Category Archives: Death

TRIBUTE POEM IN MEMORY OF GRACE OGOT

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THE RARE BEACON OF HOPE:-

LETS CELEBRATE GRACE OGOT

O, the rain has come for our icon,

Yawa, let’s

Celebrate Grace Ogot

Our rare multi-multi

Talented icon

Let’s celebrate this ever

Smiling lady of thrift

With the gift for philanthropy

The rare beacon of hope,

During dark days of illiteracy

The rare lily in the Luo universe

Ever

Exuding intellectual fragrance

Let’s celebrate nyar Asembo

Mama Grace Ogot

Who cherished Christian values

This delineated her life

As the only nominated and elected women M.P

For Gem

Gem the home of the legends

Odera Akang’o and CMG Argwings Kodhek

You championed

Education for the girl child.

Let’s celebrate Grace Ogot

The rare beacon of hope

Let’s celebrate this kind hearted

Mulago trained nurse and BBC Radio Journalist

Who inspired by Luo culture,

mythology and folklore

Aspired matured into

A renowned writer

Articulating the role

Of women in

Patriarchal society

We celebrate the life

Of an extraordinary

Mother and wife to an

International historian:

Prof Bethwel Alan Ogot.

Let’s celebrate a great

Personality,always

Elegant in her distinctive headgear

And mono-tone flowing dresses

The rare beacon of hope

The rain has come for our icon

The care beacon of hope

Let’s celebrate Grace Ogot

Born in rural Asembo

This great African writer

Educated at Ng’iya and Butere Girls High Schools.

Government Assistant Minister for Culture in 1987.

We celebrate Grace Ogot

The politician, the nurse, the broadcast Journalist, the diplomat and P.R .practioneer

Besides being a mother and a wife.

We celebrate a nurse, while studying at St James Hospital, England in 1962

She presented B.B.C Radio program

‘’London Calling East Africa’’

We are Celebrating an inspired author

0f nine books

The Promised Land, The Rain Came, The Year Of Sacrifice, Island Of Tears, Ward Nine,

The Graduate, The Other Women, Miaha and Days Of My Life

We celebrate the founder of Writers’ Association of Kenya

One among 570 authors of the 20th century, featured in the 4 volume

Of Modern Women Writers published in 1996

W e celebrate a gold hearted matron

Who selflessly donated her School Jubilee High School to facilitate the Odera Akang’o Campus

In honour of

The legendary Gem Chief.

O WE MOURN A GREATE AFRICAN MATRON

BY

AKECH OBAT MASIRA AND

OMAR NASSER

IN KISUMU, KENYA ON 3RD APRIL 2015

MISANGO ARTS ENSEMBLE

KENYA: GOVERNMENT REQUESTED TO TO INSTRUCT KWA TO CONDUCT MASS CULLING OF HIPPOS

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NYATIKE MP PLEADS WITH THE GOVERNMENT TO REDUCE THE HIPPOS POPULATION IN LAKE VICTORIA.

Writes Leo Odera Omolo

A member of parliament has appealed to the central government of Kenya to instruct the Kenya Wildlife Service’s {KWS to conduct what he termed as mass culling of Hippo population in Lake Victoria in order to reduce the numerous attacks by these beasts which have resulted in the deaths of fishermen.

Nyatike MP Edick Omondi Anyanga Also decried of the increased population of the dreaded Nile Crocodile in River Kuja, which has become dangerous to the people and their livestock.

The MP comment came in the wake of report that a 28 old fisherman was killed by a rogue bull of hippo.The incident occurred near Muhuru Bay.The 28 year old man whose name was given as Kennedy had gone fishing with a companion when the beast attacked and hit their fishing boat and overturned throwing the two into the deep side of the water, His companion swam to the safety, while Kennedy was thrown into the water and the beast bite him savagely killing him instantly.

His badly mutilated body was later retrieved. There has been several incidents along the shoreline of the lake which have all resulted in deaths caused by hippos stretching from Sindo beach in Suba South constituency following an alarming increased in hippo’s population. The situation now calls for mass culling in order to reduce the population of these dangerous beasts .Hippos are also destructive in a way destroying food crops causing hunger and famine to the communities living along the lake shorelines.

In another unrelated incident a woman was devoured by the Nile crocodile in River Kuja near wath Ong’er trading in north Kadem location also in Migori County.

The MP pleaded with the government to come to the rescue his constituents before more people are killed by These dangerous creature. In the case of crocodile attack the body of the woman a mother of three who had gone to the to wash her clothes in the river was retrieved after three days of search, but thebeast had cut her body into two halves and the reptiles had already swallowed the other half.

ENDS

SON OF MALAWI’S AMBASSADOR TO KENYA DENIS CHIRWA DIES,STABBED TO DEATH IN NAIROBI

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From: Charles Banda

A well known trained journalist Denis Chirwa who is the son of Former Army Brigadier and Currently Malawi’s Ambassador to Kenya has died. It is believed that Denis met his fate at a night out in Nairobi Kenya were he was stabbed to death by unknown thugs.

Denis who nicknamed himself after Former President as Chair was well known in social media circus for his love of Former President Bakili Muluzi,he was also an on and off online journalist who used to show case his skills in writing about Malawi Politics.

Denis Chirwa was currently studying at Kenya’s Catholic University.

MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE..

Warring S.Sudan leaders accept ‘responsibility’ for civil war

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From: Yona Maro

SOUTH Sudan President Salva Kiir and his arch-rival rebel chief Riek Machar said Monday they accepted mutual responsibility for a 10-month civil war in which thousands of people have been killed.

<a href=”http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/660925-warring-s-sudan-leaders-accept-responsibility-for-civil-war.html”>http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/660925-warring-s-sudan-leaders-accept-responsibility-for-civil-war.html</a>

MEMORIAL FEAST OF SS ANDREW KIM AND COMPANIONS

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From: joachim omolo ouko
News Dispatch with Father Omolo Beste
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 14

Today is Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-g?n, Priest, and Paul Ch?ng Ha-sang, and Companions, the Korean Martyrs who were the victims of religious persecution against Catholic Christians during the 19th century in Korea. Andrew Kim Taegon was first Korean priest. His father, Ignatius Kim, was martyred during the persecution of 1839 and was beatified in 1925.

All along Andrew had admired to become a priest. Shortly he was baptized at the age of fifteen he traveled thirteen hundred miles to the seminary in Macao, China. After six years he managed to return to his country through Manchuria. That same year he crossed the Yellow Sea to Shanghai and was ordained a priest, fulfilling his dreams of becoming a priest.

Andrew was arrested, tortured and finally beheaded at the Han River near Seoul, the capital. He worked closely with Paul Chong Hasang a lay apostle and a married man, aged forty-five. When Christianity came to Korea during the Japanese invasion in 1592 when some Koreans were baptized, probably by Christian Japanese soldiers, evangelization was difficult because Korea refused all contact with the outside world except for an annual journey to Beijing to pay taxes.

Also among the group of 103 Korean martyrs were three bishops and seven priests, heroic laity, men and women, married and single of all ages. They were canonized by Pope John Paul II on May 6, 1984 when he visited Korea in 1984. He canonized Andrew, Paul, ninety-eight Koreans and three French missionaries who had been martyred between 1839 and 1867.

Historically, Koreans lived under the influences of Shamanism, Buddhism, Taoism or Confucianism, Christian faith was therefore seen as an intruder. The situation is now calm because freedom of religion is now guaranteed by the Constitution in Korea.

Buddhism is a highly disciplined philosophical religion in Korea which emphasizes personal salvation through rebirth in an endless cycle of reincarnation, a religious or philosophical concept that the soul or spirit, after biological death, begins a new life in a new body.

The Buddha lived at a time of great philosophical creativity in India when many conceptions of the nature of life and death were proposed. Some were materialist, holding that there was no existence and that the self is annihilated upon death.

