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23:42
Two Poems
» Black Looks THE STONES OF MOHOKARE We picked flint for its flatness and curled thumb and forefinger round it, then bent at the waist to almost touch the yellow carpet of shoeshoe blossom covering most of the moist turf with colouring, and flicked from the wrist. The trick was to send the stone flying on the water’s surface at some angle from nought to forty-five, like [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Two Poems ", url: "http://www.blacklooks.org/2008/06/two_poems_.html" });
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22:27 Kenya’s Very Own CNBC?
» Kenyanentrepreneur.com I was breezing through Aly khan Satchu’s website and it has some very good tv interviews on there. You should all check them out if you get a chance. I’d recommend listening to the interview with the founder/CEO of East Africa Cables, Mugo Kibati (very sharp guy he is). I also enjoyed [...]
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19:04
CP-218
» Kikuyumoja's realm What’s this?
Right, it’s Nokia’s CP-218 wrist band that currently sells at 7,99 EUR and moves your (GPS enabled and mp3 playing) phone to one of your arms/wrists.
With such a dead simple design, it’s almost crying for a DIY approach. But then….why bother if you can buy it?
Comes with an extra hole for headphones and just adds value to any portable device you’ll want to carry around while doing sports.AOB: LINK OF THE DAY! ==> Opera@USB , a portable version of the popular Opera browser for use on your USB / flash drive. Totally awesome speed, comes with great features and is a must-have on my collection of portable tools on a flash drive.
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16:01
NBC's Tim Russert - RIP
» More to Life I'm completely stunned by the very sad news - Tim Russert has passed away from a heart attack.
I've been spending a whole lotta time with this guy lately over politics and I am definitely jolted by his death. I'll miss his work, his insights and his courage.
May he rest in peace.
My condolences to his family and the entire NBC family as they mourn this great loss.
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14:34
Upcoming Technology Events Throughout Africa
» White African I’m starting to compile a list of interesting technology events happening around the continent. If this ends up being useful, I’ll create a page to keep it updated. Let me know if you like it, or if there is someone already keeping a calender of sorts.
Upcoming events to watch (chronological):
West & Central Africom - “The premier meeting place for communications decision-makers to discuss the key issues facing the market.”
Dates: June 18-19, 2008
Location: Abuja Int’l Conference Center in Abuja, NigeriaBarcamp Nairobi ‘08 - A local “unconference” for Kenyan techies, web designers and bloggers. (disclosure: I’m part of this)
Dates: June 21, 2008
Location: Jacaranda Hotel in Nairobi, KenyaAPPFRICA - a new technology conference and thinktank.
Dates: July 31, 2008
Location: Makerere University in Kampala, UgandaWordCamp SA - For all bloggers in and around South Africa.
Dates: August 23, 2008
Location: TBD, in Cape Town, South AfricaBarcamp Kampala - Another unconference pops up for Uganda - looking forward to hearing about this one.
Dates: August 29, 2008
Location: TBD, Kampala, UgandaMobileActive ‘08 - A conference on mobile technology for social impact.
Dates: October 13-15, 2008
Location: TBD in Johannesburg, South Africa[If you have a good tech conference coming up, let me know.]
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On ‘indecent women sexual behavior’
» Black Looks I am sure my title will incite a lot of reactions/comments..But I thought this is something good to share with the group. I came across this quotation while reading Creating GI Jane: Sexuality and Power in the Women’s Army Corp during WWII, where the author, Leisa D. Meyer cites two male soldiers’ perceived behavior of [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "On 'indecent women sexual behavior'", url: "http://www.blacklooks.org/2008/06/on_indecent_women_sexual_behavior.html" });
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11:36
Kones, Laboso Plane Crash: Independent Investigators Should Take Charge
» You Missed This 
The bodies of Roads Minister Kipkalya Kones and Assistant Home Affairs Minister Lorna Laboso are wheeled away after they arrived at Nairobi's Wilson airport, Wednesday, June 11, 2008 after being recovered from a crash scene.
Yesterday, transport minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere released a statement that said initial investigations into Tuesday's tragic plane crash in which Roads Minister Kipkalya Kones and Home Affairs Assistant Minister Lorna Laboso died reveal that the aircraft was flying in POOR VISIBILITY at the time of the accident. The minister was in effect implying that the pilot could not ‘see’ where he was flying to.While I do not want to speculate nor claim to be an aviation expert myself, but any frequent flyer knows that many aircraft take off, fly and land in the darkest of the night when visibility is NIL and yet they do NOT crash.
