Kenyans are not so foolish!

At a recent function in North Eastern Province, Mheshimiwa Raila declared that there were floods in Garissa, because government opened the flood gates.

This hints to Kenyans of what is in this “engineer’s” mind. Kenyans are not so foolish.

The leadership as witnessed in Luo Nyanza and in Kibera since 1992 is not what True Kenyans want..

Can the watchman tell this character to style up!

By Lima Kilo
National Coordinator
True Kenya Movement, Kenya

Palestine: Gunmen opened fire at Major Jarbou’, aiming to assassinate him!

It has been reported that, “anonymous gunmen have on Saturday morning opened fire at Major Hasan Jarbou’, deputy director of the preventative security, in the Rafah governorate, in the southern Gaza Strip. The man was seriously injured and his escort Ahmad Mansour was moderately injured.”

Mansour was badly hurt and now, “Palestinian medical sources within Abu Yousef An-Najjar hospital stated that Major Jarbou’ received a gun shot to his chest and that the medical staff are fighting to save his life. They added that Ahmad Mansour was hit in his abdomen.”

According to Maan N.A, “Palestinian security sources have also reported that several gunmen opened fire at Major Jarbou’, assassinate him near the “An-Nijma” square in central Rafah, while he was heading to his work for the preventative security.”

The incident is under investigation.

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

source.maan.n.a

Guinea’s important historical events!

1891 – France declares Guinea to be a colony, separate from Senegal.

Market in Kindia, a farming town 100 km east of Conakry

1898 – Defeat of resistance to French occupation led by Samory Toure, great-grandfather of future President Ahmed Sekou Toure.

1906 – Guinea becomes part of French West African Federation.

1952 – Ahmed Sekou Toure becomes secretary-general of the Democratic Party of Guinea.

Independence

1958 October – Guinea becomes independent, with Ahmed Sekou Toure as president.

1965 – Sekou Toure breaks off relations with France after accusing it of plotting to oust him.

1984 March – Sekou Toure dies.

1984 April – Lansana Conte and Diarra Traore seize power in bloodless coup. Conte becomes president while Traore is installed as prime minister.

1985 – Attempted coup organized by Traore following his demotion to education minister.

1990 – Constitution paving the way for civilian government is adopted.

Democracy without peace

1993 – First multiparty elections are held; Conte confirmed in office.

Supporters of long-serving president Lansana Conte

1995 – Conte’s Party of Unity and Progress wins 71 of the National Assembly’s 114 seats.

1996 – Some 30 people are killed and presidential palace set on fire as 25% of Guinea’s armed forces mutiny over low pay, poor conditions.

2000 September – Alpha Conde, leader of opposition Guinean People’s Rally, sentenced to five years in prison for endangering state security and recruiting foreign mercenaries. He is pardoned in May 2001.

2000 September – Start of incursions by rebels in Guinea’s border regions with Liberia and Sierra Leone which eventually claim more than 1,000 lives and cause massive population displacement. The government accuses Liberia, the Sierra Leonean United Revolutionary Front (RUF) rebel group, Burkina Faso and former Guinean army mutineers of trying to destabilise Guinea.

2001 February – Government deploys attack helicopters to the front-line in its fight with rebels.

Referendum

2001 November – Official results show constitutional referendum, boycotted by opposition, endorses President Conte’s proposal to extend presidential term from five to seven years. Critics accuse Mr Conte of trying to stay in power for life.

2002 March – Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia agree on measures to secure mutual borders and to tackle insurgency.

Guinea sheltered many of the refugees who fled Liberia’s civil war

2003 November – Opposition leader Jean-Marie Dore detained, subsequently released, after saying President Conte is too ill to contest December’s presidential election.

2003 December – President Conte wins a third term in elections boycotted by the opposition.

2004 April – Prime Minister Lounseny Fall resigns while visiting the US.

2005 January – President Conte survives what security officials say is an assassination attempt. Shots were fired as his motorcade passed through the capital.

2005 July – Alpha Conde, head of the main opposition Guinean People’s Rally, returns from exile in France. He is welcomed by thousands of supporters.

2006 March – President Conte is flown to Switzerland for medical treatment. Opposition parties call for the formation of an interim government.

2006 April – Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo sacked.

2006 June – Crippling general strike suspended after eight days following agreement between trade unions and government on wages and prices of basic goods. Several student protesters were killed during unrest over the postponement of exams due to the strike.

2006 October – President Conte fails to make his usual independence day speech, increasing concern that his health is continuing to deteriorate.

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

source.bbc.

British embassy must stop language classes in the Russian capital!

