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Kibaki revokes ministers suspension

Written By: PPS, Posted: Sun, Feb 14, 2010

President Mwai Kibaki has revoked the suspension of ministers William Ruto and Sam Ongeri by Prime Minister Raila Odinga.  Kibaki denied reports by the PM that he had consulted him on the matter. According to a statement from State House, the Head of State said the PM had no powers to sack a minister.

" The legal provisions on which the Prime Minister acted do not confer him the authority to cause a minister to vacate his or her office" said the President. He added " according to section 16 (3a)  of the constitution, the office of a minister can only become vacant if the President so directs".

He said the two ministers should remain in office. He however clarified that that the position should not be interpreted in anyway as undermining the ongoing war against graft. President Kibaki said the war against graft will be successfully fought when done in accordance with the constitution and due process of the law.

Pres. Kibaki's statement on PM suspension order

Written By: PPS, Posted: Sun, Feb 14, 2010

The basis of appointment, suspension and removal of a Minister under the Coalition Government as per the Constitution of the Republic of Kenya , the National Accord and Reconciliation Act and the Agreement on the Principles of Partnership of the Coalition government is full consultation and concurrence between the President and the Prime Minister.

There has been no consultation between H.E. the President and the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister on the suspension of Hon. William Ruto, Minister for Agriculture and Hon. Prof. Sam Ongeri, Minister for Education, as announced by the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister today at a Press Conference.

Furthermore, the legal provisions on which the Prime Minister acted, do NOT confer him the authority to cause a minister to vacate his or her office.

According to Section 16 (3)a of the Constitution, the Office of a Minister can only become vacant if the President so directs.

In addition,

Section 4 (5) of the National Accord and Reconciliation Act clearly states: "The removal of any minister nominated by a political party of the coalition shall be made only after prior consultation and concurrence in writing with the leader of the party."

Therefore constitutionally, the two ministers remain in office.

This position should not be interpreted in any way as undermining the ongoing war against corruption. 

The war against corruption will be successfully fought when we do so in accordance with the constitution and the due process of law.

 February 14, 2010

2 Kenyan soldiers killed at Sudan border

Written By: Margaret Kalekkye/Millicent Awour, Posted: Sun, Feb 14, 2010

Two Kenyan soldiers were Sunday morning killed at Nadapal along the Kenyan-Sudan border in an ambush on a military convoy.  Military spokesman Bogita Ongeri  said six other soldiers  were injured during the attack by unknown gunmen.

The injured were airlifted to the Forces Memorial Hospital in Nairobi for treatment. The cause of the attack is yet to be established. Security forces including the military, administration police and General Service Unit officers have been deployed to the area to beef up security along the border where The Kenya Army and administration police have both set up their bases.

This is not the first time the soldiers have been attacked by Sudanese Toposa militia. Last year October, the government denied reports that 16 soldiers had been killed during an attack on their barracks in Nadapal. The Toposa who are based near Sudan-Kenya border, have been living and grazing their animals on the Kenyan side of the border. They are opposed to the establishment of a Kenyan border position in the area.

PM suspends Ruto and Ongeri

Raila and Kibaki seem to be having big difference

Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Sunday suspended Ministers William Ruto and Sam Ongeri for three months over the Maize and Free Primary Education scandals respectively. Addressing a press conference, the PM said he was exercising the authority vested on him in section 15(a) of the Constitution and under section 4 (1) of the National Accord Act which confers on him the authority to supervise the execution of the functions and affairs of the government, including ministries. Raila said the move was prompted by the PriceWaterHouseCoopers forensic audit report on the maize scandal and the report of the Internal Auditor General on the Free Primary Education.  He said the reports laid credible foundations for the two ministers to be investigated.  " In order for the government to conduct independent investigations, it is important that the two ministers step aside" he added He further directed the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission (KACC), CID and  Inspectorate of State Corporation to review the two reports and make recommendations on those that should be prosecuted. When asked if President Mwai Kibaki was in agreement with his decision, the PM said consultations had been made within the government.

The ministers suspension come a day after President Mwai Kibaki directed government officials mentioned in the maize audit report and missing Education funds to step down to pave way for independent investigations.  In a statement issued from State House Nairobi on Saturday, President Kibaki said the officials should vacate office for three months to allow for independent and accurate investigations.  The Head of State said the Permanent Secretaries in the ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Romano Kiome, Special Programmes ministry, Ali Mohamed and PS in the Prime Minister's office, Dr. Mohammed Isahakia should step down.  Others are PS in the ministry of Education Prof. Karega Mutahi, Administrative Secretary in the Prime Minister's office, Caroli Omondi, Managing Director of the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB), Gideon Misoi, NCPB's Marketing manager, Mr Boit and NCPB General manager, Mr Langat,  who was earlier interdicted.

Ruto and Ongeri - Kibaki nullifies Suspensions

Below is the full statement by the PM

In exercise of the authority vested in the Prime Minister in accordance with the provisions of Section 15 (a) of the Constitution, and Section 4 (1) of the National Accord and Reconciliation Act, which confer on me also the authority to supervise the execution of the functions and affairs of the government, including ministries,  I am hereby suspending with immediate effect the following ministers for a period of three months:

Hon. William Ruto, Minister of Agriculture.
Hon. Samuel Ongeri. Minister of Education.

I am taking this action because two recent investigations, the forensic audit by PwC on the maize scandal, and the Report of the Internal Auditor General on Free Primary Education, have laid credible foundations for the two ministers to be investigated. In addition, in order for the government to conduct fair, independent and comprehensive investigations which would result in gathering evidence to determine if any individuals need to be prosecuted in these two scandals , it is important that Hon. Ruto and Hon Ongeri step aside.   I am also directing KACC, the CID and the Inspectorate of State Corporations to jointly pursue this matter further.  This team should review the above two reports, as well as the reports on the maize scandal by KACC, the Inspectorate of State Corporations, and the CID, with a view to recommending those cases which should be prosecuted.

'Messiah Who Enslaved Women' Faces Charges

An Israeli man is to appear in court charged with enslaving at least 17 women in a harem he controlled like a cult. Goel Ratzon is the first man in Israel's history to be prosecuted for enslavement. He also faces charges of rape and incest. The 60-year-old lived in a nondescript house in Tel Aviv with his concubines, fathering more than 30 children with them. Like a cult leader he controlled every aspect of the women's lives with a list of rules that enforced total obedience. But they appear to have worshipped him in return, tending to his every whim.  Some bore tattoos with his image, with inscriptions calling him their Messiah. But his defence lawyer Gabai Mendleman told Sky News he insists he has done nothing illegal.

"They chose to come back to me every day, to live with me. No-one forced them to. That's what my client says," he said. Police and prosecutors say he is guilty of two decades of abuse. Israel's police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told Sky News: "He's accused of causing physical bodily harm to the women and the children, holding them in terms of slavery as well as unfortunately sexual misconduct to the women and children over a long period of time." Police believe Ratzon had incestuous sex with his own daughters, fathering more children with them. Those who know Ratzon say he has a chilling, hypnotic hold over his women and others who come too close to him. Private investigator Asher Weitzman sent female agents into the family, only to have one of them almost fall under Ratzon's spell. "What he did was he grabbed her face, in a nice way, not a rough way and he said look into my eyes," he said.  "She looked into his eyes and she says that from that moment she felt like she was losing control." Mr Weitzman and the Israeli media reported Ratzon to the police a decade ago, but it has taken that long for authorities to investigate him and bring him to court.

Nairobi, Saturday 13th February, 2010. Two top aides in Prime Minister Raila Odinga's office on Saturday 13th February, 2010 stepped aside to pave way for investigations into the maize scandal.  Permamnet secretary Mohammed Isahakia and  Administrative Secretary Caroli Omondi said they had temporarily stepped aside from their positions to give the PM a free hand to deal decisively with the issue.  In a statement faxed to newsrooms,  Caroli said "my stepping aside is necessary so as to give the PM a free hand to deal decisively with this important issue". Caroli who was the first to quit urged Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and other officials mentioned in the PWC forensic audit report to take responsibility.  He however stated that the report had given documentary proof that he acted on the authority of the cabinet.  "I have taken this decision notwithstanding the fact that PwC having seen the relevant documentary proof have confirmed that I acted on the authority of the cabinet". He said Isahakia who stepped aside moments later said he was doing so to facilitate due process of law in respect of the audit report. "I wish to inform the public at large that I have decided to temporarily step aside from my position as the PS until the maize saga is resolved" said the PS in a statement.  Caroli and Isahakia  were  adversely mentioned in the PWC report, which exposed  the fraudulent sale of maize worth over two billion shillings.  The two including Prime Minister Raila Odinga are expected to appear before the Parliamentary Select Committee on Agriculture sometime next week.

Mr Caroli Omondi during the presentation of the maize scandal report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Nairobi on February 11, 2010.

Pharmacy Direct Kenya is a new on line pharmacy for Kenya.

Pharmacy Direct Kenya is a new on line pharmacy for Kenya. It is promising to revolutionise the way Kenyans at home and abroad buy their medicines. Of particular interest to the Kenyans in the diaspora is the ability to buy medicines for family and friends back in Kenya without sending money to Kenya. The website is www.pharmacydirectkenya.com  and it has a comprehensive drug database that is expanding every day. The pharmacy services are led by professional pharmacists registered in both UK and Kenya. The physical Pharmacy from where dispensing is done is located in Nairobi. They also provide a delivery service to most of Kenya. Orders for drugs can be placed via the website, by sending an email  to info@pharmacydirectkenya.com  or by calling (+447932801969 in the UK, +254722519082 in Kenya). A valid prescription is required when ordering Prescription Only Medicines (POMs). For those in Kenya requiring seeing a doctor, we have partnered with top consultants in Nairobi for a quick referral system. Those who have used the website are already giving rave reviews.

A KIKUYU PROVERB

Mûkûrû, gaya, ûnyonie mûgaire.

Old man, divide and teach me how to divide.

This proverb shows how the Kikuyu respected old people, to whom was left the distribution of meat, beer, etc. At all gatherings .

Old age is honourable.

Cut working week to 21 hours, urges think tank

The working week should be cut to 21 hours to help boost the economy and improve quality of life, a left-wing think tank has said. The New Economics Foundation claimed in a report the reduction in hours would help to ease unemployment and overwork. The think tank said people were working longer hours now than 30 years ago even though unemployment was at 2.5 million. The foundation admitted people would earn less, but said they would have more time to carry out worthy tasks. They would have better scope to look after children or other dependents, there would be more opportunity for civic duties, and older people could even delay retirement, it said. Anna Coote, co-author of the 21 Hours report, said: "So many of us live to work, work to earn, and earn to consume, and our consumption habits are squandering the earth's natural resources.

Everyone takes his position at Back to God Ministry

It was serious business at Back to God Ministry in Crystal Palace, South London on Sunday 7th February, 2010 at the church service when we arrived to see everyone taking his position. A pastor was busy with the drums and the Senior Pastor Jessie Nderitu  (left) was busy playing guitar and Master Caleb Muchiri (right) was busy with keyboard. “What is happening here,” I asked  and the reply was “show them how to do it when they are young and they will never come out of it.” The service was good – good music and the preaching was also good. After a lovely dance in the church the senior pastor commented: “We come here for spiritual gym.” Preaching was delivered by Pastor Gabriel Ngunyi who explained that in life, you have three enemies: Satan is enemy number one, your body is enemy number two and the world is enemy number three. He quoted his reading from Genesis 3:1, Job 1:9 and Rev. 12.12.  He concluded his preaching by saying that in UK the world has taught the family that the husband should submit to the wife but in that ministry wives always submit to their husbands as the word of God says.

“That which often absorbs your strength is your worst enemy at bay.” – Sanity, Grace Njeri, Oxford – gracenjeri77@yahoo.com

A MAASAI PROVERB

Ore pe inturraa minyi o nutunyi metii ilmanati likimirrta, nikipik enoki nimilo atum enkisho.

If you cast away your father and mother and there is no enemy chasing you, they will curse you and you will never get wealth.

Thomas Mochu Mbugua in London has lost his father back in Kenya on Thursday 11th February, 2010. Father to Thomas Mochu Mbugua (London) and Catherine Njeri Mbugua (Boston). Father in law to Patrick Efunwa (Ireland) and Lina Wambui Mochu (London). He was granddad to six grand children. Family and friends are meeting for prayers and support at 34 Scott House, Queens Road West, Plaistow London E13 0RU. Those wishing to give us your support can do so through Halifax bank. Account no.00012904   Sort Code 111235   Account Name Mr. T. M.  MBUGUA. For more information please contact Tom.  07984632944.

London, Friday 12th February, 2010. A ticket-holder has won the UK's biggest-ever lottery prize - scooping a massive £56 million. The win surpassed the £91 million paid out in November last year which was shared between two UK tickets. The winning ticket shares the overall jackpot of £113 million with one other which was bought in Spain. A National Lottery spokesman said: "This is fantastic news - we're absolutely delighted to have such a massive UK win, which shared tonight's mega jackpot with a player in Spain. "This is the biggest win since Les and Sam Scadding and the Magnificent Seven syndicate each won £45.5m in November 2009.  "Subject to validation the prize could be paid out when the banks are open on Monday." The lucky numbers are - 05, 45, 01, 38 and 18. The Lucky Star numbers are 6 and 4.

“A butterfly thinks itself a bird because it can fly.” – Wisdom of Africa, Sierra Leone

Photos of the week

LEFT: Meanwhile in London, Ghana's high commissioner to the UK was observing royal protocol on Tuesday as he handed his credentials to the Queen as the New Kenya High Commissioner prepares to present his on Thursday 18th February, 2010.

KIKUYU AGE GROUP

1952 – Rika rîa Warûrûngana.

A LUO PROVERB

Lak chogo kata meru ema otho kidek nyiero.

Teeth is bone and knows no sorrow even when your mother is dead you can still laugh at something amusing.

There is always something to leave for even after a great personal loss.

HARUSI YA WASENGE WAWILI HUKO MOMBASA

You could not afford to laugh watching KBC TV News at www.habari.tv on Friday evening when the two broadcasters made a big joke about the proposed gay wedding in Mombasa on Friday. They started the evening news by saying: “Harusi, harusi, harusi... wapi huko.... Mtwapa Mombasa, ni nani wanaoa... Wanasenge wawili...” It is a big issue in Mombasa.

Mob attacks gay ‘wedding’ party

Mtwapa police boss K.K.Mutegi rescues a man from an angry mob on Friday after they attempted to attack him claiming he was gay.

Kenya’s would-be first gay wedding was violently stopped by protesting youths and police on Friday at Mtwapa near Mombasa, hours before it was due to take place. Police intervened as dozens of Christian and Muslim youth stormed the apartment where three men — including the gay couple — had been putting up, intent on flushing them out to stop the wedding. They arrested five suspected homosexuals, including two who were rescued from youths baying for their blood but the local police chief later said no charges would be preferred. “I sent Mtwapa OCS to rescue them from angry residents baying for their blood because they were trying to conduct that marriage between men,” said Kilifi police chief Grace Kakai.  The wedding between two men had been scheduled to take place at a private villa. But the protesting youth, banded together under the banner of the so-called Operation Gays Out, were not done yet. They went to the Kenya Medical Research Institute at Mtwapa claiming the institute was harbouring yet another gay man.  The local station commander and a contingent of police officers calmed the angry youth who were preparing to storm the institute. Guards at Kemri refused to open the gate, fearing for their lives.

Women who were among protesting locals, yelled at the top of their voices and called for an operation to flush out lesbians also claimed to be living among locals. “God created men to provide sexual pleasure to us (women). What will happen now that they have turned to each other? Who will marry our daughters,” shouted a woman. A frightened Kemri employee told reporters that the centre was conducting an international science research project but she declined to elaborate. “This is international research project but wait for “This is international research project but wait for the head of the project to give you more information,” she said. Religious leaders said the project should be terminated. The research centre was opened by Dr Seth Berkley, President of International Aids Vaccine Centre on 27 March 2007. Sheikh Hussein Ali, the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya Kikambala region coordinator and National Council of Churches of Kenya, Kilifi district representative Bishop Laurence Chai led Operation Gays Out. The two clerics declared having successfully stopped the homosexual nuptials that they said was announced to take place in the town 20 days ago. “We thank God for saving this town from being turned to Sodom and Gomorrah of this era as we may have been on the verge of being doomed,” said Bishop Chai. – Dail

It is interesting to note that there hundreds of Kenyans living in Venezuela, South American who are funs of www.misterseed.com

Gay wedding here? No way, vow preachers

Bishop Lawrence Chai of Free Apostolic Churches of Kenya (left) and Sheikh Ali Hussein of Masjid Answar Sunna Mosque, Mtwapa, speak to journalists on Thursday. The leaders of the two faiths were united in their vow not allow homosexual unions to be conducted in the region. – Daily Nation.

HIV-positive German pop star charged: prosecutors

German prosecutors said Friday they have charged a member of all-female pop group No Angels with causing bodily harm for failing to inform sexual partners that she was HIV positive.  Nadja Benaissa, 27, had sex on five occasions between 2000 and 2004 with three people and did not tell them she was infected, even though she had known since 1999, according to the charge sheet. "She was well aware that any unprotected sexual contact can lead to the virus being passed on," prosecutors in the town of Darmstadt near Frankfurt said.** One of the three had since been confirmed as being infected with the HIV virus, which causes AIDS, prosecutors added.No Angels shot to fame in 2000 thanks to a television talent show and had a string of hits in central Europe before splitting up in 2003. They reformed in 2007 and competed in the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing 23rd.

Man, 76, charged with smuggling cocaine

A pensioner has been charged with smuggling cocaine into Britain, the UK Border Agency said today.  Derek Orton, 76, was arrested yesterday when he arrived at Heathrow airport after flying in from Nairobi, Kenya. Two kilos (4.4lb) of cocaine, with a street value of around £80,000, was found in baggage, officers said. Orton, who was born in Essex but now lives in Kampala, Uganda, was later charged with attempting to import a Class A drug.  Peter Avery, assistant director of the UK Border Agency's criminal and financial investigation team, said: "UK Border Agency officers are determined to stop Class A drugs reaching our streets. "We would urge anyone with information about drug smuggling to call our Smuggling Hotline on 0800 59 5000." Orton is due to appear before Uxbridge Magistrates' Court, north London, today.

Running away from a death town - Mogadishu

Thousands of Somalis were fleeing the capital Mogadishu, taking everything they own, as rumours spread that a major battle between the government and insurgents was imminent.

£1m cannabis plants found growing in bank

More than £1 million-worth of cannabis has been found growing in an historic bank. Some 2,000 plants were found in the makeshift cannabis factory in Bedminster, Bristol, on Wednesday. The haul at the disused bank building in East Street is among the largest in the history of Avon and Somerset Police. Around 60 bags of soil and 150 lights and transformers were also found in the "sophisticated set-up". Two men aged 29 and 30 have been arrested on suspicion of production of a controlled drug and are in police custody helping officers with their inquiries. Sergeant Jon Bane said: "This is a large-scale sophisticated set up capable of producing many thousands of plants. This operation should send a strong message that drugs will not be tolerated in Avon and Somerset. "I would urge the communities to continue to help us by reporting any information they have. I assure you that it will be met with a positive police response." Officers were acting upon information obtained by the Metropolitan Police Service.

Unidentified Foreign Object (UFO) in Bristol

UFO sceptic has close encounter with 'alien' on bowling  green. The truth is out there – somewhere between the crazy golf and bowling green, to be precise. A drawing by Roy Shaw of the UFO he saw in Exmouth, Devon. He said it was about 100ft long, with flashing lights. He was at a loss to explain it. A UFO sceptic was left terrified and running away so quickly he twisted his ankle, after seeing a mysterious craft and an otherworldly figure in Exmouth’s aptly-named Phear Park. Retired engineer Roy Shaw was taking a night-time stroll with his dog, Sydney, when the close encounter happened. He said: ‘The object was round, about 30ft in diameter and 100ft long, with blue and red flashing lights on its perimeter. ‘It appeared to land at the top end of the park by the bowling green. My dog started to growl when what I can only describe as a white shape came towards us. Hello Spaceboy: Roy’s picture of the ‘white shape’ that approached him. ‘It was about 4ft high and seemed to be translucent and moved very slowly towards us. I was transfixed because it made a droning noise, which sounded like “my, my”.’ Devon UFO expert Nigel Wright said: ‘This is a close encounter of the third kind – encountering an occupant of a UFO in close proximity to the craft. This is a really important sighting.'Mr Shaw said he remained a sceptic and was at a loss to explain Saturday’s incident.

World Press Photo Winners

LEFT: This picture by photographer Paul Nicklen, Canada, National Geographic, won 1st prize Nature Stories and was shot in South Georgia, Antartica. CENTRE: Malick SidibÈ, a The New York Times Magazine photographer based in Mali, won the first prize in the Arts and Entertainment Singles category for this picture titled "Fashion portfolio: Prints and the Revolution", in Mali. RIGHT: Stefano De Luigi, a VII Network for Le Monde Magazine photographer based in Italy, won the second prize in the Contemporary Issues Singles category for this picture of a giraffe killed by drought, in northeast Kenya shot in September 2009.

Chip and pin fraud danger revealed

A team of computer researchers say they have uncovered flaws in the Chip and Pin system which are being exploited by fraudsters to use stolen cards.  The group from the University of Cambridge's Computer Laboratory found that criminals can insert a "wedge" between the stolen card and terminal, tricking it into believing the pin has been correctly verified, when in fact any pin can be used for the transaction to go through. The card meanwhile thinks it was authorised by signature. Dr Steven Murdoch said: "We have tested this attack against cards issued by most major UK banks. All have been found to be vulnerable." The discovery is likely to place some question marks over the existing Chip and Pin design and its security. Victims of this type of fraud may encounter problems obtaining refunds from their banks as the receipt produced states "Verified by Pin". Professor Ross Anderson said: "Over the past five years, thousands of cardholders have had stolen Chip and Pin cards used by criminals. The banks often tell customers that their pin was used and so it's their fault. "Yet we've shown that it's easy to use a card without knowing the pin - and the receipt will say the transaction was 'Verified by Pin' even though it wasn't." "This is not just a failure of bank technology. It's a failure of bank regulation. The ombudsman supported the banks and the regulators have refused to do anything. They were just too eager to believe the banks."

Socially charged works by Kenyan-born artist to be exhibited at AGO

The Kenyan-born, New York-based artist Wangechi Mutu is known for socially charged works that explore female and cultural identity.  Her first solo exhibition at a major North American museum will be staged at the Art Gallery of Ontario from Feb. 24 to May 23.  Wangechi Mutu is a phenomenal artist who is pushing boundaries, raising awareness and making a statement with her art.  Her ability to take any medium and make it into something that people will look at in awe has brought her great accolades from some of the harshest art critics in the world.  She was Born in Nairobi in 1972, moved to New York in the mid-'90s and received an MFA in sculpture from Yale University in 2000. Her work is in the permanent collections of New York's Museum of Modern Art, L.A.'s Museum of Contemporary Art and other institutions. - Source-canoe.ca

Marriage in UK is in crisis as weddings hit record low since record began. Fewer people are getting married than at any time since 1862, figures revealed on Thursday 11th February, 2010. A total of 232,990 couples tied the knot in 2008, figures from the Office for National Statistics showed. That is down from 235,370 in 2007 and the lowest total since 1895. The marriage rate, which is calculated by the number of marriages per head of population, fell to its lowest level since records began in 1862, the ONS said. In 2008 there were 21.8 men marrying per 1,000 unmarried adult men, down from 22.4 in 2007, and 19.6 women marrying per 1,000 unmarried women over 16, down from 20.2 in 2007. In 2008 there were 21.8 men marrying per 1,000 unmarried adult men, down from 22.4 in 2007, and 19.6 women marrying per 1,000 unmarried women over 16, down from 20.2 in 2007. The figures, which cover England and Wales, are likely to spark further debate about the decline of marriage. Since 1981 the number of marriages conducted every year has fallen by a third. Resolution, a group of family lawyers, said the legal benefits of marriage should be extended to unmarried cohabiting couples. Vice chairman David Allison said: "A smaller percentage of people got married in 2008 than in any year since records began and at the same time the number of couples living together outside of marriage is on the increase.

"Yet the majority of people don't understand that living together does not give them any financial protection should the relationship end, which leaves countless people vulnerable to financial hardship if their relationship breaks down." A Church of England spokesman said: "Couples today see marriage as being the crown of their relationship, something to wait for, rather than a gateway to adulthood as it used to be. "We have found that marriage is regarded as a serious commitment and something people aspire to, even those already living together. "Making a positive public decision to a committed, life-long relationship changes behaviour - especially for men. "We have found that men coming for weddings are as interested in their relationship and the quality of it as in the day itself. "While the share of religious weddings has gone down, the share of Church of England weddings has remained stable at 24%. "Many churches are inviting parishioners to celebrate marriage on Sunday at special services using new liturgy for Valentine's Day."

Kibaki Honors Five Kenyans in Diaspora

President Mwai Kibaki has awarded five Kenyans in the U.S various honors for their outstanding and selfless contributions to the community welfare and leadership during the year of 2009. This good news was relayed by the Kenyan Ambassador to the United States, H.E.  Peter N.R.O. Ogego. Speaking to KEN, Ambassador Ogego congratulated the distinguished honorees:  Dr. Mwangi Wachira, Pastor David Karanja, Rev Dr. Penny Ruth Njoroge, Ms. Elizabeth Mungai, and Mr. Joseph Wambia for their great accomplishments. He asked Kenyans in Diaspora to join them in celebrating their well deserved awards. “I am happy to see the Government of Kenya recognizes the contribution the Diaspora is giving to society”, said Ogego. The President honored the five by conferring upon them various individual Presidential awards for the exemplary contribution they have made to the country during the 46th Independence (Jamhuri) Day Celebration on December 12, 2009 in Nairobi, Kenya. The five join other honorees like Dr. Benson Karanja, President of Beulah Heights University and Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Baptist Church, both of Atlanta GA., who were bestowed the Head of State's Commendation (H.S.C.) Award in 2008 for their work in Kenya.

This year, Dr. Mwangi Wachira was presented with one of Kenya’s highest awards – the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW). A well accomplished former World Bank employee, he has played a major role in promoting the Diaspora and was the official representative of the Kenyans in the U.S at the Biennial ambassadors conference in Nairobi last year. Dr. Wachira is also a key advisor to the Kenyan Government in Nairobi on international matters. He was a former speech writer for first president of Kenya, the Late Jomo Kenyatta before joining the World Bank.  An Investment Advisor, Mr. Joseph Wambia joined the honorees being awarded the Head of State’s Commendation (HSC) award. A former World Bank employee too, he has worked on a high level and off the radar to advice and promote Kenya in Washing DC. Wambia has played key roles in negotiation with IMF, World Bank and other major potential investors in Kenya.  He has used his experience and network to advise among others the Kenyan Embassy on how to navigate the tricky and sometimes murky waters that are Washington DC politics with his unlimited resources. Wambia has been a resource center for many Kenyans in Diaspora and is credited with the realization of many tangible results.

He has been feature on high profile business network like CNBC on matters of investment in Africa and runs Wambia Capital, one of the largest and most respected investment and risk advisory firms focusing on Africa. It is among the few independent Pan-Africa Investment firms to be founded and managed by Africans in the United States. Another Kenyan to receive the Head of State’s Commendation (HSC) award is Apostle David Karanja of Christ Harvesters Ministries International (CHMI). Apostle Karanja told KEN that he was called by the ambassador to give him the good news. A well accomplished leader in his own right, Karanja has spearheaded a successful project to assist thousands of Kenyan pastors in rural Kenya by providing bicycles for their transport. His outreach ministry has taken him to promote the good news around the world including Europe and Kenya. Karanja is the leader and the visionary of Christ Harvesters Ministries International which he started in 2004 with only 7 members, including his family. Under his leadership the ministry has grown to over 1000 members in a span of 4 years. The church moved from a mobile home to owning a 12 acre property worth $ 4 million on Dallas Highway in Marietta, Georgia.

Rev. Dr. Penny Ruth Njoroge, a Clinical Crisis Chaplain of Alabama also received Head of State’s Commendation (HSC) award. When KEN caught up with her at St Vicent hospital where she works, Dr. Njoroge was glad to learn of the honor. “This is good news. I was not aware of this until you called me. I had actually just finished helping a family that lost their relative a few minutes ago when you called. I feel like I am in two worlds right now”, She said.  Rev. Ruth Njoroge is the founding President of the Kenya Community Welfare Association of Alabama that has helped unite Kenyans in the south state.  She is also credited with mentoring the children, teens, college students and young adults, helping them achieve their goals and realze their dreams. Among her accomplishments are that she is honoured  in “Who’s Who Black in Birmingham” AL, Fellow at American Institute of Stress, 100 Professional\Business Men & Women of Distinction 2009, Founder Member “Birmingham Institute of Biblical Studies University. She has dedicated most of her time to community service both to the Kenyans and the local Birmingham communities. Through her connection, she has helped open doors to many Kenyans academically and professionally.

On the list too was Ms. Elizabeth Mungai of Atlanta Georgia. She received the coveted Head of State’s Commendation (HSC) award for her outstanding work in the community, helping the less fortunate during times of crisis. Known as the “lady with a big heart”, she is known to coordinate and organize fundraisers for the sick Kenyans in hospital and for the burial of those who have lost their loved ones. She has used her resources and network both here in United States and Kenya to resolve issues for fellow Kenyans during their time of need. Her undiscriminating service to all has earned her a good name.  Among her highlights is the role she played in helping rehabilitate Jeremy Kuria, an orphan who witnessed his family killing by yet to be identified assassin. 46 year old Jane Kuria (Jeremy’s Mother) and his two sisters, 19-year-old Isabela and 16-year-old Annabelle were found beaten to death by unknown intruders. Jeremy was also beaten and left for the dead when the police arrived at the scene.  Speaking to KEN from Nairobi, Elizabeth said that she was honored to receive the award. “I feel so honored that the president has noticed our efforts” she said adding; “I just extend a helping hand because it is the right thing to do”. The award ceremony date is yet to be established and may take place at the Kenyan Embassy or at a location to be announced later.

SOME OF THE UK NEWSPAPERS ON FRIDAY 12TH FEBRUARY, 2010

LEFT: A British woman being held by Somali pirates has told how she narrowly escaped being raped by one of her captors, reports the Daily Mail. CENTRE: The Daily Mirror leads on the death of McQueen, saying the 40-year-old was overcome with grief after his mother passed away earlier this month. RIGHT: The EU's pledge to stand by Greece fell short of what investors were hoping for and raised fears of renewed selling in financial markets, according to the Financial Times.

Sio nchi ya maziwa na asali –Canan - ni nchi ya Kenya

Listening to Citizen TV News on www.habari.tv on Thursday evening 11th February 2010, I could not avoid a smile after the news broadcaster explained with such a nice voice na Kiswahili sanifu: “Hii sio nchi ya agano katika Bibilia – Canan – nchi ya maziwa na asali – mbali ni nchi ya Kenya upanda wa Ol Kalou ambapo maziwa lita 10,000 ilimwagwa leo asubuhi.”  The broadcaster was commenting when she was viewing a river of milk down the drainage after KCC refused to buy the milk.

Metro leads on the comments of housing minister John Healey, who said that for thousands of people who face losing their homes it might be "the best thing" for them.