Through the same statement, the minister also informed the public that investigators on the ground had established that the aircraft LOST HEIGHT and hit trees and a roof of a house before crashing. The minister’s went to say preliminary investigations had also indicated that the German pilot flying the aircraft was fairly new in the country and might not have mastered the terrain.
Aircrafts have sophisticated instrumentation and communication gadgetry on board that provides the pilot with necessary navigational information. What the hell, some aircraft fly on auto-pilot, that is with minimum human input! Again, aircraft are not manufactured to fly in low altitudes unless they have technical faults. It seems to me that the ill fated light Cessna 210 aircraft registration 5Y-BVE operated by Skytraders Limited had SERIOUS TECHNICAL PROBLEMS for it to fly low and hit trees.
Interestingly, it has been widely reported that the ‘inexperienced’ pilot radioed the control tower hardly 30 minutes into the flight to report unspecified technical problems then lost contact. If this is correct, then definitely the minister’s statement is not only premature but also widely off the mark.
Even before ascertaining the cause of the communication breakdown; somebody in Wilson Airport made an early decision to send a search and rescue team. The pilot had reported technical problems but had not sent a mayday distress signal. The million dollar question is; what made them so sure the aircraft had already crashed so as to warrant a search and rescue mission?
Mwakwere’s statement is reminiscent of the unresolved Ouko murder saga. The late foreign affairs minister Dr. Ouko was killed and dumped while set alight on Got Alila in the early 90s and the then Police Commissioner – Philip Kilonzo - had put up a spirited attempt to advance a suicide theory into the gruesome murder. How could a man kill himself then set himself ablaze?
Meanwhile the government is already inviting suspicion on itself. The Nation Newspaper quoted eye-witnesses saying that the aeroplane burst into flames after it hit a building. On the other hand, agriculture minister William Ruto speaking after visiting the site nearly 24 hours after the crash was insisting that the aircraft did not burst into flames as reported. Ruto also ruled out possible engine failure and explained that the Kenya Civil Aviation (KCA) team on the ground had indicated in its preliminary report that the engines of the aircraft were still running, but were ripped off by the time of the crash. Live TV footage at the scene reported ‘bodies were burnt beyond recognition’. So, why is Ruto contradicting eye-witness testimony and making an amateurish attempt to change facts on the ground, even before the victims themselves are buried?
I find it strange that the ODM has been quick to accept that Kenya government agents take charge of investigations and yet it is the same government’s responsibility to carry-out airworthiness tests of all aircraft and issue certification. The same government licences the pilot it is now calling ‘inexperienced’ to fly within Kenyan airspace. The same government allowed its senior officials to be airlifted by the inexperienced pilot. Clearly, these facts outrightly disqualifies the government from being in-charge of investigations. It would have been fair to the deceased families, ODM supporters and worried air travellers all over Kenya if ODM would have insisted on an independent, preferably international, full investigation into all aspects surrounding the Kones and Laboso air crash.
In anycase, the families of the victims retain the right of suing the government for damages should investigations implicate government for negligence that contributed to what we now call an accident. Therefore, it is easy for government investigators to manipulate investigations and cover-up its own shortcomings.
Additionally, the ODM must either confirm or deny that there was no plan for some members of its pentagon to board the plane on the same trip that killed Kones and Laboso. Anyone roaming in Nairobi will have already heard the rumour that the entire pentagon was scheduled to travel soon after attending the Vision 2030 launch to campaign in Kilgoris and Ainamoi in a show of unity. The loud silence coming from ODM in this accident is only but fuelling these rumours. Let the party know that although reading messages of condolence and consoling the bereaved families are considerate actions, ODM remains a mass movement that enjoys massive support and the 'accidental' death of any of its leaders (and they are too frequent now) deserves thorough investigations as well as transparency and open flow of information in public interest.
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11:05
Opinions on Melbourne from Children
» The Displaced African Enclosure: [download]
Hello,
This one is a very light-hearted phone conversation between myself and my two younger sisters. This one is for anyone who might be thinking of or is raising some immigrant kids. Hope you derive some value from it.
The Stats
Ages: 10 (11 on 16/6/2008) and 14
Occupations: 10 year old is in primary school, 14 year old is in high school.
The Interview
Among the things covered are:
1) Making friends
2) Race and relationships
3) Cultural differences
4) The way children treat their parents
5) Is it easy to stay healthy?
6) The first thing you see when you exit Melbourne airport
7) Obesity and the girl with sugar water
Make Sure You Subscribe to the Podcast
I have scheduled interviews with experts and people from all over the African diaspora. To receive word as soon as i have published these interviews make sure you subscribe to the Displaced African podcast via either RSS or by searching for “Displaced African” on Itunes.
