Category Archives: Journalism

Ethiopian prison imposes restrictions on journalist Reeyot Alemu

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To: “jaluo@jaluo.com”

By Agwanda Saye

The decision by authorities at Kality Prison to impose visitor restrictions on imprisoned journalist Reeyot Alemu constitutes harassment and runs counter to the Ethiopian constitution, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

"We call upon the Ethiopian authorities to lift these latest restrictions and allow Reeyot Alemu to receive all visitors," said CPJ East Africa Consultant Tom Rhodes. " She is a journalist, not a criminal, and should not be behind bars."

Reeyot, a critical columnist of the banned private weekly Feteh, began a hunger strike on Wednesday to protest an order by Kality Prison officials to turn in a list of visitors, according to local journalists and news reports. The officials did not provide an explanation for the request. In retaliation for the hunger strike, authorities forbade her from having any visitors excluding her parents and priest, local journalists said.

Two days later, prison officials said she could receive any visitors except for her younger sister and her fiancé, journalist Sileshi Hagos, the sources said. Sileshi was detained for four hours at the prison later that day when he attempted to visit Reeyot.

Reeyot stopped the hunger strike on Sunday, but decided not to receive any visitors until the restrictions on her fiancé and sister are lifted. The journalist is serving a 14-year prison term on vague terrorism charges that was reduced in August 2012 to five years on appeal.

It was not immediately clear whether the visitor restrictions were in connection with an article published by the International Women's Media Foundation last month that had been written by Reeyot. It is unclear if the journalist wrote the letter from prison or if this was a translation of an earlier story. In the article, Reeyot criticizes Ethiopia's anti-terrorism law, an overbroad legislation that was used to jail and convict her for her critical coverage of the government.

Kality Prison Director Abraham Wolde–Aregay did not respond to CPJ's calls and text messages for comment. Desalegn Teresa, a spokesman for Ethiopia's Ministry of Justice, did not return CPJ's call for comment.

The denial of rights to Reeyot runs counter to the Ethiopian Constitution, which states: "All persons shall have the opportunity to communicate with, and to be visited by, their spouses or partners, relatives and friends, religious counselors, lawyers and medical practitioners."

In a December 2003 report, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment stated that prisoners should be "permitted to have contact with, and receive regular visits from, their relatives, lawyers and doctors." The same report stated that "access to the outside world can only be denied on reasonable conditions and restrictions as specified by law or lawful regulations."

This is the second time in six months that the prison administration has put pressure on Reeyot, according to CPJ research. In March, officials threatened to put Reeyot in solitary confinement, according to sources close to her who spoke on condition of anonymity. Officials accused the journalist of indiscipline, according to news reports, a charge she denied.

In a report issued the same month, the United Nations Special Rapporteur determined that the rights of Reeyot under the UN Convention against Torture had been violated on account of the Ethiopian government's failure to respond to allegations of her ill-treatment. Reeyot had complained of mistreatment, and her health had deteriorated while she was held incommunicado in pre-trial detention, reports said.

AN ICON OF SCCS AND COMMUNICATION VETERAN RECEIVES AWARD

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From: Ouko joachim omolo
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2013

Maryknoll missionary and communication Veteran, Fr. Joseph G. Healey receives Award for Promoting Small Christian Communities in Eastern Africa, AMECEA Blog News online reports.

According to the report, a Catholic non-profit organization based in Plainfield, New Jersey, USA has awarded the Fr. Joseph G. Healey, who is also the first AMECEA Communication Secretary, “The Msgr. Thomas A. Kleissler Award” for his visionary spirit of church renewal, commitment to justice as integral to faith, dedication to the formation of lay leadership, and devotion to spiritual renewal through the building of small Christian communities in Eastern Africa during its fourteenth annual fundraising gala held on June 6, 2013 at the Pleasantdale Chateau, West Orange, NJ.

Immediately after the post-election violence in Kenya, Fr Healey used his skills in SCCs methodologies to reconcile and bring healing to ethnic communities that were almost not relating. The first of and historical one was done in Kisumu Archdiocese, where the Luo (conceived to be Raila Odinga followers) and Kikuyu (conceived to be Mwai kibaki followers).

The second of such historic reconciliation and healing was done in Nakuru, Rift valley Province where provincial, district, divisional and location police officers attended. Rift Valley and Kisumu were among the areas that were badly hit by violence.

Msgr. Thomas A. Kleissler Award, is an award named in honor of RENEW’s president emeritus and co-founder given to person with remarkable qualities of Msgr. Kleissler.

The other two persons who received the Awards were Mr. Michael Catanzaro who received the President’s Award and Ms. Lisa Marie Meehan who received the Spirit of RENEW Award. These three are considered to have played a significant role in fostering RENEW International’s mission of spreading gospel values in daily life.

Besides members of his family and Maryknoll priests, Fr. Joe Healey was accompanied to the gala by Maryknoll Missionary sisters from East Africa: Sr. Theresia Ndesoma, MM from Moshi Diocese in Tanzania and Sr. Ann Mutinda, MM from Machakos Diocese in Kenya.

While receiving the award, Fr. Joe Healey said, “I am delighted to receive this Msgr. Thomas Kleissler Award on behalf of the 120,000 Small Christian Communities in the nine countries of Eastern Africa.”

Fr. Healey also conveyed greetings from members of his SCC in Nairobi to the congregation that was gathered at the gala, “The members of my own St. Kizito SCC in Nairobi, Kenya greet all of you; the children in my SCC greet your own children and grandchildren.”

Fr Healey is a missionary priest belonging to Maryknoll Congregation. Apart from working as Communication secretary at AMECEA Secretariat Fr Healey has been a promoter of Small Christian Communities (SCCs) as he gave himself a name Mwana Jumuia in Kiswahili to mean (A member of Small Christian Community). Fr Healey can only to you his age by saying ‘amekula chumvi mwingi’ (an African expression for the person who has eaten a lot of salt). He worked closely with myself (Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ) during reconciliation and healing exercises.

His pastoral ministry, academic career, and writings have not only made him a leading voice in the spread of SCCs throughout Africa and around the world, but also young and active. His confrere Fr Richard Dick Quinn refers to him as a man of computers. He is always busy with his computer.

The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste wish to congratulate Fr Joseph Healy (Joe mdogo)-hongera padre!

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

Real change must come from ordinary people who refuse to be taken hostage by the weapons of politicians in the face of inequality, racism and oppression, but march together towards a clear and unambiguous goal.

-Anne Montgomery, RSCJ UN Disarmament Conference, 2002

IS KENYAN DAILY POST PAID TO SPREAD RUMORS ABOUT ICC?

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From: Ouko joachim omolo
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste
THE HAGUE SPECIAL TAKE-3

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

Erick from Kitale would like to know why Deputy President William Ruto is over confident cases against him at the ICC will be dismissed and why The Kenyan Daily Post has been writing in favor of Uhuru and Ruto and not Joshua arap Sng since the cases began at The Hague? Who owns the blog and is he/she paid to write in favor?

Erik would also like to know whether video clip played by Deputy President William Ruto’s lawyer, Karim Khan showing former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, calling for mass action in 2007 can implicate him.

The three questions asked by Erick are crucial. My take here is that Ruto has seen there is no case before him following witnesses, some of whom are dropping, arguing they have been forced or coached to bring false evidences against Ruto and Uhuru.

Already Ruto’s defence team is likely to press for early dismissal when his case resumes next Tuesday. This is following Ms Bensouda’s failure to produce her first witness on the opening day.

At the conclusion of his opening statement, Mr Khan challenged Ms Bensouda to concede early that her case was fatally defective and withdraw it in the interests of justice.

As to whether The Kenyan Daily Post has been paid to write in favor of Uhuru and Ruto and who owns the blog, my take here is that it could be possible following recent revelation.

The owner of the Kenyan Daily Post blog has remained anonymous for a long time, not until recently he was uncovered at a page calling itself “The Truth Kenya” His name is Timothy Rioba Obare, graduated from Kenyatta University a few years ago.

From pictures obtained from his facebook profile, he seems to be making some good money from his blog, worth roughly $176,000 (US Dollars) which is about 14m Ksh!! Sources also reveal that he does most of the editing and posting on his own and he is also paid by people who want damaging articles written and posted to his website.

Recently he posted in his website blog how Uhuru and Ruto will be found not guilty by ICC judges except Sang. In his blog Obare argues that the exoneration of Muthaura from the case has weakened Uhuru’s case, therefore, as Muthaura was found not guilty, so will Uhuru.

Similar argument is also on Ruto. He argues that there is no logical reason why Kosgey would be free and Ruto going to jail. Most of the accusations against Ruto will not stand trial, so like Uhuru judges will find him not guilty.

It is only Joshua arap Sang will be found guilty since the ICC court has enough audio recording to cement that indeed Sang was inciting Kalenjins to kill the Kikuyus. If this happens, Obare argues, Sang will be among the first Kenyan Citizens to be imprisoned at the ICC court.

In his September 11, 2013, Obare narrates how the European Union’s ambassador to Nairobi, Lodewijk Briet, has said that cases facing President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy President William Ruto will be dropped before December this year, for lack of evidence, and that Uhuru and Ruto’s cases may also be dismissed on technical grounds or economic diplomacy.

He quotes Briet as saying that the cases have already split the Western nations, where majority of them calling for the dismissal of the cases since they are politically castigated.

“The cases worry the West, which sees a stable Kenya as vital to regional security and the fight against militant Islam,” Briet is quoted to have said.

He said Uhuru and Ruto’s cases cannot be compared with Sudan’s President Omar al Bashir’s cases because the two have cooperated with the court from the beginning.

