Winston Churchill Blamed For 1m Deaths In India Famine
Sir Winston Churchill may be one of Britain's greatest wartime leaders, but in India he has been blamed for allowing more than a million people to die of starvation.
Winston Churchill said Britain could not spare the ships to transport emergency supplies Photo: PA
According to a new book on the famine, Sir Winston ignored pleas for emergency food aid for millions in Bengal left to starve as their rice paddies were turned over to jute for sandbag production and supplies of rice from Burma stopped after Japanese occupation.
Between one and three million died of hunger in 1943.
The wartime leader said Britain could not spare the ships to transport emergency supplies as the streets of Calcutta filled with emaciated villagers from the surrounding countryside, but author Madhusree Mukerjee has unearthed new documents which challenge his claim.
In her book, Churchill's Secret War, she cites ministry records and personal papers which reveal ships carrying cereals from Australia were bypassed India on their way to the Mediterranean where supplies were already abundant.
"It wasn't a question of Churchill being inept: sending relief to Bengal was raised repeatedly and he and his close associates thwarted every effort," the author said.
"The United States and Australia offered to send help but couldn't because the war cabinet was not willing to release ships. And when the US offered to send grain on its own ships, that offer was not followed up by the British," she added.
The man-made famine and the contrast between the plight of starving Indians and well-fed British officers dining in the city's many colonial clubs has been described as one of the darkest chapters in British rule on the Indian subcontinent.
Miss Mukerjee blames Churchill's 'racism' for his refusal to intervene.
He derided Gandhi as a "half-naked holy man" and once said: "I hate Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion."
He was known to favour and support anything against India. The mighty size of India bothered him immensely.
When the Muslim party was established, he quickly took sides and supported the break up of India. Some say, He was known to favour Islam over Hinduism.
"Winston's racist hatred was due to his loving the empire in the way a jealous husband loves his trophy wife: he would rather destroy it than let it go," said Miss Mukerjee.
A brief Biography on Winston Churchill:
Winston Churchill, the son of Randolph Churchill, a Conservative politician, was born in Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, on 30th November, 1874. His mother, Jennie Jerome, was the daughter of Leonard Jerome, a New York businessman.
After being educated at Harrow he went to the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. Churchill joined the Fourth Hussars in 1895 and saw action on the Indian north-west frontier and in the Sudan where he took part in the Battle of Omdurman (1898).
While in the army Churchill supplied military reports for the Daily Telegraph and wrote books such as The Story of the Malakand Field Force (1898) and The River War (1899).
After leaving the British Army in 1899, Churchill worked as a war correspondent for the Morning Post. While reporting the Boer War in South Africa he was taken prisoner by the Boers but made headline news when he escaped. On returning to England he wrote about his experiences in the book, London to Ladysmith (1900).
In the 1900 General Election Churchill was elected as the Conservative MP for Oldham. As a result of reading, Poverty, A Study of Town Life by Seebohm Rowntree he became a supporter of social reform. In 1904, unconvinced by his party leaders desire for change, Churchill decided to join the Liberal Party.
In the 1906 General Election Churchill won North West Manchester and immediately became a member of the new Liberal government as Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies. When Herbert Asquith replaced Henry Campbell-Bannerman as Prime Minister in 1908 he promoted Churchill to his cabinet as President of the Board of Trade. While in this post he carried through important social legislation including the establishment of employment exchanges.
On 12th September 1908 Churchill married Clementine Ogilvy Spencer and the following year published a book on his political philosophy, Liberalism and the Social Problem (1909).
Following the 1910 General Election Churchill became Home Secretary. Churchill introduced several reforms to the prison system, including the provision of lecturers and concerts for prisoners and the setting up of special after-care associations to help convicts after they had served their sentence. However, Churchill was severely criticized for using troops to maintain order during a Welsh miners's strike.
Churchill became First Lord of the Admiralty in October 1911 where he helped modernize the navy. Churchill was one of the first people to grasp the military potential of aircraft and in 1912 he set up the Royal Naval Air Service. He also established an Air Department at the Admiralty so as to make full use of this new technology. Churchill was so enthusiastic about these new developments that he took flying lessons.
Churchill: A Life
Churchill's Wit
On the outbreak of war in 1914, Churchill joined the War Council. However, he was blamed for the failure at the Dardanelles Campaign in 1915 and was moved to the post of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Unhappy about not having any power to influence the Government's war policy, he rejoined the British Army and commanded a battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers on the Western Front.
When David Lloyd George replaced Herbert Asquith as Prime Minister, he brought Churchill back into the government as Minister of Munitions and for the final year of the war, Churchill was in charge of the production of tanks, aeroplanes, guns and shells.
