain one of the major influence and national role model for Kenyans.

Joseph Murumbi was the voice in exile of a silenced Kenya during the Emergency, and later Foreign Minister and second Vice-President.

1952-53~In law, advocates such as A.R. Kapila, Fitz de Souza, and Jaswant Singh defended Bildad Kaggia, Jomo Kenyatta, Paul Ngei, Fred Kubai, Achieng Oneko and Kungu Karumba at their trial at Kapenguria. They and others such as Chanan Singh defended in hundreds of Mau Mau Causes and appeals.

A.M. Jeevanjee and M.A. Desai, who continuously and successfully challenged and controlled settler ambitions for their self-rule in Kenya on the apartheid model of South Africa.

In the struggle for the freedom of the Press, Asian African journalists and publishers also played a critical part . These included Haroun Ahamed, Editor, The Colonial Times, D.K. Sharda, Sitaram Achariar (The Democrat). N.S. Thakur, and four generations of the Vidyarthi family.

Achariar also printed the Gikuyu newspaper Muigwithania, (1928) the Kikuyu Central Association (KCA) paper edited by Achieng Oneko.
Among others that the Vidyarthis published were Sauti ya Mwafrika, the Kenya African Union (KAU) newspaper, Henry Githigira’s Habari za Dunia, Henry Mworia’s Musmengerere, and Francis Khamisi’s Mwalimu.

1920-63~The printing of all these papers for the forty years were direct challenges to the colonial government which sought to suppress the African voice against colonialism and for freedom."

Sources:
"See Joseph Harris THE AFRICAN PRESENCE IN ASIA(Evanston, North-Western UP, 1971);
Joseph Harris ABOLITION & REPATRIATION IN KENYA
Historical association of Kenya Pamphlet No.1 (Nairobi, E African Literature Bureau, 1977);
Ochieng Omondi; THE SIDDIS OF INDIA (Nairobi, Asian African Heritage Trust, 2000).”

Kenya: The Man who Refused to Keep Quiet ~ by Mwangi Githahu










Unquiet~The Life and Times of Makhan Singh is published in March 2006 by Awaaz in collaboration with the Kenya Human Rights Commission.
It is available at Shs 1,200 at Simple Books at ABC shopping centre on Nairobi's Waiyaki Way and also at the KHRC offices, which can be reached at 3874998/9 or 3876065/6 - Email:awaazmag@rediffmail.com

When people speak of Kenyan freedom struggle, they are most likely to mention the Mau Mau and the Kapenguria Six - Jomo Kenyatta, Achieng' Oneko, Paul Ngei, Fred Kubai, Bildad Kaggia and Kungu Karumba.
They will no doubt mention Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Tom Mboya and even Daniel Arap Moi. Few, if any, will recall the massive contribution to the independence struggle made by the trade union movement and one pioneer trade unionist in particular, Makhan Singh (1913 Gharjakh, Gujranwala - 1973 Nairobi).

Fewer still will be able to tell you that when the Kapenguria Six started serving their seven-year term in detention, they found Makhan Singh already in jail. And when they were freed in August 1961, Makhan was still in the in hospitable area of Dol Dol under restriction for almost another year.

When people talk about the Indian or South Asian contribution to Kenya, they are most likely to speak of the building of the Uganda Railway and commercial life.

When they speakof commercial life, many Kenyans will then get on a tirade about how "Asians control the economy and are corrupt" and then drop the namesof certain young businessmen to illustrate their point.

Few, if any, modern Kenyans will recall members of the South Asian community such as Makhan Singh, Isher Dass, Pranlal Sheth, Ambu Patel, Manilal Desai, AR Kapila, FRS De Souza, Pio Gama Pinto, Chunilal B Madan and others who made huge sacrifices and personal contributions to the struggle for independence.

With the launchof her biography of Makhan Singh a week ago, Zarina Patel - writer, artist, human rights activist and one of the foremost experts on Kenyan South Asian history - took a significant step towards righting this wrong that has for toolong been visited on Kenya's South Asian community.

In the foreword, Steve Ouma and Makau Mutua of the Kenya Human Rights Commission describe Makhan Singh and his mission and vision quite eloquently: "Makhan Singh is among a select pantheon of Indian settlers who not only made Africa home but also became leading anti-colonial freedom fighters."

But what distinguished Makhan Singh from many legendary leaders - including even the great Mahatma Gandhi - was that he went out of his way to bring together all the races in his politics.