The British love to spread their language across the world. But now, “the British embassy in Moscow has to close down language schools working under the aegis of the British Council. This is connected with a demand by the Russian Foreign Ministry that a certain licence be obtained. There was no need for such documents before. The British Council believes it is impossible to continue teaching in this situation, the BBC reports.” The media has quoted the “president of the Association of British Research and Honoured Scientist of Russia Apollon Davidson,” saying, “that he believes the closure of language schools is an ill-advised decision.”[According to “Davidson, It would be very important for our country to keep good relations with Great Britain. It is a great pity when there are some obstacles on this way, on this or that side. I am not sure that in our history all our actions as regards Britain were well thought through. I don’t know if these actions were well thought through.”

It is believed, if one has to rely on, “Lenta.ru reports that talks with the Russian Foreign Ministry about the status of the British Council may resume in January.”

English language was exported out Britain by the British during their colonial rule world-wide. Russians look at the English language differently and may be fearing that those who register to take lessons may also be misled to spy for the British. 

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

Source: Ekho Moskvy radio, Moscow, in Russian 0900 gmt 23 Dec 06 .bbc monitoring.internationalnewswire.

Guinean president reshuffles ministers!

<The President.

“A [partial] cabinet reshuffle yesterday evening in Guinea-Conakry. 

President Lansana Conte has moved the office bearers in three ministries: Information, Transport and Posts and Telecommunications Ministries. He has also appointed a new minister of security following the death of the previous job holder,” in an effort to strengthen his rule. 

When a president reshuffles his cabinet too often as is the  case her done within a short period, there is much to be desired. “This is the second cabinet reshuffle in Guinea-Conakry in the space of two months.”

This is done in a move to strengthen his cabinet

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

Source: Radio France Internationale, Paris, in French 0730 gmt 23 Dec 06/bbc monitoring 

Should guys sit while peeing in toilets?

This was a very serious debate in a school in Norway after the headmaster directed that all boys in the school must sit while peeing in the school toilets.

Many parents who had boy students in the school were angered and protested.

Many joint the debate that lasted for many days. Some restaurants started to support the idea and wanted the male guests to start peeing while seated in restaurant toilets!

One male debate participant reacted to the seating arrangement very positively, even going ahead to suggest courses for men and boys to be educated on how to sit while peeing.

Read it for yourself and if you want, you may have your say.

In my country, guys don’t stand !
	What a news! So let me tell you some thing underway of that news then, not bad if you know that in my culture the male people avoid peeing while standing! In my country it’s so, as my religion has recommended not to pee while standing, and to do it while sitting or squatting. I know there, they teach the kid when he can stand up, how to pee while standing, but it’s not so here. However, I am male and quite healthy, but I don’t pee while standing. You should consider that there are many different ways and theologies around the world.Of course as God has made the ability of peeing while standing easily in guys, it must have an advantage, and yes it has. In men’s jobs some times urgent situations happen, and some times they have to do some thing in a short time when the speed is important, and some times men have situations that they can’t sit or squat or are in places where sitting or squatting is not easily possible; in such times they can use their ability of peeing while standing easily. But these urgent times just some times happen, not always! So I think there should be a project for men to stop, or to say better, manage peeing while standing. One group are already doing that and their site is: http://www.mapsu.org . As I mentioned, there are some occasions when it’s needed to pee standing up, then it happens for both men and women! So what should women do? So easy, they can instantly pee standing up using a small device, one is here: http://www.travelmateinfo.com/page002.html . However, it will be great if the current way of peeing of guys in toilets and bathrooms, in the most parts of the world changes.
	send in by av Ali Emami, 14.11.06 09:08.

_____________________ 

This may sound as a joke to many, but it is areal problem when men and boys pee carelessly setting drops of urine on the toilet seat and someone comes and cannot sit on the toilet seat at all!

Imagine you enter a toilet after taking drinks in a hotel. Then carelessly you sit on the toilet without checking the seat, only to feel the wet seat on your behind…… someone careless was there before you. If he had sat peeing, you would not have the discomfort sitting on his urine!

This is a serious issue and men and boys should think about when in toilets! Think of the next person coming in after you.

Maybe Ali Emami’s article above is a good idea after all! Men and boys to start sitting and do the needful!

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

Source.fædrelandsvennen.no

Is there a connection between Koigi wa Wamwere, Mungiki sect’s Ndura Waruingi and exiled corruption trumpeter John Githongo?

<Mr Koigi Wamwere!

Koigi Wamwere of Kenya is a very interesting politician, one not easy to be understood by many.. It is not that all of us have a problem to understand Wamwere, no, not at all!