Korea must be unique in that the first seeds of Christianity were planted there by lay people. Today, there are almost 5.4 million Catholics in Korea. Recently Pope Francis celebrated a large open-air Mass to beatify 124 of South Korea’s first Catholics at a ceremony in the capital Seoul. He paid tribute to the Koreans, who died for their faith in the 18th and 19th Centuries.

The Pope called for reconciliation on the Korean peninsula, on the final day of his visit to South Korea. Koreans, Pope Francis said, should reject a “mindset of suspicion and confrontation” and find new paths to build peace.

There was no North Korean reaction to the visit, apart from a denial that a rocket launch on Friday was timed to coincide with his arrival.

Andrew Kim Tae-gon was born on 21 August 1821, in Chungchong Province, Korea. Paul Chong Hasang was born in 1795. He was the son of Augustine Chong Yakchong, one of Korea’s first converts to Christianity who was himself martyred in 1801 during the persecution of Shin-Yu.

The first reading of today is taken from 1 TM 6:2C-12: Beloved: Teach and urge these things.
Whoever teaches something different and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the religious teaching is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid disposition for arguments and verbal disputes.

From these come envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions, and mutual friction among people with corrupted minds, who are deprived of the truth, supposing religion to be a means of gain.
Indeed, religion with contentment is a great gain.

For we brought nothing into the world, just as we shall not be able to take anything out of it. If we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that. Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction.

For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains. But you, man of God, avoid all this. Instead, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses.

The Gospel is taken from LK 8:1-3. Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources.

Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail obolobeste@gmail.com
Omolo_ouko@outlook.com
Facebook-omolo beste
Twitter-@8000accomole

KENYA: TWO PEOPLE KILLED AND EIGHT MORE HURT IN LIGHTNING INCIDENT IN ONE WEEK

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo

RESIDENTS of several villages within Nyatike constituency are still in big shock following a series of incidents in which lightning struck four places and killed two pupils within two days and within a radius of eight kilometers apart.

The residents say they have never experienced similar incidents before and called upon the government to send geological experts to go and examine the ground if there are some hidden minerals on the ground that attract the thunder ball in the area.

The areas involved are those close to the closed down former Macalder and Masara gold mines. The mines which had been closed way back in 1962 had a lot o deposits gold, nickels and cooper. They were closed way back in 1962 before Kenya attained its political independence from Great Britain in 1963 and the former owners and managers packed and went away.

Small scale mining of the precious stones are still going on by small time local miners, though of late some prospectors and mining companies from Europe and South African have invaded the area and formed several mining companies.

The first incident took place early last week at Namba Kodero, Kanyarwanda sub-clan where two pupils aged 9 and 13 were struck dead. The incident came soon on the heels of the victim’s father’s funeral.

The second incident took place at Kongili village in Masara village not far from the defunct Masara gold mine. A woman and her small child were hurt as she was drawing the rains waters during the heavy downpour.

Another serious lightning incident was reported at OSIRI gold mine, which is very close to the defunct, Macalder Goldmine and the other one was near airport at a place called God Kwach. Two men who were taking shelter in a house were hurt. The survived but sustained serious bodily burns which required medical treatment.

THE AREA mp Edick Omondi Anyanga has joined the residents in requesting the government to send geological experts to go and examine the grounds in the area.

One scared resident told this writer Migori that the residents were now living in fear at all the rains which come to them. He said many have deserted their homes and moved to other villages faraway from these areas close to the abandoned gold shafts. They are just figuring it out as to whether it’s a pattern.

Many parts of West Kenya are prone to lightning attack during the short rains which begin early in August and end in December. So far the thunder ball has killed more than 12 people in various places including Nandi, Bungoma, Busia and Ksii,and Bomet regions since the beginning of last month.

Ends

KENYA: BODY GUARDS AND SECURITY DETAIL AT STATE HOUSE STAGE A SIT IN

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From: Charles Banda

News just coming in is that the security details and body guards at State House have started staging a sit in since 7 am this morning. The sit in is as a result of unpaid allowances and ill treatment at state house. As at 12:00 PM today, Mwapasa and Chisale from State House were at C-Company in Lilongwe recruiting replacement of the security details and body guards,soon after Mutharika was sworn in vowed never to trust Malawi police services thus why he hired 30 private bodygaurds who are currently enjoying at state house on police officers expense.Will keep you updated.

Meanwhile, there has been another terrible accident just after road block where a minibus has collided with a lorry. 5 people have died at the spot and others have been rushed to Kamuzu Central Hospital.

Child deaths in Africa: Local ideas shaping national health agendas to reduce child deaths in developing countries

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From: News Release – African Press Organization (APO)
PRESS RELEASE

Local ideas shaping national health agendas to reduce child deaths in developing countries

GSK and Save the Children $1 million Healthcare Innovation Award continues to call for life-saving ideas for newborns and under-fives

LONDON, United-Kingdom, August 12, 2014/ — GSK (http://www.gsk.com) and Save the Children continue to call for applications for their 2014 $1 million Healthcare Innovation Award, as previous winners attract interest and support from national governments to help improve survival rates of newborns and children under five in developing countries.

Logo GSK: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/glaxosmithkline.jpg

Download the flyer: http://www.apo-mail.org/hiaen.pdf

Six months after receiving a share of the 2013 Healthcare Innovation Award, five organisations based in developing countries are helping shape national health agendas and influencing approaches to healthcare for children and newborns.

One of the winners, MicroClinic Technologies Ltd., was awarded $100,000 for ‘ZiDi™, a mobile health management system, which has now been adopted by the Kenya Ministry of Health. The system is being used as part of the national e-health platform due to its ability to improve medicine supply, service quality and resource accountability for child healthcare. It will be rolled out across 5,000 public health facilities starting next year.

Muso, a community-led organisation in Mali that helps tackle the issue of poverty-related child mortality, also received $100,000 to support its programme which aims to quickly identify women and children in need of healthcare. The award money is being used to help reach 77,000 people across the region and has inspired the Mali Ministry of Health to invite Muso to help draft its five-year strategic plan for scaling up national community-based healthcare delivery.

Previous innovations recognised by the Healthcare Innovation Award are also being implemented across borders through collaboration, ensuring that ideas that may help save children’s lives are being shared. The top-prize winner from 2013 was a low cost Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) kit, developed by Friends of Sick Children (FOSC) in Malawi. This device helps premature and newborn babies suffering from distress breathe more easily. With funding from the Award, and backing from the Ministry of Health in Malawi, FOSC is now sharing this technology with teaching hospitals in Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa. This technology has the potential to save the lives of 178,000 African children each year if implemented continent-wide.

Organisations from across the developing world can now apply for this year’s Healthcare Innovation Award. Applications must be for innovative healthcare approaches that have resulted in tangible improvements to under-5 child survival rates, which are sustainable and have the potential to be scaled-up and replicated. This year, special interest and attention will be given to work that aims to increase the quality of, or access to, healthcare for newborns.

Ramil Burden, Vice President, Africa and Developing Countries, GSK, said: “The success stories we’re hearing from last year’s winners, just six months since receiving their funding, are truly inspiring and we want to help replicate this success. When it comes to improving access to quality healthcare, no single organisation has all the answers and we need to continuously look for new and different ideas, wherever they might be. Our award recognises that often the best solutions to development challenges come from people living with them and through partnerships we can help scale up local solutions to create global impacts.

Dr Sam Agbo, Head of Health, Save the Children said: “This year we’re particularly searching for innovations that are helping to improve the health of newborns in the developing world. Every year, almost three million babies die during their first month of life. But many of these deaths are preventable with the right resources and care in place. We must find different approaches, informed by first-hand experience, to address this issue. This Award provides a platform for working in collaboration, which will ultimately help to save the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable children.”

