Kenyan televangelist, Pastor Muiru wants to be president.

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Power they say is sweet! “In Kenya, election fever has grabbed everyone from the professional politicians to men and women of the cloth. It is rapidly beginning to look as though talk in 2006 of a theocratic nation was more than just a pipe dream.”

The media has reported that, “already one televangelist, Pastor Pius Muiru, is gunning for the presidency, while another charismatic church leader, Bishop Margaret Wanjiru, has her eyes set slightly lower, as she just wants to be an ordinary Member of Parliament.”

As dirty as it is said to be, politics can attract people from all works of life, even the holy. “These putative politicians are going to learn very fast that once they are no longer behind the pulpit, mud will be thrown at them and some will inevitably stick. Politics is not called a dirty game for nothing.”

Many have said Jesus was also a politician of some kind. He held public meetings wherever he met many people and he spoke to them about many things that touched on their lives.

By Korir,

Published by African Press in Norway, APN, africanpress@chello.no, tel +47 932 99 739, source.nation,eastandard.ke

Corruption scandal uncovered

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The media reports that, “serious Fraud Office (SFO) officials from Britain have visited Tanzania, as part of a probe into the purchase of an air traffic control system five years ago.”

This has forced the Tanzanian president into the defensive. “President Jakaya Kikwete said in the UK he would give no more details to avoid influencing the investigation. The UK’s Guardian newspaper reported that British defence company, BAE Systems, allegedly paid a Tanzanian middleman a commission of $12 million to win the order. BAE says it is co-operating fully with the investigation.”

The actors in the game are tight-lipped, “neither the BAE nor the SFO are commenting on recent developments. BAE has strongly denied operating a secret slush fund to sweeten deals.”

The scandal is rocking the good relationship between the two countries. “The SFO recently decided to drop a long-running BAE corruption probe into a huge arms deal with Saudi Arabia. Reports said the Saudis had threatened to pull out of a new BAE deal unless the probe were brought to an end. Opposition politicians accused the government of putting cash before principle.”

 

By Korir,

Published by African Press in Norway, APN, africanpress@chello.no , tel +47 932 99 739, source:nation.eastandard.ke 

LRA dissatisfied with Southern Sudanese Vice-President Riek Machar.

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It has been reported that, “Uganda’s rebels have formally written to the government asking for Southern Sudan Vice-President Riek Machar to be sacked as a mediator at the Juba peace talks.”

They are calling for changes as they express their dismay saying they do not trust Riek Machar.

They feel other countries are in a better position to mediate. “The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) asked for Kenya or South Africa to be considered as venues and new mediators. An LRA spokesman told the BBC it was important to find a new venue as the rebels were being attacked in Sudan.”

But for Museveni and his government things look different. They have issued stern warning to the rebels. “The Ugandan army has threatened to shoot rebel fighters if they try to re-enter Uganda.”

The talks is necessary. The Ugandan people have suffered for many years now. “The talks have been seen as the best chance to end 20 years of conflict but progress has been slow. Last week, Southern Sudan President Salva Kiir said the LRA fighters were not welcome in Southern Sudan any more.”

The problem that is delaying the success in talks is the fact that “LRA leader Joseph Kony and three of his top commanders are wanted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Court and have indicated that no deal can be signed while warrants for their arrest remain in place.”

Unless a deal of some kind is struck, that will save Kony and his associates from capture, we are yet to see the end of the conflict.

 

By Korir,

Published by African Press in Norway, APN, africanpress@chello.no, tel +47 932 99 739, source.nation.eastandard.ke

A Roman Catholic Bishop forcing Nigerians to register as voters before April elections.

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A Roman Catholic bishop is forcing his followers to become democratic by insisting that they must have voters cards. He says he is promoting democracy in Nigeria, “a deeply religious nation.”

It is reported that, “Bishop Francis Oboko has warned worshippers that they will be turned away from church if they do not register for April’s elections. “

He is not mixing words. He is firm in his conviction and a spokesman in his diocese is reported saying, “we believe that a good Christian must also be a good citizen.”

Nigeria has been ruled militarily for many years. The first elected leader Mr Obasanjo will retire soon. “The polls should see the first transfer of power from one elected leader to another since independence”, if the military does not stage a coup.

 

By Korir,

Published by African Press in Norway, APN, africanpress@chello.no, tel +47 932 99 739,

source.nation.eastandard.ke

Sacked for opposing intervention force from Ethiopia

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Recently, Somalia’s parliament voted “overwhelmingly to sack its speaker, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan. “

The speaker lost his job because he opposed “Ethiopia’s intervention and fell out with both the interim president and the prime minister.”

While on the job, “he also called for peace talks with the Islamists who lost control of southern Somalia, including Mogadishu, last month.”

It is interesting, however, to note that the US is backing peace talks with the Islamists, and has called on the same parliament and government that sacked the speaker, that they should initiate talks with the Islamists.