He is interesting because he always likes to go his own way. Serving in Narc government, Wamwere probably feels not well noticed as an assistant minister.

When a person has gone for the highest office, that of the country president of course it is not easy to feel okay with assistant minister position, one position without a Kenyan flag in front of the motorcade!

Now he wants to ditch Narc and join a new political party. He says one recently registered bearing a name CCM – Chama Cha Mwananchi. Fine.

Why not call it then Chama Cha Mapinduzi! Did the voters think of that? We know that is what it is! A party for revolution? We question, a revolution from what to what?

That is his right, but  we fail to see the point in it, because he does not want want to stand for presidency using the new party’s flag.

He has criticised the newly formed Narc-Kenya and ODM-Kenya and keeps warning the voters to choose good and wise leaders. We agree with him that voters should exercise wisdom.

But we had expected Wamwere to join Narc-Kenya since that is the party he campaigned for, when by-elections were held in the country some months back, elections that saw the late Mirugi Kariuki’s son elected to parliament in Nakuru.

What is the real motive for Koigi Wamwere joining CCM party, a little known party? It he targeting Raila’s Langata?

 <Kibera slums in Raila Odinga’s constituency. He plans to run for presidency in 2007, but he must first get a parliamentary seat in a constituency. His Langata constituency might go to Waruinge or Wamwere. Before running for president Raila should develop Kibera first! He has been respresenting the area form many years but Kibera is still a slum area.

We question this move. We are now thinking about Mungiki and Waruinge who was Mungiki sect’s leader now in remand awaiting trail in connection with the recently reported violence in Kibera slums, Raila Odinga’s Langata constituency and Mr Githongo who is still in self exile!

Wamwere has stated clearly that some politicians seem to think that they own constituencies, politicians who get enraged if people that they want to take over the seat. We all know he is talking about Raila and Langata constituency where Waruinge the former Mungiki leader wants to challenge Raila.

Mr Githongo, the corruption trumpeter, whistle-blower and President Kibaki’s political headache!

Githongo is reported to be planning to return to Kenya and establish himself as a politician with the support of the international community.

It is reported that he has collected enough campaign money. If he has planned to return to Kenya now, and join in CCM, then this is not something we will wait long before it is announced.

His move will boost Koigi Wamwere’s chances for re-election using CCM party, because the international community has blindly believed Githongo’s accusation of Kibaki’s government.

If Kibaki decides to announce he will seek re-election, then Githongo is said to be ready to stay in his self imposed exile, until Kibaki retires from the presidency. Just like Koigi Wamwere vowed years ago, that he would not return to Kenya from Norway, unless former president Moi was out of power, a promise Wamwere did not keep, because he went back to Kenya before Moi left office.

The Mungiki sect is said to have a violent past. Here  former leader is stretching his hand after he was released some years back.>

But now former Mungiki leader, a preacher of peace, a changed man wants to be a member of parliament representing Langata constituency residents. e wants to develop Kibera slums into something better for the residents. Raila has led Kibera for many years.

It is reported that Mungiki has about 4 million followers ready to support the former Mungiki leader. It is easy to ferry them to Langata to vote. This means Raila has a problem in the coming elections. Waruinge is set to win because of ODM-K crumble, and arguments that will see the leaders fight to agree on who to represent them as flag bearer in the constituency.

When Waruinge recently toured Kibera, to meet the voters, Raila cried foul and managed to have Waruinge arrested and now the former sect leader is faced with a court case that is very unnecessary. This will give Waruinge a lead in the polls because he is now being politically harassed and the voters will put into account the suffering he is now undergoing and give him sympathy votes.

Therefore, what we now see is CCM party being activated, and 3 main top contenders is said to be Waruinge – the former Mungiki sect leader, Mr Githongo – Kibaki’s political nightmare on corruption, and Koigi Wamwere – assistant minister in Kibaki’s government.

Many might question why we are connecting Koigi Wamwere to Mungiki sect. Remember Wamwere one day while holding a public meeting, joint Mungiki to smoke a joint on stage and gave his support to the sect.

Otherwise why is Mr Wamwere now speaking about politicians who think they own constituencies, and at the same time talks about Kibera violence and not Mathare? Does that ring a bell as to where he is heading to or what he is telling the voters, that he is targeting Raila and Langata constituency?

In fact, do not be surprised to hear Koigi Wamwere announcing that he will contest Raila’s Langata seat while supporting Waruinge to run in his Subukia constituency. Wamwere can easily thrash Raila in Langata if he goes for that seat.

