Reviving Religion

<From MUHAMMAD HASSAN-TOM

The outrage over the call by the Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the 70-million strong Anglican Communion, Dr Rowan Williams, for adoption of aspects of Shariah Law in Britain shows that the rejection of religion by mankind may be returning to its rabid full circle. Today, the mere mention of religion is capable of striking terror in the hearts and minds of most elite, especially those preoccupied with power, wealth and other worldly pursuits. There even seems to be a global consensus that secularism is the way to go for the modern society. Then starting from September 11th 2001, a full-scale global war was launched by the West against Islam.
These latest verbal onslaughts against Shariah would only stoke hatred and confrontation. Already, from Albania to Afghanistan and Palestine to Pakistan, Muslims are targets of the most murderous military and economic warfare ever organised by man against man. Casualties in the seven-year old so-called international war against terrorism now run into millions of Afghanis, Iraqis, Pakistanis, Palestinians, Chechens, Saudis, Yemenis and others, and counting. During the last Hajj, I witnessed the impoverishment into which the bombardment of Afghanistan had thrown this strong people. They queued at dawn for free coarse bread, ran after gift-food and bought the cheapest souvenirs to take home. They looked so roughened and rugged that it is not hard to imagine the devastation and utter pulverisation of their native soil. Most of them were also elderly or middle-aged, hinting at the mass massacre of the youth of that country in the name of the hunt for Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.
But the atrocious attacks against Islam and the Muslims did not start after 9/11. The obliteration of the Ottoman Caliphate, the last empire run along Islamic Shariah Law, by Europe over a century ago continues till today in the bid to remove most traces of religion from Turkey before it is granted full European Union membership. Today, a woman in this former centre of Islamic civilisation may not even wear a headscarf into public places! In Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt, advocates of Islamic rule have been denied basic democratic rights even after repeatedly sweeping the popular polls. As for Sudan where Islamists took over power, two civil wars were imposed on the regime for the past two decades in addition to countless crushing sanctions. Indeed, the noose is tightening around the necks of all advocates of Islam including in Nigeria where prominent Islamic scholars are now routinely assassinated only for the authorities to join the US-led international war against terrorism by arresting several Muslim youths for allegedly planning acts of terror.
Between 1980 and 1988, Iraq under Saddam Hussein waged a bitter proxy war to oust the nascent Islamic Republic of Iran. It is ironic that the US which instigated and equipped Husseins murder of a million Iranians also toppled, tried and executed him for the killing of scores of his citizens. This is fallout of the dubious policy of good-Muslim/bad-Muslim dichotomy by which the West attempts to assert its own definition of the proper Islam. Another important fallout is the hypocritical Western support for undemocratic Muslim regimes in the oil-rich Arabian Gulf and its sponsorship of state terrorism in the Israeli occupied Palestinian territories. Since violence would only beget violence, the on-going slaughter of innocent lives can only continue to bounce back and forth. As Ken Livingston, Mayor of London at the beginning of the war against terror observed, the death and destruction in Muslim lands can only lead to the emergence of 100 more Osama Bin Ladens.
Over the centuries, Christians or followers of Christ (peace be upon him) were not spared either. After sentencing Jesus the Christ to crucifixion and hounding his true disciples into hiding, all manner of charlatans produced about 50 different versions of his testament and pitched followers against one another and other members of the human family. Tyrants used the early church especially in Europe as an institution for the confusion, subjugation, segregation and exploitation of the masses. With the infamous Inquisition and later the cruel Crusades and Slave Trade/Colonialism to their discredit, Western Christian clergy completely lost the trust of the people and hence the separation of the state from Christianity as an article of their constitutions. To date, vestiges of the horrors conducted in the name of Christianity and the Church continue to haunt Westerners and all their victims even if it cannot justify their total abhorrence for all religions.
Elsewhere, Buddhist monks in Burma, China and Nepal are also vivid victims of the religious phobia. These most humble, simple and self-sufficient of humans continue to be hounded by state agents armed to the teeth but no one knows the actual threat they pose to the society. When we add the suffering inflicted on millions of so-called low-casts and outcasts by sects of Hindu devotees in the Indian subcontinent, we see that religious persecution pervades all the three main faiths in the world. To borrow the language of metaphysics, materialistic forces are in the fiercest fight against spiritual realisation.