The interim government seems to understand that there is need to do so if peace has to be achieved in the country. There is fear that the Islamists might re-group and start waging war against the government. This can easily happened when the Ethiopian troops pull out of the country.

 

By Korir,

Published by African Press in Norway, APN, africanpress@chello.no, tel. + 47 932 99 739

source.nation.eastandard.ke

 

Attacking parking meters with explosives

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Attacking parking meters with explosives worries many residence in Sussex area in the UK. Recently, “the UK’s Independent reported on a vigilante backlash against parking restrictions in the normally quiet Sussex town of Lewes. “

In several occassions night attacks got random and it is reported that, “since meters were introduced in 2004, they have been attacked with explosives 200 times, leading to 35 of them being written off and creating a repair bill of £300,000.”

The authorities had to impose restrictions but, “many businesses have complained the restrictions are driving custom away. Mayor Merlin Milner has said the bombings are a form of terrorism, but says the town should not be a police state.”

 

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By Korir,

Publsihed by African Press in Norway, APN, africanpress@chello.no, tel.+47 932 99 739,

Source.nation.eastandard.ke

Wuod-Maggero’s death in Sweden has become a cultural and traditional test to many people.

We in APN never met Wuod-Maggero, and yet we now feel we know him after exchanges of comments for and against the cultural and traditional practices that the Kenyan population in Sweden had in mind, to guide his last days on earth.

People in Stockholm who knew him well have continued to attack one another, because they differ on what happened to his body after he died.

We understand the feelings that has continued to flourish on both sides  – those for  and those against.

The problem we see, however, is that the debate immediately turned tribal. Some Luo-rised it while others Kikuyu-rised when they attacked one another.

For us, it has been important to let all comments get across whether for or against, because being the media, we are neutral in the case and wanted all to get the opportunity to air their views.

However, and as neutral as we would like to be, we hold the opinion that his wife has the right to take decisions and correctly so, to have cremated his body according to Wuod-Maggero’s wishes.

In marriage, when couples are happy, they tend to enter into agreements as in Wuod-Maggero’s case of the will that he wanted to be cremated. Who are we to doubt their house or bedroom agreements? Couples do not write everything down.

The people should respect her decision and let things rest now, because a continued debate is hurting, adding to the pain already caused by his death.

The best thing to do now is to show the family respect, and let them go through the healing. People should not struggle to have winners or to have the last word.

We have read that Wuod-Maggero had another wife in Kenya. This may be true to the point, but then again it is a fact that the laws in Sweden does not allow polygamous marriage.

Wuod-Maggero is said to have lived with his Swedish wife for over 43 years. The family has children in Sweden, and the only right thing to do is to have his remains where the children can be able to visit as much as they want to, instead of distant separation. Should the children want to visit his grave yearly, are they expected to travel to Kenya for that?

Things are changing in this modern world. In Norway, people used to send remains of the dead to Africa. Now things are different. There are many who get buried in Norway when they die, because they have lived in Norway long, and have established their own families away from Africa where their parents live.

Kenyans in Sweden should not continue thinking that all those who die in future will be send to Africa because of the culture.

There are many comments that we have received from people who are calling for closure on this case because continued debating is hurting the next of kin. We agree with their call and we hope we can all put this to closure and let the family mourn their loved one.

Instead of fighting and finger-pointing trying to get the losers and winners, it is best to educate on culture and traditions, but having in mind at the same time that when Africans start inter-marrying, they must expect that they have to meet the new world 50-50 if their spouse is not from Africa.

We have read in the media that others accuse the Kenya Embassy in Sweden for having refused to intervene. Surely, this was not a crisis for any government. This was and is a family matter that the government cannot simply jump in and cause change.

Kenyans should use more of their energy to progress and do their best to unite.

We have read some comments urging Kenyans in Sweden to be united like in other parts of the world where Kenyans are united. This, we think, is not right to say because even in Norway, Kenyans are not united at all.

Almost all African countries in Norway have stable organisations apart from the Kenyans. Kenyans have formed and disbanded their organisation more than 15 times, because of tribal feelings, jealousy, hate and self desire.

The Liberated Young Kenyans in Sweden may seem as a challenge to the elderly there. This is what the comments already exchanged seems to suggest. The best that should happen is for the elderly Kenyans in Sweden and elsewhere in the world, to embrace the young and work together towards a richer Kenyan culture abroad instead of dictating everything to them.

When it is politics, many say the old should let the young people to rule instead of re-cycling the old like in many governments in Africa, and yet when culture and traditions are the themes, many do not want the young to have a say. They expect them to obey blindly, a thing that is of the past. 

APN wishes well to the Maggero family in this trying, and hope they are now left in peace. As is said everything has a beginning and the end, the debate has lasted long enough and it had a beginning that must have an end.

