Archive for October 2010
driving madness
now hope all of you had a wonderful recess. mine was ok until today when i was on my way back to school.
for those of us who know how to drive i would give you a caution to be very careful on the roads. why is every driver always in ahurry to overtake and when they are not given the way they become so angry. today i had to start laughing instead of feeling remorseful because of the incidents that unfolded on our way to school.
we were in the Rwaken bus coming back to school in the evening and here was a toyota cub driver who was so eager to overtake us. once he passed us he went infront of the bus and stopped so the bus driver had to put the emergency break but unfortunately hit the other car from behind. as if this was not enough drama to deal with, while we were awaiting for the police to come another machakos bus pulled up from behind and angry passengers alighted and started to ambush another car,( think it was a nissan i am not so good at knowing the type of cars). so any way one would have thought that these guys are after a thief or something, only to realize later on that the “nissan” driver had been behaving the same way like the cub driver, that is, he kept on overtaking the machakos bus over and over again. the passengers kept on shouting that these people were out to kill them…to cut the long story short the police finally came to calm down the matter….
please let us be careful on the roads especially if we are the ones behind the wheels.
bilha wangui
Not there yet……
Friday the 15th i am very excited and so are most students in Daystar thanks to recess, a good number of us are set to leave for Homabay at “exactly” 6:30pm and as usual the Africans we are, the bus only gets moving at around 8:00 pm you can do the math how many minutes or is it hours later. All the same we are headed for the land of “fish and english”. Beautiful place they are having the short rains and the grass is all green and the seedlings are up.
Saturday morning and on days like this you are greatful you know something about culture shock. The tables are flooded with all soughts of delicacies in this part of the country you have to serve generously. We go about our business of the day, even goes and morning comes its Sunday. I am honoured to speak to some young people or “teens” like they prefer to be called amazing children very bright and hopeful.
Our discussion begins with a brief introduction and at the end i can only remember a handful of their names which they forgive me for. I return the favour and introduce myself and i am shocked at the questions that follow what i thought was a comprehensive introduction.
One wants to know whether i am married, another my tribe, my home area and the best part whether President Kibaki is my relative how i wish. This brings me to my point children young as this mind you the eldest was thirteen wonder why they want to be called “teens” reflect what is going on in the society. Just because my middle name is “Njeri” to them there is a possibility i am related to President Kibaki. Could this be what they pick up from the adults around them?
I am not in any way trying to be tribalistic but it would be very wrong if we sit back and asume we not tribalistic. As a people we might be moving away from it but we are not there yet. My biggest concern is for such young children who especially during the post poll chaos picked up alot of negativity and tribalism from the adults around them and when the gentle man’s agreement was reached the adults did not bother to explain this bit, so for them no progress has been made.
A good example when parents fight infront of their children they record that, but when the kiss and make up in private the children do not witness this therefore, in their minds their parents are still fighting. We need to communicate with the young children in our homes especially about tribalism other wise we might as well forget eliminating tribalism in this country.
I am in no way a pesimist, I hope we will not have a repeat of the 2007-2008 chaos. But let us remember where we are coming from, some of the habits we still hold on to which are not necessarily good and deal with them. Let’s not subject our children to the kind of hatered that has plagued this country for nearly five decades we need to bring it to a stop.
2012 is coming we have an opportunity to right our wrongs but need i say more we are not there yet.
Irene Kimacia
07-1656
What has technology brought?
Everyday we get to learn new things and this are some of the lessons that makes us make better informed decisions, most university students resort to violence as part of presenting their grievances. sometimes it has to be a negotiating affair. University of Nairobi students are just back from their long holidays the university has introduced a system of booking for rooms online, this system they claim has been of a disadvantage one because they say it does allocate rooms randomly and therefore does not consider those who applied earlier, the other disadvantage that comes with this system as presented by the students is that they have no one to complain to since they are not so sure who is in the department. What does this then mean for them? the students therefore had to converge at the student welfare authority offices to present their grievances, unfortunately they received the same old response that they need to still wait since the sytem is still processing their requests. Isn’t it time we all embracetechnology?
Janet 07-0888
Recess fiasco
Whether you spent your recess in Hawaii, or at your rural home, its time you accept the reality that the little paradise on earth is over. I was waiting for the bus at Valley road campus and would not help notice the bored state of students( especially Athi River Students). They all looked weary.Then i happened to chat with one.Well, He couldnt believe he is back to campus-as if that was not enough, the poor guy has a CAT tomorrow-of which he hardly read.Well, Dont worry, my dear friends, i belong to that caliber too.Am still trying to adjust especially when i have just come from an area with lots and lots of heavy rain.Thats life guys, things will still work out.Have the best of fun in campus.