More information on the award and application criteria can be found at http://myg.sk/HealthcareInnovationAward. Entries close on 25th August at 11:59pm (GMT). Winners will be announced in December 2014.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

Notes to Editors:

2013 Healthcare Award Innovation Winners – 6 month update

Friends of Sick Children, Malawi: Awarded top prize of $400,000 for their life-saving technology for newborns

– Friends of Sick Children, Malawi is a partnership between the Paediatric Department at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi, Rice University’s Rice 360°: Institute for Global Health Technologies in the United States, and University of Malawi College of Medicine

– Their ‘bubble’ Continuous Positive Airway Pressure ‘bCPAP’ device is a low-cost device that helps newborn babies in respiratory distress to keep their lungs inflated so they can breathe more easily

– This low-cost adaptation of traditional CPAP devices can be produced for around $400 – a 15-fold reduction from the average cost of devices currently used in developed countries ($6000)

– Respiratory distress claims the lives of about 1 million African babies each year. It is estimated that this technology could save the lives of 178,000 African children if implemented across the continent

– The Award is helping FOSC to share their bCPAP technology and provide training in teaching hospital neonatal units across Malawi, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa

– To date, FOSC have partnered with the additional three countries, outside of Malawi, to undertake needs assessments regarding patient load, training needs and staff development

– Community healthcare worker training will take place in the Autumn of 2014 in select district and central hospitals and a training website has been launched to support clinical partners with accurate technical and practical applications of the technology following in-person training

– By the end of 2014, all countries in the expansion plan will have undergone training and 10 sites will have 4 bCPAP machines plus associated equipment

– Chokonojesta is just one of the baby boys to have benefited from bCPAP. He was born prematurely at 7 months, weighing just over 2lbs. Although he was able to breathe on his own, his lungs were so immature it took nearly all his energy to do so. With the support of bCPAP, Chokonjesta was able to grow and gain weight and after two weeks he graduated to Kangaroo Mother Care, where skin-to-skin contact with his mother provided warmth and helped him to regulate his own heart beat and breathing. Now 6 months old, he is thriving at home with his family.

BRAC, Bangladesh: Awarded $300,000 for South-South collaboration, helping to improve women and children’s health from Bangladesh to the slums of Sierra Leone

– BRAC’s ‘Manoshi’ is an urban maternal, neonatal and child health programme that that equips healthcare workers with mobile phone-based data collection software, allowing them to more efficiently record and report vital patient information in a simple and standardised format. It offers a comprehensive package of health services to mothers, babies and children to meet their health needs and challenges in three key ways:

? Simple, clean delivery rooms for new mothers with a trained birth attendant

? Quick access to emergency health services for those who cannot afford it

? Patient digital data collection for more efficient health service delivery

– The Award money enabled BRAC to bring the Manoshi programme to the Portee slum of Freetown, Sierra Leone, where under-five and maternal mortality rates are among the highest in the world. The total population in the slum is 6,049 people, including 2,593 women and children under five years of age

– Mobile phones will be used to notify staff about pregnancies, births and for sharing information efficiently about complicated deliveries and emergency referrals

– In July 2014, all community healthcare workers in the Portee slum received training on maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) issues , from the District Health Management Team (DHMT) at the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation

– As part of the programme, 15 community healthcare workers have been selected from the community to implement the programme

MUSO, Mali: Awarded $100,000 for delivering care to the doorsteps of some of the world’s most impoverished communities

– MUSO is a community-led organization in Mali that helps tackle the issue of poverty-related child mortality

– Their Award money is being used to deliver healthcare to 77,000 people across the region. The programme supports the early identification of women and children in need of healthcare, before their symptoms escalate to a more serious condition.

– The increased attention and resources made possible through the award will enable MUSO to expand their reach, both in the urban areas, where they currently operate, and into rural areas.

– MUSO will replicate their rapid health system in 157 new communities, reaching a population of 120,000. This expansion will triple the number of people currently served by MUSO and help save millions of lives.

– The momentum generated by the Award has led to increased attention and action at a decision making level. The Malian Ministry of Health invited MUSO to help draft its 5-year strategic plan for scaling up national community-based healthcare delivery to provide quality care for more than three million children under the age of five

– MUSO’s leadership has also been invited to present its model and research to those working to accelerate global child survival efforts at the World Bank, USAID, and the United Nations

– MUSO have begun laying the groundwork to expand its CHW service delivery package beyond the traditional focus on malaria and diarrheal diseases to other challenges, such as pneumonia, maternal and neonatal health, and malnutrition, that impact child and maternal survival

– A MUSO-Medic mobile partnership will be launched to test and deploy a cutting-edge performance dashboard to enable CHWs to directly record and transmit data from home visits on their mobile phones

– A comprehensive site selection process will be undertaken to identify eight health centres that will participate in a rural replication next year.

MicroClinic Technologies, Kenya: Awarded $100,000 to help Kenyan public sector healthcare go digital

– ‘ZiDi™’ is a mobile health management system designed to improve the quality of maternal and child care by providing access to real-time data optimized for health planning decisions.

– With their Award money, MicroClinic Technologies Ltd, was able to develop an enhanced version of ZiDi™ called ZiDi™ Pro, which offers a full range of outpatient, inpatient and specialty care modules enabling it to be accessible at all levels of care and health facilities in Africa.

– Since winning the Award, ZiDi™ Pro has now been deployed in larger health facilities, including the Gatundu District Hospital, which serves more than 3,000 patients monthly. Furthermore, ZiDi™ has been adopted by The Kenya Ministry of Health as part of the national e-health platform, helping the Kenyan health sector to become the first in Africa to launch into the digital era.

– Implementation of ZiDi™ at national scale should achieve the target of automating over 5,000 health facilities within the next three to five years.

– The Kenya Ministry of Health through a public private partnership agreement with MicroClinic Technologies is working to secure buy-in from national and international stakeholders to ensure a successful implementation of ZiDi™ Pro in Kenya, with the hope of sharing lessons learned with other East Africa countries.

– In June 2014, ZiDi™-Pro was launched as a total end-to-end solution offered as a pay-as-you-go service to clinics. Private rural clinics can now afford to automate their services, benefit from improved efficiency in service delivery, remote management of their clinics and better forecast supplies on a weekly basis.

Kangaroo Foundation (Fundacion Canguro), Colombia: Awarded $100,000 in special recognition of its work spreading the Kangaroo Mother Care Method (KMC), to improve the premature and low birth weight babies’ care, for a better quality of life

– Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is a simple technique which promotes early skin-to-skin contact between mothers and their premature and newborn babies. Mothers act as human incubators, keeping their babies warm, regulating their heartbeats and bond with them.

– This practice has a dramatic impact on reducing morbidity and mortality rates for premature and low birth weight babies.

– By winning this award and along with the support of the Health Ministry of Colombia, the Foundation has been able to widen the KMC health network by training 22 hospitals across country.

– The Kangaroo Foundation is also involved in building an e-learning platform which allows the dissemination of KMC knowledge across borders. In 2015, two countries in Africa, with the highest infant mortality rates, will benefit

– Along with their efforts on the ground, the Kangaroo Foundation is advocating for Colombia to be the first country to have KMC established as an official public health policy and for each district to have a KMC centre of excellence.

Criteria for entry – nominations must:

1) Be from a country classified as ‘low’, ‘lower-middle’, or ‘upper-middle’ income by the World Bank (http://data.worldbank.org/country), and not be from the European Union (http://europa.eu/about-eu/countries/index_en.htm). Countries classified as ‘high income’ by the World Bank or that are in the European Union are not eligible

2) Come from an organisation based in an eligible country, with an innovation used for the benefit of the people in an eligible country

GSK (http://www.gsk.com) – one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For further information please visit http://www.gsk.com.