He refused to accept a trade union movement segregated by race and poisoned by the colonial apartheid that classified black Africans and Asians in a humiliating hierarchy.

He demonstrated, for the first time in colonised Kenya, that Asians and black Africans were bound by the same fate and that their liberation was inextricably linked.

This is a challenge to all communities that make up Kenya, not just Kenyan South Asians, to come together and see what unites them rather than what separates them and work together for a truly proper multi-racial and multi-cultural future.

Zarina Patel: the biographer

Unquiet: The Life and Times of Makhan Singh is the story of one of Kenya's great unsung heroes who was about to fade from the national collective memory despite having been instrumental in the setting up of the Kenyan trade union movement.

Indeed, Makhan Singh was already a forgotten man by the time he died of a heart attack in 1973 aged only 59. Says Patel: "Friends, relatives and workers and a handful of trade unionists attended the funeral; there was no official government recognition of the passing of this great Kenyan patriot."

This quiet, unassuming man had a will of steel and a mission to fight for social justicefor all Kenyans irrespective of colour, tribe, race, creed or religion.

Patel adds:"Makhan Singh crossed the race barriers and brought together African and Asian workers on a common platform. This was British colonialism's worstnightmare - the fusion of Indian political experience and the African mass struggle. So they detained him, first in India,then in Kenya's Northern Frontier District, for a total of almost 15 years. They offered to release him on condition he left Kenya forever but Makhan Singh would not hear of it. Once, when his lawyers appealed for his release and, in order to elicit a favourable response, in their petition termed him as 'this misguided man', Makhan Singh objected strongly and retorted that it was not him, but the colonialists, who were misguided. His advocate, CB Madan, later Chief Justice of Kenya, said in his eulogy that it was kind of him not to call his lawyer misguided."

Makhan Singh had no problem being called a Communist, or a Marxist, or a Leftist, or a Kenyan.

He fought for independence, suffered in the struggle and sacrificed all he had, including his family life and comforts, to see Kenya free from colonialism. At the end of it all, not only was he not properly recognised by his erstwhile comrades-in-arms, he was also to be sorely disappointed when many of these people came to power and forgot what the struggle had been all about.

As Patel said at the book launch: "Makhan Singh would not dance, he would only march, and soon he was out of step with the post-independence leaders. He was not alone. Pio Gama Pinto was assassinated, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga was detained, Pranlal Sheth was deported and many other great stalwarts, including Bildad Kaggia, were sidelined. The calls for land reform, fairer distribution of wealth and democracy for the majority did not sit well with the neo-colonial regime which had grabbed 'independence'."

Makhan Singh may have faded from the national consciousness into near oblivion after Independence, but he did not completely go away.

He joined theHistorical Association of Kenya and, with the help of old comrades such as Fred Kubai, Bildad Kaggia, Dennis Akumu, Bethwell Ogot and others, he wrote a detailed history of Kenya'strade union movement up to 1956.

Never once did he express any bitterness or even criticism, despite the fact that the Kenyatta regime not only sidelined him, it harassed him. Promises were made, only to be reneged upon: Voice of Kenya requested him to write a script of Jomo Kenyatta'slife for a series of 15 broadcasts. From 25 March 1966 to 17 April 1967, Makhan Singh made 62 phone calls and 31 visits only to be finally told that his scriptshad been lost.

"His son Hindpal tells me that he urged his father not to pursue the matter - the fact that Makhan Singh not only persisted but noted the date and time of every calland visit is evidence, I think, of his determination to have Kenya's neocolonialists exposed someday," says Patel.

Zarina Patel borrowed the words of another writer when she said at the launch: "Makhan Singh could have amassed a fortune, instead he chose to ride buses. Whether it was the colonialists, his family or the comprador leaders of the day, they could not prevail upon him. He could not have been an easy person to live with and yet he inspired, and continues to inspire, thousands if not millions of'the wretched of the earth'."

This is not a book review, but I will say that if you want to know just a little bit more about why Kenyawas, however briefly, the original Rainbow nation before the South Africans came along with their great public relations coup in the wonderfully glorious Nelson Mandela, reading this book could set you on your way.

At the booklaunch, attended by Makhan's son Hindpal Singh Jabbal and his family as well as friends, associates and admirers of the great man, there was a 24-minute documentary film that gave a further insight into Makhan Singh's life and how he was seen by others.

Zarina Patel spent over five years researching material for the 563-page book. She had tremendous difficulties getting leads into the man's life and work.

