Category Archives: Marriage

Kenya: Gossi Column

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Forwarded By Leo Odera Omolo

BY PETER OLIVER OCHIENG

The Famous Will

There’s a verse in the bible that says “Wise men know when they are just about to die”.

I believe the author of that verse was utmost inspired by his highness the Almighty Father because that is the simple fact of life.

And that is why most people write down their wills whenever it downs unto them that they are just about to give room for upcoming and future generations.

Otherwise, how can a sensible person write a will when he clearly knows that he’s not better placed to wave bye to this uncompromising world any time soon?

Since I was born more than two decades ago to present date, no one among those who went to hell or heaven before us ever left a famous will. The reason is that most wills range from providing heirs to wives, husbands, children, houses and acres of grabbed land among all other earthly materialistic things in the name of property.

For a very long time now, I have gone through desperate days and sleepless nights. I’ve gone through thick & thin, rain and sunshine. I’ve thought carefully and logically to produce what I now confidently refer to as “The famous will”.

“My dear wives, children, brethren, sisters and villagers (villagers are included chiefly because it takes the efforts of a whole village to raise a child).Time has come when we must call a spade a spade and not a big spoon. After birth, comes marriage and finally death. The writing is on the wall-my time has come, I have to go.

Since I was born almost 100 years ago, throughout my life as a junior, youth, middle aged man and now an old man who is just about to kiss this world an everlasting bye, I have stood the taste of time to witness the power of change on both negative and positive fronts.

Of all the changes, the most negative one has been coming out there in large numbers to feast in funerals of slain men. In the traditional African society, the trend was different as the aggrieved family used to get food donations from well wishing villagers.

From a biblical point of view, there’s no verse in the bible indicating that men ate and drunk heavily during burials. By feasting, will you be mourning or celebrating my death? I hope the point is home with all of you. Cooking food, drinking and feasting in the course of my funeral are condemned with the strongest terms ever.

As always, before the final journey to the land of the chosen few (heaven), there will be sermons and speeches from religious leaders, relatives, friends and foes alike. The holy bible always reminds us of saying only the truth so as to be set free. For those who will get a rare chance to speak, utter only the truth.

The issue of exaggerating every aspect of my life will do me no good. Of what benefit will it be to you if you stand tall and argue that I was holy than thou when all know that the word church never existed in my vocabulary? If you call me honest, many will wonder how because in death, I die with many of my neighbours debts.

How do you stand to gain if you stand before the whole village and falsely testify that I was on the fore front of fighting witchcraft when all know too well that it was not until very late that I relinguished the captain’s arm band to the villages’ witchcraft team. In order to increase my probability of ever shaking hands with those heavenly angels (Gabriel and Mary), do not be tempted to exaggerate anything about my life. Then to all speakers, do not speak to exercise your jaws. Be brief and precise.

Over the ages, there has been a raging debate as to whether women should be equal to men. Some male chauvinists argue that since Eve was constructed from Adam’s rib, there’s no way women can become a dorminant species. Irrespective of the chest thumping men, women have so far tried to hold their own account. They are nowadays fighting men left, right and centre on all professional fronts.

Leave alone professionalism, games and sports previously dictated by men have been ‘invaded’ by women. Take for instance women soccer teams like Brazil, Germany and Nigeria. These women play football like nobody’s business. All the same, they are still not equal to men.

What brings out the distinction is simple. Whereas men can dig graves, women have been denied that privilege by barbaric and superstitious beliefs imposed by men. My will is gender sensitive. Women are better placed to dig up my grave since they are the ones who toil the farms while men traverse the villages in search of drinking dens.

Women, permission is granted, brace yourselves up and dig my grave.

This is an opportunity that is extremely up for grabs. Come one, come all and prove to your male counter parts that what men can do, women can do it better and what women can do better, men cannot do. In deed, I’m bound to rest in peace if my grave is exclusively worked on by women.

Lest I forget, I’m leaving behind my pretty last wife. Although when I married her I said ‘till death do us apart’, she is not for inheritance. Not even over my dead body. I hope to meet her in the spirit world when her time expires on earth. And again, I do not need a coffin in order to go to heaven. Bye and may God bless you all.

KENYA: WHEN THE VALUE OF MARRIAGE HAS BEEN REDUCED TO ‘CHAPA’

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Colleagues Home & Abroad Regional News

BY FR JOACHIM OMOLO OUKO, AJ
NAIROBI-KENYA
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2011

One of my Facebook friends recently posted on her News Feed page a very informative joke: “If money grew on trees women would date monkeys.” This is also true of Gwen Guthrie, an American singer-song writer, best known for her 1986 song: “You’ve got to have a j-o-b if you want to be with me/ No romance without finance”.

It explains why a common saying that a Kikuyu woman will treat you like a king as long as you have cash, but toss you like rotten mutura (traditional sausage) once you are broke is no longer confined to Kikuyu women alone-every woman needs ‘chapa’ (cash), especially now that Kenyan economy is almost becoming valueless.

The prices of essential commodities continue to shoot up due to weakening of Kenya shillings against US dollar. This week alone by the close of trading session on Tuesday, the local currency closed the day at new low of Sh95.05 against the dollar with dealers in the market quoting the shilling at an average of Sh95, for the first time in about 17 years.

Already there is fear that by next week according to the market projections an exchange rate may shoot up to Sh100 plus. The weaker the shillings the continuity of higher prices-it means that pay cheques will never keep up as media reports. This scenario makes everyone to love money.

That is also why the myth of sex that Kamba woman is known to be a force to reckon with, or coastal women are so idle that they spend the whole day applying henna all over their bodies, prepare elaborate weddings and cook biryani the whole day as they gossip, or Taita are said to make exemplary, humble wives, but when they make up their minds that a relationship is headed for doom, they are known to vanish back to their parents’ faster than you can say “mdavida” are gone myths.

Other myths that Luo women are said to stick to their men like glue as long as they suspect love is in the air and don’t look at another woman! If you do, she will have you and the other woman by the neck does not apply. Apart from being prided to have “drop dead gorgeous” bodies – with ‘Adhiambo sianda’ being their brand name, Luo women are believed to be good cooks and bewitching lovers.

Some men, especially Luo men like to marry Luhya women because of the myth that they are known to be modest and to have austerity, and that while they cannot stand extravagance, a Luhya woman would rather stay at home and drink numerous cups of tea than have you take her for an expensive dinner so long as there is in constant supply of ugali and Ingoho (chicken), she is yours for keeps.

The Luo men, mainly from Awendo, Dede, Migori, Ulanda, Ogwedhi, Makalda or surrounding areas of South Nyanza are said to like marrying Maragoli women not only because they believe they are easy to tame, but also because they are known to be in the business of making children, does not apply either.

The myth also has it that Kalenjin woman will never utter a word even if she smells strange perfume from you-she will not ask you from which woman did you get the perfume and where. And that men like them because they most beautiful, hardworking and wear big-hearts-former American ambassador to Kenya picked one.

Other myths have it that Maasai women are unquestionably obedient. They will never dream of correcting their menfolk. They still view their husbands as “lord of the house”.
People believe Masaai men are still glued to the custom of planting spears outside their age group member’s manyattas to warn the husband that serious business is taking place inside the manyatta and therefore will not ask you where you slept and with whom. Men also like them because they are generous with their husbands.

While Meru women are believed to be so faithful and agreeable that they will fight divorce to the bitter end even if they are living in hardship condition despite the fact that like men they can be hot tempered, Kisii woman has it in her mind that as long as you make her world rock she will never leave, even if you hire ten bulldozers to evict her from your house, like Meru women men are cautious because they can be hot tempered.

Today all these myths have been taken by time. In US for instance, unmarried couples account for more than 5.5 million households. This is because marriage means business. Without money it means no love. Your girl friend can just leave you because you refused to M-Pesa her or bamba twenty.

This is because the lack of money generated by one person in the eyes of the other can cause a problem because the expectations of the other person haven’t been met. Some working class would like to remain unmarried because they want to feel that they want to enjoy their funds alone because they are doing so well.

These are the type of women who would not like to get married because a man could use money as a symbol of power in the relationship. This is because in relationship money has proven to be the root of the problem. The man is usually the authority, and money has control and authority connected to it.

Another reason why most single professional women do not want get married as some of my Facebbok friends argue is because most single professionals are tied by careers, lack of appropriate partner or just lack of commitments and fear of responsibility, or because they are feared for what they have or education levels or the far they are careerwise.

Most single professionals online would however, like to combine forces to remove this fear and have single people take a step of faith to declare they are single and are ready for a commitment, which is why you can get them through date lines. Some women and men through such date lines have managed to get good partners for life.

Although some working class or professional single women as they are sometimes referred to would like to get married, according to the Daily Nation results of the poll published December 24, 2006, on which I was also interviewed, 63 percent of Kenya’s single women are frustrated marriage-wise because there is no man to marry them.

It explains why some single women and men have formed their own class where they prefer to be lesbians or homosexuals staying together even though most gay people disagree with this theory despite the fact that most scientists and biologists agree that there may be an environmental component to sexuality.

Of course, while some women would like to be lesbians because of the past molestation by men, especially through rape, the fact remains that some do so as a matter of choice between two options. This also applies to homosexual gays.

The good news is that professional women in their late 30s and 40s are happy, independent ‘living singles’. Some have made a deliberate decision to remain so while others argue they are still single by forced circumstances such as broken relationships, whereas majority of those in their 40s have established careers and acquired property so many men shy off from them because they feel threatened.

The bad news is for women in their 50s-they struggle with loneliness. They tend to hate men and cry over lost relationships, cursing those men who messed them up when they could have made better choices. Most of those women suffer from rejection, bitterness and stigma.

So the issue here is not sorely on money that is why for instance, there are around 150,000 divorces a year in the UK at the moment with the average marriage lasting 11 years. It’s often women who do the walking out of a marriage that has gone stale, or where both parties have grown apart.