Beatrice Mwangi (08-0408)
KENYAN GIRLS’ NEW SCUTTLEBUTT TREND
Broadcast Journalism 467 Reporter
There have been rising complaints, especially from the Kenyan male species about the cropping trend of Kenyan girls spreading messages to each other in codes that they clearly are far from cracking. Unless a girl decides to forsake the virtual “girl-code” and expose the message to the boys, no man, mwanaume, boy, homme, bloke, lad (you can name all that describes the male species) can ever tell what is going on in the minds of the women they think they know so well.
Never have I seen such unity amongst the Kenyan female population because many would argue that Kenyan girls, second to the “Oga” sisters from Nigeria have dominant “cat-like” characteristics. This means that they are very territorial and overprotective with that which they “think” belongs to them (including boys), high competitive nature especially against fellow girls and the most popular of all is the definite “settling for nothing but the best”. One may perceive the last mentioned characteristic as a forced and obviously petty one, but beware. When a Kenyan girl says that she will settle for nothing but the best, she means nothing but the best; this may include jobs, cars, houses, boys, clothes, dates, holidays and so much more that a girl daily thinks about and even covets.
Girlpower at its peak
But, today is not about exposing all about the philosophy of Kenyan girls to the entire human race. This is because it is something that is humanly impossible to achieve. I don’t think that there is anyone dead or alive in this world who has ever fully understood why girls behave the way they do.
A joke was once shared with me that when God asked one man for a wish that he would love to be granted, the man said, “A direct highway from my doorstep to Hawaii.” When God told him that it would cause lots of structural malfunctioning and that his request was rather selfish, the man rephrased to a more sensitive request. He then asked God if he could fully understand what goes through his wife’s head when she cries, laughs, goes quiet, quarrels and even smiles. God told him that it’s an impossible task to achieve and that it would take too much of His time. Finally, God asked him, “About that highway, how long would you want it to be?”
Not just about chit-chat and chocolate, but, more
Girls are a mysterious species and the sooner one accepts that, the more stress free their lives will be. Today, we shall get to embrace yet another victory by the Kenyan girls in managing to communicate important messages amongst themselves and achieve total accord on the stipulated themes that vary with time. I guess another thumb up should go to Mr. Mark Elliot Zuckerberg for initiating the Facebook social network which is the basic channel of communication between Kenyan girls on this matter.
What happens is that upon the crack of a new theme that a Kenyan girl wants to share with other Kenyan ladies only, she makes up a code that will highlight several meanings then post them online as her status update for others to see. She will, then, receive inbox messages from other girls for explanation of the theme message then they will give their response to the theme as their status updates too. The responses vary from colour codes, to measurements, to designer labels to names of people. This of course causes a stir amongst the Kenyan male species that have no clue on what the theme is and often irritates them. But, as we know it harms not as it does not involve the boys.
Kenyan girls often use Facebook to send coded messages
A commendable theme was that of Breast Cancer awareness using Facebook whereby ladies updated the colour of the bras that they wore for a whole week. This was to remind the ladies that breast cancer is real and that it is not just another “white-woman’s disease” that wouldn’t harm us. This, I presume caused the setoff of the need of the female population in Kenya to communicate valuable messages to each other using a readily available social network and promote understanding of feminine issues.
Too bad the boys have not found a way to communicate issues amongst themselves, maybe because of the “alpha male” characteristic of African men that reveals that most guys do not like public sharing of issues unlike the ladies. But, hate it or love it, the coded messages are here to stay for a while so just get used to it boys…
Yours truly,
Ayuma Shelly
07-1396
ELDORET NORTH REACTIONS OVER RUTO’S SUSPENSION
Okay so Eldoret North is my home so it was quite interesting to find out people’s reactions on their MP’s suspension
Abigael kikwai -07-1030
Following the big announcement of the Former Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, William Ruto being suspended over corruption charges by the two principals President Kibaki and Prime Mininster Raila Odinga, the move has elicited mixed reactions among his constituents
Mr.Ruto who before being the Minister of Higher Education was according to many very active minister of Agriculture. Timothy Limo, a farmer in Eldoret says that, “the timing of the suspension is aimed at political assassination”
Eldoret North MP and Former Higher Education Minister
Meanwhile an Eldoret town councellor says that the move by the two principals was politically motivated aimed at thwarting his chances of vying for presidency in 2012.
Dorcas Chelangat a student in Moi University carried the same thought terming the suspension as “unfair, but he will come back bigger and better”
The former minister who has in the recent past recieved a lot of media attention during the referundum as he lead the “NO” camp has increased his poplularity not only among the people of the Rift Valley but also all over the country. A business man and Employee of Moi University, Jonathan Misoi based in Belgium says that the minister should have resigned before had to pave way for investigations so as to prove that he is indeed innocent.