Save the Children – Save the Children works in more than 120 countries. We save children’s lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. http://www.savethechildren.org.uk

General media enquiries:
Brian Sibanda + 27 72 020 1852 (South Africa)

GSK enquiries:

UK Media enquiries:
David Mawdsley +44 (0) 20 8047 5502 (London)
Simon Steel +44 (0) 20 8047 5502 (London)
David Daley +44 (0) 20 8047 5502 (London)
Catherine Hartley +44 (0) 20 8047 5502 (London)
Sarah Hornby +44 (0) 20 8047 5502 (London)

US Media enquiries:
Stephen Rea +1 215 751 4394 (Philadelphia)
Melinda Stubbee +1 919 483 2510 (North Carolina)
Mary Anne Rhyne +1 919 483 0492 (North Carolina)

Save the Children Enquiries:
Media enquiries:

Jo Campbell +44 (0) 20 7012 6841 (London)

j.campbell@savethechildren.org.uk

Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements

GSK cautions investors that any forward-looking statements or projections made by GSK, including those made in this announcement, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Such factors include, but are not limited to, those described under Item 3.D ‘Risk factors’ in the company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2013.

Registered in England & Wales:
No. 3888792

Registered Office:
980 Great West Road
Brentford, Middlesex
TW8 9GS

SOURCE
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)

SHORT RAINS HAVE ARRIVED WITH CALAMITIES AND TRAGEDIES OF THUNDERBOLT DEATHS IN KENYA

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo.

In an African society the arrival of the new rains season after along spell of the biting drought is regarded and viewed as good and promising the rural farming community of a bumper grain harvesting in the near future and food security.

However, the latest of the current short rains in many parts of Western Kenya has brought with it a lot of natural calamities and tragedies leaving many villagers in mourning mood.

Two male students were struck dead at Chepkemei Secondary School when they were struck by the thunderbolt early this week. Tragedy occurred on Monday at about 4.30 PM. It was during the game time when students were preparing themselves to go home after the day long classroom work.

Nan di County is laying about 200 kilometers north west of the Kenyan capital Nairobi and in the highlands west of the Rift Vally. It left ten other students injured and were admitted at the Moi Teaching and Referral hospital in Eldoret Town.

The Principal of the school was quoted in the local media as having said that this was the first incident of it its kind to be experienced. He said, however, that the tragedy had robbed the school two of its brightest students. The bodies of the victims were taken away to the morgue after their parents had been informed.

Within 30 kilometers away at Soy Primary in the neighboring Kakamega Count , 30 primary school pupils were injured when the lightning struck their classes. The affected pupils were in standard seven and eight. The tragedy occurred during games time and late afternoon downpour at about 5.P.M local time.

The pupils were outside in the field playing, but dashed back to clash rooms for shelter when the rains began with storms. The head teacher Wafula Nyongesa said that many pupils were now keeping out of the school due to fears. They are scared to death and unwilling to enter into their classrooms, something which could adversely interfere with their performance.

Last year ten people were killed when the thunderbolt struck in West Pokot also located in Western Kenya. The regions are prone to lightning attack, mostly during the short rains seasons which begins in August and ends in December.

Many parts of Western Kenya regions do experience thunderstorms every year, with Kisii County leading the pack, followed by Nandi, Busia, Kakamega, Uasin Gishu, SiayaI, MIgori ,Kericho, Trans-Mara Narok and Migori.

About ten years ago, the retired President Daniel Arap Moi had initiated the crash programme for the installation of lightning arrestors in schools buildings and in all other public institutions

Zimbabwe is leading the rest of Africa in lightning death at an annual rate of 280 followed by Zambia at about 186 annually. Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia followed with the number being put relatively at below 100 annually.

In some community lightning incidents are always associated with witchcrafts.

ENDS

STATEMENT BY THE SADC MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE OF THE ORGAN (MCO) ON GAZA , 26 JULY 2014

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From: Juma Mzuri

The SADC Ministerial Committee of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation (MCO) meeting in Swakopmund, Namibia, noted with grave concern the blatant and disproportionate attacks against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, by the State of Israel which has resulted in the deaths and suffering of defenseless Palestinian civilians, mostly women, children and the elderly.

The SADC MCO supports the resolution adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council on 23 July 2014, which, inter alia, called for an independent investigation into the unwarranted atrocities committed by the Israeli forces against the civilian population of Gaza which may be in violation of humanitarian law and international law principles. The SADC MCO condemns the indiscriminate Israeli bombardment from land, air and sea and the killing of hundreds of innocent civilians.

The SADC MCO further condemns the deliberate and systematic targeting and willful destruction of hospitals, schools, mosques, houses and other critical civilian infrastructures.

The SADC MCO therefore calls for an immediate ceasefire and for the Government of Israel and the Hamas to engage in a monitored dialogue. The Government of Israel and the Hamas are further urged to cooperate with the United Nations Secretary General and others, in their efforts to facilitate a ceasefire and to allow for unfettered humanitarian assistance to reach the wounded and all those in need.

The SADC MCO reaffirms the SADC peoples’ unflinching solidarity with the Palestinian people in their quest to realize their right to self-determination and an independent state of their own, living in peace, side-by-side, with the state of Israel.

REACTIONS ON FATHER OKECH’S BOOK

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From: joachim omolo ouko
News Dispatch with Father Omolo Beste
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2014

A widow who does not want her name revealed writes: “Fr Omolo Beste I am a young catholic widow aged 37. I read your article on dealing with the loneliness as one the most challenging problems faced by widowed mothers with great interest.

While I agree with you that the inheritors are there only to exploit the widows, mainly for cheap sex and not interested in taking care of the children they produce with these poor women, at the same time I don’t agree with catholic doctrine that widows should remain single.

I really long to read that book by Fr Joseph Okech- I am not sure how much he has treated this issue of widows in his book. Surely Fr Beste, how can I remain single at my age? Give me a break bwana!”

Thank you for your openness. In fact Catholic Doctrine does not bar widows from getting remarried provided that this is done according to the Catholic teaching. You can get a single man to marry in church. This can happen in your husband’s home according to African tradition.

Many African traditions and culture don’t allow widows to leave her husband’s home because of the dowries. Once an African husband dies his wife cannot leave his home to be remarried in another man’s home because of this dowry condition.

As I said earlier I have not read Fr Okech’s book so I cannot say exactly how much he has dealt with this issue of widow and inheritors. Among the Luo of Kenya for example, widows have traditionally been inherited to a local clansman who has his wife and children. This type of remarriage is what the Catholic Church does not allow, in that, this man is married with children and again inherit a widow.

Their interest actually is not in a widow’s welfare but simply cheap sex. That is why they don’t support widows socially and financially. They are not able to take care of medical, education, food, and clothings of the children they produce. Instead a widow is to work extra time to get enough money to feed the man. This is what I referred to my article as the exploitation of the high class.

At 37 I can understand how you feel. Paul speaks directly of your situation, too. “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If the husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. But in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is” (1 Cor. 7:39-40).

Although remarriage is clearly permissible, yet some widows find it very difficult to remain single as Paul suggests. In fact some widows don’t feel “happier”, that is why they opt for inheritance.

Pope Pius XII observes concerning the widowed “…others after the death of their spouse, have consecrated to God their remaining years in the unmarried state . . . have chosen to lead a life of perfect chastity . . . for love of God to abstain for the rest of their lives from sexual pleasure, in order to devote themselves more freely to the meditation of divine things and better experience the elevations of the spiritual life.”

Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail obolobeste@gmail.com

Omolo_ouko@outlook.com
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KUYO: OTO’s funeral committee

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From: ‘Evans MACHERA’

Dear all,

Thanks to Joram Odus and George Omburo for Ksh.5,000/= and Ksh.4,300/= respectively (duly received and transmitted to Oto family).

With thanks,

Evans MACHERA

– – – – – – – – – – –

On Friday, July 4, 2014 1:37 PM, Evans MACHERA wrote:

Hi Joram,

My contact number is 0724646961.

Remember to share where you are for the information of family members – the wife and cousin for the obvious purposes and intent.