Churchill also served under David Lloyd George as Minister of War and Air (1919-20) and Colonial Secretary (1921-22). Churchill created great controversy over his policies in Iraq. It was estimated that around 25,000 British and 80,000 Indian troops would be needed to control the country. However, he argued that if Britain relied on air power, you could cut these numbers to 4,000 (British) and 10,000 (Indian). The government was convinced by this argument and it was decided to send the recently formed Royal Air Force to Iraq.
An uprising of more than 100,000 armed tribesmen took place in 1920. Over the next few months the RAF dropped 97 tons of bombs killing 9,000 Iraqis. This failed to end the resistance and Arab and Kurdish uprisings continued to pose a threat to British rule. Churchill suggested that chemical weapons should be used "against recalcitrant Arabs as an experiment." He added "I am strongly in favour of using poisoned gas against uncivilised tribes to spread a lively terror" in Iraq.
The divisions in the Liberal Party led to Churchill being defeated by E. D. Morel at Dundee in the 1922 General Election. Churchill now rejoined the Conservative Party and was successfully elected to represent Epping in the 1924 General Election.
Stanley Baldwin, the leader of the new Conservative administration, appointed Churchill as Chancellor of the Exchequer. In 1925 Churchill controversially returned Britain the the Gold Standard and the following year took a strong line against the General Strike. Churchill edited the Government's newspaper, the British Gazette, during the dispute where he argued that "either the country will break the General Strike, or the General Strike will break the country."
With the defeat of the Conservative government in 1929, Churchill lost office. When Ramsay MacDonald formed the National Government in 1931 Churchill, who was now seen as a right-wing extremist, was not invited to join the Cabinet. He spent the next few years concentrating on his writing, including the publication of the History of the English Speaking Peoples.
After Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party gained power in Germany in 1933, Churchill became a leading advocate of rearmament. He was also a staunch critic of Neville Chamberlain and the Conservative government's appeasement policy. In 1939 Churchill controversially argued that Britain and France should form of a military alliance with the Soviet Union.
On the outbreak of the Second World War Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty and on 4th April 1940 became chairman of the Military Coordinating Committee. Later that month the German Army invaded and occupied Norway. The loss of Norway was a considerable setback for Neville Chamberlain and his policies for dealing with Nazi Germany.
On 8th May the Labour Party demanded a debate on the Norwegian campaign and this turned into a vote of censure. At the end of the debate 30 Conservatives voted against Chamberlain and a further 60 abstained. Chamberlain now decided to resign and on 10th May, 1940, George VI appointed Churchill as prime minister. Later that day the German Army began its Western Offensive and invaded the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Two days later German forces entered France.
Churchill formed a coalition government and placed leaders of the Labour Party such as Clement Attlee, Ernest Bevin, Herbert Morrison, Stafford Cripps and Hugh Dalton in key positions. He also brought in another long-time opponent of Chamberlain, Anthony Eden, as his secretary of state for war. Later that year Eden replaced Lord Halifax as foreign secretary.
Churchill also developed a strong personal relationship with Franklin D. Roosevelt and this led to the sharing and trading of war supplies. The Lend Lease agreement of March 1941 allowed Britain to order war goods from the United States on credit.
Although he provided strong leadership the war continued to go badly for Britain and after a series of military defeats Churchill had to face a motion of no confidence in Parliament. However, he maintained the support of most members of the House of Commons and won by 475 votes to 25.
Troublesome Young Men
Churchill continued to be criticized for meddling in military matters and tended to take too much notice of the views of his friends such as Frederick Lindemann rather than his military commanders. In April 1941 he made the serious mistake of trying to save Greece by weakening his forces fighting the Desert War.
One of the major contributions made by Churchill to eventual victory was his ability to inspire the British people to greater effort by making public broadcasts on significant occasions. A brilliant orator he was a tireless source of strength to people experiencing the sufferings of the Blitz.
After Pearl Harbor Churchill worked closely with Franklin D. Roosevelt to ensure victory over Germany and Japan. He was also a loyal ally of the Soviet Union after Adolf Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa in June, 1941.
Churchill held important meetings with Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin at Teheran (November, 1943) and Yalta (February, 1945). Although Churchill's relationship with Stalin was always difficult he managed to successfully develop a united strategy against the Axis powers.
Despite intense pressure from Stalin to open a second-front by landing Allied troops in France in 1943, Churchill continued to argue that this should not happen until the defeat of Nazi Germany was guaranteed. The D-Day landings did not take place until June, 1944 and this delay enabled the Red Army to capture territory from Germany in Eastern Europe.
