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MARCH 2003 - PART ONE

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Hon. Raila Odinga at a Press Conference in London

Hon. Raila Odinga, Minister for Roads, Public Works and Housing held a Press Conference at Hotel Crown Plaza in Central London on Friday 28th March, 2003. The press conference which was attended by different media groups and publishers was intended to highlight the current position of the Kenyan politics and the direction of the Narc government. During the conference Hon. Raila answered questions posed to him by various journalists. The minister proved to be quite smart when answering the questions especially some of the sensitive and tricky questions. The minister started by informing the group that he was in the UK through the invitation of the British Government. He explained that the Narc government is trying to create a new image for Kenya in order to attract local and foreign investors. Hon. Raila was asked why he has kept on changing parties before and whether he intends to change the party in future? The minister replied that he has a lot in common with old British Prime Minister, Churchill. "Churchill kept on changing parties and there is nothing wrong with changing parties" the minister explained.

Hon. Raila explained impressively about the $40,000 car allowance given to the MPs in Kenya. He explained that the scheme is saving the government a lot of money than the system before. The system before the MPs were claiming mileage and other allowances whereby the MPs who comes from far corners of Kenya wound claimed a lot while Nairobi MPs like him had nothing to claim. The system made some MPs to claim a lot of money with some of them having to use planes to their constituency. With the new system in place every MP has to handle his allowance carefully. Again all the MPs will open offices in their constituency to avoid a lot of travelling. The total cost of the news system means a lot of savings the MP explained.

After the press conference Hon. Raila was interviewed by BBC World Service. The minister and his group leaves for Nairobi on Saturday 29th March, 2003 at 5.00 p.m. with Kenya Airways.

"We are very united as a Narc party, contrary to the press reports" - Hon. Raila Odinga, London.

"Narc government is not like a Kanu government - in Narc government ministers has a free hand to execute their duties with consultation to the president" - Hon. Raila Odinga, London.

"I did not struggle all this for me to become a Prime Minister, as I had said before elections, it is better for me to be a sweeper in Narc government than to be a minister in the corrupt, and tribal Kanu government"

- Hon. Raila Odinga, London.

Hon. Raila Odinga taking question notes at the press conference

Hon. Odinga express a point at the conference

"I encourage Kenyans abroad to invest wisely whenever they are and to remember to send back to Kenya some of your money. Be like Jews who have their country in heart" - Hon. Raila Odinga, London.

Pressmen at hand: From  right is Mr. Paul Redfern Daily Nation Reporter in London, Gakuru Macharia Eastern Africa magazine, and on left is Joseph Ngugi of KLN, Rebacca Karanja Narc UK/BBC Russian Service and Gitau wa Njenga  - Investigative Journalist in London.	From left is Mr. Ruhiu of Narc UK, Mr. Dick Oneko and Mr. Fred Oula former Director of St. Georges Housing Association, Fulham, London
Rebecca Karanja (left) of BBC Russia Service and Gitau wa Njenga had some information to gather from Hon. Odinga	The editor of KLN Mr. Joseph Ngugi (centre) asking Hon. Raila Odinga a question at the press conference as Mr. Julian Lawrie (far left)  of Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London

"The Mombasa, Nairobi, Busia Motorway is in the advance stages and the tenders should be out in June this year." - Hon. Raila Odinga, London.

Mr. Seed (second left) having a word with Hon. Raila Odinga - "when you arrive in Nairobi have a look at www.misterseed.com" Mr. Seed seems to be telling Hon. Odinga

Macharia Gakuru of Eastern Times magazine having a word with Hon. Raila Odinga

"I have a vision for a new highway in the near future - Kitale, Lokichogio to Joba, Sudan - to open new markets in Sudan area" - Hon. Raila Odinga, London.

The Kenyan delegation to UK. From left is Mrs. Wanyonyi - the director of housing, Hon. Raila Odinga minister of Housing and Public Works and Mr. Mondoh the Permanent Secretary in the ministry

A word with Dick Oneko.  Hon. Raila Odinga having a word with Dick Oneko.

"Narc government is very clear about the Iraq issue, we support the United Nations - that is our stand." - Hon. Raila Odinga, London.

Sir Henry Otiende (left) having some discussions with Hon. Raila

Mr. Gordon Osodo (left) also posed with the minister

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Is hydrogen the fuel of the future?