HOME OFFICE

Charging for Immigration and Nationality Services 2010-11

The Minister of State for Borders and Immigration and Member for Oldham East and Saddleworth (Mr. Phil Woolas): On 20 January 2010, I laid the regulations that set fees for immigration and nationality services that are above the normal administrative cost of providing the service. I am today laying regulations for fees that are set at or below the cost of processing. The Government reviews the fees on a regular basis and makes appropriate changes as necessary. These fees are set out in regulations and are subject to the Negative procedure. The fees contained in these regulations are set at or below the administrative cost of an application or process in line with the Government’s charging model. By charging below the administrative cost of delivery on the application types referred to in this instrument, the UK Border Agency is able to support wider Government objectives, particularly where it is believed that a cost recovery fee would be so high as to damage international competitiveness in this area (e.g. for short term visit visa applications, Tier 5 Temporary Work applications). To help enable this, the UK Border Agency sets fees for other application types above the cost of delivery. For transparency, I have included the estimated unit cost for each route, so that it is clear the degree to which certain routes are set at or below cost.

 Tiger Woods silent over return rumour

Tiger Woods has still not indicated to the PGA Tour that he will be returning to golf for next week's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson. The world number one, not seen in public since crashing his car in the early hours of November 27, has until 10pm tomorrow British time to either commit to the event or continue his self-imposed exile .Woods has been on an indefinite break after lurid stories about his private life hit the headlines and he was reported to have attended a sex clinic in Mississippi as part of his bid to save his marriage. Not even his former neighbour and close friend Mark O'Meara has spoken to him since the shocking scandal erupted and there have been no hints from his management company about a date for his comeback. Accenture are one of the sponsors who have dropped Woods from their advertising and it would surprise most people if he chooses their tournament.

Asylum failings damage lives, says immigration watchdog

Parliamentary ombudsman says UK Border Agency is not managing its workload or resolving applications in time

The UK Border Agency's failure to manage its workload is penalising individuals, draining public funds and jeopardising  confidence in the asylum and immigration system, according to a report published today. The report, by the parliamentary ombudsman, finds that the UKBA still has "a long way to go" to ensure that its administration, complaints handling procedures and remedy mechanisms are adequate. It gives examples of how the UKBA's failure to resolve applications within a reasonable period has had a damaging effect on the individuals involved and public perceptions of the system. In one case, a Somali man who applied for asylum and was granted indefinite leave to remain in May 2000 did not receive his status documents until February 2008. In another, a Jamaican man who was granted indefinite leave to remain had to wait three-and-a-half years for the agency to give him the passport stamp he needed to prove he was entitled to stay in Britain. While he awaited the stamp, he was ?threatened with deportation, missed the funerals of his father and sister and could not visit his ill mother for fear that he would not be allowed back into Britain.

The parliamentary ombudsman ? who independently investigates complaints about government departments ? has received 478 complaints about the UKBA since last June. During that time, the ombudsman's office investigated 33 complaints relating to the agency, of which it upheld or partly upheld 97%. The parliamentary ombudsman, Ann Abraham, said that despite the agency's "significant progress" towards clearing the hundreds of thousands of backlogged cases, it had to do more. "They need to make sustained and consistent progress towards their commitment to meeting their service standards, clearing existing backlogs and avoiding them in future because the implications of them not doing so are serious and far-reaching, both for the individuals caught up in the system and for society as a whole," she said. The report said there was also "a risk for the agency of a loss of faith in their system by applicants, by other related organisations, and by the public at large". Not only did the UKBA's failings make life difficult for applicants and their families, it said, there was also "the cost to the public purse of supporting applicants pending a decision, as well as the cost to public services such as health, education and social services". Abraham added that long delays in making decisions on immigration and asylum cases threatened the fairness of the system itself. "Applicants who would have been refused and removed, if the agency had made a decision at the proper time, can be allowed to stay because they have, in the meantime, put down sufficient roots in the UK so that it would be unreasonable to remove them.

Lin Homer, chief executive of UKBA, said the agency took the report's recommendations seriously but welcomed the acknowledgement that its complaints system was improving. "The UK Border Agency is continuing to make progress in dealing with the legacy backlog of older asylum cases and has already concluded more than 235,000 cases. I am confident we are on course to conclude these cases by the summer of 2011." Donna Covey, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the report underlined the importance of dealing with cases quickly and fairly. "It is in nobody's interests that those who are entitled to asylum in the UK are left waiting for years, unable to work and forced to rely on state support, or worse still, destitute," she said. "While there have been improvements in recent years and significant inroads have been made in processing asylum claims made before 2007, it is clear that much more needs to be done to ensure people's cases are treated fairly." Covey also warned of further problems this summer when those refugees who were given five years' leave to remain following a change in government policy in 2005 had their cases reviewed. She urged the government to avoid worsening the UKBA's backlog by reverting to the previous system whereby those who were judged unable to return to their countries because of persecution were automatically given indefinite leave to remain from the day they successfully proved their claim.

Former US President Clinton Taken To Hospital

 The former US President Bill Clinton has been taken to hospital in New York with a heart complaint. The former President, who is 63, has recently been heading the US relief effort in Haiti. His aide Douglas Band said in a statement that Mr Clinton has undergone a procedure to put two stents in his coronary arteries. "President Clinton is in good spirits, and will continue to focus on the work of his foundation and Haiti's relief and long-term recovery efforts," the statement said. Sky US correspondent Keith Graves said Mr Clinton's condition was not life threatening. "It's not major surgery and the indications are that this is not life threatening," he said. "It is quite possible that this hectic lifestyle over the last few weeks has taken its toll. "You get a pain in the chest and you get shortened breath so they open up the vein, put the stents in, and he could well go home tomorrow."

Kenya chiefs block Mombasa 'gay wedding'. Local chiefs and Kenyan officials have prevented a planned "gay wedding" in Kenya - where such unions are illegal.  The marriage had been due to take place in a private villa near the resort of Mombasa but chiefs took action after it was reported in the local press.  "I was shocked... I won't allow it," Chief Hussein Swaleh told the BBC.  Homosexuality has become a hot topic in Africa after a Ugandan MP last year proposed a bill which includes the death penalty for some homosexual acts.  A couple were arrested in Malawi in January after holding an "engagement party".  Homosexual acts are illegal in most Africa countries and only South Africa allows gay weddings. Councillors in the Mnarani area near Mombasa planned protests against the union and wanted to evict the two men from their houses.  "We had planned with our area chiefs to give them notices... and tell these people to move from our area," said councillor Esther Kache.  The BBC's Odhiambo Joseph says the wedding party left the area in three minibuses before the marriage could go ahead.

Paint Your Cat...unbelievable 

  
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF PEOPLE HAVING MORE MONEY THAN THEY KNOW WHAT TO DO!

I didn't even know they did this!!!!!!!!! Time to grab the neighbor’s cat and get busy!! Some of the paint jobs cost $15,000 and had to be repeated every 3 months as the cat's hair grows out. Must be nice to have $60,000 a year just to keep your cat painted!! 

EU leaders say they are ready to act to shore up Greece's finances and ensure stability in the eurozone - but they have made no specific promise of aid.

Greece must take further measures to tackle its huge debts and cut its budget deficit by 4% this year, the EU leaders said after a Brussels summit.  The statement did not spell out what was meant by "determined and co-ordinated action, if needed".  Greece's debt crisis has put pressure on the euro, making markets nervous.  Other countries with big deficits in the 16-nation eurozone, such as Portugal and Spain, are seen as vulnerable if Greece's problems are not tackled resolutely.  Greece's deficit is, at 12.7%, more than four times higher than eurozone rules allow. For years Greek spending has ballooned while tax revenue has diminished. The President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, stressed that Greece had not asked for financial aid.  The summit statement said "We fully support the efforts of the Greek government and their commitment to do whatever is necessary, including adopting additional measures to ensure that the ambitious targets set in the stability programme for 2010 and the following years are met.  "We call on the Greek government to implement all these measures in a rigorous and determined manner to effectively reduce the budgetary deficit by 4% in 2010."  German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Greece "will not be left on its own, but there are rules and these rules must be adhered to".  The BBC's Dominic Hughes in Brussels says the details of any EU help for Greece may not emerge until Monday, when eurozone finance ministers will meet.  It is the first big test for Mr Van Rompuy, who wanted the summit to focus on a new strategy for jobs and growth - a blueprint for the next 10 years. But defending the euro is now a more pressing issue.  EU rules prevent the eurozone from collectively bailing out Greece, but the debt crisis has forced EU leaders to seek ways to help nevertheless.  UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown stressed that "the discussions at the moment are within the euro area," when asked if UK taxpayers' money would be part of any EU aid.

Long walk to freedom

Celebrations are being held to mark 20 years since the release from prison of Nelson Mandela, a key step towards ending apartheid in South Africa. In Cape Town, prominent figures took part in a commemorative walk at the prison where he spent the final months of his 27-year imprisonment. Mr Mandela, 91, later went to parliament to hear a speech by current President Jacob Zuma. He became the country's first black president in 1994. Mr Mandela spent most of his sentence in Robben Island prison, off the coast of Cape Town, and later in Pollsmoor Prison on the mainland. Before his release, he lived in a cottage in the grounds of Victor Verster prison in a rural area some 50km (31 miles) from Cape Town, with his own cook. - VIDIO

Curry poison killer Lakhvir Singh jailed for life

A woman found guilty of murdering her former lover of 16 years by poisoning his curry at his west London home has been jailed for life.  Lakhvinder Cheema, 39, died hours after eating the meal with his new fiancee at his home in Feltham in January 2009.  At the Old Bailey, Lakhvir Singh, 45, was convicted of his murder and will serve a minimum term of 23 years.  Sentencing her, Judge Paul Worsley said: "You set about a cold and calculating revenge."  "You were not just a spurned lover, you did not simply explode in anger at your rejection."  On Wednesday, Singh, of Southall, was cleared of attempting to murder Gurjeet Choongh, Mr Cheema's fiancee.  However, the jury found the defendant guilty of causing Ms Choongh grievous bodily harm with intent.  After deliberating for a further day, the jury cleared Singh of a charge of administering poison to Mr Cheema in December 2008, a month before his death.

Alexandra Shulman, editor of British Vogue, said Mr McQueen had influenced a whole generation of designers. She added: "His brilliant imagination knew no bounds as he conjured up collection after collection of extraordinary designs.

Titles for grabbed public land revoked

The  Kenya government has revoked over 100 title deeds issued to private developers who grabbed grabbed public land. Lands Minister James Orengo said the the government has so far cancelled 142 title deeds in major towns, with the treasury acting as the trustee.  Those cancelled include irregularly allocated government houses, judiciary land, Ministry of Lands office sites, riparian reserves and public utility land. "The preservation of such parcels of land as public utility overrides any private claims" the minister said. He announced that he had directed the Commissioner of Lands to issue new titles to the government ministries and departments that ought to have owned the property. Banking institutions stand to lose millions of shillings in loans acquired using the cancelled title deeds.  Orengo cited various pieces of land and government houses that had been irregularly allocated to private developers in various parts of the country. Those repossessed include Elgon Hospital in Kitale, initially a public institution now turned a private liability, the Kitale academy whose land portion was sold to a private developer.  Others are the Jomo Kenyatta public beach, the Kisumu municipality parcel under a private developer who is yet to develop the land, kongowea market in Mombasa initially earmarked for development of a public utility by the local government before its eventual transfer to Kongowea estates limited among others.

7 to face charges in Kenya education scam

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 11 - The Attorney General has now approved the immediate arrest and prosecution of seven senior Ministry of Education officials who are implicated in the Sh100 million Free Primary Education Programme scandal. The instructions to arrest the suspects were issued by the AG to the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission and the police on Thursday afternoon. “The Attorney General has perused and studied the files sent to him by the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission and has agreed with the recommendation therein. He has already given the police and KACC officers the go-ahead to arrest and immediately file charges against seven officers in the Ministry,” a source at his office said. The anti graft agency had implicated the officials in the fraudulent expenditure of the funds meant for use under the FPE programme in its probe. According to sources at the AG’s office, the officials are due to appear in court on Friday morning. The decision to charge the senior officers who directly handled the cash came hours after Education Minister Prof Sam Ongeri and his Permanent Secretary Professor Karega Mutahi faced questioning by the Parliamentary Committee on Education. Both maintained their innocence over the misappropriated cash meant for Free Primary Education.

Prof Ongeri told the Parliamentary Committee that he took action after learning that the funds were misused by suspending ministry officials who had irregularly acquired imprests in June last year. “As I am talking to you now this is a matter that rests with the Kenya Anti Corruption Authority.  I don’t know the fate of it and I have no way of knowing the fate of it. This ministry has done what I think it ought to have done within its own mandate and pushed the matter to another agency which has the mandate to investigate this matter,” Prof Ongeri said. The PS on his part said he never signed any documents that led to the irregular transactions in the training programme.

“Anybody who took money of that magnitude must have taken money that he or she ought not to have taken because if it included service delivery by a service provider or include procurement of good that was irregular,” he said. The Education Minister expressed confidence that donors would resume funding of programmes under the FPE by June. He told the Committee that the donors had assured him of resumption of funding if they restructured their governance arrangements to seal the loopholes exposed through the scandal as well as ensure that action was taken against the culprits. He further said that other conditions by the donors included that the government refund the funds lost to which Treasury had given a commitment of doing.  Five people had been absolved of any blame over the matter while another 15 were being probed.

Kenya embarks on zebra round-up

Wildlife rangers in Kenya have begun moving thousands of zebras and wildebeest across the country to restock areas devastated by drought. They will be moved to Amboseli National Park, where many herbivores have died and starving lions and hyenas have begun to attack cattle. Rangers are using helicopters to herd them into enclosures and load them on to lorries in a month-long operation. Analysts say it is one of the largest relocations of animals ever in Africa. Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) spokesman Paul Udoto said the drought was causing major problems for herders. "Some herders lost as high as 80% of their stock due to the drought, and the few that were remaining were attacked by hyenas and lions," he told AFP news agency. "One of the quick remedies is for KWS to restock the park. It is one way of restoring the balance between carnivores and herbivores in the park as well as reducing the lion and hyena attacks on livestock." In August, KWS said Kenya was losing 100 lions each year as herders killed them in retaliation for attacks on their cattle, AFP reports. The rangers hope to catch 4,000 zebras and 3,000 wildebeest by the end of the month.

Blizzard drives down crime in Washington

The blizzard that hammered the US east coast with record-breaking snowfall and icy winds had a plus side: it drove down crime in Washington, a police spokesman said Thursday. "Last night, we had very few reported crimes," Lieutenant Nicholas Breul told AFP. "Every morning, we put out a report of serious crimes, and this morning it was very, very low," Breul said. "Certainly, the weather had to be a factor in that." No homicides have been reported in the US capital since February 3, when a few inches of snow fell on Washington and the surrounding area. That was followed at a weekend storm which together with Tuesday's blizzard dumped several feet of snow on the eastern United States, making the winter of 2009-2010 the snowiest on record in Washington and neighboring states. The season's snowfall total in Washington DC reached 54.9 inches (139.4 centimeters) Tuesday, the National Weather Service said. That's more than the past five winters combined, which saw around 48 inches of snow fall on the US capital. As of Tuesday, 10 homicides had been committed in Washington since the start of the year, a fall of 41 percent from the 17 homicides reported in the US capital at the same period last year. But Breul refused to pin the fall in the murder rate solely on the snow. "The weather may have contributed to the fall in homicides, but historically, there have been times when we've gone for two weeks in good weather with no homicides," he said.

Level Crossing Hero Saves Van In Argentina

Dramatic CCTV from Argentina captures the tense moment when a small van got stuck on train tracks as a train approaches.  The incident was captured by security cameras as cars were driving round lowered safety barriers at a level crossing. A passenger on a motorbike can clearly be seen jumping off and trying to push the stuck vehicle out of the path of the oncoming train. He manages to push the van clear - just in time. It soon becomes apparent how close the train is when he has to leap clear to avoid being hit himself. The hero of the hour has yet to be identified. – VIDEO

British fashion genius Alexander McQueen commits suicide, aged 40

Alexander McQueen and his mother Joyce

Britain's foremost fashion designer Alexander McQueen has been found dead after taking his own life. The 40-year-old Londoner was found this morning at an address in Westminster. He had hanged himself. McQueen had revealed on his Twitter page that his mother died a week ago.  His death comes three years after his close friend, Isabella Blow — who helped him become a star — committed suicide. Scotland Yard said they had been called to an address in Green Street, thought to be McQueen's home, by the ambulance service at 10.20am.  A spokeswoman said a man, aged 40, had been found dead. She added: “The death is being treated as non-suspicious.” Alexandra Shulman, editor of Vogue, said: “He was the most brilliant designer of his generation and his influence can be seen in the way that women dressed over the last 15 years. It is an incredible loss not only for British fashion but for fashion the world over.” The designer, the son of an East End cabbie, posted a string of worrying posts on his Twitter page after the death of his mother Joyce.

On February 7 he wrote: “sunday evening been a ****ing awful week but my friends have been great but now i have to some how pull myself together.” On February 3: “I'm letting my followers know my mother passed away yesterday RIPmum xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.” He then followed it up with: “but life must go on.” McQueen, who was born in the East End, trained in Savile Row and went on to make suits for Prince Charles and Mikhail Gorbachev. He was British designer of the year four times between 1996 and 2003, was awarded the CBE and was named International Designer of the Year at the Council of Fashion Designers. His death, a week before the start of London Fashion Week, shocked the fashion world this evening. Sue Whiteley, former CEO of his business, said: “This is devastating news. He was an unforgettable part of my life. He was a talent who was beyond others. People who worked with him would give 100 per cent and more because he was totally inspiring.

London, Wednesday 10th February, 2010. Lakhvir Singh, 45, was said to have killed Lakhvinder "Lucky" Cheema, 39, because she could not bear the thought of his marriage to another woman. He had been due to marry Gurjeet Choongh, 21, on Valentine's Day last year. But on January 27, they both became violently ill after eating leftover curry which had been in the fridge of their home in Princes Road, Feltham, west London. Within hours, Mr Cheema was dead and Miss Choongh was fighting for her life after being poisoned with Indian aconite. Aconite, known as the Queen of Poisons, is one of the most deadly poisons but this was the first case in England since 1882. Singh, of Southall, west London, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of murdering Mr Cheema and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Ms Choongh. She was found not guilty of attempting to murder Ms Choongh. The judge gave the jury, which had been considering its verdicts for four days, a majority direction in respect of a fourth charge, that Singh administered poison to Mr Cheema the month before.

Lakhvir Kaur Singh, 40, of Southall, west London, who was today found guilty of the murder

UK Home Secretary Alan Johnson also confirmed that the government will implement plans to introduce a points test by 2011 for those who wish to earn British citizenship.

Rush for birth certificates

Sheria House was on Tuesday inundated with parents trying to obtain birth certificates for their children.  This follows a directive requiring all children to have birth certificates before joining school or even registering for national examinations.  There were long queues at the State Law Office as the parents, some with their children in tow, waited for hours to obtain the documents.  The new guidelines were announced last year by Education minister Sam Ongeri when he was releasing the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination results. - Daily Nation.

Royal Media Services - The Media Giant in Kenya

Watching Citizen TV News at www.habari.tv,  you would know that Kenya media circles has drastically changed in the last 10 years. Citizen TV News presents news in both English and Swahili services. You click a button you get Swahili News  - another click of a button you are English news. The Royal Media the owners of  Citizen TV among others is a giant of Kenya. The Royal Media dominates the radio stations with 11 radio stations and several TV stations. The media belongs to a Kenyan tycoon Mr. Macharia Mathu of Ndaka-ini, Murang’a, Kenya.  From his house you can see Ndaka-ini Nairobi water dam. Below are the  Radio  stations Royal Media owns in Kenya.

1.       Egesa FM - Kisii

2.       Radio Citizen - Swahili

3.       Muuga FM - Meru

4.       Bahari – Coast Swahili

5.       Chamgei FM - Kalenjin

6.       Musyi FM - Kamba

7.       Ramogi FM - Luo

8.       Mulembe FM - Luyha

9.       Wimwaro - Embu

10.   Inooro FM - Kikuyu

11.   Hot 96 FM - English

The new regulations will ensure that students in UK studying below degree level have a limited ability to work in the UK, and that their dependants cannot work here at all.

Charging for immigration and nationality services 2010-11

Phil Woolas, Borders and Immigration Minister

Home Office, 10 February 2010

The Minister of State for Borders and Immigration, Phil Woolas, has today laid regulations in Parliament for the fees for immigration and nationality services that are set at levels at or below the normal administrative costs of the service. The proposed fees are published today alongside these regulations. Our proposals for the fees that are set above cost were published on 20 January 2010, when we laid the affirmative regulations. The government reviews the fees on a regular basis and makes appropriate changes as necessary. We have continued with our strategic approach to charging, by setting certain fees above cost by balancing a number of complex factors (including the cost of processing applications, the importance of attracting certain groups of migrants to the UK and the value of a successful application to the migrant). Details of the proposed fees are set out in a written ministerial statement by Phil Woolas can be found below: - CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FULL STATEMENT

Student to work for only 10 hours - halving the amount of time a student studying below first degree level or on a foundation degree course will be able to work, to just 10 hours during term time;  a ban on bringing in dependants for anyone studying a course for less than six months.

The late Mary Gathara-James to be buried in UK

The late Mrs. Mary Gathara-James will be buried on Wednesday 24th February, 2010 in Wokingham, near Reading, UK.  The venue will be Easthampstead Park Cemetery and Crematorium, South Road , Nine Mile Ride, Wokingham , RG40 3DW as from 2.00 p.m. prompt.  Cemetery Tel – 01344420314. As we had reported earlier, a Kenyan lady has passed away in UK. Mrs. Mary Gathara-James Beloved Wife of Tony James, and Beloved Mother of Annabell  Nyambura passed away after a short illness on Tuesday 2nd of February 2010 in the Royal Berkshire hospital, Reading, UK. She is daughter of Hannah Nyambura Gathara. It is quite surprising that Nyambura was born also on the 2nd of February 1967 in Karia, Kiambu. Those who knew her and wish to console or visit the family are welcome to do so, and should Contact Tony on 01189867586 or 07725592045. The funeral has yet to be finalized as people may be attending from Kenya as she is expected to be buried in UK. Mary was a proud member of the Kenyan Golfing Society of Europe, and this picture was taken after she won a recent event. Sources says she passed away due to pneumonia.

Lemon: Benefits & Uses

Lemon juice is the natural way to whiten and brighten nails. Soak them in it for 5 to 10 minutes, then brush with a mixture of equal amounts of white vinegar and warm water. Rinse well.

Are you taking an urgent parcel or letter to Kenya from UK?

UNEEK SHIPPERS IN BARKING, UK

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Leeches in Modern Medicine - costing as little as $4.75 to $6.50 apiece

The use of leeches in medicine, otherwise known as Hirudotherapy, made its comeback in the 1980s after years of decline, with the advent of microsurgery such as plastic and reconstructive surgeries. In operations such as these, one of the biggest problems that arises is venous congestion due to inefficient venous drainage. This condition is known as venous insufficiency. If this congestion is not cleared up quickly, the blood will clot and arteries that bring the tissues their necessary nourishment will become plugged and the tissues will die. It is here where the leeches come in handy. After being applied to the required site, they suck the excess blood, reducing the swelling in the tissues and promoting healing by allowing fresh, oxygenated blood to reach the area until normal circulation can be restored. The leeches also secrete an anticoagulant (known as hirudin) that prevents the clotting of the blood.

The leech’s saliva is truly extraordinary containing a number of chemical compounds useful in medicine. These include a local anesthetic that the leech uses to avoid detection by the host, the anti-coagulant hirudin that can help prevent heart attacks and strokes, a vasodilator and a prostaglandin that help reduce swelling. The leech’s gut harbors a bacterium known as Aeromonan hydrophila. This bacterium aids in the digestion of ingested blood and produces an antibiotic that kills other bacteria that may cause putrefaction. Not only are leeches economically beneficial costing as little as $4.75 to $6.50 apiece, but studies have shown that Hirudotherapy doubles the success rate of transplanted tissue flaps. This is a much higher success rate than that brought on by drugs or further surgery.

"Sometimes choices are made in the name of forgiveness while what is occurring isn't forgiveness at all. It is important not to confuse being forgiving with denying your own feelings, needs, and desires. Forgiving doesn't mean being passive and staying in a job or a relationship that clearly doesn't work for you or is abusive. It is important that you are clear about your boundaries. What is acceptable for you? If you are willing to allow unacceptable behavior again and again in the name of 'forgiveness,' you are more than likely using 'forgiveness' as an excuse not to take responsibility for taking care of yourself or as a way to avoid making changes." - Robin Casarjian - Forgiveness: A Bold Choice For A Peaceful Heart

THE SNOW THAT WAS

A car's wing mirror is the only visible piece visible through a pile of snow on Capitol Hill in Washington, February 9, 2010. The federal government announced it would remain closed on Tuesday and most schools planned to shut down as residents of the mid-Atlantic struggled to dig out from a blizzard that dumped two feet (0.6 metres) of snow on the region.  RIGHT: A view of the White House as snow begins to fall in Washington, February 9, 2010. The second major snowstorm in less than a week hit the US East Coast on Tuesday, with predictions of 12 inches (30.5 cm) or more stretching from Washington, DC, to New York City, forcing schools to close and the US Congress to sharply curtail legislative action. REUTERS 

Jetlink Express Ltd grows off age

Jetlink on Wednesday 10th February 2010 held a ground breaking ceremony for a new Hangar and Ultra modern office complex at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA)  site. This whole project of hangar and office complex is expected to cost Jetlink Ksh 174,035,703/63 when completed. Sharaddah Builders Ltd expect to complete construction works in 57 weeks from today. The project will be constructed in two phases. The hangar floor will have an area of 5,116 square metres which will comfortably accommodate a B767 aircraft. The office block will have four floors, each with an area of 2,238 square metres giving a total of about 9,000 square metres.

The airline was launched in 2004 and is wholly owned by Kenyans. The fleet has grown from one to Forker 28 jet aircraft in 2005 to a total of seven aircrafts in 2010 that include six new generation 50 seater regional jets from Bombardier in Canada. The staffing has also grown from 12 in 2004 to 300 currently. Jetlink does business oriented passengers and leisure travellers in both the domestic and regional markets. The current destinations are Kisumu (5 flights daily) Mombasa (5 flights daily) Eldoret (2 flights daily) Juba (2 flights daily) Goma (2 flights weekly). In March they will open up flights for Khartoum, Sudan and Tanzania in the near future.

UK Border Agency publishes responses to consultation on points test for citizenship

Home Office, 10 February 2010

The UK Border Agency has published a formal analysis of the responses to its 2009 public consultation 'Earning the right to stay: a new points test for citizenship'. The consultation was published on 3 August 2009 and ran for 12 weeks, closing on 26 October 2009. We have now analysed the 2,201 written responses, and the report sets out the results alongside the views of 1,074 members of the public who participated in a Home Office TNS consumer omnibus survey, and 280 stakeholders who attended 10 consultation events throughout the country. The Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 set the framework for reforming the journey to citizenship, and the proposals in the consultation take the government's reform of the immigration system to the next stage - strengthening our control of those coming permanently to the UK, while supporting integration and managing the impacts of migration.

Thousands of job losses announced

Thousands more job losses have been announced in a worsening week for employment, with grim predictions of more bad news in the pipeline. More than 3,300 cuts were announced or confirmed, hitting council, retail and manufacturing workers in different parts of the UK. The most drastic news came from Birmingham City Council, which is planning to shed up to 2,000 jobs over the next financial year as it strives to "do more for less". Administrators of discount retailer Ethel Austin and sister homeware chain Au Naturale cut 469 jobs and launched a closing-down sale at 129 stores. German manufacturer Bosch confirmed it was pressing ahead with plans to close a car parts factory in Miskin, near Cardiff, employing 900 people, by the middle of next year. Birmingham council leader Mike Whitby said: "We are well aware that all the forecasts indicate the next few years will be tough for local government financially. Quite simply we have to do more for less." Unions reacted with anger and pledged to stage a protest when the cuts are discussed by the council later this month.

London, Wednesday 10th February, 2010. The UK's inflation rate will rise above 3% in the coming weeks, the governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, has predicted. Presenting the Bank's quarterly inflation report, Mr King said the increase in VAT and higher petrol costs would push up prices. But, he added, inflation would then quickly fall back below the 2% target.  The governor said that he expected "a gradual recovery" in the UK economy over the coming year. In December the official rate of inflation reached 2.9%. If inflation moves above 3%, the governor is required to write a letter of explanation to the chancellor. But according to the Bank of England's projections, inflation will fall again quickly and could remain below the 2% target for several years. The Bank remains cautious over the UK's prospects of growth. "The UK economy has continued to bump along the bottom," Mr King said. "But a gradual recovery in output may now be in prospect." He added that economic growth was unlikely to return to the levels seen before the economic crisis for "a considerable period". The Bank of England's report said the UK's gross domestic product (GDP) - the value of goods and services produced - could grow by up to 3.5% by early 2012, though the strength of the recovery was still highly uncertain. The Bank's £200bn programme of quantitative easing (QE) had helped economic recovery, Mr King said.

Mervyn King: Governor of the Nank of England

Although the programme was paused earlier this month, the governor refused to rule out further injections of liquidity into the economy, arguing that "it was far too soon" to rule out any further action. The QE programme, which involves feeding money into the economy by buying up assets with newly created money, began in March last year. Mr King did rule out extending the special liquidity scheme, however, which had provided banks with emergency cash at the peak of the financial crisis. "The position has changed a lot since this scheme was introduced," he said. "It is the most generous scheme in the world [and] we are working with the Financial Services Authority and individual banks to ensure they have schedules for refunding this money." There was a muted reaction to the governor's comments on the stock markets, with the FTSE 100 - which lists the leading 100 companies traded on the London Stock Exchange - rising by 0.3%. Investors indicated the report had held few surprises, with interest rates expected to remain low for the foreseeable future.

URGENT!!NEW IMMIGRATION RULES FOR

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN UK FROM,

TODAY, 10TH FEBRUARY 2010

Following the latest changes to Internationals Student Rules, the Home Office has again introduced further tougher rules for International Students in the UK from today, 10th February 2010.

The new rules will ensure that students studying below degree level have a limited ability to work in the UK, and that their dependants cannot work in the UK at all.

If a student is studying below first degree level or on a foundation degree course i.e. Diploma Courses and/or other similar courses, they will be allowed to work for just 10 hours during term time only and not the 20 hrs previously allowed.

Also, if a student is studying a course lower than foundation or undergraduate degree level, i.e. diploma and/or similar courses, their dependants – spouses/children will not be allowed to work in the UK. If they are found working, they will face removal from the UK immediately. Additionally, if a student’s course is for less than 6 months they will not be allowed to bring dependant to the UK.

For students and dependants already in the UK, please do seek legal advice immediately if you are studying below a degree course and you will be affected by the current changes. This is because; if you are studying a Diploma Course or similar course, you will only be allowed work for 10 hours during term time and your dependant’s will not be allowed to work in the UK. If they do they will be removed immediately.

For more information, contact Martyns & Rose Solicitors on 0208 538 1397/8, 07931 116 124

martynsysrosesolicitors@yahoo.co.uk, www.martynsrosesolicitors.co.uk or Misterseed@yahoo.co.uk.

Talents Revival Ministry Choir, Elburgon, Kenya

Talents Revival Ministries Choir in Elburgon Kenya posing with their new unform which was donated by Mrs. Mabel Mark of London. Mrs. Mark is a friend of Bishop Samuel Muya and Talents Revival Ministry in general - I happened to mention her name on visit there recently and the whole church went wild.

“The cross is not just a religious symbol but the heart  of the gospel.”  - George Bernard, composer of song, “The Old Rugged Cross” – 1913-1958.