"Everyone I spoke to would say 'Great man! What a sacrifice!' and that would be the end of the matter. His two books had every detail about the trade union movement but nothing at all about himself. Even the family had very scantinsight into his daily life and thoughts. I almost gave up the project."

And then in the library of the University of Nairobi I came across the name of George Gona.
He is a lecturer based in the History Department and specialises in the labour movement.
As a last resort, I met with him. Dr Gonaled me to the Makhan Singh papers stored in 25 boxes in the University Archives. I had fianlly found a gold mine!"

He noted not just the date he received a letter but even the time of the day. He labouriously hand copied the minutes, correspondence, press briefings, and reports of Cotu from its inception in 1965 to the early 1970s.

Patel adds:"Makhan Singh was truly a most remarkable man - he ranks among Africa 's great leaders. Born in the revolutionary Punjab of the Indian sub-continent, he imbibed the anger against British injustice and learnt the scientific bases of exploitation and racial oppression."
He was a man totally given to the cause of the worker in Kenya.

Aged 14 when he came from India to Kenya to join his father, Makhan attended the present-day Jamhuri High School. A brilliant student, he graduated in 1933, but the family could not afford to continue his education. So he joined his father's Khalsa Printing Press in Nairobi. It was here and from the African workers that Makhan Singh learnt the effects of colonialism on the Kenyan people.

Meanwhile, Indian workers were then organising labour protests, but it was on and off - Until 1936.

When he was barely 23, they appointed Makhan Singh the secretary of the Indian Labour Trade Union. He took it on knowing full well that it was a purely voluntary job.

Patel puts it this way: "Makhan Singh never looked back, and never earned a cent, leave alone shillings and pounds. He dedicated his life to establishing trade unionism in Kenya and linked the movement to the struggle for freedom. His entire living, being and thinking were focused on these goals and no-one, but no-one, could deflect him from his chosen path."

1962 (9 Sep)~Makhan Singh was seen and photographed addressing a workers' rally in Mombasa.

Said she:"I would like to see Makhan Singh's home in Park Road (Nairobi) preserved and rehabilitated into a library, archive and research centre for labour and trade union relateds subjects. He deserves to have a major road named after him, not just the lane opposite Jamhuri High School. What could be more apt than renaming Park Road ... Makhan Singh Road?"

Patel, who is one of the founders of Awaaz magazine, says the magazine had organised the Makhan Singh Memorial Lecture last Monday in what they hope will be a series.
Patel also announced that the Makhan Singh Memorial Trust was being formed and this body would then be expected to drive "these and other projects."¡

[Abridged version. Courtesy: The Nation, Nairobi.25 March 2006]
http://www.apnaorg.com/articles/makhansingh/

Jomo Kenyatta Sentenced to Hard Labor-8 Apr 53

Jomo Kenyatta (who was known to his followers as Burning Spear) and five other co-accused were sentenced to seven years hard labor for their alleged part in the Mau Mau rebellion.
As well as seven years hard labor for his part in organizing the Mau Mau, Kenyatta was given three years (to run concurrently) for being a member of the movement.

In passing sentence Judge Ransley Thacker commented "[Kenyatta] you have successfully plunged many Africans back to a state which shows little humanity.
You have persuaded them in secret to murder, burn and commit atrocities which will take many years to forget."

Kenyatta, and the other five, had pleaded not guilty to the charges, claiming that they "stood for the rights of the African people and peace in Kenya."

Little did he know, Jomo Kenyatta was going to get us our Independence on 12 Dec 1963. Harambe'

Geo: Did you Know ...

Sahara Desert
In the Sahara Desert, there is a town named Tidikelt, which did not receive a drop of rain for ten years.
Technically though, the driest place on Earth is in the valleys of the Antarctic near Ross Island. There has been no rainfall there for two million years.

I am Homesick !!!

Feeling home sick?

Left Momasa, Island of raha (happiness) Mombasa (Kenya) Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania), Kampala (Uganda).
To emigrate to UK, Europe, America, land of so Called Opportunity.

Forsook the tropical sun
For cold frigid weather.

Left behind the warm ocean breeze
For the windchill of winter.

Abandoned white pristine beaches
For brown muddy shores.

Turned away from a turquoise ocean
For polluted Lakes & Rivers.

Gave up Mangoes, Papaya, Ma’buyu, Achari and Sunflower
For processed Apples, Pears, Peaches and Cherries.