The court on Monday found that Ruto has a case to answer over the 96 million sale of the Ngong forest land to a parastatal. Among others who thought differently is, Mr Njuguna who is an IDP says that “everyone must pay for their mistakes it does not matter what position you hold thanks to the new constitution”
In his place Prof. Hellen Sambili, minister of East African Community takes in acting capacity as Mr Ruto awaits his court case to begin.
My Hero
Last night I asked each of my family members who they considered their heroes. What I learned is that none of them had actually thought of people they could term as heroes. I prodded them further, trying to make them think more about the topic.
After a whole hour of questioning, I realized that the issue of who deserves to be termed a hero has never crossed most people’s minds. People had not given the issue much thought until this week, when the media made them.
My relations all mentioned the same names that I heard all over the media, Jomo Kenyatta, Bildad Kagia, Mekatilili wa Menza and most of the freedom fighters.
It is true that the freedom fighters are the true heroes. However, their feats are so distant and ancient that we rarely ever feel their consequences.
In the morning I watched through my window as school children got herded down a road by two stick wielding adults, whom I concluded must have been their teachers. I knew that the kids were on their way to the stadium.
I remembered how for a whole week the teachers would take us through the grueling song and poem rehearsals. On the big day we would troop to the stadium where we entertained the District Commissioner and the other dignitaries present.
To say that we detested the hours we sunk into the rehearsals would be an understatement. We abhorred it all. The exhausting trek to the stadium, the long hours spent sitting in the scorching sun. Then singing and dancing in the midday heat. After all that we still had to sit and take a long boring speech from the DC. Once the ceremony was over we still had to take the long walk back to school for our afternoon classes.
It is possible that some students enjoyed the time out of class, but personally, I dreaded public holidays. It is for this reason that I think I that I do not have a public figure, or freedom fighter I could term as my hero. I did so much for them as a child, even when I had no tangible evidence of their having existed. All I know about them is pure heresy. I feel that they are too removed to affect my everyday living.
But if there is a person I think deserves the title of being my hero, it’s my father. He has a hand in almost everything I do. He finances everything I do that requires financing. He is my first resort when I need help. He has always been there when I needed him.
We may disagree and argue. We may go days without talking to each other. We may not see eye to eye on most issues, something I blame wholly on our age difference. But in spite of everything he still is my number one hero. He is my president. He is my leader. John Kimathi Nkanatha-my father is my hero.
Denis M. Kimathi
07-0762
mashujaa
Mashujaa day was a great idea. I think it was an even greater idea when the government decided to honor the people who fought for independence.
When I was in high school, I got to learn so much about our heroes through history. I knew about general Maingi, Dedan Kimathi, the marshals, Mekatilili and most of all the Mau Mau. All these people were taught to almost everyone who went through the 8-4-4 system of education. However, this year, for the first Mashujaa day after the implementation of the new constitution, the private and public universities were asked to join together and sing for the Mashujaa.
Why was it a splendid idea? it ensured that the concept of celebrating heroes from our past and in our day to day lives is passed on to the young generation.
Rehearsals for the big day began on the Friday the fifteenth of October at the permanent presidential music commission grounds on state house road. It was interesting to see the various buses of Masinde Muliro, University of Nairobi, Catholic University, United States International University, Kimathi University, Kenya Methodist University, Moi Kabarak University and Jomo Kenyatta University. Daystar University was present but did not have a bus however; the Afrizo team was high spirited and enthusiastic for the rehearsals.
Under the vocal training of Dr. Ngala, Mwalimu Wanyama, and a host of other choir trainers and teachers from the various universities, the choir was able to learn two songs and a choral verse.
The performance at the Nyayo stadium was excellent however there was a problem with the sound equipment at the last minute. The echo in the stadium was a disruption but the young students were in no way demoralized, which made their performance a star performance. Other people who offered entertainment on that day were Jimmy Gait, Hezzy Ndung’u, Maroon Commandos band and Her Excellency The First Lady’s State House Choir.
wambura
mashujaa
the video of the rehearsal has failed to upload because the software that is in the computer is not compatible with the blog. however, I will post the pictures and trhe videos for you. 🙂
wambura
Newborn in a sewer.
On Saturday, i was coming from a friend’s house and passing just near a sewer where i saw a crowd of people. When i went there, a body was being removed from sewer. The body was of a new born baby. It seems the baby had been put in a polythene paper and the hand was hanging out of the paper. The police came shortly after that and assured the people they will be investigating the matter. the person responsible has not yet been identified up until now.
CATHERINE NJOKI(07-0112)
.::Broadcast Journalism::467's Blog::. 