On the third question whether the video clip dated December 31, 2007 where Odinga can be seen and heard calling for mass action arguing that the 2007 poll was rigged; Ruto is then heard whispering to him to include the word ‘peaceful’ in his call can be enough reason for Raila to be indicted by the ICC.

If it was talking peace, even Raila did the same. On January 23, during a memorial service in Nairobi for victims of the violence, Raila was quoted to have said: “Tribes should not fight because “this is a war between the people of Kenya and a very small bloodthirsty clique clinging to power”.

Lawyer Karim Khan played the video four times to the court maintaining that his client had nothing to do with the bloody events that followed the controversial 2007 election.

Khan argued that Ruto did not ask anyone to kill or loot property of those perceived as enemies of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), to which he belonged at the time.

Khan’s intention for playing the video clip is not to implicate Raila at ICC. His intention was to prove the fact that Ruto whispering “peaceful” to Raila was an indication that Ruto would have not planned for the violence that killed 1,100 and displacing 600,000 people.

Another reason why Raila cannot be indicted is because mass action is not only a constitutional right; freedom of association, expression and peaceful protest guaranteed even in the old Constitution, there isn’t a democratic constitution or international convention in the world that prohibits those fundamental rights; which are inalienable to all human beings by virtue of their humanity.

Mass action is used against the perpetration of wrongs; the infringements of fundamental rights and freedoms; and to take action against dictatorship and autocracy; are both ancient and fundamental. That is why it is used all over the world.

Mass action has led to the popular replacement of repressive governments and even the revolutionization of society. We saw it during the French Revolution. We saw it again during the American Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution against the British Empire.

It was visible again and again during apartheid regime in South Africa. India during its independence struggle against British colonialism; African Americans during the civil rights movement; and Latin America during the fight against military juntas; taught the world about the power of mass movement.

Here in Kenya, it was mainly mass action – not armed struggle – that swept the autocratic regime of Daniel arap Moi from power. And it has been largely to mass action that Kenyans have successfully staved off imminent relapse to autocracy since 2003.

The Hague special take-4 resumes Wednesday

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

Real change must come from ordinary people who refuse to be taken hostage by the weapons of politicians in the face of inequality, racism and oppression, but march together towards a clear and unambiguous goal.

-Anne Montgomery, RSCJ UN Disarmament Conference, 2002

Digital News Report 2013

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From: Yona Maro

This study has been commissioned by the Reuters Institute to understand how news is being consumed in a range of countries. News is becoming more mobile, more social, and more real-time. This year’s survey reveals continuing shifts in how, when, and where people access the news, with digital patterns becoming more entrenched – particularly amongst the younger half of the population.

Audiences increasingly want news on any device, in any format, and at any time of day. But our survey reveals that the multi-platform and digital revolution is not proceeding at an even pace in all countries. What happens in the US does not necessary follow automatically in Europe or elsewhere. Geography, culture, and government policy also play their part, with Germany and France still showing strong allegiance to traditional forms of media.

We also see marked differences in ‘participatory cultures’, with very different rates of take up in social media, commenting, and voting across our surveyed countries. For traditional brands – and especially newspapers –these changes bring ever-greater competition and more disruption to business models. But this year’s survey offers some signs of hope for those investing in original news content. More people say they’ve paid for digital news in the past 10 months and we have data for the first time about the types and frequency of digital payment. Traditional brands continue to attract the largest online audiences and we find that trust in news brands remains uniquely valued by young and old.

Link:
https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/fileadmin/documents/Publications/Working_Papers/Digital_News_Report_2013.pdf

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Kenya: Kimisho visits The Communication Centre

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From: odhiambo okecth

23rd August 2013

Dear Members, Friends and Partners,

Today at 11.00am, we paid a Courtesy Call at The Communication Centre where we were received by Ms Faridah Karoney- the Editorial Director- Royal Media Services Ltd and taken round by Ms Winnie Kungania- Head of Radio Muuga.

Our Treasurer Mr. Fred Banja and I had gone to The Royal Media Services Ltd to appreciate and acknowledge The Media House for her outstanding, educative, innovative and transformative ways of News Anchoring and Journalism.

[image]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cw_C1HZ3du0/UhhtlAUNEAI/AAAAAAAADrM/qrwjqD8RGlg/s1600/PICT0179.JPG

Odhiambo T Oketch presenting a Cerificate and Letter of Appreciation to Ms Winnie Kungania for The Royal Media Services Ltd. Mr. Ben Oluoch Okello and Mr. Fred Banja look on

All the Stations run by the Royal Media Services Ltd have maintained decent levels of civility and decorum and are a joy to Family Listening. You will never be ashamed listening to their programmes even in the company of your Mother-in-Law.

Secondly, The Royal Media Services Ltd, especially The Power Breakfast Show and Radio Ramogi have hosted Odhiambo T Oketch several times on topical issues that have impacted very positively with many Kenyans and it is out of such partnerships that The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC, Kimisho Community Development Network-KCDN and Kimisho Sacco Society Ltd have been born.

We hence decided as The Kimisho Family to also show our appreciation by offering the following;

To The Royal Media Services Ltd- our Letter and Certificate of Appreciation in honouring how they have maintained civility and decorum in the way their Journalists anchor their Programmes.

To The Power Breakfast Show- our Letter and Certificate of Appreciation in honouring their incisive news analysis and programme hosting.

To Radio Ramogi FM- our Letter and Certificate of Appreciation in honouring their incisive news analysis and programme hosting. Besides, we presented Mr. Ben Oluoch Okello with 19 Bibles in support of his weekly morning devotion. This has been really uplifting to many.

To Radio Citizen- our Letter and Certificate of Appreciation in honouring their incisive news analysis and programme hosting. Mr. Lincoln Njogu has been outstanding here with his witty analysis.

To Cheche- our Letter and Certificate of Appreciation in honouring their incisive news analysis and programme hosting.

To Mr. Ben Oluoch Okello- our Letter and Certificate of Appreciation in honouring his morning devotion and Ramogi Baraza Talk Show which has been very informative and educative.

To Mr. Charles Odhiambo- our Letter and Certificate of Appreciation in honouring his late night programme and the Talk Show which has been very informative and educative.

To Mr. Felix Oguyo- our Letter and Certificate of Appreciation in honouring his witty and very informative day time programme.

To Ms Josephine Sirega- our Letter and Certificate of Appreciation in honouring her witty and very informative day time programme.

To Ms Betty Oketch- our Letter and Certificate of Appreciation in honouring her witty and very entertaining weekend late night drive.

To Ms Kanze Dena- our Letter and Certificate of Appreciation in honouring the way they took News anchoring in Kiswahili by storm, and

To Ms Lulu Hassan- our Letter and Certificate of Appreciation in honouring the way they took News anchoring in Kiswahili by storm.

[image]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-guA2RFl55dQ/UhhuuFaUV3I/AAAAAAAADrU/Vz6_mp1Axwk/s1600/PICT0180.JPG

Odhiambo T Oketch presenting Mr. Ben Oluoch Okello with a Certificate and Letter of Appreciation as Mr. Fred Banja and Ms Winnie Kungania look on.

We are One Family who believe that we can unite as a People and make it happen. At Kimisho, we will not seek what the Government can do for us. We will initiate our own process that can compliment what the Government is doing for us. And we will work closely with such Media Partners in driving our Programmes across Kenya.

The Bibles we presented to Mr Okello were graciously donated by the following Kimisho Members;

Ms Claire Obiero- Kshs 700.00,
Mr. Mourice Okwaroh Nyateng’- Kshs 1,000.00,
Mr. Isayah Odhiambo Bwana- Kshs 5,000.00,
Ms Winfred Mwajuma Ochieng’- Kshs 1,000.00,
Ms Caroline Achieng’ Juma- Kshs 1,000.00,
Mr. William Ogutu- Kshs 2,000.00,
Mr. Odhiambo T Oketch- Kshs 1,000.00,
Mr. Fred Banja- 6 Bibles,
Ms Mary Asiko- Kshs 1,000.00,
Ms Millicent Akoth Ogwel- Kshs 2,000.00.

We are still receiving more donations and we will pass all these to Radio Ramogi for their morning devotion.

It is with this in mind that we have rolled the following Programmes;

Kimisho Savings and Credit Co-operative Society Ltd- KSSL- where all Registered Members of KCDN are saving as a Family Unit. We are rolling out a process that will see us recruiting a General Manager for this Unit in September 2013. We will invite for Qualified Personnel at the right time.

Kimisho Table Banking Units- KTBU- We have set aside funds for this Initiative and Kimisho Members are encouraged to form themselves into Units of 9 Members and below with a Unit Team Leader for effective management of this Initiative.

Kimisho Investment Club-KIC- This is an Exclusive Club of Kimisho Members who want to invest. I am happy 24 Members have so far Registered with us and Membership is strictly regulated with Terms and Conditions.

All these Initiatives have been duly Registered with the relevant Government Agencies.

[image]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZiUkLdPKA44/UhhyHkNf_uI/AAAAAAAADrg/hwc0-906pV8/s1600/PICT0181.JPG

Odhiambo T Oketch presenting the 19 Bibles and Certificate of Appreciation to Mr. Ben Oluoch Okello as Fred and Winnie look on.

In partnership with Radio Ramogi Sports Desk, we have also launched Operation Gor Win League 2013. Gor Mahia last won the Kenya Premier League in 1995 and this time around, they are sitting pretty well, and the players need our support and motivation.

We want to support and appreciate our Players as a Family Unit. This year we are supporting Gor Mahia. Next year, we will support another Team, because, we want to invite all of us to love sports and discourage violence during our games. We will be sensitizing our Members and the Football Fans to be good ambassadors of this beautiful game.

