BY AGENCY–London |
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Kenyan girl faces jail in Britain
March 13th, 2010Cops arrested over killing of 7 Kenyans
March 12th, 2010
BY BERNARD MOMANYI |
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Source: CapitalFM
Man Suffers From Mysterious Skin Ailment
March 12th, 2010Ann Njogu honored in the US
March 12th, 2010REUTERS/Jason Reed March 12, 2010
Kenya’s Ann Njogu receives the International Women of Courage Award at the State Department in Washington as she is flanked by US First Lady Michelle Obama and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Fellow recipients of the IWOC Awards 2010, Distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen; All protocols observed.
It is a great honor and humbling experience to be here to receive this award tonight. Great because this is a distinguished award that is dedicated to honoring women who have made a contribution globally and humbling because I am only aware that without the many women with whom I have had the privilege to work with at the grassroots in Kenya, it would not have been possible to celebrate anything much less for me to be here with you tonight. It is for this reason that I want to dedicate the award to all those women in Kenya who have simply refused to give up the hope for a better Kenya.
I am talking about the woman from the urban shanties who has to wake up at 4.00am every morning to walk 20 miles to and 20 miles back from the market to fetch groceries to come back and sell the whole day to make a dollar; the woman who has to take care of her 7 children all alone or the one who has to fend for her 10 kids with her jobless and abusive husband all living in a one room shanty house;
To the rural poor who has to till tired ground to eke out a living to sustain a clan; to take her little daughter to school and avoid early marriage in the hope of breaking the vicious cycle of poverty and abuse;
To the young girl who has to brave taunts from classmates to attend schools even when her dress is messed up by her menses because she cannot afford the benefit of modern hygiene such as sanitary pads which are no novelty in the developed world;
I am talking about the woman in the Kenyan urban shanties and rural poor who has to endure the terror of local chiefs and the extortion and abuse of local police every single waking day just to get along with their lives; women who pay tax to maintain these government officials but have no voice to control them or hold them to account because their MPs are too busy stealing from them or plotting on the next electoral violence to care. These are the women I work with every single day.
But I am also talking about the middle class woman who is starting to ask hard questions about our social and economic inequalities; the young executive who has started discarding the notion that the public space is male space; or that it is only bad girls that venture into politics; for we know that unless a new breed of leaders committed to a new kind of ethics and values that celebrate merit, excellence, service and accountability take over leadership, or unless by divine intervention those currently in power are transformed, my generation’s sad story will be the story of my daughter’s generation. And the generations after.
It is a combination of this fear and the inspiration I see in the eyes of mama mboga as she works through the day in the dusty shanty towns in Nairobi or as she toils away in the sun baked earth of Machakos that gives me the drive to keep going inspite of the unrelenting repression of government and police brutality. One of the great paradoxes of my country is that we have a government elected “democratically” but which is habitually undemocratic; a creature of movements such as ours but which has shown bad manners in dealing with those who seek to hold it against its promises.
Kenya’s story is part of the sad African story. But in that story a new story is evolving, the story of a people who are determined to make a clean break from the terrible legacy of unaccountable leadership and predatory governments; a story of people who are increasingly rejecting ethnic and political patronage in favor of democratic and accountable government; a story of people who are seeking transformation and not sedation through welfare; and it is a story of people who know that in Africa, we’ve got all the wealth we need to raise the continent from grinding poverty, disease and a sense of pervasive hopelessness into a prosperous land. A land from which no young woman or man will want to escape from to be an economic refugee in Europe, the US or anywhere else because it will be a land of opportunity.
It is with this breed of Kenyans and Africans that I identify myself and my work with. It may be the Pioneers for Change, the Women and Youth Alliance, Bunge la Mwananchi, G10, KPTJ, among other progressive movements , but they are all united by one thing; to make sure that the transition in Kenya is substantive and not a vacuous formality. I have dedicated my time and energy at the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness(CREAW) and the Africa Community Development Media (ACDM) to make my contribution towards this great goal. I and my generation feel greatly privileged to be a point in our history where we can make a historic contribution. In this we are greatly motivated by the achievements of the US, the South East Asian Tigers and the economies of Latin America.
This last Friday, 5th march- 2010, I celebrated my 45th birthday away from home . However in the midst of celebrating this personal landmark, two grim realities hit me right in the middle of my eyes. First, back home, my colleagues held a memorial service in remembrance of two of our fallen human rights defenders ; GPO Oulu and Oscar Kingara both executed in cold blood on the same day last year ( – 5th march 2009- ) by state police in broad daylight right outside the University of Nairobi because of their dedication to bring to an end state sponsored terror. Student protests were met with a further execution of one of the students. To date state “investigations” have revealed nothing. It has joined the long list of unresolved politically motivated murders in Kenya. Such is the perilous reality of human rights defenders and the Kenyan public in my country today. The second reality was that my country’s life expectancy has fallen to 44 years. I am therefore lucky to be alive today!