Evans MACHERA.

On Friday, July 4, 2014 1:15 PM, Joram Odus wrote:

Ndugu Machera, let me have your Mpesa contact if you are in Kenya for my contribution towards OTO funeral.

Odus

From: progressive-kenyans
Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2014 13:41:51 -0700
Subject: OTO’s funeral committee

Jambo Bw.Omburo,

Karibu to my names Evans Onchiri Machera.

Thank u.

On Thursday, July 3, 2014 9:01 PM, ‘george omburo’ via Wanabidii wrote:

Evans,

What is your Kipande name to send you my contribution by WU or MG? Oto was a friend and deserve my support. Omburo

On Thursday, July 3, 2014 1:26 PM, ‘Evans MACHERA’ via Progressive Kenyans wrote:

Dear all,

Today,i received contributions towards Oto’s funeral arrangements as follows;-

1). Dr.Shem Ochuodho Ksh.2,000/=
2). Dr.Matunda Nyanchama Ksh.1,000/=
3). Sam Moturi Ksh.1,000/=
4). Evans Machera Ksh.1,000/=

Thank you very much. The committee acknowledged your support so far.

Evans MACHERA

On Wednesday, July 2, 2014 5:35 PM, Joram Odus wrote:

Dear all, I am reliably informed that our departed friend OTO will be lied to rest on 12 July 2014 at his home in Yimbo, Bondo County. OTO has left behind a window and 4 children (2 boys & 2 girls). His elder son is a 3rd year student at Moi University, the 2nd born is in Secondary school, another in primary and the last born is 3 years old.

I spoke to Mr Caleb Onyango, OTOs cousin a few minutes ago and he gave the following details for those who wish to send there contributions towards the funeral arrangements to Ms Sellin Oketch on 0723 300 443 Mpesa. Sellin is OTO elder sister, for accountability purposes the committee prefers any contributions through her, alternative she may be reached on the same line for any clarifications.

I urge everyone to support OTOs family at this time of need, your contribution will go along way in supporting OTOs family that has been robbed of a husband, a father, a son and a brother too early.

Thank you.

Joram Odus

Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2014 22:30:36 -0700
From: progressive-kenyans
Subject: OTO’s funeral committee

Dear all,

The contact family and committee member for Oto’s programme is Caleb Ben Onyango 0771079947 who is a cousin.

The committee has meetings at Komarocks and a final one shall be at Antonio’s opposite Cardinal Maurice Otunga Plaza / G.P.O. on Thursday evening.

R.I.P Oto.

Evans MACHERA

On Tuesday, July 1, 2014 9:01 PM, samoturiy via Progressive Kenyans wrote:

Shem,
The contact of his sister or his cousin will be availed pretty soon if not given yet.
Regards
MoTuri
Sent from my BlackBerry®

—
***********
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KENYA: MYSTERY STILL PERSISTS ON MPEKETONI ATTACKS

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From: joachim omolo ouko
News Dispatch with Father Omolo Beste
THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014

Teddy from Kwale writes: “Fr Beste following what Joni quoted from Standard digital that Jomo Kenyatta took Kikuyus from Kiambu to illegally allocate them land in Mpeketoni can be concluded that is one of the reasons why Kikuyus were the targets?

Secondly, Internal Secretary Joseph ole Lenku announced the interdiction of the Lamu county police commander Leonard Omollo, Mpeketoni sub county commander Ben Maisori and Hindi area divisional officer a Mr Mutua. President Uhuru Kenyatta confirmed the suspension of the officers the following day. Could this explain why Raila is connected to the attacks?

Thirdly, when Bishop Emanuel Barbara of Malindi, who is also apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Mombasa, visited Mpeketoni after the attack he concluded that the attack was carried out by Kenyans and some foreigners.

Bishop Barbara told Fides News Agency that from what he saw he could say that there was an Islamic matrix to these assaults, but it also clear that ethic groups were the main targets. This he said because the assailants killed people based on their ethnicity and religion, what lesson could be learnt from this statement? Thank you.”

Thank you Teddy. Your first question whether land grabbing could be one of the reasons why particular ethnic community was the target we can say yes. This is going with what the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission report of last year condemned that the Mpeketoni land settlement scheme of the 1960s was “unprocedural”, “dubious”, “irregular” and the cause of perpetual tensions in the area.

The TJRC report, which was handed over to President Uhuru Kenyatta last year, also analysed conflicts in Lamu in the context of the Shifta (Kenya-Somali) conflict of the 1960s. The commissioners also factored in historically-rooted threats to peace posed by the proposed construction of the new Lamu Port. It said the Jomo Kenyatta presidency (1964-1978) engaged in setting up.

Your second question whether the interdiction of the Lamu county police commander Leonard Omollo, Mpeketoni sub county commander Ben Maisori and Hindi area divisional officer a Mr Mutua can explain why Raila is connected to the attack is not the issue.

The issue is that targeting Kikuyu communities because of land came in the open in 1992 when Youth for Kanu’92 (YK92), a group co-founded by William Ruto to help Moi retain power in 1992. Kikuyus in the Rift Valley were the targets. The idea was to have them out of the province. Those who resisted were slaughtered alive, properties destroyed, leaving many landless and traumatized.

These attacks continued in 1997 with the worse one on the night of 13 January 1998 when some Pokot and Samburu men attacked Kikuyu communities in the Magande, Survey, Motala, Milimani and Mirgwit areas of Ol Moran in Laikipia. Attackers were armed not only with spears, bows and arrows, but also with guns. Some of the attackers were dressed in military-type clothing.

It was estimated that over 50 Kikuyus were killed during these attacks and over 1000 others fled the area and sought refuge at the Roman Catholic Church at Kinamba, from where they were later relocated to temporary shelters at Sipili and Ol Moran.

On 21 January the same year, about 70 unidentified people invaded three farms in Njoro including one belonging to the newly elected DP Member of Parliament for Molo Constituency, Kihika Kimani. Three days later, groups of what local residents described as Kalenjins attacked Kikuyus in parts of Njoro in the same constituency.

There were varying explanations given for these attacks. One version of events blamed them on the refusal of local Kikuyu traders to supply goods and services to Kalenjins in response to the events in Laikipia.

Another suggested that this was simply an unprovoked attack on Kikuyus by local Kalenjin youths. The attack on Kikuyus on 24 January provoked a counter-attack by a group of apparently well organised Kikuyus, who on 25 January attacked Kalenjin residents of Naishi/Lare in Njoro.

According to police reports, 34 Kikuyus and 48 Kalenjins were killed during these initial attacks and over 200 houses were burnt down. Hundreds of people from both communities were displaced by the fighting, and many of them fled to temporary ‘camps’ at Kigonor, Sururu, Larmudiac mission and Mauche.

Your third question on what Bishop Barbara concluded that the attack was carried out by Kenyans and some foreigners has also been witnessed by some journalists on the ground. The BBC’s Anne Soy reported that the gunmen shot dead anyone who was unable to recite verses from the Koran.

According to the report, the attackers were well organised, and as soon as they finished their mission, they disappeared, supporting the theory that they may be locals. There are long-standing political and ethnic divisions in this area for decades now.

Another report said it could be that local Somalis and Oromos who claim the area as their ancestral home are trying to drive out Kikuyus, who they see as interlopers. Such disputes over land ownership were behind much of the ethnic violence which broke out across Kenya after the disputed 2007 elections.

Although Al-Shabab has said it carried out the attack in order to take revenge on Kenya for the presence of its troops in Somalia, where they are battling the militants, as well as for the killing of radical clerics linked to al-Shabab in the port city of Mombasa, a group of Kenyan Somalis or Oromos could easily wave al-Shabab flags and shout slogans such as Allahu Akbar (God is great) in order to divert blame.

It could also be argued that President Kenyatta would want to downplay the al-Shabab angle in order to try and protect Kenya’s embattled tourist industry. This would also enable him to send Kenya’s security services after some of his political enemies.