In public Churchill accepted plans for social reform drawn up by William Beveridge in 1944. However, he was unable to convince the electorate that he was as committed to these measures as much as Clement Attlee and the Labour Party. In the 1945 General Election Churchill's attempts to compare a future Labour government with Nazi Germany backfired and Attlee won a landslide victory.
Churchill became leader of the opposition and when visiting the United States in March 1946, he made his famous Iron Curtain speech at Fulton, Missouri. He suffered the first of several strokes in August 1946 but this information was kept from the general public and he continued to lead the Conservative Party.
Churchill returned to power after the 1951 General Election. After the publication of his six volume, The Second World War, Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Churchill's health continued to deteriorate and in 1955 he reluctantly retired from politics.
Winston Churchill died on 24th January, 1965.
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Thursday, 9 September 2010
Catapult Experiences ...
All those who have used this apparatus at least once in their lifetime … Must leave your experience of where and when used.
I’ll tell you of one of mine.
I’ll tell you of one of mine.
In Mombasa 1969ish, At the age of 9-10yrs old, I was a loved favourite of a very kind neighbour who I treated like an older brother (Still Do) known as “Bato Din”.
I had been begging and crying for one, so Bato very kindly let me have his the finest in the neighbourhood. So me armed, we all went bird hunting, I did not even know how to use well enough, so I loaded it with a pebble and aimed to fire, it misfired hit the left arm of the catapult and diverted to a Beetle Car and smashed the windscreen. Shocked I looked up and realised that all my gang of hunters had fled, so I ran after in pursuit. That was the end of that.
However, years after in London in 90’s, I went with a friend to meet an old friend and we sat chatting and soon the conversation led to Mombasa and he told me where he had lived.
Mmmm ... I asked him if he ever owned a Sky Blue VW Beetle Car and if its windscreen had ever been smashed?
To his amazement (The Look on his Face) he said yes he had a VW Beetle and Yes! Its windscreen was smashed by some Rascals.
I then took a deep breath and confessed to him that I was that Rascal that had broken his windscreen!
He sat there shocked that I had confessed and then called his entire family in the room and asked me to repeat my confession again. I did...
We all laughed and a true gentleman he proved to be. He was pleased that I had the guts to confess and told me to write it off my conscious for ever. (The matter was closed)
What is your story … Go on share it with me/us.
What is your story … Go on share it with me/us.
Monday, 23 August 2010
Jupiter In Astral Collision ...
Rare flash of light seen on Jupiter in astral collision 
A flash of light believed to be caused by astral matter colliding with Jupiter has been captured on camera by an amateur astronomer in Japan.
Video footage depicting the unusual flash of light was recorded by amateur stargazer Masayuki Tachikawa at his home in Kumamoto City, southern Japan.
It is the third sighting of flashes of light on Jupiter this year, with similar reports by astronomers based in the Philippines and Australia.
Junichi Watanabe, a professor at the NAOJ, told Kyodo News: "This kind of footage is rarely filmed."
It was in the early hours of Saturday morning that Mr Tachikawa, 52, recorded a glow that lasted for around two seconds near Jupiter's equator using a video telescope at his home.
"I took it for noise signals at first but I was really surprised because the image of the light remained on the video," Mr Tachikawa said.
Astronomers believe that the astral body that hit Jupiter was most likely less than 1km in width as there was no trace left after the flash subsided.
With the rise of sophisticated telescopic equipment on the market, a growing number of amateur astronomers are making significant planetary observations.
In June, amateur planet-watchers also captured on camera a similar fireball that seemed to hit into Jupiter with a flash.
Further investigations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope concluded that this flash was caused by a giant meteor as it plunged into the atmosphere surrounding Jupiter.
By Danielle Demetriou in Tokyo - Published: 5:13PM BST 23 Aug 2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-video/7960799/Astral-matter-collides-with-Jupiter.html
A flash of light believed to be caused by astral matter colliding with Jupiter has been captured on camera by an amateur astronomer in Japan.
Video footage depicting the unusual flash of light was recorded by amateur stargazer Masayuki Tachikawa at his home in Kumamoto City, southern Japan.
It is the third sighting of flashes of light on Jupiter this year, with similar reports by astronomers based in the Philippines and Australia.
Junichi Watanabe, a professor at the NAOJ, told Kyodo News: "This kind of footage is rarely filmed."
It was in the early hours of Saturday morning that Mr Tachikawa, 52, recorded a glow that lasted for around two seconds near Jupiter's equator using a video telescope at his home.