Tougher rules for foreign students in UK

Home Office, 10 February 2010

Foreign students from outside Europe wanting to come to the UK to study will be required to meet stricter entry criteria, the Home Secretary announced today. The new regulations will ensure that students studying below degree level have a limited ability to work in the UK, and that their dependants cannot work here at all. It will be even harder for bogus students, whose only aim is to work in the UK, to come into the country. Home Secretary Alan Johnson also confirmed that the government will implement plans to introduce a points test by 2011 for those who wish to earn British citizenship. The new measures for students include:

• a good standard of English (equivalent of holding just below a GCSE in a foreign language) will be needed to come to the UK and study to improve English language competency further;
• a good standard of English (again equivalent of holding just below a GCSE in a foreign language) will need to be demonstrated in order to study any other course below degree level;
• restricting the lowest-level courses (A levels and equivalent) to only the most trusted institutions;
• halving the amount of time a student studying below first degree level or on a foundation degree course will be able to work, to just 10 hours during term time;
• a ban on bringing in dependants for anyone studying a course for less than six months; and
• a ban on dependants of anyone studying a course lower than foundation or undergraduate degree level from working - they will face removal from the UK if found doing so.

Alan Johnson said:

'The points-based system was introduced to provide a rigorous system to manage legitimate access to the UK to work and study, with the ability to respond to changing circumstances.  'We want foreign students to come here to study, not to work illegally, and today we have set out necessary steps which will maintain the robustness of the system we introduced last year. I make no apologies for that.'  In addition, the new measures will include:

• a ban on foreign students studying below degree level if the course includes a work placement - unless that course is being provided by a university, college or training provider which has the status of 'highly trusted sponsor';
• a requirement for students to demonstrate their English language ability by passing an approved secure test - this will apply to all students studying below (foundation) degree level, including those coming to study English language; and
• the introduction of tougher criteria for defining which course providers count as 'highly trusted sponsors' of foreign students. We expect that all publicly funded universities and colleges will count as highly trusted, and we will ensure that there is a rapid but rigorous system for ensuring that private training colleges can also gain that status as soon as possible.

UK universities and colleges offer an excellent education, and the government recognises the essential contribution that genuine international students bring - economically, academically and socially - to the country as a whole, as well as to the universities and colleges in which they study. However, these steps are part of the government's commitment to crack down on potential abuse of the system. These changes are part of a radical overhaul of the student system which began last year. Since March 2009, the government has required all foreign students to be sponsored by a college licensed by the UK Border Agency, and to demonstrate that they can support themselves once they get here before being granted a visa. Also since March, any college or university wanting to bring in international students must be accredited and licensed. This has reduced the number of institutions able to bring students to the UK from over 4,000 to approximately 2,000.

Pat McFadden, the Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills, said:

'Genuine international students are welcome in the UK. They make a significant contribution to the academic and cultural life of the universities and colleges where they study, and bring over £5.3bn to our economy each year. But where there is abuse it undermines the position of genuine students as much as anyone else.  'It is important that we protect the reputation and quality of our institutions by ensuring only legitimate students are able to benefit from the courses they offer. This is why we will work closely with the sector to implement the recommendations of this review.'  The new requirements for foreign students follow a review of Tier 4 of the points-based system, announced by the Prime Minister in November 2009. The review team were asked to look at whether the current Tier 4 arrangements strike the right balance between facilitating access of genuine students and preventing abuse by economic migrants. The Home Secretary's written ministerial statement about the student changes can be downloaded from the right side of this page. The decision to introduce a points test for citizenship follows the results of a public consultation on the proposals. The results, which were published today in the Consultations section of this website, show that three-quarters of the public polled during the consultation are in favour of the government's plans to introduce a points scheme for citizenship.

Alan Johnson added:

'We have already made fundamental changes to the immigration system to control migration in a way that is firm, and has a positive impact on our work force and economy.  'From 2011 we will put the mechanisms in place that will ensure that people who are allowed to become citizens have earned their right to stay here.  'We will do this using a points test, giving us the ability to take clear, enforceable decisions about who should be allowed to stay permanently, with the flexibility to raise or lower the threshold for citizenship, depending on the current interests of the country and economy.'  Under the new rules, anyone wishing to become a permanent resident will have to earn their right to citizenship. This will restrict the number of economic migrants granted citizenship - for example, by limiting citizenship to those who have the qualifications or skills that the economy needs, or who are living in parts of the country where there are specific skills shortages that they can fill. They will also have to demonstrate that they can speak good English for their application to be successful.

Kenya Embassy  in London sued for millions
 
The Breach of Contract case filed by Mr Ronald Onyango in early 2009 against the Kenya High Commission is due to take place on the 26 February 2010 at the Manchester District Registry High Court at 10.30 am. The case concerns amounts which Mr Onyango claims is owed to him for Legal Consultancy Services he provided to the Kenya High Commission and has remained unpaid. The costs of filing and Defending the case is huge and is understood to be running into about £130,000 (approximately 16 million Kenya Shillings) and could be picked up by the Kenyan Tax payers.
 
The Kenya High Commission as confirmed by other media reports also had their bank accounts frozen and assets attached in December 2008 when two pre-shipment companies (Swipco and Inspections Control Services) belonging to two aides of the retired President Moi obtained court orders on December 1 2009, and froze their accounts and assets belonging to the Kenya Government including the Kenya High Commission to recover in excess of Ksh 750 million owed in debts for services rendered in 1998.
 
The Kenyan Government through its Kenya High Commission has yet again found itself in the midst of another legal suit for unpaid debts, this time suit by a Kenyan lawyer based in the UK.  It is believed that original amount of money owed as claimed in Mr Onyango's suit was about £13,500 which has now run into nearly £700,000 if the contract interest clause is to be applied by the Court. This would be approximately 72 million Kenya Shillings. It is claimed that interest in this case as per the contract is accruing at a rate of about £2000 per day ie (240,000 Kenya shillings per day) which is astonishing.
 
Reliable sources have confirmed that the hearing which has been set for the 26 February 2010 and had earlier been adjourned has attracted phenomenal media attention both locally and in Kenya and is understood that the case is likely to stir up the London Embassy and possible reveal embarrassing matters. Mr Onyango a Trainee Solicitor at Berkeleys is being represented by Berkeleys Solicitors in Manchester and the Kenya High Commission is represented by Everatt's Solicitors in Harrow. The case which has been highly contentious will be heard in an open Court and anyone can attend if they wish to follow up the proceedings.

CEO AHADI Trust throws a birthday/political party

Being a senior bachelor at 41 did not deter Stanley Kamau CEO AHADI trust from throwing a birthday thanksgiving luncheon party in his homestead church at Karung'e village in Mathioya constituency dedicated to the recovered from jigger infection and his granny who turned 91 last week. As part of the celebrations Stanley donated over KShs. 500,000 to three schools  namely Kanjahi, Gitugi and Karung'e. Those who benefited were all the students from class one to class eight who held positions one to three. What a way to motivate students.

Thousands jammed the ACK Church at Karung'e as there were rumours that he was to make a major announcement. The convoy of hundreds of cars escorted by hundreds on motorbike riders confirmed the rumours. Many expected him either to say he was planning to vie for the Mathioya seat in 2012 while another group though he could have found someone to marry. But all these turned to be imaginations as there was nothing but a thanksgiving luncheon. He again insisted that the party had nothing to do with politics. There was an emotional period when Stanley narrated the way he dropped out of school due to jigger infection and the hard times during his primary education. He shocked everyone when he said he used to stammer upto standard 6.

The Party was graced by people from all walk of life who included artistes, media personalities as well as politicians. Among the guests noted were Clement Wambugu Mathioya sitting MP, Jane Kihara former MP Naivasha, Joe Aketch and Nathan Kahara both former mayors of Nairobi, Zablon Muthaiga National Chairman Simama Kenya among others. -  Story and photos by Karuga wa Njuguna.

Kenya rounds up prey for starving lions

Kenyan game rangers on Wednesday began rounding up thousands of zebras and other herbivores to be moved to a reserve where starving lions have been attacking livestock. The spectacular nationwide operation, launched in Soysambu conservancy by the Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS), is due to last until the end of the month in what will go down as one of Africa's largest ever animal translocations. Shortly after daybreak, rangers in helicopters rounded up startled galloping zebras into a large V-shaped tarpaulin enclosure. The animals at the narrow end of the enclosure were allowed through into an adjoining pen and from there they were loaded onto trucks, with each carrying some two dozen zebras. KWS aims to move some 7,000 animals in all, zebra and wildebeest.  At least 88 zebras had already been captured Wednesday, hours into the operation. Around 1,000 animals will come from Soysambu, near the Rift Valley city of Nakuru, a private conservancy owned by Delamere Estates.

The remainder will be taken from several other reserves. The operation, costing 103 million shillings (1.3 million dollars), will be carried out in four phases and run to February 28, KWS officials said. The plan is to restock Amboseli, some 300 kilometres (186 miles) from Soysambu, with natural prey so as to prevent hyenas and lions from attacking livestock in homes around the park. Charles Musyoki, a scientist with KWS explained that Amboseli park is a "dry season feeding refuge for herbivores" where animals jostle around watering holes and patches of pasture then leave when rainfall resumes in the regions they migrated from. But last year the animals did not move out of the park due to the prolonged dry spell. "We lost significant numbers of wildebeests and zebras. Over 60 percent of zebras and wildebeests were lost in that ecosystem," Musyoki said. The attacks on domestic animals came after Amboseli's predators ran out of prey after the massive drought-related deaths of herbivores.

"The deaths created an imbalance in the number of carnivores and herbivores in the park resulting in a shortage of the lions' and hyenas' normal food," KWS spokesman Paul Udoto said. "It is expected that the restocking will restore the balance of animals within the park and reduce the lion and hyena attacks on livestock," Udoto explained. In August, KWS said Kenya was losing 100 lions each year as cattle herders killed them in retaliation for attacks on their stock. But habitat destruction, disease and the rising human population also played a role in the drop of their population to the current 2,000 from 2,749 animals seven years ago. Last year's drought was one of the worst in years across eastern Africa. Kenya's last massive animal transfer was in 2005, targeting 400 elephants from an over-crowded coastal reserve to a vast inland park, but that had to be halted due to drought that threatened their survival in their new home. The translocation was dubbed "the single largest translocation of animals ever undertaken since Noah's Ark."

Ruto defends himself against maize scandal

Agriculture Minister William Ruto has denied any involvement in the irregular sale of maize at the country's strategic grain reserves.  The Minister says the blame ought to be placed squarely on the Ministry of Special Programs where the strategic grain reserves fall. Ruto says he is not privy to the contents of the report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers over the maize scandal that is feared to have cost the taxpayer some kshs 2 billion. Two permanent secretaries, a parastatal boss and an official in the Prime Minister's office are among people named in the yet to be officially released audit report on the maize scandal.  The report says the officials were involved in various decisions regarding the subsidized maize program in 2008.  One PS was accused of writing to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) requesting to help one of the applicants for maize. Another PS is accused of failing to act to ensure NCPB did not incur losses in the transactions. The official at the Prime Minister's office is alleged to have participated in the award of a contract to a company to supply 18,000 tonnes of maize. The award, which the report said was initiated by the official, was outside the formal government procurement process.

Ruto on his part says, he only wrote a note for a disabled person to access the maize, which he notes was never successful. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister Raila Odinga has assured the public that he will very soon make his position known once he familiarizes himself with the content and recommendations of the 366-page report. In a statement sent by his spokesman, the prime minister said the report on the Independent forensic Audit in the implementation of the Subsidized Maize meal scheme at the National Cereals and Produce Board report, was only delivered to his office this Monday.  Elsewhere, a section of Members of Parliament allied to PNU are demanding for the Prime Minister Raila Odinga to resign.  They claim that not only were key personnel in his Ministry deeply implicated in the maize scam, but that corruption is rife in key ministries which he supervises and coordinates. The legislators claim the Raila is applying double standard since there are nine other ministers whose ministers are alleged to be involved in corruption.

Leeches make a comeback

(Thabara kwa kikuyu)

Bugs and parasites are making a comeback into modern medicine, and although they have been used as a means of therapy for thousands of years, they lost their popularity in the second half of the 20th century only to regain their previous status as medical wonders during the 1980s. Two such parasites used today are leeches and maggots. As gruesome as both are conceived, they have been found to possess numerous advantages in the field of medicine. The use of leeches in medicine dates as far back as 2,500 years ago when they were used for bloodletting in ancient Egypt. All ancient civilizations practiced bloodletting including Indian and Greek civilizations. In ancient Greek history, bloodletting was practiced according to the humoral theory, which proposed that when the four humors, blood, phlegm, black and yellow bile in the human body were in balance, good health was guaranteed. An unbalance in the proportions of these humors was believed to be the cause of ill health. Records of this theory were found in the Greek philosopher Hippocrates’ collection in the fifth century B.C. Bloodletting using leeches was one method used by physicians to balance the humors and to rid the body of the plethora. – Full story below:

Medicinal leech

Scientific name: Hirudo medicinalis

Country: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Yugoslavia

Continent: Europe, Asia

Diet: Blood of birds, fish, frogs, mammals

Food & feeding: Carnivore

Habitats: Freshwater

Conservation Status: Near Threatened

Relatives: Earthworm, lugworm

Description: Leeches have segmented bodies like an earthworm, but unlike earthworms they are slightly flattened rather than round. They have a sucker at the head and the tail end and the one at the head surrounds the mouth. The mouth contains three jaws that can break the skin of their hosts to suck their blood. Medicinal leeches are greenish brown on their backs with thin red stripes running along the body and paler below. They grow up to 20 cm in length.

Lifestyle: Leeches live in shallow muddy pools and ponds with plenty of waterweeds. When hungry, they attach themselves to a passing animal, break the skin with their jaws, and inject special chemicals that prevent the blood from clotting and reduces any pain. They then suck the blood of the host until they are full, when they withdraw their jaws and drop off into the water. They can consume 15 grams of blood - ten times their own body weight, before they are full, but they only need to feed every six months.

Family & friends: Like slugs, leeches are hermaphrodite, having both male and female parts, but they still need to come together to mate with each other.

Keeping in touch: Little is known about leech communication.

Growing up: After mating, 15-50 eggs are laid in a spongy case or cocoon, above the waterline often under stones. The eggs hatch in 3-5 weeks and the young leeches need two seasons of feeding before they are ready to breed themselves.

Conservation news: The removal of millions of leeches for medical use in the 19th century reduced the numbers of wild leeches dramatically and in the last century, numbers were reduced further due to drainage of the ponds and ditches that they live in. The reduction of plough horses on farms (now replaced by tractors) has also affected leech numbers as horses used to be a favourite source of blood when they went to drink in ponds and ditches.

For over 4000 years, the leech has been a familiar remedy, with Greek and Roman physicians praising the application of this clever invertebrate. In the 19th century leeches were enjoying a golden age. Millions were raised and reared for medical use as their fame as a cure-all ensued.The mid 1800s saw their constant use for local bloodletting. Druggists administered thousands of leeches to patients with anything from gumboils to facial discolouration. Leeches were applied to the mouth and inside of the throat using a leech-glass, although patients frequently swallowed them. Patients were relieved only with a salty drink of water or perhaps the most popular cure-all of the day, a couple of glasses of wine. Sometimes the leech would not drink and then had to be encouraged by some blood or cream smeared at the puncture site or bathed in a warm glass of beer until ready. Once sucking, an average leech would drink its fill in about 15 minutes and consume between 2.5-5.5 grams of blood (half a teaspoon).

If the bite failed to stop bleeding after the leech was removed then vinegar, silver nitrate and hot wires were applied. Apart from using the English and Scottish leeches, huge numbers were imported from France, Hungary, the Ukraine, Turkey, Rumania, Russia, Egypt and Algeria. In 1846 in France alone, 30 million leeches were used. Hospitals in both London and Paris required 13 million between them for that single year. America produced their own leeches and one farm sold over a thousand a day everyday. Leeches were also caught from the wild by many interesting ways, including men baiting a muddy ditch or stream with a glass of pig blood, rolling their trousers up and wading into the water. Here they would wait patiently for leeches to adhere themselves to their legs. After a while, back on land the feeding leeches could be stripped off and sold to leech dealers. The leech industry began its decline due to the over collection of the animal and its discredit by the medical profession. By the end of the 19th century the golden age of the leech had passed. Today leeches are bred in captivity in many institutions including Bristol Zoo Gardens. Leeches have found new fame in microsurgery, where doctors require the precision of the leech to drain congested blood from wound sites. Plastic surgeons are particularly grateful for the contribution made by the leech, due to their use in the treatment of difficult grafts and reconstructive surgery.

London, Wednesday 10th February, 2010. A group of up to 80 mothers detained at an immigration centre have gone in hunger strike in protest at being separated from their children, it has emerged. Police were called to the Yarl's Wood centre in Bedfordshire where the women are said to be taking a stand against their detention and conditions. A statement released by a group called 'Women behind the Wire @ Yarl's Wood IRC' said the hunger strike began on Friday. It is understood a number of protesters were separated from the other detainees today and kept in a hallway or corridor for several hours after asking to speak to officials. One detainee, who said she had been held at the centre for three months without her two young children, told how 80 or so women had spent at least six hours shut in a hallway. The woman, who gave her name only as Aisha, said: ''We just came in here quietly and said we wanted to speak to the immigration people. ''All we want is an explanation of why we have to be detained for so long. ''It's getting really cold in this hallway now and we have no water, no food and no toilet facilities. Women have had to go to the toilet in the same room we've been locked up in. ''Five women have fainted. There's urine everywhere, it's disgusting and it smells.'' It is not clear exactly how many of the women have been separated from their children.

Aisha's children, aged 10 and six, are being looked after by her sister in Kilburn, north-west London, and she can only see them once a fortnight when they come and visit her, she added.  The 29-year-old Nigerian came to the UK in 1999 and was imprisoned in 2004 for using false documents to enrol at a university in London, she said.  She served six months behind bars and on her release was taken to Yarl's Wood. Lisa Nandy, policy adviser at the Children's Society, and Celia Clarke, director of Bail for Immigration Detainees, said in a joint statement: ''We are very concerned about the reports we have received from detainees in Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre that there has been a disturbance that has resulted in the police being called. ''We understand that a number of women are protesting against their enforced separation from their children and are extremely distressed. ''We urge the UK Border Agency (UKBA) to ensure the safety of all the women involved in this protest. We share their concerns about the impact of separating a child from their mother.'' The UKBA said the detainees would be integrated back into the centre at the earliest opportunity. David Wood, strategic director of the UKBA's criminality and detention group, said: ''Around 40 women at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre are protesting against their detention and have been separated from other detainees while staff try to resolve concerns raised by these individuals. ''The well-being of detainees is of paramount concern to the UK Border Agency, which is why healthcare staff are at the scene to monitor developments. ''All detainees are treated with dignity and respect, with access to legal advice and healthcare facilities. We only remove those who both the UKBA and the independent courts deem to have no legal right to be here.'' Today's incident was contained within the compound, Bedfordshire Police said.

A spokeswoman said: ''Bedfordshire Police were called by staff at Yarl's Wood immigration detention centre at 1.30pm following reports of minor disorder involving a small number of detainees. ''The police helicopter flew over the area at lunchtime for assessment purposes but has since left. ''As of 2pm today all detainees were described as calm and talking with Yarl's Wood staff to address their concerns. ''Police officers, including dog units, are on standby outside the perimeter fence of the compound and will not be involved unless requested directly.'' No one is thought to have been injured. Women behind the Wire is calling for an end to the detention of children and their mothers, rape survivors and other torture victims; an end to the detention of physically or mentally sick people and pregnant women for long periods of time; enough time and resources for residents who need to present their cases; access to appropriate medical treatment and care; access to edible and well-cooked food; and phones with good mobile connections including camera and recording facilities to back up cases. The group said it also wants to stop the forceful removal and deportation of detainees and detention for asylum seekers and torture victims.  Yarl's Wood opened in 2001 and has become the UK's main removal centre for women and families.

KBC TV has caught up with others

It is quite interesting to see how Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) Television formerly Voice of Kenya has improved their studios. It is over 10 years since I watched KBC Television in Kenya before moving to UK and impressed the way they have changed their studio and even their news - in fact they are the best because they cover Kenya in general. Beautiful studio, well dressed broadcasters and above all very nice swahili they are presenting. Surprisingly the two presenters a man and a lady can joke in the studio - "umesikia hiyo, maziwa ni mingi hapa Kenya utakuwa ukikunywa maziwa asubuni, mchana and jioni na tena hata ukienda kulala." I was watching Kenya news at www.habari.tv and you feel Kenya away from Kenya. Three hours after news presented in Nairobi, you can watch it online. Very impressing. Keep up the good work habari.tv - Your are better than Sky News or BBC 24 who keep on repeating the same news for two days.

THERE ARE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE THIS!!!!!
 

A 8 year child was caught in a market in Iran for stealing bread. He is being punished, his arm will be crushed by a car. He will loose forever the possibility to use his arm again.

Cheating woman exposed by lover’s ringtone

Residents of Kayole in Nairobi recently enjoyed a free drama when an irate man descended upon his wife and her lover with kicks and punches after their affair was exposed by the man’s phone. According to eyewitnesses, Njoroge left for work early in the morning as usual leaving his wife behind to take care of the home. As soon as he was out of sight, an unknown man was ushered into the house by his wife. The two then locked themselves in. Neighbours assumed that the casually dressed youth was one of the couple’s relatives. At noon, Njoroge unexpectedly arrived. He knocked on the door, which had remained locked since the stranger entered in the morning. His wife asked who the visitor was since she did not expect her husband till late in the evening. Njoroge identified himself. There was no immediate response. Instead, he heard a commotion coming in the house before the door was suddenly opened. He faced his wife who only had a towel wrapped around her waist. Her hair was unkempt and she had a confused expression on her face. "What is the matter, darling?" he asked fearing that she might have gone down with a cold. The wife replied in a shaky voice that she had a headache and that’s why she had slept up to that hour. She intended to take a shower before heading to a nearby clinic for treatment. "I also don’t feel well. In fact, I have taken a day off from work so as to seek treatment.  The two of us can head to the clinic together," replied Njoroge making his way to the bedroom where he intended to take a nap as she took a bath and got dressed.

But the wife blocked his way arguing that since it was already noon and on a Friday, he needed to rush to the clinic and secure their appointment with the doctors. Being on a weekend, she said that she anticipated the clinic to be packed with patients. After reflecting for a while, Njoroge agreed with her. He then requested to be brought his leather jacket which was in the bedroom. The wife dashed to get it. After placing the jacket across his shoulders, Njoroge turned to leave. Just then, he heard a peculiar sound emanating from the bedroom. "I never knew that your phone had that kind of a ringtone," said Njoroge moving towards the bedroom.  His wife’s attempts to block his way were futile as he shoved her aside. Her conduct only strengthened his suspicion that she was up to some mischief. Following the direction of the sound, he bent and looked under the bed. He was shocked to find a naked man trying to reach for a phone that was tucked inside the trouser he was fumbling to put on. "God! Just come out the way you are," he shouted trying to reach the now wailing man. Swiftly, Njoroge rushed outside and came back armed with a machete.  Fortunately for the culprit, neighbours who had responded to his distress calls managed to wrestle the weapon from the murderous Njoroge. But that did not stop him from pouncing on the two lovebirds with deafening kicks and punches. Meanwhile, neighbours revealed that the two were used to locking themselves in the couple’s house till a few hours past noon. - The Standard.

Marvel of 75-year-old Form One student

Rufinus arap Taa, 75, at play with his classmates at Korabariet Secondary School in Kuresoi District on Monday. Mzee Taa, a herbalist, expects that going to school will enable him to serve his clients better.

The grey-haired man among teenage boys and girls stands out in the Form One class at Korabariet Secondary School. He may be 75 years old, but Mzee Rufinus arap Taa is as excited about joining secondary school as his much younger classmates. But it has not been easy for him. Mzee Taa has had to weather many storms, including ridicule from the community for daring to dream of rubbing shoulders with classmates young enough to be his grandchildren. He scored 266 out of 500 marks in last year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination to secure a place at the school in Kuresoi District. This was no mean feat. He scored an A in science to emerge the top student in the subject in Kuresoi Division. He even beat one of his grandchildren. A herbalist, the father of six and grandfather of more than 20, says he is determined to use formal education to learn more about his trade. Mzee Taa is following in the footsteps of Mzee Kimani Maruge, who became an international celebrity when he enrolled in Standard One at the age of 82. The Form One student says his decision in 2006 to go back to school was inspired by Mzee Maruge, who died of cancer last year. He was the oldest pupil in the world when he took advantage of the free primary education programme introduced in 2003 to go school. Mr Taa joined primary school at Standard Five. “I found it easier to come back because I’m much younger than he,” Mzee Taa said. - Daily Nation.

Labour's 'secret plan' to lure migrants in UK

The Government has been accused of pursuing a secret policy of encouraging mass immigration for its own political ends.

The release of a previously unseen document suggested that Labour’s migration policy over the past decade had been aimed not just at meeting the country’s economic needs, but also the Government’s “social objectives”. The paper said migration would “enhance economic growth” and made clear that trying to halt or reverse it could be “economically damaging”. But it also stated that immigration had general “benefits” and that a new policy framework was needed to “maximise” the contribution of migration to the Government’s wider social aims. The Government has always denied that social engineering played a part in its migration policy. However, the paper, which was written in 2000 at a time when immigration began to increase dramatically, said controls were contrary to its policy objectives and could lead to “social exclusion”.

Last night, the Conservatives demanded an independent inquiry into the issue. It was alleged that the document showed that Labour had overseen a deliberate open-door ­policy on immigration to boost multi-culturalism. Voting trends indicate that migrants and their descendants are much more likely to vote Labour existence of the draft policy paper, which was drawn up by a Cabinet Office think tank and a Home Office research unit, was disclosed last year by Andrew Neather, a former adviser to Tony Blair, Jack Straw and David Blunkett. He alleged at the time that the sharp increase in immigration over the past 10 years was partly due to a “driving political purpose: that mass immigration was the way that the Government was going to make the UK truly multi-cultural”. However, the full document was made public only yesterday following a Freedom of Information request by Migrationwatch, a pressure group. A version of the paper was published in 2001, but most of the references to “social objectives” had been removed. In the executive summary alone, six out of eight uses of the phrase were deleted.

Labour has overseen an unprecedented rise in immigration, which has led to a rise of about three million in the UK population since 1997. Until recently, it accused opponents who called for tougher controls of playing the “race card”. Labour was forced to change its rhetoric amid concerns that the economic and social reality of immigration had alienated voters in its heartlands. Gordon Brown pledged to secure “British jobs for British workers” as the recession led to a rise in unemployment and, just four months ago, he was accused of a U-turn when he insisted that it was “not racist” to discuss the issue. The document released yesterday suggested that Labour originally pursued a different direction. It was published under the title “Migration: an economic and social analysis” but the removal of significant extracts suggested that officials or ministers were nervous over references to “social objectives”. The original paper called for the need of a new framework for thinking about migration policy but the concluding phrase — “if we are to maximise the contribution of migration to the Government’s economic and social objectives” — was edited out.

Another deleted phrase suggested that it was “correct that the Government has both economic and social objectives for migration policy”. Sir Andrew Green, the chairman of Migrationwatch, said the document showed that Mr Neather, who claimed ministers wanted to radically change the country and “rub the Right’s nose in diversity”, had been correct in his account of Labour’s immigration policy. “Labour had a political agenda which they sought to conceal for initiating mass immigration to Britain,“ he said. “Why else would they be so anxious to remove any mention of social aspects? “Only now that their working-class supporters are deserting them in droves have they started to talk about restricting immigration.” Damian Green, the shadow immigration minister, accused the Government of having a secret policy. “This shows that Labour’s open-door immigration policy was deliberate, and ministers should apologise,” he said. “This makes it all the more important that there is a proper independent inquiry in the origins of this policy and whether ministers have been deceiving people.” Jack Straw, who was home secretary when the paper was drawn up, has adamantly denied any secret plot and insisted that he had been tough on immigration. Phil Woolas, the Immigration Minister, said the policy changes introduced in the 1997-2001 Parliament toughened immigration rules. “The reports confirm there is no evidence to back the idea there was an open-door policy,” he said. “The Government was criticised at the time for tightening the policy.” Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, will announce today moves to make it harder to earn citizenship.

The town where schoolchildren speak 150 languages

Schoolchildren in just one town have been found to speak as many as 150 different languages at home, highlighting the pressure placed on teachers by growing numbers with little or no command on English.

Reading in Berkshire, where schoolchildren have been found to speak as many as 150 different languages at home Photo: CORBIS. The Government described the number of languages and dialects spoken by pupils in Reading, Berks - uncovered in a survey by the local authority - as "extraordinary" and conceded that it would place extra pressure on schools. Languages spoken by children in the town include the Ghanaian dialect of Akan, Chichewa, from the south central Africa, the Aztec tongue of Nahatl and the Indian language of Telugu. Reading Borough Council has been forced to offer cheap English lessons to pupils and their parents to tackle the rising number of children who cannot communicate in class. But the figure suggests that language barriers are making it increasingly impossible for teachers to communicate effectively with pupils. It follows the disclosure in 2005 that pupils at Woodside High School school in Tottenham, north London, speak as many as 58 languages, with many arriving at the comprehensive unable to speak any English at all. Census figures show that children across the whole of Scotland speak 147 languages, while pupils in Lancashire speak 72 mother tongues. A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said: “If pupils are speaking 150 different languages in one place, that’s quite an extraordinary number.

Voters in UK are deeply pessimistic about the state of Britain today, believing that society is broken and heading in the wrong direction, a Populus poll for The Times has found. Nearly three fifths of voters say that they hardly recognise the country they are living in, while 42 per cent say they would emigrate if they could. But worries over the pace of social change and dislocation are balanced by the belief that life will get better, according to the survey undertaken at the weekend. It suggests that 70 per cent believe that society is now broken, echoing a Conservative campaign theme of the past two years, while 68 per cent say people who play by the rules get a raw deal and 82 per cent think it is time for a change. The snapshot of Britain also confirms, however, that the battle between the parties has tightened with Labour two points up at 30 per cent. Women, working-class people and Tory voters were more likely to say that they hardly recognise their own country.

Overall, 64 per cent think that Britain is going in the wrong direction and just 31 per cent believe it is on the right track. This is a widely used measure of mood in the United States where 57 per cent of people think America is going wrong and 37 per cent believe it is on the right track. It is not all gloom. Three fifths (60 per cent) of those polled say they look to the future with optimism, against 38 per cent who are looking forward with anxiety. While 45 per cent say Britain’s best years are behind us, 50 per cent say that they are still to come. More than half the public (55 per cent) say that their children’s lives will be better than their own, while 37 per cent say that they will be worse. Voters’ main fire is directed at political institutions: 73 per cent say politics is broken in Britain and 77 per cent say there are far fewer people in public life that they admire than there used to be. The poll suggests anger at MPs who have had to repay expenses. A third say that they will vote against their local MP if he or she had been required to repay money. David Cameron claimed yesterday that his generation of Tories were better placed than the Government to “fix broken politics”, and unveiled new rules that would bar former ministers in the private sector from lobbying government for two years.

President Mwai Kibaki is coming to the UK on 23rd February 2010 for a Commonwealth meeting in London

A Kenyan woman dies in USA while visiting her daughter

A Kenyan woman visiting her daughter in the US has passed away. Mrs. Jane Miseda  passed away on Tuesday, February 2nd 2010 at the John Peters Smith (JPS)  Hospital in Fortworth, TX approximately 35 miles west of Dallas.. According to a family sources who spoke to Jambonewspot.com,  Mrs Miseda started feeling unwell on the night of January 24th- and this continued into the following day. Her condition deteriorated the following evening.  She was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday, January 26th after her daughter Loice Miseda called in the paramedics. She was admitted in the hospital’s ICU. Sadly, she slipped into a coma which she never woke up from. She passed away a week later. Mrs Miseda had been in the US for a month and a half prior to her death. Before arriving in the US, she was in Canada visiting her two other children, Elijah and Betty Miseda.

