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The past three years have been trying times for the family and relatives of a man said to be a ‘Most Wanted’ criminal in Nairobi. The family of Simon Matheri Ikere, 27, the man who police have been hunting for his alleged involvement in a series of crimes in Nairobi, is now up in arms and wants the Government to put the man in his rightful place. He has remained elusive. Last week, officers in Nairobi were sighing with relief, believing that they had gunned down the criminal in Nairobi’s Kariobangi estate. It has since emerged that the man shot dead was not the real Matheri but another one with a similar name.  Residents of his Kihara Village, Gachie in Kiambu District confirm that the real Matheri is still at large. He has been spotted in the area since his said death. 

A recent killing

His family members have now gone public, pushing the Government to lock up the man who has brought a string of misfortunes to them. The recent killing of a bar owner and a patron in the area on January 15, has heightened the pressure on the family to produce him. Residents have mounted pressure on the police to arrest the man who, they say, has been involved in a series of crime in the area.  During the January 15 attack, three armed gunmen struck at Muhuru bar in Wangige trading centre at around 8pm, shot dead Mr James Ng’ang’a, the owner of the bar and reveller cum-businessman Morgan Njoroge, another wanted criminal. Morgan’s murder is believed to have been a case of a deal gone sour after Matheri got wind of Morgan’s supposed acts of betrayal. Morgan adds to the list of others who have fallen victim to Matheri’s unfinished business of finishing his betrayers. In the tension-gripped village, family members are living in fear of further attacks in the hunt for Matheri. Said a resident: “They now have no option but to produce the man if they are to live in peace again.”  His family has since received a formal communication from a local vigilante group.

Struggle and pain

The letter, said a relative, warns them that any crime involving Matheri will see them wiped out completely.  The struggle and pain of having a thief in the family has been long and painful one, they recount. Last August 5, the family was mourning after eight of their houses were torched in a bid to have them produce Matheri, who the vigilante group was convinced, the family was sheltering and sponsoring. Two months later, they were again mourning the murder of one of their own, Mr Amos Ikere, who is said to have fallen victim of Matheris pursuers. Bitter for the loss of a brother and the terror visited upon the family, they have now gone public to denounce any knowledge of his whereabouts and declared that justice must be done to end the terror that has befallen them. “It is too much now. The Government must intervene,” said Mr Gitau Macua, Amos’ brother. ”The price is too dear for us to pay. It is time the law was applied and to save us from more agony,” he continues. Villagers say Amos was a criminal who colluded with his cousin, and he had to die to push the family to produce Matheri.

An innocent man

The family insists that Amos, a freelance electrician, was an innocent man. Gitau recounts that it was around 5.30pm on December 17 when three well dressed men arrived at Gichagi trading centre, Wangige in Kiambu District. They were all unknown to the villagers. The guests walked straight to a hotel where Amos and a friend were having a cup of tea, forced them out and sprayed Amos with bullets in the full view of residents. The Matheris, he says, started rubbing shoulders with the vigilante group early in the year when they were issued with an ultimatum to produce the suspect. The group charged with maintaining security in Gachie warned them to hand over Matheri or suffer the consequences of harbouring a criminal. Early in January, angry villagers, armed with pangas, arrows and bows, attacked their home. The family says they have cut links with Matheri, but villagers insist he occasionally drives into the village. - Daily Nation.

"Fun is like a good beer; it is rarely enjoyable alone" - Lesotho, The Wisdom of Africa, BBC

I am not finished yet, says Blair. Prime Minister Tony Blair has denied he is running out of steam as he faces his final months in office, insisting: "I want to finish what I have started".  In an interview with BBC One's The Politics Show he said he still had a "strong and energetic agenda" of public service reform to carry out.  He refused to be drawn on the timing of his retirement later this year.

"Success or failure is often determined on the drawing board and your goals will be reached through the vehicle of a plan, one in which you fervently believe, and upon which you will vigorously act".

Pigs taught how to play piano. They're known for their flavour, ruthless ambition (well, in the novel Animal Farm), intelligence – and, now, musical aptitude. Actually, aptitude may be too strong a word but, nevertheless, two piglets have been taught to play the piano. Zoo conservation student Katie Mason has taught her pet porkers Rupert and Penny to tinkle a toy piano made by Fisher Price. The five-month-old piglets wait for a command before sitting on their hind legs and bashing the keys with their trotters and snouts. Katie, 25, keeps the pigs at her parents' farm in Manaton, Devon, and is now teaching her pupils to play the tambourine. 'Rupert is definitely my star pupil. He picks commands up much quicker than Penny,' she said. 'As soon as I say “piano” they run off and bash the keys. 'It's not exactly Beethoven yet – they can't hold a tune – but they're just babies.' The Plymouth University student works part-time at Pennywell Farm activity park in Buckfastleigh, near Dartmoor, where the piglets' mother Socks is a star attraction. The pigs are from Britain's smallest species.

Rupert the pig plays the piano. Apparently

"Happy is the man who goes hunting for the rats and catches an elephant" - Cameroon, The Wisdom of Africa, BBC

The pensioner who has become the world's oldest mum has showed off her twin babies for the first time and confessed: "I CONNED doctors I was younger." In an exclusive  interview, 67-year-old spinster Carmela Bousada tells the full amazing story of WHY she was so desperate to bring new life into the world when she's so close to the end of her own. And she sensationally reveals HOW she secretly plotted to get pregnant whatever the cost. With freshly dyed hair and heavy make-up, she cuddled her four-week-old sons Pau and Christian and vowed defiantly: "Everyone has to have children at the right time for them. This was the right time for me. It was something I always dreamed of." First-time mum Carmela, who gave birth seven days before her 67th birthday, revealed that she:

LIED to doctors in the US that she was only 55 to get fertility treatment.

SPENT her £30,000 life savings and flew across the world several times.

BOUGHT donor eggs and sperm by choosing from a catalogue.

LAST had sex more than 10 years ago.

HAD her last period an astonishing 18 years ago, and is

HUNTING for a younger husband to be a father to the babies.

She has only now taken her seven-weeks-premature sons home to her one-bedroom flat... after three weeks in hospital. And she said: "I've wanted children for a very long time. Now finally I have two perfect boys. People are entitled to their opinions, but they shouldn't judge me." Carmela — who comes from Cadiz, Spain, and worked all her life until she retired for the Spanish equivalent of Marks & Spencer — decided to pursue her dream of having children after her elderly mum died in 2005. Inspired by magazine stories of older women giving birth, she sold the house they had shared for £30,000 and flew to America several times to find a doctor who would treat her. Incredibly, she managed to convince a private clinic, the Pacific Fertility Center in Los Angeles, that she was 55 — the cut-off age for their IVF programme. Carmela said: "They didn't ask for my age or my passport. I may look tired now but before the births I did look slim and a lot younger. "No one at home knew what I was doing. I told a few girlfriends that I loved the idea of having a baby, but none of them took me seriously. They thought it was impossible."

Doctors gave Carmela a medical and started her on a course of hormone treatment to reverse the menopause and prepare her dormant womb for artificial insemination with donor egg and sperm. She said: "It was very strange having periods again after all that time. I went through the change at 49. I can't say I liked having PMS again and all the mood swings and stomach cramps." Carmela, who speaks little English, went home to Spain to allow her body to get used to its new state before flying back to LA last May for the final stages of the process. There, in a sterile doctor's office, she chose the donor parents — eggs from a pretty, brown-haired 18-year-old and sperm from a blond, blue-eyed Italian-American. She recalled: "I picked them from photos in a catalogue. It was a bit like studying an estate agent's brochure and choosing a house. I wasn't bothered about what sort of jobs they had or how much they earned as long as they were healthy. I picked people who were different looking as I wanted a mixture.

"I wasn't scared of being pregnant at my age. I wasn't frightened. The doctors said I was very brave. It cost me £30,000 for the treatment — it's a lot of money, but worth every penny." Medics fertilised the eggs, then inseminated her with the three healthiest. Carmela added: "I was surprised the insemination was actually so easy. It only took a minute. I remember thinking, ‘How can this be making me pregnant?' "I didn't think it would ever be so straightforward." Ten days later back in Spain she received the news she had been waiting for. She said: "A nurse from the clinic phoned and said, ‘Congratulations, Carmela you're pregnant!' "I couldn't believe it. I was shocked, stunned. It worked on the first go. I was happy, happy, happy." A few weeks later, the senior citizen went for her first scan at a hospital in Madrid and saw her babies for the first time. One of the embryos had not taken, but the monitor detected two little heartbeats.

Carmela said: "I felt an amazing sense of calm wash over me. Until I was pregnant, I felt I would never find peace. They looked like tiny acorns on the screen. My dream had come true." When she was two months pregnant, she finally told her friends and family. She revealed: "At first they thought I was joking. Then they were completely blown away and they wanted to know why I hadn't told them before." Ther bump grew, Carmela got some shocked glances from people in the street. The OAP mum-to-be prepared for the birth like any other parent but struggled in the ante-natal classes. She said: "I went to a few classes in Barcelona, but my legs were so swollen up through water retention I couldn't do the exercises. "I had morning sickness of course, I even lost blood at one stage. Another time I fell over in the supermarket and had to go to hospital. I took lots of vitamin and iron supplements." Doctors put her on a high protein diet to build up her strength as the pregnancy sapped her body of nutrients. But six months into the pregnancy, Carmela's health took a turn for the worse.