Gave up fresh White Snapper, King fish & other Frsh from the Warm Sea.
For boxed cod and sole.

Gave up Mishkaki, Nyama Choma, Maambri and Bharazi
For Cereal, Bagels, Cheese, and Salads

Gave up drinking Fresh Coconut water straight from the coconut (Madafu)
And settled for bottled water.

Left behind the street Kahava Man (Coffee Seller)
For the office coffee pot.

Left behind the exotic fragrance of Phapa and Langi Langi
For the pungent smell of sulfuric emissions.

Deprived of hearing the call to prayers
For the sound of police and fire sirens.

Deprived of seeing women clad in mysterious black Bui-Bui
For women dressed in jeans and miniskirts.

Deserted a slow relaxed pace of life
For the fast lane.

Gave up afternoon naps.. Siesta
For gym workouts.

Gave up riding a bicycle through the narrow streets
For driving a car on the highways.

Discontinued a course on the coral marine life
For a course in stress management.

Discarded mud and thatched dwellings
For concrete and steel.

Left behind a community-based life
For a human zoo.

It makes me wonder
If I have also left my soul behind in East Africa.
I Know I have... !!!

Swahili Sayings ....

"Subira huleta heri."

"Patience brings blessing / success."

Some Thoughts ...

Whenever you find the key to success, someone changes the lock.

To Err is human, but to forgive is not a COMPANY policy.

The road to success??.. Is always under construction.

Alcohol doesn't solve any problems, but if you think again, neither does Milk.

In order to get a Loan, you first need to prove that you have ability to repay back.

All the desirable things in life are either illegal, expensive or fattening.

Since Light travels faster than Sound, people appear brighter before you hear them speak.

Everyone has a scheme of getting rich?.. Which never works.

If at first you don't succeed?. Destroy all evidence that you ever tried.

You can never determine which side of the bread to butter. If it falls down, it will always land on the buttered side.

Anything dropped on the floor will roll over to the most inaccessible corner.

42.7% of all statistics is made on the spot.

As soon as you mention something?? If it is good, it is taken?. If it is bad, it happens.

He who has the gold, makes the rules ---- Murphy's golden rule.

If you come early, the bus is late. If you come late?? The bus is still late.

Once you have bought something, you will find the same item being sold somewhere else at a cheaper rate.

When in a queue, the other line always moves faster and the person in front of you will always have the most complex of transactions.

If you have paper, you don't have a pen. If you have a pen, you don't have paper. If you have both, no one calls.

Especially for engg. Students : If you have bunked the class, the professor has taken attendance.

You will pick up maximum wrong numbers when on roaming.

The door bell or your mobile will always ring when you are in the bathroom.

After a long wait for bus no.20, two 20 number buses will always pull in together and the bus which you get in will be crowded than the other.

If your exam is tomorrow, there will be a power cut tonight.

Irrespective of the direction of the wind, the smoke from the cigarette will always tend to go to the non-smoker

Before borrowing money from a friend, decide whether you need more.

There are three sides to every argument: your side, my side and the right side.

An expert is someone who takes a subject you understand and makes it sound confusing.

Many things can be preserved in alcohol. Dignity is not one of them.

Never argue with a fool. People might not know the difference.

When you're right, no one remembers. When you're wrong, no one forgets.

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.

Well done is better than well said .

Everyone makes mistakes. The trick is to make them when nobody is looking.

Where there is a WILL, there is a WAY, Where there is MONEY, there are many WAYS.

Where there is MONEY, there are many FRIENDS and RELATIVES.

Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.

Geo: Did you Know ...

Istanbul (AKA Constantinople), Turkey - is the only city in the world located on two continents.

Creche ~ Pub

This has to be a Good, Cheeky Chalk Board, If I have ever seen one !!!


~ Husband Creche ~
Is he getting Under your Feet ? ?
Why NOT leave him Here while you Shop !!!
Free Creche, Just Pay for his Drinks!

Prediction on Fall of Dollar

Hal Turner predicts the Fall of USA Dollar and has proof to back it.

Has not happened as predicted in this video clip - but one never knows -
Future of US Dollar????
Interesting and scary too.
Watch this video before they remove it:
http://video. google.com/ videoplay? docid=1954933468 700958565&hl=es

What's your Opinion on the subject?