The late Mrs. Jane Mised

She left Kenya in October and she was on the last leg of her trip as she was scheduled to return back home in March. Mrs Miseda’s death comes at a time when the Kenyan community in the diaspora is getting increasingly concerned over the number of deaths being reported in their communities. Kenyan churches all across the US held prayers on Sunday, February 7 dedicating the day as a “Kenyan International Day of Prayer” and seeking spiritual guidance over this alarming trend. The deceased hailed from Gem Sub-Location and was living in Awendo, South Nyanza. According to her daughter Loice, plans are under way to repatriate her body back home on February 15th, 2010. A funeral service will be held for the late Mrs. Miseda at 11 am on Saturday, February 13, 2010 at: The Porter’s House, 6777 West Kiest Blvd, Dallas TX, 75236-3006, Tel: 214-331-0954.mLater on in the day, a fundraising event has been scheduled to raise funds to meet her funeral and a fundraising is scheduled on Saturday, February 13, 2010 at  All Nations SDA Church, 3618 Roosevelt Drive, Arlington, TX 76016 as from  6 pm. For those who will not be able to make it and would like to donate, you can do so at:  Chase Bank, Loice Miseda, International Routing No. 021000021, Local Routing No:  111000614, Account No. 871477394. For more information, you can contact: Alpha Oluga 682-241-4470, Leah Ondieki, 469-441-8818, Claire 817-300.7488, Becky Irene Kinuthia  214-780-7167.

Kenya has got talents and Kenya has got thinkers. Talk of Mpesa Money Transfer - it is only in Kenya where you text money from your mobile to another mobile the same way you text messages. At last this facilities are in UK and it only for Kenyans. Now WWW.HABARI.TV is here with us. With Fibre Optic Broadband in place in Kenya, a lot is set to happen. You can now watch Citizen TV News and KBC News three hours after the broadcast in Kenya. All the other TV stations in Kenya are signing up and soon you will be watching news from all the TV channels in Kenya, Uganda and Africa in general. A revolution of the technology. Several Kenyan businessmen are behind the idea among them Mr. George Thairu and Mr. Kelvin Karungu who visited UK last week to finalise the deal. The service will be costing $19.99 per month for those in the US and £12 for those in the UK. Mr. Seed has already signed in and he has this to say: "This is a revolution in the media. The best thing about this broadcast is that it is not stopping like the YouTube. It is clear and quick to load. It is like Sky News but you can watch different channels at you will. The beauty about the service is that you can watch the news at your convenience. News like home. Kenya away from home. Catch up with the news at http://www.habari.tv/index.jpf ." Mr. Seed concluded.

HABARI.TV NEWS Like Home!

HABARI.TV, www.habari.tv aggregates unedited NEWS bulletins from selected television stations in Africa. We then offer the Diaspora an opportunity to watch these bulletins online. 

HABARI.TV currently offers NEWS bulletins in both Local (currently Swahili & Luganda) & English languages from Citizen TV (Kenya), KBC (Kenya) & WBS (Uganda). All NEWS bulletins are available for viewing 3 hours after being broadcast back home, i.e. from 7 PM GMT and 9 PM GMT respectively. You can then choose when to watch the NEWS bulletins, as they are available for 24 hours.

HABARI.TV offers an easy and affordable subscription model for only $19.99 per month per country. This allows you to get a balanced view on NEWS from back home as you will have more than one TV station to choose from. We are currently working on bringing you more TV stations from your home country.

HABARI.TV accepts all major credit cards via our secure website and we are in the process of looking at alternative modes of payment and will announce these on our website as they become available.

HABARI.TV is what the African Diaspora has been waiting for. A reliable, cost effective Video-on-Demand service that lets you see it how your family & friends back home saw it!

Visit www.habari.tv, and get your FREE trial account today!

SOME OF THE UK NEWSPAPERS ON TUESDAY 9TH FEBRUARY 2010

LEFT: A Criminal In Uniform is the front page headline in the Daily Mail, describing disgraced police commander Dizaei, who has been jailed for four years. CENTRE: Metro leads with a story about a "generation" of school leavers who will not be able to go to university because of a massive cutback in the number of places available. RIGHT: Thousands of young Scots will miss out on places at university because of the rise in applications, reports The Herald.

Richest man in India, Mukesh Ambani, sets his sights on takeover deal for Liverpool

Liverpool emerged as a takeover target for the seventh-richest man in the world last night as the pressure mounted on Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr to cut a deal to sell Anfield. Mukesh Ambani, the wealthiest man in India, is one of two tycoons from the sub-continent competing to buy a stake in the Merseyside club. The Sahara Group’s chairman, Subrata Roy, and Ambani’s Reliance Industries have each tendered similar bids to pay off Liverpool’s £237 million debt in return for a 51 per cent stake in the club. Last night Christian Purslow, the Liverpool chief executive, denied any knowledge of either bid, but The Times understands that approaches began as early as November and that some preliminary talks have taken place. Each deal requires that the present owners make a commitment to take no dividends or expenses out of Anfield for three years to allow the club to resume a secure financial basis. One of the potential owners has also indicated a willingness to allow supporters to take a 10 per cent stake in Liverpool.

London, Monday 8th February, 2010. Britain's brutal winter temperatures will drop to -6C this week as forecasters warn of yet another downfall of snow and freezing weather.  Eastern parts of the country are most at risk of snow showers and overnight temperatures will plunge below freezing across most parts over the next few days, MeteoGroup said. It will also feel increasingly cold in the daytime, falling to 1C (34F) in places as a chill north east wind strengthens through the week. There is not expected to be any repeat of the heavy snow falls and extended arctic conditions that brought the country to a standstill last month. Gemma Plumb, from MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "It will feel a lot colder than it is at the moment this week. "There is a cold wind coming from the north, which will make conditions seem much chillier. "At the moment it looks like the greatest risk of snow is in the east." Temperatures over the past week have been milder, reaching nearly 10C in parts, as a result of cloud cover. This week, western parts of the UK are expected to see the coldest weather between Wednesday and Friday, dropping to minus 4C (25F) overnight. The change in the weather results from a high pressure to the north of the UK, which is sending down the brisk, chill winds across the country and creating clear skies.

A body of a remains of a woman found by workmen in UK

Police investigating the death of a woman whose remains were found by workmen have released pictures of her clothes in the hope someone will recognise them. The workers discovered the human skull as they were preparing for redevelopment of the site of the Co-operative Group's new £100m headquarters in Manchester city centre last month. The remains of a white woman, aged between 16 and 30 were excavated. It is unclear exactly how long they had been there. A blue jumper and blue/green bra were also recovered and a green pinafore with large buttons was found nearby. A post-mortem examination later found the woman had a fractured jawbone, collarbone and neck. Detective Chief Inspector Jeff McMahon said: "This woman's death is highly suspicious and we have a team of trained detectives trying to establish who she is and what has happened to her. "We are reviewing all relevant missing person reports in an attempt to identify her but if you have any knowledge about the items of clothing we have recovered I would urge you to get in touch. "Until we are able to establish further facts it would be inappropriate to speculate on how long this woman has been dead or how exactly she died. "Any information that can help us can be treated in strict confidence."

Britain's brutal winter temperatures will drop to -6C this week

A young Kenyan man aged 20 years visited Kenya last December after 15 years out of Kenya. He came to the UK when he was five years. His most interest in Kenya was to visit the hospital where he was born. To prove his point home that he is a true Kenyan he explained to the nurses at the reception of the hospital: "Nilizalia hapa." meaning I was born here - what he meant to say was "nilizaliwa hapa." All the same the boy scored 5 out of 10. Which hospital in Nairobi? More later.

WHAT SOME OF THE UK NEWSPAPERS ON MONDAY 8TH FEBRUARY 2010

LEFT: Alex Reid wants a divorce from Katie Price after just five days of marriage, according to The Daily Star. CENTRE: The Guardian claims that universities across the country are preparing to axe thousands of jobs and courses because of funding cuts. RIGHT: The Express says that more than a million immigrants have been given the right to work in Britain since Gordon Brown promised "British jobs for British workers".

THEY CALL IT FAMILY UNITY

Where is the mother? Some say she is on maternity leave - all the in the land of "hakuna matata"

Tougher rules to stop abuse of student visa system in UK

Tougher rules have been brought in to stop people abusing the student visa system to remain illegally in the UK. Home Secretary Alan Johnson said 30% of migrants who came into the UK were on student visas and a number were adults taking short courses, not degrees. Under the new rules, applicants will need to speak English to near-GCSE level and those on short courses will not be able to bring dependants. The Tories said the system had been the "biggest hole in border controls". The Home Office would not confirm reports the changes may cut visas issued this year by tens of thousands. A spokesman said a review of student visas had been ordered in November. In 2008/9, about 240,000 student visas were issued by the UK. News of the new measures comes a week after student visa applications from Nepal, northern India and Bangladesh were suspended amid a big rise in cases.

Last year the UK introduced a system requiring students wishing to enter the country to secure 40 points under its criteria. However, the government has faced criticism that this has allowed suspected terrorists and other would-be immigrants into the UK, only for them to stay on despite their visas being temporary. Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, the home secretary denied the system had been lax before. "By 2011, we will have the most sophisticated system in the world to check people not just coming into the country but to check they have left as well," he said. He said the UK remains open to those foreign students who want to come to the UK for legitimate study. "We are the second most popular location for people going into higher education," he said. "We have to be careful that we are not damaging a major part of the UK economy, between £5bn and £8bn." Immigration Minister Phil Woolas told the BBC's Politics Show 200 bogus colleges had been closed. "Students have foreign national identity cards. We have the e-Border counting in and counting out," he said. "The latest proposals are a response to the moves by people who are trying to get round the system." Under the measures, effective immediately:

• Successful applicants from outside the EU will have to speak English to a level only just below GCSE standard, rather than beginner level as at present

• Students taking courses below degree level will be allowed to work for only 10 hours a week, instead of 20 as at present

• Those on courses which last under six months will not be allowed to bring dependants into the country, while the dependants of students on courses below degree level will not be allowed to work

• Additionally, visas for courses below degree level with a work placement will also be granted only if the institutions they attend are on a new register, the Highly Trusted Sponsors List.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said the UK needed to "restore immediately control of our borders". "The biggest hole in the student visa system is caused by the Tory and Labour abolition of exit checks, which means we do not know if someone has left once their visa runs out," he said.  Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Grayling said the student visa system had been the "biggest hole in our border controls for a decade". "Ministers should be ending the situation where a student visa is a way of coming to the UK to stay, by banning the practice of moving from course to course in order to stay on and stopping overseas students from applying for work permits without going home first," he said. The party has also proposed that overseas students should pay a cash deposit which would be lost if they did not leave the country when their course finished. And Conservative backbencher Mark Pritchard has gone further and proposed universities withhold degree certificates until foreign students can prove they have returned to their home countries. But Mr Johnson said Mr Grayling's plan would just add another level of bureaucracy. "Many of these students, if they are coming here using this route for illegal migration, will pay thousands of pounds to usually criminal gangs," he said. "The thought of losing a bond is not going to solve this problem."

Audio slideshow: Kenya dhow captain fears new port

Kenya's government is planning to build a massive new port - expected to be the busiest in East Africa, serving neighbouring countries such as Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo. But the port is near Lamu, a beautiful, unspoilt island, which centuries ago dominated the region's trade in ivory, gold and slaves. Some local residents are looking forward to the wealth they hope the new port will generate. But dhow captain Fahad Mohamed Musa fears that the development  will hurt local fishermen.  - VIDEO

Kenya VP caught by snow in USA

Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka was caught in one of the worst snow storms to hit Washington, and which was described by President Barack Obama as a "Snowmaggedon". According to his personal assistant Kaplich Barsito, the VP had to abandon plans to fly out of the US Capital to the Caribbean Islands, after being snowed-in at the Ritz Carlton hotel. All flights out of Washington were cancelled as cars on driveways and car parks completely buried in snow. The tragic blizzard has killed two people, and buried Washington in 30 inches of snow. Thousands of families fared much worse, most going without power for three days. Schools, government offices, and businesses closed for two days. Public transport and even private motoring ground to a halt. The VP meanwhile, who is winding up his tour of the US, has established the strategic importance that Kenya plays in that country. - CapitalFM

Border staff humiliate and trick asylum seekers – whistleblower

Louise Perrett says she was advised at the Border Agency office in Cardiff to refuse difficult asylum claims Claims that asylum seekers are mistreated, tricked and humiliated by staff working for the UK Border Agency are to be investigated in parliament. The home affairs select committee chairman, Keith Vaz, has called for an investigation following allegations that officials at one of the government's major centres for processing asylum seekers' claims express fiercely anti-immigration views and take pride in refusing applications. Louise Perrett, who worked as a case owner at the Border Agency office in Cardiff for three and a half months last summer, claims staff kept a stuffed gorilla, a "grant monkey", which was placed as a badge of shame on the desk of any officer who approved an asylum application. Perrett, 29, also alleges that one official boasted to her that he tested the claims of boys from African countries who said they had been forcibly conscripted as child soldiers by making them lie down on the floor and demonstrate how they shot at people in the bush. One method used to determine the authenticity of an asylum seeker claiming to be from North Korea was to ask whether the person ate chop suey.

Perrett, whose claims will become the basis for parliamentary questions from Jenny Willott, the Liberal Democrat shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Cardiff Central MP, said interviews were conducted without lawyers, independent witnesses or tape recorders. If a case was difficult, Perrett claims, she was simply advised to refuse it and "let a tribunal sort it out". Only cases raised by MPs appeared to be dealt with properly. Perrett said she was given the power to make legally binding decisions on whether asylum seekers were granted or refused asylum after just five weeks' training. She also had the power to detain individuals and families for up to 28 days. Like her colleagues, she was obliged to sign the Official Secrets Act. She took legal advice before deciding to speak out publicly.

She claims the tone was set on the first day when one manager said of the asylum-seeker clients: "If it was up to me I'd take them all outside and shoot them." Another told her this was to be expected, adding: "No one in this office is very PC. In fact everyone is the exact opposite." She told the Guardian: "I witnessed general hostility, rudeness and indifference towards clients. It was completely horrific. I highlighted my concerns to senior managers but I was just laughed at. I decided to speak out because nobody else was saying anything and major changes are needed at senior management level." One of her cases involved a Congolese woman who had the right to remain in the UK. Perrett says a superior nevertheless decided the woman and her children should be removed, and asked officials whether there were any grounds to remove them. Frustrated, she approached a member of the legal department. His reply, according to Perrett, was: "Umbongo, umbongo, they kill them in the Congo."

Vaz said: "I am deeply concerned by a number of ex-UKBA workers who have spoken out about flaws in the points-based system and behaviour such as this. I will be writing to the chief executive, Lin Homer, to discover what steps are being taken to remedy this culture of disbelief and discrimination." Willott said she was tabling a series of parliamentary questions. "Some of the cases which seem obvious to me are refused. UKBA has a responsibility to treat people as human beings, but from Louise's experience it seems that this does not always happen." Matthew Coats, head of immigration at the UK Border Agency, disputed Perrett's claim that she raised concerns and the department declined to respond to her specific allegations. But he said the agency "expects the highest levels of integrity and behaviour from all our staff," adding: "We take all allegations of inappropriate behaviour extremely seriously."

Usiue panya - utashikwa na police

ITV fined over I'm A Celebrity... jungle rat killing

ITV has been fined 3,000 Australian dollars (£1,903) after contestants on its show, I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, killed and ate a rat. The fine, for animal cruelty, was issued by the RSPCA in Australia, where the show was filmed last year. "The animal was killed for a TV show, that's not appropriate," said RSPCA chief inspector David Oshannessy. A spokesman for ITV said: "ITV has apologised for the mistake which led to this incident." He continued: "The production was unaware that killing a rat could be an offence, criminal or otherwise in New South Wales, and accepts that further inquiries should have been made. "This was an oversight and we have since thoroughly reviewed our procedures and are putting in place a comprehensive training programme to ensure that this does not happen in future series." I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! winner Gino D'Acampo killed the rat while in the jungle camp last year. The Italian chef and actor Stuart Manning ate it after they were "exiled" and reduced to rations of rice and beans. ITV also had to pay $1,634 Australian dollars (£1,634) in costs.

Alex want divorce after five days of marriage

Katie Price's five day marriage to Alex Reid looks to be on shaky turf already, with friends claiming the cage fighter is already 'exhausted' by the model's money making plans and 'wants a divorce'. Celebrity Big Brother winner Reid is said to be feeling the strain following reports Price has planned a five stage plan to cash in on their nuptials. Included in the model's ideas include a wedding party, honeymoon, renewing their vows, a new home and even the potential of a possible split, reports the Daily Star. Friends of Reid quote him in the tabloid saying: "This last week has knocked me for six. Kate is full of ideas about the future, but right now all I want to do is get on with my training." "I'm exhausted after everything that's gone on in the last few says. Who knows what's next? Never underestimate Mrs Reid – she will be busy no matter what." The couple are already apart despite their marriage in Vegas just last week.

Toyota 'planning recall of Prius'

Toyota is to recall the latest model of its flagship Prius cars because of a possible fault with the brakes, reports from Japan say. The firm did not comment on the reports, but said it would be announcing soon what action it would take over problems with the Prius. Toyota has already recalled about eight-million vehicles with faulty accelerator pedals or floor mats. Company president Akio Toyoda has publicly apologised for the problems. The brake problem is thought to affect about 270,000 Prius models that were sold in the US and Japan starting last May. Toyota blames a software glitch and says it has already fixed vehicles sold this year. Reports say the recall could be extended to Europe, China and other countries. Toyota says about 6,500 Prius car owners in the UK would be affected. According to Japan's largest newspaper, Yomiuri, Toyota has already notified car dealers in Japan that it plans to recall its latest Prius model. It will make a formal announcement after reporting to the government, according to the reports. It is unclear whether a similar total recall is planned for the US, but dealers there have reportedly been told that Toyota plans to repair the brakes on thousands of Prius vehicles.

Australian sword swallower sets Guinness world record

Mr Hultgren started practising with swords at the age of 16

An Australian performance artist has set a Guinness world record by swallowing 18 swords at the same time. Chayne Hultgren, also known as the Space Cowboy, beat his own 2008 record by swallowing the swords, each 72cm (28.35in) long, at an event in Sydney. He said that while the stunt was not dangerous, he had spent many hours training for it. After setting the record, Mr Hultgren, 31, described it as definitely one of his greatest achievements so far. "Wow, I did it, it feels good, thank you very much, it feels really good actually," he said. Mr Hultgren started practising with swords at the age of 16 and says he has used different methods to perfect the art. "I stretch my throat with hoses and use a few different techniques to basically enable me to do what, until now, has been impossible". "I don't just straightaway grab 18 blades and shove them down my throat - you've got to practise a lot and build up to it," he says.

As we had reported earlier, a Kenyan lady has passed away in UK. Mrs. Mary Gathara-James Beloved Wife of Tony James, and Beloved Mother of Annabell Nyambura passed away after a short illness on Tuesday 2nd of February 2010 in the Royal Berkshire hospital, Reading, UK. She is ddaughter of Hannah Nyambura Gathara. It is quite surprising that Nyambura was born also on the 2nd of February 1967 in Karia, Kiambu. Those who knew her and wish to console or visit the family are welcome to do so, and should Contact Tony on 01189867586 or 07725592045. The funeral has yet to be finalized as people may be attending from Kenya as she is expected to be buried in UK. Mary was a proud member of the Kenyan Golfing Society of Europe, and this picture was taken after she won a recent event. Sources says she passed away due to pneumonia.

The late Mrs. Mary Gathara-James

Washington DC at standstill because of heavy snow - a number of Kenyans are among the stranded people at work among them Mr. Kariuki the husband of Grace Kariuki in Virginia, USA

Given £10,000 in a church seminar

Every bird has got its own day. Al-Shaddai Church in Nottingham is a new church in town and is growing very fast. The church which has recently bought a property in Nottingham is currently worshipping at Hilton Hotel Hall in Nottingham town. The church has come up with business seminars to promote Christians in the business circles and encouraging young businessmen and businesswomen. They have been inviting motivational speakers at their seminars. The first seminar took place two months ago and they had invited a businessman from South Africa. During that seminar the speaker encouraged those attending to register and start businesses. The 2nd seminar took place on Saturday 6th February 2010 with the same speaker. During his presentations, he asked those attending to show by hands if you have registered a company since his last presentation. One person who had registered a company showed up and he was given £10,000 non-refundable to start his business and no strings attached. It seems to be a good church for business people. On his first seminar the businessman asked those attending whether there was anyone who had written a business plan. One person who had written a business plan was given £500.

Paint Your Cat...unbelievable 

  
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF PEOPLE HAVING MORE MONEY THAN THEY KNOW WHAT TO DO!

I didn't even know they did this!!!!!!!!! Time to grab the neighbor’s cat and get busy!! Some of the paint jobs cost $15,000 and had to be repeated every 3 months as the cat's hair grows out. Must be nice to have $60,000 a year just to keep your cat painted!! 

First 7-star hotel in Kenya for Kamlesh

After losing out in the battle for the ownership of the Grand Regency Hotel, Nairobi businessman Kamlesh Pattni has now come up with an even grander project; a seven star Sh4 billion hotel complex just up the road from his former gem that was taken over by Libyans.  But before construction of The Prince begins at Nairobi’s Museum Hill, Mr Patni will have to navigate the controversy over a new 50-year lease agreement on the land on which he intends to build the hotel and shopping complex. The ministry of Lands has controversially given a company linked to him a 50-year lease for the prime property at the city’s Museum Hill, throwing two government ministries at loggerheads. On November 27, 2008, the Commissioner of Lands, Mr Zablon Mabea, granted the lease to Galaxy Walker Ltd for the building of the seven-star hotel, to be known as The Prince. Under the lease, all buildings on the property, which belong to the Office of the Vice-President and the ministry of Home Affairs, will be demolished and the multi-storeyed structure put up in its place. Also to be put up on the same plot is a shopping mall, furnished apartments, executive offices and a massive parking lot to accommodate 1,000 vehicles. The ministry of Lands kept the Office of the Vice-President in the dark over the 50-year lease. The lease was granted to the company four years before the expiry of another lease, granted to yet another company associated with the tycoon. While the ministry of Lands is convinced it has pulled off a major victory for the government, Galaxy Walker Ltd were unable to state where they will get funds for the prestigious twin towers.

WHAT SOME THE UK NEWSPAPERS ON SUNDAY 7TH FEBRUARY 2010

The Times has the news that the scientist who allegedly called on colleagues to destroy climate change data considered taking his life after a global backlash over the 'climategate' email scandal. LEFT: Meanwhile the Daily Star also claims to have got its hands on exclusive details of their relationship.

Lemon: Benefits & Uses

Lemon has been used for many years in gout and rheumatism. Lemon-juice is a diuretic. It, therefore, gives relief in kidney and bladder disorders. It has been used in destroying intestinal worms. It prevents vomiting and helps to cure hepatitis and other innumerable diseases.

A-level entry requirement shock for university applicants

Leading universities have been accused of unjustly raising A-level entry requirements at the last minute because of a surge in applicants and severe government cuts. Universities including Cambridge, Newcastle, Nottingham and York have increased the entry grades on some courses from those they advertised on their websites last year. Schools have protested that the changes, introduced after students had applied, are unfair and could deny applicants places at their chosen universities. They fear that thousands of pupils could be unsuccessful because they applied under one set of criteria only to find they are now being judged by a tougher one. Universities have introduced the changes partly because of surging numbers of applications — with a rise of nearly 12% expected in national figures to be released this week. They are also keen to ensure they do not breach government quotas on student numbers. Lord Mandelson, the first secretary of state, has warned that they face fines of £3,700 for every extra place awarded.

The warning was issued when Mandelson announced £915m of cuts for universities at the end of last year. Institutions fear they are likely to be hit by further reductions in next month’s budget. To cope with the spending cuts universities are slashing staff numbers, reducing the places for British undergraduates and taking on more overseas students paying full fees. Examples of courses where grades have been toughened include philosophy, politics and economics at York, where the original AAB grades that were required have now been raised to AAA. At some Cambridge colleges, students applying for courses in economics and computing science were told when they were applying that the standard offer was A*AA. They have now found that they are required to score two A* grades at A-level to win a place. Nottingham has not changed its publicly stated minimum requirements but behind the scenes it has raised the grade threshold for some courses. Cardiff has toughened conditions on courses including philosophy and radiography,although Welsh universities are not affected by Mandelson’s strictures. Roberta Georghiou, headmistress of Bury girls’ grammar, an independent school in Greater Manchester, and a senior figure in the Girls’ Schools Association (GSA), said she was advising her pupils to print out website pages on the day they sent in their applications to ensure they had evidence of the grades demanded at the time.

“It may be understandable that universities need to raise their boundaries now the government is imposing caps and fines,” she said. “But when the criteria are changed mid-cycle, it does not present an image of honesty and transparency.” Nigel Taylor, assistant principal of Hills Road state sixth form college in Cambridge, said he did not have evidence yet that his students had fallen foul of the policy but added: “It will not surprise me if I do when we come to analyse offers at the end of this term. “When universities reach crunch point and see how many candidates they have, they will vary the offers or reduce the number they make.” Universities avoid exposing themselves to legal action by saying in the small print of their websites that minimum, or standard, offers are for guidance and they reserve the right to change them. The HMC and GSA groups of independent schools have now complained about the policy to Supporting Professionalism in Admissions, an umbrella group set up by universities.

Its officials have told the schools that admissions tutors had reluctantly changed their criteria because of funding restrictions and high numbers of applicants. As a result, they said, some applicants — whether from the state or independent sector — were likely to be rejected according to criteria that had never been published or had only recently been changed. The squeeze on offers is the latest manifestation of the crisis at universities that one senior vice-chancellor, Michael Arthur of Leeds, has warned could “bring [the university system] to its knees”. Academics at Leeds last week voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action over cost-cutting plans that could cost hundreds of jobs. King’s College London said last week that it planned to cut 205 staff and those working in 13 departments have been warned of possible redundancy. University College London, which is seeking 6% savings, is planning redundancies to help save £3m at its life sciences faculty. Westminster University says 285 jobs will go by July. Figures to be released this week by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service are expected to show a growth of 11%-12% in applications over last year’s record figure. Several universities contacted this weekend about changes to offers said the tougher criteria would apply only to students who had applied after the conditions had changed. York said its PPE grades had been raised “as part of a review” and “no one has been treated inequitably as a result”.

In God's eyes, love is never absent. In God's heart, forgiveness is never impossible. In God's embrace, no one is ever alone or forgotten. God Bless!

Snowmageddon' Paralyses East Coast USA

A blizzard of record-breaking proportions has buried the east coast of America in thick snow, bringing a vast region to a standstill and leaving thousands without power

Israeli, Saudi handshake settles seating spat

A handshake between an Israeli politician and a Saudi prince settled an unusual public diplomatic spat on Saturday about the seating arrangements at an international security conference. Skip related content To applause from the audience at the Munich Security Conference, a global gathering of defence, security and diplomatic chiefs, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon and Saudi Arabia's Prince Turki al-Faisal smiled and shook hands in a display of diplomatic good manners. "There is a chance," Ayalon said, apparently referring to prospects for a more peaceful region. "I am very glad." Ayalon had accused Turki, a former Saudi intelligence chief and envoy to Washington and London, of orchestrating a decision to keep him off a panel involving other regional powers meant to discuss the security of the Middle East. The panel had been due to feature speakers from Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey, Egypt, Russia and the United States. In the event, it was split into two sessions, the first featuring Turki, Egyptian diplomat Hossam Zaki and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and a second with Ayalon, Russian academic Igor Yurgens and U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman. Ayalon began his talk saying it appeared "a representative of a country with a lot of oil" had pressed the organisers to separate the panel because he "did not want to sit with us." This showed a lack of mutual respect and tolerance, a failing at the heart of the region's problems, he said.

"I'm working to improve my methods, and every hour I save is an hour added to my life." - Ayn Rand: Wise Saying

Ten Worst and Best Foods

10 Super Foods For Better Health! At least one will suprise you... - CLICK HERE

Snowstorm paralyses Washington DC and eastern US. An "extremely dangerous" storm has dumped large amounts of snow in the eastern US, shutting down the capital. About 10in (25cm) of snow had fallen by 0100 (0600 GMT) in Washington, with forecasters predicting the heaviest snowfall to hit the area in 90 years. Museums closed, transport was widely disrupted, and residents were told to prepare for up to five days indoors. A rare 24-hour blizzard warning is in effect for the Washington-Baltimore area until 2200 (0300 GMT Sunday). The storm - dubbed "snowpocalypse" and "snowmageddon" by the local media - is expected to stretch from Indiana to Pennsylvania and into parts of New York and North Carolina. It comes less than two months after a December storm dumped more than 16in (41cm) of snow in Washington. The National Weather Service has said the storm could be "extremely dangerous." It forecast up to 30in (76cm) of snow in the capital, which would shatter Washington's record snowfall of 28in in 1922. All flights were cancelled at Washington's Reagan National airport, and only some international flights were operating at Dulles International. Late on Friday, the capital was left without a bus service after roads were deemed "impassable" and the metro stopped all but its underground service. Residents were urged to keep off the roads, and to be prepared to stay inside for up to five days. One Washington resident described the scene at her local supermarket. "I got there at 0700 [on Friday] and there were really long queues, Jane Bate, 41, told the AFP news agency. "The place looked like it had been ransacked." The governors of Virginia, Maryland and Delaware have declared states of emergency, a move that puts the National Guard on alert. According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, 94% of the state's snow removal budget had already been spent during the December blizzard.  Officials said they would have to use emergency funds to pay for snow removal after this latest storm.

WASHINGTON SNOWSTORMS

More than 1ft (12in, 30.5cm) of snow only 13 times since 1870 Heaviest on record is 28in (71cm) in January 1922 Worst snowfall is believed to have hit in 1772, before records began, with as much as 3ft.

A visit to Talent's Orphaned Children Home

While in Kenya a week ago I attended a church service at Talents Revival Ministries in Elburgon, Nakuru, Kenya. Caught at the service is a friend of Mr. Seed Mr. Eli Njuguna Kuria well known as Baba Ezra and his wife (above wearing white head gear) of Akorino sector. The Overseer of the Church Bishop Samuel Muya is also running an orphans home where currently he is having 20 boys between the age of 8 and 14 years. During my visit I was impressed by the talents those orphans boys has acquired from this home - Talent's Children Home. The boys can play a guitar, drums and piano comfortably. The home has been adapted to accommodate home environment with the boys keeping rabbits, chicken, cows, sheep among other domestic animals. The home is expensive to run and they need your support. Talking to Bishop Muya after the children performing for us, the bishop had this to say: "We would not be able to help these children without the generous support of people like yourself, for which we are very grateful. Our monthly budget, which you can see here, is currently 120,000 Kenyan Shillings or £920. Half this amount is needed for food, about a quarter for salaries, and the rest for clothes and running costs. We are particularly grateful to those of you who sponsor our children by giving a small regular amount every month. Sponsorship gives us a regular monthly income that helps us to plan and budget, which is very helpful. However, we do not yet have enough sponsors to meet the monthly target of £920. If you would like to help by sponsoring a child, you can find more information on www.talentschildrensmission.com." the bishop concluded.  For more information please contact Bishop Muya at  samuelmuya2003@yahoo.com or telephone in Kenya on 0725492076.