When it comes to Githongo, we do not know where he plans to contest. It is definitely not going to be Kibaki’s Othaya constituency.

But it would safe for Raila to run in Bondo constituency ad take over the seat that his father had. That of course will make problems for the bother who has the seat at the moment. Maybe Bondo constituency can be divided into two. Bondo North and Bondo South constituencies respectively! This would solve the problem for the brothers.

A political thriller begins early next year. And it is feared by some, including Raila Amolo Odinga, that the Mungiki sect supporting Waruinge, can easily decide to beat the votes out of the voters who refuse to cast them in support of their former leader.

 

 By API

source.bbc.uk.times.ke

WISHING ALL OUR READERS AND ASSOCIATES A MERRY CHRITSMAS AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!

We take this opportunity to wish you a merry Christmas and a prosperous happy new year.

We have enjoyed having you as our readers. APN has increased its readers in the last 3 months and we are very pleased.

We hope you will continue participating and contributing to our stories in any.

We will not take a break during the Christmas season, so you will still be able to read about events that unfold.

Once again, Merry Christmas and Prosperous new year.

From the editorial

The fog stops flights leaving Heathrow Airport! Christmas passengers stranded.

The Christmas has caused chaos in Britain. The fog is helping the chaotic situation to succeed.

Travellers going home for Christmas have been forced to stay at the airport for up to 3 days because of thick fog that has caused flight cancellations. The airport officials are hoping that the weather might be better today Saturday.

It is reported that, “more than 300 flights were cancelled at Heathrow on Friday, including all British Airways domestic flights. BA plans to start domestic flights to and from Heathrow from midday on Saturday, and hopes to operate 95% of its Heathrow services through the day.”

Many passengers may not make it for Christmas if the weather continues as it has been in the last two days.

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

source.bbc 

Force Sudanese leader to stop his policy killing Darfur people!

It is reported that about 2.5 million are homeless due to the conflict in Darfur! Many of them children. Their faces tells it all!

These children should be in an atmosphere where they should enjoy going to school and doing things that all children do in everyday life.

But instead, they have to worry everyday of being attacked and killed, they have to worry about where to live and what to eat  and many many worries ……….And all this is a result of power hungry politicians who only give priority to their own self-gain.

BBC reports the, “outgoing UN chief Kofi Annan says he believes Sudan is about to approve the deployment of an African Union-UN force to curb the rising violence in Darfur, and reports from Khartoum encouraged him to think the president would on Saturday back the move and a ceasefire, he said.”While on the other side of the Atlantic, “The US has warned Sudan it will face sanctions if it does not allow international peacekeepers by January.”

The power hungry politicians do not want to talk, instead they prefer the power the gun. “Three years of fighting in Darfur have left at least 200,000 people dead and made another 2.5 million homeless. There are also fears that the fighting is destabilising Chad, home to hundreds of thousands of refugees and where there has been an upsurge in violence.”

There has been so many disappointment but recently good signs could be seen when, “a UN envoy has been meeting Sudanese officials in a bid to end deadlock over UN peacekeepers for Darfur.”

The outgoing UN top man, “Mr Annan said he had received encouraging reports from envoy Ahmadou Ould Abdallah, who had spoken to President Omar al-Bashir, adding that the, “reports “encourage me to think we may tomorrow (Saturday) receive a green light from President Bashir”, adding that, “he also expected Mr Bashir to agree to a ceasefire and moves to restart talks with Darfur political groups.”

The international community seems to be unable to force the Sudanese leader to accept anything. Instead, they keep asking him, while his policies continue to allow the killing of the Darfur people. 

If Sudan is not willing to listen to the international community, why is it not possible to as it was done in Iraq when Saddam Hussein became stubborn? He was simply removed from power.

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

source.bbc

Kenya: Power deal that strangled Narc after it was sabotaged by Raila?

Kalonzo Musyoka has decided to come clean! Why now? Of course because he wants to become Kenya’s next president. He now reveals details saying the MoU that was agreed upon by the leaders started to crumble when Raila Odinga made a statement the “Kibaki tosha” without consultation with the other leaders.

Kalonzo says they were got by surprise because they had all agreed on Mwai Kibaki for president but that the announcement was to wait. While all of them were seated in Uhuru park, Raila stood up and made the Kibaki Tosha statement.

Coming with the revelation now, Kalonzo wants the Kenya public to know what, “started the road to confusion, suspicion and finally Narc’s death. But why Is he revealing this now? Is he telling the people something about Raila? It seems he is telling the people not to trust Raila!