Recession & Crisis

This Story is about a man who once upon a time was selling Hotdogs by the roadside.
He was illiterate, so he never read newspapers.
He was hard of hearing, so he never listened to the radio.
His eyes were weak, so he never watched television.
But enthusiastically, he sold lots of hotdogs.
He was smart enough to offer some attractive schemes to increase his sales.
His sales and profit went up.
He ordered more a more raw material and buns and use to sale more.
He recruited few more supporting staff to serve more customers.
He started offering home deliveries.
Eventually he got himself a bigger and better stove.

As his business was growing, the son, who had recently graduated from College, joined his father.
Then something strange happened.

The son asked, "Dad, aren't you aware of the great recession that is coming our way?"
The father replied, "No, but tell me about it."
The son said, "The international situation is terrible. The domestic situation is even worse.
We should be prepared for the coming bad times."

The man thought that since his son had been to college, read the papers, listened to the radio and watched TV. He ought to know and his advice should not be taken lightly.

So the next day onwards, the father cut down the his raw material order and buns, took down the colourful signboard, removed all the special schemes he was offering to the customers and was no longer as enthusiastic. He reduced his staff strength by giving layoffs.

Very soon, fewer and fewer people bothered to stop at his hotdog stand. And his sales started coming down rapidly, same is the profit.

The father said to his son, "Son, you were right". "We are in the middle of a recession and crisis. I am glad you warned me ahead of time."

Moral of The Story: Its all in your MIND! And we actually FUEL this recession much more than we think…. In my Opinion

Geo: Did you Know ...

Damascus, Syria ~ was flourishing a couple of thousand years before Rome was founded in 753 BC, making it the oldest continuously inhabited city in existence.

Some Thought ...

An expert is someone who takes a subject you understand and makes it sound confusing.

Some Thought ...

Since Light travels faster than Sound, people appear brighter before you hear them speak.

Geo: Did you Know ...

Canada - has more lakes than the rest of the world combined. Canada is an Indian word meaning 'Big Village.'

What happened to "Please!"

I was in Starbucks getting a Soy Latte (love it with brown sugar).
The English woman next to me collects her coffee from the barista and then says: "Can I have a tray?" She didn't say it rudely -- she just wasn't polite.
That got me thinking. Whatever happened to "please"?
To me:
'Please' means 'I respect you'.
'Thank you' means 'I appreciate you'.
Good manners are powerful in showing those around you that you care about them.

I love Frankie Byrne's line that "Respect is Love in plain clothes."

How often have you bought something at a store or ordered something in a restaurant and just ached to hear some good manners?

Authentic success is not complicated. It comes down to consistently following a series of fundamentals. Those who get to greatness just run the basics-bit by bit, day by day-over many months and years.

It's not hard at all. It just takes small acts of daily discipline around a few important things.
But when done over time -- amazing results appear.

The best among us just do the things most of us already know we should do to live an extraordinary life really well. And they do it consistently.

One of the key things they do is say "Please" a lot. Good manners are a stepping stone to being a remarkable human being, whether as a mother, a father, a salesperson or the CEO. They really do show people that you respect them.

Yes, having good manners is common sense. But as the French philosopher Voltaire once said: "Common sense is anything but common." And if all this stuff is so obvious, how come most people don't do it?

Geo: Did you Know ...

Brazil - got its name from the nut, not the other way around.

Geo: Did You Know ...

Antarctica : is the only land on our planet that is not owned by any country. Ninety percent of the world's ice covers Antarctica . This ice also represents seventy % of all the fresh water in the world. As strange as it sounds, however, Antarctica is essentially a desert. The average yearly total precipitation is about two inches. Although covered with ice (all but 0.4% of it, i.e.), Antarctica is the driest place on the planet, with an absolute humidity lower than the Gobi desert.

In Japan, You Are What Your Blood Type Is.

Tokyo: In Japan, “What’s your type?” is much more than small talk; it can be a paramount question in everything from matchmaking to getting a job.
By type, the Japanese mean blood type, and no amount of scientific debunking can kill a widely held notion that blood tells all.
In the year just ended, four of Japan’s top 10 best-sellers were about how blood type determines personality, according to Japan’s largest book distributor, Tohan Co.
The publisher, Bungeisha, says the series — one each for types B, O, A, and AB — has combined sales of well over 5 million copies.
As defined by the books, type As are sensitive perfectionists but overanxious;

Type Bs are cheerful but eccentric and selfish;

O's are curious, generous but stubborn;

AB's: are arty but mysterious and unpredictable.

