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16:27
From: My part of the world.......
Read This Entry & More At My part of the world.......
Over the last few months I have heard the following statements from 3 different women; " Aco, why aren't you married??" "Aco, you know what? You should woo me for a few months and then marry me" "Aco, now all that you need is a wife, tihihihihihihihihi" First things first, my life isn't in such a mess that the only person who can straighten me out is a wife, so I dont think that is where they were coming from. I think the statement esp the first one is similar to how a dude meets a hot chic who is single and wonders how that can be, although I dont know how my eligibility was being gauged by the woman in question. The second statement was by an ex, who seems to have not moved on. Needless to say the fact that I feel jack for her and she lives almost 200 miles away made turning her down very very easy. Note to self, never ever go to visit; may be held captive. The last statement was from this chic I met recently as I was searching for an apartment. She has some potential but this mambo of being herded down the aisle isn't happening, anyway since she is in her mid 20s I guess time is ticking away. What happened to the good old days of 2 years of dating and 1 year plus engagements? Do you remember those couples in Kenya who would live together for years and even have kids but were still engaged? On the other hand I do advocate for marriage in such a situation because I shudder to think what goes through the women's mind when after that long "engagement" the dude decides to pick up and move on to the next pretty young thing. I'm putting that chic on my "keep an eye on" list, why oh why can't I meet a woman who tells me; " Aco you look like you haven't had some hot sex in a while, let me give you some hot loving on a periodic basis without any commitment?" A man can dream can't he? Anyway seems I got sidetracked, I was listening to this clip that I got on an African magazine. I do think that the chat was too short for them to get deep into the issues that lead many African men to decide to go back home and get married as opposed to marrying African women here. I do think that the blame for this state of affairs goes both ways; 1. Many African men here want African women who will treat them like the women back home - That would be possible only if all the social factors that you had back home were reproduced but that isn't the case. Gender roles are different here in the West and in many cases even swapped. You can't bring someone to a totally new environment and expect them to remain the same, mores and norms change with location. So if some African men aren't willing to change, no wonder they shall always butt heads with many African women out here. 2. African Women Change Too Fast For Their Good - This isn't a blanket statement as many African women still keep loyal to their respective cultures. But much like many men, the lure and glitz of Americanization is too hard to resist and in the quest to fit in many African women throw the baby out with the bath water. Women out here on the surface appear very proud and fulfilled by their independence, and since many African countries are patriarchal; it is only natural that that independence would appeal to African women. So what they do is do away with their traditions and social roles and adopt all that they see as American, be it accents, gestures, thought patterns, norms without giving them any further thought or the consequences. If "independence" is such a wonderful thing, why is it that America has the highest divorce rate in the world and an equally high rate of depression to go with it? It could be argued that African men just want women that they can "step on" hence the rush for women from back home, but some research has shown me that even American men who like foreign women are advised to marry and settle with them in their native countries and not America because as soon as they bring the women to the states; their character changes and the relationship develops difficulties and goes down the drain. So I guess the simple solution would be for both parties to find a middle ground. African men should accept the fact that their women shall change and take on new and challenging gender roles which may appear to disempower the men. On the other hand African women need to know that there are some facets of their traditions and culture still worth holding onto, and that all that is Western is good and adjust accordingly. But till that happens I guess the impasse will remain. That reminds me. I only thought it was people in third World countries who jumped on anything Western without thinking. The picture below is some young men from a concert in the UK, Mocha went to recently.  You see the dude in the NY cap? The idiot is wearing receiver gloves, these are worn in American Football usually by running backs and quarterbacks, they are shaped in such a way that makes catching passes easier yada yada yada. Unless he is going to be playing touch football during the concert they are totally unnecessary. I guess the next time a British musician comes here I should go wearing a pair of cricket batting gloves. And yes I know he most probably wore them because they had the Nike logo on them. Anyway I did get a digital camera a month or so back and I do have some wonderful pics lined up for ya'll since it's been quite sometime since I've done a picture post. I do love looking at pictures of places I've never been too and even moreso pictures of home. It's always good in that it helps me keep the connection alive. I'm very visual by nature, so even when I look at pictures of Nairobi more often than not I can identify the place. Sadly that doesn't help me too much over here because thanks to franchises there is a Burger King and Quiktrip on every corner so you have to memorise highway exits and street names. Let me try to find my way home, nice weekend all!