"I took it for noise signals at first but I was really surprised because the image of the light remained on the video," Mr Tachikawa said.
Astronomers believe that the astral body that hit Jupiter was most likely less than 1km in width as there was no trace left after the flash subsided.
With the rise of sophisticated telescopic equipment on the market, a growing number of amateur astronomers are making significant planetary observations.
In June, amateur planet-watchers also captured on camera a similar fireball that seemed to hit into Jupiter with a flash.
Further investigations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope concluded that this flash was caused by a giant meteor as it plunged into the atmosphere surrounding Jupiter.
By Danielle Demetriou in Tokyo - Published: 5:13PM BST 23 Aug 2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-video/7960799/Astral-matter-collides-with-Jupiter.html
Monday, 9 August 2010
The Smart Game ...
There once lived a great mathematician in a village outside Amritsar.
He was often called by the local king to advice on matters related to the economy.
His reputation had spread as far as Afghanistan in the west and Burma in the East.
So it hurt him very much when the village headman told him, "You may be a great mathematician who advises the king on economic matters but your son does not know the value of gold or silver."
The mathematician disturbed by the allegation, approaches his son at home that evening.
Father: "What is more valuable - gold or silver?"
Son: "Gold,"
Father: That is correct! Why is it then that the village headman makes fun of you, claims you do not know the value of gold or silver? He teases me every day. He mocks me before other village elders as a father who neglects his son. This hurts me. I feel everyone in the village is laughing behind my back because they think you do not know what is more valuable, gold or silver. Explain this to me, son!?
Son: "Every day on my way to and fro from school, the village headman calls me to his house. There, in front of all village elders, he holds out a silver coin in one hand and a gold coin in other. He asks me to pick up the more valuable coin. I pick the silver coin. He laughs, the elders jeer, and everyone makes fun of me. And then I make my way.
This happens every day. That is why they tell you I do not know the value of gold or silver."
(The father was confused. His son knew the value of gold and silver, and yet when asked to choose between a gold coin and silver coin always picked the silver coin.)
Father: Why don't you pick up the gold coin?
In response, the son took the father to his room and showed him a trunk full of hundreds of silver coins.
Son: "The day I pick up the gold coin the game will stop.
They will stop having fun and I will stop making money."
The bottom line is...
Sometimes in life, we have to play the fool because our seniors and our peers, and sometimes even our juniors like it. That does not mean we lose in the game of life. It just means allowing others to win in one arena of the game, while we win in the other arena of the game. We have to choose which arena matters to us and which arenas do not.
He was often called by the local king to advice on matters related to the economy.
His reputation had spread as far as Afghanistan in the west and Burma in the East.
So it hurt him very much when the village headman told him, "You may be a great mathematician who advises the king on economic matters but your son does not know the value of gold or silver."
The mathematician disturbed by the allegation, approaches his son at home that evening.
Father: "What is more valuable - gold or silver?"
Son: "Gold,"
Father: That is correct! Why is it then that the village headman makes fun of you, claims you do not know the value of gold or silver? He teases me every day. He mocks me before other village elders as a father who neglects his son. This hurts me. I feel everyone in the village is laughing behind my back because they think you do not know what is more valuable, gold or silver. Explain this to me, son!?
Son: "Every day on my way to and fro from school, the village headman calls me to his house. There, in front of all village elders, he holds out a silver coin in one hand and a gold coin in other. He asks me to pick up the more valuable coin. I pick the silver coin. He laughs, the elders jeer, and everyone makes fun of me. And then I make my way.
This happens every day. That is why they tell you I do not know the value of gold or silver."
(The father was confused. His son knew the value of gold and silver, and yet when asked to choose between a gold coin and silver coin always picked the silver coin.)
Father: Why don't you pick up the gold coin?
In response, the son took the father to his room and showed him a trunk full of hundreds of silver coins.
Son: "The day I pick up the gold coin the game will stop.
They will stop having fun and I will stop making money."
The bottom line is...
Sometimes in life, we have to play the fool because our seniors and our peers, and sometimes even our juniors like it. That does not mean we lose in the game of life. It just means allowing others to win in one arena of the game, while we win in the other arena of the game. We have to choose which arena matters to us and which arenas do not.
Monday, 2 August 2010
My Influencials of Friends & Foe's ...