Our Country Kenya
Kenya is indeed a beautiful, great and profound country situated in East Africa with a population of approximately 40 m Kenyans . Ever since we produced and exported the incumbent President of the biggest super power in the world- President Barack Obama, our claim to greatness was vindicated! Yes, We have a track record not just for producing and exporting Presidents , but it is in our country that you find such great names like Wangari Maathai- the environmentalist, our amazing athletes, the very hard working people, the vibrant civil society, rolling mountains and scenery, singing birds, great weather, wonderful natural resources and indeed some of the best tourists destinations in the world! Kenya has the potential to not only feed her people but be the bread basket of the whole continent of Africa- While it can have enough for everyone, poor leadership and governance, corruption, impunity and lack of accountability have determined that there is not enough for a few greedy men and women.
The high levels of inequality have determined that over 70% of the country’s resources are in the hands of a less than 10% of the population while the last 10 % of the population own less than 1% of the country’s resources. It is a country where women provide over 70% of the total labor in the agricultural sector and yet, own less than 5 % of the country’s land. It is a country where over 47 % of the country’s population live below the poverty line earning less than a dollar a day, with 70% of those extremely poor being women. It is a country where the women and youth make the majority of populace and yet remain at the peripherals of decision making- a country that has 89% of its population below 45 years and yet this majority remain marginalized and excluded in governance, decision making et al. It is a country that has been seeking reforms of its key institutions of governance including the constitution but where the said reforms have remained a mirage due to state capture of the said instruments of reform. This enduring legacy has created and fertilized a culture of impunity, abuse and disregard to state institutions of governance, lack of accountability and a culture that disregards international norms and standards of governance and human rights protection. The political system of first by the post , winner takes it all makes elections a life and death matter always in favor of a small very powerful clique of the political class. Many other institutions like the cabinet, parliament, judiciary, police force, military including media and religious institutions have come under total and stifling elite capture. The outcome of this elite capture is a fractured political and social system , absence of transparency and accountability, mismanagement of state institutions and impunity that have eroded the national fabric resulting in serious tensions- Not surprising therefore that between Dec 2007 and March 2008, Kenya faced its worst political and governance crisis yet and almost degenerated to a state of total breakdown of law and order.
The question of police brutality and complicity in perpetrating crime in general and violence against human rights defenders in particular is one of the biggest challenge within the existing Coalition government. The atrocities of the police are well documented; by the state human rights agency KNCHR, UN Rapporteur on Extra judicial killings; the government appointed Commission into Post Election Violence (CIPEV) which recommended a complete overhaul of the police force. earlier on at the conclusion of the Investigations into the Post election Violence by the popularly as the Waki Commission ( CIPEV) – sadly, and instead of implementing the recommendations, the President responded by rewarding the then Commissioner of Police with a new appointment and a promotion for officers implicated in sexual assault and violence against peaceful Kenyan protestors.
The story of GPO Oulo and Oscar Kingara is the story of so many other human rights defenders in Kenya and in countries where there is no respect for human life, rule of law, democracy and accountability. It is the story of so many other human rights defenders who have paid and continue to pay heavy prices for exercising their fundamental and constitutional rights. When human rights activists in Kenya like in other countries like Zimbabwe, have sought accountability from the powers that be, the response of the authorities has been an escalating intransigence and violence, the violence of police dogs, tear gas, “disappearing”, exile, and even death. Like Bishop Desmond Tutu said at the height of apartheid, “ We who advocate peace are becoming an irrelevance when we speak peace. The government speaks rubber bullets, live bullets, tear gas, police dogs, detention, and death”.
It is for this reason that while I humbly accept this award, I dedicate it to all the human rights defenders in Kenya. They are the true champions and heroes of our struggle for change. They continue to put their lives in harm’s way because they are convinced that a different and better Kenya is possible. A different and better Africa is possible and a different and better world is possible. Many of them like Oulu and Oscar have paid the ultimate price. We are tired of being divided, tired of running into ideological vacuums and partisan roadblocks, tired of appeals to our worst instincts and greatest fears.
It is too late to stop this movement. Change must come!
We hear the voice of the people of the United States of America urging us on, we hear the voices of the people of Europe urging us on, we hear the voices of the peoples of the world urging us on; we see the changes taking place all over the world; we see nations rising from poverty and underdevelopment and creating economic miracles and we ask why not in Kenya? Why not in Africa?