Even PM Taro Aso seems to consider it important enough to reveal in his web profile. He’s an A. His rival, opposition leader Ichiro Ozawa, is a B.
It doesn’t stop there. Matchmaking agencies provide bloodtype compatibility tests, and some firms decide about assignments based on employees’ blood types.

Not all see the craze as harmless, and the Japanese now have a term, “Bura-Hara”, meaning bloodtype harassment. And, despite warnings, many employers continue to ask blood types at job interviews, said an official at the Health, Welfare and Labour Ministry.

Blood Works: An employee displays a Japanese publisher’s best-selling book series ~ one each for types B, O, A and AB

Shark Encounter

Michael C. Scholl is a (Hardy Researcher) marine biologist specialized in sharks, very well known for his researches. He is also the Founder and Trustee of the White Shark Trust.

In these pictures we can see him approached by a shark while he was paddling in a kayak. The images are really famous on the web insomuch as they have created many urban legends, like the one about a grateful shark who follows continuously his human saviour!. The truth is simply related to the researches of Michael Scholl as we can read directly from his words:

"Sitting in a 3.8-metre sea kayak and watching a four-metre great white approach you is a fairly tense experience. Although we had extensively tested the sharks' reactions to an empty kayak and had observed no signs of aggression, this gave us little comfort as we eyed a great white heading straight for us, albeit slowly. Just a metre or so from the craft it veered off, circled and slowly approached from behind. It did this several times, occasionally lifting its head out of the water to get a better look. Then it lost interest, and as it continued on its way we were able to follow a short distance behind.

Once we'd come to terms with having nothing between ourselves and a four-metre shark except a thin layer of plastic, our kayak made an ideal research platform for observing great white behaviour in shallow water. Its advantages are twofold: it is inconspicuous and appears not to cause the sharks to alter their behaviour for long, and it allows us to watch them in a natural situation, as it is not necessary to attract them to us with food."

This documentry can be viewed on National Geography.

Geo: Did You Know ...

Amazon : The Amazon rainforest produces more than 20% the world's oxygen supply. The Amazon River pushes so much water into the Atlantic Ocean that, more than one hundred miles at sea off the mouth of the river, one can dip fresh water out of the ocean. The volume of water in the Amazon river is greater than the next eight largest rivers in the world combined and three times the flow of all rivers in the United States.

Some Sharaab, Much Bawaal

Some of my friends are at the Jaipur Literature Festival, and one of them, Sonia Faleiro, interviewed Vikram Seth on the opening day of the festival. Much fun was had by all, eyewitnesses and participants tell me. There was even some wine on stage—and why not?
Well, according to this report in Dainik Bhaskar, local writers are up in arms because they feel that drinking wine on stage was a “Kalank” on “Sahitya, kala [and] sanskruti”, and are demanding that the state government take action. (If I was the state government, I would confiscate the bottle.)
It’s hilarious stuff—if you can read Hindi, go through the piece, it reads like an India TV script.

And if you can’t read Hindi, even better—this Google translation of the page is much more hilarious. I especially loved what Google made of Nandlal Burner’s quote:
Public exemplary conduct of the writer should be. Tire or Kabir, Rskhan or basil, or Muktibod offerings, those who write them live too.
That surely has to be the last word on the subject.

Geo: Did You Know ...

Alaska : More than half of the coastline of the entire United States is in Alaska

Sparky

This Logo took me back to memory lane during my time of childhood in Kenya.
I remember our Electricity Bill had this “Sparky” printed on all Electricity related documents.

Jomo Kenyatta's Son Uhuru

Jomo Kenyatta’s Son Uhuru, named as Kenya’s Finance Minister – Reports Eric Ombok

Jan. 23 2009 - Kenya appointed Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of Jomo Kenyatta, the country’s first president, as minister of finance and deputy prime minister, the presidency said in an e-mailed statement.

Kenyatta, who was the east African country’s trade minister, replaces Amos Kimunya, who resigned last July over corruption allegations.

Jomo Kenyatta fought and got independence from Britain in 1963 and served as President until his death on Aug. 22, 1978.

Kimunya has been cleared of any wrong doing by a tribunal appointed by President Mwai Kibaki and was today appointed Trade Minister, according to the statement.

Both Kimunya and Kenyatta are members of President Kibaki’s Party of National Unity.

Franklin Bett, a lawmaker from Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement, was made roads minister to replace Kipkalya Kones, who died in a plane crash in June.