By Korir,

Published by African Press in Norway, APN, africanpress@chello.no, tel +47 932 99 739 

One of the founding members of Liberated Young Kenyans in Sweden.

Beryl is reacting to Kanda’s commentary.

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Beryl Says:
January 25th, 2007 at 5:17 pm e

 

Thank you so much Mr. Kanda for your observations.

I am one of the founding members of Liberated Young Kenyans and is not in the least intimidated by Osewe’s or anyone else’s analysis or ridiculing of our concerns. The problem as many may have noticed is that it is almost impossible to pass a message a cross to a closed-minded individual or group of people. They have consciously chosen to ignore or twist our earlier writings to fit into their critique, but this doesn’t in any anyway change how we feel or most importantly what is already done.

I personally find their recent reasoning lacking in credibility. Osewe has severally alleged that YLK are anti culture and tradition, a fact that he totally misses on. What he doesn’t understand is that culture or no culture there is an individual, who must admit everything else, coin her/himself out of all the societal definitions and find her/himself; thereby choosing what to carry on and what to discard. Anyone with an inability to do this is a miserable loser. Am sure God gets quite disappointed at the likes of Osewe who have continuously refused to use their brains and individual minds to decide over their lives….it makes me wonder how they would be today if we didn’t have the past generations putting down the traditions. Would they be living in a hollow society without directions because their was no one to put them down earlier own.

Mr Odero has recently alleged that the Young Liberated Kenyans started fiercely and have been silenced by them; a matter that makes me laugh out loud. What these people have completely failed to realise is that YLK objectives was not in anyway to wage a war with KSB but to pass our concerns and feelings across, which we did, which we are proud of and which we would do again and again should there be need in future. But we also happen to have lives outside Mr. Maggero’s death and we have every intention of continuing with it, as we have already done unlike them who would probably having nothing to go back to. Its funny how well some people can thrive in controversy. We let our stance be known publicly and showed our support and understanding for the Maggero’ family…….a fight with words was the least of our intentions….hope they can one day get this into their seemingly narrow minds.

And at the end of the day, Maggero’s family have seen the light of day…or haven’t they? There will was done, they gave Jaduong’ Maggero exactly the kind of Send-off that they had envisioned and intended and Maggero was long laid to rest, to me this was Victory on our part. Why would we want to continue in a fight with KSB. I would suggest that we wait until next during the memorial; hopefully the family have something even more ‘anti-cultural’ which will blow Osewe and his allies off; then we may have something to chip in on once again…but until then, we will continue celebrating our victory while the friends of KSB can leak their wounds after this miserable failure. I however wish them a quick recovery and really pray that they find their lives someday.

1. Mr. Odero has alleged in his recent posting on KSB that the Young Liberated Kenyans have chosen to forget their African culture and adopted the European culture. Firstly, I think it is immature to judge people from one reaction, people that he does not personally know. Mr. Odero must also realise that there are various cultural aspects and death and burial is just a small tiny bit of it.

Intelligent people like me know how to choose from the various practices; only those practices that are relevant to my individual life thereby discerning the rest. It is naive and stupid to hold on to all cultural and traditional practices, even when you have a different view on them. One factor that I have said before and will repeat is that traditions and cultures are not natural, they are man-made that were designed by the previous generations to aid life. Given the non-static nature of the society, it is impossible and stupid to try to hold on to practices that may have been relevant and applicable then, but aren’t today. People must learn to be logical and while culture is good to uphold and celebrate, individuality is a great part of development and therefore individual preferences must be upheld, respected and celebrated.

What I am most proud of is that I m ME……an individual that has been created from various influences. I am proud …very proud of my African, Kenyan and even luo roots and anyone who knows me well would never question this. But besides this, I as an individual fall in far too many categories that to just stick to one and discard the others is abhorable in my world. Besides being a luo, am also a woman, am black, am a youth, am an immigrant an so on and most people would agree with me that generalisation is not applicable in these groups. All women, youth, immigrants, luos, etc aren’t the same, and this is where individuality is born. Who is the individual Odero or Osewe?

Secondly, we all know and appreciate the fact that Mr. Maggero celebrated and cherished his Luo culture and traditions but who are we to judge whether he subscribed to all traditions, especially on death and funeral arrangements. Him having contributed in others funeral arrangements only show a person who respected individual choices…I wish KSB would have accorded him this respect. Odero’s arguments on Mr. Maggero’s life in Kenya and the fact that he co-founded a Kenyan-Swedish association only show person who was proud of his country, like we all do; who wanted to help eradicate poverty in Kenya; like we all do, but does not in the least show a person that wanted his body transported and buried in Kenya.

By Beryl

Reaction to:

• “The death of Wuod-Maggero in Sweden rages on”, writes Kanda!

Published by African Press in Norway, africanpress@chello.no, tel +47 932 99 739