Hydrogen is the new buzz word as oil companies and car makers back the view that it will be the successor to oil in the coming decades. The drive towards a hydrogen future was given a real boost when President George Bush unveiled a development plan, worth $1.7bn, in his State of the Union address, to help the US lead the world in developing clean hydrogen-powered automobiles. Now just weeks after that commitment comes a significant partnership between General Motors (GM) and Shell to provide a taste of the future. GM says it will provide a fleet of six fuel-cell Zafira mini vans at $1m each for people to test drive while Shell will install hydrogen pumps at one of its Washington gas stations. The companies say they expect about 10,000 people to ride in the vehicles over the next two years. Shell Hydrogen chief executive Donald Huberts said his company wants to demonstrate the practical and everyday use of hydrogen fuel.

Within reach

Experimental fleets of hydrogen cars built by Toyota and Honda have been operating in California since last year, but the GM/Shell partnership is seen as pivotal because it is an oil company and an auto maker joining forces. Of course the fact that the price of a barrel of crude has touched 12-year highs in recent weeks, coupled with the war in Iraq provides further urgency to finding alternative fuel sources.  In hydrogen vehicles, an electric motor powers the wheels. A chemical reaction inside a unit called a fuel cell - usually between hydrogen and oxygen - creates electricity for the motor. The only emission is water vapour. Some believe with the right commitment and investment, hydrogen cars could be ubiquitous in as little as 10 years.

Independence

Peter Schwartz of the Global Business Network charts trends and shifts in the worlds of energy, business, technology and government. In an article for Wired magazine, he has devised a five-point-plan to build the hydrogen economy so that people can continue their love affair with the car. Mr Schwartz told BBC Online an investment of $100bn could shift the balance of power from foreign oil producers to US energy consumers within a decade. By 2013 a third of all new cars sold could be hydrogen-powered, 15% of the national gas stations could pump hydrogen, and the US could get more than half its energy from domestic sources, he said. The race is on to bring the first fuel cell vehicle to market - at the National Hydrogen Conference in Washington GM declared that it is poised to become the first automaker to sell a million fuel cell vehicles in the next decade. "We will remain competitive only by providing the technology that customers expect and deserve - today and tomorrow," said Rick Wagoner, GM president and chief executive. Research on fuel cells is being taken so seriously at GM that more than 500 scientists and engineers on three continents are working on this new technology. "The benefit and flexibility of this technology is so powerful that it will literally open up hundreds of new markets around the globe," said Larry Burns, GM vice-president of research and development. To date DaimlerChrysler, Ford and GM have spent roughly $2bn developing fuel cell cars, trucks and buses with the first products due to hit the market this year. Ford Chairman William Clay Ford Jr has proclaimed that fuel cells will finally end the 100-year reign of the internal combustion engine.

Financial sense

For the customer, cost is king. Chris Birroni-Bird, one of GM's leading fuel cell experts, said the gas-powered engine on a $20,000 vehicle costs about $3,000. A hydrogen fuel-cell engine on the same automobile would cost $30,000. But Jeff Serfass, president of the National Hydrogen Association, said you must include the cost of fuel in the comparison. "You have to compare the cost of hydrogen combined with the efficiency of the fuel cell, which is about twice as efficient as today's engine, to give you a competitive cost per mile," he said. Futurist Peter Schwartz says the genie is now out of the bottle and the need for hydrogen to replace oil cannot be ignored any longer. Scientists estimate that the days of cheap oil will end anywhere between 2007 to 2040. The stakes are high and energy independence bears directly on US self-determination. The turmoil in the Middle East, the growing national security budget, the promise of technology that needs only a financial push, appear to make this the right moment to launch an Apollo-scale commitment to hydrogen power.

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Mobiles to monitor children

Alerts will be sent to parents if there is a problem

Parents can contact children to see where they are

Parents could soon keep a much closer eye on what children are up on their way to and from school thanks to a mobile monitoring system. Guardian Angel is a product which allows parents to map out the exact route a child takes to school.  It will send text alerts to their mobile phone if the child deviates too far from that route or takes too long getting there. Made by French mobile firm Alcatel, the system takes advantage of the existing mobile phone network to locate a child's whereabouts rather than using global positioning systems like some location-based services. Parents need simply follow the usual route a child takes to and from school and at three-minute intervals press a button to map out the route. An average one mile walk will have around 10 checkpoints but the parent can have fewer if they wish. They also need to programme in the time, within a 15 minute parameter, that the child should be at that point. Text alerts can be sent if the child fails to arrive at the agreed time or if she or he deviates too far from the route.  A message can also be sent to let parents know the child arrived safely at his or her destination. Not teenagers are not happy about the system. "There were negative reactions from kids saying they didn't want to be policed," said Jean-George Demathieu, business development manager at Alcatel. For that reason Guardian Angel is aimed more at the eight to 12-year-old market.