People for Peace in Africa (PPA)
P O Box 14877
Nairobi
00800, Westlands
Kenya

Tel 254-20-4441372
Website: www.peopleforpeaceafrica.org

POPE BENEDICT PRAYS FOR SPANISH YOUTH

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Colleagues Home & Abroad Regional News

from People For Peace

BY FR JOACHIM OMOLO OUKO, AJ
NAIROBI-KENYA
TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2011

Pope Benedict XVI’s general intention this month is for the World Youth Day taking place in Madrid from August 15-21, 2011. He prays that the world youth day may encourage all the young people of the world to root and found their lives in Christ.

His missionary intention is that Christians of the West, docile to the action of the Holy Spirit, may re-encounter the freshness and enthusiasm of their faith-click here to read Spanish Episcopal Conference’s WYD Invitation

The prayer is being offered at the time abortion among the youth is increasingly worrying. Abortion was fully legalized on July 5, 2010. According to new government study released in 2006 shows the rate of abortion has increased among Spanish young people.

According to the Spanish news agency EFE, the National Institute for Statistics reports that abortions among women under 19 in Spain rose to 8.8 abortions for every 1,000 women, up from 5.5 for every 1,000 women in 1995.

The government report confirms the findings of the Institute of Family Policy (IFP), which reported that in Spain approximately one in every six pregnancies ended in abortion, and one in seven abortions were carried out by women under 19. IFP also reported that the largest percentage of Spanish women aborting were under 24 in 2003.

Even though the Roman Catholic Church in Spain has denied it condones the use of condoms as a way of combating the Aids virus, the fact remains that due to abortion rates among the youth which have risen concomitantly, the government has publicly and massive lobbying for “safe sex” programs and promotion of condom use over the years.

While Spanish laws officially restrict abortion to situations involving rape, malformation of the baby, or threats to the physical or mental health of the mother, nearly 95.7 percent of all abortions are justified for concern for the mother’s health, while 2.5 percent are for fetal deformity, and just 0.1 percent for rape.

Recent surveys also show the number of practicing Catholics is dropping fast, to around 20 percent currently despite the fact that 94 percent of Spaniards are Catholic. Mass attendance has dropped from 44 percent in 1980 to only 19 percent in 2008.

Spain, of course, is not the only European nation to have largely abandoned the Faith. 2008 attendance among German Catholics was at 22 percent, among the French only 12 percent, and in the Netherlands a minuscule 7 percent of Catholics attended Mass weekly.

Apart from abortion, the Spanish parliament also approved a same-sex marriage law in 2005. Spain’s action follows similar moves by the Netherlands and Belgium, where same-sex marriage has been legal. Same-sex marriage officially became legal in Spain on Sunday, 3 July 2005.

Although the Spanish law also gives same-sex couples the right to adopt children and receive inheritances, Catholic authorities are adamantly opposed to it, fearing the weakening of the meaning of marriage. Pope Benedict XVI has condemned gay marriage as an expression of “anarchic freedom” that threatens the future of the family.

Approximately 4,500 same-sex couples have married in Spain during the first year of the law. At least one partner must be a Spanish citizen to marry, although two non-Spaniards may marry if they both have legal residence in Spain.

Jobless is yet another big problem among the youth in Spain, to the extent that tens of thousands of Spaniards angry over joblessness went to the street to protest in cities all over the country.

Although Spain has no official religion, the constitution of 1978 disestablished the Roman Catholic Church as the official state religion, while recognizing the role it plays in Spanish society. According to the National Institute of Statistics (April 2010), 73.2 percent of the population are Catholic, 2.3 percent belong to another religion, 14.6 percent are agnostic, and 7.6 percent are atheists.

Spain has maintained its special identification with Latin America. Its policy emphasizes the concept of Hispanidad, a mixture of linguistic, religious, ethnic, cultural, and historical ties binding Spanish-speaking America to Spain.

With the Third Council of Toledo in 859 Catholicism became the official religion of Spain despite the fact that article 3 of this Constitution established that Spain has no official religion. This aspect was one of the reasons that led to the coup d’état followed by a bloody civil war between 1936 and 1939.

But even so the Spanish system is neither a denominational model nor a separatist model in the strict sense. It can be characterised by two ideas: the idea of some recognition of religious groups by the state and secondly the idea of religious freedom.

The treatment of religious groups can be described as a pyramidal structure. At the first level there is the Catholic Church which receives maximum rights with the help of Concordats.

The second level consists of minority religious communities having signed agreements. At the third level there are registered minority religious communities and finally those having no specific legal status.

In Spain there are no Theological Faculties in the State Universities. But you can find four Universities of the Catholic Church (Salamanca, Navarre, Deusto and Comillas) having a specific status regulated by the Agreement of 5 April 1962. Other religious groups can establish universities in the same way as any other body or individual.

Every religious group has the right to set up television stations, radio or press.

The Catholic Church is in contrast to all other religious groups financed directly by the State. All religious communities having signed an agreement are treated as non-profit organisations. Due to this regulation they profit from certain tax advantages. In Spain we can find only one class of matrimony: the civil matrimony. But there are certain different forms such as the civil, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Islamic form.

People for Peace in Africa (PPA)
P O Box 14877
Nairobi
00800, Westlands
Kenya
Tel 254-20-4441372
Website: www.peopleforpeaceafrica.org

KENYA: WORKSHOP ON LAND AND WATER SECURITY

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Colleagues Home & Abroad Regional News

BY FR JOACHIM OMOLO OUKO, AJ
WUNDANYI-TAITA TAVETA
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2011
TAKE-3

Workshop on land and water security entered its third day yesterday here at Taita Taveta County in Mombasa Catholic Archdiocese with challenges on the implementations of the new constitution with some participants wondering why Kenyans voted for it overwhelmingly despite the fact that some church leaders told their flocks to vote against it.

Some participants were even concerned why the very church leaders who rejected the constitution and called the meeting to condemn one single man for wearing stud on his ear cannot do the same for over 10 million Kenyans who die of hunger.

Church leaders fear they would be blamed if they don’t condemn things that touch on morality that is why they were afraid if they did not reject the constitution because of abortion or condemn Dr Willy Mutinga for wearing the studs, which to them meant that he was either homosexual or advocating for it they would be blamed.

Those who die of hunger or still live in IDPs camps is not of a great concern to church leaders because they don’t touch on morality and therefore don’t see any need to call for meeting to push on the government to ensure that no body is dying because of hunger when they are able to feed them.

Kenyans overwhelmingly and peacefully voted “YES” for a new constitution as opposed to some Church leaders who commanded their flocks to vote “NO”. ‘YES’ got 5,954,767- representing 67.25 percent of the total votes while “NO” got 2,687,193- representing 30.25 percent.

Kenyans and for that matter, the vast majority of Christians went against their church leaders’ command and voted “YES” because they generally agreed that the proposed constitution, while not perfect, is a huge improvement over the old constitution, a colonial-era document that gives almost total power to the President and leaves out any mention that the government serves at the behest of Kenya’s citizens.

They voted “YES” because Kenya’s new constitution is not only designed to re-distribute political power away from the capital, Nairobi, to 47 newly created counties (the devolution of powers), but also the land issue. It explains why numerous groups played a pivotal role in delivering this historically critical outcome, including established groups such as the Kenya Land Alliance.

Other groups included the Center for Land Economy, Women’s Right Movements, the Green Belt Movement, and newer groups such as the young women’s advocacy group Warembo ni Yes (an outgrowth of Bunge la Mwananchi—Women’s Social Movement).

Warembo ni Yes used new technologies such as mobile phones, Facebook, Twitters and the Internet, and more traditional methods such as community forums to amplify the voices of their constituency. In the process, innovative female leaders emerged to advance women’s rights.

Women were to vote overwhelmingly for the new constitution because it guarantees that they will fill at least one-third of elected and appointed government posts, land and property inheritance. Under Kenya’s previous law, inheritance was governed by customary law, often preventing women from inheriting property from their parents or laying claim to joint assets when their husbands’ died.

A new Bill of Rights also provides that all marriages shall be registered under an Act of Parliament. This means that even customary law marriages will be certified, protecting women’s interests in disputes between a widow and her in-laws over property. Currently, in the case of customary marriage it is the in-laws who attest to the existence of the union since they are the ones who oversee the traditional wedding.

In the new dispensation, all marriages will be officially registered. Women will also be protected from claims by other women who turn up following a man’s death, claiming to have been married to the same man under customary law and demanding a share of his estate – a common occurrence.

Historically land has been the centre for controversy in Kenya especially the issue of women being denied the right to own or inherit land. There are numerous cases where women are disinherited of land and new law seeks to change this as stated in the following articles Article 60:

(1) Land in Kenya shall be held, used and managed in a manner that is equitable, efficient, productive and sustainable, and in accordance with the following principles-

(f) Elimination of gender discrimination in law, customs and practices related to land and property in land: Article 68 Enact legislation (vi) To protect the dependants of deceased persons holding interests in any land; and water.

The new law defines community land as ancestral land and lands traditionally occupied by hunter –gatherer communities or lawfully held as trust land by the county governments. The new law entrenches provisions that protect culture and traditional lifestyles of indigenous people.

“The constitution shall protect indigenous communities that have retained and maintained a traditional lifestyle and livelihoods based on hunter- gatherer economy or pastoral persons and communities, whether they’re nomadic or settled community because of its relative geographical isolation who have experienced only marginal participation in social and economic life of Kenya as a whole.

That is why a day after Kenyans voted to accept a new constitution women across the country spoke about their hopes and expectations. Formerly women have been robbed of their financial contributions to matrimonial assets.

Men for example could just wake up one morning and sale the house they had bought together with his wife without her consent. This cannot happen now because the new constitution provides for the elimination of gender discrimination in law, customs and practices related to land and property.

