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22:54
From: Black Looks
Read This Entry & More At Black Looks
news24.com/News24/Africa/Zimbabwe (Obama speaks out):
US presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Wednesday the international community must do more to try to help resolve Zimbabwe’s political crisis, and to put pressure on Robert Mugabe, who is clinging to power. He singled out South Africa as one country that needs to apply more pressure on Mugabe, 84, [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "End-of-June Zimbabwe links", url: "http://www.blacklooks.org/2008/06/end-of-june_zimbabwe_links.html" });
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22:31
From: Rants, Raves & Reviews
Read This Entry & More At Rants, Raves & Reviews
Errors Galore... Business Daily at it again!
My comments/questions in RED...
City Trust banks on I&M regional expansion |  |  |
| Written by James Makau |  I&M Bank has assets worth Sh30 billion in Kenya.June 27, 2008: The star that once shone over City Trust Ltd at the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE) in 2007 seems to have dimmed, put out by low volumes of tradable shares that have led to stagnation of its share price at the local bourse.
Actually... prices on shares with low liquidity tend to be more volatile... if there are trades...
At the Alternative Investment Market Segment (AIMS) of the NSE, low liquidity and the lack of shares available for trading is the bane of firms , but this is one plight that City Trust had managed to side- step, making huge gains on its share price last year.
Little is still known of the firm which at one point in 2007 had floored the MSCI World Index— a free float-adjusted market cap index used to measure global equity performance— by a massive 157 per cent.
The press is allowed at AGMs... Did this reporter make the effort to attend an AGM? 'Little is known'... I think the reporters concentrate of the 'larger' sexier firms e.g. KQ, Equity, etc while ignoring the smaller firms then claim 'little is known'...
But in a remarkable about turn , City Trust —a listed investment holdings company—has lived to the AIMS billing; trading a mere six times this year, with the price changing only thrice.
The owners of City Trust, which is tucked away in the relatively quiet corners of the stock market, keep an equally low profile.
Picture this. The company, with a book valuation of Sh220 million and market value of Sh781 million, has no office or employees.
It has an office. Ask the directors. A shareholder asked them at the AGM & he was told where it is though by law all a firm needs is a registered office - which is at Kirungii for City Trust.
The business of the day is run by two of the four directors of the company board with the full board overseeing the company operations. The board occasionally meets at the Livingstone Associates offices, Westlands to plan and transact the business of the company.
Prime Securities Investment Trust Ltd is listed as the largest shareholder in the firm with a 49.98 per cent stake while local individual shareholders account for 29.48 per cent. Institutional investors control a 17.89 percent stake in the firm.
And with a dormant subsidiary —Kenstock Ltd—and modest earnings compared to other firms listed at the bourse, City Trust rising share price is likely to remain a subdued affair, outshone by the likes of titanic debutant at the bourse, Safaricom.
Erm, it's the Earnings Per Share rather than the Profit After Tax that is directly related to the share price.
But there’s still hope for City Trust, one that of course makes investment sense for its shareholders.
Analysts say that should a persistent investor willing to buy bits of City Trust over a long period of time to create a weighty portfolio, the consistent dividend payout from the firm is a worthy attraction.
What the heck is a 'weighty portfolio'?
The dividend per share of three shillings which is pocketed entirely by the firms shareholders is mainly attributed to City Trust’s stake in a rising star in Kenyan banking.
So... if the firm's shareholders don't pocket the "entire" dividend, then pray I ask... who does... Of course, the shareholders get the "entire" dividend (except withholding tax)!!!
Investment consultant with over 50 years experience of trading at the NSE Chandulal Shah in a previous interview with the Business Daily expressed the view that City Trust’s shareholding at Investment & Mortgages (I&M) Bank holds a crucial piece to the firm’s portfolio puzzle.
With a stake of 11 percent representing 1.1 million ordinary shares in I&M Bank, City Trust is the recipient of a tidy sum in dividends from the bank .“This is an investment company (City Trust) where any dividend derived is paid directly to shareholders.” said Mr Shah.
Actually, City Trust owns only 8.93% of I&M Bank represented by 1.94mn shares. This is public information if one reads their Annual Report.
City Trust which is expected to release its half year results this month is set to pay out a hefty dividend that will top up the Sh3.10 payout issued to shareholders last year.
I thought the 1H 2007-8 ended 31 Jan 2008 thus the 1H 2007-8 results should have been released by 31 May 2008 or they are in breach of some NSE regulation.