Today, true religion by whatever name it is identified is at its lowest ebb. The incessant attacks against its practitioners and its principles have distracted from its ability to dispense good and repel evil. With so many versions and sects cropping up from just one religion, many are even ignorant about the true teachings of the original message. For example, the idea that Islam preaches violence and that Jihad is about forced conversion of non-Muslims is as ignorant as one can get about a religion whose second name is Peace and which forbids the destruction of all objects and places of worship. Similarly, the on-going proliferation of Pentecostal churches especially in Africa which promise patrons all manner of miracles only leads many into more misery, contrary to the role of Comforter that Christ came to play.
As a result of all these, the confused masses and elite alike have started looking towards all sorts of other directions for deliverance hence the escalation of evil cult activities and the proliferation of hideous ritual rites among followers of all religions. Some smart-alecs even practice a combination of convictions thereby betraying their hopelessness. Yet, we simply cannot throw away the religious baby with the bathwater. As created beings dependent on visible and invisible physiological, mental and other mechanisms, there is bound to be a manual for our optimum operations. Without any prejudice to the guidance available to followers of Judaism in the Torah and Christianity in the Bible, Islam which is literally Submission to the will of the Lord remains the most complete and pristine religion for this purpose. This is because unlike all the other divine scriptures, the Holy Quran alone carries Gods guarantee of immutability and infallibility till the end of time.
If this is so, why has Islam seemingly failed to solve the major material and spiritual problems of its adherents? It is because most Muslims may have become completely oblivious of the values and objectives of the religion and the effect it should have on character. The essence behind all the five pillars of the final and complete religion for all mankind had been gradually eroded.
For instance, the Kalimatul-Shahada or compulsory affirmation that There is no deity except Allah and Muhammad is His final Messenger has become mere words in the mouths of the multitude who worship at the altar of materialism whether as cultists, ritualists or robbers and do dobale (prostration) before mere mortal tin-gods and despots. Similarly, Salat or prayer is intended to prevent participation in the major evil and nefarious deeds but it has not stopped millions of mosque-going Muslims from partaking in corruption, debauchery, deceit, embezzlement, injustice, miserliness and even murder. It is a case of the more mosques (and churches) the less piety and even impossibly the more prayers, the more perfidy.
However, Sawm or Fasting is still probably the most abused religious rite whereby millions more may be merely denying themselves food and drink during the day only to descend to gluttony at night. This is because fasting is defined less the entirely more essential abstinence especially from the grossest considerations of the world including covetousness, desire, envy, greed, gossip, hatred, mischief and trouble-making.
Still, the record for the most under-practiced pillar of Islam, must surely go to Zakat or the compulsory two-and-a-half per cent annual alms incumbent on a certain volume of cash and assets and payable to the poor. Since the subjugation of Shariah rule by European colonialists several decades ago, there have been virtually no institutions whatsoever to collect and distribute these tithes that are designed to progressively eliminate poverty one individual at a time. The result has been the criminal negligence of this pillar by majority of the rapacious Muslim moneybags and the disproportionate proliferation of abject poverty within most Muslim communities the world over.
Finally, the Hajj or Holy Pilgrimage which is designed to produce positive changes in a persons character has become bare of the benefits promised for many pilgrims because of its improper conduct. The over-crowding alone makes many people lose the essence of the Hajj in all the shouting, shoving, wrangling and fighting.
It seems that the acts of worship have over time become mere procedures, routines and habits which do not affect the heart. Instead of bringing us closer to our Maker, such eye-service rather increases the distance between our soul and His salvation. It is the main reason why Christians, Muslims and Jews have now failed to deliver the dividends of divine guidance to the universe. Most of us are now even part of the problem on earth. Our conditions now are mere shells of the universal peace, prosperity and well-being that the Creator designed for His creatures. It is not a question of money but of all the so-called lifestyle diseases such as obesity, cancer, HIV/AIDS that simple worship would prevent. On the average, over two-thirds of the worlds seven billion people live in despair, disease and deprivation because we reject divine guidance.