Operation Gor Win League 2013 is an open invitation to all lovers of sports regardless of any form of partisanship. We want to appreciate the following for their generous donations so far;

Kimisho Sacco Society Ltd- Kshs 50,000.00,
Radio Ramogi Sports Desk- Kshs 10,000.00,
Mr. Tom Kodiko- Kshs 10,000.00 and Goods and Materials for the Club,
Mr. Ogalo Jakatolo- Kshs 2,000.00,
Juliet Bimo- Kshs 50,000.00,
Eng James Onyango- Kshs 10,000.00.

[image]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xz3Fm7WzOMA/Uhh2nv3H7WI/AAAAAAAADrs/gNQ6C0RXbRE/s1600/PICT0184.JPG

Odhiambo T Oketch presenting a Certificate and Letter of Appreciation to Mr. Robert Karanja- News Director TV at The Royal Media Services as Mr. Willis Raburu and Mr. fred Banja look on

We want to wish Gor Mahia a fruitful outing as they face our Brothers from the AFC Camp in the Mashemeji Durby at Moi International Sports Centre tomorrow. And we want to invite the Fans to Unite as One Family as we watch the best Team win. Let there be NO Violence.

We are now set and on the 31st August 2013, we are starting our Massive Recruitment and Sensitization Programmes across Kenya in the following manner;

31st August at 10am- Garden Square in Nairobi,
2nd September at 9.00am- Zion Temple in Busia,
2nd September at 2.00pm- ACK Cathedral in Siaya,
3rd September at 9.00am- ACK Cathedral in Bondo,
3rd September at 2.00pm- Kisumu Sports Ground in Kisumu,
4th September at 9.00am- Homa Bay,
4th September at 2.00pm- Migori,
4th September at 4.00pm- Muhuru Bay,
7th September at 10.00am- Egerton University Campus- Mombasa,
28th September at 10.00am- Kimisho Investment Club Meeting at Majiwa in Bondo

If you like what we are doing, you are hereby invited to join us by simply Registering at Kshs 500.00 through our KCB Mpesa Pay Bill Number 522522 to our Account 114 2400 913. Monthly Subscription is at a Monthly minimum of Kshs 200.00 and the maximum of what you can afford. Then, all our Registered Members are asked to make a mandatory Monthly Contribution of Kshs 20.00 to support our office, logistics and administration.

The Treasurer will acknowledge all payments and issue receipts for the same.

Let us all join hands and resources in this Journey of Hope across Kenya.

Odhiambo T Oketch,
Team Leader/Secretary/ Executive Director,
KCDN, KSSL, KIC,
PO Box 47890-00100,
Nairobi, Kenya.
Tel; +254 724 365 557,
Email; kimishodevelopment@gmail.com komarockswatch@yahoo.com
Blogspot; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com
Mailing List; friendsofkcdn@yahoogroups.com friendsofnyanza@yahoogroups.com

————
From: Stephen Machua
Sent: Tuesday, August 6, 2013 5:26 PM
Subject: Kimisho is now set, ready and able

Congratulations Kimisho Sacco Society Ltd,

I reaffirm my commitment towards growth and prosperity of this Sacco.

Together we can do more.

Regards,

Stephen Machua
Management Committee Member
Kimisho Sacco Society Ltd
www.linkedin.com/in/stephenmachua

————
On Tue, 8/6/13, odhiambo okecth wrote:

Subject: Kimisho is now set, ready and able
Date: Tuesday, August 6, 2013, 6:11 PM

Dear Friends,

Kimisho Savings and Credit Cooperative Society Ltd- KSSL was formerly and legally constituted today during our 1st Annual General Meeting hosted at the YMCA State House Road in Nairobi and attended by almost 100 Registered Members from across Kenya.Loud and Clear

The Elections of the Management Committee was conducted by Mr. Paul Kibugi- a Co-operative Officer representing The Commissioner of Co-operatives Development.

Our Guest of Honour was Mr. George Ototo- Managing Director for KUSCO.During the Elections, the following Members were elected to the following offices;

Chair- Mr. Dismus Omondi Obondo- proposed and seconded by Mr. Philemon Ouma and Ms Everlyn Akumu. Vice Chair- Ms Merab Adongo Akuom- proposed and seconded by Ms Phoebe Adhiambo and Ms Julia Onyango.Secretary- Mr. Odhiambo T Oketch- proposed and seconded by Ms Claire Obiero and Mr. John Otieno. Treasurer- Mr. Fredrick Omondi Banja- proposed and seconded by Ms Christine Mogalo and Mr. Kenneth Opondo. Committee Member- Mr. Stephen Obala Otieno- proposed and seconded by Mr. Atito Milton and Ms Christine Orata.Committee Member- Ms Rose Mboya Dwalo- proposed and seconded by Mr. Henry Omondi and Ms Lilian Akoth.Committee Member- Mr. Joel Akama- proposed and seconded by Ms Judith Ombok and Mr. Henry Omondi.

Committee Member- Mr Stephen Machua- proposed and seconded by Ms Everlyn Akumu and Ms Emily Odhiambo.

Committee Member- Ms Christine Mogalo- proposed and seconded by Mr. William Ogutu and Mr. Nicodemus Wangla.Mr. Paul Kibugi- Co-operative Development Officer hands over the Certificate of Registration of Kimisho to Mr. Dismus Omondi Obondo- Chairman Management Committee KSSL. Mr. Odhiambo T Oketch and Mr. George Ototo- partially hidden, witnessed flanked the presentation.

The Supervisory Committee will be composed of the following Members;

Chair- Ms Lillian Mola Nyawir, Secretary; Mr. Victor Onyango Kasera, and Member; Mr. William Ogutu

Mr. George Ototo addressing Kimisho Members. With him L-R are Odhiambo T Oketch, Mr. Paul Kibugi and Mr. Dismus Obondo We also unveiled our Board of Directors for Kimisho Community Development Network- KCDN and the following Members will serve as Board Members for the next 3 Years;

The Rt Rev Johannes Angela- Bishop of the ACK Diocese of Bondo- ChairMs Janet Winnie Ogot- MemberMs Mary Akello Omollo- MemberMr. Fredrick Omondi Banja- MemberMs Judith Anyango Ombok- MemberMr. Dismus Omondi Obondo- MemberMr. Elijah Agevi- MemberMs Claire Obiero- MemberMr. Isayah Odhiambo Bwana- MemberMr. Odhiambo T Oketch- Secretary

The Kimisho Management Committee joins in a Group Photo with Mr. George Ototo and Mr. Paul Kibugi immediately after the Elections.

We also have a Team of Strategic Partners whom we will be consulting with from time to time as we walk in this Journey of Hope across Kenya.In the US, Kimisho will be headed by Mr. Joe Omanya while Mr. Dickson Aduong’a will head our UK Team.

We are now set and ready to roll. Membership Registration to Kimisho is now Kshs 500.00 payable through our KCB Mpesa Pay Bill Number 522522 to our Account Number 114 2400 913, or through our Treasurer Mr. Fred Banja.Kimisho Team Members in a Group Photo after the AGMI want to sincerely salute Mr. George Ototo for gracing our 1st AGM and for offering to present us with a Register for Members- which I will pick tomorrow from his office, and for inviting 2 Kimisho Members- one from the Board and the other from the Management Committee for a Training Programme on Sacco Management, besides really motivating us into action. I want to sincerely thank the Ministry of Co-operatives Development and the office of the Commissioner for Co-operatives Development for their guidance and support so far. We are going to walk in this Journey of Hope across Kenya together as a Team.The Kimisho Family is growing

Lastly, I want to sincerely salute the following Friends, Members and Partners for the support they gave to us towards hosting our 1st AGM;

Mr. Alfayo Ondego- Kshs 1,000.00,
Mr. Dismus Omondi Obondo- Kshs 2,000.00,
Mr. Steven Obala Otieno- Kshs 2,000.00,
Mr. Odhiambo T Oketch- Kshs 2,000.00,
Ms Merab Akuon- Kshs 2,000.00
The Rt Rev Bishop Johannes Angela- Kshs 2,000.00,
Ms Mary Asiko- Kshs 2,000.00,
Mr. Jairus Gilbert Omondi- Kshs 3,000.00,
Mr. Isayah Odhiambo Bwana- Kshs 10,000.00,
Ms Everlyne Akumu- Kshs 2,000.00,
Mr. Fredrick Omondi Banja- Kshs 5,000.00,
Mr. Tubmun Otieno- Kshs 3,000.00.
Mr. Joel Akama- Kshs 1,500.00,
Dr Abraham Korir- Kshs 2,500.00,
Ms Claire Omollo- Kshs 2,000.00,
Ms Judith Anyango Ombok- Kshs 2,000.00.

Let us now roll out across Kenya.May the good Lord Bless and Support Kimisho in this Journey of Hope across Kenya.

Odhiambo T Oketch,
The Team Leader/Executive Director,
KCDN, KSSL, KIC,
PO Box 47890-00100,
Nairobi, Kenya.
Tel; +254 724 365 557,
Email; kimishodevelopment@gmail.com komarockswatch@yahoo.com
Blogspot; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com
Mailing List; friendsofkcdn@yahoogroups.com friendsofnyanza@yahoogroups.com

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IS MEDIA TO BLAME FOR DECLINE OF VOCATION TO PRIESTHOOD?

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From: Ouko joachim omolo
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste
THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2013

Following my Molo workshop take-3 dispatch one of the readers writes: “Father Beste your Molo workshop was indeed inspiring- I was touched by your take-3 dispatch how some propagandists use social media to tarnish the faith of the young.