Bill Gates, Plato, Cui Jiano, Vladimir Lenin, Pavel Korchagin, Bill Clinton, Peter I of Russia, Bruce Lee, Winston Churchill, Henri Matisse, Pelé, Guan Yu, Ramesses II, Charles de Gaulle, Margaret Thatcher, Alfred Nobel, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway, Elvis Presley,
J. Robert Oppenheimer, William Shakespeare, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Audrey Hepburn,
Ludwig van Beethoven, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Saddam Hussein, Maxim Gorky, Sun Yat-sen, Deng Xiaoping, Alexander Pushkin, Lu Xun, Josef Stalin, Leonardo da Vinci, Karl Marx, Charlie Chaplin, Henry Ford, Lei Feng, Jonas Salk, Norman Bethune, or Harold E. Varmus?, Sigmund Frued, Jack Kevorkian, Chiang Kai-Shek, Queen Elizabeth II, Mike Tyson, Vladimir Putin, Lewis Carroll, Shirley Temple, Leo Tolstoy, Albert Einstein, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone, Yasser Arafat, Julius Caesar, Claire Lee Chennault, Luciano Pavoratti, George W Bush, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Osama bin Laden, Liu Xiang, Dante Alighieri, Friedrich Nietzsche, Steven Spielberg, Pablo Picaso, Abraham Lincoln, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Laozi, Marilyn Monroe, Salvador Dalí, Empress Dowager Cixi, Marie Curie, Ariel Sharon, Prince Charles of Wales, Kofi Annan, Qi Baishi, Qin Shi Huang, Hideki Tojo, Mother Teresa, Mikhail Gorbachev, Soong Ching-ling, St Peter, Otto von, Bismarck, Run Run Shaw, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Li Bai, Charles Darwin, Confucius, Corneliu Baba, Michelangelo, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Vincent van Gogh, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Michael Jordan, Marcel Duchamp, Aristotle, Liu Bei
Celebrities that found success despite looking like a camel
Original Artists: Zhang An, Li Tiezi, and Dai Dudu
The creators are Chinese artists. They are Dai Dudu, Liaoning Art Institute’s Vice President; Li Tiezi, contemporary oil painter; Zhang Anjun, chairman of the Shenyang Youth Association of Artists, and contemporary oil painter. Dai Dudu led the effort.
According to Dai Dudu, the three began work on the painting in 2006, completing it 10 months later. “At the time, we wanted to represent world history within a single painting. We wanted to showcase the world’s story, and let viewers feel as if they were flipping the pages of a history book,” Dai said. Article Source.
** There are a couple that I cannot identify ... Perhaps you can ... Drop me a line if you find someone that I have missed.
Monday, 26 July 2010
The Bible Told Me to give back the Grand Larceny Hotel ...
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
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
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.
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Mombasa~Water Wrangles Endangering Lives
The water shortage facing the tourist resort town of Mombasa has reached crisis level as local residents face threats of contracting water borne diseases. Water taps are permanently dry and boreholes are the only alternative source of this precious commodity.
Unfortunately for Mombasa residents, borehole water, according to Ministry of Health officials, is heavily contaminated because faeces from pit latrines seep into the boreholes as they are too close to each other.
The water available to residents in Mombasa stands at 45,000 cubic litres per day, although the demand has shot up to more than 200,000 cubic litres per day. And yet, this supply suffers constant interruptions due to obsolete equipment and interrupted power supply resulting from unpaid bills. The electricity bill by the Kenya Power and Lighting Company stands at Sh63 million, prompting the frequent electricity interruptions.
The Coast Water Services Board technical manager, Chihanga Donda, confirms the water crisis in the region. "If something is not done urgently to rectify the situation, the little water provision services is going to a halt," he warns.
Vandalism Of Transmission Lines
Donda takes issue with vandalism of the water transmission lines and break down of water pipes, which is compounding the crisis facing his organisation. "It is true that the electricity bill is too high since the power tariffs were reviewed upwards," he says. "I will not tell you how much it is because that is confidential information."
Patrick Ochieng, an official of the Mombasa water consortium, says poor garbage collection poses a serious health hazard in the town. "Mombasa people place their garbage outside their houses expecting the Municipal Council trucks to pass by and collect it but that rarely happens," he says.
He takes issue with the Mwakirunge dumpsite, pointing out that the huge mounds of garbage dumped there on a daily basis could easily find its way into the water system and endanger the lives of the residents. The solution of garbage management lies with solid waste management.
Ochieng says the management of the Coast Water Services Board has a lot to explain to Coast people over the water shortage in the region. "The water problem in this town is just a tip of the iceberg," he reveals. "The whole of this province has no water despite being a top tourism destination. Coast Water Services Board must tell us what is happening instead of directing the blame to Council water companies that can only sell water they are supplied by Coast water," he says.