The time to revive religion is now. More accurately, it is time to insist on the core values of religion.

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Kenya: First Imam to serve in parliament

ODM nominated MP and Muslim preacher, Sheikh Mohamed Dor, will become the first Imam in Kenya’s Parliament.

Dor and Ms Safia Abdi were selected by the National Muslim Leaders Forum (Namlef) for the ODM nominations and would be sworn-in on Thursday. Dor told The Standard yesterday in Mombasa that he would continue his work as an Imam at Mombasa’s Mbaruk Mosque. “Every Friday I will be in Mombasa to give my sermon,” he said.

Dor, also the chairman of Council of Imams and Preachers in Kenya, said he would use his position to help bridge the gap between Muslims and Christians. He said the land question was among issues that should be tackled urgently. “There is land enough for every Kenyan, but the problem is corrupt leadership,” he said.

Dor said in Parliament, he would focus on issues that affect Muslims nationally.”If Muslims in Kisumu have a problem that affects them because of their faith, it will be my problem,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ms Shakila Abdalla, nominated by ODM-Kenya, said her priority would be to champion the role of women in national leadership. She said her party had followed its manifesto, which considers the marginalised. “My first priority will be to fight for women to be in the first line of decision making at the national level,” she said yesterday. Abdalla said she would work with other Coast MPs to tackle problems in the region. She also promised to fight drug abuse among the youth.

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Uganda: Keep our nurses here but pay them better

Uganda’s market of professional labour force is a gaping hole waiting to be filled yet there is no sign that hole could be filled up soon.

On the contrary there are plans to send nurses- one of the most depleted professions- out of the country through a Commonwealth initiative.Notwithstanding the various socio-economic and political reasons why many professionals move to the developed world, an organised migration must be handled with great care otherwise it would provide the pull effect on those who remain in the country.

In the short term, the question may not be how to brain-drain, but rather how to ensure that countries whose ‘brains are drained’ get the benefits not just through annual remittances but an added value of transfer of skills and knowledge and receiving (developed) countries should pay an annual export fee on each skilled migrant as a return on investment on training.

One in four doctors trained in Africa is said to move to the developed world. That seriously cuts down on the ratio of doctor to patient in Africa. In Uganda, there is one doctor for every 1,500 patients yet the World Health Organisation requirement is 1:10.  Uganda currently has a shortage of over 2,000 nurses. So how shall we export nurses without debilitating the medical sector?

The problem of brain-drain cuts across the whole spectrum of the economy. The recent event at Makerere University of striking lecturers is a tip of an iceberg of the bigger catastrophe occasioned by economic and welfare inadequacies at the university. And it reflects what could be happening at other universities in the country. However, the bigger challenge is being felt by the consumers of services offered by these professional workers.

As it turns out now, both private and public universities are overwhelmed by student numbers. Apart from the inadequacy of infrastructure, the ratio of the teaching staff to students is at alarmingly disproportional levels and is increasingly affecting the quality of education at these institutions. It is therefore important that while the government seeks to build more health and education infrastructure, the question of who will provide services at these institutions must be addressed holistically.

Uganda should begin to look at its labour force as an important component of the production resource basket. Therefore excellent training, placement, remuneration and retirement must meet standards that keep that resource firmly at home.

 

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Africa at large: Continent worst affected by shortage of health workers

Kampala (Uganda) – Poor working conditions and inadequate pay have driven away health professionals from developing countries, thereby undermining medical services, a conference to address the global shortage has noted.

“For too long we have watched this crisis unfold in front of our eyes – this is unacceptable,” Francis Omaswa, head of the Global Health Workforce Alliance, told the first Global Forum on Human Resources for Health that opened in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, on 3 March. The deficit, the conference heard, had reached four million doctors, nurses, midwives and other healthcare professionals. Of these, one million are needed in Africa alone.

Some 57 countries, especially in Africa and Asia, are particularly affected and unable to effectively provide access to essential health services, prevention and information campaigns, drug distribution and other life-saving interventions such as immunisation, maternity care and treatment of several diseases. “The world is looking to us and encouraging us to be ambitious in our goals, open to innovation, and determined to implement solutions,” Omaswa told the conference. “We want political will of the highest level [to] translate into concrete action.”

Uganda’s health minister, Stephen Malinga, said his country had lost more than 500 doctors and thousands of nurses, of whom 200 were working in South Africa. “Our neighbours have also taken them … they are paid in dollars in Sudan and others with indispensable expertise have gone to Rwanda,” he said. Those who opt to stay in Uganda, Malinga explained, were earning so little they could often not afford to pay the rent. Uganda thus had one doctor for 100,000 patients.

The Global Health Workforce Alliance said one in four doctors trained in Africa was working in western industrialised countries. “They seek better employment and quality of life. Income is an important motivation for migration [as well as] better working conditions, career opportunities and more job satisfaction,” Sigrun Mogedal, one of the conference organisers, said.
 