This is indeed a very historic moment for the women of this country who have for years battled with their in-laws in succession cases. Formerly in the case of customary marriage it is the in-laws who attest to the existence of the union since they are the ones who oversee the traditional wedding.

The new constitution also grants health budgets for counties, making health care services more available in rural areas. It will ensure that there will be better deployment of health workers in all parts of the country, better nutrition and provision of health services. This will enable more women to deliver in hospitals and a sharp improvement of family planning services.

People for Peace in Africa (PPA)
P O Box 14877
Nairobi
00800, Westlands
Kenya
Tel 254-20-4441372
Website: www.peopleforpeaceafrica.org

HOME INTERNAL MEMO

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FROM: FATHER

TO: ALL DEPENDANTS, RELATIVES & AUNTY

CC: MOTHER

DATE: TODAY

ECONOMIC SITUATION AND GROUND RULES

Due to the current economic situation, all domestic rules and regulations have been revised as below and under no circumstance is any violation going to be accepted.

1. The Kitchen and all pantries are declared Restricted Zones. Entry and/or passage shall require express permission from myself upon submission of written request.

2. Breakfast is banned. This matter cannot be discussed!

3. Such food items as rice, chicken, butter, jam, eggs, bread and milk are Restricted. Anyone intending to eat any of such foodstuffs must write to me in triplicate, with three days notice, giving justifications backed by a qualified dietician’s report.

4. Watering with hoses is banned. Further, only food-giving plants shall be watered. No lawns or flowers shall receive water. For internal decoration, only plastic and dry-flower arrangements shall permitted.

5. Bathing in the morning is limited to 5 litres of water per day per person while bathing in the evening is banned unless there are medical reasons.

6. All security lights should be removed with immediate effect. All dependants shall abide by an all-night guard-duty roster I shall make available shortly.

7. No dependant shall entertain friends indoors, far less attempt to offer food, drinks or even music. Those who want their guests to listen to music shall sing for them.

8. No one is allowed to talk to officials from police, Council or Court Bailiffs; doing so shall carry an instantaneous penalty of ejection from the house.

9. Anybody who breaks a glass, furniture or any other property in the house, shall immediately have to seek temporary employment somewhere to earn money to replace such broken item(s).

10. All visitors intending to spend a night/week or more shall apply in triplicate and give two months notice, with an endorsement from their town Mayor, Village Headman or Church Priest, giving convincing reasons why they can’t stay at their homes. Failure to do this shall result in their being turned away, at the gate, upon arrival.

THESE RULES ARE BINDING AND NOT SUBJECT TO ANY DISCUSSION WHATSOEVER!!!

Signed: DADY COLLINS Chairman of Home Affairs

KENYA: DOWRY/BRIDE PRICE , CHULO AYIE IS A MUST….

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from: Felix Okatch

PAYMENT OF DOWRY IS A MUST!!

The section of Marriage Bill 2011 which proscribes payment of dowry is inconsistent with Article 44 of the New Constitution. The Article respects people’s cultures and values but this Bill negates that position.

Payment of dowry, dubbed pride price is a cultural practice among African communities and cultures. The Europeans do not have this practice. The Asians have it in a different format. Similarly as Africans have polygamous marriages, the Europeans do not.

Our Laws must be consistent with our cultures not foreign thinking. For example, the Bukusu communities of Western Kenya have annual circumcision ceremonies; the Swazis have annual Reed Dances and many more. These are initiations into adulthood according to various communities and many more.

Payment of dowry is a cultural and matrimonial practice among most African communities. It marks the issues of amatory, that includes entry into adulthood.

As a matter of fact marriage is one of the most important conditions in human life. It is a condition which produces more problems just as it has more joy and satisfaction in life. On a bad note, it does end tragically at times besides causing misery. This can loosely be made attributable to ignorance of both man and woman in matrimony.

Forms and types of marriage are many and have evolved over time. They include marriage of one man to one woman (monogamy), one man to many women (polygamy), many men to one woman (polyandry), man to man (gay) and woman to woman(lesbianism). These are all marriages. It depends on which side of the equation you subscribe to.

Now let us turn to payment of dowry, the bride price. To Africans this practice is as old as life and there are no major complaints about it. Socially, economically and politically the dowry payment has not caused any manifestation of injury to those undertaking this practice.

The purpose of dowry is not money or sale of a bride. You cannot sell human beings. Slave trade was banned in 1884 and cannot happen in this era and time. Dowry payment is essentially a manifestation of commitment and agreement. It has no commercial value but social satisfaction. Among the southern Luos the word is not price but, agreeing. AYIE.

The payment which is a token symbolizes that the bridegroom accepts to take the bride to his home as wife permanently and for good. Dowry payment and agreement is a ghost contract and the payer receives the bride. It is done publicly, in the day time, and in presence of close relatives and in-laws from both sides of the divide.

In absence of such a ceremony, the bride is alleged to have eloped; she is cheap, low value and many more derogatory silent insinuations.

The word bride price does not signify monetary value of substance. If it was of actual monetary value, it could have been construed to mean slavery yet it is not. On the other hand it does not show that it is paid according to economic value of the bride. It is just a way of thanking, appreciation to the parents of bridegroom, acceptance, AYIE.etc

Payment of dowry is usually an occasion of festive nature, not a hidden affair. It is at day light and well publicized ceremony that gives pride to the parents, in-laws, and all other close relatives on both sides of the divide. This occasion can also be rejected by either bridal party if one side is suspected to be sorcerers, witches or close relatives. Note that relatives are not supposed to be married tone another.

This bride payment ceremony would also help parents and close relatives determine whether the bride and bridegroom are related. This calls for vetting on consanguinity, which is, checking on blood relationship. People do not marry their relatives. This must be checked at the point of paying and receiving dowry.

This Marriage Bill 2011 assumes that all people planning to get married stay in town, they know that they are not related and also do not need any parental guidance on marriage. But this is not so. Marriage though seen as a union of the parties in exclusion of the others but the real world is not so. You cannot live alone. Man /woman are social beings and need other just as others need them.

Bride price/Dowry in an African context makes sure that things do not fall apart. From experience due care is taken in advance so that a marriage does not fall apart.

The coming of Christianity in East Africa as from years 1800 by missionaries like Livingston, Krapf, and Rebman etc. brought with it a lot of Christian definitions of marriage. These are in the bible. They include quotations from the Holy Bible like; (1. Cor.6:17), (Eph.5:30, 31), (Deut.22:28, 29), (Mark 10:9) What God has joined together let no man separate’

As for southern Luos of Kenya, marriage is one of the ways in which they fulfill some of their customary rites. These range from pre-marital visits, making of homes, and burial ceremonies among others. The Luos believe in agnatic lineage (naming the dead) for their ancestors and also the principle of primogeniture, the first born starts a journey and others follow in that order etc.

Therefore failing to pay dowry/bride price can raise many cultural issues even after death of either spouse. This means that some aspects of insisting that dowry be paid after death is possible if it was not paid during a life time of married couples in question.

Among these southern Luos, there are instances where it is a taboo for a first born to be married to another first born. Similarly last born are not supposed to marry their fellow last born. This might sound biologically nonsensical but when bad omen or spirits befalls the two, then these are the matters that come up. They would lead to questions as to why did such matters get resolved at the stage of paying dowry. Culturally these issues get handled at premarital stages, hence bride price ceremony.

Therefore this section of the Bill is repugnant to cultural beliefs of some communities. It is in conflict with the Article 44 of the New Constitution. It does not respect cultural beliefs.

Felix Owaga Okatch
Wuod Gem Nyawara, Siaya County
Tel: 254-721-735489 or 0733-735489
E-mail: felixokatch@yahoo.com

Kenya: DOWRY BANNED, POLYGAMY ALLOWED-WE ARE FINISHED!

1 Reply

from Judy Miriga

Folks,

Changing life style and tradition of culture to conform with present generation of lifestyle in the millenium does not mean abandoning Traditional Values……

There were no weddings in those days, but dowry for bride price was……It now should just be retained as a symbolic gesture to seal and bond the marriage. “Mkosa mila ni mtumwa”…….Slave masters have a passion to change and tranform a slave to fit in their lifestyle and design………Watch out……..This is a conspiracy theory sired…..

We are on the road driving towards CHANGE, and passionate people must focus on how they are going to achieve what they believe in.

However, now that there are common place marriage through Church to perform and seal the Holy Matrimony, again, part of a Bride Price for symbolic gesture to appease the community’s spirit and avoid the curse of generation spirit, one cannot avoid to symbolize dowry as a Bride price not on monitary value of buying the bride.

However, when a marriage is done traditionally or over wedding, it is oath taking bond, given under oath……But incase there are unavoidable reasons that the two has to part ways, again, the two must seek legal redress for separation before they can commit to get married elsewhere…….Law is Law, there is no round about it, and Law must be obeyed.

It is against the law to just walk away from the marriage before legally separating as, settlement for divorce must be completed before one is free to go their ways as they freely wish to get engaged sexually away from their bond of marriage.

Consequently, if anyone walks out and gets married elsewhere in a binding marriage, before an official legalized divorce has been performed, commits Adultry, a crime punishable by the Law of land.

If the meaning of marriage cannot be protected and preserved by any Government worth its salt, then that Government has no business representing public interests……I do not see why there is a controversy about marriage……..The union between a man and a woman is clear-cut and there is no debate about it…….those who choose otherwise have no reason basis to cause conflict of interest or create a controversy for the same. But if Slave Master want to swagger the wife and husband to enjoy loose ended life to sample variety left and right, have a reason to build scapegoating……..

CHUNGA…..!