Income statements for the company at the beginning of the year put the firm’s investments at I&M Bank at Sh171 million. Last year, the firm increased its investment portfolio to Sh185 million.
In 2007, I&M Bank reported a pre-tax profit of Sh1.3 billion compared to Sh936 million the previous year. Following the steady growth and strong earnings derived from I&M Bank, the firm invested more funds in the bank, bringing City Trust’s investment to Sh185 million as at January this year. In March this year I&M Bank acquired 50 per cent shares in First City Bank (FCB) of Mauritius at a cost of Sh1.1 billion.
The acquisition of FCB represents the bank’s first investment abroad and is viewed as a launching pad for its regional expansion. FCB is one of the 19 commercial banks in Mauritius licensed to do both on-shore and off-shore banking business.
I&M Bank has assets worth Sh30 billion in Kenya and has 10 branches in Nairobi, Kisumu and Mombasa. The bank also announced a private offer for Sh600 million subordinated unsecured floating rate notes to shore up its capital base.
Low Liquidity
Even then, City Trust’s free float and tightly held share structure still have a major bearing on the firm’s trading price. With only 4 million shares listed at the Nairobi Stock Exchange, City Trust Ltd is one of the smallest firms at the bourse. But even with about 3.5 million shares available for trading; only a tiny fraction of these are actually traded.
Hmmm... according to the 2006-7 Annual Report, City Trust gave a bonus & this increased the shares to 5.2mn. I got this info from the NSE pricelist... No rocket science here...
With only a few thousand shares changing hands on a weekly basis, the low supply of City Trust shares at the bourse has allowed holders of the securities to quote high prices which are occasionally matched at the bourse leading to price distortion.
Wait... the same article (this one) claims there were only 6 trades this year... but the above paragraph claims that a few thousand shares trade weekly. Since it is June 2008, I would say we have had over 32 weeks this year...
ICDCI was in a similar case a while back before turning round are becoming one of the most profitable investment holdings firm in the country.
What has low trading volume & 'steady' price have to do with a firm's profitability? Sameer Africa , Eveready , Unilever Tea trade much more than City Trust but are they as profitable?
But one reason that market players believe is a key link behind City Trust’s meteoric rise is the possible share holder value derived from the sterling performance of its portfolio’s gem. |
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18:15
From: You Missed This
Read This Entry & More At You Missed This
 The threat to suspend Kass FM’s broadcasting licence must be seen as wider failure of our institutions. The strongly worded letter to the radio station is another classic case of selective application of the law. Those Kenyans who are gifted to speak and understand numerous local dialects will readily attest that Kass’s case is blown out of proportion to serve political and selfish interests. It was no surprise that the threat to Kass came in the heat of Moi’s warning to ban vernacular stations claiming they preach hatred. Well, the truth is that Toro is crying foul for being outwitted in his own game. His stands on his plastic moral pedestal oblivious of his own neck deep partnership to fertilize the same malice he is condemning. By using proxies Moi is simply seeking political revenge on the Kalenjins whom he thought were at his beck and call. The old man is is livid with anger at the trashing of his reputation and subsequent thrashing of his sons at the last polls. How I wish he knew we live in a different age and era where elites can reach villagers in the first tongue. Uncle Dan’s antics through his connections in the present regime simply amount to a passionate poisoned Kiss to Kalenjins. Besides exposing failed institutions the reprimand to Kass is a shameless case of double standards. There is no worse tribal incitement that what is packaged as parables aimed at denigrating others as lesser human beings. Fear of the elite brainwashing the villagers using their mother tongue doesn’t wash. Which is more threatening and demeaning between Kass letting callers contribute to amnesty debate and Ngugi campaigning in his mother tongue to warn his tribesmen never to allow WOLVE to take charge of the flock? Coloured deception The government is only acting smart in glossing the fear of unity amongst the Kalenjins. How paradoxical it is that Kass is being accused for mobilizing the Kipsigis to vote for their own in Kilgoris while the government unwittingly falls for the tribal bait in reminding the Masaais to reject domination by outsiders? Replicate the government’s cheap politics in the wider Rift Valley and see the hypocrisy and futility of the so-called reconciliation and healing. The government’s fear is premised in the fact that radio is a vital tool of communicating to the villagers. Radio does not only entertain the rural folks, it educates and mobilizes them into a common course. The political and ruling elite is simply running scared of the fear of reverse domination. Fear mongering has no place in the present political dispensation. Moi tried demonizing the opposition by running Rwanda genocide strips and it didn’t fly. Similarly demonizing the vernacular FM stations by drawing the misplaced 1994 Rwanda analogy must be told to the birds so that they fly high in the sky. We must disabuse our rulers of deception in its shades.