It is not only Facebook father but media in general. In February I was in one of the parishes talking to youth and when I asked them why many young people are not pursuing vocation to priesthood and religious life as used to be before. One of them told me is because of sex abuse of minors by clergy.

When I asked where they are getting these information one told me he had just read on the Standard about the son of late Martin Shikuku who is suing a bishop who worked in Kenya for abusing him. These are just few examples how media can ruin the youth unless we find a new way to evangelize them”.

The said newspaper was the Standard published on February 9, 2013. It exposed the story of son of late prominent politician, Martin Shikuku alleging years of sexual abuse at the hands of priests in Kenya and abroad.

According to the story, Emmanuel Shikuku, 45, has filed a case in the UK against six men who were part of the Mill Hill Missionaries order. He claims he was a victim of a series of rapes and other forms of abuse between 1978 and 1994.

One of the men he names is former bishop of the Ngong Catholic Diocese Fr Cornelius Schilder, a Dutch national stripped of his duties as a priest in 2009 for allegedly abusing a Maasai herds’ boy.

Emmanuel did not attend his father’s funeral as he was in Germany at the time pursuing his claim. After spending much of the last two decades in Europe, Emmanuel is back in the country to record a statement with police over the alleged crimes.

He has sued six Mill Hill priests — four Dutchmen and two Britons — over sex attacks that allegedly began when he was a nine-year-old altar boy in Mumias.

Speaking exclusively to The Standard on Saturday, Emmanuel described what he termed “the haunting memories of a painful childhood” he suffered as a result of the abuse.

Asked why he has decided to file a complaint after such a long time, he said “shame, guilt and a fear of not being believed” had held him back until recently. He abandoned priesthood training at St Joseph’s College in London in 1994, due to an addiction to alcohol. He says he started drinking to cope with the assaults.

Emmanuel’s claim becomes the third prominent incident of sexual abuse leveled against foreign Catholic priests in Kenya. In 2005, Moses Ole Uka from Ngong accused Fr. Schilder and other Mill Hill priests of abusing him.

In 2009, Fr Renato Sessana, famously known locally as Fr Kizito from Comboni Fathers, was accused by a group of young men of abuse. The case was later thrown out of court due to lack of evidence.

In 2011, he was once again thrust into the limelight on the same charges after one of personal assistants accused him of abusing him after lacing his food with sleeping pills. The police later released him without preferring a charge.

By the time he secured a place at St Joseph’s College in September 1993, Emmanuel said his alcohol abuse had increased to an unmanageable level. Even there, he was also allegedly abused by another priest, a staff member at the college.

While these allegations could be true, I think we should tell our young people that the sin of few priests cannot discourage them from pursuing priesthood and religious vocations. Furthermore, catholic clergy are not more likely to abuse children than other clergy or men in general.

Sexual abuse of a minor by anyone is intrinsically evil according to the moral law and a serious crime according to the civil law. No situation, no motive, or no excuse can justify it—ethically or legally—under any circumstances.

While the injury done to the victim’s spiritual well being is likely to be serious and might well be pastorally irremediable, media is to blame in a way for mainly focusing on sexual abuse by Catholic clergy to a greater extent than they focus on other perpetrators of sexual abuse, in fact a much greater percentage of sexual abuse takes place within families than by clergy of any denomination.

None of this is to suggest that the vast majority of allegations aren’t truthful. But the conclusions that are routinely drawn from revelations of sexual abuses are often wrong e.g., celibacy is the problem, or sexual-abuse rates are higher among the Catholic clergy than, say, rabbis or public-school teachers.

One thing that is often forgotten is that not every allegation is true, and a priest, like anyone else who is falsely accused, deserves the opportunity to defend himself. Indeed, canon law, as much as civil law, gives him that right.

The Catholic Church has a membership of approx 1.2 billion people world wide with about 400,000 priests. If you compare the number of priests accused of sexual abuse to the above numbers it is only a very small percentage.

Young people should therefore know that the majority of priests and religious within the Catholic Church are wonderful, loving, giving people who spend their lives caring for others.

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

Real change must come from ordinary people who refuse to be taken hostage by the weapons of politicians in the face of inequality, racism and oppression, but march together towards a clear and unambiguous goal.

-Anne Montgomery, RSCJ UN Disarmament Conference, 2002

Kenya: Death threat on my life by Kisumu District Criminal Investiagtions Officer

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From: erasto agwanda
Date: Wed, Aug 14, 2013 at 4:35 AM
Subject: Death threat on my life by Kisumu District Criminal Investiagtions Officer
To: “jaluo@jaluo.com”

to: 0724 837 060.
Commander,
Criminal Investigations Officer,
Kisumu County,
P.O. Box 800,
Kisumu.

Dear Sir,

Ref; DEATH THREAT ISSUED TO ME BY KISUMU EAST DISTRICT CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS OFFICER HENRY NDOMBI.

I am called Erasto Agwanda Saye and I am a freelance journalist based in Kisumu County,

I wish to address you on the above matter and seek for your indulgence in regard to recording an official statement with the police.

The sequence of events leading to all these are as follows;

On Monday 12th August 2013 at 8.42.43 am, I sent an sms to Mr.Ndombi asking him if he had read “Citizen Weekly “ headlined “Outcry as grabbed land linked to bogus teachers Sacco” in which he was adversely mentioned by an official of the said Sacco.

Mr.Ndombi replied me on his cell phone number 0722 68 58 67 saying “Thanks, assist us get this idiot bwana Gd dei” at 8.45.34 am assumed that he wanted the numbers of the officials who had mentioned him in the story and sent to him both numbers of the Chairman Mr.Daniel Omotto and his Deputy Solomon Amuti.

The same day at 02.20 pm , a number 0738 561 861 called me and the caller told me that he was DCIO Ndombi and he started throwing tantrums at me calling me an “an idiot” and he was told that I was the one who had done the said story (the attached copy).

He went on to telling me as a DCIO he was “ordering” me to go to his office immediately with another journalist called Dickens Wesonga failure of which he told me that he was going to get me whether dead or alive and I should know that “ameangusha wengi”.

Immediately I sent a sms message to Mr.David Ng’etich the County Police Commander who advised me that I see you urgently in regard to the issue as he said he was out of office.

You can recall that I called you on your mobile number 0721 599 499 and you advised that I see you in the office after an hour and I asked you if I could still see Mr.Ndombi and you told me that it was not necessary and that I come even with my advocate.

At around 3.16pm Mr.Ndombi called me again on his safaricom line number 0722 68 58 67 and I declined to pick instead sending him a sms of what you and my advocate had told me.

The same day at around at around 5pm a person who introduced himself as a police officer met me near the office of Kisumu East District Officer who told me that I am still young “na niachane na Ndombi ama nikule lead”.

The reason I have written to you is to intervene in regard to the above issue which I have been advised not to take lightly so that I record a statement with the police as I have been unable to book the incident at the Kisumu Central Police Station’s Occurrence Book.

I look forward to hear from you,

Regards
Erasto Agwanda Saye

Cc;

-Provincial Police OfficeR Nyanza
-County Police Commander- Kisumu County
-County Commissioner –Kisumu County
-Complaints Directorate, Vigilance House
-Independent Police Oversight Authority
-Criminal Investigations Department Director
-Inspector General
-Cabinet Secretary Internal Security
-Kenya National Human Rights Commission
-Kisumu City Residents Voice
-National Integration Cohesion Commission
-Law Society of Kenya
-Commission of Administration of Justice
-Committee Protecting Journalists
-Doha Centre for Media Freedom
-Frontline Defenders
-Media Legal Defense Initiate
-Amnesty International
-Otieno Ragot and Company Advocates
-Mwamu and Company Advocates
-Olago Aluoch and Company Advocates
-Onyango and Company Advocates

KENYA: WHY COURT IN KETHI’S CASE IS LIKELY TO RULE IN FAVOUR OF TNA

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From: Ouko joachim omolo
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste
FRIDAY, JULY 11, 2013

Many of our readers have been touched by my article on why Uhuru Kenyatta won’t end impunity in Kenya as yet, with some pleading with him not to allow impunity to creep into his government. He must ensure the law is followed to the letter.

Peres Were from Nairobi was very categorical: “with culture of impunity in Kenya Kethi Diana Kilonzo is simply wasting her time, the court will definitely rule in favour of TNA, for that matter, in favour of Uhuru Kenyatta”.

With impunity court has no say. That is why despite of the High Court decision on the appointments of TSC commissioners the government disrespected.

Those nominated for appointment in the initial list were Kahindi Ziro James, Fredrick Haga Ochieng’ and Adan Sheikh Abdullahi. Cleopas Tirop, who had emerged tops in the interview, was missing in the list.

This list was rejected and the names taken back to the President and a new one presented to the House, this time with Tirop, Ochieng’, Abdullahi and that of the chairperson.

Mr Abdi Sitar Yusuf went to court to block the three commissioners’ names arguing the list was irregularly approved. The court blocked Ochieng’ and Abdullahi but cleared Tirop and he was sworn in.

Impunity–particularly in connection with human rights abuses committed during the 2007 post election violence is pervasive. As of late last year, there had been a total of 24 convictions in cases stemming from the violence following the 2007 elections, in which more than 1,300 Kenyans lost their lives.

No police officers had been prosecuted successfully. This is because Kenya is a republic with an institutionally strong president. That is why, even though the new constitution stipulates the creation of a Supreme Court, which was established in June 2011, president still have power to overrule the judgment.

It explains why widespread impunity at all levels of government continued to be a serious problem, despite implementation of judicial reform and the vetting of all judges and magistrates.