Slowest Kenyan to finish the 2010 Marathon on a whilechair?

By Damian Ondore - damianus@gmail.com

I will be running in the London Marathon this year on the 25th April to raise money for my chosen charity, Whizz Kids. Whizz-Kids provides mobility aids to make life easier for children in the UK who cannot get around on their own. My late sister, Cathy, was someone who benefitted from having an electric wheel chair. From needing help doing the kinds of things many of us take for granted, to being able to go out and about on her own whim, wherever she fancied. It gave her a confidence and independence that was a joy to see. In her memory,  would like to have a part in giving one or two children in her position the same. So, three months to go, my nerves are really setting in now. I have the all-clear from the doctor and fire in my belly. All I need now is a donation from you to make it all worthwhile. Whatever you can spare, please help me by sponsoring me to run the London Marathon, and help raise money for Whizz-Kids! If I need to evoke pity to get a donation, I should point out that I am overweight, not a long distance runner by any means, and I am bricking it. I have lots of help and support in training and planning, so if you can help me, I can do it. -     MORE

SOME OF THE UK NEWSPAPERS ON SATURDAY 6TH FEBRUARY 2010

The Daily Star leads on Katie Price, also known as Jordan, and her new husband Alex Reid and on right The Independent looks at stock market falls around the world - sparked by fears over the state of the European economy.

Multi-Millionaire to Buy Finnish Fat for Charity

A wealthy anonymous individual is sponsoring an extremely unusual weight loss campaign in Finland. For every kilo anyone manages to lose, the benefactor has promised to set aside 15 euros to fund education for children in Nepal.  The nameless philanthropist is working with the National Institute for Health and Welfare and Finnish Evangelical Lutheran church congregations to set up weighing stations and monitor volunteers' progress. Volunteers do not have to be members of the Lutheran Church. Volunteers must sign up and get weighed by the end of February. Their final weight -and total money earned - will be calculated at the end of May. Any weight loss that drops the volunteer below their ideal body mass index (a BMI of 18.5%) will not be counted. Any adult living in Finland can join in the campaign, as long as they are overweight. Weighing stations have been set up in many local church offices. The anonymous donor has pledged to pay up to ten million euros for education in Nepal.

Moscow hotels are the world's most expensive

Hotels in Moscow have been revealed as the world’s most expensive for a fifth consecutive year. Average room rates in the Russian capital were £265 a night, down by £37 on 2008. However they were still more than £40 dearer than the second most expensive destination, Abu Dhabi. According to the survey by the Hogg Robinson Group (HRG), an international corporate travel services company, average room rates (calculated in local currency) fell in most cities, as hoteliers sought to entice travellers during the financial downturn with cut-price deals. However for British travellers the falling value of the pound during 2009 meant that the cost of hotels in many cities actually increased. Average room rates in Abu Dhabi were £32 more expensive, accommodation in Geneva in £6 dearer, and prices in Washington were £9 higher. In New York, the third most expensive city on the list, rates fell by 23 per cent (from $414.52 to $318.98), but due to the weak pound, this represents a fall of less than £20 for British visitors. Average room rates in London fell by five per cent to £151.45, placing the capital in 29th position on the list. Elsewhere in Britain, room rates in Aberdeen were the next most expensive, at £117.95 (a fall of 11 per cent), while the biggest decline in prices was seen in Belfast, where hotel rates fell from £108.42 to £86.60. "We have just been through deepest recession since the 1930s and the recovery remains at a relatively early stage," said Douglas McWilliams, chief executive of the Centre for Economics and Business Research Ltd. "The latest HRG hotel survey vividly illustrates the effect of the downturn in demand on the hotel market. But it also shows signs of recovery across the globe, particularly in dynamic emerging economies."

World Cup 2010 - John Terry sacked as England captain

John Terry has been sacked as England captain following a meeting with manager Fabio Capello at Wembley. The Chelsea star met Capello in an emergency meeting on Friday afternoon, but left after just 12 minutes having been informed of the Italian's decision.  In a brief statement, Terry said: "I fully respect Fabio Capello's decision. I will continue to give everything for England." Terry, who was first made full-time skipper in 2006 by former manager Steve McClaren, has been the subject of intense media speculation following allegations about his private life. The FA published the following statement from Capello on their website: "After much thought, I have made the decision that it will be best for me to take the captaincy away from John Terry.  "As a captain with the team, John Terry has displayed extremely positive behaviour. However, I have to take into account other considerations and what is best for all of the England squad. "What is best for all of the England team has inspired my choice. John Terry was notified first.  "When I chose John Terry as captain, I also selected a vice-captain and also named a third choice. There is no reason to change this decision. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank The FA, particularly Lord David Triesman and Ian Watmore for allowing me to make this decision in my own time and in the best interest of the team." Terry was seen by many as the perfect England captain with natural bulldog spirit combined with superb defensive qualities.

Watson named highest paid actress

Emma Watson is Hollywood's highest earning actress. The Harry Potter star earned £20 million in 2009, according to a report compiled by Vanity Fair magazine. The 19-year-old British star comes 14th in Vanity Fair's list of the film industry's top 40 earners of 2009. Watson was paid £10 million apiece for her work on the final Harry Potter series - The Deathly Hallows, part I and II. She is followed on Vanity Fair's list by Cameron Diaz, Sarah Jessica Parker, Katherine Heigl and Reese Witherspoon. Daniel Radcliffe is the highest paid male actor after earning £25.6 million last year, but the star only ended up in sixth place of Vanity Fair's list of the top 40 earners of the movie industry. Transformers director Michael Bay is top after earning nearly £80 million. He is followed by Steven Spielberg, Roland Emmerich, James Cameron and Todd Phillips.

Two migrants have been short by Egypt police

Two African migrants trying to find their way into Israel have been shot dead by Egyptian border police.  This makes it four, the  number of African migrants killed this week by the ruthless Egyptian police force. It is a clear case of Egypt not accepting that it is an African country and sees itself more as being in the Middle East and an Arab country and not demonstrating that Africans are equal to them. Egypt must be condemned for such acts of human brutality and the African Union should take serious action against the Egyptian government who time and again perpetrate crimes of such nature against Africans. On Thursday, a 26-year-old Eritrean was shot dead, while in a separate incident late on Wednesday another  27-year-old African was also killed.  A 20-year-old from Eritrea was also critically injured by police during Wednesday’s attempt to reach Israel. At least 19 migrants, mostly unarmed Africans seeking work or asylum in Israel have been killed by Egyptian border guards last year, while five have died this year.

BAE Systems handed £286m criminal fines in UK and US

BAE Systems will admit two criminal charges and pay fines of £286m to settle US and UK probes into the firm. It will hand over more than £250m to the US, which accused BAE of "wilfully misleading" it over payments made as the firm tried to win contracts. BAE will pay about £30m in the UK - a record criminal corporate fine - for separate wrongdoings. The firm said the pleas did not relate to accusations of corruption or bribery but that it "regretted" shortcomings. BBC business editor Robert Peston said that pleading guilty to criminal charges in Britain and America was "a serious embarrassment" to BAE, the UK's largest manufacturer. "Although the fines will be seen by some as damaging to one of the UK's most significant companies, BAE's directors are relieved at what they see as a final settlement of a controversy that has dogged the company for years," he added.

The tragedy of dying languages

The death of the last speaker of an ancient language in India's Andaman Islands highlights the fact that half of the world's 7,000 languages are in danger of disappearing. Linguist K David Harrison argues that we still have much to learn from vanishing languages. My journey as a scientist exploring the world's vanishing languages has taken me from the Siberian forests to the Bolivian Altiplano, from a McDonald's in Michigan to a trailer park in Utah. In all these places I've listened to last speakers - dignified elders - who hold in their minds a significant portion of humanity's intellectual wealth. Though it belongs solely to them and has inestimable value to their people, they do not hoard it. In fact they are often eager to share it. What can we learn from these languages before they go extinct? And why should we lift a finger to help rescue them?  As the last speakers converse, they spin individual strands in a vast web of knowledge, a noosphere of possibilities. They tell how their ancestors calculated accurately the passing of seasons without clocks or calendars. How humans adapted to hostile environments, from the Arctic to Amazonia.  We imagine eureka moments taking place in modern laboratories or classical civilizations. But key insights of biology, pharmacology, genetics, and navigation arose and persisted solely by word of mouth, in small, unwritten tongues. Finally, this web of knowledge contains feats of human ingenuity -epics, myths, rituals - that celebrate and interpret our existence.

The Kallawaya tribe of Bolivia are experts in the use of medicinal plants and on right Boa Sr, who died this week, was the last speaker of the 70, 000-year-old Bo

A Kenyan has passed away in Maryland, USA. The late Paris Essoumba, a senior at Blair High School in Silver Spring Maryland was found dead at his home on 1ST February 2010. He was 17 years old and was expected to graduate in June this year. Paris was the son of Dorcas Munyelele Essoumba from Kenya and Parfait Essoumba from Cameroon . He was an honor student, a passionate musician, football player and an accomplished martial arts student .This is the second young man to die in Maryland in a period of two weeks after the death of King Mungai whose body was repatriated to Kenya on Wednesday February 3rd. Due to the wave of deaths of young Kenyans in America, pastors have come together and have already called for a prayer and fasting on 7th February when all Kenyans are asked to participate wherever they are or go to a Kenyan church and pray for a healing of our people and our land. Family and friends are meeting at Dorcas' house daily at 55 Kinsman View Cr, Silver Spring MD 20901. There will be a fund raiser on Sunday 2/7/2010 from 12:00 noon at the same address. Service will be on Monday, February 8, 201. Viewing: 10 AM – 12 Noon, Service: 12 Noon – 1:30 p.m. Repast there after also at: Unity of Washington DC Church, 1225 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009. For more details, please contact: Mukami Mugo- (301) 758-4336 - mukami@mris.com or Dorcas Essoumba-301 754 0616. - Diasporamessenger.com

The late Paris Essoumba

KIKUYU PROVERB

Ngware nyinyi îrî na mûhurîrie wayo

The little francolin has its way of scratching.

Every man his way.

A Kenyan lady married to a British has passed away in Reading, UK. More later as await next of kin to be informed.

Mwakwere loses his Matuga seat

Transport Minister Ali Chirau Mwakwere has lost his Matuga parliamentary seat through an election petition against him filed by voter Ayub Juma Mwakesi. Mombasa high court Judge Mohamed Ibrahim who delivered the ruling declared his election null and void. The Judge said evidence produced in court showed that the entire exercise was marred by irregularities. Security was tight at the court precincts as the Judge made the ruling. Mwakwere is the first minister and the third MP to lose his sit through a petition. More later.

"If you live by the river, you can hear the crab cough." - Wisdom of Africa, Ghana

Bishop Mark Kariuki is in UK

Bishop Mark Kariuki is in UK. The bishop arrived in UK from Kenya on 28th January 2010. His tour started in Glasgow - Scotland with Dr Lucas Njenga. He has been visiting many Churches in Scotland preaching and encouraging them. He arrived in Birmingham on Tuesday this week from Scotland and he has been a blessing to Victory Revival Christian Centre with Bishop Gichiri. On Friday 5th February 2010, he will be ministering to Oxford with Pastor Francis Maina. On Saturday and Sunday he shall be ministering  for VRCC at Heston Community Centre, Heston, Hounslow London TW5 0EE.  Bishop Mark Kariuki is the presiding Bishop and General Overseer of Deliverance Church Kenya comprising over 1000 churches with congregations in Tanzania, Congo, Zambia and Mozambique. A pastor to pastors, he oversees and provides fatherhood to the many pastors in Kenya and other parts of Africa and the world. He is also the Senior pastor and visionary leader of House of Bread Nairobi, through which he hosts the Celebration Time TV program alongside many other programs, which affect the community in a holistic approach.  On July 10th 1995, the first 'Celebration Times' T.V. program went on air. Fourteen years later, Bishop Mark is still speaking into the lives of millions of people through the T.V. ministry. The Lord has been faithful to heal, restore, save and sustain many who receive this word and activate their faith. Bishop Mark Kariuki contact in the UK is 07535123851.

BRITAIN BRACED FOR RETURN TO BIG FREEZE

London, Friday 5th February, 2010. Britain was last night warned to brace itself for a return of the Big Freeze, with temperatures plummeting to -12C (10.4F) and snow sweeping across the country. As the UK’s worst winter in 30 years continues, weathermen and motoring organisations predicted further hazardous conditions on the roads and chaos for youngsters trying to get to and from schools. The latest in a string of cold snaps is due to hit the country early next week and could last as long as 10 days. Motoring groups last night called on local authorities to be better prepared this time and stockpiles of salt were being readied in a bid to get more roads treated than in the wintry spell before and after Christmas. Weathermen warned that snowfall could be heavy in places, leaving thousands of schools once again forced to decide whether or not to close their doors. Independent risk meteorologists British Weather Services said the blast of cold air would hit the UK early next week, leading to a protracted period of icy chaos.  Senior risk meteorologist Jim Dale said: “Another week to 10 days of ice and snow is on the cards and within that period we will see temperatures plummet to as low as -12 deg C in places, along with the return of disruptive snow in many areas. “The snow will initially affect eastern counties of England and Scotland, but will become more widespread as next week unfolds, with most areas eventually seeing significant falls.” Mr Dale said: “The country can again expect disruption to its infrastructure, especially travel, with widespread school closures and possible power outages likely to add to the overall misery.” Jonathan Powell, Senior Weather Forecaster with Positive Weather Solutions, said: “Winter will be back with a blast of arctic air plunging Britain back into the Big Freeze.

A minister has built a hotel on Kenya Cival Aviation Land

A hotel being built by a minister on land controversially sold by a State corporation could be dangerous to planes landing at the Wilson Airport. Kenya Airports Authority Managing Director George Muhoho on Thursday told a parliamentary watchdog  committee the hotel was sitting on land that belonged to the Kenya Civil Aviation.  "I am told the building is located at the helicopter turning point," he said. The minister is building a five-star hotel nearby. Mr Muhoho said the authority was never consulted when the land was sold and the buildings started being erected, as the law stipulates. "The Authority and the Civil Aviation are supposed to be consulted when such buildings are to be built near any airport. That was not the case, although the land in question is outside the airport and the flight path," Muhoho told the Public Investments Committee meeting chaired by Vihiga MP Yusuf Chanzu.

He said Wilson Airport could not be expanded to take bigger planes for lack of land, adding that Mugoya and Highrise estates nearby posed a danger to the planes since they were built on the flight path. Muhoho also said the Uchumi Supermarket next to the airport was not built on airport land. "But it is a safety hazard because it is on the flight path," he added. The KAA boss told the committee currently it was not feasible to build another airport within the city. "It does not make any economic sense to build another airport within the city when we have JKIA next door that can accommodate bigger planes," he added. He said KAA was about to embark on the second phase of upgrading JKIA runway to category two, which would include installing a third lighting system to allow landing when there is fog. "The lighting system will be at the centre of the runway and pilots will have clear visibility," said Muhoho.  He told the committee there had been attempts by some people to encroach the JKIA land, but the authority resisted. However, he disclosed that land belonging to the Malindi Airport had been grabbed.

WHAT SOME OF THE UK NEWSPAPERS ON FRIDAY 5TH FEBRUARY 2010

LEFT: Financial markets swooned amid rising fears of a government debt default in Europe, highlighting the seriousness of the challenges facing the euro currency as fiscally challenged countries like Greece, Portugal and Spain dig themselves out of debt, the Wall Street Journal says. CENTRE: The Telegraph spells out the public anger surrounding the MPs' expenses scandal with the headline 'This Rotten Parliament', explaining that half of politicians have been asked to repay money. RIGHT: Britain has been warned to brace itself for a return of the Big Freeze, as temperatures are due to plummet to -12C (10.4F) and snow is predicted to sweep across the country, the Express says.

Man who saved dogs killed by dogs

A Slovenian man who saved his three dogs from being put down after they were accused of attacking humans has been found mauled to death by the same dogs. 'Three dogs bit their 52-year-old owner to death in Ljubljana on Thursday 4th February 2010,' police spokeswoman Maja Adlesic said. Four years ago, the three bullmastiffs attacked and seriously injured a passer-by outside their owner's house. They spent years in custody pending legal hearings, but when one of them attacked a dog handler, authorities ordered them to be put down. Their owner, a doctor, succeeded last June in his legal appeals to get the dogs back, sparking a national controversy. After his death, an opposition party said the agriculture minister should resign for failing to stop the dogs being released. The dogs attacked the man in his garden on Tuesday, killing him before the police arrived. All three dogs were put down following the attack

Lemon: Benefits & Uses

One should not take concentrated lemon-juice. It should be diluted with water before taking it. Pure lemon­juice contains acid which is injurious to the enamel of teeth.

"Vengeance is having a videotape planted in your soul that cannot be turned off. It plays the painful scene over and over again inside your mind...And each time it plays you feel the clap of pain again...Forgiving turns off the videotape of pained memory Forgiving sets you free." - Lewis Smedes - Forgiveness: The Power To Change The Past (article, Christianity Today, January 7, 1983)

A LUO PROVERB

Imuomori ka ich ma wuok

You are as reckless as a pregnancy, which is being miscarried.

The saying is used referring to a person who is reckless, tactless and irrational.

Kite Surfer Killed In Mass Shark Attack

A man has been killed in a rare mass shark attack off the coast of southern Florida. Stephen Schafer, 38, was kite surfing off Stuart Beach, 100 miles north of Miami, when the sharks attacked him. A lifeguard spotted him floating about a quarter of a mile from shore and paddled out to find him encircled by sharks. After he was brought back to shore, rescue workers performed CPR on Mr Schafer, who had been bitten many times. He was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead. The Martin County Sheriff's Office was investigating the death, Captain Mark McKinley said. The county has never been the scene of a fatal shark attack before, according to the International Shark Attack File compiled at the Florida Museum of Natural History. A researcher said juvenile great white sharks could have been responsible for Mr Schafer's death. The day before the attack, Teague Taylor, a childhood friend of the victim, told TCPalm.com he was surfing near where his friend was attacked and saw several sharks. "You always think in the back of your mind that sharks are out there," he said. Another friend told the website that Mr Schafer was a very experienced kite surfer. Sharks have been gathering along Palm Beach County beaches recently, in their annual chase of baitfish. Lemon, bull and hammerhead sharks are often seen off beaches in the area at this time of year. The last fatal shark attack in Florida was in 2005.

"I have learnt the greatest thing one can do is give. When I am on my deathbed, I want to know my life has made a difference to someone and to something that money cannot buy." - Sarah de Carvalho

Defendant gagged to stop him spitting at judge

A court defendant has been forced to wear a bizarre head restraint to prevent him spitting at the judge during the trial. Joshua Beadle, 24, was forced to wear the netting and gag because he had spat at the judge, just missing him but dousing the clerk's computer. The resulting contraption made him look like a beekeeper rather than someone on trial for burglary. Beadle has a reputation as a spitter in prison so the court decided it was a good idea Beadle is representing himself in court after having trouble with his lawyers. His previous lawyer, Larry Sargent, was excused from the case after Beadle threatened to add him to the list of people he intended to kill when he got out of jail.

Jail confiscates drug-filled melon

Officials at an American jail have intercepted an illicit cantaloupe sent to inmates - and discovered that it was full of drugs. Prison officers at the Chelan County Regional Justice Center in Washington state first spotted that there might be something dodgy about the drugs-melon when they spotted that there was a noticeable cut around the top. Upon examining the fruit more closely, they discovered a bag full of oxycodone pills, as well as some tobacco, had been hidden inside. The melon was part of a delivery of surplus food from a local grocery store, which is regularly sent to the jail. Surveillance camera footage from the store showed two women dropping off a shopping bag containing the drugs-melon, which was placed with the rest of the surplus food. Store workers alerted the jail that there might be a naughty fruit in the delivery after seeing the suspicious behaviour on the camera footage.

26 quizzed over Narok arms cache

Twenty six people have been questioned in connection with the illegal arms found in Narok early this week. Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere said investigations into the saga had been intensified to establish if more arms were hidden in different parts of the country. “We expect to arraign in court more suspects,” he said. “Whoever it is we are going to deal with that person according to the law.” The police chief also said investigations had not indicted any officer or institutions. Said Mr Iteere: “We want to know where this ammunition came from. Some of them came from our factory but are they the culprits? No. Their duty is to manufacture and sell ammunition but only to the government.” - Daily Nation.

Italian man kills partner, tries to burn head in pizza oven

An Italian gun shop owner killed his partner, cut off his head and dumped the body in a river near the Swiss border before trying to burn the head in a pizza oven. Alberto Arrighi allegedly killed Giacomo Brambilla in his gun shop in Como and cut off his victim's head. He then drove Brambilla's decapitated corpse and dumped it in a river near Domodossola, a town in Piedmont near the Swiss border. When he didn't return from his meeting with Arrighi, Brambilla's girlfriend called the police, who went to the gun shop and found blood stains on the floor which someone had attempted to clean off. They arrested Arrighi and it was discovered that he had been struggling to repay money he'd borrowed from Brambilla. "The whole thing was an act of momentary madness, the result of some sort of financial dispute between the two men," said a lawyer acting on behalf of Mr Arrighi. The incident was described by the Milan-based newspaper Corriere Della Sera as a 'tale of blood and money' worthy of Edgar Allan Poe.

KACC goes for big shots in war on vice

The Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) has gone overdrive in graft fight. After former director Aaron Ringera’s resignation on October 1 last year, now under acting director John Mutonyi, is now hunting big shots and taking them to court over criminal charges that were pending for years.  Since December last year, big names have been arraigned in courts to the surprise of many.  The two corruption court magistrates at the Nairobi Law Courts Lucy Nyambura and Cecilia Githua now have their hands full. Some of the alleged offences date as far back as 1996. The last such enthusiasm to fight graft was seen in 2003 when Narc came to power with an ambition to eliminate the vice.

For the second time in Kenya’s history, a sitting judge was last December arraigned in court facing more than Sh1.2 billion corruption charges. Justice Said Juma Chitembwe has since been in the dock three times alongside former NSSF Managing Trustee Rachael Lumbasyo. The charges arise from NSSF land deals with Kipkenda, Lilan and Company Advocates in July 2008. They also face charges of abusing their offices in July 2008 when Chitembwe at NSSF as secretary. Charged with them are lawyers Stephen Kipkenda and Edward Muriu Kamau. According to the KACC quarterly report, 33 files were forwarded to the Attorney General between October 1 and December 31, last year. Out of these, 26 were recommended and accepted for prosecution.  The AG had, by January 11 this year, charged suspects in 17 of those files. The cases now making news in courts were forwarded to the AG a few weeks ago and instant decision made to charge suspects. Yet some of the accused say they had been under investigations for years.

Former Kenya Medical Research Institute director Davy Koech was charged on January 7, with acquiring more than Sh400 million from the orgnaisation.  Businessman Joshua Kulei was arraigned in court on January 29 for allegedly obtaining Sh17.9 million from East African Gas Ltd in May and June 1999 by false pretences. With him were former Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) MD Ezekiel Komen, former Lands Commissioner Wilson Gachanja and former Kenya Airports Authority MD Peter Kipyegon Lagat, all charged with conspiracy to defraud KPC in land deals. Gachanja and Lagat faced more charges of abusing office in February 1996. Former KPC chairman Maurice Dantas, former MD Shem Ochuodho and two other people were separately charged with corruption involving more than Sh1 billion.

Ochuodho and Dantas also face trial for abusing their offices in 2004. Laikipia West DC Javan Ombaso Abaga joined the list of accused for fraudulently disposing of Sh8,750,000 meant for IDPs in Molo in March last year. And the list goes on. At the High Court, a case filed by Agriculture Minister William Ruto challenging his corruption trial is now awaiting judgment. It had been pending in court for years and was only heard in November last year.  It will determine whether the prosecution, before a magistrate, court will proceed or not. The commission is also investigating the embezzlement of Sh103 million meant for Kenya Education Sector Support Project by some officials and mega land scandals in Mumias. Though KACC is awaiting approval of new management by Parliament, the acting team is determined to prove they are equal to the task. - The Standard.

A MAASAI PROVERB

Tesh olayioni oota enkiok.

Blessed is the son who has an ear (that hears).

Nairobi, Thursday 4th February, 2010. A team from the International Criminal Court-ICC- is in Kenya on a sensitization mission prior to its investigations into the 2007-2008 post election violence.  The team will brief various human rights groups as well as local journalists on their mission.  The team led by Head of Outreach Unit and Public Information Claudia Perdomo has however denied reports in a section of the media that it is visiting the country to commence investigations.  Perdomo has clarified that investigations cannot  take place until the trial judges give a go ahead to the Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo. She said the visit was crucial since Kenyans need to be well informed about the operations of the court. The moves comes after the cabinet adopted recommendations by the Attorney  General Amos wako on the Witness Protection Act. Justice Minister Mutula Kilonzo has reiterated the government's commitment to ensuring the safety of witnesses.

The new High Commissioner to present his credentials

The High Commissioner of Kenya in the UK HE Ephraim Waweru Ngare and his wife Jane will be presenting his Credentials to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II  in London on Thursday 18th February, 2010 at 12.45 p.m.

TIER 4 GENERAL (FRUSTRATED STUDENTS)

Has your college been withdrawn from the list of licensed colleges and Universities? Are you confused of what to do now? Please contact Douglas Wamburu, a solicitor with Trinity Solicitors on 07949664202 or 02085553030. On 26 January 2010 I received valuable, practical advice from a senior immigration judge at Taylor House on how to resolve such matters.

LIVING WELL

What is meningitis?

Meningitis is inflammation of the meninges, the linings that surround and protect the brain. It can be caused by many different organisms including bacteria, viruses and fungi. Vaccines are the only way to prevent meningitis, and until we have vaccines to prevent all types you need to know the signs and symptoms to look out for and the action to take.  Septicaemia (blood poisoning) is caused when bacteria enter the bloodstream and multiply uncontrollably. Meningococcal bacteria can cause both meningitis and septicaemia. Together these are known as meningococcal disease. Most cases of meningitis happen alone, but when there is a case of meningococcal disease, there is a small chance that further cases can happen. To reduce the risk of further cases people who have been in close contact may be offered antibiotics. - FULL INFORMATION

IMPORTANT IMMIGRATION INFORMATION

FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN UK!!!!

Following the latest drastic changes to Student Immigration Rules under the Tier 4 Point Based Systems, International Students are having problems renewing their  visa because of failing to meet the maintenance requirements and/or their colleges been struck off from the Home Office Register whilst their application are still pending at the Home Office. Most Students are submitting their applications without seeking legal advice and unfortunately, when the applications are refused, they are experiencing difficulties  and paying substantial legal fees when it would have cost very little had they sought legal advice prior to submitting applications.

It is important to seek legal advice even if your visa is still valid, because, although you have in previous years submitted applications and successfully, granted student visa you could be surprised to learn, like most students  that you do not meet the current requirements and/or your college has already been struck off after you have submitted your application to the Home Office and you are waiting for your Passport.

Tier 4 Student Immigration rules have changed drastically in the last 3 months and there are new changes from 22nd February 2010. The rules are very strict because they fall under the Point Based System and you have to obtain 40 points to qualify, if you don’t then the application is refused.

If you are experiencing difficulties, and/or you are due to submit your application from 22nd February 2010, please seek urgent legal advice as soon as possible to save huge legal costs and stress later.

For more details please contact, Martyns & Rose Solicitors on 0208 538 1397/8, 07931 116 124 for appointments only. We have arrangements for students. Or misterseed@yahoo.co.uk

U.S. Report Details Money Laundering

A suitcase containing $1 million in shrink-wrapped bills, hand-carried into New York by the former president of Gabon for his daughter to buy a Manhattan apartment. Purchases of a stretch Hummer H2 armored limousine and C-130 Hercules military transport planes for a civil war in Angola. And a shell company named Sweet Pink used to funnel millions of dollars into the United States from  from Equatorial Guinea. These and other deals and money transfers took place in recent years because of inadequate controls on money laundering at large American banks and unregulated American lawyers, real estate agents and lobbyists, according to a Senate report released late Wednesday.

The 325-page report by the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which will conduct a hearing on Thursday, sheds new light on how banks like Citigroup, Wachovia and Bank of America unwittingly shifted hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of African politicians, their relatives and associates. The banks ended up closing or restricting the accounts and cooperated with the subcommittee, offering comments on individual transactions. In all cases, the Senate report says, the banks ignored controls intended to prevent money laundering and related screens on PEP, meaning politically exposed persons — high-risk clients from corrupt countries. The report recommends strengthening regulations against money laundering at banks and revoking exemptions for lawyers and other third parties from restrictions on money laundering in the USA Patriot Act. It recommends that Congress pass laws requiring people who form corporations to disclose the true owners. The report, brimming with bank statements and internal e-mail messages, contains four case studies.

“Together, these four case histories demonstrate the need for the United States to strengthen its PEP controls to prevent corrupt foreign officials, their relatives and close associates from using U.S. professionals and financial institutions to conceal, protect and utilize their ill-gotten gains,” it says. The report details how Teodoro Nguema Obiang, the son of Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the president of Equatorial Guinea, used lawyers, bankers, real estate agents and escrow agents, all Americans, from 2004 through 2008 to move more than $110 million into the United States, including $100 million through Wachovia and Citibank. Mr. Obiang, the subject of a criminal investigation into charges of money laundering, bribery and extortion, also employed Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, a law firm now known as Sidley Austin, to help him buy a $38.5 million Gulfstream G-5 jet in 2005, the report says. Janet Zagorin, a spokeswoman for the firm, did not return telephone calls seeking comment.

The report says two American lawyers, Michael Berger and George Nagler, helped Mr. Obiang circumvent controls at the banks by setting up accounts for shell companies with names like Beautiful Vision, Unlimited Horizon and Sweet Pink, named on honor of the rapper Eve, Mr. Obiang’s girlfriend at the time. Mr. Obiang, Equatorial Guinea’s minister of agriculture and forestry, used the accounts to pay his personal expenses, including chefs and butlers for his home in Malibu, Calif., and bills at Ferrari of Beverly Hills and Dolce & Gabbana, receipts cited in the report show. He also arranged for Mr. Berger to be invited to the 2007 “Kandy Halloween Bash” at the Playboy Mansion, the report says. It says Mr. Obiang hired two American real estate agents to help him buy the $30 million home in Malibu, with suspect money transferred from Equatorial Guinea. The report also details how in recent years an American lobbyist, Jeffrey Birrell, helped the former president of Gabon, Omar Bongo, buy six armored vehicles, including the Hummer, and obtain United States government permission to buy six C-130 military cargo aircraft to support his government, all suspect transactions.

The purchases were routed through accounts set up at HSBC, Commerce Bank and JPMorgan Chase, the report says. Another case study details how Jennifer Douglas Abubakar, an American and the fourth wife of the former vice president of Nigeria, helped her husband bring more than $40 million in suspect money into the United States. It says some of the money was then funneled through offshore accounts. The report also details how Pierre Falcone, a native Algerian and known arms dealer now imprisoned in France, used nearly 30 bank accounts at Bank of America’s Scottsdale, Ariz., branch to funnel millions of dollars in suspect money through the United States over 18 years.

Paint Your Cat...unbelievable 

  
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF PEOPLE HAVING MORE MONEY THAN THEY KNOW WHAT TO DO!

I didn't even know they did this!!!!!!!!! Time to grab the neighbor’s cat and get busy!! Some of the paint jobs cost $15,000 and had to be repeated every 3 months as the cat's hair grows out. Must be nice to have $60,000 a year just to keep your cat painted!! 