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16:47
From: White African
Read This Entry & More At White African
I’ve been tracking a site called Jamati, an African entertainment portal, for a little while. Sitting out in Nairobi last week, I got an email wondering if I wanted to talk to the founder, a certain Elias Mageto, who happened to be in town from the US at the same time. Good timing!
“We want to be the go-to network for the diaspora.”
I thought Jamati was new. It isn’t. In fact, it was first launched in 2001, relaunched in 2005, and then relaunched again in 2007. The fact that I finally heard about it last year is proof that Elias finally has found the right mix to make it work.
Elias is Kenyan, with an American mother, and has no Kenyan accent at all (interestingly, a lot like a certain political candidate in the US). An unlikely background in Economics, time at the World Bank and Congressional Black Caucus wasn’t what I was expecting to hear as the background to his entrepreneurial drive into online entertainment. However, he saw a niche needing to be filled and, over 7 years, has continued to try to crack it open.
One of the things that Elias said struck me as very important for this type of pan-African portal play. That is, his seven-person team is made up of individuals from Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. Everyone in this space knows that it’s a lot easier to be regional than continental, but a team makeup like this means it’s easier to do. Those connections back into each major region are already there.
Competitively, two other new publishers,AfricanPath and African Loft, would seem to be the most logical comparison. However, knowing a little about both companies, I think they’re all doing different things (right now, but there will be greater overlap as they grow).
- AfricanPath is about African news, business and politics.
- African Loft is about African diaspora community and African news.
- Jamati is about African lifestyle and entertainment.
All bridge two worlds, with heavy readership percentages from the diaspora. It will be interesting to see which can grow as time passes, and more importantly, which can attract enough eyeballs for advertisers to start funding more growth.
 
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12:49
From: Paza Sauti
Read This Entry & More At Paza Sauti
To experience true change one does not need to look across to the land of opportunity; where now faces and sounds march across the continent under its banner, stumping and vehemently calling on its populous to embrace their persons.
Pay attention, read and listen to the voices of the sons and daughters of their great continent.Change and what it brings about and its portrayal as the new phenomenon ladies and gentlemen is nothing new. There are many forms of government , some that have emerged as the present day blue prints to effective rule of law,while others are questionable and are revolting to those who's ideals include freedom (the do whatever , whenever i feel like flavor) and liberty. Sad but very true, Africa has always been the implementation guinea-pig grounds for bad foreign policies and influencing powers have one way or the other become tolerant to dictatorships and horrible governance. Here is good news, even with the current environment, of usual ignorance of the common African citizen, the tide has changed. The people are demanding accountability from the thrones of high office. And it comes with no surprise to us Kenyans that at the this very delicate point in history we serve as the most viable of options is a world of confusion, misinformation, mistrust and general candidate skepticism. In a continent that has experienced devastating natural disasters world wars and continued gut churning conflict in a relatively short period of time, we are actually doing pretty good with ourselves. We have proven to the world that we don't have to follow the rule and oppose principle, that a country who's two leaders are from different schools of ideology can successfully co-exist and work together regardless of their differences. Granted this template of governance is challenging and does take time and patients to formulate but progress is being made and effects of policy are being felt by the mwananchi relatively fast.Hopefully this will not turn into a loop hole route for every other Mugabe to evade consequences of their bad rule.
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12:04
From: The Displaced African
Read This Entry & More At The Displaced African
As a lot of you know, I was born and raised in Kenya. I have been to South Africa and all over Kenya. I have hung out with Zims, Tswanas, Ghanians, Naijas, Tanzanians, African Americans and other children of the soil from all over the place. What have I learned from all of this?
1) Keeping It Real:
By keeping it real, I don’t neccesarily mean honesty, because any African will tell you that Africa has it’s fair share of liars. Instead, I am talking about wearing your heart on your sleeve.
Yesterday I was in a social gathering here in Oz (Australia for the uninitiated): When I got home, I realized how subtle our interactions were. Sure on the surface level, it may have seemed quite simple and easy, but there was so much sub-text: when to talk, who to talk to, when to move on, when you lost someone in the conversation, when you gained someone else, who had the power, who didn’t, who is attracted to you, who did you just turn off and so on and so forth.