A domestic home (family), is the backbone of a community; a community is the backbone and strength of a Nation. A Nations Partnership for Unity of purpose with other Nations of the world, harmonizes conducive environment for peaceful coexistance sharing diverse interests of purpose for greater prospects in meeting challenges and competition for improved social lifestyle prospects…….and as a matter of concern, Trading is Link shared in Business of GIVE and TAKE…….You give what others do not have in exchange to get things in return to acquire things one do not have……..Long ago it was known as BARTER TRADING……the reason monitory (Money) exchange was created as a valuable means buy and sell commodities or services sold or rendered.

As a matter of fact, Government have a duty to preserve and protect its people’s security and interest, nurturing peaceful coexistance lifestyle with its Nation from destruction and against conflicting forces of diverse interest that could interfere with its peace and cultural values, honor and virtues, but provide negotiable atmosphere where its people and Nation can grow and prosper as they open doors and focus to meet other National communities.

There must be limitation of freedom, and Government has a duty to help assist regulate these freedom to make sure people do not break the laws, to avoid rules of the Jungle.

People go to school to get an education to do away with the rules of the Jungle. I expect a more sober debate from Policy makers or otherwise, it is time they must be shown the doors, if they cannot remember through which door they got to Parliament.

When Leadership and Integrity is lacking, this is what we get…….instead of the mind doing the business of thinking, it is in the business of lower industrial area of the bottom……..!

To have a right is not a guarantee to break laws, and laws and policy must compliment human values, dignity and virtues, without which, it is not the Law or Policy of the Land.

Thank you all, and have fun as you enjoy your weekends while celebrating Southern Sudan Independence.

Congratulation and Cheers to the people of South Sudan, and may God give Salva Kiir with all its leaders as well as all people of South Sudan, wisdom and strength to improve lives under Peace, Love and Unity…

Cheers everybody…!

Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com

– – – – – – – – – –

From: Jagem K’Onyiego

Oduya Eric,

Stop Panicking!! For sometime now, I have been following your postings and almost making a false conclusion that you are a very cool guy who can defend your territory well. Oooh!! Was I mistaken? Now, you just read this Bill and you are sounding like you have gotten scared out of your wits. No, No Brother; LAZIMA UKAE NGUMU KAMA GUMO.

During the promulgation of the New Constitution, he of the Kitendawili, aka “Dumakwiri” (Odharia in some Lingwa) quiped that “Sasa ndiyo Kazi inaanza”. I hope you did not forget this.

This new Constitution you must remember is meant to protect you and me from being torn to shreds by Vultures and Hyenas who swoop on things and want to eat more than their fill particularly where they have not Killed the pray.

Imagine for a moment that, if you want to marry, today, Ladies parents can give some “unmeetable” demands. It is as though they are selling their daughters to some Oil magnate residing in the Baltic sea, or somewhere in Siberia, where they will never ever meet their daughter again; ever!!!.

The surprising thing is that once they are paid money, I say pay because it is no longer Dowry, they still keep seeing their daughter and almost every end Month they continue to demand Money Money and more Money. This is not healthy for the relationship of the newly weds. Sooner or later it will degenerate and turn from Love to Hatred.

The banning of this “Selling price” for daughters coundn’t have come at a better time. Do not worry that if, say, you have daughters, like me and Miguna Miguna, that they will marry off and leave you a poor man. This notion is misplaced. Daughters will always come back to help their Parents, since they have that motherly instinct.

As for men the Bill is a Master piece for now, though it can be refined further. This is what I have been talking about here in the forum as to the Ligalization process of my “Favourite” Traditional Practise,….Polygamy. By the way don’t you think that Okapu Janeko had heads up, when he brought up this topic. Janeko really has some crazy paraphanelia in that Okapu of his.

Jagem

From: Ericson Oduya

Good People,

We are finished; this bill will weaken the marriage institution and if we are not careful the family values will be eroded to nothing. Could we have Maendeleo ya Wanawake standing up to be counted.

http://www.the-star.co.ke/national/national/30816-bill-outlaws-dowry-allows-polygamy

Warm Regards,
Eric.

Bill On Dowry, Polygamy And ‘Come-We-Stay’
Samuel Otieno And Dorothy Ruto

14 August 2007

Nairobi — The way Kenyans view marriages, dowry, divorce and come-we-stay relationships will change significantly if a proposed new law is enacted.

The place of dowry in society could be weakened considerably, as the Marriage Bill 2007 proposes that it should not affect the validity of marriage in any way, unlike in the present set up where dowry is seen as a binding factor.

DOWRY BANNED, POLYGAMY ALLOWED
Friday, 08 July 2011 00:02 BY FRANCIS MUREITHI

Payment of dowry is illegal but polygamy is allowed. Those proposals are included in the new Marriage Bill released by the Commission for Implementation of the Constitution yesterday which seeks to introduce sweeping changes in the institution of marriage.

The Bill will legalize ‘come-we-stay’ arrangements. “Where it is proved that a man and woman having capacity to marry have lived together openly for at least two years in such circumstances as to have acquired the reputation of being husband and wife, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that they were duly married,” says article 7 of the Bill.

Thousands of people live together as married couples, especially in urban areas. If passed, this proposal will greatly assist those women and children who have in the past been disinherited on the death of their husbands and fathers because there had been no formal marriage. And for prospective in-laws who have commercialized dowry by demanding cash payments of up to Sh2 million, the Bill provides that there will be no legal provisions for a family or anyone to demand payment.

The proposed law defines dowry as “any payment of stock, goods, money or other property made or promised in consideration of an intended marriage.” It therefore applies both to payment of bride price, and to the dowry brought by a bride to a new husband.

Article 54 provides that “An agreement to give dowry, whether made before or after the commencement of this Act, shall not be enforceable as a contract and the breach of any such agreement shall not give rise to any remedies for breach of contract.”

An attempt to recover dowry will not even be admissible in court. Article 55 states, “no action may be brought for the return of dowry whether in whole or in part.”

On polygamy, the Bill provides that if you are in a monogamous marriage, the status quo should remain. Men presently in a recognized monogamous marriage cannot convert to polygamous status.

However, unmarried men have the option of entering a monogamous or polygamous marriage. At the time of marrying, the groom can indicate that the marriage could be potentially polygamous which would give him a right to get married to other women.

No limit is placed on the number of polygamous marriages a man can enter into although the Bill states, “No married woman shall, while her marriage subsists, contract another marriage.” If the spouses agree, a polygamous marriage can be altered to a monogamous marriage. The Bill bars those already in polygamous marriages from dumping or entering a monogamous marriage with just one wife.

The Marriage Bill seeks to consolidate the various laws relating to marriage such as the Marriage Act, the Hindu Marriage and Divorce Act, the Mohammedan Marriage and Divorce Registration Act, African Christian Marriage and Divorce Act and the Subordinate Court (Separation and Maintenance) Act.

It clearly states that marriage shall be between a man and woman. A couple interested in getting married shall give the Registrar 21 days notice and indicate whether it will be a monogamous or potentially polygamous marriage. Where the intended husband is already married, the names of existing wives should be indicated in the notice. A marriage may be contracted in civil form, under customary law, Islamic form, Hindu ceremonies or Christian rites.

Those marrying will have to sign three marriage certificates—one for the district registrar or Kadhi, one for the husband and one for the wife. Presently, couples sign two copies, one of which is left with the registrar.

The Bill further states that unless the parties are legally separated or divorced, either spouse shall have the responsibility to provide the other with accommodation, clothing, food and other necessities.

Either spouse will have authority to pledge the other spouse‘s credit, to borrow money in his or her name, or to use any of his or her money which is in his or her possession or under his or her control.

Either spouse will have authority to convert movable property of the partner into money, and use it, so far as that credit or money is required or used for the purchase of necessities for himself or herself and any children of the marriage. In doing so, the spouse is required to have regard to the other spouse‘s means and way of life. Penalties for infringing this Act include being imprisoned for five years, or a Sh20,000 fine, or both.

The bible is explicit when it comes to sex

1 Reply

from collins odhiambo

Sex according to Pastor Khathide (Ugandan)

A lot of people don’t associate sex with God – they associate it with Satan and darkness, as if sex is not holy…. !!

The bible is explicit when it comes to sex.
Sex is holy within marriage, and there is no prescribed style.
Nowhere in the Bible does it say that the missionary position is the only sexual style. Not discussing sex in a relationship leads to divorce!!!!!.

Pastor Khathide has counseled women who’ve complained:
my husband treats me as if I were his brother.
There was one who told him:
I am tired of getting sex fortnightly, like a salary.
Khathide told her she was lucky to be getting sex fortnightly,
since some wives only get it on big days, like elections.

Many husbands leave their wives to seek sexual pleasures in Hillbrow.
Have you ever asked yourself what those women have that you don’t. Wives have become very frigid and even sleep with their panties.
If you’re a married woman, you should sleep naked
and let your bum touch your husband..
Today you find men going out of their way to get a glimpse of a vagina. They page through magazines and even go to lingerie departments in stores hoping to see what’s hidden under panties, because their wives hide it from them.

Marriage is about being free with your body in front of your partner.
A woman should parade naked and do some modeling to tempt her husband. There are many married women who don’t know what their husbands’ penises look like. She only feels it when he enters her. They’ve never touched it, let alone seen it, because the husband switches off the lights before undressing.
A penis is a wife’ s toy – she is supposed to play with it.

He blames couples for not making time for sex andcomplaining about being tired after a day’s work. You find many couples who’ve been sexually starved for years. God created sex for procreation and also for pleasure.You can’t marry and not have a good time in bed.

WHO SAID YOU CAN ONLY HAVE SEX AT NIGHT?
Why can’t you drive home during lunch and have a quickie with your wife?
We’ re all equal in sex – it’s not just about a woman satisfying a man.
You have to satisfy each other.
Have you ever seen a woman who has been satisfied?
Have u noticed how she glows and becomes energetic?
May the Lord Bless you.
This is the ‘Whole Truth, Nothing But The Truth’ so God !
Told Us From The Beginning.