It is very unfortunate Teddy that ethnic conflict is now threatening the decades of stability that has set Kenya apart from so many of its neighbors, like Congo, Rwanda, Somalia and Sudan. No one knows exactly when this land disputes and grabbing will end in Kenya.

Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail obolobeste@gmail.com
Omolo_ouko@outlook.com
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KENYA: IS RAILA TO BLAME FOR MPEKETONI ATTACK?

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from: joachim omolo ouko
News Dispatch with Father Omolo Beste
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 2014

Joni from Nairobi writes: “Fr Omolo Beste Jubilee government claims that Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) are responsible for killing people at Mpeketoni, which according to Internal Security Secretary Ole Lenku and President Uhuru Kenyatta was planned and orchestrated by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

In 2010 then Lamu West MP Fahim Twaha claimed that a son of President Jomo Kenyatta, Mr Peter Muigai Kenyatta, Mzee Kenyatta’s eldest son was illegally allocated 50,000 acres of prime land at the Mpeketoni scheme in Lamu District. Could this be the reason why Uhuru is trying to bring in MRC and ruling out Al-Shabaab militias?

Mr Twaha told a public rally held at Mkunguni in Lamu town that the land was given to Mr Muigai Kenyatta because of weaknesses in the land processing system. He told a rally attended by then Lands Minister Joseph Nyagah and assistant ministers Zebedeo Opore and Francis Tarar that flaws in the land acquisition process had denied a lot of people their rightful share.

This claim is similar to the story by the Standard digital description how Mpeketoni came to be. It was created as a settlement in the late 1960s and early 1970s by President Jomo Kenyatta to settle landless Kenyans, mainly from Murang’a and other parts of the former Central Kenya, who were expelled from Tanzania after the collapse of first East Africa Community. And that explains why the majority of the occupants of Mpeketoni are Kikuyus.

According to the story, the settlement was centred on a fresh water lake named after the first President of Kenya. The original inhabitants were Bajuni and Watta who were soon outnumbered by the newcomers.

Mpeketoni township, owes its name to an admixture of Kiswahili “Mpe” meaning “give” and carton (English) — “Mpe katoni”. Locals say that as the landless settlers got off the lorries that transported them to the settlement with cartons bearing their essentials, the officer-in-charge barked, “Mpe katoni” (give him/her the carton). “Mpe katoni” later evolved to Mpeketoni, the popular name of the settlement.

By June 1977, the Mpeketoni scheme was fully occupied with 3,480 settlement plots covering an area of 14,224 hectares, with one settler’s allocation averaging 10 acres. Their numbers have grown by leaps and bounds and according to the 2009 census report, the population is nearing 50,000 with the age of the second generation averaging 37 years old.

Another question Father is, how comes that despite what President Uhuru claims that intelligence informed the security about Mpeketoni attack but did not act. Why was there a poor response from both police and the military, eliciting public outrage? How could the killing take 6 good hours without the knowledge of the police and government? This is outrageous.

Recently, it has been in the limelight with indigenous communities complaining that the 2007/8 Internally Displaced Persons were being ferried to the area. Why could the government do this without involving the locals? And why bring only one particular ethnic community?

This is very elaborate analysis Joni. The Standard digital description you have quoted about Mpeketoni to my opinion is why President Uhuru Kenyatta is alleging that Cord leader Raila Odinga used Mombasa Republican Council to fuel ethnic cleansing in Mpeketoni, aiming at Kikuyu community who are practically the occupants of the region.

Remember Joni, Uhuru and his deputy Ruto have cases at The Hague related to ethnic cleansing and to convince the world that Raila is the architect of ethnic violence could probably reduce the ICC case. Recently the ICC Chief Prosecutor added the 1992 classes when Ruto and his team used Kanu for youth 1992 to force Moi’s comeback.

During this periods Kikuyus were the targets in the Rift Valley. Mwai Kibaki’s DP party had become a threat in the province and in order to win they had to be moved out. This resulted to hundreds of deaths, loss of properties, trauma and landlessness.

Again Joni, you remember Ole Lenku saying in public that Raila is to blame for the attack at Mpeketoni because he has history of ethnic violence, referring also to the 2007/2008 post-election violence and the 1982 coup to remove Moi from power.

This according to my opinion is to come in to demonstrate to the world and ICC that Raila is to blame for 2007/2008 post-election violence to ease The Hague case. The idea in short is that all political or any type of violence in Kenya is orchestrated by Raila.

Uhuru and ole Lenku were to bring in the MRC, ruling out Al-Shabaab militias to convince Kenyans and the world that this was Raila’s plan. What is very clear is that Kenyatta family have been accused of grabbing big chunks of land, leaving many Coastal residence landless.
MRC was formed in 1999 was to address perceived political and economic discrimination, and land grabbing. The group traces its secession claims to the 1895 and 1963 agreements transferring the ten-mile strip of land along the coast to the Government of Kenya from Zanzibar.

MRC want this agreement which some critics characterize these as a form of bribery designed to facilitate colonization of the interior revoked. Their efforts to plead with Uhuru government to do so has never been successful.

The group contests these agreements as invalid, because they were enacted without the consent of coastal stakeholders, and says the state of Kenya has failed to honor the provisions designed to protect the coastal population.

The MRC was dormant until 2008, when it first raised claims that Mombasa should secede from Kenya to become an independent state. They argued that secession would liberate the people of the coast province from marginalization by the successive governments in Kenya. It would also enabled them claim back their grabbed land.

Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail obolobeste@gmail.com
Omolo_ouko@outlook.com
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KENYA: ALILA URGED KENYAN LEADERS TO STOP THE CARNAGE AND ALARMING DEATH CAUSED BY JIHAD TERRORISTS

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City
.
The rate of daily deaths in Kenya at the hands of foreign sponsored terrorists has reached the most alarming proportions which now calls for a quick solution.

A Homa-BAY politician Hilary Ochieng’ Alila has said that if the dialogue which is sought by the opposition group could save the country from further bleeding to death, then such a meeting is necessary and must be held urgently before any more deaths.

Alila who is also a businessman in Nairobi spoke to this writer by phone from Dubai where he had gone for business. He said he was disappointed to read the disturbing news of fresh terrorists attack in Mpeketoni in Lamu which has left 48 Kenyans dead and property worth millions of dollars destroyed. ”We have lost so many precious lives in Kenya in the last ten years. We now say enough is enough. “This is a very serious issue and there is joking about it. Our leaders must come forward and save the lives of Kenyans.”

Alila criticized those who he described as amateurish politicians who instead of acknowledging the existence of Jihadists terrorists in Kenya were shifting the blame on to the CORD opposition leader Raila Odinga.

He said Odinga has been out of Kenya for close to three months, and during his absence from this country, there were more than 20 terrorists attacks in Mandera, Mombasa, Likoni and Nairobi in which innocent Kenyans lost their precious lives. He told those tasked with the responsibilities of protecting Kenyans and their properties to take the responsibilities and quit their jobs with immediate effect to take responsibility for the complacency and laxity.

The on going blames gamed and irresponsible comments from amateurish politicians out to attract cash handouts are some of the factors in undoing things. “Kenyans from all walks life must be patriotic enough to protect their beloved motherland, and its hard-worn independence.

Alila pointed out that it is was wrong to places all the security responsibilities in the hands of people from one ethnic background. This has made the security of our country becoming compromised. And this has resulted in the lapses of security apparatus in this country. The government must ensure that the posting of the key security men carries the face of the entire Kenyan society..

Alila warned those bad mouthing the others to tread carefully. They should only make their constructive contributions towards the need for a genuine dialogue between the opposition and the government. Some of the sycophants around the president have since coined the word, that Raila wanted to overthrow the government of President Kenyatta.