And none of this was really ever discussed in the open or brought to the surface and its something that a lot of folks can really miss unless they have interacted with people from Oz for a while.
I cannot tell you how much grief I have seen because of completely misunderstanding the sub-text or underlying rules of an interaction or not setting the rules early on.
Sure in Africa there is still sub-text but people are much more open about how they feel and much more expressive in the way they speak. Most of all they speak sub-text that I understand. Considering I learned a lesson something as important as this in the school of hard knocks and not in a classroom you quickly realize:
2) Education Isn’t What it Promised to Be:
There are many articles out there that constantly remind members of the African diaspora that we are some of the best educated folks around.
As far as I am concerned, the fact that you have a degree means diddly squat. Don’t get me wrong, I bow to your intellect for being intelligent and hard working enough to go through more than a decade of school and end up in an outstanding course in an outstanding University. I salute and have a deep respect for you after enduring the rigours of the unstructured University life and coming out strong, Lord knows I dropped off on the side. BUT all this love and respect, is aimed AT YOU, not your degrees.
Anyone who was around Kenyans around the post-election violence of last year quickly realized that a University degree (and even chronological age) isn’t a guarantee of maturity, or wisdom, or restraint, or love, or compassion or even intelligence really. So all this stuff we were sold as kids that education is the be all and end all to making us well rounded people of substance: Not so! And by the way the same thing applies for:
3) Hard Work:
Africans are hands down some of the hardest working people around. I come from a family where one half of the two person team that made me was the best woman in the country when her high school results came out. I have watched both my folks slug it out for 8+ hour days 6 days a week, starting business after business after business. And here’s the thing: that work ethic is pretty much standard procedure in Africa.
I was genuinely shocked when I arrived in Oz and realized there were things like minimum wage and maximum daily working hours.
When most folks here complain about being worked to the ground from 8 hours of work, 5 days a week, I can’t help but think: isn’t the idea of stress relative?
The Australian workload would be kinda like a vacation for a standard African worker. That’s part of the reason that I don’t write much about the need for hard work: a lot of Africans intrinsically know this and live it. Sadly that’s partly because:
4) Africans are Unashamedly Materialistic:
A lot of people in the West are materialistic. A lot of Jones out here want the fancy house, big car, a lot of money, pretty girls/boys etc etc. However many people out West are taught, and even believe that,
“Money isn’t everything. There are things more important than money.”
Not the African. Many Africans would sell their soul at discount prices to get money. There is nothing more important than money to a lot of Africans and material possesions not only define you, they are the cornerstone of who you are. One of the reasons I created the Stuff African people like series was to poke fun at a seriously high level of materialism that we as African folks have at the expense of other things.
Don’t believe we are materialistic: pay a visit to the homes of African politicians and welathy businessmen and tell me they don’t easily trump 90% of homes in Europe: I mean I was certainly disappointed by the houses here when I first showed up. It’s pretty interesting though how there is so much similarity right now between the homes of Melbourne and where I grew up in Nairobi. In truth:
5) Westernization is Powerful:
If anyone ever wants to start a think tank that talks about the power of Westernization and how to keep that sucker on a leesh and under control, I am behind them 100%.
We are on the road to being one huge homogenous global society, controlled from Washington, speaking English and liking and doing the same things from Auckland to California.
For me to say that I never spoke anything other than English regularly before I came to Australia is a travesty when one considers that just over 40 years ago I would be living an entirely different life with an entirely different set of beliefs and values.
We are not in control of Westernization and it is hitting Africa like a tidal wave, the good sides (human rights, respect for women and people from other cultures, shared commonalities with people from all over the world) and bad ( relationships breakdown, drug habits, lethal eating habits, confusion and lack of purpose, manufacturing of a majority of humanity living in poverty, linear models of insatiable consumption etc etc etc).
I am not saying that Westernization is good or bad, I am a result of it. I am saying, we need to control it and not be a slave to it. As Westernized as we Africans arel, I was quite surprised to discover that most Africans are:
6) Africans are Socially Conservative:
It’s been said many times and it will be said many times in future: white people are crazy. I love it! A lot of white people are unashamedly out there and willing to try out things that would make the average African absolutely squirm.
Whether its experimenting with things like religion or relationships or business or even endangering their lives in pursuit of something that to many looks like a pipe dream fantasy that will never come true, people from the West do it.