She started to swell up so much with water retention that medical staff feared her kidneys were failing. "And they found via blood tests that my body wasn't retaining protein and the babies were sapping what little I did have," she said. "Doctors stabilised me and held off for as long as they could so the babies could grow as much as possible before giving me a caesarean." Her condition was so serious as she went into labour that medics summoned close family to her bedside, fearing the worst. But on December 29 the twins were born without problem —although they both needed to spend time in an incubator. Carmela smiled: "When doctors said they had to make an incision for the caesarean I told them, ‘Make it really low so that I can still wear a bikini'. The nurse joked, ‘Don't worry, you'll still be able to wear sexy pants!' "It was pretty easy — almost as if they were just lifting watermelons out of my stomach — and it was over quickly. Pau was the first to come out. Three minutes later his brother was born.

"The doctors laid Pau next to me and I gave him a kiss on the head. And then Christian came out and I thought, ‘Oh my god he's ugly!' "He was full of gunk. In fact, they were both a bit gunky and looked like little shrimps." The babies, due on February 8, were so small they were fed via tubes. Pau was 3lb 7oz and Christian 3lb 5oz, but they soon began to thrive. Carmela said: "Pau was named after the hospital in Barcelona where he was born and I chose the name Christian after hearing it on American TV. I think it was on the Oscars." The birth put Carmela into the Guinness Book of Records as the world's oldest mum — 130 days older than Adriana Iliescu, who gave birth to daughter Eliza in January 2005. In Britain there is currently no upper age limit for assisted reproduction, but most private clinics stop at 45 and on the NHS it's 39. A spokesman at the Pacific Fertility Center said: "We do not speak about our patients."

In your daily life, as you learn more patience, more tolerance with wisdom and courage, you will see it is the true source of success

Mtondia, a small village in Kilifi district on the Kenyan coast is now considered a cursed village as so many of its young girls are either pregnant or have children.  Many have sad stories of how they became mothers at such tender ages. "I was 10-years-old when I got my first child - I was raped by some young men in our village," says 13-year-old Mahenzo. "Then two years later while I was going to a local disco, I was raped and that's how I got my second child." Fifteen-year-old Janet Menza, meanwhile, says she was enticed into a love affair by an older man. "I was in class eight when I got involved with the man; our relationship went on smoothly with him until I became pregnant," she told the BBC. "That is when he disappeared from the village and left me with the baby." Mahenzo, Janet and about 800 other under-age mothers recently gathered in an open field to meet Health Minister Charity Ngilu to discuss their plight. They greeted her with songs and dance as her four-wheel-drive car pulled in. Those who attended the public meeting with two or more of their children were as young as 16.

Most of the girls are unmarried and have to leave school without completing their education. The rise in the numbers of under-age mothers in Mtondia has repeatedly been blamed on poor parenting and a breakdown of traditional family structures. But Dama Charo, whose daughter is a teenage mother, making her a grandmother at the age of 33, does not support these claims. "This is happening because these girls and boys go to the same school and that is where they get influenced to engage in pre-marital sex," says Mrs Charo. In the past, when a girl got pregnant her father would force her to get married to the man responsible, but now the man is able to desert the girl leaving her to nurse the pregnancy alone, she adds. Such experiences recounted to Mrs Ngilu almost moved the minister to tears. "I feel very sad indeed to see such a thing happening in our country and we as a government have not done anything," Mrs Ngilu told the BBC. She regretted that laws meant to protect children were not being implemented effectively. This, she said, had led to the crisis facing families in Mtondia. "Action must be taken against these men who are having sex with young girls and ruining their future," Mrs Ngilu said. Mtondia is 60km from the coastal resort of Malindi and many of the absent fathers work in the tourist industry. They go to poor villages, knowing that a small amount of money can sometimes persuade girls to agree to sex, sometimes with the knowledge of their families, without thinking of the long-term consequences.

"For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep they foot from being taken". - Proverbs 3:26

Ministers had been warned about sex offenders going missing, the head of the Police Federation has said. Jan Berry said the federation, which represents rank and file officers, had alerted the Home Office three years ago but it had failed to find a solution. It follows newspaper reports police forces across the UK have lost track of 322 convicted sex offenders.

Armed men shot dead two female passengers as they carjacked a US embassy vehicle near the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, police have said.  At least one of the women appeared to have been shot for not getting out of the vehicle quickly enough, they said. The incident took place in Kinoo, some 12 miles (20km) west of the capital. The men were armed with rifles. The identities of the women have not been released and the US embassy in Nairobi has not confirmed the incident. Police spokesman Gideon Kibunjah said: "There was a person who was driving and an elderly lady who took too long to get out of the vehicle and the gangsters shot them and threw them out." Both women were confirmed dead on arrival at hospital. Police said the group of five people were travelling through the western suburb in a black four-wheel drive with US diplomatic number plates. Carjackings are common in and around the Kenyan capital but they usually take place at night. A senior US military official was seriously wounded after being shot during a similar carjacking in September.

Two people died when a light aircraft crashed in Nanyuki. Alex Prousek, an Austrian, and his Spanish friend, Oliver Perez, were in the two-seater aircraft that crashed in Chololo Ranch, about 50km from Nanyuki town, on Saturday morning. Prousek, 26, who was the pilot, was a fiancÈ to a daughter of the owner of the Ol’Jogi Ranch. The aircraft belonged to the ranch. The two were reported missing on Friday evening. Area OCPD, Mr Patterson Maelo, said the deceased were patrolling the ranch, adding that the cause of accident had not been established. The wreckage was trapped in the bushes, and the aircraft wheels were missing.

A Kenyan has passed away in Bay Area, California, USA. John Kimani Wanyoike passed away Tuesday the January 16th January 2007. The sudden death of the late Kimani has shocked the Kenyan community as it is just the beginning of a new year. Fund to assist in the Funeral expenses are being deposited to: John Kimani Wanyoike, Washington Mutual Bank A/C # 3124154521. Directions to Kimani's house (new development it might not be on Google or map quest. Merge onto I-80 E via the ramp on the LEFT toward OAKLAND. Merge onto I-580 E toward CA-24 / DOWNTOWN OAKLAND/HAYWARD-STOCKTON.  Merge onto CA-24 E toward WALNUT CREEK. Merge onto I-680 N via the exit on the LEFT toward CONCORD / SACRAMENTO. Merge onto CA-242 N via EXIT 50 toward CONCORD/PITTSBURG.

Merge onto CA-4 E via the exit on the LEFT toward STOCKTON / PITTSBURG. Take the CA-4 exit toward BRENTWOOD / STOCKTON. Turn RIGHT onto MAIN ST / CA-4 S / CALIFORNIA, DELTA HWY. Turn LEFT onto E CYPRESS RD, Turn LEFT onto PICASSO DR, Turn RIGHT onto FRANK HENGEL WAY and lastly turn Right onto Escher. Kimani has been living in the Bay area for about 10 years. He was staying with his cousins Rosemary & Teresia Nduta. A memorial service is scheduled for Sunday Sunday 21, 2006 at 1:00 P.M. at Kimani's Residence, 59 Escher Circle, Oakley CA 94561. For more information, you can Contact: Gerald Gichuki 925 - 457-1933, Pato Kihanya       925 - 260 -5101, Anderson Munene  925 -207 - 5364, Teresa Nduta 925-300-7930 /House Phone # 925 679
-8891, Mary Njeri 574-386-6451.

Guard dogs protecting a fruit orchard in Malaysia have met their match – a seven-metre-long python. The giant snake swallowed at least 11 dogs before bemused villagers finally discovered it. “I was shocked to see such a huge python,” orchard-keeper Ali Yusof told a local newspaper. The article in the New Strait Times described the snake as being “long enough to span the width of a tennis court and as thick as a tree trunk.” Villagers did not harm the python, which was tied to a tree before being handed to wildlife officials.

Nairobi, Friday 26th January, 2007. Vexed by what she claims to be her husband’s randy and abusive ways, a mother of three has made a historic move in court to have him stopped from demanding sex from her. And among the raft of orders she is seeking is that her husband of 24 years be permanently restrained from “coming anywhere within a radius of 100 metres” of where she is, either at her residence or work place. Besides blocking her husband from “subjecting her to non-consensual sex .. or in any way mentally, verbally or physically abusing her”, the High Court should also declare that she “has a right to a dignified and disease free life ... and a right to have sex with the man only when it is consensual,” pleads the designer clothes seller.

Suffer harm

And her reason for seeking the orders is that she is likely to suffer harm from the man. “The plaintiff is in real danger of harm. She is likely to suffer further harm that is incapable of being compensated by way of damages,” reads her application.  The woman says her marriage began in 1983, with the union being solemnised at the Attorney General’s Chambers. She has three children with the man but insists they were as a result of forced sex or “serial rape”. “The plaintiff contends that any sexual encounters that she has had with the defendant since 1984 have never been consensual. The latest incident of “rape” occurred on Friday last week when the man burst into her house after the children had left for school.  She had locked him out of her bedroom the whole night after he visited, claiming he wanted to see his children. This incident proved to be the last straw, because immediately after that, she consulted her lawyer and the suit was initiated, she said. On Friday, the case that could break new ground with regard to marital disputes in Kenya was certified as urgent by Lady Justice Kalpana Rawal, the presiding judge of the High Court’s Family Division.