We see undemocratic Nations being replaced by democracies and we ask why not in Africa? We see millions being hauled out of early death with benefit of modern medicine and we ask why not in Africa? We read about the immense wealth in the belly of the continent and the endless miseries of the people living above the grounds and again we ask why in Africa? Like Kennedy, I belong to those who believe in the power of a dream. Like him we dream of things that are yet to be and we ask why not?
I understand that it is my duty and that of my generation to replace the present despair with a new hope in the continent of Africa; it is my duty to resist oppression and plant the flag of freedom in every homestead; it is my duty to challenge the massive inequalities that exist in my society and those of all other African states; it is my duty to stand up to grand corruption; to challenge police brutality and complicity in crime; it is my duty to prevent the recurrence of the post election violence in Kenya in the next general election; it is my solemn duty to prevent more and more children from the violence and violations that continue to be visited upon our people; it is my duty because where leaders cease being role models and sources of inspiration, we must turn inwards and look for that inspiration from within ourselves. And we must stand firm in our place in the queue and never drop the ball; it is our duty to pick up the challenge that has rung from DC and across the World, that time is now for a new generation of leaders to emerge and to take the onerous task of completing the change begun 20 years ago to democratize, bring prosperity to our nations and to protect the rights and freedoms of every person in my country and in my continent. It is a call I am willing to accept even if I were alone. For didn’t Rosa Parks shows us right here in the USA the amazing power of a solitary soul committed to end injustice?
A great Kenya for all is possible – for the dignity of (Wo)man and the destiny of democracy.
We want our Country Back!
Thank you all!
Speech given in Washington DC
Ann Njogu
10th March, 2010
Care worker helped her husband launder £6m from mortgage scam
March 12th, 2010March 12, 2010
Ruth Ayinde-Azeez (formerly Ruth Wambui Mungai) drove a Bentley, took luxury holidays and had £1.6million in her bank accounts A care home assistant who led a life of luxury by helping her crooked husband launder the profits of a £6 million mortgage con was facing jail today.
Ruth Ayinde-Azeez, 26, lived in a six-bedroom house with 12 plasma televisions and drove a Bentley and Land Rover.
She took holidays in Dubai and the south of France, kept £1.6 million in her bank accounts and blew huge sums at expensive bars and restaurants. But her life was funded by crime, Southwark crown court heard.
Her husband Victor led a mortgage fraud gang which plundered nearly £6 million from high street banks in six weeks.
He “bought” 22 houses around the South-East and, with his accomplices, applied for mortgages from high street lenders including Bradford and Bingley and Abbey National. The paperwork was signed off by crooked solicitors.
When Ayinde-Azeez was arrested, she was about to leave the country after her husband texted her a warning that the police were on their way. He is believed to be abroad.
The Kenyan national was told by Judge Martin Beddoe: “It seems to me that I’m going to have to pass on you a significant sentence, without credit for a guilty plea.”
-Source: This is London
Kenyan activist feted in the US
March 12th, 2010By Micahel Mumo
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Chelsea’s Didier Drogba wins African football award
March 12th, 2010|
03/12/2010
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Ivory Coast and Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has been named African Footballer of the Year. Drogba scored five goals as Ivory Coast qualified for the 2010 World Cup and scored for Chelsea in the FA Cup final. Chelsea team-mate and Michael Essien and Cameroon forward Samuel Eto’o were also shortlisted for the award. Drogba, who turned 32 on Thursday, had previously won the award in 2006, while Algeria were named team of the year at the ceremony in Accra, Ghana. Algeria qualified for the World Cup finals in South Africa after defeating Egypt in a play-off game. Drogba has scored 25 goals so far this season for Chelsea, who are in contention for the Premier League title and remain in the Champions League and FA Cup. And the Ivorian claimed as he celebrated his 32nd birthday that his appetite for the game is as strong as ever.