Once you read this letter you have to keep it going.
This game has been played since 1996…
You must send this letter to 7 people.
On the 5th day someone will ask you out or say ‘I love you.’
This is! not a joke.
It has worked for many years.
If you break the chain,
you will have bad luck with guys/girls forever.
This is just for future readers.
This began in 1996,not much of a past, but it works.

So here are the rules:
If you read this on a Sunday, wish for a good week

If you read this on a Monday, wish for money

If you read this on a Tuesday, wish for love

If you read this on a Wednesday, wish for success

If you read this on a Thursday, wish for anything you want

If you read this on a Friday, wish for a really hot date

If you read this on a Saturday, wish for an important phone call

Send this to seven people (after you make a wish).

Make sure it is sent as soon as you read it or your wish won’t come true.

… And as we walk,we make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.We cannot turn back…
Sam-martins

Seeking A Luo Lady For A Serious Relationship

33 Replies

From: proud2bkenyan

I know this is unorthodox but I believe that sometimes thinking outside the box is OK… I’m a 35 yrs old 5’8″ single Kenyan professional male. I permanently live and work in the US. I’m seeking a 29-35 yrs old professional (including graduate student) Luo lady with slim or athletic body type for a serious relationship. If you’d like to get to know me better, please email me at proud2bkenyan@gmail.com . Thanks!

Protect, take a bullet: a letter to my fellow men

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From: Christopher Mutinda

Logo, Cover Illo.
LSR Magizine

Protect, Take a bullot: A letter to my fellow men.

– – –

This week, the US Leader is in the UK for His first ever official state visit there. The threats to the leader of the greatest nation on earth are real. The possibilities of a security breach many….. the secret service+CIA+FBI+NSA (read all security resources) have gone out of their way to cover every angle, visualize every outcome and countered it. The victory in battle belongs to the most informed, most agile, most malleable…..

Maybe we can apply this approach to our marriages and relationships.

read more
http://www.lsrmagazine.com/2011/05/25/protect-take-a-bullet-a-letter-to-my-fellow-men/

—

Best regards,

Christopher Mutungi
Editorial Director
LSR magazine
www.lsrmagazine.com

Love, Sex, Relationships…God’s way!

Kenya: First Lady Lucy Kibaki Slams Kalonzo Over Kibaki Remarks

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Folks,

Hapa, First Lady Lucy Kibaki did well. Mambo ya kuingilia nyumba za watu ni makosa mbele za Mungu. Hawa watu domo domo wana haribu ndoa na familia ilio undwa na Mungu. Hapa nina kuunga mkono.

You have the right to protect your family from marauding hyenas – – people of no moral substance and opportunists who hide under the clothe of “Born Again Christians”.

You are right. You have the right to sue Kalonzo Musyoka and others for libel. Kwanini wanakuingilia mambo yako ya nyumbani, kati yako na mumeo? Ni makosa kabisa. Hawa watu hawa heshimu ndoa takatifu?

You did not sign any contract to share Kibaki with other manamba women. Ili iwe funzo, waambie tena wafundishe adabu, wakome kuingilia na kuleta chuchu chuchu kwa mabwana za watu.

Iyo ya nyumbani ndio serious sana. Sue Kalonzo a compensate na alipe damages.

Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com

– – – – – – – – – – –

First Lady Slams Kalonzo Over Kibaki Remarks

Anthony Kariuki

25 March 2011

Nairobi — Kenya’s First Lady Lucy Kibaki has slammed Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka over his unflattering remarks on President Kibaki’s health.

Mrs Kibaki dismissed claims by the VP, revealed by whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, that the President relied on medication as he carried out affairs of the State.

“I take great exception to Hon. Kalonzo Musyoka’s reported allegations that President Kibaki slept on his job due to drugs administered on him. As Kenyans are fully aware, at no time has President Kibaki slept on his job.Indeed, claims to this effect were never substantiated in the Wikileaks,” said Mrs Kibaki in a hard-hitting statement Friday.

At the time the cables were being sent to Washington by US ambassador Michael Ranneberger, Mrs Kibaki said the country economy had begun to register “unprecedented levels of growth” and the VP’s claim should be dismissed out of hand.

“Indeed, the economy grew by 5.8 per cent in 2006 when the cables were being wired and rose to 7 per cent compared to 1 per cent in 2002, when the President took office.

“Obviously, this is an indicator of a country under sound management in every respect and does not suggest a chief executive asleep on his job.”

She lambasted Mr Kalonzo for appearing to “derive fiendish delight” in the poor health of others saying it is contrary to African and human values as a whole.

Mrs Kibaki said she was “particularly dismayed” by Mr Muyoka’s appeal to the US to prevail on President Kibaki not to seek a second term in the run up to the 2007 polls so that he can have an easy ride to State House.

“As Kenyans are aware, ours is a competitive political system and there is no short cut to power.

“Those who seek external influences to better their leadership prospects should know that Kenyans are an enlightened people capable of voting the leaders who will best represent and pursue their interests and the well being of the country,” said Mrs Kibaki.

“I urge Kenyans to engage in constructive dialogue that will take our country to the next level rather than smear other people’s reputation for their selfish interests.”

In the cables, Mr Musyoka, then the ODM-K presidential candidate told Mr Ranneberger of his reservations about the President’s health and “and the negative impact on the electoral process should Kibaki experience a health crisis before the elections”.

“Musyoka seriously suggested that President Bush should call Kibaki to urge him to step aside,” reads the cable sent by Mr Ranneberger to his superiors in Washington.

Mr Musyoka strategy of “hail Mary pass” according to the US envoy would see him receive support from President Kibaki’s followers in the event the latter dropped out of the race. He was locked in a three-horse race for the 2007 presidential poll against President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

But in a quick rejoinder, the VP dismissed Mr Ranneberger’s assertions as “rumours” and “wild allegations”.

“It is unfortunate that Amb. Ranneberger contrary to his mission as his country’s representative, has wasted his time in our beautiful country collecting rumours and passing them off as substantive diplomatic intelligence,” said a statement from his office.

“The latest wikiLeaks making wild allegations on the person of the Vice President Dr Kalonzo Musyoka should be treated with the contempt they deserve as the product of a very creative mind, whose purpose is to drive a wedge between the President and his Deputy.”

On Friday, the First Lady also took issue with insinuations that the President had a second family and that she did not live at State House, the official residence of the First Family.

“I reside at State House,” she said.

“In the said leaks, Kalonzo Musyoka is said to have alleged that I do not reside at State House adding that I moved to State House when I learnt there were night meetings taking place there.”

Terming the allegations “barefaced falsehood”, Mrs Kibaki said all Kenyans were aware that she has “been resident at State House where I have conducted my duties and responsibilities as the spouse of the President”.

Further, it is from State House that she undertakes charitable activities within the framework of the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV and Aids, she added.

She fervently denied the existence of State House night meetings and said Mr Musyoka’s allegations that she moved back to the seat of the Presidency to check on the said meetings were “false and conceived in bad faith”.

Mrs Kibaki reiterated that the composition of the First Family was a matter of public knowledge. President Kibaki has, on more than one occasion, clarified the status of his family.

“Further, I wish to clarify that the composition of the First Family is in the public domain and its integrity and moral authority is beyond reproach,” she said.

“Any insinuations to the contrary are unfounded and false. As Kenyans are aware, however, it is a well known fact that there are people who go around masquerading to belong to the families of prominent people in public life.

“Members of the public should distinguish between genuine family members and impostors.”

KENYA: THE MYTH OF THE SNAKE THAT BROUGHT THE MARRIAGE MESSAGE TO A BUDALANGI FAMILY AND THE NEED TO SENSITIZE THE AREA RESIDENTS THAT IT IS THE MOST DEADLY REPTILE.

3 Replies

DEAR Sir,

This is a note regarding the type of the specie of snake you recently displayed in your paper’s column as being the reptile of “good omen” because it was alleged it had brought the good message in Mundere village, Musanga in Bunyala in Budalangi constituency.

SIR, You and the happy villagers, plus those of the milling crowd which thronged the tiny village made a big blunder. This made a bad joke out of the type of snake which is a potential danger to human beings, armed as it is, with deadly venom. So it was not good message as such.

You should ask any curator of a snake park, or handlers in our national museum of Kenya, and he or she would tell you that the type of the reptile you pictured and printed in you column is the fiercest African Black-Mamba, that is capable of bringing sudden death within only few minutes.

It is not as white as such. Only its underneath is white or brownest, depending on its natural habitat. Its top color is like or semi green like an American Army khaki, and can grow up to between 6 and 8 ft, and move with a lot of speed, that could much be fastest than a human being, especial in the grass area. Its natural habitat is hilly with rocky areas, and most of the time it stays up in the tree and mainly rocky areas.

It is shy on face to face encounters with human beings or domesticated and wild animals, but it could strike twice or thrice of it felt its life is threatened. And its venom takes effect within minutes. It can cause death though blood congestion in the heart and brain hemorrhage.

It is called “Ndemu” in Dho-Luo vernacular and it is the most feared reptile among the tropical African snakes. It is found in areas with humid climate like Bondo, Bundalangi, Samia Hills, Lambwe Valley, Ruri and Gembe hills in Mbita, Gwassi, Kobuya Mawego in East Karachuonyo, Huma hills in west Karachuonyo locations and also in Nyakach South around Anding’o Opanga near Odino or Sondu /Miriu hydro power project. It is also common around Wire hills near Oyugis.

This snake specie is also common in the Nyanza sugar belt areas of Kibos Miwani,and along the Nandi Escarpment, Chemelil Muhoroni,Koru, Fort-Tennan and some parts of Soin and Sigowet Divisions of Belgut and Ainamoi constituencies in the Kericho County. It is also common in Taita Taveta, Loitokotok, Kajiado, Narok and Trans-Mara areas. It is only second to the ever shy Puff-Adder in the recorded deaths caused by snake in many part of Africa.