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11:39
From: The Displaced African
Read This Entry & More At The Displaced African
Thanks to Grace Kerongo from Nairobi Star for giving this up and coming blog some exposure, I really appreciate that. The email interview is pasted below. Grace’s questions are in plain text and my responses are in bold.
First up, huge thanks for interviewing me. My first interview ever and I am very excited. Hope it is of interest and benefit to you.
So it it true what they say? That bloggers are constantly on the net?
I sleep and then I am online. I think I am probably a novelty but I spend three quarters of my waking time on line.
1. What do you mostly blog about?
I am still not sure what I blog about. It started out as a general resource guide for Africans in the diaspora but as of just a few hours ago I thought I would tighten my focus and begin writing a resource guide for young Africans living in Australia. So, in short, I am still testing things out to see what fits best.
2. When did you decide to change the flow of your blog to political issues? If not, why stay away from politics?
I try to completely stay away from blogging about political issues for a couple of reasons:
1) I am relatively ignorant: I am not one of those people who is on the daily nation and standard daily and never have been all my life. Therefore I don’t think I can bring much to the discussion, especially when compared to people who are on the ground and knowledgeable like Kumekucha, Kenyan Pundit, What an African Woman Thinks and M of Thinker’s Room.
2) I am not interested in it: I am just not naturally drawn to discussions about politics and political strategies and backstabbing. I much prefer to hear and learn about psychology and how people think and feel react based on underlying psychological triggers.
3) Pretty much anything I had to say had already been said: Log on to Mashada or check out the blogs above and the superficial knowledge and conclusions I came to regarding the political situation had already been expressed and expounded on.
3. Most blogs broke news and ran scoops on news that newspapers did not have till later on. Did you have any scoops on your blog?
No! No scoops from me. I got all my information from newspapers, the blogosphere and my family back in Kenya.
4. Bloggers were accused of being propagandist, for using blogs as hate machine. This was from the onset of Post Election to the current period. Any thoughts?
I think this was not restricted to the blogosphere. Here in Melbourne, Australia there were smses circulated by Kikuyus declaring that an uncircumcised man can never be president and I know What an African woman thinks ([wherehermadnessresides.blogspot.com]) wrote a little bit about that. The blogopshere definitely spread some hate and I avoided any blogs that I felt were spreading hate like a plague. The place where hate was simply unavoidable was Mashada.com and Kumekucha and I fully understand why Kobia had to shut the place down for a while, it all got a bit too much.
5. Blogs were segmented into two, Pro-government and Opposition, which side were you on?
One of the benefits of being ignorant and not participating in the typical political debates is that I can honestly say, neither. As far as I can tell all the big parties in the general election are cut from the same cloth with minor variations between them.
6. Did you receive threats from the readers who visited your blog or anyone else for what you wrote on your blog?
No! I don’t think my blog mattered enough yet. The only abuse I have gotten so far is for writing an article critiquing the African view of Obama as far as politics are concerned.
7. How do you control the comments posted on your blog?
So far there has been no great need, almost everyone has been pretty civil and I have had no need to block out anything other than commercial spam.
8. How is your blog helping the current situation in the country, after the post election crisis?
I think if there is one thing we cannot overlook it is the absolutely beautiful outpouring of love and support that came out of the blogopshere and the Kenyan web community in general. Initiatives such as Ushahidi, that can really help give power to the marginalized and change societies if properly used and operations such as Mama Mikes, Operation Saving Brian, I have no tribe amongst others all came out of this tragedy. In addition to that, a lot of bloggers were willing to step up and talk about things like tribalism, class, wealth disparity and other issues that are really at the core of all this. I have just realized that this wasn’t the question but I think it is worth saying.