And while booking the application for priority hearing, the judge further directed the woman’s lawyer, Mr Gilbert Josiah Mungu, to ensure that the husband is served with the papers and summons. In her application, dated January 25, 2007, the woman says that unknown to her, the husband was married to another woman, rendering her marriage to him “illegal and fraudulent”. The man never told her he was married and deliberately concealed all facts related to it from her.  Then he left her to go and live with the other woman in Thika town, in addition to having an affair with a third woman. But he would still return occasionally for sex, she said. The woman affirms in her papers that she has a good case with a high probability of success.

Swimmers with red airbeds attempt to break the world record for the longest line of airbeds in water on Australia Day in Sydney. Last year's 'Havaianas Thong Challenge' witnessed 863 people floating in to the record books by lying end to end in the water at Coogee Beach on massive, bright pink inflatable thongs. That record is being challenged this year not only at Dee Why Beach, but nationally across five states. Mates with mates, state against state. Australia Day marks the arrival of the first European settlers in 1788.

President Kibaki has declared he is willing and ready for a second term

Rose Eunice Wambui Balcombe laid to rest

Nairobi, Friday 26th January 2007. The pumpkin was about to lay its fruit on the ground while the maize stalks were getting ready to flower. But in one swoop, they were cleared to pave the way for a grave. Mrs Eunice Wambui Mungai-Balcombe’s grave. Like the plants, which were not allowed to grow to their full potential, so was Mrs Balcombe’s life cut short. And when it was time for the burial in the Redhill area of Kiambu District on Tuesday, her three young children stood by the yawning grave, holding scoops of red earth in their palms. Mumbi, 14, Madisen, nine, and five-year-old Mitchel had never before stood near a fresh grave. Tears welled in their eyes as they prepared to bury their mother with the help of other relatives and wellwishers.

Killed by husband

And when the preacher said: “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” they let go of the red earth which fell into the grave. The soil let out soft thuds as each scoop hit the coffin bearing their mother’s body. Mrs Balcombe was reported to have been killed by her husband and the father of her two children. Mumbi, her adopted child, was burying her second mother, having lost her biological mother, Ms Ruth Mwago, when she was only two. Mrs Balcombe adopted the girl before emigrating with her to the UK in 1997 after she met and fell in love with Mr Peter Balcombe in Kilifi District. At the time, the Briton was a painter-cum-decorator. The couple married the following year and soon after Madisen and Mitchel were born. 

The last time the children saw their mother alive was on the night of December 20, at their home in Pewsey, Wiltshire. Mrs Balcombe, 40, was reportedly strangled the next day soon after Mr Balcombe took the three children to school. Mr Balcombe, Mrs Balcombe’s husband of nine years, has since been charged over the killing. His case will be heard in a UK court in March. The death was a big blow to Mrs Balcombe’s parents, Mr Stephen and Mrs Rachael Mungai. Mrs Balcombe was their last born child. After the grave was refilled, the two laid a round wreath of flowers on it, perhaps to symbolise eternal life. When the couple stepped back after their final farewell to their daughter, Mr Mungai’s left hand was firmly clasping his wife’s right hand. The two watched as their three grandchildren took turns to lay a heart-shaped wreath to symbolise the fond memories of their mother that would forever be etched in their hearts.  Mrs Balcombe’s brothers and sisters followed and then her UK-based friends, led by Dr Joe Sang, who had been taking care of the children.

Planted a rose

Mr and Mrs Mungai then walked back to the grave and planted a live rose flower as a constant reminder of their daughter’s love. Mrs Balcombe’s children also planted one to symbolise that the love for their mother had not died but would grow stronger.  As rose seedlings ran out, an elderly woman with a stooped back, made her way to the grave and planted a cut-rose flower. She too, wanted to bid farewell to the woman whose vision was to start homes for the elderly in Kenya and the UK. The final year nursing student at Oxford Brookes campus in Swindon was working at Wroughton’s Ridgeways Hospital before she met her death. She had and planned to return to her home country and see her project take off on a 30-acre farm her father had given her in Ngong. This never came to pass.

Mrs Balcombe, a former pupil at Muslim Girls primary school and Green Acres, had also attended Mary Mount Secondary School in Molo. She moved to Mombasa in 1984 after completing her studies at Reeswood Secretarial College. She met Mr Balcombe after her Italian husband, Mr Tino Ramoni, who owned a hotel on a four-acre plot in Kilifi died. She was found dead on the morning of December 21, after domestic differences with her husband the previous night. Earlier, she had called the police and they appeared at her doorstep in minutes. She chose to put up for the night at a neighbour’s house and returned to her house in the morning.  Police found her dead in her sitting room with her husband, who had earlier taken the children to school, wiping away something on the floor.  A friend he reportedly called to the house had informed the police about the attack.

A postmortem examination indicated she died of strangulation.  Mr Balcombe is said to have destroyed the travel documents of his biological children, Madisen and Mitchel. But he had approved of the return to Kenya of his wife’s body for burial. He also did not object to Mumbi’s homecoming. Mr Mungai, told the Saturday Nation that the family had to seek legal intervention before Madisen and Mitchel were allowed to attend their mother’s burial. The court granted the request on condition that they travel with Dr Sang who was return them to the UK after the funeral.

Outgoing person

“Eunice was a friendly and outgoing person. She had no problem conversing with people of all ages. Good friends like her do not just happen. When we heard about her death, our main worry was the welfare of her children,” said Dr Sang. Retired ACK Mt Kenya South Bishop Peter Njenga attributed Mrs Balcombe’s death to the work of the devil.  “Sometimes Satan commits evils to hurt God’s people in a bid to make them waver of their faith. But be firm.” He asked God to give Mrs Balcombe’s children strength. “The children may never know what happened to their mother. God, give them strength. Be with them always.” No doubt, the children needed the prayer. They were too young to fully understand why their mother died and why their father was being charged with the offence. But the pain of losing her is likely to live with them all the days of their lives. - Daily Nation.

Presidential aspirants on the ODM-Kenya party ticket, Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka, Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto urged Kenyans to ensure the Government does not rig the elections

London, Friday 26th January, 2007. The pastor of a London-based African church has been arrested on suspicion of child cruelty after claims that he had been branding children as witches and ordering that they be sent back to Africa where he would pray for them to die.  Pastor Dieudonné Tukala, 40, was held after a raid on his South London home. Mr Tukala, who is married with two children, heads a Congolese church with a congregation of about 400 in Tottenham, North London. Immigration officials are also investigating Mr Tukala, who arrived in Britain in 1999 with an Angolan passport and was granted exceptional leave to remain. The allegations against Mr Tukala were uncovered by Angus Stickler, who reported the case on BBC Radio 4’s Today and on the BBC Two programme Newsnight last night, when video clips were shown from services recorded by one of the church elders. The children of up to ten families are alleged to have been affected at the church, one of more than a hundred Congolese churches in and around the capital. In one example, the BBC reported, a father branded his nine-year-old son with a steam iron. A former church elder told Stickler that he was present when the boy was said to be possessed with evil spirits and alleged that Mr Tukala told the parents to beat him until he confessed to being a witch. - MORE

UK Borders bill will use HMRC data to track down illegal immigrants

Do you know that you can write to your Member of Parliament (MP) of your area directly if you are living in the UK. Open this website and post your post code and there you go. http://www.writetothem.com

The justice system was in turmoil last night as judges staged an unprecedented revolt over the full prisons scandal. John Reid was facing the worst crisis of his career as a string of criminals, including another dangerous paedophile, walked free from court. The Home Secretary is under threat from a growing rebellion by judges furious at being told to jail only the most dangerous offenders. Friday, incensed at the threat to their independence, many judges pointedly explained they were setting criminals free only because of political intervention. Others resisted and were equally condemnatory of Mr Reid's attempt to influence them, with one Crown Court justice defiantly vowing to jail whomever he thought fit, regardless of the state of the prisons. "I am well aware that there is overcrowding in the prison and detention centres," said Judge Richard Bray at Northampton Crown Court. "That is not going to prevent me from passing proper sentences in each case. "The reason our prisons are full to overcrowding, and have been for years, is because judges can no longer pass deterrent sentences." In yet another blow to Mr Reid, his youth justice chief Rod Morgan resigned last night over the overcrowding crisis.  Mr Reid attempted to distance himself from the furore on Friday 26th January, 2007, sending out Cabinet colleagues and a junior minister to face the music.  He emerged only at 6pm, giving a recorded interview to the BBC in which he insisted he had not changed the sentencing guidelines, but had only reminded the courts that only the most violent, persistent or dangerous offenders should be imprisoned.  But, amid accusations of "anarchy", the political damage had already been done.