Human rights groups estimated that police were responsible for approximately 1,000 extrajudicial killings between 2008 and 2012; in 200 of those cases, there was credible evidence of police involvement, according to civil society groups.

In 2008 the government formed the Commission of Inquiry into Postelection Violence as part of the internationally mediated political settlement. In 2008 the final commission report recommended that the government establish a special tribunal to investigate individuals suspected of violence; however, no local tribunal was established, and the government did not conduct any investigations.

As a result of government inaction, in 2010 the International Criminal Court (ICC) opened an investigation and in March 2011 issued summonses on charges of crimes against humanity for six individuals. At year’s end three of them held official positions and two were former government officials.

The six individuals were: Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, deputy prime minister by then and former minister of finance; William Samoei Ruto, member of parliament and former minister of higher education, science, and technology; Henry Kiprono Kosgey, minister of industrialization; Joshua Arap Sang, former head of operations for KASS FM radio station; Francis Kirimi Muthaura, former head of the public service and secretary to the cabinet; and Mohamed Hussein Ali, police commissioner at the time of the violence.

In August 2011 the ICC dismissed an appeal by the government that challenged the admissibility of the cases against the six, ruling that the government had failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove that it was conducting its own investigation.

On January 23, the ICC confirmed charges against four of the six suspects, ruling that the prosecutor had not reached the threshold for charges to be confirmed against Kosgey and Ali.

In February the government appointed a task force to investigate local cases of post-election violence in 2007-08. In an August report the task force indicated that it had reviewed 4,408 of the 6,081 files compiled by police and found that most of the files were incomplete.

No suspects were identified in 2,411 of the cases. In approximately 1,000 cases a suspect had been identified but there was insufficient evidence to prosecute. In 2008 human rights groups reported that police turned away victims or refused to take down witness testimony after the post-election violence.

Police reportedly were also responsible for many of the human rights violations during that period. As of year’s end there were 24 convictions in post-election violence cases, including two for murder. No police officers had been prosecuted successfully.

That is also why, even though the law prohibits arrest or detention without a court order unless there are reasonable grounds for believing a suspect has committed or is about to commit a criminal offense, police frequently arrested and detained citizens arbitrarily.

Police often stopped and arrested citizens to extort bribes; those who could not pay were jailed on trumped-up charges and beaten. Police often failed to enter detainees into police custody records, making it difficult to locate them.

Although the president historically had extensive powers over appointments, including for the positions of attorney general, chief justice, and appellate and High Court judges, according to the new constitution, promulgated in 2010, vests responsibility for making recommendations for the appointment of judges in the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), which must publicly vet candidates, president still have the power to determine who is appointed.

The government did not always respect judicial independence. It explains why in June President Kibaki ordered members of the Provincial Administration to disregard the High Court’s ruling after the court declared their appointments unconstitutional.

The government occasionally used the legal system to harass critics, like what happened with KNUT officials recently. The government used the court to declare that their strikes are illegal.

Even with law in place to protect media, government still uses security forces to harass members of the media. Good example is what happened in April when police threatened two journalists, The Standard’s Osinde Obare and Radio Citizen’s David Musindi, for publishing stories on a police raid at a market in Kitale.

According to Obare, Kitale police chief Luca Ogara called him to ask why he published a negative story about the police and threatened repercussions if he returned to Kitale. In some cases their cameras confiscated by police and film destroyed.

Another example is what happened in May when two journalists with The Standard Media Group, Senior Investigative Editor Mohammed Ali and Dennis Onsaringo, filed a complaint with the police commissioner regarding ongoing threats and intimidation by senior police officials.

In 2011 Ali filmed an investigative series for the Kenya Television Network (KTN) on police complicity in drug dealing and the role of state agents in frustrating an investigation into a large cocaine seizure.

Pressure from politicians, including former defense minister Christopher Murangaru, forced KTN to stop broadcasting the series. The police investigation into threats to Ali’s life and the defamation lawsuits sparked by the program were unresolved at year’s end.

In September prison warders at the Machakos Law Courts attacked Jonathan Mutiso, a KBC reporter, for filming an inmate who had attempted to escape by climbing on the roof of the court.

The warders confiscated the camera and ordered two Kenya News Agency interns to erase footage of the incident, threatening the two with violence if they did not comply. The warders were disciplined following a demonstration by journalists.

On September 30, police arrested three Somali journalists who were reporting on a grenade attack on a school in Eastleigh. The journalists were released without charge and deported from the country.

The Committee to Protect Journalists issued a report in February noting that impunity in cases of torture of journalists remained a problem. Ten journalists reported mistreatment at the hands of police in 2011; the government had taken no action in any of the cases as of year’s end.

These are just but few examples to demonstrate how the government of Kenya will not end the culture of impunity any sooner. And because the TNA is determined that Kethi’s name deleted from the register because they did not want her to vie for Makueni senatorial seat, you will not be surprised that the court will still rule in favour of TNA. That is Kenya you call yours.

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

Real change must come from ordinary people who refuse to be taken hostage by the weapons of politicians in the face of inequality, racism and oppression, but march together towards a clear and unambiguous goal.

-Anne Montgomery, RSCJ UN Disarmament Conference, 2002

UGANDA: RESPECT LAW,MUSEVENI TOLD BY LAWYERS

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By Agwanda Saye.

The East Africa Law Society has demanded Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to respect a court order directing withdrawal of security forces from besieged media houses.

The legal body with 15,000 lawyers as members has also called on the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) to force the Government of Uganda to uphold the rule of law and withdraw military and security forces from premises of The Monitor and Red Pepper publications, KFM and Dembe FM.

East Africa Law Society (EALS) President Mr. James Mwamu called on EALA to leverage its ongoing session in Kampala to call on the Government to respect the East African Community (EAC).

“Uganda should adhere to its commitments to observe individual and media rights and freedoms as contained under Articles 6(d) and 7(2) of the Treaty establishing the EAC,” Mr. Mwamu said.

The EALS President said that the Government of President Museveni should refrain from undue interference with well-meaning individual and commercial investments.

Mr. Mwamu said that the professional body with a membership of 15,000 lawyers across the region is exploring regional judicial avenues to guarantee freedom of the media in Uganda.

The EALS expressed similar sentiments in a letter dated May 27 to President Museveni, East Africa Legislative Assembly Speaker and EAC Secretariat Secretary General.

EALS is the umbrella regional Bar Association of the legal profession in East Africa and brings together the six national Law Societies of: The Burundi Bar Association, The Kigali Bar Association, The Law Society of Kenya, The Tanganyika Law Society, The Uganda Law Society and The Zanzibar Law Society; as well as their respective individual membership.

“We intend to explore other avenues to ensure cessation of the unfortunate state of affairs in the unlikely event that military forces in Uganda continue disregarding the rule of law,” Mr. Mwamu said.

He said that that a free independent and pluralistic media environment is crucial in a democratic society. “It acts as a forum for the public to access information and services understand and exercise their rights,” Mwamu said.

The EALS President also called on the EAC Secretary General to exercise his oversight mandate to ensure compliance of States with their obligations and commitments.

Mr. Mwamu said that the obligations are detailed under Article 29 (1) and (2) of the Treaty for the Establishment of the EAC.

“The Government of Uganda should abstain from any actions that have the potential of derailing the proposed political federation of the EAC,” Mr. Mwamu said.

Ends

KENYA & WORLD: PRESS DAY MARKED AS TWO JOURNALISTS RECEIVE DEATH THREATS

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From: Ouko joachim omolo
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste in images
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2013

Today is World Press Freedom Day. Although the day gives people the chance to pay tribute to media professionals who risked or lost their lives in the line of duty, in Kenya as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports-Kenya: 2013 – Committee to Protect Journalists, the day is marked at the time two investigative journalists have received death threats.

Mohammed Ali and John-Allan Namu, investigative journalists from the private KTN television network received threats from anonymous callers and via social networking sites on Wednesday, according to Namu and Willis Angira, associate producer for KTN.

David Ohito, news editor of The Standard, which is also affiliated with KTN, told CPJ that the threats were linked to an investigative story aired on KTN two weeks ago, called “Inside Story: Death in Ten Minutes” that suggested foul play in a helicopter crash that killed former Interior Minister George Saitoti.

It is also being celebrated at the time police were also implicated in the January 2009 murder of Weekly Citizen journalist Francis Nyaruri, shortly after he investigated corruption within the police department.

Nyaruri was brutally murdered in western Kenya in January 2009 while investigating suspected corruption in a police construction project. The investigation has not yielded arrests to date.

Just recently a correspondent for The Star daily newspaper was found dead Sunday morning in his house in the coastal city of Mombasa. A housemate found reporter Bernard Wesonga with blood on his nose and mouth at around 11:30 a.m. according to Star Deputy Editor Charles Kerich.

Local journalists said Wesonga, 27, was with friends at a local pub in Mombasa Saturday night, leaving around 10 p.m. Wesonga had told friends he recently received anonymous threats via text message in connection with a story that described allegations of unlawful shipment and sale of fertilizer that had exceeded its expiration date. Authorities have not established a cause of death.

Against the background that on Saturday, March 9, 2013, US President Barack Obama made a statement in a gala for journalists in Washington that appeared to suggest that Kenya is not a safe destination for foreign correspondents.

“They’ve risked everything to bring us stories from places like Syria and Kenya, stories that need to be told,” he said. Syria is currently in the midst of a bloody civil war that was started on the pretext of removing its dictatorial ruler Assad from power. The conflict in Syria has killed more than 70,000 people.

The period following the Kenya’s last presidential elections in 2007 was marred by widespread ethnic violence. Over a thousand people were killed. Kenya’s journalists, especially those working independently, found themselves the targets of public anger, police intolerance and political fury. Many were threatened, injured, attacked and had equipment damaged or taken.