There is no doubt that the secret deals and meetings were crucial if the opposition were to remove Moi’s Kanu regime.

According to the Nation -ke, “fresh details have emerged on the secret deals that led to the formation of Narc ahead of the 2002 General Election, which culminated in Mr Mwai Kibaki’s election as the third President. The revelations also shed light on why the coalition’s dream soon crumbled following serious disagreements over the Memorandum of Understanding between the two key parties, NAK and LDP, which played a key role in ending Kanu’s four-decade rule.” 

Kalonzo decided to come clean before he launched his presidential campaign site. “ODM-Kenya presidential hopeful Kalonzo Musyoka told of the challenge of coalition building and rows in the last days of the Moi era in an interview with the Nation ahead of the launch today of his 2007 presidential campaign manifesto. He said the coalition was formed during a meeting at Serena Hotel, Nairobi. “We agreed on Kibaki for President. Michael Wamalwa and myself were to be first and second vice-presidents, Raila Odinga was to be Prime Minister, George Saitoti, the first deputy prime minister, Charity Ngilu, the second deputy PM, and Kipruto arap Kirwa, third deputy PM.” 

The vice president was not left out of the MoU. “Mr Moody Awori was to be a senior co-ordinating minister in the post-Kanu administration, they had agreed. One of the key events revolved around Mr Musyoka, one of the top Kanu national officials who ditched the party for LDP.”

Revealing how he travelled to Nairobi from his home town, he wants the voters to understand him and treat him as a honest leader. “On October 13, 2002, the Mwingi North MP said, he had left his home for the Serena Hotel in Nairobi after being tipped off that Kanu diehards planned to abduct and parade him during the endorsement of Mr Uhuru Kenyatta as Kanu’s presidential candidate at Kasarani stadium, Nairobi.”

The LDP group were KANU deserters who left Kanu and Moi in a hurry. “A few days earlier, Mr Musyoka and other Kanu leaders had deserted Kanu to protest against Mr Kenyatta’s nomination. The group, which included Mr Odinga, Prof Saitoti, Mr Najib Balala, Mr Joseph Kamotho and other leaders, joined the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which later formed a pre-election coalition with the National Alliance Party of Kenya (NAK). This was the birth of the National Rainbow Coalition (Narc).” Things were moving fast in the political arena and in, “less than 24 hours after Mr Musyoka left his home, two historic meetings were to take place simultaneously. One was the Kanu National Delegates Conference at which Mr Kenyatta, then President Daniel arap Moi’s preferred successor, would receive the mantle to lead the party in the race for State House in the December 2002 General Election. On the same day, NAK, LDP, Ford-People and the Labour Party leaders met to lay strategies for capturing power from Kanu even though they had not yet agreed on a presidential candidate.”

While the opposition was negotiating how to share power, it was important to keep things tight and secret and “on October 14, Mr Musyoka was joined in his hotel room by his Rainbow colleagues, Ford-People leader Simeon Nyachae, Safina’s Paul Muite and Labour Party’s Kennedy Kiliku, a former Changamwe MP. At 10 am, they agreed to form the coalition. But while at the meeting, NAK leaders, (Mr Kibaki, Mr Wamalwa and Mrs Ngilu) came in … I don’t know where from … and it was in my hotel room that Narc was born, Mr Musyoka recalled.”

After discussing what to do with Kanu, “the leaders had agreed in principle that they would endorse a single presidential candidate. However, they also agreed not to make the pronouncement during a rally at Uhuru Park. But that was not to be.”

Musyoka told the Nation, “we agreed we were going to get together and that none of us should make it public.” And “according to him, the “Kibaki tosha” (Kibaki is suitable) declaration should not have been made at the time. When Mr Kibaki spoke at that (Serena) meeting – and he spoke last – he said that if (President) Moi refused to get out of State House after losing the election, we would march there. But when they got to Uhuru Park, Mr Odinga said, “Kibaki tosha“, thus going against the leaders’ earlier agreement.”

The electorate commission was under pressure from the ruling party – Kanu at the time. “Unknown to the Opposition leaders and millions of voters, Electoral Commission of Kenya chairman Samuel Kivuitu was under intense pressure from Kanu leaders who wanted to sabotage or delay the General Election in an attempt to give Mr Kenyatta an edge and possible victory.”

The commission through their Chairman, “in a recent interview, Mr Kivuitu recalled three things that he was asked to do that would have undermined the elections,” telling the media, “I was presented with a document, and told that my fellow commissioners had been bribed with Sh5 million each to support the Opposition. This information was brought by a very senior government officer. He said he had been sent. The information allegedly indicated that the commissioners had agreed to the deal and they had even signed in acceptance.”