Valentine’s is fast approaching and we are all set to demonstrate to our loved ones what they mean to us.  But the people we love can also hurt us deeply. That is why we lose sleep at the thought that our partners could be partaking of the forbidden fruit behind our backs. - MORE

London, Friday 26th January, 2007. Pressure to resign on Home Secretary John Reid has grown after the head of the Youth Justice Board of England and Wales quit over prison overcrowding. Rod Morgan said the youth justice system and children's prisons were being "swamped" by minor offenders. The Home Office dismissed Mr Morgan's claims but the Tories said they showed the government's "lack of credibility". Mr Reid is already under fire after calling for judges to avoid jailing all but the most serious offenders. A judge said he did not jail a man who had downloaded child porn as a result, sparking fierce opposition criticism. And another Crown Court judge has openly defied Mr Reid's advice, saying politicians should wake up to the fact prisoners were reoffending "because judges can no longer pass deterrent sentences".  - more

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Autotech Valeters Ltd

Hand Car Wash Opportunities!!

We are looking for licensee for our sites in Durham

(Newcastle) and Prescott (Liverpool) Interested?

Please call Frank on 01753545725/ 07985655330

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Anyone not born in the European union countries living in Britain will have to provide their DNA and BIOMETRICAL EYE details to the government regardless of their immigration status. This new system been created today is alarming because the state will be able to stop and ask anyone who is non white to provide their identity in the name of immigration. Also when we come back from home at Gatwick / Heathrow airports we will have to take the Biometric eye test for them to let us through. (see blow).

Plans for tougher border controls in the UK

Tougher powers for immigration officers and compulsory identity cards for non-EU nationals are due to be part of government plans unveiled later. The Borders Bill, the fifth on immigration in eight years, will make deportation of some foreign prisoners automatic once their sentence ends. It will also make ID cards compulsory for foreign nationals. Immigration minister Liam Byrne denied the bill was a "knee-jerk" response to last year's foreign prisoner scandal. He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "This has been a very, very carefully constructed piece of legislation. "What it allows us to do is presume that somebody will be automatically deported if they have committed a certain kind of offence. "What that allows the Immigration Service to do is start working much, much earlier on an individual's case, safe in the knowledge of what the outcome is likely to be."

Immigration officers are poised to get new powers

The Immigration and Nationality Directorate had been taking too long to work through cases, often having to detain people under immigration law after they had served their sentence, said Mr Byrne. "[Under this bill] we can start clearing away obstacles much earlier in the prisoner's sentences to increase the chances of deportation," he told a Home Office press briefing. Foreign criminals who would come under the new law must have been imprisoned for at least 12 months, have committed an immigration or asylum offence and be recommended by a court or the home secretary for deportation. Mr Byrne said if an appeal against conviction was made during the sentence, then a deportation order could not be made, but if it was made after the person had served their sentence then they would have to appeal from abroad. Appeals against deportation on human rights or asylum grounds would be dealt with in the UK.

Illegal immigrants

Mr Byrne defended proposals for new identity documents for foreign nationals. "At the moment, there are up to 60 different documents which someone can show to prove their entitlement to be in Britain. That is much too complicated. "This year, I am going to increase the sanctions for businesses who break the rules and employ people illegally. "I think the very least I can do is make life easier for those businesses by giving them a failsafe, easy method to check whether people are here legally and whether they are who they say they are." The government says the ID cards scheme, which would require biometric data such as fingerprints and digital photographs, would make it easier to distinguish between illegal and legal immigrants. The legislation will not see the creation of a new border police force, which the Conservatives had been demanding. But it will give immigration officers new powers of arrest for a range of offences, including more powers to detain and prosecute suspected organisers of people-trafficking.

Human rights

The government says its long-term aim is to be able to identify everyone entering and leaving Britain, and to limit illegal working. But immigration lawyers and human rights groups expressed concern that the Home Office already had enough power to deal with illegal immigration, but it was failing to do so. Shami Chakrabarti, of human rights group Liberty, said the law could prove to be "racially divisive" if it resulted in immigration spot-checks on Britain's streets.

Government efforts

Last year David Roberts, of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, said he did not have the "faintest idea" how many illegal immigrants there were in the UK. Some estimates put the number at about 400,000. Former Home Secretary Charles Clarke lost his job last year when it emerged more than 1,000 foreign prisoners had been released, having not been considered for deportation. Danny Sriskandarajah, from the Institute for Public Policy Research, told the BBC he was not surprised the law was being introduced. "John Reid and previous home secretaries have been desperate to try to convince the British public that they have control over who comes and goes. "I think the government really is stuck between a rock and a hard place. "They have to do something, and the something that they've come up with is introducing biometric ID cards for foreign nationals."

An office worker broke his ankle as he jumped 6m (20ft) from his third floor flat – because he was late for his first day in a new job. The 22-year-old became trapped in his flat when the front door jammed. He climbed through the window and jumped on to the roof of a first-floor flat below, breaking his ankle. 'He just kept saying he was late for work,' said fireman Mark Coffey, who helped rescued him in Leigh, Manchester.

Health authorities in Kirinyaga District have ordered the closure of all butcheries and imposed a ban on milk hawking in the district following the confirmation of a second case of an infected person with the Rift Valley Fever disease in the area. 

UK Immigration Work Permit and Visa Services

 

UK Residency - Permanent Residence in the UK

Permanent residence [or indefinite leave to remain] depends on the status of your stay in the UK to date and consequently how long you need to have been here to qualify.
 

Status ( Type of Visa currently )	Qualifying period
Ancestry	5 years
Work permit	5 years
Investors	5 years
Writers, composers and artists	5 years
Sole representatives	5 years
To establish in business	5 years
Unmarried partners	2 years
Marriage	2 years
Illegal stay on any basis	14 years
legal stay on any basis	10 years

Permanent residence removes any immigration based restrictions.

After one year of permanent residence you can apply for naturalisation.

The battle against corruption has not been won- if ever it commenced in the first place, a new report on the state of corruption in Kenya concludes

The Kenya government has finally reached an agreement with Safaricom co-shareholder on how the shares will be offered to the public. After months of negotiations, the two — the government and Vodafone Plc — have agreed on the terms under which the share will be offered. This now paves the way for the eagerly awaited initial public offer of Safaricom shares. According to our sister paper The East African, Vodafone’s Middle East and Africa director Mr Gavin Darby said the firm had granted a waiver to Telkom Kenya to pledge shares for Safaricom Limited to a syndicate of local banks for a Sh5.8 billion loan. The corporation is looking for a loan to pay terminal dues for 6,000 employees shortlisted for retirement. However, unconfirmed reports indicate that the parties had signed a memorandum of understanding that includes the terms under which the Safaricom IPO will be conducted. The agreement reached is a culmination of a process that started last year, when the government offered to sell 9 percent of the shares of the company to the foreign investor. But it turned out that the parties could not agree on the valuation of the company.  The International Finance Corporation (IFC), which had been appointed by the government to carry out the valuation, came up with a figure of $1.7 billion while Vodafone valued the company at $1.3 billion.  - Daily Nation.

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Mr. Seed Kenya Services

SERVING YOU ABROAD

Mr. Seed has opened an office in Nairobi,  Kenya. The office is located at 7th Floor, Jubilee Insurance Exchange, Kaunda Street, Suites 701-702, P.O. Box 70351-00400, Nairobi, Kenya. Tel: 00254-721991597, email: stevemwangi@anstegroup.com. Our partner in Kenya is Mr. Stephen M. Mwangi a former Bank manager for 25 years. UK, Europe, USA, Asia & Australia contacts are email: misterseed@yahoo.co.uk Tel: +447951220695. We offer different services to Kenyans abroad like helping you acquire PIN NUMBERS, CDS ACCOUNTS, BUYING NAIROBI STOCK SHARES ON YOUR BEHALF, LAND BUYING AND SELLING THROUGH A LAWYER, PAYING MONEY ANYWHERE ON YOUR BEHALF, CAR HIRE, APARTMENTS FOR RENT WHILST VISITING KENYA, HOTEL BOOKINGS ON YOUR BEHALF ETC.

We are now opening CDS Account and acquiring PIN No. for those abroad.  For CDS Account you just need two passport photos and a copy of your ID or Passport. Did you know that you cannot BUY or SELL in Kenya without a CDS account? When you buy shares, the shares are deposited into your CDS account. Soon you will be able to view you shares on internet. Due to fraud in Kenya, the government has introduced a new system where have to produce your photo if you want to be registered. To buy or sell land in Kenya today you have to produce the photo of the buyer and the photo of the seller at the Land Registrar. When you sell your land,  they remove your photo and fix the photo of the  buyer in your file at the land registry. The same system applies with Shares. We are offering these services to those abroad.

Likewise, you cannot buy or sell a house without your PIN Number. You cannot open Water, Electricity & Bank Accounts, Buy or Sell a Car, Import a Car etc. without this pin number. Were out to help you catch up with the new developments in Kenya where everything is moving fast. You might travel back to Kenya and find that you are living in your own world. In conjunction with Mr. Seed Money Transfer we can do a lot for you in Kenya including paying money anywhere on your behalf. Last month of December, 2006 Kenyans in the UK trusted us to transfer £480,000 on their behalf.

NAIROBI STOCK EXCHANGE SHARES - WHY SHOULD YOU BE LEFT BEHIND?