I don’t know what my blog’s role will be in the coming months considering how far I am from home, other than to promote any initiatives and people I find doing good work who need to get the word out there.
9. Who are your biggest posters or blog visitors. Are they Kenyan here or those abroad?
Abroad. Interestingly, at present most of my readers are from the States. As I tighten my focus to talk more about Australia and Australian immigration I expect my demographics to change.
10. Did you experience the post election violence in any way?
Not directly, I was 1000s of miles away. My aunty and grandmother are Kikuyu women deep in the heart of the Rift Valley and we were on the phone with them every single day because for a while they could not sleep and there was a very real threat that the neighbouring Kalenjins would kill and displace them.
11. Is there an association of bloggers that looks into the conduct of bloggers that out step the line?
I don’t think so. I think this would take away from the spirit of blogging. Even though a lot of hatred was spewed online during the crisis, I don’t think that censoring blog content is the way to go….my opinion may change, but at the moment, that’s how I feel.
12. Where are you based?
Melbourne Australia and sometimes Sydney Australia.
13. Did your hits increase, immediately after the the election in December?
My blog started up during the post election violence. Some of my first articles were about the violence, so I guess technically the answer is yes.
14. And finally, what are your real names and what do you do…beside blogging?
My name is Mwangi and I blog. When I am not blogging, I sometimes work as a disabled or aged care nurse and have a small business online.
Mwangi, please feel free ask for clarification on any questions you don’t understand.
Cheers!
If you need any more information, don’t hesitate to ask!
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10:36
From: You Missed This
Read This Entry & More At You Missed This
ODM leader and Prime Minister designate has issued a statement supporting the Safaricom IPO with some reservations which he says "will be sorted out later." I hereby reproduce the two statements he has made today. Let me take this early opportunity to say that I HAVE NOT changed my position one inch. I will post a more detailed article later. Am still in shock. STATEMENT BY HON. RAILA ODINGA, PRIME MINISTER-DESIGNATE, ON TODAY’S SAFARICOM OFFERING As you are aware, President Kibaki this morning launched the Safaricom IPO. I want to state that despite our concerns about this offering, we want to encourage ordinary Kenyans to take advantage of this offering. I discussed with President Kibaki in our meeting the contentious issues about this sale that we have raised publicly, and I am hopeful we will be able resolve them. In the meantime, there are hundreds of thousands of ordinary Kenyans who are ready to buy Safaricom shares, and we do not wish to discourage them. We believe the shares are under-priced, and therefore their prices seem likely to rise. But what we have strenuously objected to is that more than one third of these shares have been reserved for “foreign” investors, many of whom will no doubt turn out to be Kenyans with overseas funds. This blue chip company was supported and built by the hard earned money of our taxpayers, and Kenyans should therefore be given the first opportunity to buy as many of them as they wish to. In addition, real efforts should be made to make these purchases more accessible by Kenyans in all the regions and in all walks of life. There is also the continuing issue of the Safaricom shares worth five billion shillings owned by MOBITELEA, the identity of whose owners continue to be kept secret and who acquired the shares in mysterious circumstances and not as a “true investment.” They should not be allowed to unjustly enrich themselves by selling these shares as part of the share offering. It is imperative that authorities “ring fence” Mobitelea’s holdings so that they are not secretly offloaded now. In conclusion, let me encourage as many Kenyans as possible to fully participate in this offering. STATEMENT BY HON. RAILA ODINGA, PRIME MINISTER-DESIGNATE, ON TODAY’S MEETING WITH PRESIDENT KIBAKI As spelled out in the