Haggai Charo is a resident of Bamba, Kilifi district. He says the water crisis is breaking up homes in his village because women are forced to wake up at 4am and walk for more than 15 kilometres to fetch murky water at the nearest water pan. Due to poverty, the dirty water is consumed without boiling, which is risking the lives of the more than 5,000 Bamba residents. Already, livestock are dying in large numbers in this vallage due to lack of water.
Council Has Failed To Deliver
Mohamed Hersi, the chairman of Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers at the Coast, says the Council has failed to deliver its core services and should not be allowed to risk the lives of Kenyans. "Water reforms that gave the councils the mandate to provide water to residents was a big mistake," he says. "These institutions have failed to run even nursery schools. How do we give them such huge responsibilities like water? It is sad that Mombasa residents have been held hostage by the Council."
Hersi, who is also the general manager of Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort, says hoteliers have been forced to buy water daily for their guests to use.
Mombasa Town Clerk Tubman Otieno admits that Mombasa is a dirty city. His list of priorities includes ensuring streetlights are working, garbage is cleared and the drainage is working. "I spend nights walking to find out how to make this town better," he says. "I have come up with a proposal, which I will work on to make this city the envy of Kenya. I plead with Mombasa people to give me time to make this town the best, just like I did to Thika and Mavoko."
Otieno blames the crisis facing the town to the absence of a water board to run the water provision, which makes it difficult for Mombasa Water and Sewerage Services Company to effectively provide water to the town.
Genesis Of Trouble
Trouble in Mombasa started when Charity Ngilu, the Minister for Water, rejected the water board on allegations that it was not inclusive. "The minister advised the mayor, the four Mombasa members of Parliament and I to sit down and agree on the individuals to make up the board, but after we had consulted and arrived at our list, the minister rejected it again and came up with her own proposal," says Otieno.
The Mombasa Municipal Council rejected the minister’s list, prompting the current standoff. The Town Clerk now blames political interests for the current crisis.
"Transferring Anthony Chitavi, the managing director of Mombasa Water Services Board, from Mombasa to Malindi, will not resolve the water crisis," he says.
Mombasa mayor Abukakar Modhar also attributes the water shortage to the absence of a water board. He accuses the water minister of meddling in the affairs of the Council when the Water Reforms Act gives clear guidelines on how directors of the water company should be picked.
Kuldip Sondhi, the chairman of Mombasa and Coast Tourist Association (MCTA), says the chronic water shortage has reached crisis level. At the moment, hotels in Mombasa and beyond have to buy water on daily basis for domestic use because they are not allowed to use borehole water.
"Borehole water is only used for the toilet. For use in the kitchen and other departments, we are forced to buy clean water from companies that supply this precious commodity," says Sondhi.
Ngilu surprised Mombasa residents when she demanded that up to 50 per cent of the members of the Mombasa Water and Sewerage Company be women, despite clear guidelines on how board members should be appointed. The Mombasa mayor maintains that the minister’s demands are unacceptable and illegal.
Deputy mayor John Mcharo says the absence of a board may make it impossible for the board to receive Sh6.3 billion grant from the World Bank to rehabilitate the Mzima Water pipeline and other water sources in the region. He says the Council has decided to go to court if the minister stands her ground and handpicks the company directors and imposes them on the Council.
Wasted Water
Investigations by Home & Away indicate that while Mombasa residents go thirsty, there are several litres of water that go to waste along the Mzima pipeline between Jomvu and Changamwe as a result of vandalism. Several trucks are parked along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway and car washers do booming business.
Medical experts say the use of borehole water for domestic purposes is a time bomb because Mombasa residents in general use pit latrines. Tests conducted by the Ministry of Health indicate that faeces find their way into boreholes and contaminate water. A quick solution to this water crisis is, therefore, critical.
Health experts warn further that the water crisis in Mombasa, coupled with over reliance on borehole water, poses a great health concern to the health experts in the town. But even with such dire warnings, residents of the sprawling Kisauni and Mishomoroni area say they would rather use the ‘free’ borehole water because it is available.
Residents are aware that they must first boil borehole water before using it at home. "But we rarely do it because we believe God is there for us," says Said Athman, a resident. "We no longer think and hope for piped water."
Katana Charo, a water vendor, says the crisis is a blessing to him because he is making money from selling borehole water. Every day, he takes his mkokoteni (handcart) to the nearest free water point and fills it, then hawks the water directly to people’s homes. A 20 litre jerrican sells at Sh20. At the end of each day, Charo makes about Sh1,000. He counts himself lucky when he finds clean water because he then sells a 20 litre jerrican for between Sh30 to Sh40, increasing his earnings to more than Sh1,500 per day.