Kones’ widow, Beatrice Pauline Kones, who won a by-election to replace her husband as a lawmaker, becomes minister of home affairs to replace Lorna Laboso, who also died in the crash, the presidency said. Kones is a member of Odinga’s party.

Uhuru faces many tests at Treasury ~ Sat, Jan 24 2009
President Kibaki has appointed his third Finance minister in six years. The act is especially significant because the predecessors of Uhuru Kenyatta have left the job under a cloud.

David Mwiraria was forced to leave by the career-terminating Anglo Leasing deals while his successor Amos Kimunya was drummed out of Treasury after accusations over wrong-doing in the sale of the Grand Regency hotel.

In truth, in the court of public opinion it is still debatable whether the two have been cleared. But that did not stop Mr Kibaki from reappointing the latter two.

Indeed, Mr Kenyatta might be forgiven for thinking that public opinion does not count for much, a position Mr Kibaki appears to hold dear.

That fact does not deter us from advising Mr Kenyatta to restore integrity at Treasury where it has proved elusive for three decades now. Granted, the temptations will always be there, particularly as politicians prepare to fund the 2012 campaigns.

There are lucrative deals for printing currency, tamper-proof passports, smart driving licences, the Sh37 billion food imports and a raft of infrastructure projects in the works.

For Mr Kenyatta to distinguish himself, he can’t afford to wallow with the pigs that populate the bureaucracy and politics in Kenya.

And if he opts for this path, his economic agenda would be dead in the water. As he addresses what is nominally the largest budget deficit in Kenya’s history, Mr Kenyatta needs all the resources he can muster.

After addressing the famine, he must go flat out to ensure that private sector productivity and production hit optimum level.

This can only be achieved through rationalising our taxes to fit our economic ambitions and putting up world-class infrastructure and bureaucracy.

Invigoration of our private sector would make us internationally competitive in addition to harnessing the energy of frustrated young Kenyans who might otherwise pose a security threat.

Uzuri Wa Mkakasi

Uzuri wa mkakasi, ndani kipande cha mti.
An ornate casket may be beautiful, but underneath it is only a piece of wood.
Beauty is only skin-deep.

History ~ Kenyan Currency

Kenyan Rupee's used in 1888.

These were collectors Coins (After Kenyan Independence)

Shika Adabu Primary School

During my Visit to Mombasa, with a friend of mine, we stumbled across this Sign Board. Our first reaction was, sheer laughter and could not believe it!
You better "Shika Adabu"

Sheng ~ Written "Nairobi Stylee"

Whilst I was surfing on the NET, and the subject being “Swahili” and “The Coast” Is always an interest to me.

I stumbled upon the article written by someone, who has not left a Name, so the author of this document remains unknown. However, I found it to be most amusing, since having also lived in Nairobi, I can relate to it.

Here goes:
Nairobi back in the day (Written “Nairobi Stylee”) “Sheng”
Reminisces about 1980's Nairobi (and '70's for that matter).

Literature
I penda reading sana sana, yani I will read anything, when I watch TV I find myself reading something with my ears sikilizaing the tv na hata kama it’s the label of something hiyo nitasoma pia. Hata inside a bus I’ll be somaing those signs like ‘ati manufactured by Stagecoach ltd., 47 standing, 50 sitting.’ Na pia when I finish reading a newspaper I’ll turn back, reluctant ati the newspaper has malizikad and soma those ads and notices (ati “notice to tender”).

Aside from the jungu novels that we used to soma (manze I kumbuka all sorts of literature in our hao and in chuo libraries – who ever somad those filthy Westerns about womanisers who said ‘yeee-haah’ au that dirty French kitabu called ‘Emanuelle’ – wehh!! It’s filthy kabisa).

Who ever used to frequent the Kenya National Library? Namwambia kila siku if you pitad past it there would be a mlolongo of people, and pia inside it was so sweaty it made a Kenya bus (saa sa rush hour) seem like a BA lounge. Ai ai, lakini yenyewe can anyone deny having one or two Kenya National Library books at home, hata to this day, nahamjawai return them? Those books were somwad and re-somwad hata the pages were like “woi please acha me I rest kidogo.”

My favourite Kenyan author is Grace Ogot. The way she anddikas you just visualise every single scene of her novels or short stories. I was reading ‘Land Without Thunder’ again recently and I was like “yawa” the lady wrote so beautifully. Now I know what the ‘ayaye’ phrase means. Ha ha. You’ll be semaing ‘ayaye’ ovyo ovyo by the end of the novel.