Africans tread with care and wait for a path to be beaten before jumping into it. We hold on to whatever societal rules have been passed down to us and are rarely willing to question for fear of failure and alienation.
White people go beat the path naked with a carrot in one hand and an idea in the other.
But I Digress
Just as a side note, don’t you find it interesting that out of the whole African blogosphere, there are only like maybe 10 or less of us who actually use our real names and/or have pictures AND almost all of us who do aren’t in Africa. I know there is a point to be made there somewhere, I just don’t know what it is.
7) Some People are Just Mean:
The old adage that good will always prevail over evil is a lie. Many brutal, callous people have existed and gone about their narcissistic work all life long going from success to success. Just look at African dictators. Some of these fellows will do evil all life long and will die not having experienced any more stress than the normal man who does good. Good doesn’t always prevail over evil. It only prevails when people who believe in it fight for it day after day after day.
So there, off the top of my head are 7 things that growing up in Nairobi and being around a lot of Africans from all over the world has taught me in my life.
If you want to hear more about my experiences and insights, make sure you subscribe to this site via RSS or email to receive regular updates.
Be blessed and bless others,
Mwangi
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9:21
From: Cock And Bull
Read This Entry & More At Cock And Bull
Last night I dreamt that my neighbor had become the president of Kenya. In the dream, I was there when he got the news and vividly remember the look of bewilderment that crossed his face. And so I asked him if he expected to become president to which he replied “I have been thinking about it since the beginning of the year.” When I woke up, I thought that it would be good if I could be able to share it with him. When I looked out of my window, I thought I might not get a chance since I saw his wife leaving the house and so I assumed they would leave together. And anyway, I have not seen him for several weeks.
Three hours later when I was walking towards the road to town, a strange car pulled up to where I was and the passenger window was automatically wound down. I realized that the driver must be someone who knows me and who wanted to give me a lift. And when I looked, I saw that it was the neighbor from my dream. From my experience about the way ‘coincidences’ play out, I was not really surprised that it was him. And after exchanging hellos, I excitedly told him; “You are just the person I want to see…last night I dreamt that you became the president of Kenya.” To that he said, “Really?” with just as much excitement to match mine. He then said, “That’s a very good thought!” And from the way that he was fidgeting on his seat I could see that he was actually imagining himself being the president of Kenya. I continued to tell him the rest of the dream and when he drove away after I declined a lift, I could see that what I said had a positive effect on him.
I suppose what struck me was the fact that he did not for a moment talk or act as if it was ‘just a dream’. The fact that he said “That’s a very good thought!” instead of “That was a very good dream!” made me realize that our dreams do not necessarily have to originate from us. It makes me smile to think that today I might have planted a seed in my neighbor’s mind that might blossom and make him the president of Kenya. If that comes to pass, I know it is not the seed, but rather, how he is going to nurture the resulting shoot until it becomes a whole tree. It is not the dream, but how much he is going to cherish the thought and work towards making it a reality. For even when I talked to him in the dream, he told me that he had been thinking about it for some time.
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9:04
From: Stuff Kenyans Like
Read This Entry & More At Stuff Kenyans Like
 Contrary to popular belief (that only Luyha's in Kenya love Chicken!!!) the whole country just loves Chicken. But not just any chicken, Chicken from Kenchic is very specific. Kenchic operates very much like a franchise in order to guarantee kuku quality through out the country, customers are asked to look out for the Kuku Mfalme sign or brand outside a restaurants window. With that brand of certification we are assured that the chicken quality is an matched and its not Kuku wa Kienyeji (normally hard core well matured chicken, what they call in the US - organic chicken, what I call - Kuku that has been working out - Kuku Orako). Kenchic chicken goes down well with chips (fries), Bhajia's and or on its own. There is nothing like having Chicken on the bonnet (hood) or a warm car standing up outside Munyiris.... aaaaahhh thats like heaven. There is nothing like unwrapping that chicken off that newspaper wrapper and seeing fine print on the chicken legs, chicken breast.. some news stuck on the chicken - but it dont matter - you will still eat these words :) Every family had their Sunday outing at some point at a Kenchic in the city. All Kenyans Loooooove Chicken - And not just any chicken - Kenchic Chicken. For more information please visit our sponsors at (Kenchi.com) :) am actually impressed that they have a website. They should anyway, they make millions, and probably have made a million just from me alone.