"At that age children still enjoy the idea of being close to their parents," he said. Parents too are divided over the system. Some are keen because of the peace of mind such a safety net would give them. Others do not want to police their children to that extent, said Mr Demathieu. And he admitted that the system is no silver bullet to the constant fear of parents that their children will be kidnapped. It will only work if the phone is switched on and is being carried by the child. There are no privacy worries however because the device is in the hands of a minor who is still under parental control. Certain countries could be more receptive to the idea. Initially, Alcatel is looking to sell the system in Israel, where adults and children live in fear of suicide bombs and other terrorist attacks. There are no commercial trials available yet but Alcatel said that it is talking to leading operators around the globe.

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Heathrow Airport on Thursday

This is the scene at Heathrow Airport terminal four on Thursday 13th March, 2003. The gulf war fever seems to have some effects with travellers. Not many people want to travel at this time. The British Airways to Kenya on Thursday was an evident as a plane of  280 passengers left with only 110 passengers. Among the passengers was an 75-old-old Miriam Wanjiku Kagika who has been visiting his family in London. She is the mother to Duncan K. Kamanu.

The check in desks were empty. It took Mrs. Kagika five minutes to clear

The family of Mrs. Mariam Wanjiku Kagika giving her a final hug to her at Heathrow Airport. From right is Kelvin, little Solomon Kagika (junior) and Mrs. Esther Kamanu.

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Britain's youngest mum

Lone parent ... schoolgirl Amy Crowhurst cuddles son Alfie
This is the first picture of baby Alfie Crowhurst — with his mum aged just THIRTEEN. Schoolgirl Amy Crowhurst, who was 12 when she got pregnant, admitted as she cuddled her son: “Obviously I have regrets. I’m worried about being so young. But at the end of the day I have a beautiful baby and can’t regret that. “As soon as Alfie was born they put him on my chest so I could see him. “I was exhausted but as soon as I held him in my arms I knew it had all been worthwhile.” But Amy, who smokes and has her nose, ears and belly button pierced, did warn other girls: “All I’d say is take more care than I did.” The Sun revealed last November how Amy — herself one of nine children in Bewbush, West Sussex — was set to be one of Britain’s youngest mums after a one-night stand with a 15-year-old. She gave birth at East Surrey Hospital in Redhill nine days ago after saving up her pocket money to buy baby gear. Education chiefs provided a home tutor while Amy was pregnant.  But she now faces having to return to Thomas Bennett secondary school in Tilgate — leaving her divorced mum Rose, 42, to look after the baby. Amy no longer has anything to do with Alfie’s father. She said: “Alfie is better off without him and my baby’s the most important thing. I never had any ambitions for a particular career. “At the moment I’m quite happy to concentrate on being a good mum.” - The Sun, London.

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Saddam's luxury £60 million bunker

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When life becomes meaningless

When she was robbed in Nakuru while on her way to Mwingi, life suddenly turned meaningless for Lucy Kalungu who decided to snuff it out by hanging herself. But Nakuru residents pleaded with her not to commit suicide and she conceded - The Standard, Nairobi.

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World's first double-arm transplant

Surgeons in Austria have performed what is believed to be the world's first double forearm and hand transplant operation.  The procedure was carried out on 41-year-old Franz Jamnig at Innsbruck University Clinic on 19 February. Doctors only revealed details of the operation this week.  Mr Jamnig is recovering well from the 14-hour operation, which involved four surgical teams and 25 experts. Doctors had planned the operation for months, while waiting for a donor.  Mr Jamnig, who comes from Austria's southern Carithia province, lost his forearms in a work accident two and a half years ago.  Speaking from his hospital beds, he told journalists the operation had been a success.