Be blessed and bless others,
Mwangi
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10:25
Kenya in the headlines.. Kenya's witch hunt
» intricately me I hate it when we make CNN's headlines because most of the time its not good news. So guess how i felt waking up to headlines like 'deadly hunt for 'witches' haunts Kenya'.or 'mob b burns to death 11 witches wizards'Now i know we strongly believe in witchcraft and all but can you imagine how dumb we look in the worlds eyes when we say things like "These people identified who is to be killed by accusing their victims of bewitching their sons and daughters." or "It is very painful when somebody kills another person in the name of witchcraft," he says. "Why couldn't they come to me so that I can perform my herbal potion to identify the real witch so that I can go ahead now to trap him and then we can see what to do?" seriously? Maybe its just me but i want us to be in the headlines because we found an alternative to Oil... i want us to be in there for a good reason not because of witchcraft!!
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8:50
Test Driving Government Bureaucracy, 2008 Edition
» What An African Woman Thinks So today, for some reason I choose not to go into, I found that I required the name of my chief, my location and my sub-location. I have none of these at hand. Who needs this information, anyway, apart from when you're getting an Identity Card. Or when you're doing what I was doing today? (Oh, and when you've been sent home from public Uni because you've rioted and you've been ordered to sign a register at your chief's place once a week, how could I forget that?)
Anyhoo: What to do? Where to start?
I tried the City Council of Nairobi online. Don’t ask why. Don’t have a clue. (Which was probably why. Oh my.)
Then I went over to the ministry of Provincial Administration and Internal Security’s website. It is fairly easy to navigate, but difficult to mine for information. Mainly because there’s not a lot of what you’d imagine is the obvious kind of information to put up there. But, at least I managed to harvest a contact number for Nairobi Province.
(For every other province, the contact is a Post Office Box. Very helpful (not).)
Anyway, so I call this number, listed as a Harambee House number and I ask the person at the other end of the line where I should go to get information about my location, sub-location and chief. She gives me a Nyayo House telephone number, tells me it’s the District Commissioner’s Office, and assures me they’ll help me. I say thank you, you’ve been very helpful, and hang up.
I call the number and the voice on the other end of the line tells me I’ve been misdirected, but she offers me another number, a number in Riruta, and tells me that’s where the DO is and he’ll help me. Again I say thank you, you’ve been very helpful and hang up.
I call this third number and go through my introduction then explain what I’m looking for. This time, the male voice on the other side of the phone is decidedly hostile. And unnecessarily confrontational. Ati wewe ni nani? Who are you? I’m a little taken aback but I respond that I’m a resident of _________ and repeat, once again, what I’m looking for. He demands to know who I am.
Now me who's goat did I choke, please?
I decline to give him my name because I don’t like his tone.
I go through the same routine, slowly: I’m a resident of __________ and I’m looking for the name of my location and sub-location, as well as the name of my chief.
He does the imitation of a harumph and then I don’t know what gets into him (maybe he glances at his performance contract?) but suddenly he’s all polite and helpful. He offers me a cell phone number, tells me that’s the chief’s number and that I should call him, he’ll help me.
I take it down, say thank you very much and proceed to call the number. It is answered on the second ring. I ask is that _________ (I have his first name by now). He confirms that it is. I tell him I’m calling because I’m trying to track down my chief and could it be him? He asks me where I live. I give him this information. He tells me he is indeed the chief of my sub-location. I ask for his full name. He gives it to me. And could he confirm the name of the location and sub-location? He does. Very helpful, very professional.
Twenty-seven minutes from start of quest to end of quest.
And some of that time I wasted trying to get as close a shot of my flat as I could on Google Earth via the City Council of Nairobi website. (Friday afternoon and whatnot.)
Not bad, all things considered.
Marks off for the gruff beginning by the respondent at the Riruta Office, and for the fact that this information could very well have been listed on their website, therefore saving me the great mobile trek to track it down. But, other than that, fairly decent service, and I didn’t get the urge to pull out my hair while in search of public information.
Also, extra marks for encountering no gatekeepers along the way.
Plus, I was able do all this while seated at my desk.
And, and, and, I hadn’t realised there was so much Government of Kenya information available online now.
Not bad, past experiences considered.It's my window, but I don't own the view.
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Yet Another Bus Hijacked on Nairobi Mombasa Road
» You Missed This Passengers on a TSS Express bus destined for Mombasa from Nairobi last night had a harrowing ordeal in the hands of at least 5 heavily armed gangsters who hijacked the bus at the Machakos junction.