In Nairobi the day will be marked with two key celebrations:

1)The regional journalists convention – Second Annual Journalism Excellence Awards (AJEA) Gala, an event that seeks to acknowledge, identify and promote excellence in media in Kenya

2) The Executive Council meeting of World Association of Press Councils (WAPC, which will draw participants of press councils from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Somalia Burundi, Zimbabwe, Turkey, Nepal, the United States of America, Pakistan, India, Malawi, and North Cyprus among others.

These events will focus on safety and protection of journalists and encourage Development Journalism in Kenya in respect to Vision 2030.

Each year since 1997, the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize is awarded to honor the work of an individual or an organization defending or promoting freedom of expression, especially if it puts the individual’s life at risk.

The award is named after a journalist murdered in 1986 after denouncing drug barons. Last year it was awarded posthumously to a Russian investigative reporter who was murdered in a contract-style killing in 2006.

Established by the General Assembly of the United Nations in December 1993 as an outgrowth of the Seminar on Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press, World Press Freedom Day has only been celebrated since 1993. This seminar took place in Namibia in 1991 and led to the adoption of the Windhoek Declaration on Promoting Independent and Pluralistic Media.

It has much deeper roots in the United Nations, Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights which states that everyone “has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”.

The Windhoek Declaration called to establish, maintain and foster an independent, pluralistic and free press. It emphasized the importance of a free press for developing and maintaining democracy in a nation, and for economic development. World Press Freedom Day is celebrated annually on May 3, the date on which the Windhoek Declaration was adopted.

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

Real change must come from ordinary people who refuse to be taken hostage by the weapons of politicians in the face of inequality, racism and oppression, but march together towards a clear and unambiguous goal.

-Anne Montgomery, RSCJ UN Disarmament Conference, 2002

Kenya: Celebrating Mediocrity of the Kenyan Media

1 Reply

from: odhiambo okecth

Hahahah Jonah,

This Photo was actually taken on the 13th December 2013 when we hosted a joint Press Conference with Chairman Hassan, the PC Nairobi and several IEBC Commissioners inviting Kenyans to Register as Voters.

You will remember IEBC did a lot of work with several groups and we all hoped that we were working for a Clean Process.

I was hence also taken aback to see this Photo in The Standard of today. It might give the false impression that I am party to what Chairman Hassan is saying. It might also give the impression that I conform to how IEBC has conducted itself.

I do not and I remain a firm believer in a Clean, Clear, Fair and Transparent ways of managing elections.

We are asking The Standard Group to make that correction.

Peace and blessings,

Oto

— On Mon, 3/25/13, Jonah Ogaro wrote:

From: Jonah Ogaro
Subject: Celebrating Mediocrity of the Kenyan Media
Date: Monday, March 25, 2013, 1:52 AM

Ndugu Odhiambo

On Page 7 of Standard, I saw a true copy of yourself seated besides Mr. Issack Hassan of IEBC. What is cooking? Are you now an employee of IEBC?

Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2013 01:40:22 -0700
From: komarockswatch@ . . ,
Subject: [PK] Celebrating Mediocrity of the Kenyan Media

Friends,

We have come full circle and today, after some thorough soul searching, I want to ask: of what value is the Kenyan Media to Kenyans and the World?

As I was posing this question to colleagues at the office this morning, Wex pointed out to me an article by Clay Muganda, an article which escaped me but one worth reading- An inspiring article worth reading by Clay Muganda…

Now, in the US, sorry to give this reference again, I was so impressed by the CNN Journalists who were able to give us clear projections as Americans went to the ballot in November 2012. Through the Exit Polls, they were able to call the Elections in favour of President Barrack Obama, and they did this in real time. Within minutes of the last man casting his votes, their equivalent of our Dependent Electoral and Boundaries Commission announced Barrack Obama as having won back his seat and with a landslide. The Elections were never as projected by Opinion Polls- too close to call. It was a clear Usain Bolt win, where one can never dispute.

In Kenya, our Journalists were glued to returns as posted by the IEBC at a time when they had the capacity to report on results as recorded from Form 34s across all the polling stations in the Country. As Journalist, it was their responsibility to inform Kenyans on what was going on and on who was getting what where.

That the IEBC could gag the Media on releasing results is something that calls to question the independence of our Journalists and the Media Houses. How can we trust the Media if they can be this easily compromised and restricted?

[image]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BZ5M27cbQqo/UVAEXg5pN0I/AAAAAAAADWs/Xsvjh6dspS4/s1600/313876_10200479885665806_1801707901_n.jpgThe Kenyan Media is rapidly also becoming part of our Dirty Environment that we must all join hands in Cleaning

Was there a Conspiracy of Silence between the Media, the IEBC and the Dark Forces that were hell-bent on turning the wheels of change and reforms backwards? Can we find the Media complicit in the mass electoral fraud that Kenyans witnessed?

I am convinced that our Media Houses need to apologize to Kenyans and the World on their incompetence and sloppy handling of the Kenyan General Elections of 4th March 2013. I am also taking offense that The Standars Newspaper can have the audacity to use my Photo with Chairman Isaac Hassan in todays issue of The Standard at page 7 on a matter that I have no idea about. This is simply professional incompetence which I want to condemn.

That photo was taken on the 13th December 2012 when we as The Clean Africa Campaign joined in helping to mobilize Kenyans to Register as Voters and it has no relevance to the current situation in which Chairman Hassan has found himself in. To use the same photo now would create the impression that I am also enjoined in the electoral deceit that the whole World is witnessing. I am not party to that and I am having my Lawyers write to The Standard about this.

Lastly, even as the IEBC was releasing what they called Final Results, they read results from all the 290 Constituencies across Kenya. How come no Journalist interrogated this? The best a smart Journalist could have done was simply to play the tapes again and tally the results as they were announced and match this to the phantoms that IEBC posted as their last results.

I accuse the Kenyan Media and our Journalists for taking Kenyans and the whole World for fools.

Odhiambo T Oketch,
Executive Director,
The Clean Africa Campaign-TCAC,
Tel; 0724 365 557,
http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com
Nairobi Kenya.

The Clean Africa Campaign is an Initiative of KCDN Kenya.

WE DEMAND THE RELEASE OF THE ARRESTED EDITOR OF ALMIZAN NEWSPAPER AND A REPORTER

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From: Maurice Oduor

I want to add my voice here to condemn this inhuman act. Those journalists should be released right away and compensation paid to them and their families for the inhuman treatment meted upon them.

Courage,
Oduor Maurice

– – – – – – – – – – –

On Mon, Dec 24, 2012 at 11:57 AM, Yona Maro wrote:

Press Release

WE DEMAND THE RELEASE OF THE ARRESTED EDITOR OF ALMIZAN NEWSPAPER AND A REPORTER

In a clandestine operation by combine security operatives (SSS ARMY AND MOPOL) that took place in the early hours of Monday 24th December 2012, the Editor of Al-Mizan newspaper, Malam Musa Muhammad Awwal and a Reporter with the Newspaper, Malam Aliyu Saleh have been whisked away to an unknown destination.

The security operatives, so…me of whom were dressed in military uniforms clampdown on the house of Malam Aliyu Saleh located at Rigasa Kaduna, where they odered all the people in the compound including women and children to to lay flat on the ground despite the cold weather. Malam Aliyu was brutally beaten by the security operatives. They were carrying sophisticated weapons and detectors and they seized their cell phones after harrassing them.

They searched every nook and corner in the house without coming up with anything having not presented any search warrant to their victim.

They whisked away Malam Aliyu Saleh without any arrest warrant, and his wife and went to the house of Malam Musa located close to Makarfi road by Nnamdi Azikiwe way. There, the security operatives harrassed his wife and beat her up, his son was beaten despite his deteriorating health condition and they also took away cell phones and undisclosed amounts of money. They whisked away Malam Musa Awwal without any arrest warrant as well after thoroughly searching his house and his car.

The wife of Malam Aliyu was later dropped along Makarfi road while they did went away with the two journalists, Malam Musa Muhammad Awwal and Malam Aliyu Saleh in separate vehicles.

The wives and children of the affected journalist have confirmed the incident mentioning that the sophisticatedly armed security operatives numbered more than 40 in vehicles numbering more than ten including an amoured vehicle stationed in strategic locations around the area.

Meanwhile, all security points visited have refused to officially confirm the incident although some of the personnels confirmed knowledge of the incident asking for anonimity.

Although it is not clear why they have been arrested, however it might not be unconnected with the lead story of the current edition of the Al-Mizan Newspaper which revealed the attrocities of the Joint Task Force in Potiskum in which 84 persons have been abducted.
The way and manner those charged with managing insecurity in the troubled areas are operating is not encouraging at all because of the way and manner they highten tension and violate the civil rights of their victims.

On behalf of the I.M.Publications, publishers of Al-Mizan Newspaper, we hereby call for the immediate and unconditional release of our staff whose arrest has violated due proccess and their individual human rights.

We shall not relent in all efforts of making this issue publicized all over the world which will subsquently reveal the inadequacies of the security operatives. We hereby call on the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Guild of Editors, Press Union of the Islamic World, Human and Civil Rights groups as well as all concerned and well meaning personalities that believe in fairness and justice to humanity to outrightly denounce this atrocity perpetrated by security personnels in the name of providing security.