Kenyan Cabinet in first meeting of the year

Nairobi, Kenya, February 4 - President Mwai Kibaki was on Thursday morning expected to chair his first Cabinet meeting of the year. Top on the agenda at the State House Nairobi talks will be the ongoing reform process mainly the Constitution review process. The meeting comes a day after the President prorogued Parliament and announced that the new session would begin on February 23 to debate the new Constitution. The Cabinet was also expected to discuss the security situation in the country after the seizure of deadly arsenal in Narok that has seen the probe narrow down to military and police officers.

Being the first meeting of the year, the top leadership is also expected to lay the agenda for the country to deal with pressing issues, with insecurity being a major concern for most Kenyans. The meeting also comes at a time when the US and British governments have withdrawn funding to the Ministry of Education owing to the theft of money under the Free Primary Education (FPE) program. The US suspended Sh500 million funding which was supposed to be released this year for a five-year capacity building project.  This happened barely a month after the UK’s Department for International Development froze funding to the Ministry of Education over failure to account for Sh100 million.

At the time, the Head of DFID Alistair Fernie said that the withdrawal would affect Kenyan children and asked the government to conduct audits to establish how the money disappeared. The two foreign governments demanded more accountability from the government and complained of incessant corruption in public offices. The withdrawal by the main sponsors is a big blow to the country and the Cabinet has the task of dealing with the issue. Bringing justice to the 2007/2008 post election violence victims and punishing perpetrators of the violence are other issues Kenyans would expect the Cabinet to prioritise. The possibility of the International Criminal Court (ICC) opening a case against the perpetrators will also occupy the Cabinet, since ICC Prosecutor Moreno Ocampo is likely to get a verdict on his application to open investigations in the matter over the next few weeks.

Sky Sports Scout

We run the rule over Kenyan starlet McDonald Mariga

Sky Sports Scout is our exciting feature where we scour the globe looking out for the best talent and bring you a report on what we find.  Our Scout will report back and you can comment on what you think of our appraisal. Also, in association with Football Manager, we give all readers the chance to win a copy of the latest game by nominating a player. You can only nominate a player by emailing here, including the word 'Scout' in your subject line and please check to make sure we haven't already covered the player! Should your player get reviewed by our scout, and you were first to send in his name, then you will win a copy of Football Manager 2010. Latest under our scout's gaze is Inter Milan star McDonald Mariga - recommended by Sky Sports reader Fahim Rahman. McDonald Mariga was one of the most sought after players in the recent transfer window. The Sky Sports Scout now checks on the highly-rated central midfielder. Kenyan international Mariga shone in his homeland before he was snapped up by lower-league Swedish outfit Enkopings. Despite aged just 18, Mariga shone and was snapped up by top-flight Helsingborgs.

Despite stepping up two divisions, Mariga was not fazed and soon became Helsingborgs prized asset after just 12-months with the club. Harry Rednapp, then at Portsmouth, was understood to be keen in the summer of 2007 - but instead he was snapped up by Italian side Parma on loan with an option for a permanent deal. It was little surprise that Parma made the deal permanent in 2008. Mariga established himself as one of the best young midfielders in Serie A, and it was little shock when both Manchester City and Inter Milan made their move for him. Roberto Mancini thought he had him, but Mariga was refused a work-permit to play in England and Inter stepped in to land him. But why did two of the top clubs in Europe want him? Well quite easy after seeing him in action. Mariga is the embodiment of a modern midfielder, a pure athlete who can cover every blade of grass on the field. Standing at well over 6ft, Mariga can easily be compared to the likes of Patrick Vieira or Yaya Toure, and yes he is very much in the same mould. But he arguably better going forward from either of these and his six goals in 37 games for Helsingborgs, were witness to this and he does need to improve that aspect of his game now he has playing at a higher level.

Corruption: Kibaki summons top government officials

Nairobi, Thursday 4th February, 2010. President Mwai Kibaki has summoned all Permanent Secretaries, Chief Executives and Provincial Commissioners for a meeting to review and take stock of the fight against corruption. The Friday meeting at the Kenya Institute of Administration (KIA), Lower Kabete will also focus on the steps being taken to streamline Government procurement systems that are especially prone to corruption. The meeting will also be addressed by the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Raila Odinga and the Minister for Public Service Hon Dalmas Otieno. The meeting is aimed at giving new impetus in the fight against corruption. On Jamhuri Day last year, President Kibaki instructed PS's to take action against public officers found to be engaging in corruption in the public service. The meeting also comes in the wake of alleged embezzlement of funds meant for Free Primary Education. Donor partners have frozen funding to the Ministry of Education following the revelations.  Meanwhile, the Cabinet Thursday  approved the Witness Protection Bill for submission to Parliament. The bill proposes the establishment of an autonomous agency for the protection of prosecution witnesses, especially in major offences. The Cabinet met under the chairmanship of President Mwai Kibaki at State House Nairobi. The Witness Protection Bill borrows heavily from best practices in other countries. Once in place, Kenya will be the third country in Africa to have such an agency. Cabinet also approved the National Construction Authority Bill 2009 for presentation to Parliament. The Bill proposes the establishment of a National Construction Authority. The mandate of the authority will be the legislation and accreditation of contractors in the construction industry. The authority will register and accredit the various players in the industry including skilled workers and supervisors. The authority will also supervise, promote and stimulate growth of the construction industry, enhance capacity building and standardization of building materials.

London School of Business and Computing has been withdrawn from the list of licensed colleges and Universities by the Home Office. Several other colleges has been withdrawn. A large number of Kenyans in the UK who had used the college to renew their application are in problems. This is a list of organisations licensed by Home Office to sponsor students and migrants under the Points -Based.

Home Office -  03-February-2010

REGISTER OF SPONSORS (Tier 4 General & Child)

Register of Sponsors Licensed Under the Points-Based System.

- CLICK HERE FOR THE LIST OF THE APPROVED UNIVERSES AND COLLEGES

Many Kenyans in the UK are turning to Lycamobile PLUS SIM card. The new service provide has hit market in a big way with their latest promotions. You can top it anywhere where there is a top up service. The card is revolutionising the mobile phone services in UK. It is FREE to speak to another person with a Lycamobile phone, it costs 5p to call any landline in UK and 7p to call any other mobiles in the UK. The card is giving FREE text messages to anywhere in the world.  When you credit £5 it gives you £1 extra to make £6, when you credit £10 it gives you £2.50 to make it £12.50 and if you credit £20 it gives you an extra £10 making it £30. No connection charges. When you register, it gives you an extra £2. Calling is land is 8p and mobile is 14p. www.lycamobile.co.uk - MORE

At Maasai Discovery Restaurant

You would think that Mr. Seed had gone to the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro (left photo) to see elephants drinking. But is an art display at a Maasai Discovery Restaurant in Kitengela where some friends took me for lunch last week. An artist took time to decorate the whole restaurant. Being the middle of Maasailand the artist did not forget to put his message across about the importance of education - Maasai children running to school (right photo).

President Mwai Kibaki has prorogued Parliament with effect from Wednesday 3rd February, 2010. A special legal notice issued Wednesday states that in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 59 (1) of the Constitution of Kenya, the President has prorogued Parliament with effect from February 3. Meanwhile, President Kibaki has announced that a new session of Parliament will begin at Parliament Buildings in Nairobi on February 23 at 2.30 p.m. The President proclaimed the new session of Parliament in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 58 (1) of the Constitution of Kenya.

SOME OF THE UK NEWSPAPERS ON WEDNESDAY 3RD FEBRUARY 2010

LEFT: The Daily Express claims scientists have developed what it calls a breakthrough pill that will help fight genetic diseases. RIGHT: Spending too much time surfing the internet can make you depressed, warns the Metro.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT !

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We offer a full Freight forwarding service, Imports, Exports by air & sea Worldwide. We also have Mpesa money Transfer available to all customers after completing registration.

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HEALTH LIVING

Do you know LIQUID CHLOROPHYLL PLUS GUARANA?

Guarana was traditionally used by Brazilian Indians as a stimulating beverage.

1. Potential Health Benefits of Chlorophyll:

	Mix 1 tablespoon (15ml) into a glass of water, consume 2 times dailyStrengthens the body detox functions
	Chemical structure between chlorophyll and red blood cell are very similar. Long-term consumption may increase oxygen and production of blood
	Improves constipation
	Relieves heatiness
	An excellent source of vitamin K for blood coagulation
	Has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory & wound healing properties

2. Potential Health Benefits of Guarana:

	Eliminates fatigue & relieves tension
	May serve as natural diuretic
	Relieves diarrhea

You can get at Holland & Barrett health shops

It was a tragic accident for the late King Wilson Mungai

The hand of death has snatched another young man in Maryland. Mr. King Wilson Mungai, 25 years old of La plata Maryland, U.S.A died in a road accident which occurred on Fri. January 22, 2010 .According his best friend James Mwangi of Alabama, who has received a police report on the accident, King was making a left turn when a truck coming from another direction crashed on his car. He was taken to the hospital in a coma and never recovered. He died later as the doctors tried to revive him.  King came to the US in 2002 and lived in North Carolina until 2006 when he moved to Maryland. King is the first and only son of Rev. Pastor Samuel Mungai & Rose Bella Mungai of Naivasha in Kenya.

Proverbs 20:11: Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

Leaders support PM visit

A cross section of party leaders from Central Province come to the defence of Prime Minister Raila Odinga's planned visit to Murang'a. Led by Thika ODM coordinator Ng'ang'a Wanjukira and Gatanga PNU official Patrick Karangu, the leaders said the PM's visit was a golden opportunity for the region's people to bring their development agenda to the government. "Raila is a proven man of action who has solved various problems affecting the country and his visit to the region is a blessing to the residents", said Wanjukira. The PM's scheduled visit to Kigumo District on February 28 has sparked controversy with a section of leaders from the area claiming it was meant to undermine Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta in home turf. Area MP Jamleck Kamau and a number of civic leaders have opposed the PM's tour of duty claiming it had a hidden political agenda.  They even suggested that the visit be put off. However, politicians from Thika and Kiambu and the larger Murang'a District dismissed the anti-Raila group as politically naïve and driven by bigotry.

"The country needs leaders who are ready to reach out to people from a cross the political or tribal divide to avoid sliding back to blood shed and mayhem", said Wanjukira. Wanjukira said Raila has every right to visit any corner of the country and added that MPs of the country and added that MPs or councilors have no business lecturing him on where or not to go. Karangu said those opposed to the PM's visit were likely to set a dangerous precedent where his (Raila's) supporters may be provoked to block leaders from Central Kenya from setting foot on their strong holds. The leaders said various parts of the province especially Kigumo lagged behind in development with dilapidated roads and other infrastructure which need to be brought to the attention of the Prime Minister. At the same time, former Juja MP Stephen Ndichu also threw his weight behind Raila saying he was welcome anywhere in the province. "Kenyans won't tolerate nonsense of immature politicking and lack of vision. May I remind these so-called leaders that we left the era single party dictatorship many years bask and are not about to turn back", said the maverick politician turned preacher. He urged the Prime Minister to visit all the districts in Central and Eastern Provinces.

PILL THAT WILL HELP YOU LIVE TO 100

A PILL to help people live to 100 free from debilitating health problems is set to "revolutionise" ageing, experts said on Tuesday 2nd February, 2010.. The breakthrough has come after scientists identified three “super-genes”. People born with the genes are 20 times more likely to reach a century – and 80 per cent less likely to develop the senility disease Alzheimer’s.  Even being overweight or a heavy smoker does not stop a third of those with the genes living to 100.  Now US researchers are working to produce a drug that can mimic the genetic benefits and hope it will be ready for testing within three years. Their work features tonight on a BBC TV ­documentary. Life expectancy for men in the UK is 77, for women it is 82. At the same time nearly half a million Britons are affected by Alzheimer’s.

SILVER SURFERS: HEALTH NEWS, PENSION ADVICE & FUNNY STORIES
 

Lead scientist Dr Nir Barzilai said: “The advantage of finding a gene that involves longevity is we can develop a drug that will imitate what this gene is doing. If we can imitate that, then long life can be terrific.” Professor Judith Phillips, president of the British Society of Geron­tology, said the discovery would change how people look at growing old. She said: “It’s a huge opportunity because the ageing population is growing anyway. They would be a huge resource because people would be able to work longer and they would have a healthier life, and it would r­evolutionise the way we look at older people. “And it would reduce costs in terms of care.”

Govt to posses all grabbed wetlands

The government will posses all grabbed wetlands as the process of profiling and developing a data base for all the wetlands gets underway. The move will be carried out by the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources and that of land. According to the minister of Ministry of Environment John Michuki, they were in the process of declaring a number of wetlands and rivers as protected areas. Lake Naivasha whose water levels have fallen to alarming levels was among the wetlands to enjoy this status. Michuki admitted that the country faced various environmental challenges in the country's five water towers of Mau, Mt. Kenya, Mt. Elgon, Aberdare and Cherangani. He said climatic change coupled with increasing population in the country had had negative impact on the country's water resources. This had brought in pollution, destruction of the catchments and drying up of these water sources resulting into the shortage of water. "The situation is bound to get worse unless measures are put in place to control pollution and conserve the catchments," The remarks were contained in a speech read on his behalf by his assistant Ramadhan Kajembe during the national celebrations of the World Wetlands Day held in Naivasha. The minister said although the recent Copenhagen meeting on Climate Change did not yield much countries present were in agreement for change. He said that the countries committed themselves to reducing global warming to less than two degrees Celsius above the per-industrial global temperatures. He said the commitment by the industrialized countries to commit USD100Bto cushion developing countries from the effects of climatic change was laudable. He appealed to Kenyans to reduce put measures in place to help reduce water reduce degrading and help tackle the now global problem of climate change. "We should also conserve biodiversity in order to safeguard various species of life that depend on our wetlands such as our wildlife," Speaker after speaker during the meeting called for the implementation of Lake Naivasha management plan in order to save the lake.

Kenyans abroad sent home $609 million last year, down from a record $611 million in 2008 but higher in local currency terms, the central bank said on Tuesday. Remittances are a significant source of foreign exchange for east Africa's biggest economy, coming after horticulture, tea and tourism. Day-to-day fluctuations in the local currency market are often driven by remittance flows. Charles Gitari Koori, director of the research department at the Central Bank of Kenya, said after taking into account currency fluctuations, remittances in 2009 came to 47.1 billion shillings, up from 42.3 billion in 2008. He said in a statement that 2009 was much better than the previous year because there were no major events to boost remittances, such as mobile operator Safaricom's IPO or the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008. Kenyans abroad also sent money home to help relatives after post-election violence in early 2008. Persistent drought in Kenya during 2009 boosted remittances to help families hit by extensive crop failure and dead livestock, Koori said. North America remained the main source of remittances, accounting for 52 percent of the December's $56.3 million, followed by Europe with 30 percent -- up from 51 and 27 percent respectively in November. "In general, the remittances data could signal the fact that economic activities in the source markets are recovering and as such they will be significant sources of future remittances. Overall, these data signals the resilience," he said. "Most of the diaspora remittances are used to support investment especially in real estate-construction and investment in equities in the stock market."- Reuters

Welcome to Men's Choir

I attended a local church service while in Kenya at Kinyona Church, Murang'a a week ago. It was interesting to see men's choir (wazee - those who qualifies as a grandfathers) giving a number during the service. Age was an issue here and Mr. Seed did not qualify - too young.  Far right with a white trouser is Mr. Dauglas Karanja, AP Police Commandant, Rift Valley Province. The church was planted here in 1905. The school started in 1910 and was meant for Chief Njiri's family. It was opened for public in 1914.

METHALI YA KISWAHILI

Majumba makubwa husitiri mambo.

Big houses conceal a lot.

Al-Shaddai orphans home fundraising in London is in May 1st

Friends of El-Shaddai in London have organised a fundraising event to be held on Saturday 1st May 2010 at 500 High Street North Eastham London E12 6QN. To make an everlasting change in these Orphans’ Life they need to make a substantial contribution in their day to day life. They can only achieve this by first settling them at a single site location where they can call home. They are presently based on rented accommodation across two sites making it very expensive to run and serve these very needy children. They are hoping to buy them a piece of land and commence building of their own premises. Elshaddai Centre does not want to live on hand outs forever. They will probably get tired of handing out forever and this is why they want to start income generating projects such as daily and  poultry farming,  or carpentry, masonry possible once they are settled making them self sustaining in the long run. The children at the Elshaddai centre have nowhere else to call home and hence permanent premises of their own are essential. Mr. & Mrs. Brian Mukiri has been on the frontline to see this home has been helped. For more details please call either 07943043311 or 07536436061 or 07944701204. – For more information please visit - www.ehopecentre.org - - CLICK HERE FOR MORE

"Nice talking to you Mr. Seed. I am excited. I am going to tell my husband that I talked you today. He will be over the moon as he is a big fun of Mr. Seed website. I told him that I know you in person but he could not believe me. We will call you with him tomorrow. Right now he is at work." - A Kenya lady living in Southampton, UK.

Lemon: Benefits & Uses

Create Sweet Smelling Ice Cubes

While making ice cubes, put some extremely thin slices of lemon skin into the water-filled ice cube maker before putting them into the freezer. For added taste and smell, replace the plain water with water boiled with lemon skin and allow it to cool. Enjoy it in the beach!

Schoolgirl, 9, 'gives birth to baby boy'

A nine-year-old girl has reportedly given birth to a healthy baby boy and become one of the youngest mothers in the world. The unnamed schoolgirl is said to have had the 6lb boy by Caesarean section at a hospital in Changchun, north-eastern China. Her family have reported the matter to police, but have refused to speak publicly. Officers are investigating, and may press charges if they discover who the father is - Jilin province laws demand a rape conviction for anyone having sex with under-14s.  Five-year-old Lina Medina, of Peru, remains the youngest mother on record. She gave birth to 6lb son Gerardo in 1939. Two other Peruvian girls have also become mothers when very young - a nine-year-old, in 1957, and an eight-year-old in 2006. Britain's youngest mother is thought to be a 12-year-old, who fell pregnant at the age of 11.

DO YOU KNOW?: Britain debts increase by £1 million every 4 minutes

Police in manhunt for arms dealer accomplices

Three suspects arrested in connection with a cache of weapons recovered in Narok on Tuesday will spend six more days in custody. On Monday defence lawyers had demanded the release of the suspects o...  - VIDEO

Kenya, Ethiopia to inter-connect Power Grids

President Mwai Kibaki, who is attending the 14th AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Tuesday met and held talks with the Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi. During the discussions, President Kibaki and the Ethiopian Premier instructed the Ministers of Energy from the two countries to expedite the inter-connection of the power grids of the respective countries. The inter-connection of the power grids of the two countries is expected to enable Kenya access additional electricity to fix energy supply shortage that has been experienced in recent years as a result of erratic weather patterns and rapid economic growth.  The two leaders, who met on the sidelines of the AU summit, also revisited the issue of the Southern Corridor which comprises road link, railway line and oil pipeline stretching from the proposed Port of Lamu along the Kenyan coast to Ethiopia and Sudan. In underlining the need to speed up the construction of the Southern corridor, the two leaders noted that the corridor is the long term solution to the transport problems between Kenya and Ethiopia. The corridor, they further noted, will also facilitate the development of the Northern Kenya as well as the Southern part of Ethiopia. During the talks, the two leaders also dwelt on the bilateral relations between the two countries and reaffirmed their commitment to further enhance cooperation in various areas of development. The two leaders singled out the need to link the two countries via fibre optic cable as this will further facilitate development cooperation. President Kibaki and Prime Minister Zenawi expressed their appreciation on the progress being made in this regard, noting that telecommunication companies of the two countries are working closely to achieve the desired results. The talks were attended by Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula, his Ethiopian counterpart Mr. Seyoum Mesfin and Kenya's Ambassador to Ethiopia Mr Franklin Esipila.

JE, HUU NI UNGWANA MBANA MBEGU? The man of the house (husband) drinking all the money after getting his salary not even caring for his children and wife's needs. Je huu ni ungwana?

If you are in debt you are not alone. People in the UK collectively owe over £1trillion. This is equivalent to nearly £5,000 for every man, woman and child in the country - and the debt is increasing!

The Rev. Dr .John Kivuva

Chairman and Coordinator

Kenya International Prayer Day, February 7, 2010.

January 26, 2010

Dear Kenyans in Diaspora

Grace and Peace From God Our Father and Our Lord Jesus Christ be with You. Amen.

My name is  Dr. John Kivuva and I am writing to all Kenyans in Diaspora on behalf of Bishops, Pastors, Evangelists, Apostles and church leaders who have come together with a clarion call to organize an international day of prayer and fasting on behalf of our community.

 The recent wave of deaths involving Kenyan youths in America has reached a worrying point and has become a concern to the people of God .It is this concern that brought all the Ministers together and after their deliberation, it was agreed to mobilize all Kenyans in Diaspora for prayer and fasting in line with the word of God in 2 Chronicles 7:14 which says if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

We may not have an answer or a solution to this problem but it is a time like this that God becomes our only solution, He is the only one who can provide an answer for the word of God in Psalm 121:2,says “My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. We need healing here in Diaspora and in extension; We need healing also for Our Motherland Kenya.

February 7th has been chosen as the day that all Kenyans in Diaspora join together in Prayers and Fasting. Those who will be able to congregate in Kenyan churches are encouraged to do so, if not you are encouraged to go to any other church but set that day apart to specifically pray for a deliverance from the spirit of death that has targeted our community. Every state in the US has a Pastor coordinator who is networking with other pastors to mobilize all Kenyans in that particular area to ensure that all Kenyans are aware of this important day (A list of the pastors coordinating different regions is available at Diasoramessenger.com) .Please call any pastor in your area to find out what other special activity they have, Also forward this information to all Kenyans you know. Those who do not have a Pastor in your area, please contact http://diasporamessenger.com/ or send an email to diasporamesenger@gmail.com.

For those in UK and Europe, Bishop Warui of House of Divine Solution International Ministry (HODSIM) is coordinating with all the ministers there. Listen to the announcement that comes every 10 minutes on HODISM Radio (LISTEN TO HODSIM RADIO OF BISHOP WARUI - LONDON) if you need further help, you can visit misterseed at http://www.misterseed.com/ and you will be connected to a pastor near you.

The whole focus is Prayer and we are beseeching all Kenyans anywhere in Diaspora to stand with the Kenyans in America to pray for a divine intervention. Though the prayers will be on February 7th, we ask that we all start sanctifying ourselves immediately and continue praying from now on until the  7th of Feb. when we will climax with united prayers. Also check with any Kenyan church near you to find out if they have any other activity planned before the 7th.

This is the beginning of good things to come for us for when you honor God, He honors you (John 12:26).It is my prayer that coming together in prayer will unite us and bring us more closer as a community. May this unity bring love and compassion for one another that none will be lonely anymore and none will feel isolated.

Grace and peace to all of You.

Dr .John Kivuva

Chairman and Coordinator

Kenya International Prayer day, February 7, 2010.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS

Muthoni will not join Alliance girls because of fees

Being admitted to the top secondary schools in the country is many a pupils dream. Well one girls dream came true, but now she may not join the secondary school of her dreams. - VIDEO

Michuki orders closure of quarries in Murang'a

Three more bodies have been retrieved from the rubble where five people were buried alive after a quarry caved in on Monday in Mukangu village, Murang'a East district. At the same time, Environment minister John Michuki has ordered the immediate closure of all quarries in the greater Murang'a region following the tragedy. Mr. Michuki directed his permanent secretary Lawrence Lenayapa to immediately constitute a committee that would conduct an environmental audit of all quarries and give its findings and recommendations to him within a month. He said that the committee would also collect and collate views from families living in homesteads surrounding quarries while assessing the safety of those sites. The minister said that those quarries that would be found to be precarious and dangerous to human life would be condemned and closed indefinitely. Speaking Tuesday at the site of the tragedy where he had gone to console the families of the bereaved, Mr. Michuki said that his ministry would push on with the implementation of the noise pollution and quarry vibration laws in a bid to safeguard human life. He cited a case in Eldoret where several pregnant women miscarried following the impact of vibrations from a quarry saying the noise pollution laws were meant to safeguard the public against recurrence of such incidents. The minister said it was unfortunate that the tragedy had befallen innocent victims who were struggling to earn a living legally. He said that the deceased deserved post humous commendation and respect since they had refrained from crime and resorted to earn a decent life to support their families.

Mr. Michuki said that although quarries were vital sources of livelihood, there was need for their effective management and regulation to ensure the safety of miners.  The minister assured the bereaved families of government support and directed the area district commissioner George Natembeya to form a funeral committee that would oversee the burial arrangements for the deceased. He however said that the government would continue to encourage quarrying in sites that successful environmental impact assessments had been conducted since they were key in the construction industry. Speaking during the occasion, area MP Mwangi Muturi said that excessive use of explosives had affected the adjacent homes and caused cracks on the walls of houses. He urged the district environment committee to enlighten quarry miners, through public barazas, whenever quarries were found to be precarious following environmental audits. The bodies of Irungu Muthuo, Nelson Macharia, Irungu Ndegwa and Irungu Ngware have so far been retrieved from the quarry. Kenya Army personnel are still sifting through the rubble using earthmovers in search of the body of Robert Kuria. Present were Environment permanent secretary Lawrence Lenayapa, Commissioner of Mines and Geology Dr. Robbs, Director General of National Environment Management Authority (Nema) Muusya Mwinzi, Central Provincial Commissioner Jasper Rugut and DC Natembeya.

PM: Mariga could join English Premier League in May

Prime Minister Raila Odinga has expressed his disappointment following Kenyan midfielder McDonald Mariga's failed bid to play in the English premier League with Manchester City. The Prime Minister recounted how he put in a strong appeal to the British government om Monday night and managed to secure a work permit for Mariga but the 23-years old player could not move to Man City because the Football Association (FA) transfer deadline had just expired. The Premier who was addressing a press conference in Treasury building office, however, said that all was not lost as the as the FA president had assured him that Mariga could join the FA in May this year when another transfer window opens. ‘'The FA President Mr. David Triesman assured me that with a UK work permit now in his hands, Mariga could join FA in May when another transfer window opens''. He said. Raila said that Mariga's failure to join Man City hit the country hard adding he had received a number of calls from concerned Kenyans who felt the government should intervene. He noted that a delegation from the civil society and human rights was the first to go public with their demand that his office should do something and help Mariga attain the UK work permit. "I would like to assure soccer fans and all Kenyans that together with the British High Commissioner to Kenya Rob Mcaire,I have done what I could to get Mariga into Man City FC and all is not lost. The Premier said.

Raila added that ‘'I spent a minimum of three hours on phone talking to Gordon Brown‘s office, the Africa Office, office of Culture and Sports, the Home office, and to Mariga himself''. He decried the low football standards in the country and called on all the stakeholders to come in and assist the government in its effort to improve standards. ‘'The government requires the support of all the stakeholders especially the media .If the media continues to poison  football fans coaches against then we will not go far''. He remarked. He assured football lovers in the country that the government will invest more in football for meaningful results to be realized. The Premier also said that Kenya was ready to host the Africa cup in 2016 as the government had put in place mechanisms of upgrading all stadiums. The PM acknowledged weaknesses in soccer management in the country which he attributed to wrangling in the national football governing body, Football Kenya Limited (FKL) and Kenya Football Federation (KFF). Earlier, the Chairman of the Kenya Football Coaches Association Mr. Ricky Solomon had appealed to the PM to disband the two bodies that had failed to manage football in the country.  The Director of the Kenya Human Rights Commission Hassan Omar said that his organization was unhappy with Mariga's predicament owing to wrangles that had dogged our football denying the youth an opportunity to develop their talent.

"I'm working to improve my methods, and every hour I save is an hour added to my life." - Ayn Rand: Wise Saying

UN accords Nairobi higher status

Nairobi residents can now walk heads high and be proud of their city after acquiring an improved status. Early this week, the United Nations (UN) International Civil Service Commission elevated Nairobi from category ‘C’ to ‘B’ at the headquarters in New York. In a press statement, which The Standard has obtained, the UN says it is satisfied with the Government’s effort to make the capital city safer. And according to the Human Development Index, Kenya has moved from a low ranking of 0.489 in 2001 to 0.541. The UN says the rise indicates an improvement in the quality of life. The country has also realised significant economic growth from a low rate of 0.6 in 2002 to a high of 7 per cent in 2007. And speaking to The Standard from his office in New York, Kenya’s Ambassador to the UN Zachary Muburi-Muita said Nairobi’s elevation means a lot. "I am delighted after the UN elevated Nairobi to level "B" UN duty station," he said. Mr Muburi-Muita added, "We have worked tirelessly to realise this and I can assure you we are not going to rest until our city reverts to its original category "A" status." To the UN workers in Kenya the categorisation removes the country from high security risk, meaning they will not receive risk allowance. A UN spokesman in Nairobi Pedro Maximilla said the gesture shows the body is comfortable working in Kenya. Mr Muita, however, said this should not be misconstrued as something punitive since Nairobi has witnessed significant improvement. In determining the degree of hardship, consideration is given to local conditions of safety and security, health care, education, housing, climate, isolation and availability of the basic amenities acceptable to UN staff and their families.  Duty stations are categorised on a scale of difficulty from "A" to "E" with "A" being the least difficult. Prior to 1994, Nairobi was classified as a category "A" station together with other UN headquarter duty stations; New York, Geneva and Vienna.

From 1994 to 2000, it was categorised as "B", but in 2001 it was moved to category "C".  Deteriorating security and health care were the main two factors that influenced the move despite Government’s denial. Briefing the UN Security Council on his trip to Kenya in February 2008, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes said the UN would look hard at how to reorient its development programmes for Kenya.  "The responsibility of the politicians on all sides was great, as was the need for continuing strong support from the international community," Mr Holmes said following peace deal after post-election violence. The violence left more than 1,300 people dead and 500,000 displaced. Holmes also highlighted the considerable regional implication of the crisis, because of Kenya’s long standing role as East Africa’s main transport hub. That also meant many aid and humanitarian operations, which relied on Mombasa were at risk of being affected by the violence and disruptions.  Among the secondary effects of violence, he mentioned was the rising fuel prices in Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi. Aid agencies had to look for alternative routes, but a peaceful Kenya remained by far the preferred option.  There was a huge amount at stake.  The categorisation of duty stations is for purposes of implementing the hardship scheme, and it involves the assessment of the overall quality of life at duty stations.  The UN department is an independent body established in 1974 to regulate and co-ordinate conditions of service of staff in the United Nations common system, while promoting and maintaining high standards in the international civil service. - The Standard.

London, Monday 1st February, 2010 - Scientists say they have solved a crucial puzzle about the Aids virus after 20 years of research and that their findings could lead to better treatments of HIV. British and US researchers said they had grown a crystal that enabled them see the structure of an enzyme called integrase, which is found in retroviruses like HIV and is a target for some of the newest HIV medicines. "Despite initial painstaking slow progress and very many failed attempts, we did not give up and our effort was finally rewarded," said Peter Cherepanov of Imperial College London, who conducted the research with scientists from Harvard University. The Imperial and Harvard scientists said that having the integrase structure means researchers can begin fully to understand how integrase inhibitor drugs work, how they might be improved, and how to stop HIV developing resistance to them. When the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects someone, it uses the integrase enzyme to paste a copy of its genetic information into their DNA, Cherepanov explained in the study published in the Nature journal on Sunday.