“I still have the same passion for the game,” said Drogba. “I still feel hungry and I am still chasing medals. “I feel really good. As I have said in the past it depends on the injuries you get and this season I can say that I am lucky, or I can say that the few months that I took out last year to get my knee well are now paying off. “Your lifestyle is only as important as your mental approach to the game. If you put in your head that you are 32 and you are old it is going to be difficult. “I still feel like a kid when I am on the pitch so sometimes Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has to pull me back.” None of the three shortlisted candidates for the individual award were at the Confederation of African Football (Caf) ceremony. The last time that Drogba won the award, Essien and Eto’o were also the other two shortlisted players. Ghana were the other big winners on the night with striker Dominic Adiyiah picking up the Young Player of the Year award ahead of South African Kermit Erasmus of Feyenoord and Nigeria’s Sani Emmanuel from Bodens BK. Sellas Tetteh was named Coach of the Year having led the Black Stars’ Under-20 side to World Cup glory last year. There was also success for the Democratic Republic of Congo, who scooped the Africa Club of the Year and Best Player on the Continent awards in the form of Champions League winners TP Mazembe and their captain Tresor Mputu Mabi. England’s World Cup opponents Algeria were rewarded for qualifying for the finals for the first time in 24 years and reaching the African Nations Cup last four by being named National Team of the Year. |
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Source: BBCnews
Humor:Late Night Jokes: Massa Out-Crazies Glenn Beck
March 11th, 201003/11/2010
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
● It was so windy tonight, Toyota drivers were able to stop by driving into the wind.
● Toyota is dealing with these problems. They’ve added a 3-D heads-up display that automatically comes on above 90 mph, so you can see your whole life flash before your eyes.
● New York congressman Eric Massa has resigned his post this week after allegations that he groped his male staff. If it’s not Charlie Rangel trying to get into your wallet, it’s Eric Massa trying to get in your pants.
● Massa was on Glenn Beck and he showed a book of graphic photos of things sailors did for fun when at sea. The book was so graphic, they couldn’t show them on the air. Now if you’re trying to convince people you’re not gay, you probably shouldn’t show your big book of naked sailors.
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Late Show Top Ten
Top Ten Questions Rod Blagojevich Asked Himself Before Appearing On ‘Celebrity Apprentice’
10. “Can I get paid in shampoo?”
9. “Would I rather stay unemployed than work for Trump?”
8. “Should I bring my attorney?”
7. “Do I have anything better to do?”
6. “Is there any chance NBC will replace me with Leno?”
5. “Can I get paid in conditioner?”
4. “Haven’t I been through enough?”
3. “How about my own show, ‘The Haircut Ref?’”
2. “How come I’m not a governor and Paterson is?”
1. “Will my hair get along with Trump’s hair?”
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Late Show with David Letterman
● Everybody is still talking about the Academy Awards. You know why? It’s because the show is still going on.
● Here in New York City, Mayor Bloomberg is always thinking and he’s come up with a plan to save gas, by having people share a cab. Personally, I don’t even like sharing a cab with the driver.
● Former New York congressman Eric Massa admitted to tickling a staffer until he couldn’t breathe. Dick Cheney said, “We should have tried that at Gitmo.”
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Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
● Just a word of warning tonight — anybody in the audience who refuses to laugh will be tickled by former congressman Eric Massa.
● Facebook has a new application that helps users quit smoking. After that, people can move on to finding a cure for their other addiction — Facebook.
● Last week, the temperature was in the 20s and yesterday it got up to 59 degrees. It’s crazy, I keep having to change my outfit and my position on global warming.
● Here in New York, 31 life-sized statues will be placed on rooftops as part of a public art installation. That’s good to know, just so I don’t spend 30 minutes yelling “Don’t do it!” at a chunk of iron.
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The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
● Today on “The Early Show,” Harry Smith got a live colonoscopy. I am so proud to be a part of this network.
● Happy birthday to Chuck Norris, who turns 78 today. I don’t want to say he’s getting old, but he broke his hand trying to cut the cake.
● There are rumors that the Obama administration may ban fishing in lakes. Fox News is saying “Obama wages jihad on fisherman,” and NPR says “Obama protects aquatic unicorns,” and I don’t know who to believe.
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Jimmy Kimmel Live!
● Former Democratic congressman Erica Massa is all over the news; he resigned on Monday amid allegations that he groped staff workers, but then claimed he was being forced out over his healthcare vote. Glenn Beck had him on his show the other night. Now, out-crazying Glenn Beck is no small task.
● Sure, we’ve all had tickle fights with our male coworkers, we’ve all played “Kill the old guy.” In fact, Dick Cheney used to play it with a gun.
● If you’re wondering why we don’t have healthcare, it’s because there’s too much tickling in Congress.
● The Miami Herald is reporting that the city of Miami will host the next season of “Jersey Shore” on MTV. If there’s one thing the city of Miami has been lacking, it’s half-naked idiots with spray tans.
Newsmax.com
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DAILY NATION Cartoon: President YAR’DUA Vacuum Leadership
March 11th, 2010Kenya aims for better kidney treatment
March 11th, 2010
BY CATHERINE KARONG’O |
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Source: capitalFM