“Sub-Saharan Africa faces the greatest challenge and proportionately, is the most heavily affected region of the world. One million health workers are needed to bridge the gap in this region,” the alliance noted. “While it has 11 percent of the world population and 24 percent of the global burden of disease, it has only 3 percent of the world’s health workers.”

The conference aims to produce a 10-year global action plan to deal with the problem, which would require US$3.3 billion per year to train 1.8 million health workers in Africa for the next eight years. Another $27 billion would be required to pay them to stay.

 

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Lobbying in ODM – Raila Odinga’s party

From Jeff Otieno and Dickens Wasonga, Kisumu – Kenya

 

 

 

Following fresh revelations that ODM chief Raila Odinga is destined for premiership slot, it has now emerged that intense but behind the scene lobbying has gripped his political camp.

 

MPs both former and current  together with influential business people from ODM strong holds have mounted high-powered campaigns that will see them land  key and plum government positions or cut deals with the state.

 

Impeccable sources within ODMs top echelons also confided to these writers that a clique masquerading as Raila’s most trusted associates are now criss-crossing the terrain fleecing with glee the unsuspecting  figures who hope of landing the lucrative posts.

 

The plundering cartel which is headed by two notable duos one of whom is a youthful bulky activist hailing from Homabay District in Ndhiwa Constituency and another from Nyakach who is associated with a Nairobi based security firm.

 

According to the source,goat eating sessions in magnificent hotels is the hallmark of the elusive schemes.

 

 The pedestrian talk doing rounds in the regions particularly in Kisumu, however have it that some illustrious personalities  who have consistently showed commitment and hard work to the community during turbulent moments should not be confined to the periphery by Raila at this time of reckoning.

 

Among them are industrious  marie-stoppes Religional Director Cyprian Otieno Awiti,NGO guru cum politician Monica Amolo,Mombasa based Business magnet Polycap Ochola,leading CEO Evans Odhiambo Kidero,top spy Sam Wakiaga,Mps Dalmas Otieno Anyango  Rongo,polished Karachuonyo legislature Engineer James Rege,pragmatic Nyakach Mp Ochieng Daima and his Alego Usonga Counter part wealthy Edwin Ochieng Yinda.

 

It is imperative and interesting to note however that the goons who were once associated with Raila to do his errands are currently confined to oblivion thanks to the hawk-eyed state security details that now the ODM king pin enjoys. 

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Did Prof Wangari Maathai contrubute to peace in Kenya?

<From Leo Odara Omolo

 

 

The common saying that a hero is not sung for in his own village came in hand last wek following the power sharing agreement reached after nearly months of heated debate at the negotiating table.

 

Many people have commented on this kind of a miracle agreement ,which come only 24 hours after the seemingly frustrated chief mediator Dr.Kofi Annan had suspended the talks and promised to engage the principal rivals President Kibaki and his Prime Minister Raila Odinga

I am very pleased to note that our government has been so kind by reinstating the police security details of the Nobel  Leureate. This iron lady is a great asset to the Kenyan people. She recently emerged as the only voice of reasoning during the volatile period when Kenyans were at uncalled war with each other.

 

Prof Wangari stubbornly refused to sucked into parochial tribal politics, and she had always spoke her mind advising Kenyans not to hate one  another, but to live harmoniously as brothers and sisters .She, is indeed, the kind of persons who Kenyans needs most.

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But those airing their views while showing a lot of praise to Dr.Kofi Annan and his mediation team consisting of former Tanzania President Benjamin William Mkapa and former Mozambican and South African First Lady Graca Machel Mandela have deliberately ignored the role played by a few patriotic Kenyans towards the search for peaceful solution to the political impasse , which was bedeviling the country.

 

One of the few Kenyans who had stood firm and steadfastly and flatly refused to be drawn into parochial politics of tribalism is the world renown conservationist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Prof Wangari Mathai. W      e,truly needs more leaders of her callibre who can speak their minds during a distasteful conditions in which Kenyan found themselves following the disputed presidential election results.

 

During the dark days of post election violence and political impasse that followed this iron lady remained steadfast as the only voice of reasons. And true to my assessment, she is..

 

Prof Mathai is my hero. She should be given a pat on the back for having stood firm besides millions of Kenyans who were being  tear-gassed and shot and killed by the trigger happy policemen with impunity. .Bravo..Lady Mathai keep it up, and even our almighty God will reward you.