KenGen, Safaricom and Kenya Reinsurance Shares are just about to be floated in the month of February or early March 2007. Get ready to buy them for your investment. A friend of Mr. Seed Mr. Patrick Kimemia and his family  in Kenya made a cool KShs. 2 million with KenGen shares last year. Why don't you start investing for your old age?

Contact Mr. Seed or Mr. Mwangi for the application FORMS. Get yourself ready before the shares are floated. When it comes to buying and selling shares, we offer those services as well. From the time we launched the new services in the new year 2007, we have opened CDS accounts for 18 people in UK, 3 in German, two in the USA and one in China. Contact us and we'll send you a application form. After filling the form you can either send to Mr. Mwangi in our Nairobi office or to Mr. Seed in London. Mr. Mwangi recently bought some shares for  a Kenyan living in South West London worth KShs. 500,000.

WHEREVER YOU ARE IN THE UK, EUROPE, USA, EUROPE, CHINE OR AUSTRALIA, WE ARE THERE FOR YOU.

WE ARE A TRUSTED TEAM, WE CANNOT AFFORD TO MESS UP IN THIS NEW ERA OF TRANSPARENCY

TRUST US AND WE WILL DELIVER THE SERVICES.

IF CASE YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH OUR SERVICES IN UK OR IN KENYA,

PLEASE CONTACT MR. SEED ON misterseed@yahoo.co.uk or +447951220695.

 

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MORE KENYAN SERVICES

Are you looking a commendable lawyer in Kenya?

 Mrs. Nyambura Musyemi - Tel:  0722513991 - nyambura@musyimilaw.com

Titus M. Kinyanjui of Kinyanjui Advocates - Tel: 0722843841 - nkinyanjui4@yahoo.com

Laywer James Nyiha of Nyiha Mukoma - Tel: 00254-20-249247/8 - nyihamukoma@africaonline.co.ke

Nyambura. Kinyanjui of Kinyanjui Advocates - Tel: 00254-20-216974 - nkinyanjui4@yahoo.com

 

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Are you intending to visit Maasai Mara?

Contact the manager Mr. Jusper Bore: Mara Sopa Lodge

Tel: 00254-20-3750183 - info@sopalodges.co.ke - www.sopalodges.com

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While still abroad do you know that you can order for:

            

VIDEOS AND PHOTOS COVERAGE OF FUNERALS, WEDDINGS,

FAMILY GATHERING AND ANY OTHER OCCASION IN KENYA.

ALL TO BE POSTED TO YOU?

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

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Are you looking for an architecture in Kenya?

Kagwanja Thuo, Tel: 0722525472 - neoplan@planetcyb.co.ke

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The Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC) has launched its website. Water consumers will now be able to check their bills online at www.nairobiwater.co.ke. They will also be able to download application forms for water services, report corrupt cases for quick action and catch up with news and events of the company.

The death toll from Rift Valley fever reached 118 yesterday as panic gripped Nairobi following its spread in neighbouring Central Province. Infections rose to 402 after the virus quickly spread in North Eastern, Coast, Rift Valley, Eastern and Central provinces. The outbreak is in its second month. Deputy director of medical services Shahnaaz Sharif denied claims that the disease had reached Nairobi. “So far it has not been reported in the city and the cases that were thought to have originated from Nairobi were actually from outside,” Dr Sharif said.

A man suspected of being a financier of Somalia’s Islamic Courts Union has been charged with being in the country illegally

Free prescriptions for everyone are to be introduced in Wales from 1 April following a vote in the Welsh assembly. AMs voted by 39 to none to abolish the charges. Labour and Plaid Cymru supported the move while Conservatives and Liberal Democrats abstained. The move was approved despite manufacturers earlier warning it could lead to drugs going to waste and funding for new medicines being lost. It fulfils an assembly government pledge of free prescriptions by 2007. Last year the price of prescriptions in Wales dropped from £4 to £3, while it rose to £6.65 in England. The Welsh Assembly Government has said the scheme, while is expected to cost £29.5m in the first year, will reduce patient inequality. Welsh Health Minister Brian Gibbons said that free prescriptions would particularly benefit those people with chronic illnesses or on low incomes. He said: "The main reason for providing free prescriptions was to ensure people are not put off getting medication they need due to cost. "This will therefore enable those people who need medication to get it to improve their health and ultimately their quality of life." Dr Gibbons said the scheme would remove unfairness surrounding the currently-used 1968 exemption system where a diabetes patient automatically gets all prescriptions free while a cystic fibrosis sufferer does not. Patients registered with a Welsh GP or Welsh patients who have an English GP with an accompanying entitlement card who get their prescriptions from a Welsh pharmacist will not have to pay for their drugs from April.

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January 12, 2007,

Dear Friend,

We at the Kenya Association of Hospitals (KAH) take this opportunity to send you our warmest greetings and happy returns of the Season.

I am informed, there is a group of women sponsors in Los Angeles who are willing to help Kenyan children under 15 years, who are suffering from illnesses such as Cardiac [heart]; Brain [neuro]; Orthopedic [legs/feet]; Burns; & Tumours.

They are willing to cover most basic expenses including, passport, visa, travel and medical, we are told.

If you know or do come across a child under 15 years with a problem such as Cardiac [heart]; Brain [neuro]; Orthopedic [legs/feet]; Burns; & Tumours; I invite you to contact or help such a child to contact Virginia Wangechi on e-mail;  virginiawangechi@yahoo.com. Virginia Wangechi is a member of Association of Media Women in Kenya (info@amwik.org) and the contact person in Kenya of this group of women sponsors, in Los Angeles. 

Kindly include information such as photo, date of birth, name and any medical report(s), if available.

As I put this appeal to you, I am fully aware you are an extremely busy person. However, in my humble opinion, this is a God-given opportunity of helping a child you cannot afford to miss.

I am praying to the Almighty God, to fill our lives with His holy life, and to help us to show ourselves to be a people who live life to the fullest, because we live in the fullness of His own love that He has shown in Jesus Christ; and to make it possible for us to claim all our motives and deeds as His own.

“The world breaks us all; and afterwards, some are stronger in the broken places.” Ernest Hemingway

I encourage you to act on this request.

Have a God Blessed 2007.

John A. M. Maliti

Chief Executive Officer,

Kenya Association of Hospitals (KAH).

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Downing Street has denied allegations it had a hidden e-mail system from which messages were deleted after the cash-for-honours inquiry began. ITV News said police had been alerted to a second network in Downing Street. But a Number 10 spokesman said there was no second system containing details of party donors. Police are investigating whether money was donated to political parties in exchange for peerages - all those involved deny any wrongdoing.

"God has placed you here on earth for a purpose. Therefore, a satisfied life cannot be attained apart from the pursuit and fulfilment of your purpose" - Dr. David Ireland

A species of shark rarely seen alive because its natural habitat is 600 metres (2,000 ft) or more under the sea was captured on film by staff at a Japanese marine park this week. The Awashima Marine Park in Shizuoka, south of Tokyo, was alerted by a fisherman that he had spotted an odd-looking eel-like creature with a mouthful of needle-sharp teeth. Marine park staff caught the 1.6 metre (5 ft) long creature, which they identified as a female frilled shark, sometimes referred to as a "living fossil" because it is a primitive species that has changed little since prehistoric times. They live between 600 and 1,000 metres under the water, which is deeper than humans can go. The shark appeared to be in poor condition when park staff moved it to a seawater pool where they filmed it swimming and opening its jaws. "We believe moving pictures of a live specimen are extremely rare," said an official. "They live between 600 and 1,000 metres under the water, which is deeper than humans can go. "We think it may have come close to the surface because it was sick, or else it was weakened because it was in shallow waters." The shark died a few hours after being caught. Frilled sharks, which feed on other sharks and sea creatures, are sometimes caught in the nets of trawlers but are rarely seen alive.

 

The Kenya Government has allayed fears that increased domestic borrowing could trigger a rise in interest rates

 

A Nairobi hotel has dismissed at least two employees after failing a lie detecting test. It is alleged that after Fairview Hotel lost about 200 dessertspoons under mysterious circumstances, the management engaged a consultant to carry out the test, also known as a polygraph test. Mr Charles Ng’ong’a, one of the sacked employees, said the staff were subjected to an impromptu polygraph test under the pretext of a staff briefing. "We were informed that we would have a meeting only to go into this room and meet an individual who informed us that we were to undergo a polygraph test," Ng’ong’a said. He added that although the employees were told that the test was voluntary, they felt compelled to take the test. Mr Leonard Wanyonyi, another dismissed employee, said: "We took the test willingly since we knew we are innocent and also the fact that it was a management directive." The dismissal letter, which is in our possession, says that the two were summarily dismissed based on the findings of the test. "In accordance to the polygraph report performed on January 11, 2007 you were found untruthful when answering questions on thefts of hotel cutlery. In the opinion of the Polygraph Institute of East Africa you displayed deception to all the questions asked. This is sufficient reason and ground to suspect you of having committed a criminal offence," reads the letter. - The Standard.