Siku za high school we somad ‘Elizabeth’, the Grace Ogot short storo about a secretary who was harassed by her boss. Yenyewe are there any secretaries somaing this, pliz eleza us the situation siku hizi, if y’all get groped by your boss like those secretaries of zamani. Wapelekeni FIDA mbiyo. Pia there was that short storo about a guy who kulad a nyama (liver) that an eagle had droped, and he endad hapa na pale looking for the source of that meat, hadi he became a carni ‘cause he was so obsessed with the taste of that meat. Funzo mbaya!

Ah- and who used to hepa to library during high school prep (the compulsory preps after supper, sijui till bed time)? Manze I used to soma novels during prep, ati pretending it was for an English lit. assignment. I somad Ngugi wa Thiongo’s ‘A Grain of Wheat’ lakini how ironic that I first somad his kitabu (the banned one) ‘I Will Marry When I Want’ in an ulaya library!! [It’s not about a jamaa refusing to get married ha ha] But my favourite Ngugi book is ‘Devil on the Cross.’ Hilarious is not a strong enough word. Yani that is satire kabisa, kabisa. The bits about Harambee speeches had me chekaing so much my stomach hurt with nguvu.

We had an English teachay who used to be involved in the Kenyan National Theatre, and she was so inspiring, lakini she hepad the occupation and joined the theatre fulltime. I wonder if she’s a playwright siku hizi.

Mnakumbuka those kitamaduni ‘comic’ books (i.e. illustrated traditional stories)? Who somad ‘Lwanda Magere,’ ‘the beautiful Nyakio’… hata I don’t kumbuka the rest but they were mingi. There were also books of traditional stories for kiddos – yani if you don’t jua what happened when the hyena tried to attend two parties at the same time (he split at the cross roads), when the hare and the tortoise raced (hiyo storo imekuwa worldwide), when the donkey lengad housework permanently (it painted itself with stripes, hence becoming zebras of leo). Hah hah please someone kumbusha us more.

Oh and there were storos about orgres (chungeni sana ladies if you marry someone who lives inside a lake or river – huyo ni orgre kabisa for sure), about people eating groundnut stew, about leopards talking … ahh yani if we were born in the 1800s those were the storos we would have been told by wazee round the fire. Manze I want to eat groundnut stew now come to think of it.

One Swaha book that we read for Kiswahili lit. in primo was about a man and his mchumba. Weh-seh! You think some Taraab songs have naughtinesses hidden in metaphors and conk vocab? That kitabu had very vivid descriptions of them – err, procreating. Our teachay was a Giriama or from the coast and he understood the conk Swaha (we were bila kamusi in the lesson) and he was just chuckling to himself yet all we could decipher was “(something) (something) mchumba wake alishuka kitanda … (something) (something) moyo wake ukafilisika” and we were like huh? Hebu tuelezee.

Na surely everyone somad John Kiriamiti’s ‘Life of Crime.’ It had a reddish cover, and I will tafuta that book to re-soma it. Yani it was like heavy in detail (it was based on the guy’s own past) and it made you hold your bag tight next time you went sides of Tea Room. Na je Meja Mwangi’s novels. Ahh I’ve sahaud the title of the one I somad, it was about two ‘vagabonds’ (the 70s name for street urchins) and I kumbuka it had mingi swear words. I wish someone can write a Sheng version of a book like that.

There were also books like ‘A Soldier’s Wife’ by Pat Ngurukie (I think it put me off army men or those in uniforms), ‘Song of Lawino’ (hilarious domestic satire! Who somad the sequel?) by Okot p’Bitek. Oh and what about ‘Truphena The Student Nurse,’ which someone on this site kumbushad me of (by the same author who wrote ‘Pamela the Probation Officer’ – hebu someone remind me the author’s name).

All those narratives about characters eating millet, yams, cassava, sorghum porridge … Nani anapenda sorghum porride pia, it’s tamu sana. Fermented sorghum porridge with milk, lemon and sugar, woo I loved the stuff.
Where in central Nai can someone buy millet, yams, cassava, sorghum? Hapo hapo you can buy Korean black bean balls and Thai glutinous rice lakini hamna millet na hamna cassava. Sio ungwana.

I hear kuna revival in Kenyan literature, it’s vizuri sana and I hope it continues.

I hope you have enjoyed this as much as I did.
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