 

Many politicians in this country had fallen and sunked deep into the murky waters of tribalism and ethnically biased kind of politics .In my view Madam Mathai is a hero on herr own right and she deserves another coveted national and international award to crown up her noble peace prize.

 

Our politicians had fallen in the trap of ethnicity and only few were able to speak like Kenyans and displayed the true spirit of true nationalism and patriotism.

 

And even the so called government spokesman Dr.Alfred Mutua did not measure up to what was expected of him. The good doctor ceased to be a spokesman for all Kenyans, which he was supposed to have been by virtue of his office. But  as things turned out he unknowingly became the PNU’S propaganda mouthpiece. The time is, however ,ripe  for the doctor to quit and relinquish his position honourebly and to look for other avenues because I am sure for certain that the will not fit into the new establishment in the  system of PNU-ODM power-sharing.

 

Kenyans were puzzled when Dr. Mutua went full blast defending what in my view was indefensible,,especially when he maliciously accused the KTN camera man who had captured live the cold blooded murder of two young demonstrators who were shot and killed by a member of anti riot police unit in a Kisumu street. What a shame!!.

 

 

The suspect in this brutal killing has since appeared before a court of law .This particular incident has totally dismantled Mutua’s credibility .In addition to some of his unwarranted and uncalled for comments during the referendum voting campaign of Nov 200 5 If there is any public servant who should be taken to court and be prosecuted for an offence of abuse of office, Mutua should take the lead. His frequent outbursts sounded rather sycophantic and apologistic.

 

Mutua had on various occasions dismissed the ODM leaders as a bunch of day dreamers while marketing the defeated banana group .Some of us felt that the duty and responsibility of a government spokesman should be confined strictly to commenting on governmental matters, but at the same the holder of the office to steer clear of party politics maintaining the policy of positive neutrality and impartiality as a public servant.

 

Mutual has since went silent after making brief appearances in defense of the much flawed and discredited December 27 2007 presidential election results .May be he had burned his finger who knows.

 

Anyway many level minded Kenyans might also not forget, though they may forgive the likes of Mrs. Beth Mugo,Danson Mungatana who shamelessly treated us to uncoordinated fire spitting comments vilifying the Pentagon team that had won the heart of the electorate.They did so against the popular opnion that the ODM was heading for an overwhelming vitory over PNU. Four country to realize a true spirit of reconciliation and unity of purpose, these people should not be included in the new power-sharing government.

 

Mungatana represents a very meager number of voters and as such he should have desisted from hurling his negative vitriols on those representative of the majority of Kenyan .May be he was lobbying for ministerial appointment, which in my view he does not deserve after his team was given a thorough beating at the polls in the Coast Province .And even his own  re-election to parliament was controversial and left many  big question marks..

 

Anyway, I am glad that our other bad mouthing and stale leadership like that of Simeon Nyachae ,Musikari Kombo,Kipruto Arap Kirwa,Gedion Konchela,David Mwiraria,Raphael Tuju just to mention only a few were taught good lessons by the very people they have been claiming to represent.

 

The new power-sharing government must only shop for steadfast and respected MPs for Ministerial appointments. It should lock our many political turn-coats.and power thirsty elements. It must be purely PNU-ODM affairs

 

The Vice President Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka should quit the PNU-ODM government and mobilize the smaller partiy MPS and form an opposition within Parliament sio that he can occupy the seat of the leader of the Official Opposition in parliament. That is where belonged, or else he should dissolve his ODM-K and join either PNU or ODM if at all he wants to enjoy the fruits of the coalition partnership. For now, Kalonzo Musyoka’s presence in the government is irrelevant and unconstitutional. .

 

I am sure President Kibaki and Raila Odinga will not allow the new government to be infiltrated by those who have perfected in the arts of political opportunism! And let such people reap the fruits while they did not shed sweats.

 

Let those who were melting tribal animosity and fueling communal hatred stay out of the new government to allow only the true spirit of patriotism to prevail. Both the two camps in the political divide has sufficient numbers it moderates who can serve Kenyans well.

 

I also have the feeling that although Prof Mathai had lost the Tetu Parliamentary seat, the new government should consider her and serve any role to play in shaping up the future of our country. This is because good leaders with traits cannot only serve as an MP but can still make useful and meaningful contribution in one way or another.