National Accord and Reconciliation Act 2008, President Kibaki and I held our second meeting today to further discuss the formation of a Cabinet. This Act specifies, in Section 4 (3), that “the composition of the coalition government shall at all times reflect the relative parliamentary strength of the respective parties and shall at all times take into account the principle of portfolio balance.” In addition to this provision, we also revisited the issues of the size of the cabinet and the allocation of portfolios to ODM and PNU. But we have been unable to reach a consensus so far. On Cabinet size, PNU continues to prefer 44 ministries. Such a bloated cabinet, I am afraid, is not good for the country. We would like to see a lean cabinet, of no more than 34 ministries, since the President had already appointed 17 ministers. A lean cabinet is necessary not only because we need to contain public expenditure at a time when there is such abject poverty and deprivation among our people, but also because a leaner cabinet can more efficiently deliver on the services and policies that Kenyans need. As discussions continue, we must keep in mind that the public would like to see us eliminate wasteful public expenditures, and a bloated cabinet would portray us as disconnected from the mood of the country and set a bad example for curtailing other wastefulness. . The other key outstanding issue is portfolio balance. On that issue as well, no consensus has been reached, with the other side preferring to retain the most important ministries. This is contrary to the cardinal principle of power sharing that is at the heart of the new arrangements. In signing the Agreement of Principles that was part of the Act, both President Kibaki and I agreed that “we were stepping forward together, as political leaders, to overcome the current crisis and to set the country on a new path. As partners in a new coalition government, we commit ourselves to work together in good faith as true partners, through constant consultations and willingness to compromise.” This is the spirit we must resurrect as we continue our discussions. What The Kroll report says about the Mobitelea ownership
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9:56
From: Kenyanentrepreneur.com
Read This Entry & More At Kenyanentrepreneur.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBNB7JGTl6Q
I was watching this video of the new traffic directive and I don’t quite get it. It looks like Uhuru Kenyatta put this plan in place hapharzadly and it doesn’t look like it’s going to work in the long-term. I don’t know why these ministers and MP’s aren’t able to acknowledge their lack of expertise [...]
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9:39
From: Walk of Kings:
Read This Entry & More At Walk of Kings:
ODB RADIO: Listen Now DownloadREAD: John 3:1-21I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. —John 12:46 According to the apostle John, Nicodemus “came to Jesus by night” (John 3:2). Was this Pharisee skulking under cover of darkness, embarrassed or ashamed that he, as one of the ruling class, was curious about Jesus? Some have suggested that it was just cooler at night. Others have said that evening was a better time to ask Jesus questions because it was quieter and there were fewer distractions. We really don’t know the reason Nicodemus went to Jesus at night, but John seemed determined to make a point of that specific fact. Every time he mentioned Nicodemus, he identified him by saying something like: “You know who I’m talking about—the guy who came to Jesus by night” (see 7:50; 19:39). Nicodemus, no doubt, was quite moral and lived according to Mosaic Law. People probably thought he was a pretty good person. Yet none of that mattered. He was in the dark about who Jesus really was, and he wanted to know the truth. So he was drawn from the darkness into the presence of “the light of the world” (John 8:12). Jesus calls us “out of darkness” too (1 Peter 2:9) and promises that whoever believes in Him will not stay in the dark (John 12:46). — Cindy Hess KasperOur search for truth is hindered byThe darkness of the night,Until the Bright and Morning StarReveals His brilliant light. —Sper Faith in Christ is not a leap into the dark; it’s a step into the Light.