"I am feeling very well. It feels as if these are my own hands," he told AFP. "I'm not asking myself whether these are not somebody else's hands or whether they are beautiful or not. I just hope that they will work." Raimund Magreiter, the head of the surgery department at the clinic, said at the moment Jamnig was suffering from phantom pains in the new limbs but that it was normal.  He said the process of re-educating the limbs began the day after the operation and Mr Jamnig was undergoing three-hour-long physiotherapy sessions daily during which his new fingers were being moved passively.  Doctors have had mixed success with this type of transplant.  In 2001, surgeons in Australia saved the hand of a man left horrifically injured in a train accident by transplanting fingers from his other severed limb. Two years ago, doctors in London amputated the hand of the man, who had undergone the world's first transplant. He had asked for it to be removed, saying he had no feeling and it was like a dead man's hand. There have been reports of a small number of successful hand transplant operations in the United States and elsewhere since 2001.

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Kenyan dot.coms in UK

Progressive Women Group in UK are still flying high in London. The organisation started Kiswahili and African music dance two years ago. The children has really caught up with it. The children can now speak and communicate with Kiswahili properly. Recently they joined Pastor Njega and his family for a memorial service where they presented a Kiswahili song. The team under the chairlady Mr. Caroline Manje and the teach Mr. Charles Muhindi teach the children in the evenings and Saturdays and they seem to be getting somewhere. Contact 02085047939.

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More than three million people in the UK are so addicted to alcohol they cannot get through the day without a drink, research finds.  Figures from the charity Alcohol Concern show that one in 13 adults is dependent on alcohol. This is twice the number of people hooked on drugs, both legal an illegal. Those in the South East are hardest hit by alcoholism, according to the study, with almost half a million people suffering from a drinking problem in the region.

London is not far behind with 393,638 people affected by alcohol addiction. Eric Appleby, Alcohol Concern chief executive, said: "The fact that over three million people can't get through the day without getting a fix of alcohol should surely worry all concerned." Alcohol misuse is associated with a high rate of mental health problems. A third people who are receiving help after being diagnosed as psychotic also suffer from alcohol misuse or dependence.  And two out of three suicide attempts are thought to be related to alcohol.  A conference in Manchester on Tuesday will focus on how to deal with alcohol-related mental health problems.  Experts will discuss the need for more resources to tackle the problem of dual diagnosis where people suffer from both mental illness and alcohol problems.  Mr Appleby said: "The bottom line is that some of the most vulnerable people in our society are not receiving the basic levels of support needed to help them get back on their feet.  "For example, there is little prospect of isolated people, living in remote areas, travelling miles to get to their nearest source of help.

"We need to be more imaginative about treatment models, the way they are delivered and who delivers them." Mr Appleby said mental health and alcohol misuse problems are often linked.  "For this reason mental health service planners and commissioners must include alcohol services in their local service plans."  The government is to publish a National Alcohol Strategy in the near future.

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3G mobile phones goes live in the UK

Patricia Hewitt makes first public phone call on 3

The UK's first mainland third generation mobile network is officially opening for business, enabling callers to see each other and send video footage via their phones.  3G has been much-hyped, promising to take mobile phones to a new level with video and data.  But there have been massive delays in rolling out the networks and customers will not be able to get their hands on the phones until later this month, raising concerns over technical glitches and a shortage of handsets. The date, 3 March 2003, is appropriate for the much-anticipated Hutchison 3 network, which is the new kid on the block for mobile services in the UK.

Ministerial phone call

Hutchinson has been taking pre-orders for handsets for several weeks. From today, high street retailers such as Dixons and Carphone Warehouse will also begin to take orders for the 3 phones. Hutchison has been advertising possible uses of its mobiles, including video conferencing and clips from football matches, for several months on TV. It anticipates the service will go live in mid-March. Having raked in billions for the sale of the 3G radio frequencies, the government backs the new technology. Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt made the UK's first public mobile video call over 3's new service to Stephen Timms, the e-Commerce Minister. "Today marks the arrival of 3G services in the UK. As the leading western market, the UK will be the pathfinder for this new technology," said Ms Hewitt. "The possibilities are immense. It has the potential to revolutionise the way we communicate and I am delighted that UK businesses and consumers will be among the first to benefit from it," she added. Italy, which is vying with the UK for rolling out 3G, saw its prime minister make the first Italian 3G call in December. 3 is not technically the first 3G network in the UK as rival mobile firm O2 is already operating its network on the Isle of Man.

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