Anyone who encountered this type of snake should take to his or her heels and flee as fast as possible, because its bite venom could inflict damage and death to a human being within only minutes.

It could have taken refuge on the roof top of Mr Abuoga’s family kitchen due to other factors such as the hut having been disused or due to the recent drought and humid weather that forced reptiles to seek for shelter from the heat. But in future anyone sighting this type of snake should run away from it. It is potential of causing sudden death to even to a huge animal like buffalo or a cow and even an elephant.

Snake experts should move to the snake prone regions and educated the public of the danger and damage to human being that could be caused by the reptiles.

– Leo Odera Omolo, In Kisumu Via e-mail

KENYA: A TIP OFF FOR A SEX SCANDAL STORY TURNED INTO A CASH COW BY SOME KISUMU SCRIBES

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BY OUR REPORTER.

Some Kisumu based reporters recently received a tip off from a senior policeman in the town about a cheating couple who were caught red handed by the man of the house while having nice time at his upmarket Milimani home but instead of doing the story, the journalists opted to get cash and ”killed the would- be hot exposure piece”.

This writer reliably established that the reporters who received the timely phone call from the good old cop just as the two love birds were on the act were from the Standard newspapers and the government owned Kenya Broadcasting Cooperation based in the lake side town.

Sources have it that for sometime now, the woman a wife of a top executive officer working for a Tyre company in Kisumu and a senior manager of a pharmaceutical company also from the town, all of Asian descends have been having a steamy sexual affair.

Reliable sources claimed that the woman, a house wife would on many occasions invite her secret lover into their Milimani house where they would dine and wine before being laid right in their house each time the man of the house was on duty.

Neighbors of the cheating Asian housewife who did not like her infidel behavior secretly revealed her sexual escapades to the husband who chose not to confront her with the information given to him but sought help from IT experts.

Without the knowledge of his wife, the man installed a CCTV at a discreet point within the house to spy on her.

The gadget was linked to a computer at his office desk so that he could monitor every event as it unfolded from the comfort of his office.

The story goes that in the morning of 25th February, the man left for work as usual and as always, his wife immediately summoned her lover who rushed for another round of illicit sexual encounter at leafy Milimani estate

KENYA: CASES OF GENDER BASED VIOLENCE STILL HIGH IN NYANZA PROVINCE

2 Replies

By Dickens Wasonga.

Nyanza province is still leading in the country over matters relating to gender based violence. According to studies carried out in the recent past by civil society groups working to stop violence against women in the province, the region came first as the worst hit on such issues.

According to the deputy executive director of Kenya Female Advisory Organization [KEFEADO], Ms Easter Achien’g, Nyanza continues to record worrying trends of violence meted against women which in most cases have led to the death of the victims.

Speaking to the press in her Kisumu office yesterday the director said her organization which spearheads gender activism for prevention of violence against women has now embarked on aggressive awareness creation and social education campaigns that will boost the capacity of women to report such cases when it happens and ensure justice is delivered.

Easter Achieng, the deputy director flanked by Hellen Otieno of Gender Development project during the press briefing.

The director at the same time chided a move by the Kenyan police to create reporting desks manned by female police officers arguing that the move was cosmetic and has failed to encourage women violated to report such incidents because harassment is still practiced.

”Most women who report cases of violence which includes rape are treated rudely and humiliated at the police stations and having desks manned by police women does not help much. We need to see the police getting fully interested in prosecuting the culprits.” She said.

Ms Achien’g disclosed that in just one month, over four cases of violence relating to gender were reported in Kisumu’s Nyalenda slums where victims were murdered in cold blood.

In one of the cases a man reportedly killed his wife and proceeded to hack to death their three children in what the police in the area described as a worrying trend now taking root in most sprawling slums of the lake side city.

The activist said it was sad that up to 90 per cent of such cases go unreported because the society’s socio-cultural beliefs view wife beating and battering as normal practices.They only realize it was wrong when the victims are killed.

”We live in a society where the community still believe wife beating is normal. Most of our women also were brought up to be submissive to an extent that even when they are abused, they do not wish to reported the abusers to the authorities. This is wrong and we have began educating them to realize they have rights which nobody should violate including their spouse” said Achien’g.

During the post election violence which rocked the East African nation in 2008 after the general elections
whose results,several women were killed,scores raped by different gangs and a brutal force who took advantage of the skirmishes to mete out violence against the weaker sex.

Many of the cases were reported to the police but non has been prosecuted, at least in Kisumu, which was amongst the worst hit spots by the skirmishes.

Towards elimination of further violation of the women rights,her organization together with other partners has launched a 16 days of gender activism to stop violence against women in the province dubbed ”WE CAN CAMPAIGN”.

According to the crusader, the ‘We can campaign’ which for their group stands for ”We Can End All Forms of Violence Against Women” is a campaign which is meant to help individual men and women to carry out self analysis,reflect and discard attitudes which promote violence against women with a view of making the other members of the society aware of the short term and long term impacts of such acts of violence on those on the receiving end.

She said the campaign and the 16 days of gender activism is a very important period for ending all forms of violence against women and is piloted in five re4gions in the country namely Nairobi,Rift Valley, Central,Western and Nyanza with KEFEADO being the focal point in the region.

In the worst hit Nyanza, KEFEADO has undertaken activities as from last week and will hold a learning platform for 60 different partners representing different regions in Kenya on December 9th at the Kisumu Museum grounds.

She asked members of parliament to allocate money from the devolved funds to help build safe centers which will accommodate victims of gender based violence in all the major urban centers in the country.

ENDS.

USA, Tx: Kenyans Bursted

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from Judy Miriga

What is going in Texas? One of the most stupid things wananchi do is to fail to use common sense. They go to the same place at the same time, some using same address thereby raising suspicion. Last time several wananchi in Iowa were raided one morning, some 25 of them – – but we didn’t seem to learn a lesson.

The moment the county clerk asked that question, they should have known that they were walking on a time bomb. They then stupidly hop into the same car after saying that they didn’t know each other. Kwani marriage ceremony is a sacrament which has to be eaten at the same time?

MrMeezy wrote:
Texas has long been known as marriage fraud central for Tanzanians with Houston being its epicenter. Sad to see Kenyans now engaging in the same gig. Weren’t Kenyans and Tanzanians also caught hapo hapo in a conspiracy to steal expensive microchips from kina Texas Instruments na kadhalika to the tune of several million dollars several years ago? Most of them were caught and are now rotting in filthy federal jails with hakataa some with decades long prison sentences. Crime is never worth it I tell you.

County Clerk Laverne Soefje said she noticed a trend of Harris County residents with spouses from African countries filing for marriage licenses in her office.

Soefje said that once three such couples came to the office to request a marriage license at the same time. It raised her suspicions, she said.

“ I asked them if they knew each other because they were standing next to each other at the counter, and they said no,” Soefje said. “But when they left the office, they all got in the same car and drove off.”

Soefje said she talked to other county clerks from the Brazos Valley who said they noticed the same trend. She said it was then that she decided to ask the Texas Rangers to investigate.

While Soefje said she was unaware of the federal indictments when contacted by The Eagle on Tuesday, she said the Rangers’ investigator has kept in touch and said authorities discovered one man who married 18 times.

“ It caught my attention, because I couldn’t imagine all of them coming to Milam County when they were from Houston,” Soefje said. “You don’t travel such a large distance to come to a county out of the way.”

4 Kenyans busted in Houston
Twenty-two Brazos Valley residents indicted for marriage fraud

By BRETT NAUMAN
Eagle Staff Writer

The names of 36 Texans indicted by a Houston grand jury Tuesday are listed first in the following chart. The people whom they married have not been arrested.

• Salena Allen, 30, of Midland, married Anthony Anazonwu of Nigeria.
• Ruthie Denise Bailey, 30, of Bryan, married Juma A. Mohamed of Jordan.
• Vicki Bisch, 39, of Bryan, married Demba Sidibe of Mali.
• Brandy Coleman, 23, of Cypress, married Ifeanyi Ubesie of Nigeria.
• Jeri Davis, 21, of Bryan, married Charles Maina of Kenya.
• Latira Davis, 30, of Bryan, married Haji Rajab of Tanzania.
• Vernon Felix, 48, of Houston, married Gladys Iheonunekwu of Nigeria.
• Crystal Franklin, 20, of Houston, married Amaniel Bubelwa of Tanzania.
• Shellia Franklin, 40, of Houston, married Mohamed Sillah of Sierra Leone.
• Terrance Franklin, 23, of Houston, married Ann Laimaru of Kenya.
• Veronica Franklin, 20, of College Station, married Mohammedsameh Abujuba of Jordan.
• Almesha Gooden, 24, of Bryan, married Stewart Basil of Tanzania.
• Carolyn Hedge, 37, of Bryan, married Mamadou Diallo of Guinea.
• Christopher Hedge, 37, of Somerville, married Rose Tweve of Tanzania.
• Joe E. Hedge, 30, of Bryan, married Noreen Munabi of Uganda.
• John T. Hedge Jr., 30, of Bryan, married Grace Munthali of Tanzania.
• John Thomas Hedge Sr., 51, of Bryan, married Agnes Mutagurwa of Tanzania.
• Lenora Hedge, 34, of Bryan, married Akinyemi Osinubi of Nigeria.
• Christopher McMurray, 22, of Bryan,married Sheila Mbwana of Tanzania.
• LaTonya McMurray, 22, of Bryan, married Joseph Kiige of Kenya.
• Kelvin Bernard Mike, 21, of Houston, married Elizabeth Osoro of Kenya.
• Chantella Murphy, 33, of Houston, married Marwan Almajali of Jordan.
• Clarace Nutall, 40, of Bryan, married Anne Bassong of Cameroon.
• Floyd Oscar, 30, of Houston, married Jacqueline Coker of Sierra Leone.
• Victor Parker, 31, of Bryan, married Ndong Avomo of Gabon.
• Charlene Robinson, 23, of Bryan, married Makan Kante of Mali.
• Sherrita Ann Royster, 24, of Bryan, married Ferdinand Namulundu of Kenya.
• Katherine Shields, 35, of Houston, married Christopher Honliasso of Nigeria.
• Lacreta Shields, 22, of Houston, married Assane Mbengue of Senegal.
• Larrica Shields, 23, of Houston, married John Ibe of Nigeria.
• Tamara Taylor, 24, of Houston, married Souleymane Diop of Senegal.
• Hazara Vaughns, 29, of Houston, married Khalil Haddad of Israel.
• Tikisha Walker, 25, of Wharton, married Abdul Khaliq of Pakistan.
• Deandre Warren, 27, of Bryan, married Pamela Wells of Tanzania.
• Tametria Williams, 21, of College Station, married Yacine Khelifi of Algeria.
• Anthony Young, 23, of Bryan, married Irene Nafuna of Tanzania.