After someone posted a  message on the message board about people being deported at Heathrow airport even if you have Indefinite Leave to Remain, we have received quite a number of calls confirming this. There is Mr. Evan and his son who arrived at Heathrow airport from Kenya last week. The man and his son  who live in Milton Keynes hold British passports. After arrival they were held by immigration officers for more than three hours. After being held for so long, the man protested that he had a British passport and he did not see the reason why they were  holding him. The immigration officer explained a very friendly manner that he was checking his immigration history to verify whether any fraud was involved before. The man was let in but the immigration officer gave him a letter of apology. The truth of the matter is that the centralisation of data will bring many things to light.

LOST IN THE JUNGLE FOR 19 YEARS

The woman does not speak in any identifiable language

A woman believed by some to have lived in the jungle for 19 years has tried to speak, says a Spanish psychologist who visited her in north-east Cambodia. Hector Rifa, of Psychologists without Borders said the woman "made some words" and smiled in response to a game involving toy animals and a mirror. However, she does not speak in any recognisable language, Mr Rifa added. She was reportedly discovered 10 days ago, naked and scavenging for food in the forests of Rattanakiri province. A family claims she is their daughter, Rochom P'ngieng, who went missing when she was eight. They say they identified her from a scar on her arm. But others are sceptical, saying she could be somebody with mental problems, or have gone missing more recently.   - more

Jennifer Gordon is renting out her pregnant belly. The "die hard" football fan is offering her nearly nine-months pregnant belly space for advertisers to paint. She will showcase it at the Feb. 4 Super Bowl national football championship in Miami. All she wants in exchange is two tickets to the game. Gordon, a publicist, has posted ads online on eBay and Craigslist detailing the ploy. "I will agree to have your message painted on my belly visible to Super Bowl attendees and the millions of fans around the world who watch," her Craigslist ad reads. The going rate for Super Bowl tickets is as high as $5,000 (¤3,845). Gordon and her husband Mitch have already booked flights to Florida and have a place to stay. "I thought it was brilliant," Mitch Gordon said. "It's certainly cheaper than a Super Bowl ad. Isn't this what fanatics do?" So far, Gordon said she has received about 45 inquiries.

"Space for sale" - Jennifer Gordon is renting out her pregnant belly

UK jails are full. Desperate ministers will beg judges to stop sending criminals to prisons - because they are full. A letter will be sent to courts across the country admitting that jails are officially in crisis. It pleads for only the most violent or dangerous criminals to be given a custodial sentence. Magistrates are also being asked to allow bail to all but the most serious crime suspects. The letter, signed by Home Secretary John Reid, Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer and Attorney General Lord Goldsmith, is the first in a series of drastic steps likely over the next few weeks. The most dramatic option is to order the early release of thousands of inmates sentenced to 12 months or less. MORE

An 87-year-old man in UK was asked to prove he was over 21 when he tried to buy a bottle of sherry in a York supermarket. The former Lord Mayor of York, Jack Archer, said he was shocked - but flattered - when asked the question by staff at Morrisons in Acomb. He said: "I don't look my age but I certainly don't look young enough to be in trouble for underage drinking." Morrisons said staff were required to ask anyone buying alcohol to confirm they were over 21. Mr Archer said he often had a small glass of sherry at bedtime to help him sleep. He said: "I was taken aback really. Afterwards I thought I should have showed them my bus pass and that would have proved how old I was. "I must admit the lady wasn't too persistent and I realised she was only doing what she's been told to do." A Morrisons spokesman said: "This is done with the best of intentions and we would hope it is taken in good humour by those obviously over the age of 21, as we do not wish to cause offence and no disrespect is intended. "We take our responsibility with regard to selling alcohol very seriously and all our stores operate the Task 21 scheme, which addresses the difficulties staff face in being able to determine if a customer is legally old enough to buy alcohol. "To further limit any element of doubt, staff at the Acomb store are required to ask anyone buying alcohol to confirm that they are over 21."

"Can I see your ID please?" - Mr Archer said a drop of sherry helps him to sleep at night

The Kenya Tourist Board is delighted to inform travel trade partners that Virgin Atlantic Airways has  announced that it will be launching a daily service from London Heathrow to Nairobi from 1 June 2007

Mobile phone payments provider mTranzact in Kenya has invested Sh70 million in a network for mobile banking in the country. Unlike the current mobile banking in which a customer has to send an SMS to a bank, with mTranzact one would only need to key in requests to the bank on the phone. It will use mobile phones bearer channels to speed up full banking applications. “We have moved a step further than e-banking by providing you instant options on your mobile keypad to know what your finances look like,” mTranzact general manager Estelle van Niekerk told reporters in Nairobi on Wednesday 24th January 2007.Through its partnership with commercial banks and mobile phone service providers, account holders will also be able to top up their phone credit and pay utility bills. The company starts operations next month. Ms van Niekerk said the mobile-commerce network is the first Visa and MasterCard certified payments gateway to be installed in Kenya.  The company will use the existing mobile phone network. There are about six million people with mobile phones, but only three million have bank accounts. Once registered, the consumer will be guided to select any of the mTranzact service menus, including mobile banking, utility bill payments, person-to-person payments and a mobile merchant option to pay suppliers. - Daily Nation.

LONDON AT IT'S WORST

Fresh snowfalls expected overnight in south-east England could leave parts of Kent, Sussex and the Essex coast with up to 15cm (6in) of snow by Thursday.  Gritter lorries have been out in force as forecasters predict the UK's worst winter weather so far.

A man has died at the Kenyatta National Hospital of Rift Valley fever sparking fears that the virus could spread in Nairobi. Hospital director Jotham Micheni on Wednesday 24th January 2007 confirmed that the patient was admitted to the institution last week from Kerugoya district hospital in Kirinyaga District. He died on Sunday and the body is at the hospital’s mortuary, Dr Micheni said. “Following the death, the hospital has issued an alert to all doctors and nurses to be on the lookout for the killer disease,” he said. The hospital has also set up an isolation ward where patients manifesting symptoms of the disease will be confined and treated, he added.

Just one inch of snow caused travel chaos in London and the South-East today Wednesday 24th January 2007. There were major delays on most roads into the capital with rail and Tube services also badly hit. The Met Office is warning that freezing conditions could cause more problems later. Network Rail appeared to have been caught out by the predicted cold snap as points failures led to services being stacked up behind one another. A spokesman said: "It has been a frustrating and disappointing morning. Our engineers and weather teams were out in the early hours but their efforts have not produced the results we were hoping for. "Routes are open but there are heavy delays but we can only apologise to passengers." A spokesman for Southern railways, which serves routes from the Sussex coast including the Brighton line into Victoria, said: "We have major delays of up to an hour because of problems with track points across the region." There were failures with points at Victoria, London Bridge, Waterloo and Clapham Junction. South West Trains, which runs local and London services into Waterloo, reported at least 19 points failures. This caused delays of up to 35 minutes to more than 30 peak-time trains. There were problems with the points on all their key routes. Southeastern, which serves the most crowded routes from Kent and south-east London, reported "a number" of track points failures, particularly in the Dartford and Gillingham areas. Problems were made worse by a broken down train at Bexley. This caused severe delays for services from Dartford to Charing Cross and Cannon Street.

LONDON WAKES UP TO FIND A WHITE CAPET

Sarah Prall said she was inspired by the sun rising behind the village church in Four Elms, in Kent. These children built a snowman and even made it to school on time - just, said Tim Puddefoot who took the picture in West Sussex.

Kent mainline services into London were running mostly to time - the worst problems were experienced by local suburban trains which suffered the brunt of the weather. Tracks became covered with snow and ice just before the morning peak period started up. On the roads, by the time rush hour began there had already been dozens of accidents as cars slid into each other. The AA warned of slow moving traffic caused by snow on the M1, M4, M40, M25, M23, A2, A3, A4, A406, A1, A13 and many other routes into London. An accident on the M25 at junction 24 caused long tailbacks and there was slow moving traffic along several stretches of the motorway.  In Surrey police escorted a lengthy two-lane column of London-bound traffic on the ungritted A3 at 15mph. There was slow moving traffic at the Wisley interchange, Liphook and Coombe. Motorists in Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Buckinghamshire and Hampshire were warned to beware of icy and slippery roads, particularly on higher ground. In Twickenham a car ploughed into a rubbish lorry. In other parts of London many drivers had narrow escapes as their vehicles slid along roads. One motorist said: "My car just went sliding straight onto the Bayswater Road where a white van narrowly missed me." The Met Of fice said: "Following the snowfall, clearing skies may lead to icy stretches on untreated road surfaces. "The public are advised to take extra care and refer to the Highways Agency for further advice on traffic disruption on motorways and trunk roads." On the Tube, Central and Jubilee lines suffered severe delays during the morning peak because of signal failures. The East London Line was suspended completely. The end of the Metropolitan line between Rickmansworth and Amersham was also closed. The District line suffered severe delays particularly on the Wimbledon branch and through central London. Bakerloo line services were suspended between Lambeth North and Elephant & Castle due to a fire alert. There were minor delays to both the Victoria and Piccadilly lines - again due to signal failures.