But when the Commission went into business to find out the truth of the matter and, “after his own investigations, Mr Kivuitu concluded that the document was a forgery. One of the things that undermined the nascent coalition was the decision to retain the Kanu civil service. The other was naming Cabinet ministers in contravention of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).” 

The party, Narc was strong in the beginning, but it was not to last. “The two factors, according to Mr Musyoka, eventually led to the slow death of the Narc dream and much that Kenyans had aspired for. It had been agreed that the Cabinet would be picked from both sides of the Narc team.” 

The former Kanu Secretary General who joined the others in deserting Moi was Mr Kamotho. And he said recently that, “It was basically agreed that the Summit would discuss all presidential appointments and the 50-50 proportion would stay.”

When “on December 31, 2002, President Kibaki called Narc Summit chairman Moody Awori, asking him to forward a list of names of those to be appointed to the Cabinet,” things were not going to be as the leaders who did not have access to Kibaki’s inner circle.

President Kibaki decided to do things differently. He was going to be a leader who was not going to be dictated by MoU document and, “on that day, the President separately met the man who was to become his Vice-President, Mr Wamalwa, and Summit members Musyoka, Ngilu and Kirwa. However, according to Mr Musyoka, Mr Awori was kept waiting for hours by Mr Mateere Keriri, the man who was later named State House Comptroller. When the Cabinet was named on January 3, 2003, the LDP wing of Narc realised that President Kibaki had read from a different script. He had ignored the MoU.”

Kamotho and his LDP men were angered. He has been quoted saying, “we quickly realised that the MoU we had drafted was not honoured,” adding that there several names, including Mr Kamotho’s and that of Dr Oburu Oginga, Mr William ole Ntimama and Mr Omino” missing on the list.

Even Kamotho expected to get a ministerial position. He was left out. Kibaki had other men in mind. Men he trusted. “Mr Kamotho believes he was left out to accommodate Mr John Michuki, now the Internal Security minister. At that point, he says, LDP refused to present names for the posts of PSs, ambassadors and parastatal chiefs. The second blow the Summit suffered was from senior civil servants. Mr Kamotho named the then State House Comptroller Keriri – the man running the President’s diary – as the obstacle that stood between the President and his erstwhile political friends.”

Accusations on who had ochestrated the changes on the list started and names brought out in the open as to who the suspect was, “but in response, Mr Keriri, now the chairman of the Electricity Regulatory Board, asked: “Who am I to block ministers duly appointed by the Head of State from seeing him? If anything, some ministers were able to see the President even without going through my office.”

“According to him, Mr Musyoka, Mr Odinga and Prof Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, as ministers, met the President more times than anybody else. Mr Musyoka was the Foreign Affairs minister, Mr Odinga was Roads, Public Works and Housing minister, while Prof Nyong’o was the Planning minister. At one time, Mr Keriri said, Mr Musyoka issued a statement defending him (Mr Keriri) from allegations that he was blocking ministers allied to LDP from seeing the President. He blamed the break-up of Narc to “unbridled ambition” by some ministers who wanted more political power at all costs,” saying that after feeling betrayed and, “because the President would not discuss with them about sharing power with him, the ministers formented a rebellion within the Cabinet,” adding that, “if those ministers had not formed an opposition from within, the Narc dream would have lived on.”

Now it remains to be seen what happens with the ODM-Kenya dream. Many observers believe that the party will not make it to the elections as a strong group. There are suspiscious minds withing the party and they are ready to rock the boat.

If Raila Odinga is not selected to be the flag bearer of the party ODM-K, the whole thing will fall because he will take his followers and probably form another party.

Raila was in FORD-K, the party formed by his father and left it immediately Wamalwa took control. He formed his own party which he later shut down in favour of joining Moi in Kanu after the two made a deal. Raila saw that Moi did not want him to be Kanu’s flag bearer, preferring Uhuru Kenyatta. This made Raila disatisfied, forcing him to form a new pary LDP which he used to bargain for power with Kibaki. Things did not go well when he joined Narc either. Raila left again in retreat to LDP base, that has now engineered ODM-K as a party and pulling Kanu in.

We now wait and see what will happen to ODM-K if Raila is not given to lead the party towards the capture of power on the way to state house and statesmanship.

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

source.nation.ke

Kenya’s Farah Swaleh Noor butchered in cold blood in Ireland!