Signed

Ibrahim Musa
(Editor-in-chief, Al-Mizan Newspaper)
2348037023343

Picture 1&2 3 Malam Aiyu Saleh Senior Reporter of Almizan and his Bedroom, 4. Malam Musa Muhammad Awwal Editor of ALMIZAN

Images_WE_DEMAND_THE_RELEASE_OF_THE_ARRESTED_EDITOR_OF_ALMIZAN_NEWSPAPER_AND_A_REPORTER_.mht

—
Jobs in Africa – www.wejobs.blogspot.com
nafasi mpya za Kazi www.kazibongo.blogspot.com
Habari na Picha www.patahabari.blogspot.com

China: AIDS Rights 20121201 Chang Kun Statement, Wrongfully Accused, Confiscation of Magazine

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Statement regarding Chang Kun being wrongfully accused and the seizure of the magazine edited by him “Youth and AIDS”

From: Kun Chang

I am Chang Kun, in charge of the organization AIBO AIDS Relief, Zheng Zhou CityHe’rbutong Center – based HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment organizationin Henan Province, China. I state responsibly as follows: I will take all legal and humanitarian steps to maintain my dignity and value! I am against any form of misinformation to pretend I have done wrong !

Since October 25th ,2012, there have been a series of strange things happening in He’rbutong. First, someone wrongly claimed that I am moving to other city. Then, from November 8th to 11th, our office internet was broken for two days without any reasonable explanation.

At 15:30 on November 15th , the Domestic security team of the Public Security Bureau of Zhengzhou City, Cultural Market Comprehensive Enforcement Team of Zhengzhou City and the Wenhua Road Branch Office of Zhengzhou Public Bureau came to our office to check up. None of them wore work uniforms and they didn’t show the Work Permit. They seized and held in their custody the Youth and AIDSmagazine with the excuse that the magazines didn’t pass the relevant departments audit and they would to do an appraisal. On the Seizure Sheet, there was no official seal and only one police officer signed her name. I have no idea which Joint Law Enforcement organization the Seizure Sheet belongs to?
After this series of events happened, I had to cancel a meeting in Hangzhou, andcome back to Zhengzhou City by train overnight on November 17th.

On November 19th, I met with two department leaders of Zhengzhou City Politics and Law Committee who are responsible for AIDS and ideology. So far we knew that some people set me up by saying that I have some relation to an event—4 young people tore up a picture of the leader Mao Zedong in public at the Zhengzhou Zijingshan Square on October 25th. I only know three of the four people, but I had nothing to do with their actions. I am curious how they thought that I am behind the scenes of this affair, merely because I know the three people ?

What the most important is that no one has contacted me in any way to check regarding these events until I communicated with the leaders of the Zhengzhou City Politics and Law Committee. And they continue to set me up and harassed my colleagues! They may cheat their leaders and set me up in the name of their duty , I’m so frightened!

On November 26th , all my colleagues together went to the Domestic security teamof the Public Security Bureau of Zhengzhou City. We met some leaders and clarified some facts. We refused to be framed! However, until now, the Youth and AIDS have not sent back to our office.
On December 1st, 2012, the Word AIDS Day, There are 7 people with me had taken Hunger Strike for HIV/AIDS action.
I, Chang Kun, am engaged in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS since 2004. I am always doing my best and study hard, though there are some rough roads in my life. I found my life fun in the field of AIDS and I aimed to the prevention and control of AIDS for all my life! I gradually achieve my ideal, business, profession and life unification. But now I really can’t understand why someone would set me up!

In the past eight years , I did my best to serve my country and people, actively undertook the state and national responsibility of the epidemic of AIDS, and got my parents, sister and brother’s support. I worked hard myself in various environments during these years, I coordinated the relationships between various departments, all of this I did solely to solve the problem of HIV/AIDS in China. But today someone told me to end my own life! Am I so afraid of death? I made and kept a will since 2007. The one who said “take your own life” to me, do you have a will? I had a plan to die once, and I was threatened with death from by Email when I criticized one foundation. But this is the first time, that I was told with a word to end my own life. I am very angry!

I am always honest and public on my work. I will acknowledge anything if I really did it, but on the contrary, no one should be able to set me up if I really didn’t do it!! The 25th World AIDS Day is coming, our country and relevant departments are becoming active to improve AIDS people and their survival/condition. These departments have a series of documents which guarantee the treatment rights ofHIV/AIDS patients and state that no one can refuse and prejudice them. The documents also said that the prevention of AIDS is a complicated work, which requires the whole society’s participation; there is a need to provide the necessary support and help NGOs. Only according to the central requirements about innovation and social management, can we gradually establish and perfect the work mechanism of folk NGOs to participate in HIV/AIDS prevention and control cause!

What about the current situation? Someone has framed an AIDS activist, which is not only a disservice to our country and government, but also makes trouble for no reason!

I would like to solve the problem peacefully, but the someone must seek truth from facts ! Sent the Youth and AIDS back to AIBO AIDS Relief, ZhengZhou CityHe’rbutong Center as soon as possible.

Chang Kun(13349108944)
Changkun2010@gmail.com
SKYPE:chinachangkun
December 1st, 2012 World AIDS Day

—
Chang Kun
Director

Zhengzhou City He’rbutong
Tel:0371-87512825
Phone: 18697332373 13349108944
Email/MSN: heerbutong2011@hotmail.com

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Sudan: The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste

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From: omolo.ouko
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste

From: omolo.ouko
NEWS IN IMAGES

KURON PEACE VILLAGE
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2012

TAKE-1

This is to inform the Regional News subscribers that from today (Nov. 26, 2012) the news trend will be different. Instead it will be on news dispatch with Omolo Beste, mainly focusing on news in images.

I begin today with the news from Holy Trinity Peace Village Kuron (HTPVK) in South Sudan. Kuron Peace Village is a widely recognized model in successful peace building and in “taking the town to the people.” Click here to read more about the village-

Kuron Peace Village page

The village was founded by Torit Catholic Diocese Bishop Emeritus Paride Taban shortly after his retirement in 2004. He is working with the people of Kuron to build a peace village and help them recover from the long civil war and learn to live in peace with each other.

The people in Kuron area will be from the Toposa, the Jie, the Nyangatom, the Kachipo and other communities in the surrounding areas. The pilot project is expected to create a foundation for lasting peace among the Sudanese communities.

Kuron Demonstration Farm Project aims at introducing animal traction technology to train the community to increase the acreage of land under cultivation using animal traction instead of the traditional hoes which have limited the people to farming small pieces of land.

Traditionally, livestock is kept for prestige and marriages, which are some of the main reasons why youth are so much involved in raiding neighbouring communities. Youth have no other activities.

The Toposa people number about 700, 00 to 750,000. They are found in Kapoeta County, east bank Equatoria. Their most important settlements and villages are Kapoeta, Riwoto, Narus, Kauto, Naita, Mogos, Lamurnyang and Karukomuge.

The Toposa are part of a larger group known as the Ateker cluster, which in the Sudan include the Toposa, Nyangatom and Jiye; The Turkana across the borders in Kenya; the Jie, Dodoth and Karamojong in Uganda. The Toposa people believe that they originated and moved away from the Losolia Mountains in Uganda due to severe drought that had killed both people and animals.

Toposa tradition has it that they are descendants of Lopita or the Paring’a who shared common ancestry with the Murle, Turkana and Karamojong. According to the Toposa the story runs as such: They were moving in waves.

The first people to arrive Losolia cheated the other groups who arrived late and found that the first group had taken the meat leaving only soup. This precipitated the split and separation.

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





Bishop
Taban displays Toposa traditional attire






Fr
Omolo (right) pose in a photo with Toposa youth in their traditional
attires

Kenya: KCA Launches Journalists Training and Mentorship Project

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By Dickens Wasonga reporting from Coast.

The Kenya Correspondents Association (KCA) has launched a media training and mentorship project for journalists based in the Coast Region of Kenya to enhance issue focused, in-depth and fair reporting of issues affecting the region.

The initiative is meant to build the capacity and sharpen the skills of journalists based in the region to adopt a more investigative and analytical approach to reporting about a number of key issues that have lately dominated the media and national attention from the region.

The Coast Region, which has enjoyed peace as a tourist hub, has in the recent past witnessed flare-up of conflicts, some between communities over land and pasture, mostly in Tana River Delta and between the state and the loyalists supporting a militant secessionist group calling itself Mombasa Republican Council (MRC).

The group has taken up the case of advocacy over the claims of historical marginalization of the region and the land problems to new levels, often sparking off violent confrontation with security personnel that have been cracking on its supporters.

The MRC saga remains clouded in sensational media reports with reports that some of the group’s leaders have been involved in oath taking, calls for boycott of registration of voters, and attempts at secession from Kenya based on the per-independence ties with the Sultan of Zanzibar who for centuries ruled a 10 mile strip of the Kenyan coast.

In both the Tana River and MRC cases, hundreds of people have been killed, property destroyed and scores of people displaced.

Media reporting of these issues has been based on the voices of a few dominant voices including government officials, political and religious leaders and a few leaders of the MRC.

The KCA initiative seeks to enhance the capacity of journalists to do more investigation into some of these issues and offer opportunity to more diverse voices to speak out on the issues, particularly the social, economic and the political impact of the conflicts on the ordinary people, particularly the women, children and the elderly and on the tourist based economy of the region.

There have also been claims of biased, inaccurate and sensational media coverage that has led to a picture of the Coast Region being unsafe for investors and tourists and looming possibilities of religious, ethnic and other sectarian conflicts ahead of the March 2013 General Elections.

The project, which is supported by the Kenya Transitional Initiative (KTI)/United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was formally launched at a Stakeholders Planning Meeting in Mombasa on Friday last week at event which brought together journalists and representative of local stakeholder groups.