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9:39
From: You Missed This
Read This Entry & More At You Missed This
 Kibaki and Raila: Plastic Smiles? Following a lengthy meeting earlier today at Harambee House between ODM captain Raila Odinga and PNU’s Mwai Kibaki, Raila has been addressing a press briefing at Pentagon House this afternoon in which he, not surprisingly, apportioned blame on the PNU side who he says are insistent on keeping the current portfolios while also unreasonably proposing an increase of the cabinet size to an unprecedented 44 members! Raila said that on its part, the ODM is proposing a cabinet of no more than 34 members with portfolios equally shared between ODM and PNU in accordance with the peace accord signed exactly a month ago in which the parties agreed to share government positions equally. As if this is not enough, the two parties have been driven further apart by the controversial, and massive Kshs. 50b Safaricom IPO which was officially kicked off this morning. Raila’s remarks are an indication that a cabinet is not likely to be named soon and even if it was; it would be without the consent of ODM which is a key partner in the grand coalition government. How long the country can hold without a properly constituted cabinet is another question altogether. Although Kibaki has been quoted as being optimistic that the cabinet stalemate would be resolved soon, observers are casting doubts about this and are now questioning the very feasibility of the grand coalition government in which the parties have strongly disagreed on the formation of the government as well as the hurried Safaricom IPO. Chief Mediator Annan has reportedly told the two leaders that power sharing and naming of an acceptable cabinet is within the mandate of the two leaders, but in reality that responsibility is largely in the hands of Mwai Kibaki. The first casualty of this development is this week's proposed joint tour to clash-ton Rift Valley by Raila Odinga and Mwai Kibaki. While addressing parliament on Tuesday, V-P Kalonzo announced that the two leaders would be visiting IDPs in the Rift Valley in a show of unity and to preach peace. It is unlikely such a tour will take place under prevailing circumstances. The Rift Valley PC had earlier embarked on a largely fruitless effort to convince IDPs that security has been restored and that they should go back home so they can receive free government fertilizer, farming implements and other relief assistance. Going by the recent bold demands (on fertiliser prices, exam council fiasco, Safaricom IPO and cabinet appointments) issued by ODM leaders , it is apparent that the party is slowly but surely resigning to the fact that the grand coalition is unworkable because of PNU’s insistence (read - superiority complex) on retaining key cabinet dockets, impunity and also exhibiting reluctance in sharing public appointments. The ODM is now facing up to the fact that this coalition may fail before it starts. As days go by, it is becoming more and more likely that the much hyped ‘coalition of new possibilities’ will not hold. Not because it was poorly constructed but merely because some egos have refused to let go. One scary possibility is the return to violence and its socio-economic effects. Indeed, a cursory glance around the continent shows that the failure many African peace deals have resulted into even deadlier anarchy and in some instances, secession or splitting of territories or elimination of the leaders of one of the warring factions in order to achieve lasting peace. The threat of violence is further enforced by the National Accord and Reconciliation Act 2008 which is unclear about if there will follow a general election if the coalition is collapses or is dissolved. Section 6 of Act says that ‘The coalition shall stand dissolved if: (a) the Tenth Parliament is dissolved; or (b) the coalition parties agree in writing; or (c) one coalition partner withdraws from the coalition by a resolution of the highest decision-making organ of that party in writing. Because of the unorthodox circumstances by which the PNU grabbed power, ODM has in the past opted for mass action, diplomatic pressure and political propaganda. This was seen by the party as better strategies than the option of challenging PNU in a compromised court or even in parliament where it enjoys a majority. Let the anxiety continue. Waswahili walisema: ngonja ngoja huumiza matumbo.
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7:32
From: You Missed This
Read This Entry & More At You Missed This
Coming so soon after the bungled general elections and the subsequent flare-ups, the Safaricom IPO has since gone political and it follows that it will go tribal – if it hasn’t already. In the end, the Safaricom shareholding register will likely read more like a provincial rather than a national roll call. In a Television poll just yesterday, the question was ‘do you think the Safaricom IPO should be put on hold?” 55% said yes and 45% said no. True a TV poll may not be a true representative of the situation on the ground, but still the split was eerily similar to something we’ve witnessed recently. There are those, maybe not you, but there are those who will disregard the need for transparency and a clean fair market and go ahead to buy the shares based solely on where the leaders backing the IPO were born.