Recruiters/Brokers

• Emma Guyton, 46, of Bryan.
• Aminata Smith, 43, of Houston.

Twenty-two Brazos Valley residents are accused of taking part in an international marriage fraud scheme based in Bryan that set up fake unions to bypass immigration laws, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

One of those defendants, a woman from Bryan, also faces a conspiracy charge for allegedly arranging and profiting from the phony marriages.

Emma Guyton, 46, of Bryan and Aminata Smith, 43, of Houston recruited more than 60 Americans to marry an estimated 210 foreign nationals from African and Middle Eastern countries, prosecutors said.

The foreign nationals, most of whom came into the country on temporary visas, paid Guyton and Smith between $1,500 and $5,000 to arrange the marriages so they could obtain U.S. citizenship and other immigration benefits, prosecutors said.

Guyton and Smith were jailed Tuesday and awaited magistration before a federal judge in Houston, prosecutors said. Each is charged with four counts of encouraging unlawful immigration and four counts of marriage fraud, in addition to the conspiracy charge.

The women face a maximum penalty of 70 years in prison and fines of more than $2 million if convicted on all counts. Thirty-six other Texans charged with marriage fraud face five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Half of the 36 fraudulent marriages identified by federal prosecutors Tuesday were filed in Brazos Valley counties and took place between April 2000 and July 2003.

Prosecutors said they will continue their investigation into conspiracy that was run primarily out of the Bryan and Houston areas. The 20-month investigation, dubbed Operation Two Step, was conducted by the Houston and San Antonio offices of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

As of 2 p.m. Tuesday authorities had arrested half of the Texas residents indicted for marriage fraud. Arrest warrants have been issued for the defendants still free.

The U.S. citizens are accused of receiving payments of between $150 and $500 from Smith and Guyton for each marriage in which they participated, prosecutors said.

Each of the Americans indicted for marriage fraud has married six or more foreign nationals, has a criminal record or has married a foreign national from a country with suspected ties to terrorism, such as Jordan, Pakistan and Algeria, prosecutors said.

Authorities also have issued material-witness warrants for the 36 foreign nationals named in the indictments so they can be forced to testify in their spouses’ criminal cases, prosecutors said.

Once they’ve provided testimony, the foreign nationals will face an administrative immigration panel that could strip them of their citizenship and recommend deportation, said Nancy Harrier, a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney’s Office in Houston.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt but rather a formal accusation of criminal conduct.

Federal immigration authorities began to investigate the scheme when a Milam County employee complained of an unusual number of suspicious marriages, prosecutors said.

County Clerk Laverne Soefje said she noticed a trend of Harris County residents with spouses from African countries filing for marriage licenses in her office.

Soefje said that once three such couples came to the office to request a marriage license at the same time. It raised her suspicions, she said.

“ I asked them if they knew each other because they were standing next to each other at the counter, and they said no,” Soefje said. “But when they left the office, they all got in the same car and drove off.”

Soefje said she talked to other county clerks from the Brazos Valley who said they noticed the same trend. She said it was then that she decided to ask the Texas Rangers to investigate.

While Soefje said she was unaware of the federal indictments when contacted by The Eagle on Tuesday, she said the Rangers’ investigator has kept in touch and said authorities discovered one man who married 18 times.

“ It caught my attention, because I couldn’t imagine all of them coming to Milam County when they were from Houston,” Soefje said. “You don’t travel such a large distance to come to a county out of the way.”

USA, PA: Thomas Mucha and Monica O Mboya Pre wedding Party/Fundraising

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from bkojiem@ . . .

All

Thomas Mucha and Monica O Mboya would like to invite friends and relatives to their Pre wedding party on Nov.6th 2010 @ Zemunda Lounge – @Hotel Grand. 46 North 10th street,Allentown PA 18101. Lots of VIP Parking & Security. Lots of food and drinks.

Allentown Band and Musa Juma Limpompo international will perform on that day supported by Allentown DJ Showtime for the rest of the night spinning your favorite hits.

Karibuni Allentown…..

Thank you in advance for your support.

Thomas Mucha:
for direction call or google:

Thomas Mucha-484-201-5933
Daniel Okwiri-484-5386452
Benbow-6313987133
King Solomon-484-951-4091

USA, NC: Timberlake humiliates the Immigration department at high court

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From: cristinanampu@ . . .

Raleigh, North Carolina – Chairman of Placenta Party of Kenya Quincy Timberlake was on Friday released by the Principal Magistrate Ndwiga after humiliating Immigration officials in fresh investigation into his nationality. He was acquitted of being in Kenya illegally.

“This is the beginning of the end of my political detractors and everybody who wanted to discard our marriage, they tried to use cocaine in suit cases and it failed, they tried to use deportation through immigration and it failed and they’ve remained with Finger of God case as a cult case and it shall fail on Nov 4th” He warned.

Immigration officials claimed they arrested him at Comarock on April 1 but Timberlake was picked up from their Runda home and driven to Nyayo House, the Immigration Department headquarters, for questioning, not Comarock.

It was also discovered that members of the church who followed him there said the officials later drove out of Nyayo House with Timberlake to an unconfirmed destination which was known court through his lawyer that the destination was Limuru which is against the law.

The lawyer wanted to know why both Esther and Timberlake were driven towards Limuru but the Immigration prosecutor Mwangagi said that these were orders from “above”.

In an affidavit filed by the investigating officer Alphonce Lumosi, Timberlake by then was suspected to be a foreigner holding a Kenyan identity illegally. Now the court discovered that Timberlake is a Kenyan and the judge declared that he won’t be deported as he’s a Kenyan natural born citizen.

Timberlake has now vowed to attack back painfully and warned that anybody who stood his way and caused him degradation, emotional, physical pain and psychological damages must pay back too.

He also warned of a cartel in the media industry who were being used by the “above” senior officers in government not to air his news on TV and newspapers that their days were numbered as he got all their phone communications and video clips at hand through his powerful invincible security network, Plashinet.

Immigration prosecutor Mwangangi admitted that Timberlake was a Kenyan only he held two Kenyan passports and a forged South African passport. He also insisted that court establish where Timberlake was getting his finances from.

Timberlake remained tough to the immigration agents during court procession and vowed not to be pressed again in Kenya’s history. He told them off that they wanted him pinned down because of his wife Esther Timberlake who their boss wanted. He also threatened to sue their boss next.

This was the toughest battle Timberlake met in court and now he’s proved Kenyans he belongs to this land. He dared the government to factorise more charges and bring them to court.

He even warned Raila that he was going for him after doing enough damages to him and his wife Esther in the past year.

He also warned PM Odinga to stop interfering with his media conferences by phoning the anchors sympathetic to him not to air any news from Placenta Party by threats of sack the way he kicked out political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi.

Timberlake now vowed to officially apply for his American, Canadian and British passports which temporarily cancelled.

He owns several businesses abroad and was unable to go due to these numerous uncouth court battles cooked by his foes, thanks to his secretly organized invincible Plashinet intelligence.

Results from his servants, Timberlake has now forwarded 31 critical video clips and phone recordings to KACC, Kenya Police, CID, his attorneys and NSIS.

Reports are some have reached judges for deep research and study for preparation of court battles that have never been seen before in this country. PM Odinga is one of Timberlake’s preys in these court battles and he must explain why he ordered the illegal arrests of Finger of God members and why he keeps on calling the media through his office not to air any news from him and the Placenta Party as heard from the tapes.

Timberlake also warns any media house who stood against him that it was his time now. He warned that he was going to humiliate media houses that publised wrong and damaging information that were not since he got all the print cut-outs. He demands Ksh 50M per house that shall be mentioned during this battle.

“It seems that only friendly media houses shall survive my scathing court attacks which I will do anything positively under the law to ensure that they pay me for damages.” He told Reuters.

” I will defeat them one by one and bring them to Kenyan eyes and they’ll explain how much they received to to defame me and my wife Esther but only my friendly media houses shall escape this scorching knife.” He said.

The Placenta Party chairman said the recent constitutional referendum was a rehearsal for his presidential race and he was ready for Raila Odinga since he declared to work William Ruto.

“We knew our destiny right at the referendum. A clever man kills three birds with one stone,” Timberlake said.

“My hands are clean. They began with the money purported to be imported from cult charges and they failed. I am innocent and even if I am not, how come people have cases in courts, including the government itself including the immigration of whom I have 31 video clips from them receiving bribes from passport and foreign work permit seekers?”

Has Immigration minister Otieno Kajwang’ explained how he handed work permits to the Mormons? I got the video clips on that and it’s with KACC to be stored by Lumumba until I unearth it for battles in court.