The politician did not say he had read the statement by the Cabinet Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku via CNN news footage and felt that the man is not up to the task nor is he capable of holding the so important security docket. Ole Lenku should quit and go home to take care of his herds of cattle instead of making big blunders in a such life threatening situation in KENYA. He appeared not to know what he is doing. In such important docket with the government security docket

Turning on ODM politics, Alila heaped a lot of praise on Raila Odinga for having met with then Nairobi governor Sr. Evans Odhjiambo Kidero to iron out a few contentious issues affecting the party and its members in the City. Yhe Raila / Kidero meeting was a healthy and fruitful one. Leaders must consult one another in a friendly atmosphere and discuss issues affecting the wananchi This is why I am supporting to the hilt the idea of the proposed meeting between President Kenyatta and Raila Odinga so what they should work out a road-map to permanent peace and tranquility in this country..

Alila at the same time advised theODM HOma-BAY county branch officials who were recently ousted from the leadership to take things easy. They should go home and re-brand themselves resolved to come back and claim the leadership in the future. But for now, the team which was formerly led by Gerald Otieno Kajwang’ are no longer in the picture..

ends

KENYA: LET US KEEP OFF POLITICS IN TERRORISM ATTACKS

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from: joachim omolo ouko
News Dispatch with Father Omolo Beste
TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 2014

Sura mbili writes via Facebook: “How can 50 armed terrorists on foot, hijack two matatu vehicles and take hostage a busy town centre for more than four hours, leaving about 50 people dead, trailing a huge destruction of property worth billions of shillings without any information being leaked in by our intelligence organs?.

For how long are we going to allow this to happen? I have said in this page that the government must overhaul our intelligence network. The government must start its intelligence from the village level and cut any bureaucracy in between. The president should be able to get all the information on intelligence from the village level through our intelligence network and which is not happening.

The president must have his private intelligence which apart from national intelligence, is trusted with state security intelligence. This organ will be trusted with all other security intelligence for clarity. Currently we are being fed with unconfirmed intelligence information, which sometimes is not reliable.

Let us wake up to reality that terrorism is here with us and find ways of improving our intelligence networks to conform with the current trends of terrorists. Politicians should stop this nonsense of blaming one another”.

Although this is a good advice to President Uhuru Kenyatta and his government Sura mbili, there are numerous reasons why Uhuru will not allow this to happen. One of the reasons is what I answered in September 27, 2013-click here WHY PRESIDENT UHURU WON’T SACK NIS to read more.
http://blog.jaluo.com/?p=36036

This was an response to NARC Kenya chairperson, Martha Karua who had said that it would be impossible for President Uhuru Kenyatta to sack NIS boss Michael Gichangi, not only because he was appointed on basis of tribal, but because Gichangi is his confidante.

Karua sensationally said President Uhuru Kenyatta and National Intelligence Service (NIS) boss, Brigadier Michael Gichangi, are incompetent on how they have handled country’s security matters especially Saturday’s Westgate terror attack.

On her twitter account, Karua put blame on the NIS head over the deteriorating security in the country, saying that if the NIS was active and competent, Westgate’s terrorists attack could have been prevented from happening.

Like Karua, members of the National Assembly had also accused the National Intelligence Service of laxity, saying the agency’s director General Michael Gichangi has failed to lead from the front.

Political analyst, Mutahi Ngunyi looked at it differently. He wanted Kenyatta, not only to fire Gichangi, but also Chief of General Staff, General Julius Karangi and Interior Ministry Cabinet Secretary, Joseph Ole Lenku for their incompetence over Westgate Mall’s terrorist attack.

Sura mbili, it might be easy for Jubilee government to deny, but the fact is and remains that Kenya’s security agencies are covertly politicized and as a result overtly ethnicized. That is why all security agencies do not pass the minimum test of Article 232 of the Constitution on Values and Principles of Public Service.

If you Uhuru was genuinely against terrorism, then he must of essence return the National Police Service (Amendment) Bill, 2014 to the National Assembly for further re-alignment in line with Article 2(1)(3) of the Constitution. That is also why the “Nyumba Kumi” concept is not effective.

It is also why, even though on November 7, 2013 Uhuru told corrupt senior officers in his office to either resign or be sacked, that has not happen because of politics. Uhuru knew and worked with them during his time at the Treasury when he was the minister of Finance.

That is why no senior officer has resigned or been sacked from his office. It is also why he won’t focus onto overall police productivity in terms of crime detection, response and management, despite the fact that there is need for urgent changes to police workforce policies and practices to assist police officers to respond more effectively to the challenges the government faces currently.

If it were not because of politics Uhru would have attained a police service that embraces successful initiatives and addresses gaps in the modernization agenda to be developed. Otherwise he would have spent whatever it takes, hire and fire high level security leaders without favour or fear.

Had it not because of politics, Uhuru would have created a new security agency, whose job would be to patrol and secure the national borders and its officers deployed in counties that are close to borders.

The President would also stick to his promise that he would expand the National Police Service by hiring 15,000 police officers every year over the next five years. These officers would be given modern equipment to combat crime.

It is not enough to allocate sufficient security budgets if this was not accompanied with transparency, eliminate wastage and guarantee quality and value for public funds. If this money is not looted it would create a command that would ensure all security agencies work together and to “establish functional linkages through training and command structure of various disciplines of the armed forces.

Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail obolobeste@gmail.com
Omolo_ouko@outlook.com
Facebook-omolo beste
Twitter-@8000accomole

WHO SAID CCTV CAN STOP TERROR ATTACK?

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From: joachim omolo ouko
News Dispatch with Father Omolo Beste
MONDAY, JUNE 9, 2014

Dennis from Nairobi writes: “Father Beste, why the hype about the CCTVs it is laughable, that in the advert the footages from the Westgate attack is used, what does it mean? CCTVs were at Westgate but it was still attacked.

All it serves often is historical like audit, and for terror acts the damage will have been done in a big way, for crimes yes it may be useful tracking the perpetrators. Let us differentiate the two that is crime and terrorism.

The later is backed well resource wise and the perpetrators are ready to die and like Obama put it suicide has become a weapon, so you may see the footages but the damage from terrorists will have been done”.

This is a valid argument Dennis. Although Jubilee government hopes placing closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras around some of the targeted areas by terrorists could provide them the clues they’re desperately looking for, as you have properly said these cameras were placed in Westgate Mall but could not enable the government trace the terrorists.

The CCTV showed clearly how one man cowered in front of a cashier desk, but he is immediately spotted by one of the terrorists who shot him at close-range and walked away. Sprawled out in a pool of blood on the shop floor, the man desperately tries to gather the strength to crawl away to safety.

He drags himself up to a sitting position, but falls back on to the tiled flooring. The gunman soon returns and shows the terrified man no mercy, shooting him again. In total at least 67 people died in the September siege – the chilling video clips obtained by the news outlet show just the first day of the bloody massacre.

In another surveillance video the British four-year-old who famously told one of the terrorists that he was a ‘very bad man’ could be seen clearly with his mother and six-year-old sister. His mother, a film producer, had been queuing to buy milk when the militants struck.

She hid under a cold meat counter in the Nakumatt supermarket for an hour-and-a-half with her children beneath her before terrorists finally found them and shot her in the thigh. The trio is shown walking through the supermarket – the mother is pushing an injured child in a trolley.

They are followed by a terrified teenage girl wearing a white top stained with blood, who is walking along with her hands up in the air. Behind them a gunman, brandishing an assault rifle, gestures the way. Bizarrely, the terrorists handed the children Mars bars before they fled. The woman, the children and girl were all eventually released.

Another clip showed the terrorists scouting out a supermarket while chatting on their mobile phones. Al-Shabaab said it remained in contact with the attackers as they battled Kenyan forces during the hostage crisis. At one point it looks as though one of the terrorists is looking for surveillance cameras. The attackers appeared relaxed in several clips – in one quiet period they are even seen taking turns for prayer time.