Sterling hit a 14-year record against the US dollar and Japanese yen as high UK interest rates attracted investors.  The pound rose above $1.99 on currency exchanges, almost breaking the key $2 rate. Against the yen it hit 241.42, a level not seen since September 1992. Analysts said the shock interest rate rise by the Bank of England had seen many investors shift into the pound and sterling-denominated assets. A strong pound is usually good news for UK shoppers, but may hurt exporters. The pound fell back slightly to $1.9825 in late trading . Investors hunt countries or currencies where they can get the best return on their capital. High interest rates attract money, especially if other nations have not raised their borrowing costs in line with the changes. 

Two weeks ago, the Bank of England raised its main interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 5.25% and many analysts are expecting further increases. In Japan by contrast, the central bank kept its main borrowing cost at 0.25% last month, while in the US the key rate was left on hold at 5.25% earlier this month after 17 consecutive increases between June 2004 and June this year. Traders said that many investors were borrowing money in Japan, where money was now relatively cheap, and buying into the pound to benefit from the higher interest rates that were on offer in the UK. The strong pound is good news for UK shoppers planning to travel to the US and Japan. However, it is bad news for UK exporters, as it means their products will be more expensive in those countries. "The $2 level is a big psychological one and the market wants to see," said Alain Delelis, a trader at Bank of America. However, he warned that while the pound may continue to get stronger, there remained the risk of a sudden correction back down to lower levels. "I think this time it will reach it but there are concerns about valuation and at some point it will turn and people will see big losses," he said.

PAULINE KARIUKI WHO LIVES IN ALASKA WITH HER FAMILY HAS SENT US THE PHOTO BELOW

I am sending you a picture of a Moose that I took over the weekend It was a big Moose that we found outside our house in the morning. The Moose is a big animal and during winter they come from the mountains to where people live in search of food since the mountains are covered  with snow. We have a lot of snow this winter as you can see and we have one
more month February and we are done with it. Just to mention the Moose is hunted by the Natives (Eskimos) and it is a delicacy to them. It can charge at human beings if you get on its way it has been known to kill but left alone it is not harmful. Her full life story in Alaska and more photos will follow soon.

Photo on Sunday 21st January 2007 by Pauline Kariuki in Alaska

On Friday, June 11, 2004, then Finance Minister, David Mwiraria asked Governance and Ethics PS, John Githongo to drop the Anglo Leasing investigation because it could bring down President Mwai Kibaki's government. He made the request in the presence of then Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister, Kiraitu Murungi. In the tape, posted on Mr Githongo’s internet website, www.githongo.blogspot.com, Imenti North MP Mwiraria is heard telling Mr Githongo to “Drop this matter” and promising him “I will get to the root of the matter.”...LISTEN TO THE TAPE.

An 81-year-old woman had to be rescued by firemen after being stuck in her bath for four days. The woman had apparently gone for a warm bath but could not muster enough strength to get out. After neighbours reported hearing faint knocking inside the apartment, the authorities went to the woman's apartment in Linz, about 120 miles west of Vienna. Firefighters revealed that the woman was in surprisingly good condition when they arrived, despite having been immersed in bath water since last Thursday 18th January 2007 in the evening. The woman told her rescuers she lacked the strength to get out of the tub and had knocked and shouted for help. She was then taken to hospital where she was treated for exposure.

A football fan is suing a tattooist who drew a penis on his back instead of his favourite team's badge. The teenager asked to have the Boca Juniors logo etched on his back. But the tattoo artist was a supporter of rival team River Plate and decided to have some fun at his young customer's expense. The victim, who cannot be named, said: 'I could not see what he was tattooing because he didn't have a mirror. I only saw it when I got home and showed it to my parents.'

Tattooed front and back

A burglar was convicted after police found his DNA on a halfeaten kebab he left at the scene of the crime. Michael Ring, 23, of Plymouth, UK was jailed at the city's crown court for nine months after pleading guilty to the house burglary.

A driver found a parking ticket attached to her car – after it had been crushed by a tree. Nicky Clegg was shocked to discover the £60 penalty notice when she returned to the Ford Fiesta she had abandoned during last Thursday's storms. The 42-year-old, of Worcester, said the windscreen, bonnet and wing mirrors on her car were all smashed. 'I couldn't believe it was a parking ticket,' she added.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Allegations that Sen. Barack Obama was educated in a radical Muslim school known as a "madrassa" are not accurate, according to CNN reporting. Insight Magazine, which is owned by the same company as The Washington Times, reported on its Web site last week that associates of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-New York, had unearthed information the Illinois Democrat and likely presidential candidate attended a Muslim religious school known for teaching the most fundamentalist form of Islam. Obama lived in Indonesia as a child, from 1967 to 1971, with his mother and stepfather and has acknowledged attending a Muslim school, but an aide said it was not a madrassa. (Watch video of Obama's school ).

Insight attributed the information in its article to an unnamed source, who said it was discovered by "researchers connected to Senator Clinton." A spokesman for Clinton, who is also weighing a White House bid, denied that the campaign was the source of the Obama claim. He called the story "an obvious right-wing hit job." Insight stood by its story in a response posted on its Web site Monday afternoon. The Insight article was cited several times Friday on Fox News and was also referenced by the New York Post, The Glenn Beck program on CNN Headline News and a number of political blogs. (Watch how the Obama "gossip" spread ) But reporting by CNN in Jakarta, Indonesia and Washington, D.C., shows the allegations that Obama attended a madrassa to be false. CNN dispatched Senior International Correspondent John Vause to Jakarta to investigate. He visited the Basuki school, which Obama attended from 1969 to 1971.

St. Andrew's School, Turi in Nakuru, Kenya will be holding an Open Evening in London on Friday 23rd February 2007. The headmaster of the school will be meeting the current and prospective parents in the UK. The event will take place at Ceasar Room, Imperial Hotel, Russell Square, London, WC1B 5BB as from 6.00 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. St. Andrew's School, Turi is one of the high class school in Kenya covering the British system of education. The School has been in existence since 1931. A large number of Kenyans in the UK have recently moved their children to this school from UK. Among them is Rev. Peter Wangaruro of Jubilee International Ministries London. Come and hear what the headmaster has to offer and again to share with old parents in the school. For more information you can contact eserwadda@oal.com , Tel 0780 1979701/2 or office@turimail.co.ke - CLICK HERE FOR THE MAP or visit www.standrewsturi.com

I saw the information below posted in the message board and I thought it is a food for thought. I don't know how true it is but what is loud and clear is that they are centralising all the information step by step.

You are likely to be deported                                                            mugi ni mutare

January 22 2007 at 6:00 PM

Be careful guys. Those with leave to remain but who gave wrong information that were later discovered could be denied re-entry into this country should they travel abroad.
A friend of mine who is an immigration officer at Heathrow has confided in me that he had to deport a Kenyan, a Nigerian and four Somalis on Friday, even if they had indefinite leave to remain. If you gave a false information, it is now showing on the entry port system (EPS) and is readily available when your passport is scanned on your arrival.
We are all worried since you wouldn't know what the immigrations hold against you.

WHAT MY FRIENDS SAYS IS THAT ALL THOSE HE DETAINED HAD APPLIED FOR ASYLUM FOR A SECOND TIME AFTER THE INITIAL APPLICATION WAS REJECTED.

BUT HE ALSO SAYS THERE ARE OTHER CASES WHERE PEOPLE WERE FOUND TO HAVE COME THROUGH OTHER SAFE THIRD COUNTRIES BUT NEVER DECLARED THAT ON APPLYING FOR ASYLUM.

HE SAYS THIS LIST IS LONG. I DON'T WANT TO BE SUBJECTED TO INSULTS. I WAS ONLY TRYING TO RAISE AN IMPORTANT ISSUE HERE, AS A FORUM

Motorists who are caught using a hand-held mobile phone while driving will have three penalty points added to their licence, the government says. Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander said the maximum fine would also double to £60 from 27 February. He added that it was "impossible to do two things at once" and that using a mobile while driving was dangerous.  But the Liberal Democrats say only about one in 100 offenders are being caught by police. Mr Alexander said: "Research shows that talking on a mobile phone while driving affects your concentration and ability to react to dangerous situations. "It's quite simple - it's impossible to do two things at once and do them well. "That is why in December 2003 we introduced new laws preventing motorists from driving while using a hand-held mobile. "We have seen a groundswell of support for this move. "But, worryingly, while 92% of people agree with the law, 21% of drivers admit to breaking it." Home Office figures for 2004 show that nearly 74,000 fixed-penalty notices were issued in England and Wales for illegal use of a mobile phone while driving. A Liberal Democrat study last year suggested this meant only 1.1% of those who admitted to the offence were being caught. The party combined the Home Office figures and an insurance firm's survey on driving habits to calculate that 6.7m people use mobiles while behind the wheel. If the police or the driver choose to take a case to court rather than use a fixed-penalty notice, the maximum fine is £1,000, or £2,500 for drivers of vans, lorries, buses and coaches.

Ms Ruth Kaimuri Kwena (right), a suspect in the Sh22 million robbery in Molo early this month, at the Nakuru Law Courts on Monday. She was allegedly found with Sh800,000 believed to be part of the money stolen from a security van. Kwena denied a robbery with violence charge. Picture by Lucas Thuo - The Standard.