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8:46
From: Cock And Bull
Read This Entry & More At Cock And Bull
During one of my very first visits to Addis Ababa, I was given a traditional Ethiopian shirt as a present. The heavy while cotton fabric was hand woven and the embroidery had the yellow, green and red colors of the Ethiopian flag. I treasured it immediately, and thought it was the perfect outfit to wear on the day I was invited for the Ethiopian Easter celebrations at a friend’s house. When I arrived, the compound was crowded with guests and I soon lost sight of my friend soon after he welcomed me. But I didn’t mind since I felt quite at home and immediately began heading for the counter where I could get a drink.
But before I could reach the counter, I was beckoned by a guy in a group of about 5 Ethiopians. And even without a hello, the guy started pouring out an order for drinks in the Amharic language, pointing to each person’s drink as he mentioned the name of the drink. When he finished, I politely told him in English that I did not understand the Amharic language since I was still new in Addis Ababa. With that, he immediately looked acutely embarrassed and profusely apologized while saying that he thought I was an Ethiopian. As I walked away, I was smiling to myself thinking that with my looks, I would not have trouble blending in with the people I was going to live with for the next 3 years. And as I was walking to find a place to sit after grabbing a drink, I felt a touch on my elbow and another Amharic order for alcohol was repeated.
I was to later learn that during such social functions, waiters usually wear the traditional Ethiopian shirt in order to distinguish them from the guests. It then followed that whoever saw me wearing the shirt immediately assumed that I was a waiter and hence the order for drinks. When the host finally caught up with me, he was very amused by my unexpected experience and we laughed about it and hastily made a round in the compound as he introduced me to the other guests. Thus ended the short lived career of my Ethiopian shirt as a favorite wear during social occasions.
That memory came back when I looked at the waiters at Ronalo Restaurant in Nairobi. They all have differently colored sleeveless sweaters to distinguish their various roles, with green for the ones who serve food, red for the ones who serve drinks, yellow for the ones who clean the tables and black for the supervisors. If you call a green topped waiter and send him for drinks, he will immediately summon a red topped waiter for you to send. Similarly, a yellow topped waiter can never agree to be sent for food since his job is to clean the tables.
These waiters at Ronalo Restaurant often make me understand the power of labels in our lives. What’s in a label? A person who is defined by the name ‘waiter’, only does the job of waiting upon tables while others enjoy their meals or drinks. As long as he bears that label, he has no right to sit down, or mingle with other people, or seem to be enjoying himself by laughing with other waiters. Despite the fact that the waiter is simply an ordinary person such as you and I – and maybe just as brilliant – it would seem like his life is severely limited by the role given to him by the label. When that same person leaves the restaurant, he is at liberty to become whatever else he wishes. It would not be surprising if he was to transforms from a humble servant of the people to an aggressive member of the human society capable of doing and saying much. He can even become a customer in a restaurant to be waited upon by another waiter.
What about the labels that people give themselves or are given by others and that define their performance in life? If one believes that his label is ‘rich’, then it is automatic for him to live in affluence in order to conform to the label. On the other hand, a person whose label is ‘poor’ will do whatever it takes to live in conformity with the definitions of the label. Incidentally, a person can only act out a particular label only if he accepts for it to define him regardless of whether he labeled himself or was labeled by others. The waiters at Ronalo Restaurant were labeled by the management as red, green, yellow, or black and accepted to play out the responsibilities that those colors carry.
Fortunately it is a good thing that a waiter will only have that label for the period that he is working in a restaurant and drop it as soon as his shift is over. Labels that people accept in life like, ’successful’, ‘wealthy’, ‘loser’, ‘lucky’, ‘godly’, ‘important’, carry a more weighty significance since they define us in all our waking hours. So, whatever label that you choose to accept, make sure its definitions are worthwhile to you and the kind of life you plan to have.
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7:53
From: The Diary of One Black Man
Read This Entry & More At The Diary of One Black Man
Read this ….
The secretary general of Zimbabwe’s opposition party has been granted bail, a day before a controversial presidential poll run-off. Tendai Biti, of the Movement for Democratic Change, was held earlier this month on treason charges, which his party says are politically driven
His bail was set at one trillion Zimbabwe dollars, the equivalent of [...]