Asked about Hon Ruto, Timberlake said: “Mr Ruto will not be grounded by suspension from cabinet and this is the man to work between now and 2012 whether we like it or not.”He added. “Ruto is our king maker and we’re united with Kalenjins and that means all Luos are not kinged by Raila? We’re tired of him and we want him out of Nyanza too.”

He cited the motion of censure by Ikolomani MP Boni Khalwale and investigations over the maize scandal as some of the plots by his rivals to destroy his political career. He also promised to merry publicly come Monday when Khalwale will now finally go home after loosing court petition to Benard Shinyalu.

“It is him who begun humiliating me in parliament, he should leave Ikolomani seat which he’s been occupying illegally”. He said.

Timberlake was also fined Ksh 40,000 or 4 months in court for having a forged South African passport.

Copyright ? 1983, 2009 – American Brewmaster

Kenya: Kisumu woman reigns terror, smashes car over illicit affair

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By Shem Kosse

Residents of the lakeside city of Kisumu were treated to a free broad day light drama cum shock when a jilted woman, rained a hail of stones to her husband’s new model sleek Subaru legacy packed outside Kisumu hotel, over an alleged ex-marital love affair.

The woman who was breathing and spitting fire and appeared to be acting on a tip off after mounting a well oiled intelligence network, caused a traffic snarl up along the busy jomo Kenyatta highway daring any one to close in on her claiming that she is the one who bought the vehicle and the husband is ‘’misusing’’ it.

It all started when her hawk eyed informants phoned her that her elderly “libidinous” husband who is a renowned insurance expert in town was spotted chauffeuring a lady saloonist that all along has been rumoured to her was the main cause of her latest budgetary and conjugal deficit, in the house.

Still unsatisfied with the state of the vehicle that she had heavily pelted with stones and coupled with the fact that she could not access where the two new found love birds were having there “good time”, the heavily bodied woman reached her hand bag and fished out two well sharpened Somali swords and literally knifed the tires, deflating them instantly.

The two new swords seemed to have been purchased purposely for implementing the terror mission.

Not even a contingent of a full combat gear of a local private security firm tasked with the provision of security of the hotel could deter her insurgency to the lawfully and properly packed “innocent” silvery Subaru of KAN series:

“this is the cell phone number of that prostitute! Call him now and tell him am damaging my car!” ranted and raved the woman to one of the security guards as onlookers were watching helplessly the unfolding ugly scenario, of the love triangle.

“He is an embarrassment to the family! And yet have sired big children with him” she thundered further over the duo’ blossomed love affair, while wreathing her way out of the stunned crowd.

Panting and sweating heavily, she bordered the motorcycle and sped off in an alarming speed leaving the vehicle at the mercy of the sweltering heat with the “wazee” club lying inside it defenselessly-a weapon a husband would have used to clobber his “errant” wife and defend himself and his brandy sweetheart,successfully.

And in a bid to stamp her authority and greatness, the woman toughie whose attire was covered with blood as a result of the cuts she sustained from the spillover glasses of the vehicle’ windscreens, turned at the scene walking with her head high and chest forward to witness the vehicle being towed.

And aftermath, she inspected the scene of the “accident” to ensure no any “valuable” car parts remained.

Ends .

Kenya: AKUKU DENJA is dead.He died at the age of 94 and believed to have married over 100 wives

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo in Kisumu City.

Death has occurred of one of the most prominent and eligible polygamist in Kenya Mzee Ancentus Akuku Ogwela, alias Akuku Denja {Dangerman]. He was aged about 94 years.

File | NATION Polygamist Mzee Akuku ‘Danger’ with family members. He died on Saturday.

He collapsed in one of his homesteads and died on Saturday night, but had been unwell for sometimes.

Considered as one of the wealthiest Luo man during the years of early 1940 and late 1950s, Akuku Danja is believed to have married more than 100 wives. At the time of his death he had about 43 of them have either died of old age while other left on their own volition or divorced for one or the other reasons. Mzee Akuku Denja hails from Kanyamwa sub-clan of the Luos, in the same clan of the legend medicine and the greatest witchdoctor of all the time Gor Mahia son of Ogada.

Akuku Denja had established five homesteads with the major one which he used to referred as the headquarters located at Aora Chuondho in Kwabway Location,Nyarongi Division, Ndhiwa district in Homa-Bay County. The homestead is next to the market and also next to the main-Rodi Kopany-Karungu Sori. He had another home in his native Kanyamwa with the third major home homestead established in Karungu East, Sori Division in Nyatike district in Migori County.

Standing at about 6feet 4 inches and heavily built. Akuku Denja was a humanist, friendly, jokily and wearing a smiling face all the time. He earned the name Danger because he preferred calling anyone who he comes across “Danger Man “including friends and foes, his sons in-law and relatives.

An industrious man with lust for education Akuku Denja built and established three primary school on his own where the large number of his children estimated to be in excess of 250tool their early elementary education before proceeding to other schools and institutions of higher learning.

He had the best part of his wealth educating his children some who have excelled and graduates from public universities. One of his eldest sons the late Pius Olima Akuku a trained lawyer had served the government of Kenya as a resident magistrate before going into private law practicing business.

He had many sons and daughters who received good education and who are presently serving the country either in the public and private sector.

The Danger Man was reputed as strictly disciplinarians. Most of his children spent their time at home during school holidays tending to farm work or herding his large number of domestic animals. Despite having the largest number of wives and children the Danger Man’s home is a place where famine and hunger is out of bound. His wives and children engaged themselves, in farm work resulting in good yield almost every year, which is sufficient in feeding the largest family in modern Kenya with enough surpluses for selling and generating school fees.

Akuku Denjas own married daughters are not allowed to walk back home without written consent of their husband, giving specific reason for the visit, the specific number of days permi9tted for the wife to stay at home with her parents. Any of his already married daughters who simply walks back homer without a written permission from their husband are given specific time and hours, during which they must end their visit and travel back to their husband’s homes, failure of which they faced forceful deportation out of Danger man’s home.

On arrival home the daughters’ reports at the father office and registered their presence before proceeding to their own mother’s houses. His brothers-in-laws on a visit to one of his wives must also register their arrival at the Danger man’s office before proceeding to their sister’s houses in similar fashion. The family works as a team, especially during the cuoti8vation, weeding and harvesting times.

There are unconfirmed reports that his wives are transferable from one home to the other within his five homesteads. For example he would simply walk into his homestead in Kanyamwa and ordered any of his wives living there to proceed to the Headquarters at Aora Chuodho and the woman must obey or else she could find herself forcefully being deported to the headquarters even without her consent.

Akuku Denja acquired his wealth after a humble beginning life as a tailoring man and then venture into farm produce buying and selling and shop-keeping and was later to become the first man to purchase a motor vehicle in his own village in the late 1940s.

A case in point is an incident which occurred a couple of years ago when one of his daughter who was married to a wealthy businessman in Homa-Bay, who had abandoned a small child with her husband and was seen roaming about with some youths, most of them high school students. She was seen in dance halls and other public joint.Akuku Denja sent her a warning toi return to her husband and child as quickly as possible.

When she defied his warning, the old man registered the complains with children offices and to the police at Homa-Bay. And the young mother was apprehended and sentenced to six months imprisonment for neglecting her child. While she was serving her prison sentenced Akuku Denja offered her younger and perhaps best educated sister to the businessman.

Upon coming out of prison the young mother vowed not to go anywhere, but rejoined young her husband and child so the businessman, ended up having married to two young women .from one family of the Danger Man. Whenever his daughters disagreed with their husbands on petty domestic squabbles they do avoid going directly back to their parents home, but only ending up visiting relatives in the neighborhood before going back to their husband. This has made Akuku Denja’s dozens of daughter the most liked women and men are competing to get married to them. They are loosely called “Nyar-Danger”{ meaning the daughter of danger man]

He will always ne remembered as a development conscience man who9 contributed part of his hard earned wealth towards the development of schools, dispensaries,health centers and other economic infrastructure in both Ndhiwa and Nyatike constituencies.

He was a closed friend of both the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and the late Tom Mboya, the former Minister for Economic Planning wjh0 was assassinated in 1969 and his close political associate Dr Joseph Gordon Odero-Jowi who alter served as Kenya’s Ambassador to the Un after losing his Ndhiwa parliamentary seat in the 1969,

In 1962 immediately soon after the founding President the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was released from colonial jails in Northern Kenya and during his first visit to Southern Nyanza Mzee Akuku Denja was one among the elderly who spoke at a meeting between him and Luo elders from the region. The same happen when Kenyatta visited the region in 1966 as the president of n independent Kenya, Akuku Denja was one of the elderly spokesmen.

When Mzee Kenyatta was jokingly told by Mboya that Akuku Denja had more than 50 wives and was accompanied at the meeting by a young woman, one of his latest at the time, Kenyatta took a careful look at him and Jokingly remarked “Kumbe yeye ni Dume kweli kweli”{he is a real bull] sparing a prolong laughter by the elders in attendance of the meeting which was held at the Homa-Bay D.C’s residence.

The late Asentus Akuku ‘Danger’ poses with his youngest wife Christine Ajwang’ at his home in Ndhiwa in this 2008 photog

Akuku Denja also developed close working relations with the one time two terms Ndhiwa MPs Zablon Owigo Olang’ and another former area MP Matthews Otieno Ogingo’ Upon learning of his sudden death Owigo Olang sent his heartfelt condolences to the family. He paid a glowing tribute to Danger man, saying his loss is irreplaceable. He aid the grand old man was steadfast in development undertaking and activities and was progressive and hard working, but humble man wh9i loved everyone.

Mzee Akuku had been reportedly unwell for close to three years, and at time was seen walking with the support of walking sticks which looked like crunches. He had promised this writer an up-date interview sometime back, but it never materialized.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com