 

Ends

Leoomolo@yahoo.com

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Fears over the end of opposition politics in Kenya

< From Jeff Otieno in Kisumu, Kenya 

 

 

Fresh fears have emerged that the death of opposition politics to put the government on its toes could be in the offing.

 

This follows last week historic agreement where President Mwai Kibaki led party P.N.U and Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) entered into a rare historic  Grand coalition arrangement to accommodate each other.

 

At inception, things appeared completely unworkable under the tutelage of former united Nations Chief Kofi Annan with both divides on the negotiation table exhibiting hard line stance.

 

The Ghanian born was undeterred with the protagonists, his consistency and shrewdness ultimately became fruitful after a staggering 41 sleepless nights.

 

Kenyans sighed with relief and celebrations were held in major towns and cities. Internally displaced camps (I.D.P.S) where thousands have braved the chilly nights for fear of attacks were more memorable and dramatic scenarios.

 

Onus is now pegged on the tenth parliament to entrench the legislative frame works to make the deal become law. Granted as envisaged by the majority of Kenyans who would want the barbaric scenes of post election to be confined to doldrums, it will harmonize   tempers among the political divides and ultimately resettlement and reconstruction across the country will be achieved.

 

But one thing remains a little bit intriguing, who will dangle the official opposition flagship for the purposes of creating checks and balances?

 

Since the advent of pluralistic politics way back in 1991, Kenyans have reaped from the vibrant opposition which to-date have literally become moribund.

 

“As an alternative Kenyans must surge a head and form citizen groups to offer social and public accountability or risk the emergence of abuse of power at the expense of tax payers”, said a local NGO operative in Kisumu Sam Odondi.

 

“It’s unfortunate that some of our civil rights crusaders have joined partisan party politics and only used the forums as spring boards”, Odondi quipped in an interview.

 

 With the latest political arrangements entrenching roots, almost every politician is lobbying to be considered in the Grand set up and non wants to jump ship to play a credible pivotal role as a dissent opinion.

 

For any semblance of good governance to be sustained there must be a vibrant opposition to keep the government on its toes or else kenyans  must brace themselves to see the re-emergence of single party dictatorship and misuse of power.

 

Some keen political pundits also opines that if an internal political party rebellion can be sustainable to serve as awakening calls to the ruling class, then it can also be a good option for the purpose of accountability and good governance.

This last view is not impossible but completely improbable.

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SCRIBE BEREAVED – Owino Awich

From Jeff Orieno in Kisumu, Kenya 

 

Kisumu city based investigative Freelance writer Owino Awich is bereaved.The journalist lost his mother Grace Anyango Metha aged 63 years old after along battle with kidney ailments in a Kisumu Hospital early this week.

 

Awich was informed of the death of his mother by relatives when he had gone to Eldoret referral Hospital to make transfer arrangement for further tests.

 

Staunch catholic Metha who was known for her evangelical indulgence in Siaya District will be laid to rest next weekend 15^th March 2008 in Ndere village central Alego Location in Alego Usonga constituency.

 

Friends and relatives are meeting daily at the journalist residents in lower Railway Estate Kisumu to finalize funeral arrangements.

 

END

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Are the American people ready for a black Muslim president?

<Is Hussein Obama a Muslim? And if so, as he dresses here, what is wrong for him being a muslim?

The man has Luo Kenya blood. The Kenya Luos from where he is born are thrilled that their man might finally rule the Americans. They are also thinking he might help them in their village outside Kisumu in the Nyanza. And that is why they have now named shools in their area – obama school and so on… Everybody being born there is also being Obamarised.

The Luo people from his father’s original home are happy and they have told CNN that they believe Obama will help them to get to move to the US and work there if he becomes the US president.

America should expect mass immigration to the US from Kenyan villages if Obama gets the presidency. This may be good for the US economy.

Most of the people in Kenya supporting Obama believe that they may get jobs in the white house as cooks for the White house staff, jobs as security men and women for Obamas wife and Obama himself. This election will be interesting to watch. It is not only the Americans who are concerned but also the Luos in a small remote village in the Nyanza province of Kenya.

Now Obama whose name is now being highlighted as Barack “Hussein” Obama, dressing using a taban, an indication that he has some Muslim blood is having it rough because of his name. The media is working on him and would like to know his stand on Islam. Are the Americans ready for a Muslim president?

Why did he dress this way when in Africa and not in the US? What was he trying to show? Is he a christian or a Muslim? And does religion matter in leadership for the Americans?

The voters will decide.

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