The IPO aside, what is more worrying is a scenario where the mobile telephone services themselves go the blue and orange way. If Kenyan politics are anything to go by, and speaking strictly of the telecommunications industry, hitherto blue political areas could go green. And orange areas could go red in defiance. Kenya has been painted oranges and bananas in the past. After the blue and orange elections fiasco, you can be sure every national debate is likely to take a tribal angle and Safaricom is no exception. Is Kenya now about to be painted green and red? We have a knack for sweeping things under the carpet. There is peace thank God but let’s not kid ourselves - tribal tensions are still simmering under the surface and although they may not manifest in uprooted railways, they may take on a mellower but equally lethal angle. To this end, Michael Joseph might want to book an appointment with one Linus Gitahi for some advice.
Nobody wishes for a repeat of the chaos but if God forbid they return, looting and burning will depend on, among other things, the colour of your kiosk. Quiet Celtel will either benefit from some free marketing or be drawn into Kenyan tribal wars. Or both.
Na bado. That is just one sector.
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3:19
From: Mount Kirima
Read This Entry & More At Mount Kirima
Its been a while since I put up a post on the blog this has been due to a few things I needed to catch up at work and of course the distractions due to the Easter Holidays.
First off I thoroughly enjoyed the Easter Weekend, I initially didn’t have very high expectations or plans and [...]
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1:25
From: Black Looks
Read This Entry & More At Black Looks
Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) report on the political violence experienced by their members on Wednesday 19 March 2008 in Harare.
Another woman testified that she had been abducted from her home in Bulawayo with her 18-month-old grandchild at 4am by Law and Order officers. They threatened to kill her by throwing her and [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "WOZA: "The effects of fighting repression WITH LOVE".", url: "http://www.blacklooks.org/2008/03/woza_the_effects_of_fighting_repression_with_love.html" });
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0:57
From: You Missed This
Read This Entry & More At You Missed This
So called financial experts always want to remain so complicated and they have been busy telling yours truly that he knows nothing about business and finance. Well, what do you expect from insecure folks?
That is okay and I have no problem with it. Although the truth is that I was once editor of a very successful financial and business monthly for over 2 years (but do I say?)
Let me indulge my "ignorance" on complex this-is-not-a-fish-market-stock-market-issues for a minute, if you will allow me.
If you want to be a successful investor the first golden rule is never invest money that you cannot afford to lose. NEVER. And that is precisely why it is not a good idea to take out a loan to buy shares.
Most of the people who are going to invest in Safaricom will completely ignore this golden rule for investors, that is if they have heard it.
Let us be blunt here folks this thing is being driven by greed, the same greed that has brought Kenya to its' knees. If I was president the first item in my agenda would have been how to resettle IDPs, not a huge IPO that puts money into the pockets of my backers. But then this is Kenya.
But my point here is quite simple. Shares prices can go up... and they can also go down. Everybody seems to have forgotten what happened to the Kenya Airways shares when they were first floated to the public some years back. The same greed that I see now was there then. It put people into a lot of trouble with loans that they couldn't pay and yet the share prices could not cover the loans because prices had gone down from Kshs 11 up to kshs 7 at one point.
Now I am aware that Safaricom is an extremely profitable company... for now. But there is nothing to stop those shares slipping in price, especially because everybody seems to want to do the same thing (except the fatcats who have some elaborate scheme that is heavily dependent on the public going crazy over the shares).
Now that many Kenyans have chosen to ignore the moral issues about this share issue and have instead chosen to quote "stock experts" some of whom were once called Nyaga Stock brokers, my advice to them is purely financial; don't spend money you don't have.
P.S. If only people knew who Mobitelea are and the characters who are really pushing the Safaricom IPO, they would throw up, I guarantee. Just to give you a hint some of the characters behind the scenes have been responsible for the collapse of once prosperous public companies, sending thousands of Kenyans to the streets while their own accounts have fattened by double digit million figures. Kweli Kenyans never learn. Keep it Kumekucha and you will gradually get to know a lot of fascinating stuff. Even Kumekucha is scared sometimes to reveal some things.
Read the complete article at
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