The gangsters robbed passengers of cash and mobile phones before abandoning them stark naked in the bushes off the Nairobi Mombasa highway. The annual chilly weather usually experienced in June and July in the area has set in and this writer cringes to imagine being out there in the cold completely naked. Police were reluctant to release details but it is believed that some female passengers in the bus were also raped in the ordeal that lasted about 4 hours.
Interestingly buses destined for Mombasa from Nairobi are the ones that are much more frequently hijacked than those headed to Nairobi from Mombasa. Frequent travelers on the route told this writer that the reason is that people tend to carry a lot more cash going down to Mombasa for both leisure and business which is usually related to releasing goods from the Coastal port. However most tend to come back completely broke and short of cash after spending it all in Mombasa, which is popularly referred to as Mombasa Raha. This piece of information seems to be well known to the highway hijackers.Read a chilling eyewitness account of another recent hijacking incident on the same highway.
Chris Kirubi Charged Over Uchumi
In a welcome move that is bound to send shockwaves right across the country, well known businessman Chris Kirubi was this morning charged in a Nairobi court with conspiracy to defraud Uchumi supermarkets.
The charge sheet says in part that Kirubi who holds directorship in various companies in the country sold a building belonging to Uchumi supermarkets along Aga Khan Walk and then leased the same building back to the same supermarket. He was charged along with a former managing director of Uchumi and a number of former directors as well.
Mr Kirubi denied the charges and was released on a cash bail.
What Happens To Sane People When They Go To Parliament?
Anybody who digs a little deeper into the personal lives of Kenyan legislators will be shocked at what they will find. Frequent sex with under-age prostitutes along Koinange street is just a tip of the iceberg. Interestingly I have passed on to Chris some rather shocking revelations (all confirmed by several independent sources) about the love lives of the two legislators who perished this week in an air crash and I have already been informed that the startling details have been included in this week's raw notes.
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Taking Back Some of What Those MPs Have Hoarded
» What An African Woman Thinks So this year’s budget is out. At first glance, from my amateur distance, not half bad. I don’t know what detail I expected, but I do know I did not expect much.
My favourite part is probably your favourite part: instituting a tax on allowances paid to Members of Parliament. About time. Actually, way past time, around the world and back again.
As the Daily Nation editorial today suggests ‘a law should be enacted limiting the powers of Members of Parliament, or officers of any other institution to benefit from tax breaks that are ordinary citizens are denied.’
Hear hear. And, to beat a dead horse: I still think the cars Cabinet Ministers drive stroke are entitled to make a mockery of us so called ‘ordinary citizens’. Next order of business should be to do a Kagame, confiscate anything over 1800 cc and bring the erstwhile servants of the people back down to earth. Not necessarily where we are. But closer at least.
*****
In other news that tickles, Croatia beat Germany! Wouldn’t it be a treat and then some if they won Euro 2008? Here's keeping my fingers crossed.
Which reminds me, this was the month that South Africans were supposed to be able to start buying World Cup 2010 tickets. Deal or no deal?It's my window, but I don't own the view.
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4:45
Safaricom Shares: To go Short or Long Term? The Right Way Revealed
» The Benin Epilogue Part I: Africa-Ready for Business 
With short term trading, you have to speculate which shares are going to be most volatile. In this case you see profits immediately but if you speculate on the wrong stock, you might end up losing part of your investment capital. If the company you are vested in is fundamentally strong with a strong upside potential, you will lose out on big potential gains if you were to cash out too early. For Safaricom Shares: To go Short or Long Term? The Right Way Revealed One of the advantages of short term investing ……..READ MORE
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3:14
No light to Ignite Poets at Wasanii
» Kenyanpoet Yesterday would have been the launch of a new forum for poets and Poetry enthusiasts at the recently re-launch Wasanii Restaurant at KNT. I was all psyched ready to go support a fellow poet, Grand Master Masese as he brought the Ignite Poetry show to Nairobi(all the way from Toronto, Canada)
I arrived at KNT at around 7.30(fashionably late for an event that slotted to start at 7.00pm Coz I know Kenyans and keeping time). I thought I'd start hearing sounds of music or some powerful spoken words electrifying the rather cold evening but all I got was the blaring sounds of NTV jioni with news of Waititu (now our MP) clinching the Embakasi seat despite also having a pending court case- apparently he had tried bribing a Kenya Anti corruption official (ehehhehe, talk of being addicted to corruption and being stupid at the same time). I was undecided over who should get that seat, a self confessed corrupt thug or a silent double dealer in adopting lights and only using the name Muthoni to appease the very many Kyuks living in Uyole and Karoifang'I (kyuk version of Kariobangi) but I digress.As I walked upstairs, I could see Grandmaster engaged in a heated argument with one of the staff at Wasanii. The crowd was seated outside at the terrace ardently watching news. At first I thought I’d gotten the timing wrong, maybe it should have been at 8.00.I looked around for some familiar faces and in seeing none, just resolved to seat somewhere I could also contribute my eyeballs to the glimmering screen.