With this brief background we can categorically say that security cameras cannot help prevent terrorist attacks because once they hit they disappear. You will see them alright, but you will not help since they would have already killed.

Terrorists do not care whether they are caught or not. Again as you have said even in USA CCTV cameras can’t stop terrorist attack. Cameras did not protect against the Boston Bombings. Like Westgate Mall, it only helped catch the perpetrators after the attack. Someone bent on terror does not care about being identified.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was one of the first to demand more cameras in response to the Boston Bombings. New York Republican Rep. Peter King also called for increased CCTV in urban areas.

New York has 3,000 security cameras in Lower Manhattan alone. London leads the world in its surveillance of residents with 500,000 CCTV cameras in London alone. All these have not prevented terrorists from attacks.

Leave alone CCTV, Kenya’s lead counter-terrorism agency received $735 to spend in March. The force is allocated $2,205 quarterly for its operations – for maintenance and fuel for cars, travel expenses and office supplies – in January, February and March, yet this did not stop terrorists from attacks.

The allocation of money was aimed at counterterrorism agency to stop another Westgate Mall-style terrorist attack. This is despite the fact that Kenya is one of the top five global recipients of State Department antiterrorism funding.

In fiscal year 2013 a US-Kenyan law enforcement cooperation program known as the Diplomatic Security Antiterrorism Assistance program had a budget of $7.75 million, which is divided among multiple security services in Kenya and goes toward training and equipment.

The Anti-Terror Police Unit was formed in 2003 shortly after Al Qaeda in 2002 bombed an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa, killing more than a dozen people, while also nearly simultaneously attempting to bring down an Israeli plane taking off at Mombasa International Airport.

Those attacks took place four years after Al Qaeda orchestrated the bombing of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224 people, including a dozen Americans.

The proposed Ksh 15 billion CCTV cameras is coming at a time Kenya’s economy is likely to expand 5.8 percent in 2014 after below-target growth of 5.1 percent last year, the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday.

The economy faces risks such as weak growth in advanced economies that could affect exports and tourism, as well as public spending pressures such as public sector wages and interest rate payments.

The budget deficit in the fiscal year starting in July is likely to be 5.9 percent of gross domestic product, down from 7.9 percent targeted in the current year to the end of June. Government spending in 2014/2015 is projected at 1.52 trillion shillings – or 32.9 percent of GDP – from a previously forecast 1.47 trillion shillings.

Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail obolobeste@gmail.com
Omolo_ouko@outlook.com
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Q&A: Witnessing the Aftermath of Tiananmen

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From: Human Rights Watch
June 5, 2014
THE WEEK IN RIGHTS

Newsweek, along with many other news organizations, had rented a room in the Beijing Hotel, a high-rise building that looked over Tiananmen Square, to watch the protests. After the crackdown, we couldn’t get back to that hotel – authorities had cordoned off the street to mop up the blood and make sure no protesters could regroup. When the street finally oPhoto credit by ©1989 Private

“pened several days later, my colleague Melinda Liu and I went back to the hotel to check out, and the hotel tried to charge us for the days we couldn’t reach it. My colleague asked for a discount as access to the hotel was dicey “due to what happened in Tiananmen Square.” In retort, the man behind the counter said, “Nothing happened in Tiananmen Square.””

Human Rights Watch deputy executive director for external relations, Carroll Bogert, who covered the Tiananmen protests as a reporter for Newsweek, talks about how China has been shaped by the horrific events of those days 25 years ago.

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KENYAN TALENTED ACTOR IN THE FALL AND RISE OF IDI AMIN FILM DIES AGED 7O

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Reports Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu CITY

Joseph Olita, the Kenyan whose body structure and features resembles the former despotic rule of UGANDA field Marshall Idi Amin Dada, and the man who played the leading role in the famous film ,”The Rise and Fall of Idi Amin has died aged 70.

Olita died suddenly at his rural home, which is located at Alego Kogelo, Nyang’oma village in South Alego Location, Siaya County and the family members reported that he had succumbed to high blood pressure and diabetes last Sunday. His death comes only 24 hours after the burial of his mother on Saturday.

The actor’s rural home is just situated next to the Obamas Kenya’s rural home, where the Kenyan relatives and ancestral family of the US President Barrack Obama lives.Olita had just returned home from Uganda where he has been living while engaged operating a business enterprise retailing the electronic apliances in Kampala city. He only returned to witness the burial of his mother last Saturday. His body has since been removed from the village and taken to Siaya district hospital mortuary for preservation pending the burial arrangements.

The villagers immediately established the burial committee under the chairmanship of the South Alego Ward Representative Joshua Osuri. His death came a shock and dealt them a heavy blow to the residents of Kogelo Nyang’oma who said he was a very resourceful man of cheerful personality who was very much loved. The villagers consider Oita untimely demise as a “bad omen” coming so soon after the burial of his mother a day earlier.

The towering man who during his prime life stood at six feet 5.5 inches and weighing about 150kg, bore striking resemblance to the late Idi Amin. The only different between the two was that Idi Amin was a semi-illiterate person and spoke broken crocked English whereas the late Olita was highly educated person who received his education at the prestigious St MARY’S Yala High School. .

Olita , however, will be remembered as one of Kenya’s outstanding film star for not only his sterling performance and role in the Rise And Fall of Idi Amin, but he had also acted in other movies where he featured prominently The rise and Fall of IdI Amin was prime red in Kenya in 1981. The film detailed the controversial actions and atrocities of the murderous regime in Uganda under Idi Amin blamed on the former dictator after his violent seizure of power in 1971 after ousting the civilian government headed by President Apollo Milton Obote in a bloody military coup d’état in 1971. His rule stretched to 1979, during which tie close to half a million Ugandan intellectuals, professionals and businessmen as well as politicians perished.

Idi Amin was kicked out of power by a combined forces of Ugandan exiles and the Tanzanian troops in 1979. He fled the country and lived in exile in Riad, Saudi Arabia until his death. Some of the alleged atrocities committed by IDI Amin were grossly exaggerated. For example that he had killed his own son an ate his flesh and that he had killed one of his wives and chopped her body and kept it in a fridge were all false. Idi Amin, though had unpredictable character and temper was a very friendly person. This writer visited him and on many occasion had lunch with him at the Makindie military Lodge outside Kampala

On one occasion during the annual assembly of African head of sates and government summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Idi Amin invited this writer for a coffee morning talks at the famous Gion hotel, where his arch-rival Julius Kambarage Nyerere the President of Tanzania was also booked.

And two days later while personally piloting alone one of the two helicopters from Addis Ababa to Kampala, Idi amin made a mistaken landing at the Kisumu polytechnic where a huge crowed had gathered for the visiting American evangelist Dr BILLY graham mistaking the gathering as the crowed which had come to welcome him. He made an emergency landing in an area which was six kilometers outside Kisumu Airport He saw this writer and beckoned him, after which th Nyanza Police boss and the PC. Were informed .They came and escorted him to the Kisumu Airport and then to Kisumu Hotel whereIdi Amin gave lunch to close to 10 local scribers before flying back to Kampala and after extending ,a personal invitation to this writer to visit him for an exclusive interviews. Most atrocities in Uganda were act committed by Amin henchmen, most of them semi-illiterate Nubian youth recruited from Nairobi Kibira slums and other parts of the neighboring Kenya and drafted into the most dreadful State Research Bureau {intelligence}.

Olita had served with the Brooke Bond Tea Company based in Kericho immiedtaey after completing hs high school at Yala where he was an active member of the school’s drama Club. This writer was then the Assistant public Relations manager with the same company based in Kericho.During the time of shooting the IDI Amin’s film in Kenya, Olita had privately expressed his wish for a face –to-face encounter meeting with the real Idi Amin who was then living in exile in Saudi Arabia and even wrote toa letter to the forer Uganda dictator, but got no reply until his death. He was a very cheerful and friendly personality.

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