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6:41
From: Black Looks
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Photos from “Curse of the Black Gold: 50 Years of Oil in the Niger Delta
The lure of oil is its cheapness. What we mean is that oil is a cheap source of energy. It is cheap partly because oil’s costs of extraction—in the Niger Delta and much of the tropical world—are not reflected in the [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Niger Delta: 50 years of oil", url: "http://www.blacklooks.org/2008/06/niger_delta_50_years_of_oil.html" });
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1:58
From: You Missed This
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 Station accused of inciting the Kalenjin against the Maasai following Kilgoris by-elections Popular and controversial Kalenjin FM station – KASS – might be off air beginning today if the CCK decides to go ahead and close it down for broadcasting what government called inciting and inflammatory material. In a letter circulated to media houses, reproduced below and signed by Information PS Bitame Ndemo, the government has asked the station’s management to ‘show cause’ why its broadcast licence should not be withdrawn for endangering peace and tranquility. ---++++---+++---- PS Bitange Ndemo's letter to KASS FM Management BY BITANGE NDEMO, PS INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS Ministry of Information and Communications Office of the Permanent Secretary 24th June 2008 Ref No. MIC/A.11/03 (93) Mr C.K Joshua Executive Chairman, Kalee Ltd P.O Box 2536-0063 NAIROBI Dear Joshua RE: NOTICE TO SHOW CAUSE WHY YOUR BROADCAST LICENCE SHOULD NOT BE SUSPENDED FOR AIRNG INCITING AND INFLAMMATORY LIVE BROADCAST THROUGH KASS FM It has come to the attention of the government that KASS FM has been involved in broadcasting material that is prejudicial to national security, national healing and the national peace, healing and reconciliation. It is noted that on several broadcast aired by your station during the past few months ,and even including today, you failed, ignored or neglected to observe that the programmes do note incite the audiences, cause breach f peace ,defame or otherwise upset individuals groups, other corporate bodies and, or the state. We also refer to numerous complaints filed by the government to the media council of Kenya concerning your broadcasting style and lack of standards, which you have ignored .in particular, on Saturday May 31, 2008, you contrary to the stipulations of your license of you licence, and in blatant breach of ethical practice, aired the following broadcast under the topic "lawlessness in Kenya," with a studio panellist, one Sammy Kemei saying: "Ngamwa agobo bikchok chekipa barabara en ng'alekab bolatet.Bichotok ko mi jela rani.Icheget go maab kobay bik.Ichek go kigaba komach haki nenywa.kiip kobolya kityo eng ng'alegab bolatet.Go bichotk go kimagat kimut kotini haraka go kaginam.Lakini agot kimamagat kanam chito amun kenam chito go kitamoche kenai kabisa gel kiyai makosa ne u ni ag ni ak ni…ng'olyot amnesty inegei go ne gilen onyochi gaat chito,lkaini an anee abwotii ole kinyochi gaat chit ne kiyai makosa..Ang bikchok ii,kesomchini nyoetabgaat amu kiyai makosa nee.Ma magat kenyhochikat bichotok,magat kityakta amu kigirat en buch….moche kigoch pressure policesi karon mutai komarat chi buch." The gist of the above broadcast is that the Kalenjin do not need amnesty as they committed no crime. The or caused to be broadcast material that was inciting caller said that those who killed were only fighting for their democratic right and those who stole the elections are also murderers. Further on Monday June 16, 2008, you broadcast or cased to broadcast material that was inciting. Your panelist spoke at the beginning of the programme about the agitation for the release of the youth arrested following the post election violence. He said people must ascertain the presence of the youth in police custody instead of assuming that any missing person was arrested and is in custody. He said many families were sitting back in belief that all the missing persons in their families were arrested by police and were in custody, without verifying the true position of the situation. He said the missing persons 'could have long been killed' In a separate broadcast, this time on the subject of the by-elections in Ainamoi and Kilgoris, a caller had the following to say, without moderation from the studio: "…the by-election was so full of irregularities that many people were forced to vote for Konchella forcefully. I urge the community to gear up for a serious s confrontation with the Maasais…. I appeal to the Kalenjin people to get prepared for something serious….even if it means our children and women are moved out of Trans Mara. Another studio presenter, Kipchumba arap Sergon, expressed unhappiness saying police spokesman Eric Kiraithe has said the 14 days provided for in the constitution are not to carry out investigations. He said Attorney General Amos Wako "is not doing his job well". He added: "we have heard and seen many scandals taking place in Kenya and the AG is not dealing with them sufficiently .that is why we feel there is unfair application of law in Kenya" The consequences of this irresponsible and inflammatory broadcast are likely to inflame passions and cause tensions, including fear and despondency, among large groups of listeners ,especially among communities in the rift valley province .this coming hot on the heels of the tragic post election violence ,does not augur well or