Some new drugs for HIV — like Isentress from Merck & Co and elvitegravir, an experimental drug from Gilead Sciences — work by blocking integrase, but scientists are not clear exactly how they work or how to improve them. The only way to find out was to obtain high-quality crystals — a project that had defeated scientists for many years. "When we started out, we knew the project was very difficult, and many tricks had already been tried and given up by others long ago," said Cherepanov. "Therefore, we went back to square one and started by looking for a better model of HIV integrase, which could be more amenable for crystallisation." The researchers grew a crystal using a version of integrase borrowed from another retrovirus very similar to its HIV counterpart. It took more than 40,000 trials for them to come up with one a crystal of sufficiently high quality to allow them see the three-dimensional structure, they said. They tested the Merck and Gilead drugs on the crystals, and were able to see, for the first time, how the medicines bind to, and block, integrase. Almost 60 million people have been infected with HIV and 25 million people have died of HIV-related causes since the beginning of the Aids epidemic. There is no cure and no vaccine, although drug cocktails can keep patients healthy. United Nations data for 2008 show that 33.4 million people had HIV and two million people died of Aids-related illnesses. The worst affected region is sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for 67 per cent of all people living with HIV. HIV is linked to the spread of Tuberculosis. — Reuters

A 14 ft x 14 ft bed in Kenya

I have just come back from Kenya where I have been for the last two weeks. While in Kenya I visited Kitengela town - the fastest growing town in East and Central Africa. During my visit, I met several businessmen who has been living in UK before relocating back to Kenya. They are doing well especially one with a big club, another one with a wine and spirits shop. I was taken for a dinner at Safari Lodge which is about one kilometre from Kitengela town and I was amazed by the accommodation facilities they offer. Among the accommodation they offer is a presidential wing. In the presidential wing - it is a house within a house. The bed measuring 14 ft x 14 ft (see above) and several sofa seats and a large bathroom. The bed can sleep 12 people comfortably. All in the land of hakuna matata. More later.

HOUSE    FOR    SALE
3 BEDROOM MAISONETTE

GOLF COURSE PHASE II, NAIROBI (Near Kenyatta Market)
Price: KSh.8.5 million

The property is in a gated cul-de-sac with 24-hour security guard.  Very good transport links into City Centre, only 10 minutes away.
Access via a high steel Gate onto a paved car park with all round brick wall. All windows and doors are burglar-proofed.
 
Ground floor
Living/Dinning room: Security steel door leading to hallway on to the large living/dinning room with doors to the kitchen, under stairs storage, and door to back garden.
 
Toilet:   With door off the hallway, has Low level w.c. with wash hand basin
Kitchen: Has built-in wall and floor cabinets with space for cooker and fridge.
Garden:  Lawn with shrubs and timber fence all round. Outside water tap.
 
1st Floor
Stairs leading off the hallway with a side window. Lockable steel gate at the top of the stairs
Bedrooms: 2 double bedrooms with built-in wardrobes, and single bedroom with a stand-alone single wardrobe.
Bathroom: Spacious bathroom with bath and telephone shower, low level w.c., wash hand basin, and a cupboard with hot water tank and airing shelves.

Available immediately, with vacant possession
Contact:
Owner (UK): +447766553647     :  Email: chezarinajones@hotmail.com
Lucy (Kenya): +254721770098   :  Email: karimi.advocates@gmail.com

Mr. Mwenda back in London

Mr. Dedan Mwenda Gichuhi is back in London. Mr. Gichuhi who is well known as Mheshimiwa Mwenda after contesting the Subukia constituency seat in the last general election. He has been out of London for more than a year - busy constructing his business empire in Kenya. During his stay in Kenya he has been a shining star for those coming from abroad undertaking several major projects. Among the major projects he has undertaken is a multi-million Citywall Hotel - a modern hotel situated at the heart of Nairobi on Duruma Road off River-Road. The hotel offers modern, luxurious self-contained rooms. A restaurant with a menu that suits both local and international clientelle. The hotel has become a popular accommodation venue for those coming from abroad as the hotel can pick you and drop you from the airport. The hotel also give good discounts for those coming from abroad. Mr. Gichuhi has just completed Gikwa Estate along Nakuru Bahati Road where he has constructed 30 two-bedroom and one bedroom units. Speaking to Mr. Seed in London Mr. Gichuhi had this to say: "I am back in London, ask those who would like to see me to come to my office. I have taken time in Kenya to prove that you can still build Kenya while still living and working abroad. East or west, home is best." Mr. Gichuhi concluded. While visiting Kenya from abroad you can can book the hotel for your accommodation at www.citywallhotel.co.ke

Man jailed for 36 years for killing friend and dismembering body

The ruthless murderer of the “jigsaw man” was jailed today for a minimum of 36 years. Personal trainer Stephen Marshall killed bathroom salesman Jeffrey Howe and, with girlfriend Sarah Bush, disposed of his body parts across Hertfordshire and Leicestershire.  They were discovered in different locations during last March and April. However Mr Howe's hands have not been found and Marshall, 38, has refused to give any clues to detectives of their whereabouts.  As he begins his life sentence questions remain over how many others may have suffered the same fate.  The jury at St Albans crown court heard how the limbs had been “skillfully and cleanly” removed from the body, clearly by an experienced practitioner. Marshall has boasted of butchering a human corpse and claimed to have used his skills on behalf of the notorious north London criminals, the Adams family. In March last year, Marshall stabbed 49-year-old Mr Howe in the back and placed a pillow over his face.

He cut up the body in the kitchen of his Southgate flat, disposed of its parts and assumed the victim's identity to ransack his bank account. Marshall, of Borehamwood, had originally admitted dismembering and disposing of the body, but denied murder. He changed his plea on Friday after three weeks of proceedings. Passing sentence, Mr Justice Cooke told him: “Mr Howe looked up to you and was scared of you and the evidence is you exploited that.” Bush, 21, of Southgate, was cleared of murder but admitted perverting the course of justice and was jailed for three years and nine months. She was told by the judge: “You were well aware of what Stephen Marshall had done.  “You took advantage of Mr Howe in life and then after his death you used his money.” During the trial a woman, who was granted anonymity by the judge, told the jury how Marshall had described how “he would cut up the bodies, decapitate them, severing them at their limbs. “He said he would put them into black bags and bury them sometimes, in Epping Forest, sometimes in different places. “He described to me that the first time he got asked to do this he felt distinct nausea and he started to take cocaine to deal with the effects and that's how he became an addict.”

Nairobi, Monday 1st February, 2010. Manchester City's deal to sign Kenyan football star McDonald Mariga has fallen through after UK failed to give him a work permit. City attended an appeal at Wembley on Monday morning in an attempt to secure a permit for the Parma midfielder. 22- year- old Mariga, who has 24 caps for Kenya, met the criteria for appearing in 75% of internationals in the last two years. But his application was rejected as Kenya are ranked 98th in Fifa's world rankings, outside the top 70 nations. City can request a further appeal in a future transfer window but will not be able to register Mariga as a player in the current window. A delegation from Eastlands travelled to the appeal, where a panel made up of representatives from the Football Association, Premier League and the Professional Footballers' Association, as well as some 'independent football experts' - usually ex-players - made their decision.

7 buried alive as quarry caves in

Tragedy struck Murang'a East district on Monday when a quarry in Mukangu area caved in burying five masons. Huge boulders which had hang precariously over a cliff gave way at midday burying the quarry workers alive. Area District Commissioner George Natembea has forthwith banned quarrying in the district until the National Environment Management Authority conducts an environmental audit on the 20 quarries in the district. He said an earlier ban on quarrying had not been heeded to. Kiharu MP Muturi Mwangi blamed the tragedy on poverty which is pushing young people into dangerous ventures including quarrying in dangerous mines. Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) Emergency Response personnel from Murang'a, Thika and Nairobi were working together with various teams in rescue and recovery efforts at a quarrying site.

NHS treats six for croc attacks in UK

The NHS has treated six people for croc attacks in the past year and another 18 were in A&E for poisonous spider and scorpion bites. Crocodile and alligator attacks may be common in places like Australia or Florida but they're certainly not expected here in Britain. According to newly released figures the attacks came from animals kept in zoos or as pets. But they are just some of the bizarre litany of of injuries treated by the NHS. A further 50 people suffered jellyfish stings and another 52 had snake or lizard bites. A further 23 were bitten by rats and almost 700 were stung by hornets. But the completely unexplained included three people receiving treatment for 'an illness resulting from staying too long in a weightless environment'. There was no further explanation of how the patients escaped gravity. Also in the figures were surprisingly large numbers of seemingly preventable accidents. More than 1,800 suffered burns from hot drinks , 89,000 slipped or tripped over and 531 went to hospital for lawnmower accidents. Over 1,000 fell out of trees in almost 6,000 toppled off their ladders. In stranger accidents 14 people almost suffocated in bed and ten were injured by exploding boilers, the Sun said.

On Saturday 30th January, 2010 the Kenya Scouts Association held a three hour match in the city streets to create awareness. KSA chair Charles Musau said it was an honour for Africa to host The first ever international scouts moot in one hundred years. Though the movement was started  in Kenya in 1910 by the late Boden Powell, neither Kenya nor any African country has hosted the glamorous event. This year over 3,000 delegates from over 83 member countries will meet in Nairobi, Nyeri, Machakos and Embu from July 27 to August 10. The government however has allocated Sh 40 million to organise the event. - Photo and story by Karuga wa Njuguna, Nairobi.

Suspension of Tier 4 student applications in North India, Nepal and Bangladesh

Home Office, 31 January 2010

The UK Border Agency has announced that, from 1 February 2010, it is not accepting any new applications under the Tier 4 student route of the points-based system at the following visa application centres:

• North India - New Delhi, Jalandhar and Chandigarh
• Bangladesh - Dhaka, Sylhet and Chittagong
• Nepal - Kathmandu

The head of the points-based system at the UK Border Agency, Jeremy Oppenheim, said:

'The points-based system gives us the flexibility to act to maintain the integrity of the visa system, while processing legitimate applications fairly, thoroughly and as quickly as possible. 'We continually check and monitor all student applications and education providers to ensure that they meet the required standards set by the points-based system. As a result of this routine monitoring and an increase in applications, we have temporarily stopped accepting new applications from North India, Nepal and Bangladesh while we carry out an investigation to ensure they are all genuine. 'We will take tough action against those who attempt to abuse the system.'

Dog tongue swells to 'monster' size

A pet dog nearly died after suffering a freak accident that caused her tongue to swell to four times its normal size.

Penny almost suffocated when her tongue ballooned as she tucked into her favourite treat of pig's heart. Membrane from the pig's aorta wound itself around the base of her tongue, cutting off the blood supply which caused it to swell to "monster" proportions. The lack of blood also meant that parts of the tongue died off and could have led to a fatal infection. Her situation worsened when she desperately tried to paw her tongue free, causing blood to gush from her mouth. Her horrified owner, Linda Donnelly, from Paisley, said her pet's tongue was left looking like an enormous piece of steak hanging from her mouth.  She rushed her to the PDSA's PedAid Hospital in Glasgow for life-saving treatment. Initially vets thought she was suffering from a tumour which had suddenly increased in size and warned Ms Donnelly that her pet was unlikely to pull through. Vet Dermot Mullen said the shock of the ordeal alone could have killed the 18-year-old pet.

Nairobi, Monday 1st February, 2010. Police in Narok have discovered another cache of weapons. The firearms were loaded in a container suspected to belong to a local businessman. Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere has left for Narok where a major security operation is underway. The latest recovery comes two months after another cache of firearms was discovered in the same area.  Five suspects including a couple and administration Police chief armourer Joseph Maritim were arrested and charged in court. More to follow....

Police in Narok have discovered another cache of weapons. Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere has left for Narok where a major security operation is underway.

Barack Obama to unveil 2011 budget plans

US President Barack Obama is due to unveil a $3.8tn (£2.4tn) budget which includes increased spending for job schemes, but cuts in other areas. The US deficit has soared to $1.4tn and Mr Obama's budget could push it to $1.6tn this year. He is expected to scrap plans to send astronauts back to the Moon, and will seek to save $250bn by capping a range of domestic programmes for three years. Congress must pass the budget for the financial year starting on 1 October. Having pledged in last week's State of the Union address to make job creation his top priority, Mr Obama will propose $100bn for tax breaks to encourage businesses to hire staff. The deficit has been affected by a drop in tax revenue from the 7.2 million people who have lost jobs since the recession began. Unemployment now stands at 10%.

Ministers aim to halve number of people smoking by 2020

A plan to halve the number of smokers in England over the next 10 years has been unveiled by ministers. The number of people smoking has fallen by a quarter in the past decade to 21%, and the proposed target is 10% by 2020. Measures being considered include removing branding from packets and banning cigarette vending machines, as will happen in Scotland next year.Smokers' lobby group Forest criticised the proposals for eroding people's ability to make lifestyle choices. Health charity Ash said that while it supported the plans in principle, there was a need for more detail and stronger pledges.

The president of Argentina has announced that pork is a more effective sexual stimulant than Viagra, as she tries to boost the country's pig industry. Cristina Fernandez claimed she and her husband had just spent a fulfilling weekend of marital bliss after tucking into some barbecued chops. "Eating pork improves your sex life. I'd say it's a lot nicer to eat a bit of grilled pork than take Viagra," she said in a speech to the leaders of Argentina's pig farming industry. "And let me tell you, I am a big fan of pork meat, and I am not just saying that to look good here." Ms Fernandez's half-joking comments were met with applause from the country's pork industry leaders. The light-hearted comments introduced Fernandez's proposed subsidies for Argentina's pig business. The president did, however, voice concern as to how her husband, former Argentinian president Nestor Kirchner, would react to her public revelation. "I just realised what I said - Kirchner will kill me," she said. The comment has been played repeatedly on television and radio stations, and has sparked fierce debate on whether Argentines, some of the world's most avid beef consumers, should add more pork to their diet. Argentinians consume a little more than their body weight in beef every year and have little interest in replacing their beefy meals with chicken, pork or other meats. The head of the association of pork producers, Juan Luis Uccelli, has supported Ms Fernandez's speech, saying that Denmark and Japan have a much more "harmonious" sexual life than Argentinians because they eat a lot of pig meat. "In Osaka, Japan, there is a village in which the people who reached 105 years old and ate a lot of pork had a lot of sexual activity," he told a radio station. A specialist in sexual dysfunction, has told the Argentinian newspaper La Nacion that there was no study showing that pork meat significantly improves sexual activity. - VIDEO

Fernandez was elected in 2007

Pastor Robbinson Kamau is serious sick at Newham Hospital, East London. He is in Beckton Ward. You can make a date to see him

A LUO PROVERB

Ondiek ok nyier nono.

Nothing takes place without a cause.

Lemon: Benefits & Uses

Lemon is very much useful in maintaining the health of the teeth and the bones. The vitamin C content of lemon helps considerably in calcium metabolism.

A KIKUYU PROVERB

Kûrîithia îmwe ti kwenda kwa mwene

To graze only one goat is not the owner's will

Evils come though we do not want them.

LEFT: Fans of Cameroon's Indomitable Lions were dismayed by their loss to Egypt's Pharoahs on Monday in the quarter-final of the African Cup of Nations. RIGHT: More football. But this time in South Africa, where the national football team - Bafana Bafana - beat neighbouring Zimbabwe 3-0 in a friendly match on Wednesday.

A MAASAI PROVERB

Mincho ake kintaa enkoshoke osuuji.

Do not allow the belly to make you useless.

McDonald Mariga becomes the first Kenyan to play in UK's premiership

Manchester City have made a £7million move for Parma midfielder McDonald Mariga. Roberto Mancini has moved in to head off interest from former club Inter Milan and will offer City striker Valeri Bojinov as part of the deal. Bojinov has been on loan at Parma and has proved a relative hit. City value him at around £4m and Parma are happy to accept. City have moved for the 22-year-old Kenyan after growing frustrated in their bid for Real Madrid's Fernando Gago. Mariga is more combative than Gago.  He is 6ft 2ins tall and has more than 20 caps for Kenya after playing in Scandinavia. Parma are also in the process of signing Luis Jimenez permanently from Inter. City's move for Roma right-back Marco Motta is on hold though as talks have hit a hitch over his dual ownership with Udinese. City striker Benjani, meanwhile, will complete his £500,000 move to Sunderland today as revealed by Sportsmail. Despite late interest from Blackburn, the 31-year-old headed to Sunderland yesterday and held talks over the switch to the North East. Meanwhile, Sheffield United are interested in signing Sunderland defender Nyron Nosworthy on loan. Mariga is expected to sign the contract on Monday 1st February, 2010 at 1.00 p.m.

METHALI YA KISWAHILI

Ganda la mua la jana chungu kaona kivuno.

The skin of yesteday's sugarcane is a havest to an ant.

Kales paints red at Simba saloon

The 12th Kitwek night was yesterday held at the Carnivore. The main sponsors of the night were Kass International and Safaricom. At the entrance Kass International  were selling caps, Tshirts, KASSFM magazine and Kalenjin Dictionary for those brought up in towns and would love to know their mother tongue, one of the ladies said. There was plenty of food starting with their lovely Busaa known as Maiyek, Musarek (Porridge) Managu or Isagek, brown ugali also known as Kimyet ab Kipsyogik not forgetting their popular sour milk commonly known as Mursik che Kakisut. They had a Kalenjin  sausage also known as Mbochet, boiled goat meat (dendab Teta Nemi ruketet). Boiled maize was in plenty (Messisek ab Bandek) their tasty chicken (Ingokiek) among others. This was served in two tents piched outside. Several musicians also came in plenty to entertain the guests like Kiptulwired with Olgeri Sucess band, Kimaya Boosters, Tumbalal Arap Sang with Ureren Band, Wesldino labwes with Makibe worriors band, Kimalal jazz band by Kipkiroi Ngeng and Jepchirchir.

They performed in and out of the building. There was a big stage outside as a creation of more space. The chief Guest was Hon Pogisio Minister and KASS INTERNATIONAL Chairman C.K. Joshua. Julius Lamaon CEO KASS Media also attended and was hawk eyed to see everything went well as planned. We may have covered many themed nights like Mugithi (Kikuyu night) Kiriribi night (Kamba night) at the same venue but Kitwek Night beat them all.The Kales came from far and wide and the place was jam packed. Due to number of revellers the management added more security bouncers for the safety of everyone. The party went on to the wee hours of the morning for obvious reasons "Kales drink to the last drop" - Karuga wa Njuguna

0710148193.

I'm a married 'Man Now'...,

Mr.wainaina tells Pastor (Mrs) Jane Njiiri when they met at Heathrow Airport as he was coming back to London from Kanya, where he got married to a beautiful girl, Miss Caroline Wanjiku, on 19th December 2009 at Brook Hill School, Riara Ridge. - Photo and story by DK Kamanu. - WEDDING PHOTOS

Welcome back home Mzee

Mr. Seedbeing welcomed back home in London from Jamhuri by his wife Pastor (Mrs) Jane Njiiri at

Heathrow Airport, left. Behind every successful man, is a 'wise' wife, thats them, right, Mr & Pastor (Mrs) Peter Njiiri Karanja, well known as Mr & Mrs Seed. - Photo and story by DK Kamanu a surprise to Mr. Seed.

Orion the drug lord's hippo gets a check-up

This happy hippo getting his dental check-up once belonged to Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. Escobar had so much money – at one point he supplied 80 per cent of the world's cocaine – that he could afford to have exotic animals shipped to his Hacienda Napoles from around the world. He already had a fleet of luxury cars, a bullfighting ring and a dinosaur theme park – so why not a menagerie of exotic animals? When the narcobaron was killed in a rooftop shootout in Medellin, there were some 20 hippos at his ranch, which was taken over by Colombian authorities, but they had little idea of how to care for the animals. A few of the hippos escaped, and started damaging crops and endangering livestock, and when one of them was killed by locals, conservation and animal welfare groups were outraged and demanded that the hippos be relocated to more appropriate surrounding. Orion is the son of one of those hippos and was born on Pablo's ranch – luckily he has found a new home at a zoo in Santa Fe, New Mexico. And a good dentist, by the looks of it!
 

SOME OF THE UK NEWSPAPERS ON MONDAY 1ST FEBRUARY 2010

LEFT: The Daily Express says official figures reveal nine in 10 long-term sick pay claimants are well enough to work. RIGHT: Heightening tensions between the US and Iran lead The Guardian. The paper reports on Barack Obama's deployment of a missile shield to protect American allies in the Gulf.

"Sometimes choices are made in the name of forgiveness while what is occurring isn't forgiveness at all. It is important not to confuse being forgiving with denying your own feelings, needs, and desires. Forgiving doesn't mean being passive and staying in a job or a relationship that clearly doesn't work for you or is abusive. It is important that you are clear about your boundaries. What is acceptable for you? If you are willing to allow unacceptable behavior again and again in the name of 'forgiveness,' you are more than likely using 'forgiveness' as an excuse not to take responsibility for taking care of yourself or as a way to avoid making changes." - Robin Casarjian - Forgiveness: A Bold Choice For A Peaceful Heart

A multi-millionaire was on Friday 29th January, 2010 accused of being in Kenya illegally. The man, whose name was given as Unknown alias Ibrahim Noor Hillowly, is suspected to be from Somalia. He was arraigned before chief magistrate Gilbert Mutembei by officers from the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit. “I am a Kenyan and own a Sh700 million estate in Eastleigh estate besides other property,” he said while opposing a bid by the police to have him locked up pending further investigations.

Mr Ibrahim Noor Hillowly in a Nairobi court on Friday where he denied being in the country illegally.

The officers had told the court that they were opposed to the release of the suspect on bond because they wanted to establish how he managed to secure registration as a Kenyan. The magistrate heard that Mr Hillowly registered as a Kenya citizen at the Kapenguria office 11 years ago. “Police want to establish how he managed to get himself a Kenyan identity card and a passport when he is a Somali national,” the prosecutor, chief inspector Kinoti Marete, said as he asked the court to deny the suspect bail. Mr Hillowly faces six charges and the police wanted him remanded in custody for four days to allow for further investigations.  But the accused countered the State’s plea, saying: “I am a good candidate for bond. When I was summoned by police, I went to the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit voluntarily unaccompanied. I will also cooperate with the investigators and appear in court when required.”  Mr Hillowly produced documents showing how he bought seven acres of land in Eastleigh in 2007 and how the City Council of Nairobi had authorised him to develop the parcel of land.

He disclosed that he was the proprietor of Darasa Investments Limited. One of the directors of the firm is ODM-Kenya’s deputy secretary-general, Mr Adow Mohammed. “I bought the city parcel of land at Sh84 million,” Mr Hillowly said. He also asked the court to disregard the prosecution’s move to deny him bond, saying: “I would have left the court’s jurisdiction when I learnt I was being sought. There is no suggestion I will interfere with intended witnesses. In the interest of justice, I pray you release me on bond.” Mr Mutembei dismissed the state’s plea and released Mr Hillowly on a cash bail of Sh100,000. The case will come up for mention on February 3. He was also directed to report to the investigating officer every day until further notice. He denied obtaining a national identity card through false presentation from the Kapenguria district registrar of persons on December 15, 1999 and obtaining a Kenyan passport from the Immigration department at Nyayo House on January 20, 2003.  – Daily Nation.

Happy Birthday Njambi

Take that 'Guka', young beautiful Sheila Njambi gives her grandfather, Pastor John Kimari, (3rd left picture), a piece of her birthday cake during her 2nd year birthday last Sunday. Sheila is a daughter to Antony Gitau and Rebeccah Njeri, (holding her). Present during Njambi's birthday were her grandmother, Mama Kiruthi, 1st left, her Aunt Mary (wearing a red top-up) and a family friend. In the picture on the right, from left, are Margaret Waigwa, Mrs Maina-Mama Tamenu, Mrs Esther Kamanu, Mama Kiruthi, Njambi's mother, Njeri, and some children.

Call of duty too much for soldier who faints on guard 

Standing guard during a dinner at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen was too much for this soldier. A soldier from the Royal Danish Guard lies on the floor after he collapsed during the arrival of the Royal family and their guests at the Christiansborg Palace in central Copenhagen. He fainted at the event, held by Queen Margrethe for Danish and Euro MP.

Have a look at the below story sent in the message board

Eating pork improves your sex drive - says Argentinian President.

A whole pig! Are you crazy? The good thing is that Mama Watoto will increase your performance rating from mediocre to power-house and become very jealous of your whereabouts.

Talking about a whole pig, let me tell you a very recent story of some raw Kenyans in Toronto. These four roommate decided to go to a farm to buy a whole goat instead of regular kilos. Yes the farmer sold them a whole goat and they headed to their multi-floor apartment. They had already discussed how to go about with mutilating the goat for the upcoming festive day. Since they didnt have fodder to feed the goat for a couple more days, they decided to guillotine the goat in the apartment. Here is the Big Mistake.

These Kenyan herdsmen decided to slaughter the goat in their bathroom tub. I guess they had always thought of putting the tub into a much better use than standing in it for a shower. So they laid the poor goat and started the slaughter. Of course, the goat had to put up a kicking fight at the beginning before it surrendered its neck. During the slaughter the herdsmen did not muffle the goats mouth to reduce sound. So as they say in my place, all animals cry like human beings when death in the hands of human beings is inevitable. Anyway, with the kicks and human cries resounding all over the apartment complex, they put the goat to eternal rest.

Here is the twist: The kicks and sounds attracted the attention of the neighbour right below who was convinced there was a murder taking place just above him. He called the police and told them everything. The police sent a whole SWAT team for the battle all dressed and wired to meet fire with fire. They surrounded the apartment and evacuated the building since they already knew where the murder took place. Then they made it the exact apartment.

They delivered the usual deafening bang on the door and soon a herdsman opened the door, unfortunately, holding a huge kitchen knife and all drenched in blood from knife to clothes. The cop ordered him at gun point to drop the knife as the rest of the murder suspects began to head for the door unconcerned. All were ordered to lie facing down with hands on their heads.
To the Kenyan Bredrens, they actually were wondering where and how they broke the laws for killing a mere goat for food. They couldnt believe they were going to jail for killing a goat. The cops asked the handcuffed kijanas where the body was and, already shocked, they pointed to the washroom. The cops headed carefully to the washroom thinking there could be more armed murderers inside. Having cleared left and right, they took a deep breath to prepare for the sickening scene only to find that oh yes, there was a murder but the murder of an innocent goat.

The Kenyans were actually arrested and charged not for murdering the goat but for endangering the health of other people. They even paid the usual fees fines for police and fire trucks response. They argued that they decided to kill the goat in their apartment because from their apartment, they always saw Lebanese neighbours do the same. But they forgot that the Lebanese lived in single homes with expansive backyards where they could slaughter the goats like at home.

The morale of the story is that Never take home a whole pig to murder just for sex.

End of story.

A flying career and wedding bells stopped by thugs

Martin Gitehi Njuma got down on bended knee and proposed to his fiancé Rebecca Ngoiri just before Christmas. Less than three weeks later, the young pilot lay in a pool of blood after being set upon by thugs in a horrific attack that has highlighted the dangers motorists face while driving around Nairobi at night. Njuma was killed at the Makaburini area near Bunyala Road roundabout after his car stalled as he was driving to Westlands at around 4 a.m. He died the same day, January 17, at a Nairobi hospital less than 24 hours after he was rushed there unconscious. Njuma’s father, Captain James Njuma, said the last conversation he had with his son was about his pending nuptials.

“I spoke to my son on January 16, and he was worried about being on duty around his wedding day which was to be in May. He was trying to get annual leave around the same time to coincide with his wedding,” Captain Njuma said. Becky Ngoiri is at a loss for words after losing the love of her life. “I keep thinking that maybe he is in Bangkok or he has gone for training somewhere. I cannot believe I will never have lunch or dinner with him again,” Ms Ngoiri said. Mr Njuma’s death has triggered a flood of reactions on the Internet with Kenyans demanding that police act against thugs who prey on motorists at well known danger spots in the city. The Kenya Airways pilot spent the better part of his last day with his childhood friend and colleague Moses Karanja and left Mr Karanja’s house at midnight to attend a friend’s birthday party.

“I asked him to sleep over because it was late, but he said he had promised our friend that he would attend the party,” Mr Karanja said. Mr Karanja was unable to accompany his friend as he was to fly to Lagos the next day. He awoke at 5 a.m., and 20 minutes later he got a call from the friend whose party Mr Njuma had attended. “My friend informed me that Njuma was in critical condition after being attacked by thugs,” Mr Karanja said. The attack happened while the group was on its way from a nightclub in Lang’ata and was heading to Westlands to continue with the party. Mr Njuma had called his friends and informed them that his car had stalled. They were in another car behind his, but when they got to his car, they did not find him. “A police car came by later, and the officers assisted them to look for him. They found him lying unconscious a few metres from his car,” Mr Karanja said. – Daily Nation.

Pastor Gad Muthaka's wife Grace Kan;yi Gad has lost her sister back in Kenya through heart attack. She was sister to Simon Mbugua, Grace Kanyi Gad (wife to Gad Muthaka) of I.W.R.M UK, Samuel Kamande, Ngugi Stephen and Emilly Murugi, cousin to Priscilla Njoki of Calvary (C.C.B.C Swahili) UK.  Friends and family are meeting at 28 stoke Road, Rainham, Essex, RM13 9SF from 7 - 9pm up sto Monday 1st Feb. A memorial Service will be held on Tuesday 2nd Feb 2010 at I.W.R.M High street North, Manor Park, London E12 6QN.  The funeral will be held on Wednesday 3rd Feb 2010 at Karunga, Kiambu. You can contact Grace and Gad on 07949427050, 07984410236, Mama Gad 07903368351. Kinjo 07931168588. Friends and well wishers who might not be able to make to the meetings can send their contributions to the following Account: Miss G Kihara, Abbey National Bank. Account No.  77831315, Sort Code 090126.

Snow causes havoc for motorists

Drivers had to battle icy conditions and road closures as snow hit parts of the North East overnight. There were five separate crashes on Bonemill Lane in Sunderland and police were forced to close the road for an hour and a half. And an icy road surface led to a three-vehicle collision at a roundabout near Crowther Road in the city. Nobody was injured in any of the incidents, police said. A spokesperson for Northumbria Police said: "Police are reminding motorists to be extra vigilant when driving today due to heavy snowfall overnight in parts of the force area. "Northumbria Police is advising motorists to exercise caution, particularly on untreated roads, maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle in front as stopping distances will be longer on wet or icy roads." Watford's Championship match against Swansea was postponed due to a frozen pitch, along with Oldham's League One match against Brentford, League Two matches at Cheltenham, Lincoln City and Rotherham, and a number of non-league matches. The worst-hit parts of the UK were the east and west coasts of England, northern Scotland and south-west Wales. Temperatures dropped below minus six degrees Celsius (21.2F) in parts of northern Scotland, where most snow fell overnight. Aisling Creevey, of MeteoGroup, weather division of the Press Association, said: "Northerly winds were pushing snow showers across northern Scotland and exposed coastal areas on the east and west coasts of England. The snow fell most frequently in northern Scotland, where there was approximately two to five centimetres in some parts. The lowest temperature recorded in northern Scotland was just below minus six degrees in Loch Glascarnoch."

Dog eats 13 golf balls, owner teed off

Owner Chris Morrison walks Oscar on a golf course near his Dunfermline home, and was first alerted to his hound’s gold-ball eating tendencies when he heard a rattling noise emanating from his stomach. A worried Mr Morrison took the five-year-old dog to see a vet, who found a stunning total of 13 balls in his stomach. One of them had been in there so long that it had turned black and was decomposing, reports the Daily Telegraph. Mr Morrison said: ‘He finds golf balls like truffles. We're not sure how long exactly this happened over - but it must have been a fair period, several months at least. ‘I felt his stomach and heard them rattling around. He normally brings a few home, but I had no idea he had eaten so many. ‘It is normally around the ninth and 12th fairways that we go around - and he just goes and searches for them wherever the golfers lose them.’ Vet Hesketh, who performed the op, was astonished by Oscar’s golfing diet, saying: ‘It was like a magic trick. I opened him up and felt what I thought was two or three golf balls. But they just kept coming until we had a bag full.’ A little birdie has told us that Oscar has made a full recovery.