38 year old Farah Swaleh Noor who left Kenya in 90s, settled in Ireland in 1996. He got a baby with an Irish woman. But in 2003, Noor started a love affair with one 51-year-old Kathleen Mulhall, a wife of somebody else. When their love blossomed, the woman decided to leave her husband for many years and join Noor. The family felt it as a betrayal when she left the man to look after their 4 youth aged children. The girls never forgave Noor for breaking the family.Last in March the 20th, “Noor, Kathleen and her two daughters, 24-year-old Charlotte, and Linda, 31, spent the day drinking in different bars in Dublin’s city centre. The women were also popping ecstasy pills, popularly used in clubs and parties to keep one dancing without getting tired. They make people to see or hear things that do not exist.”  <Mr Farah Swaleh Noor (38). Later that night, “Noor and the three women returned to Kathleen’s house where they continued drinking. At some point as they were drinking, Kathleen reportedly crushed one of the ecstasy tablets and added it into Noor’s drink without his knowledge. She and Noor had an argument. Noor began fondling Linda and whispered something dirty in her ear. He was also threatening her mother.” The daughter, “Charlotte, who had been telling Noor to get his hands off her sister, picked up a box-cutter and cut his throat. As he staggered through a bedroom door, hitting his head on a bunk, she then hit him repeatedly on the head with a hammer while Linda stabbed him.” It was a very sad end for Noor who, “received 22 stab wounds and had injuries to his internal organs, including the heart, liver, stomach and bladder. When he was dead, it took the sisters five hours to chop off his head, arms, legs and penis in the bathroom. Linda took the top half of the body into the shower and ran the water while she sawed the head, hacking away until it separated from the torso. Less than two feet away, Charlotte used a hammer and knives to cut Noor’s legs.” The daughters were cruel in their act! Anger in them rose high and now due to drugs and the feeling that Noor had taken their mother took over control of the young women. After cutting Noor in pieces, “the sisters put most of the body parts – seven in all – into bags which were later dumped in a river canal during several trips. Linda told the police that she put Noor’s head in her son’s schoolbag and, after kissing the satchel and saying a prayer, left it in a field in a south west Dublin suburb where the sisters lived. It is unclear from the evidence heard in the murder trial where Kathleen Mulhall was or what she was doing all those hours while her firstborn child, Linda, was in the shower chipping away at the dead man’s body with a hammer and her second-youngest child, Charlotte, sitting on the toilet seat, was using a kitchen knife to saw off Noor’s legs.” Nobody knew what had happened until one day, “The killing came to police notice only after Noor’s leg, with a sock on the end, was seen floating in Dublin’s Royal Canal 10 days after the attack at Kathleen Mulhall’s flat. Police divers retrieved most of the rest of his body in seven parts. Noor’s head and penis were never recovered. When Noor’s dismembered body was found last year, it took a number of months before he was initially identified through DNA testing with a son. Despite extensive searches by the police over the last 12 months, Noor’s head has not been found.” Last year, the police managed to take action leading them to charge those involved in the murder. In the process, “Kathleen and the husband she had left for Noor, John Mulhall, were arrested by police in relation to the killing. They were both released without charge. However, their two daughters were held and charged with Noor’s murder. They were arrested after Linda contacted investigating officers admitting her involvement in Noor’s death. John Mulhall, unable to bear what had happened to his family, hanged himself from a tree in a public park. The two sisters who the Irish media had christened the Scissor Sisters after an American pop group denied murder charges.” Noor faced a cruel death although he was also party to the blame by leaving his own wife and taking another man’s wife putting the children in duress and making them motherless. After the arrest of the family there were denials of involvement and, “initially, Charlotte told the police that she and Linda had been drinking “all over town” from 10pm until five or six o’clock in the morning and came home to find their mother covered in blood. Charlotte said that, at first, she thought her mother had been assaulted by Noor but that her mother had said she killed him with a hammer and by cutting his throat before chopping up his body. Subsequently, at various times during the trial, the sisters insisted their mother was not involved in the killing but they also told officers that their mother kept urging them on. Charlotte told officers: Ma kept saying to me and Linda, ‘Please just kill him for me.’ “Then she got the hammer and the knife and she gave them to me and Linda but he wouldn’t let Linda go so I cut him on the neck.” This year in March, “Noor was buried at a Dublin cemetery following a service attended by about 40 of his friends. Last week, while sentencing the women, Mr Justice Paul Carney said the case was the “most grotesque killings” that had occurred within his professional lifetime. Linda was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment while Charlotte will spend the rest of her life in prison for the murder of Noor. Linda’s four children have been taken into foster care while a child born to Charlotte while she was on bail awaiting trial for murder is expected to be allowed to live with her mother in the women’s prison until the child reaches the age of 18 months. The child is now eight months old.” It was the saddest moment for Noor’s mother, Samoea Swaleh Noor that she had no money to travel to Ireland to bid farewell to his son due to lack of money, however she, “welcomed the news of the Mulhall sisters’ convictions. Mrs Noor, who could not afford to travel to Ireland to hear the details of her 38-year-old son’s killing, said that she can finally find some peace.” The culprits were sentenced but, “Kathleen Mulhall who is described as “a very malign influence” on her family, never appeared at her daughters’ murder trial. She is now being sought by Interpol after she fled Ireland and is suspected to have fled to Britain.” No number of years in jail for the culprits will bring back Noor. APN sends condolences to his mother who we feel the government should have given assistance to be present during his son’s burial. By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN africanpress@chello.no source.kenya.media