Blessing In Disguise
Charo is one of the few people in Mombasa who wishes that the water crisis continues. "That way, I will be able to make enough money to go back to my rural home in Kaloleni, Giriama, and look for a woman to marry," he says.
Fatuma Ali, a Kisauni resident, says the water crisis poses grave challenges to women. "We are forced to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to go searching for water," she says. "Often, we go to queue at the nearest water point with our jerricans. It is more common to end up with untreated water than with clean water.
"Mombasa has had water problems for a long time but I don’t think we have experienced the severity of the crisis as we are suffering now. It has been a long time since we got a single drop in our pipes and there is no explanation from the authorities."
Nema Intervention
As the water crisis rages, the National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) has threatened to take the Mombasa Municipal Council to court if it continues dumping waste at the Kibarani dumpsite. Nema insists that Kibarani is an illegal dumpsite and should not be used.
Prof Mwinzi Muasya, the Nema director general, recently led a high-powered delegation of Nema board members to the Council and warned they would not issue any more warnings. "We issued them with notices to cease dumping garbage at Kibarani as from June 20, 2008. There is a designated waste disposal site at Mwakirunge, which is not far off from Mombasa city."
It emerged during the site visit that the Mombasa Municipal Council has not applied for a license to transport garbage.
~ Ngumbao Kithi of Daily Nation - Nov 2009
Unfortunately for Mombasa residents, borehole water, according to Ministry of Health officials, is heavily contaminated because faeces from pit latrines seep into the boreholes as they are too close to each other.
The water available to residents in Mombasa stands at 45,000 cubic litres per day, although the demand has shot up to more than 200,000 cubic litres per day. And yet, this supply suffers constant interruptions due to obsolete equipment and interrupted power supply resulting from unpaid bills. The electricity bill by the Kenya Power and Lighting Company stands at Sh63 million, prompting the frequent electricity interruptions.
The Coast Water Services Board technical manager, Chihanga Donda, confirms the water crisis in the region. "If something is not done urgently to rectify the situation, the little water provision services is going to a halt," he warns.
Vandalism Of Transmission Lines
Donda takes issue with vandalism of the water transmission lines and break down of water pipes, which is compounding the crisis facing his organisation. "It is true that the electricity bill is too high since the power tariffs were reviewed upwards," he says. "I will not tell you how much it is because that is confidential information."
Patrick Ochieng, an official of the Mombasa water consortium, says poor garbage collection poses a serious health hazard in the town. "Mombasa people place their garbage outside their houses expecting the Municipal Council trucks to pass by and collect it but that rarely happens," he says.
He takes issue with the Mwakirunge dumpsite, pointing out that the huge mounds of garbage dumped there on a daily basis could easily find its way into the water system and endanger the lives of the residents. The solution of garbage management lies with solid waste management.
Ochieng says the management of the Coast Water Services Board has a lot to explain to Coast people over the water shortage in the region. "The water problem in this town is just a tip of the iceberg," he reveals. "The whole of this province has no water despite being a top tourism destination. Coast Water Services Board must tell us what is happening instead of directing the blame to Council water companies that can only sell water they are supplied by Coast water," he says.
Haggai Charo is a resident of Bamba, Kilifi district. He says the water crisis is breaking up homes in his village because women are forced to wake up at 4am and walk for more than 15 kilometres to fetch murky water at the nearest water pan. Due to poverty, the dirty water is consumed without boiling, which is risking the lives of the more than 5,000 Bamba residents. Already, livestock are dying in large numbers in this vallage due to lack of water.
Council Has Failed To Deliver
Mohamed Hersi, the chairman of Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers at the Coast, says the Council has failed to deliver its core services and should not be allowed to risk the lives of Kenyans. "Water reforms that gave the councils the mandate to provide water to residents was a big mistake," he says. "These institutions have failed to run even nursery schools. How do we give them such huge responsibilities like water? It is sad that Mombasa residents have been held hostage by the Council."
Hersi, who is also the general manager of Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort, says hoteliers have been forced to buy water daily for their guests to use.
Mombasa Town Clerk Tubman Otieno admits that Mombasa is a dirty city. His list of priorities includes ensuring streetlights are working, garbage is cleared and the drainage is working. "I spend nights walking to find out how to make this town better," he says. "I have come up with a proposal, which I will work on to make this city the envy of Kenya. I plead with Mombasa people to give me time to make this town the best, just like I did to Thika and Mavoko."
Otieno blames the crisis facing the town to the absence of a water board to run the water provision, which makes it difficult for Mombasa Water and Sewerage Services Company to effectively provide water to the town.