Daredevil swims alongside 11ft crocodile

Daredevil diver Israel Gonzalez takes his life in his hands to be snapped alongside this deadly crocodile. Swimming close enough to count her razor sharp teeth, the 31-year-old is dwarfed by the 3.35m (11ft) long, 454kg (1,000lb) beast. Together with photographer David Doubilet, he spent two hours swimming with the female croc as she returned to her nest on one of 50 or so islands just off the Cuban coast. ‘This crocodile exhibited very benign behaviour for such a notorious predator,’ said Doubilet, 63. ‘As a wildlife photography opportunity, this was extremely exciting to capture not only the rare and overlooked American crocodile but also to run the gauntlet with the animal. ‘Honestly, after the initial rush when we encountered the crocodile, our levels of fear dropped quite considerably.’ Most people are unaware there are crocodiles that live in the Americas. There are only about 1,500 American crocodiles living in Florida and the same number across Central America and South America, putting them in the endangered animals category. Gliding alongside the croc, the divers were aware that at any minute the situation could turn life-threatening. ‘We had no protection on us. No sticks, no harpoons, nothing that would have saved our lives had the crocodiles turned nasty,’ said Doubilet. ‘We were careful to know our limits and not to stress the creature.’ The crocodile is distinctive from its American alligator cousin by its longer, thinner snout, lighter colour and two longer teeth on its lower jaw that are visible when the mouth is shut. Some males can reach up to 6m (20ft) in length and weigh in at more than 600kg (2,000lb).

Family fights court order to deport their son

Ahmed Mohammed Diriye is staring at deportation to Somalia. But, he claims he is Kenyan and has little clue where the country the court has branded as his ‘home’ is.  His parents who live in Mandera are shocked, too. His elderly mother even sent her national ID to prove her Kenyan citizenship to the court, but the only thing Diriye can hear is ‘deport him’.  - FULL STORY

A Bolivian family in UK is to receive damages of thousands of pounds from the Home Office for false imprisonment during a review of the refugees' case. Carmen Quiroga and her four children, aged three to 11 at the time, spent six weeks in Oakington immigration centre in Cambridgeshire in 2004. The Home Office accepted they should have been freed when they applied for a judicial review against deportation. The family was granted the right to stay in the UK in 2008. Bhatt Murphy Solicitors, representing the family, argued the detention was illegal for reasons including a failure to prioritise the welfare of the children, in contravention of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The solicitors claimed that being detained in a dawn raid and held at the immigration centre had left the three eldest children with psychiatric problems. "They have required significant psychiatric help to seek to overcome this experience," a statement said. Following the agreement of damages, Ms Quiroga said: "I brought these proceedings so that my voice and the voice of other detained families would be heard. "No family should suffer as we have done. I hope the Home Office have learned lessons from my children's case."

President Mwai Kibaki is shown the newly-acquired equipments from the People's Republic of China by Mr. Japheth Mwania, Director, NYS during the official commissioning of the machinery at the Institution's headquarter’s, Ruaraka, Nairobi.

Now you can get your PIN online as KRA Online Services Enhanced

The issuance of PIN has been fully automated following the successful launch of electronic registration services with effect from 30th March 2009. Henceforth manual processing of PIN has been discontinued with the previous PIN certificate being replaced with a new one specifying the tax obligations for which a taxpayer has elected to be registered. Concurrent with these changes has been the phase out of the traditional VAT registration certificate and its replacement with the generic PIN certificate. To date over 25,918 new entrants have enrolled through the new system while 495 taxpayers filed their monthly VAT returns electronically in April 2009. Presently focus is geared towards marketing the new system for wider usage in addition to providing effective back up support. Piloting of the new PAYE e-filing module has also commenced with roll out planned for May 2009. Queries on the KRA Online service should be directed through the KRA Call Centre on 020 4999999. - You need your Kenyan ID to register for the PIN. - MORE

Starbus Burnt at Ndumbuini in Uthiru on Friday morning

Ndumbuini residents view a shell of a burnt mini-bus belonging to Star bus on 28th January 2010.The mini-bus is alleged to be petrol bombed by Mungiki sect who were extorting money from the matatu crew. The driver was injured and taken to Kikuyu mission hospital.

And the world's number one game show is…

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? has come top of a list of the world’s 10 most popular game show formats. The Top 10, which was compiled by TV magazine TBI, is based on the number of viewers and countries showing the programmes. Here are the full results, including one show which has yet to make it to the UK…

1 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Hosted by Chris Tarrant in the UK, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is broadcast in no fewer than 112 countries, which makes it the most popular quiz show ever.

2 Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal is played in more than 80 countries. The British version of the programme is presented by Noel Edmonds, who made a successful television comeback when he started hosting the show.

3 Total Wipeout
TV viewers across the globe also enjoy watching contestants take on a series of physical challenges in Total Wipeout, which is hosted by Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram here in the UK.

4 Wheel of Fortune
Classic game show Wheel of Fortune aired on ITV from 1988 until 2001, but is still going strong in the US, where it was first broadcast in 1975 – 35 years ago.

5 Hole in the Wall
BBC One's Hole in the Wall originated in Japan, where it is known as Brain Wall. Players of this fun game show must fit through holes in a moving wall to avoid being pushed into water.

6 Are You Smarter Than a 10 Year Old?
This kids vs adults quiz show is now screened in nearly 50 countries worldwide, and it's proved there are lots of grown-ups who should have paid more attention at school.

7 Jeopardy
This long-running game show with a twist – contestants are given an answer and must say what the question was – isn't screened in the UK anymore, but has aired since 1964 in the US.

8 I Love My Country
Not sure what this show is? That's because Endemol's I Love My Country – in which contestants are quizzed about their nation – has never been shown over here. But it has proven extremely popular in five countries so far.

9 Don't Forget the Lyrics
The hit singing game show has been sold in 30 countries around the world. In the UK, Don't Forget the Lyrics has aired on Sky1 and been presented by Shane Richie.

10 Family Fortunes
Classic TV programme Family Fortunes is based on the US game show Family Feud. It's still showing in the UK as All Star Family Fortunes, featuring celebrities and their families.

"Mr. Seed you look popular I want a photo with you"

Chris Tarrant (above right) programe - Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? has come top of a list of the world’s 10 most popular game show format. The photo above of Mr. Seed and Chris Tarrant was taken in an event in central London. While taking photos photos of celebrities posing with Kenyans, there was several shouts from Kenyans to take them the photo. After taking the photo, Chris Tarrant turned to Mr. Seed and said: "Mr. Seed you look popular, I want a photo with you." Mr. Seed had not option than to give a friend the camera to take the photo. Unfortunately Mr. Seed forgot to tell Chris Tarrant - "I want to be a millionaire".

US: 2 million dead people ‘voted’ in 2007 poll

A US official revisited the controversial 2007 presidential election when she said her country was aware two million dead voters were not weeded from the electoral register as pressure on reforms mounted. US Undersecretary for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero said America is aware that there were over two million dead voters whose names remained in the register and ‘voted’ in 2007. "We are aware that over two million dead people voted in 2007, so we will support the process of compiling a new voter register. At a time the whole world is watching Kenya, we want to be there with our support," Ms Otero said. She spoke on Thursday during a meeting with Prime Minister Raila Odinga in Nairobi where she affirmed the US pledge to fund the reform agenda, including new voter registration by the Interim Independent Electoral Commission. Otero, who was accompanied by US Ambassador Michael Ranneberger, said America will support the IIEC with the ambassador saying they are putting together "a couple of millions of dollars" for IIEC. - The Standard.

Body found buried under newly-laid concrete believed to be missing £19.3million lottery winner
 

A body found buried in fresh concrete at a home in Florida may be that of missing lottery winner Abraham Shakespeare. The 43-year-old has been missing since April last year, after becoming embroiled in a bitter legal battle over the £19.3million jackpot. Today, police made the discovery after a tip-off, which suggested officers would find human remains near a home in Plant City where new concrete had been laid. Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee said the body was slowly being uncovered. Shakespearian tragedy: Lottery jackpot Abraham Shakespeare, who has disappeared. Police believe a body found buried under newly-laid concrete at a Florida home may be him. He added their investigation and information specifically led them to the area after they began to believe Shakespeare might be dead because of ‘sinister means and motives’. Gee said: ‘Our indications were it would be there.’ On Wednesday, the newly finished concrete slabs were scanned and removed. Yesterday, they discovered the remains – which officers claim appeared to have been there for a while - buried five feet below underground. Shakespeare, a 43-year-old truck driver, won a $31 million Florida lottery prize in 2006. A year later, he won a court challenge from a fellow trucker who accused Shakespeare of snatching the winning ticket out of his wallet while the two were delivering meat to Miami restaurants.

Shakespeare's family reported him missing in November 2009, telling the Polk County sheriff's office they hadn't seen him since April. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said when their investigation began, they had hoped to find Shakespeare alive ‘and he truly had just wanted to hide from those who were asking him for money’. He added: ‘As our investigation continued, the information we developed led us to believe he may very well have ended up with an untimely death.’ Both Judd and Gee said they would not comment on whether anything else was found inside the manmade grave, or whether a previous person of interest was connected to the area.  The home, according to a local TV station, belongs to the boyfriend of a person of interest in the disappearance of Shakespeare. While they await identification of the remains, police said they would begin to shift their focus to a murder investigation. ‘It's painfully obvious he didn't get there by himself,’ Judd added. Gee said police from Polk and Hillsborough Counties were already working with prosecutors on the case and hope to bring to justice the person responsible for what they believe is clearly cold-blooded murder. ‘Somebody put that body in that hole,’ Gee said. ‘This isn't by any means just where we find someone on the side of the road. Somebody has obviously put him there.’

Serena seals fifth Aussie title

World number one Serena Williams beats Justine Henin in three sets to win her fifth Australian Open title. Serena Williams claimed her fifth Australian Open crown and ended Justine Henin's hopes of a comeback title with a three-set win in Saturday's final. Henin hoped to cap her first Grand Slam since ending an 18-month retirement with a fairytale win, but Williams was too strong in the final set. The American, 28, won 6-4 3-6 6-2 in two hours and seven minutes. Williams has now won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, moving her level with Billie-Jean King in the all-time list. It was the world number one's magnificent serve that gave her the edge, regularly digging her out of trouble as she saved 11 of 16 points during the match. And despite having had her right thigh and left knee heavily taped as it had been for much of the tournament, Williams was the stronger in the closing stages as a first Grand Slam tournament in two years finally appeared to take its toll on Henin.

Bird-brained

More than £40,000 of taxpayers' cash was spent on a study aimed at stopping hawks killing PIGEONS. Scottish Government ministers stumped up dosh to back the four-month probe into sparrowhawk attacks on racing doos. The Scottish Homing Union - which represents 3,500 members with more than quarter of a million pigeons - claims their flocks are being devastated by predators. But the lengthy investigation by Stirling University scientists last year into hawks' raids on fanciers' lofts provided NO conclusion. Last night Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, accused ministers of "throwing cash away" on the study. He said: "It's gobsmacking that so much money has been spent on this. "It's bird-brained at best. The fact the study didn't even produce any useful results or solutions just makes it even worse." Independent MSP Margo Macdonald also believes the investigation - which used live birds as bait - was a waste of public money. She said: "Words fail me." The Scottish Government contributed £24,000 to the study, publicly-funded body Scottish Natural Heritage gave £24,300, and the Scottish Homing Union £3,000.

KPLC signs a 300 megawatts deal of wind power‏

On Friday 29th January, 2010  KPLC have signed a deal with Lake Turkana Wind Power Consortium after the successful conclusion on negotiations on a 20 year power purchase agreement (PPA0The signing ceremony took place at Serena hotel. The deal costs Euro 465 Million which will be at Loiyangalani, Marsabit District in a remote part on northern Kenya. Aditional costs include a 465 km power transmission line from the site to Suswa at a cost of 140 million Euros and 27 million Euros for the substations. This is the biggest single Foreign Direct Investment by a private entity in Kenya ever.  Above Mr Henk Hutting MD Lake Turkana Wind Power and Eng Njoroge MD KPLC.

Anti-pirate attack guidelines being ignored, UN says

The majority of ships being hijacked off the coast of Somalia are ignoring safety advice, UN piracy experts say.  Carl Salicath, chairman of the UN group on piracy, told the BBC up to 25% of vessels passing through the Gulf of Aden are ignoring the UN's guidelines. "Commercial ships following these practices are, with a very few exceptions, not hijacked," he said. "They are designed, even if pirates become technically more sophisticated... to prevent hijacking." The waters around Somalia are among the most dangerous in the world, despite patrols from the naval forces of the US, Nato and the European Union. Mr Salicath said piracy experts meeting at the UN headquarters on Thursday were told ships were ignoring some simple advice. He told the BBC's Network Africa programme this included:

• Sailing as fast as possible

• Using barbed wire where pirates could possibly board

• Staying in contact with the international maritime forces

• Sailing at recommended times

The piracy experts also heard that piracy has continued to expand further out to sea, at times more than 1,000 nautical miles from Somalia's coast. Captain Paul Chivers, chief of staff of the EU naval forces, said "the number of attacks has gone up considerably in the Somali basin, the number of successful attacks has gone down". "It would be dangerous to assume we have overcome the threat," AP news agency quotes him as saying. War-torn Somalia has had no functioning government since 1991, allowing pirates to operate along the lawless coast, almost with impunity. Mr Salicath said the contact group had agreed to set up a trust fund to help establish a Somali coast guard and to support the judiciary in countries where captured pirates are being prosecuted.

38 aliens arrested in Mwingi

Nairobi, Saturday 30th January, 2010 - Police in Mwingi District have arrested 38 Somali nationals who were traveling to Nairobi without valid documents. The foreigners who were traveling in several taxis were arrested at a police barrier along Mwingi-Garissa road on their way to Nairobi. The area OCPD Kenneth Kimani confirmed the incident saying that upon interrogation police discovered that the aliens were Somali refugees and had not registered with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Kimani said those arrested were 31 adults and 17 children. The police boss further warned that the government action will be taken on those assisting illegal immigrants to gain entry into the country. More than 1,200 people have been rounded up in a countrywide swoop on illegal immigrants' dens.

A young Kenyan man has passed away in Maryland, USA. Mr. King Wilson Mungai, 25 years old of La plata Maryland, U.S.A died in a road accident which occurred on Friday, January 22, 2010. According his best friend James Mwangi of Alabama, who has received a police report on the accident, King was making a left turn when a truck coming from another direction crashed on his car. He was taken to the hospital in a coma and never recovered. He died later as the doctors tried to revive him. King came to the US in 2002 and lived in North Carolina until 2006 when he moved to Maryland. He was husband to Joyce Wilson-Mungai of La Plata, MD, beloved first and only son of Rev. Pastor Samuel Mungai & Rose Bella Mungai of Naivasha in Kenya. Brother to Sharon Mungai & Purity Wanjiku, Uncle to Beatrice Lewa, all of Kenya. Memorial Service will be held from 5-7pm (With service beginning at 7pm) at: Thornton Funeral Home Chapel, 3439 Livingston Road Indian Head, Maryland 20640 Rev. Lowell H. Hancock, Officiating on Tuesday, 2/2/2010. The family needs prayers and financial assistance. Contributions may be deposited to Name: Joyce Wilson Mungai/ King Wilson Mungai, Bank: B B & T, Account #: 0005156120539 and Routing #: 055003308. For those Kenyans who would like to make donations, monetary contributions may be sent to: -Dorcas Marekia: 404-944-5017 dmarekia@yahoo.com Georgia, -Lillian Njoroge (Iddie): 832-455-9639 \n Linjoro-05@yahoo.com - Texas, -Timona: 612-217-3115 \n Dtimona@gmail.com - Minnesota - Michael Wanjogo: 616-589-3057 \n mwanjogo@yahoo.com  -  Michigan - James Mwangi: 205-916-0009 \n mwangiwagura@gmail.com  -  Alabama or Purity Wanjiku Mungai 254-721-558-167 Kenya. Details for the funeral will be communicated later, for further information please contact: James Mwangi 205-916-0009 or Dorcas Marekia 404-944-5017. - Source: Diasporamessenger.

The late King Wilson Mungai

Pictured: Three cheetahs spare tiny antelope's life... and play with him instead

Hello little antelope, would you like to play with us?  Coming from three deadly cheetahs, it's the kind of invitation that's best refused - but amazingly, this impala escaped unscathed from its encounter. Luckily for the youngster, it seems these three male cheetahs simply weren't hungry. That's because unlike other big cats, the cheetah hunts in the daytime, either in the early morning or late afternoon. The bursts of speed needed to catch their prey tire them out - meaning they need to rest after a kill. And that seems to be the secret to the antelope's survival, as it's likely it fell into the cheetahs' clutches when they were already full - and tired out - from an earlier hunt. Photographer Michel Denis-Huot, who captured these amazing pictures on safari in Kenya's Masai Mara in October last year, said he was astounded by what he saw.

TOP LEFT: No claws for alarm: Astonishingly, these cheetahs, whose instinct is to hunt for food, decide to play with this baby impala - TOP RIGHT: Sticking your neck out: Oblivious to the danger, the impala appears to return the affection to the cheetahs
 

ABOVE LEFT: New found friends: The new-found friends part with a farewell lick - ABOVE RIGHT: Sprint finish: Impala is off the menu as the youngster makes its exit

'These three brothers have been living together since they left their mother at about 18 months old,' he said. 'On the morning we saw them, they seemed not to be hungry, walking quickly but stopping sometimes to play together.  'At one point, they met a group of impala who ran away. But one youngster was not quick enough and the brothers caught it easily.' These extraordinary scenes followed, as the cheetahs played with the young impala the way a domestic cat might play with a ball of string. 'They knocked it down, but then they lost interest,' said Michel. 'For more than 15 minutes, they remained with the young antelope without doing anything other than licking it or putting their paws on the impala's head.' Even more extraordinarily, this story has a happy ending - after one tense moment when it looked as though one cheetah would bite the impala on the neck, the youngster ran away. Let's hope it didn't tell all its friends how nice those big, scarylooking cheetahs really are when you get to know them.

Prison Officer Jailed Over Inmate Affair

A prison officer has been jailed over an affair she had with an inmate awaiting trial for arranging an acid attack on his ex-girlfriend. Lisa Harris was sentenced to 21 months behind bars after pleading guilty to three counts of misconduct in a public office. The 28-year-old had a fling with "notorious" inmate Daniel Lynch while working at Pentonville prison in north London. He was later convicted over a plot in which sulphuric acid was thrown over his ex-girlfriend by another man. Lynch was also found guilty of raping aspiring TV presenter Katie Piper, who featured in a documentary about the acid incident. He is now serving a life sentence for the crimes. Harris, of Romford in Essex, smuggled two mobile phones into the prison for Lynch. She made 210 calls and text messages to the inmate between January 31 and February 27 last year. The prison officer claimed Lynch intimidated her into doing what he wanted - but Judge Aidan Marron QC rejected her argument. "You were a prison officer and as such you occupied a position of real responsibility in the proper supervision of prisoners," he said. "Against all the rules you began an intimate relationship with a notorious prisoner who was at the time on remand awaiting trial for raping a girl and arranging an acid attack upon her. "You knew he was in possession of a mobile phone which could have been used for a variety of criminal purposes.  "You not only failed to report that but engaged in hundreds of calls with him." Blackfriars Crown Court heard one of the text messages read: "I know and do care about you too despite what you may think."

Kenyan MPs have agreed to scrap the position of prime minister in a draft constitution being drawn up as part of a power-sharing deal. The role was created following post-election riots in 2007 to allow coalition partners to share power. But analysts say the hybrid system - with a president and prime minister at the helm - has proved unwieldy. Instead a parliamentary committee has opted for parliamentary checks on the president and to devolve government. Following Kenya's general elections in December 2007 there were bloody riots across Kenya between supporters of President Mwai Kibaki and his rival, the current Prime Minister Raila Odinga. The violence left 1,300 people dead and 300,000 homeless. As part of of a power-sharing deal they signed to end the riots, the pair agreed to come up with a new constitution. The latest process to come up with a draft was concluded by a parliamentary committee representing all political parties after two weeks of talks in a retreat outside the capital, Nairobi."We had to work towards a consensus and we did that, and we are confident that we have really crossed the largest hurdles so far," said Mohamed Abdi Kadir, the chairman of the parliamentary committee. The draft constitution will be submitted to parliament for debate before being put to a national referendum. The BBC's Peter Greste, in Nairobi, says Kenya has been bruised by a series of imperial presidents, which is why the new constitution creates parliamentary checks to the president's authority. The draft document also recommends:

• Power be devolved to a senate and a network of local counties

• The president should no longer be able to appoint judges

• MPs appointed to a cabinet position would have to give up their parliamentary seat. There is still a long way to go before the draft becomes law, but Mr Kadir believes it is a major step forward. "We think we have really crossed a major threshold," he said.

Finally, brethren, Wainaina weds in Kenya

A colourful wedding took place on Saturday 19th December, 2009 in Kenya between Mr. Samuel Wainaina Njogu and Miss Caroline Wanjiku at Brook Hill School Riara Ridge, Kenya. A reception followed thereafter at the same venue. The ceremony was conducted by Pastor Julius Kamau of Community Church in Kanyariri. The bridegroom Mr. Wainaina is a resident in London while the bride lives in Kenya. Several Kenyans living in UK attended the ceremony while the bestman and bestmaid were Mr. & Mrs. Kamau Kahara of CCBC Swahili Service, London. Both the wedding and reception took place in a garden. You can congratulate the couples through samuelnjoguu@yahoo.co.uk or on 07946379081. - CLICK HERE ALL THE PHOTOS

KIKUYU AGE GROUPS

1888 - Rika rîa Ûhere - Skin disease.

How to Have A Super Strong Immune System

It can be said that everyone needs about forty different nutrients each day to stay healthy.  This is scientific fact.  What can't be said is that we all need the same amount of these nutrients, and we all differ greatly in our ability to absorb them due to genetic background, current health problems, etc.  This needs to be assessed on an individual basis, taking account of one's personal biochemistry.  What most people do not realise is how difficult it is to obtain these vitally important factors, which amplify our immune systems in a positive manner, from foodstuffs we consume on a daily basis. - MORE

It cost $2bn, has two courses, a 290 room-with-a-view luxury hotel, a marina and a racing museum... Welcome to Dubai's brand new Meydan racecourse which stages its first meeting on Thursday and on right The gulf state has struggled to pay the bills for its boom time excess but its ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is a long-time racing enthusiast and is in no mood to cut costs.

Kenyans abroad want to elect MP

Kenyans in the diaspora are demanding an opportunity to elect a representative to Parliament. They have consequently asked the Committee of Experts to include a clause in the harmonised draft constitution allowing for the creation of an “Abroad Constituency”. Speaking on behalf of the Kenyan Community Abroad, Mr John Maina, said it was impractical to ask those in the diaspora to travel to their rural areas to vote. “It is physically impossible to have more than a million people to travel to Kenya once every five years to vote,” said Mr Maina.  “If we contribute so much to our gross domestic product, and we keep Kenya going when donors are pulling out, we certainly need to be represented in the August House.” According to Central Bank of Kenya statistics, Kenyans in the diaspora channelled close to Sh47 billion back home in 2008 alone, while between January and March, last year, they sent close to Sh12 billion. Mr Maina said several countries had implemented the idea, including Britain, India and Nigeria. – Daily Nation.

India Republic Day Parade

A float carrying a tableau from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs is displayed. RIGHT: An Indian policeman performs a stunt.

Gap between poor-rich widening

The urban poor are fast being pushed from accessing basic services. A draft report by the government shows that the gap between the rich and poor urban residents is widening at an alarming rate. The inequality is widespread in the provision of essential services like water, electricity, sewer systems and good roads in residential areas. In the poor neighbourhoods, taps run dry for many days, coupled with power outages and dusty roads. The reverse is true in affluent residential zones. The inequality is rife in the major urban centres such as Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Nakuru. This is the gist of the account by the officials who have been mandated to write on the state of the country’s towns ahead of the World Urbanisation Forum in Brazil. The researchers from the ministries of Housing and Local Government were on Thursday putting the final touches to their report as the global meeting in Rio de Janeiro in March draws near. The conference under the aegis of the UN Habitat comes at a time when the nation’s urban areas are further tested by a population growing at an unparalleled rate, with poverty and proliferation of slums taking their toll. – Daily Nation.

Three former State officials charged with corruption

Businessman Joshua Kulei has been charged with obtaining a total of Sh17.9 million from East African Gas Ltd by false pretences. Mr Kulei and Ashar Ltd are alleged to have jointly obtained Sh12 million from the gas company on May 19, 1999 by falsely pretending Ashar had rendered engineering and foundation laying services on its behalf. He faces an additional count together with Sian Ltd, where they allegedly obtained Sh5,999,890 on June 17, 1999, from the same company by falsely pretending that Sian Ltd had paid land rent, rates and assessment fees on behalf of Gas Company Ltd. And Former Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) MD Ezekiel Komen is charged with breach of trust. It is alleged that between May 18, 1999 and June 9, 2003 in Nairobi, being KPC MD and signatory to the bank account of East African Gas Company Ltd breached trust affecting the public by irregularly authorising payments out of the bank account of the said gas company occasioning misappropriation of the equity of Sh65.2 million contributed to the said company by KPC.  – The Standard.

A woman was arrested at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport as she allegedly collected a consignment of heroin packaged as leather jackets. The suspect, Scola Namunyu Mwangi, 40, a businesswoman had arrived at the airport to collect the consignment that originated from Tehran, Iran, when anti-narcotics detectives arrested her. Police and intelligence officials said the 45 jackets that contained the drug were part of a bigger consignment of the narcotics that was to pass through Kenya to other parts of Europe, whose value they estimated to be Sh80 million. The powder was dried up and sewed on the jackets as an in coat to avoid detection and were to be removed on arrival in Nairobi and sent to Europe, police said. "Kenya is a transit point. We know they were testing waters before they could bring in more, but our officers intercepted them," said airport CID boss Joseph Ngisa. Anti-narcotics officers were yet to remove the sewed drugs, weigh and test them by on Wednesday. Two other people who cleared the consignment have been questioned and released as investigation continues.  Police said they were looking for another woman identified as Mama Lela, whom they argued was the owner of the intercepted haul. The package was sent from Tehran last week and it arrived on Friday aboard a Qatari Airways flight.  But Scola, who sells clothes, arrived on Tuesday to claim the package after it was cleared by her agents. A team of detectives was on Wednesday sent to search her house. Mr Ngisa said her passport showed she is a frequent traveller to Europe and West African countries.  The woman refused to have her picture taken and hid under a table. Officials in Tehran have also been contacted to establish the source of the drug. Cases of drug trafficking have declined at JKIA. On Wednesday, Ngisa said the latest seizure was achieved out of extra vigilance and employment of intelligence-led tactics. - Daily Nation.

Maina wa Njenga's wife burial on Saturday 23rd January 2010

ABOVE: The ceremony took place at Kitengela, Kenya and was conducted by  Bishop Wanjiru with several dignitaries attending among them Hon. Muite and Hon. Waitutu. BELOW: Over 25,000 youths attended the burial and a convoy of over 1000 matatus ever seen at Kitengela town is the fastest growing town in East and Central Africa.

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• Send Goods to Kenya on weekly basis for great rates.

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CUSTOM HOMES HOLDINGS LIMITED

200 Plots (1 acre each) for sale in Ruai - Embakasi

One (1) Acres @ KShs. 950,000 until 15th November. Price increase to KShs. 1.4 million from 16thNovember, 2009 with 10% discount

Plots and houses with approved plan for sale in Ruai - Embakasi, Kenya.

The construction is controlled with Runda type of construction in mind.

Features: The land  is ideally located in a hub of economic activity, just 11 km from Jomo Kenyatta Airport and close to the new site of Wilson Airport and the new highway - the Eastern Bypass.  (15 minutes drive from airport through new Eastern Bypass).  

The Estate will benefit from social amenities which include:

• 3 commercial centres (Malls)

• Anglican University

• Hotel

• Hospital

• Primary school

• Police post,

• Own power station - enabling piped gas and electricity (Western Style).

• Communal park.  

The land consists of 1,600 acres but only 200 (one acre) plots are being sold.  The remainder is being developed by a UK developer for a CITY within CITY town. Nairobi Metropolitan City has been extended to Machakos and that means the land will be in the city centre in a few years time.

To reserve your plot, a deposit of KShs. 100,000 is payable with balance to be completed within 6 months. Conveyance fee is KShs. 20,000 to be paid at the offices of Nyiha, Mukoma & Co. Advocates while presenting your receipt.

To safeguard the interest of the Kenyans in the Diaspora and to avoid the land scandals, a reportable lawyer, Nyiha, Mukoma & Co. Advocates have been appointed.

IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF OUR LAWYER - NYIHA, MUKOMA & CO. ADVOCATES TO SEE THAT EVERYONE GETS HIS OR HER TITLE DEEDS AFTER COMPLETING THE PAYMENTS:

WHERE TO PAY -  KENYA, UK OR USA

GBP ACCOUNT DETAILS - THOSE IN UK

Intermediary Bank Name: CITIBANK N.A,

CITIBANK HOUSE, 336 STRAND, LONDON, WC2R 1HB - ENGLAND.             

Swift:                                      CITIGB2L

Sort Code:                             18-50-08

GBP A/C No:                         10280984

Account with Institution:  Chase Bank (K) Ltd.

P.O Box 28987, Nairobi

                                                WABERA STREET.

A/C WITH INSTITUTION SWIFT CODE:            CKENKENA

Beneficiary Name:                               Nyiha Mukoma and Co Advocates   

Beneficiary Account:                          3384055               

US DOLLARS ACCOUNT DETAILS - THOSE IN THE USA

INTERMEDIARY BANK:   CITIBANK N.A,

                                                111 WALL STREET 19TH FLOOR ZONE 1,

                                                NEW YORK, NY 10043.                          

SWIFT:                                                   CITIUS33

ABA No:                                                 021000089

USD A/C NO:                                        36157333

ACCOUNT WITH INSTITUTION:        CHASE BANK (K) LTD.

A/C WITH INSTITUTION SWIFT CODE:            CKENKENA

BENEFICIARY NAME:             Nyiha Mukoma and Co Advocates   

BENEFICIARY ACCOUNT:    3384039               

For Kenya Shillings Deposits - THOSE IN KENYA

                                                                Chase Bank

Swift Code:              

Bank & Branch Code          :               030

Branch                                    :               001

Branch Name                        :               City Square

Account Name                      :               Nyiha, Mukoma & Company Advocates

A/c  Number                           :               0003384004

WHERE TO TAKE YOUR RECEIPT AND SELECTING YOUR PLOT:

Nyiha, Mukoma & Co. Advocates, 3rd Floor, Old Mutual Building, Kimathi Street

P.O Box 28491 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya, Tel: +254-020-249247/8

Fax: +254-020-249373, email: jnyiha@nyihamukoma.com

VIEWING THE LAND:

There is a free transport to view the land on TUESDAYS, THURSDAY AND SATURDAYS

To book an appointment to view the land contact 0722720436.

UK CONTACTS

Maggy Thuku - 07536497907 - email thukumeg@yahoo.co.uk

or

Mr. Seed on 07951220695 - email - misterseed@hotmail.co.uk

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IKO NINI BWANA SEED ARCHIVE