Women circumcised by force by their husbands – relatives of the women supported the ritual!

Married women in Bureti and Bomet Districts in Kenya were recently forced to undergo genital mutilation.

“Three of the women underwent the rite at Kapkarin in Bureti Division of Bureti constituency last week. Elsewhere a mother of three and 22 other girls were circumcised at Merigi location in Bomet District.”

The women were forced to undergo the ceremonies by their husbands supported by relatives of the women in question.

According to the Kenya media, “Leaders, including Gender Assistant Minister, Mrs Alicen Chelaite and nominated Kanu MP, Dr Esther Keino, have condemned the act and demanded that action be taken against the culprits.”

Following the forced ritual, “Law Society of Kenya (LrwaySK) South Rift branch secretary, Mr Gideon Mutai and Kericho lawyer, Mr Martin Momanyi joined in demanding for arrest and prosecution of the girls’ parents and guardians.”

In many regions in Kenya women circumcision is still common and many unwilling families are forced by friends and neighbours.

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

source.standard.ke

Ethiopia warns Somalia’s Islamist militia!

<Ethiopians are helping the Somali transitional government militarily, eyewitnesses confirm.

The Ethiopians have now warned the Islamist  rulers of Somalia telling them their patience has run out.

Ethiopia had been accused by the Islamists that they were helping the Transitional government of Somalia to crush down on the Islamic Courts that rule the main capital Mogadishu.

The ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ethiopia has been quoted by the media saying the situation in Somalia was going “from bad to worse,”

The fighting between the militias and the forces loyal to the weak transitional government continued for the fourth day.

Ethiopia has denied it forces are involved in the war. So it is surprising that they are now warning the Islamic Courts in Somalia. “Eyewitnesses report a size-able Ethiopian presence inside Somalia.”

BBC  reports that, “analysts fear the battles could escalate into full-scale war.”

The situation is very troubling, because there is now danger that an all out war will break out, forcing Somali people to flee in large numbers to neighbouring countries. 

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

source.bbc

Wedding that has caused pain in Somalia!

<Sahal Abdi-kafi.

Sahal Abdi-kafi has lost his family trust. His  family no longer associate themselves with him after he wedded his girlfriend ZamZam Ahmed, regarded as a member of Somalia’s lower caste – the Yahar community.

The family had refused him to marry from the Yahar community but he ignored them, saying he was, “encouraged by an edict from the Islamist group which has taken control of the capital, Mogadishu, and much of southern Somalia this year after 15 years of lawlessness.”

The two, Sahal and Zamzam, had been in love and met often secretly. And the more they met their love blossomed after five years love affair which has now ended in marriage.

BBC quotes Sahal saying, “We were very different – in lifestyle, in thinking, in tastes,” said Sahal, who runs a big electronics shop in Mogadishu’s main Bakara Market and who comes from a prominent family of merchants.”

Communities look at each other in many ways and make conclussions on their social status. BBC reports that, “Zamzam’s father has died and her mother sells the popular stimulant khat.”

It is believed that Sahal’s parents may have disapproved of the relationship because of Zamzam’s status. Sahal has told BBC, that they fell in love, adding, “we expected the heavens to fall when my parents would come to know of our affair, we expected the worst and were prepared for the worst.”

Social status is very important for many communities but, “after centuries of deep divisions, cross caste weddings like Sahal and Zamzam’s are now becoming more common.”

According to media reports, “Union of Islamic Courts leader Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed recently said Somalis should marry good Muslims, whatever caste they were from, in an effort to break down centuries of prejudice.”

Now after the Islamic Courts have taken power in the capital they have started to allow marriages between communities saying, “Islam recommends choosing your partner according to whether they follow their religion and whether they are of good character but not because of their social level.”

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no

source.bbc