Genesis Of Trouble
Trouble in Mombasa started when Charity Ngilu, the Minister for Water, rejected the water board on allegations that it was not inclusive. "The minister advised the mayor, the four Mombasa members of Parliament and I to sit down and agree on the individuals to make up the board, but after we had consulted and arrived at our list, the minister rejected it again and came up with her own proposal," says Otieno.
The Mombasa Municipal Council rejected the minister’s list, prompting the current standoff. The Town Clerk now blames political interests for the current crisis.
"Transferring Anthony Chitavi, the managing director of Mombasa Water Services Board, from Mombasa to Malindi, will not resolve the water crisis," he says.
Mombasa mayor Abukakar Modhar also attributes the water shortage to the absence of a water board. He accuses the water minister of meddling in the affairs of the Council when the Water Reforms Act gives clear guidelines on how directors of the water company should be picked.
Kuldip Sondhi, the chairman of Mombasa and Coast Tourist Association (MCTA), says the chronic water shortage has reached crisis level. At the moment, hotels in Mombasa and beyond have to buy water on daily basis for domestic use because they are not allowed to use borehole water.
"Borehole water is only used for the toilet. For use in the kitchen and other departments, we are forced to buy clean water from companies that supply this precious commodity," says Sondhi.
Ngilu surprised Mombasa residents when she demanded that up to 50 per cent of the members of the Mombasa Water and Sewerage Company be women, despite clear guidelines on how board members should be appointed. The Mombasa mayor maintains that the minister’s demands are unacceptable and illegal.
Deputy mayor John Mcharo says the absence of a board may make it impossible for the board to receive Sh6.3 billion grant from the World Bank to rehabilitate the Mzima Water pipeline and other water sources in the region. He says the Council has decided to go to court if the minister stands her ground and handpicks the company directors and imposes them on the Council.
Wasted Water
Investigations by Home & Away indicate that while Mombasa residents go thirsty, there are several litres of water that go to waste along the Mzima pipeline between Jomvu and Changamwe as a result of vandalism. Several trucks are parked along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway and car washers do booming business.
Medical experts say the use of borehole water for domestic purposes is a time bomb because Mombasa residents in general use pit latrines. Tests conducted by the Ministry of Health indicate that faeces find their way into boreholes and contaminate water. A quick solution to this water crisis is, therefore, critical.
Health experts warn further that the water crisis in Mombasa, coupled with over reliance on borehole water, poses a great health concern to the health experts in the town. But even with such dire warnings, residents of the sprawling Kisauni and Mishomoroni area say they would rather use the ‘free’ borehole water because it is available.
Residents are aware that they must first boil borehole water before using it at home. "But we rarely do it because we believe God is there for us," says Said Athman, a resident. "We no longer think and hope for piped water."
Katana Charo, a water vendor, says the crisis is a blessing to him because he is making money from selling borehole water. Every day, he takes his mkokoteni (handcart) to the nearest free water point and fills it, then hawks the water directly to people’s homes. A 20 litre jerrican sells at Sh20. At the end of each day, Charo makes about Sh1,000. He counts himself lucky when he finds clean water because he then sells a 20 litre jerrican for between Sh30 to Sh40, increasing his earnings to more than Sh1,500 per day.
Blessing In Disguise
Charo is one of the few people in Mombasa who wishes that the water crisis continues. "That way, I will be able to make enough money to go back to my rural home in Kaloleni, Giriama, and look for a woman to marry," he says.
Fatuma Ali, a Kisauni resident, says the water crisis poses grave challenges to women. "We are forced to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to go searching for water," she says. "Often, we go to queue at the nearest water point with our jerricans. It is more common to end up with untreated water than with clean water.
"Mombasa has had water problems for a long time but I don’t think we have experienced the severity of the crisis as we are suffering now. It has been a long time since we got a single drop in our pipes and there is no explanation from the authorities."
Nema Intervention
As the water crisis rages, the National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) has threatened to take the Mombasa Municipal Council to court if it continues dumping waste at the Kibarani dumpsite. Nema insists that Kibarani is an illegal dumpsite and should not be used.
Prof Mwinzi Muasya, the Nema director general, recently led a high-powered delegation of Nema board members to the Council and warned they would not issue any more warnings. "We issued them with notices to cease dumping garbage at Kibarani as from June 20, 2008. There is a designated waste disposal site at Mwakirunge, which is not far off from Mombasa city."
It emerged during the site visit that the Mombasa Municipal Council has not applied for a license to transport garbage.
~ Ngumbao Kithi of Daily Nation - Nov 2009
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