Grandmaster finally came around and I wanted to know what was happening. Apparently the Wasanii management had bailed out on him a day to the event, they never provided the equipment nor a DJ to work on sounds and stuff. He was so annoyed his baby locks were all up in the air seemingly straightened by the anger. He was courteous enough to explain his predicament and his next course of action, I advised him to check out the great place whose name I can’t seem to remember that is located at Chester house (lovely artistic ambience). He was collecting contacts and would send guys info on the new date and venue.
James Murua walked in as we were discussing this and his reaction was like mine, “Am I too early or too late” he asked.
Well, all was not lost, Murua joined us and we started discussing Grand Masters’ online wars with Eudiah Kamonjo. I honestly fail to understand the need for artists to use the net for personal attacks against fellow artists. I do reviews and critiques on this blog and the essence is in the content of the reviewee or critiquee (u get the drift) and not what they were wearing or their performance whose essence was irony and humor (the piece grandmaster is being attached for is ‘I am the Hip-hop Dunderhead). That just goes to show that the person doing the critique is either 1. feigning to be one 2. is like a fish out of water (they have no idea of what they are reviewing/critiquing),3. They have personal vendetta or all 3 combined.
I think that the one thing that sets aside artists from other people apart from spotting the dreadlocks trademark is in their clothing and this only goes to depict creativity, lack of confinement in corporate suites and Kenya uniforms (the phenomenon with Kenyan ladies of always wearing the clothes in fashion).
Anyway, the rift is giving Eudiah a lot of hits to her articles on haiya, so maybe that was the whole idea.
Back to Wasanii. We left the place at around 9.30 after hearing a rags to riches story from Murua on how his Nairobi living website (always referred to as a blog) started and how far it has brought him. I was all ears, pen and paper on hand to write notes on – Making money off your blog. My only problem is, I can’t compromise my love for art with gossip. Then again, it doesn’t all have to be about money. Call it a lab our of love.
Check out Grand Master’s Wall on face book for updates on the real debut Ignite Poetry show
“As to the pure mind all things are pure, so to the poetic mind all things are poetical” -
Can we now regain the Rhythm spoken of at Daas?
» Kenyanpoet After a rather long absence, Poetry at the Daas is back(this Ethiopian place is becoming quite a hit with literary events, Poetry evenings, storymoja and soon, a slum poetry compe!, do we call it the Poetic Meca or Zion?, your pick)
Someone spoke of little fires lighting up in the Nairobi scene signifying impending literary rennaisance, possible?
Naliaka, please keep the fire burning(am starting to sound like a reggae artist....lol)Rhythm & Spoken
Poetry and open mic night
Dass Ethiopian Restaurant
Woodvale Grove,(close to Havana), Westlands
Friday 20th June 2008
Entry: Sh100
Starts: 8:30p.m
Performances: 9:00-10:30p.m
Neo-soul/Rare-groove after-party
Call/text: 0728293632
“As to the pure mind all things are pure, so to the poetic mind all things are poetical”
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2:53
Safaricom @ NSE Day 5
» bankelele Safaricom @ NSE Day 5
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Will Proposal To Tax MPs Be Passed By The Same Legislators?
» You Missed This …and the expensive and shocking love lives of MPs revealedIn the budget proposals tabled by Finance Minister Amos Kimunya yesterday was the populist but timely suggestion that members of parliament and holders of constitutional offices be taxed for the first time in Kenya.
There was some enthusiastic foot-thumping in the august house when Hon Kimunya made the proposal, but one wonders if the same members of parliament are capable of voting through such a radical proposal that would affect them directly. The tradition of the Kenyan parliament thus far has always been to increase its’ own perks and not to decrease them.
Indeed this would be the perfect way of reducing the MPs fat pay cheques which has been an issue of great concern by the Kenyan public quite often eliciting great anger.
But public outcry has never concerned MPs too much and the vast majority of them have done as they wished. Increasing their own salaries as a matter of priority and quickly forgetting the needs of the voters who sent them to the house in the first place.
In fact anybody who digs a little deeper into the personal lives of the legislators will be shocked at what they will find. Frequent sex with under-age prostitutes along Koinange street is just a tip of the iceberg. Interestingly I have passed on to Chris some rather shocking revelations about the love lives of the two legislators who perished this week in an air crash and I have already been informed that the startling details have been included in this week's raw notes.