the peace building process and only helps to accentuate animosities ,again among large groups of people. Your station's lackadaisical attitude in the face of the most dire warnings an cautionary notes from the government and objections from many concerned listeners of all walks of life in the rift valley and further afield,amounts to a presumption of impunity. This will no longer be tolerated by the government. You will recall, on several occasions, we have held meetings with government officials where these issues were brought o your attention. Regrettably, despite your oral commitment to upholding journalistic ethics and promotion of peace and harmony, your station has continued to broadcast undesirable material. Your attention is drawn to Clause 11, Section C of the second schedule of the Media Act, 2007 n the code of ethics and Conduct of Journalism, which sates: "News, reports or commentaries should not be written or broadcast in a manner likely to inflame the passions, aggravate the tensions or accentuate to the strained relations between the communities concerned.Equally, so articles or broadcasts with the potential to exacerbate communal trouble should be avoided". We also refer to our letter which granted you a license to operate a radio station and remind you that the government reserves the right prescribe such conditions as are deemed necessary for the safeguarding of peace and national security. While the government upholds freedom of expression, including an unfettered media sector and Kenya has long played host to the largest corps of foreign correspondents on this continent outside post-independence South Africa, including world-class broadcasters, it is expected that every broadcaster shall balance this freedom wit responsibility. By dint of your license the government expects you to observe the highest professional standards and avoid broadcasts that are likely to inflame tensions and, or encourage acts of violence or militate against good taste and civilized behaviour. We are very concerned indeed with the trend your station has taken. In view of the forgoing therefore, you are required to show cause, within seventy two hours of the date hereof, why you broadcast license should not be withdrawn for endangering peace and tranquility. In the event hat no written response is received within the stipulated period, the government will proceed to institute appropriate action without further reference to you whatsoever. In the meantime, you should desist forthwith from broadcasting inflammatory material. Yours sincerely Signed Bitange Ndemo, PhD, CBS PERMANENT SECRETARY CC Mrs. Peris Nkonge Ag Director General Commission Communications of Kenya Mr.Wachira Waruru Chairman Media Council of Kenya Nairobi ---++++---+++---- The Media Council of Kenya has already reacted furiously to the threat to close down the station because, as an umbrella media regulatory body, it says it has the capacity to act as an arbiter between government and media houses. The council’s chairman Waruru Kanja also added that the last thing they ever want to see happening is to have broadcasting licences withdrawn and that the council was not happy the government wrote directly to Kass rather than the media council. In a rejoinder letter to the PS late last evening, the management of KASS FM has denied the charges level against it by government. Meanwhile, the media council is investigating the allegations. In 1995, the broadcast licence of Kass FM was suspended by the CCK for seven days over allegations of incitement to violence during the heated referendum campaigns for a new constitution. The station was only then allowed back on air after it gave the CCK copies of the next three months programming. Kass FM is very popular among younger listeners in the larger Rift Valley area. Update 13h00 Kenya time The deadline to close down KASS FM expired one hour ago but KASS FM is still ON-AIR. The Media Owners Association (MOA) spokesperson Hannington Gaya has come to the defense of KASS whom he revealed are crying of being victimised because of a former partner/employee who has strong links in government. The station has denied any wrong doing and complain about constant government harassment saying that other vernacular FM stations are broadcasting worse content yet they have not been warned by authorities. The MOA have said they want to listen to the alleged programming before passing any judgement. To all Kalenjin speakers in Kenya, you can tune to KASS on the following FM frequencies: Nairobi: 89.0 Eldoret: 90.0 Kericho/Bomet/Kisii 91.0 Kisumu: 91.0 Nakuru: 92.5 Kakamega: 102.6 International listeners can catch Kass FM online on the website at the link provided at the top of this post. Meanwhile, the issue has now taken a political angle when some members of parliament (mainly from ODM) called at press conference at bunge this morning and criticized the government move terming it an affront to press freedom. Ababu Namwamba, who spoke on behalf of the MPs, criticised Bitame Ndemo's threat to pull KASS FM from the airwaves saying that what Kass was being accused of has been in the public domain for the last six months and has actually been repeatedly uttered by politicians and members of the public, including being published in newspapers and other media outlets and yet the government had not arrested anyone. Ababu added that YES indeed the elections were stolen and it does not amount to inciting the public by 'merely expressing an opinion' on issues of public interest. More later.
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