Seven more suspects have been shot dead, bringing to 20 the number of suspects killed in Nairobi since Friday 20th January, 2007. Most of those killed were youth aged between 17 and 25. Two policemen were also wounded during the weekend incident. The latest killings took place in Dandora, Industrial Area and Kayole, where police said they foiled robberies on Sunday night. Two gangsters were gunned down in Dandora, and three AK-47 rifles, bullets and police uniform recovered. Embakasi OCPD, Mr Julius Muthuri, also said three gangsters were shot dead during a break-in at a warehouse on the Enterprise Road in Industrial Area, but their injured accomplices escaped. He said a toy pistol was recovered. In the Kayole incident, police killed two suspected muggers at about 8pm.  On Friday, two policemen were shot and injured in a shootout with criminals in Kangemi. Two of the gunmen were felled and a pistol was recovered. Police also killed three men in Ngong Hills on Friday night. Two other suspects were shot dead in Riruta and South C. Another gang of two was felled on Saturday along Thika Road and a similar number in Pangani. In the last 20 days, police have killed about 40 suspects, according to City Mortuary records. There has been an outcry over the number of suspects being killed, with calls on the police to demobilise them instead of shooting to kill. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights and the Law Society of Kenya say the number of those killed is alarming. Police, however, complain that courts release most suspects arrested, who revert to their criminal activities. Nairobi Area PPO, Mr Njue Njagi, also said those killed were criminals and officers acted within the law. "Police do not have orders to shoot and kill innocent people. Police are also human beings and cannot be trigger-happy," he said. The law allows police to use minimum force when making arrests. They are only supposed to shoot to kill when their lives are in danger. - The Standard.

Beach-combers have been told to stay away, but scavengers are out on Branscombe beach in Devon, where booty is washing up from the stranded ship MSC Napoli. So can they keep what they find? Brand new BMW motorbikes have been wheeled out of the shingle by keen treasure-hunters. Wine casks, perfume and car parts littering the shore have been rolled clear or tucked under the arm. People are picking through the contents of spilt containers from the cargo ship MSC Napoli beached off the Devon coast and at night, the area is lit by flickering torches as they scour the area for goodies. Warnings that chemicals such as battery acid, pesticide and oily liquids have also washed up, are proving little deterrent against the lure of "free stuff" littering the beach. But can people keep it? So far, police have not closed off the beach to stop them coming.

And there is, says Stephen Askins, a partner with maritime lawyers Ince and Co, a right to salve property. Someone could argue they are recovering goods from the beach to protect them, as they would be in a poorer state come four or five tides' time. But, before they clear the car boot and head to the coast, they should be aware of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995. It states clearly that if they try to conceal or keep the booty they are breaking the law. If they ignore the advice to leave it alone and report it to the coastguard, they must fill in relevant paperwork. But that still doesn't allow them to keep it. The goods still belong to their owners, whether they are stuck in containers on the stricken vessel, or washed up on the shore. Contractors have already been brought in to clean up the beach and return anything to its rightful home.

President Mwai Kibaki has said the Government will absorb the 3,080 health workers hired on contract last year

Spain has sent several hundred African migrants back to Senegal from the Canary Islands, officials say. Six planes flew them from the island of Tenerife to Saint-Louis in the African country's north-west. The migrants were among more than 30,000 Africans who landed in the Canaries in 2006 after dangerous sea journeys in open wooden boats. Most of those on board were Senegalese, but others were said to be from Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali and Mauritania. The repatriation came days after the first group of more than 70 Senegalese citizens to be granted Spanish work visas since restrictions were eased left for Spain.

ODM-Kenya remains in a state of high anxiety over the delegates system, which it has adopted as the method to pick its presidential candidate. At least two of the party’s presidential aspirants were last night of the view that consensus could save the party an expensive and potentially explosive process, with a third suggesting this would also open up debate on power sharing and regional balance in the constitution of a government. There are also emerging fears that Government agents may infiltrate the delegates to propel an "unlikely candidate to victory to present President Kibaki with a weak opponent". There were reports that the party’s top leaders have been hopping from one secret meeting to another, exploring the possibilities of adopting consensus to pick the party’s flag bearer.

Council officials have been paying private investigators thousands of dollars to have sex with prostitutes to gather the evidence needed to shut down illegal brothels. Nine local councils in Sydney have spent around A$23,150 – approximately £9,000 - on these 'undercover agents' over the past three years in an attempt to root out the illicit trade. One senior official admitted that extreme measures were necessary. “We have to employ private investigators to actually go through with the act and come up with reports that will suffice in a court process,” said Nick Ebbeck, the mayor of Kuringai council. "On numerous occasions over numerous days and times they had to fulfil the act." Licensed brothels are relatively common in Sydney but a number of illegal premises operate around the city. These unlicensed establishments are proving difficult to close down as councils struggle to prove that they are in fact operating as brothels.

An Australian has been thrown off a flight for wearing a T-shirt branding George Bush a terrorist. Allen Jasson was barred from a Qantas flight from Melbourne to London for his apparently offensive choice of clothing. The T-shirt bore a pictured of US President Bush and the slogan 'World's number one terrorist'. Airport staff at first told Mr Jasson to change into a Qantas shirt - then, when he refused, refused to let him fly. The 55-year-old IT specialist is now threatening to sue the airline, saying he had worn the shirt on previous domestic flights without a problem. Mr Jasson, who lives in London but had been visiting family in Australia, said: 'I am not prepared to go without the T-shirt. 'I might forfeit the $2,500 fare but I have made up my mind I would rather stand up for the principle of free speech. Qantas insisted any comments, spoken or on clothing, would 'not be tolerated' if they had potential to offend other passengers or threaten security.

This is a story of God’s works - mighty, wonderful and mysterious - in obedience to the command of JESUS CHRIST to me saying: “Go and testify what I have done for you.”  One usually thinks of misfortune as an act of fate and that we can do nothing to alter the events of our lives. To an extent this is true. In the case of a child of God, his life is planned1 (Proverbs 16: 9). Whether that plan is fulfilled or not depends on a number of factors, the individual’s closeness to God, his view about the ultimate purpose of life, and the socio-spiritual environment he finds himself. The course of your life is challenged by some external factors. The crisis is reached when you give over your WILL one way or the other, for good or evil. You can love or hate. You can wish to understand or misunderstand. The will to obey is the greatest force of a new born Christian, while the will to disobey is the most destroying force of the sinner. - MORE

Bullfighters, and the bulls they were supposed to be fighting, have been banned from a bull-taming festival in India for being drunk. The animals and their human opponents were breath tested – as a safety precaution. 'Seven bulls and four men were disqualified during tests to detect consumption of alcohol or other banned substances,' said district collector T. Udayachandran.

"Keeping your dreams alive will require more than just moving, but being at the right speed." - Perez Ochieng

An American man has survived after falling 17 floors from the window of a hotel in the US city of Minneapolis. Joshua Hanson, 29, landed on a roof awning and suffered multiple broken bones with some internal injuries, but is expected to recover. Mr Hanson crashed through the floor-to-ceiling window at the end of a corridor after returning to the Hyatt Regency after a night of drinking. Hotel managers said they would investigate the unprecedented incident. Police Lt Dale Barness told the Associated Press that Mr Hanson must have "an angel on his shoulder or something". "He's a lucky guy." Police said Mr Hanson finished drinking with friends and returned to the hotel at about 0130. Lt Barness said that as his lift arrived at the 17th floor he ran down towards the end of the corridor, where he somehow lost balance and crashed through the floor-to-ceiling window. But his fall was broken by the awning one floor above the ground. He was found on the ground and needed to be freed from the awning before being taken to hospital for treatment.

A new group Maendeleo Ya Wanaume Organisation (MYWO), threatened to move to court to compel Bishop Wanjiru to split her wealth with Mr James Kamangu Ndimu, the alleged father of her two sons

Bishop Margaret Wanjiru on Sunday 21st January 2007 expressed confidence of overcoming controversy over her planned wedding to a South African pastor. Calling the controversy “persecution”, the bishop also vowed to win the Starehe parliamentary seat in this year’s General Election. A joyous Bishop Wanjiru on Sunday returned to her Jesus Is Alive Ministries church on Haile Selassie Avenue in Nairobi for the Sunday service. She appeared undeterred and unshaken by the debate over her alleged marriage to a Gachie cobbler-cum-potter Kamangu Ndimu and planned wedding to pastor Samuel Matjeke. Instead, she thrilled her fully packed congregation with songs and preaching. And turning to journalists, she said: “I am told the media want to ask questions. I want to say to all the media houses who are here, thank you for coming. Today is Sunday and I am a very busy bishop ministering to all these people.”  The bishop led the faithful in shouting to journalists to have a good day. “Tell them again to have a good day,” she said amid cheers from the congregation who also lifted their hands as a signal to journalists to leave.

On Sunday, Bishop Wanjiru also led her congregation in a show of solidarity over her interest for Nairobi’s Starehe Parliamentary seat. She asked: “How many of you once again confirm we are taking Starehe for Jesus?” The faithful lifted their hands as they repeated after her: “We are taking Starehe for Jesus.” She also led the faithful in singing that she will win the seat in “Jesus’ name.” Bishop Wan