“ We hope to enhance a sustained in-depth and a more responsible media coverage of the key issues in the region by offering space to more voices and focusing on the benefits inherent in the timely and faithful implementation of the new constitution which promises solutions to some of these problems,” said Oloo Janak, KCA Chairman during the launch.

Under the project, 20 journalists drawn from different media channels based in the Coast Region will be taken through a short intense training and there-after, months of mentorship to build the requisite skills on the job.

The Project will be implemented through various strategies and stages and will involve active and regular media engagement with leaders and other stakeholders in the region aimed at generating credible, fair and reform oriented media reports.

END.

Launching University Students for a Clean Kenya

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From: odhiambo okecth

Date: Tuesday, November 20, 2012, 5:37 AM

[image]Clean African Nazarene University
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8o63w-0j964/UKuF8ucam4I/AAAAAAAACJw/9DTG_Fzoyns/s1600/PICT2611.JPG

Friends,

We are launching the University Students for a Clean Kenya on the 29th Nov 2012 the same day we will be hosting a Breakfast Meeting with the Health and Environment Journalists. I want the Team Leaders from the Kenyan Universities to write to me for their accreditation. My email address is komarockswatch@yahoo.com

This is going to be a voluntary Platform through which we are going to rally Kenyans back to self esteem as we work towards Cleaning our System. We must believe in Kenya and in our power to re-ignite the Independence Spirit and Aspirations of our Fathers. We must all unite to say NO to Tribalism, Impunity, Greed, Corruption, Big Money in Politics. And we must unite to vote out incompetence and lethargy.

We must advance Environmental Health and Science as the next frontier for National Development as we seek Peace amongst all Kenyans and pitch tent for Good
Governance. We must look back and be very brave in identifying where the rain started beating us and we must seal all those loopholes that make politics be the centre stage of our lives everyday at the expense of economic development, national building and servant leadership.

At the same time, please look at this Petition and if you are agreeable to its content, sign and help disseminate the same far and wide; http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/removing-the-director-of-environ>nment-at-ccn-from-office.html
Let us Move From Talking to Tasking as we Stay with the Issues garbage.

Let us all work for a Clean Kenya and a Clean Africa as a Transformative Deliverable as we turn 50 in Kenya.

Odhiambo T Oketch,
Executive Director,

The Clean Kenya Campaign- TCKC

Tel; 0724 365 557

Email; komarockswatch@yahoo.com
Blogspot; http://kcdnkomarockswatch. blogspot.com
Website; www.kcdnkenya.org
Facebook;University Students for a Clean Kenya

Facebook; Odhiambo T Oketch
Facebook; Monthly Nationwide Clean up Campaign
Mailing Group; friendsofkcdn@ yahoogroups.com

The Clean Kenya Campaign is an Initiative of The KCDN Kenya

World: The safety of journalists: Why should you care?

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From: Yona Maro

More than 600 journalists and media workers have been killed in the last ten years. In other words, on average every week a journalist loses his or her life for bringing news and information to the public. To end violence against journalists and to combat impunity, the United Nations Chief Executives Board approved the first ever UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, in April 2012, in a process spearheaded by UNESCO.

Now, in order to advance the plan and produce concrete strategies, a second UN Inter-Agency Meeting will take place in Vienna, Austria on 22 and 23 November, convened by UNESCO and co-hosted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). 23 November is the International Day against Impunity, declared by the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), a network of 90 international, regional and local organisations worldwide.

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/resources/news-and-in-focus-articles/in-focus-articles/2012/the-safety-of-journalists-why-should-you-care/

—
Karibu Jukwaa la www.mwanabidii.com
Pata nafasi mpya za Kazi www.kazibongo.blogspot.com
Blogu ya Habari na Picha www.patahabari.blogspot.com

KENYA: A KISUMU BASED NGO TO TRAIN JOURNALISTS ON HOW TO SECURE PEACEFUL POLLS

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By Dickens Wasonga.

A Kisumu based Non Governmental Organization has embarked on training of local journalists on how best to use media coverage as a means to secure fair and peaceful election ahead of the March 2013 general elections.

Local Capacities for Peace International LCPI which is funded by UKAID targets to train over 100 journalists based in Kisumu City in a bid aimed at ensuring the lake side City which was rocked by post election violence that saw many people lose their lives and several others displaced does not go through the same orgy of violence it witnessed in 2008.

Speaking during a one day workshop organized for the scribes at a Kisumu hotel the LCPI project officer Ms Rosemary Onunga said failure by the media to censure some of the statements made at political rallies to drum up support for various presidential candidate in the last elections by some leaders was partly the reason for the election related violence that rocked the nation in 2008.

Onunga called on those covering election to ensure materials that can whip up tribal animosity or constitute hate speech are not aired or published by media houses as a way of stopping rogue politicians from inciting people to engage in acts of violence.

The officers observed that although journalists are part of the society they work in, most organizations sideline them in efforts to bring peace and only invite reporters to their functions as away of transmitting what they have to say to the public.

” This approach is wrong because news men are part and parcel of the communities they live and work in and they should be fully involved in peace building initiatives throughout just like we do with other stakeholders;” she pointed out.

Its generally believed by most Kenyans that the media especially the vernacular radio stations and a section of the print media together with the electronic were reckless in the manner in which they covered events leading to and after the 2008 election whose results were disputed.

She said her organization was willing to sponsor journalists to do stories that will enhance peace initiatives in the region adding that apart from the media practitioners LCPI was already engaging with various security agencies in Kisumu and local political leadership to discuss how peaceful campaigns and electrons can be secured.

Kisumu has lately been in the news for the wrong reasons. Not long ago groups operating like those proscribed by the government were locked in a bitter war of supremacy which saw a number of their members hunted and arrested by the police.

And last week a prominent politician cum businessman Onyango Kwega was gunned down by three armed criminals an incident that sparked immediate protests throughout the City that left business and transport paralyzed for days.

Already there is fear amongst the City residents and the business community that if not checked violence is likely to rock the area as polls approaches with non confirmed reports indicating that some people are believed be considering or relocating for fear of the chaos .

ENDS

KENYA: JUDICIARY HOLDS MEDIA TRAINING WORKSHOP ON REPORTING ITS TRANSFORMATION

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By Dickens Wasonga reporting from Kisumu Kenya.

The Judiciary is set to hold a two-day media workshop in Nairobi from today as part of its efforts to open up to the media and enhance effective reporting of the ongoing transformation in the Kenyan courts.

The two-day workshop will bring together more than 250 journalists drawn from the state – owned Kenya News Agency (KNA) and members of the Kenya Correspondents Association (KCA) drawn from all the 47 counties, Kenya’s new governance units.

In a communication to the journalists invited to the conference, the Director, Public Affairs and Communications at the Judiciary, Naim Yaseen Bilal said the workshop was part of the efforts “to make the institution more accessible to the public”.

“The Judiciary is transforming as part of its efforts to live up to the dictates of the Constitution of Kenya 2010. Many of its aspects and approaches are changing,” he added.

The workshop, organized by the Judiciary in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Communications and Kenya Correspondents Association, is expected to herald the start of a sustained engagement between the Judiciary and the two institutions and journalists based in the counties to enhance effective and accurate reporting of judicial matters.

“We are convinced that a sustained engagement between the media and the Judiciary will enhance public confidence in the courts and improve service delivery to the ordinary Kenyans. Journalists will also have their capacity built to improve the reporting of court proceedings and related judicial processes,” said Oloo Janak, the KCA Chair in a statement.

During the two day workshop, media experts and judicial officers will discuss among others, the ongoing Transformation of the Judiciary, the Experiences, Challenges and Opportunities of Reporting the New Judiciary and Building partnerships between the Media and the Judiciary.

The journalists will also give the experiences and challenges they have faced in reporting the judiciary in the past and make recommendations on how to improve their interaction with and access to information from the judiciary.

END.

APO Ends Partnership with PR Newswire and Becomes Sole Supplier of Press Release Wire Distribution in Africa

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

DAKAR, Sénégal, October 8, 2012/ — The African Press Organization (APO) (http://www.apo-opa.org), the leading press release wire in Africa, announced today the termination of its partnership with PR Newswire.

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

Over the past 3 years, APO was responsible for the distribution of PR Newswire clients’ press releases in Africa.

As of January 1st 2013, APO will end this partnership to become sole pan-African press release wire.

APO is the exclusive supplier for pan-African press release distribution of France Télécom – Orange, Airtel, the African Development Bank, the International Criminal Court, and also works with Western Union, MasterCard, Merck, KPMG, Ernst & Young, PR agencies Weber Shandwick, Hill & Knowlton and Africapractice, to name a few.

“Seven of the ten fastest-growing economies in the world are in sub-Saharan Africa. According to The World Bank, Foreign Direct Investment will reach 31 billion Dollars this year. More and more companies and PR agencies are turning to APO for media relations on a pan-African scale, including press release wire distribution and monitoring, online press conferences, interactive webcasts, media interactions, events promotion, and more. APO is the only organization offering press release wire and monitoring in Africa”, said Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, APO Secretary General.

Over the past 3 years, APO was also responsible for feeding PR Newswire and its partners with high-quality news releases issued by hundreds of NGOs, international organizations, governments and companies active in Africa.

As of January 1st 2013, APO will also end this content partnership with PR Newswire.

More information about APO press release distribution and monitoring service: http://www.apo-opa.org/our-services/press-release-distribution-monitoring

Contact:

Aïssatou Diallo
sec.sg@apo-opa.org
+41 22 534 96 97

About APO

The African Press Organization (APO) (http://www.apo-opa.org) is the leading press release wire in Africa, and the global leader in media relations related to Africa.

With headquarters in Dakar, Senegal, APO owns a media database of over 25,000 contacts and the main Africa-related news online community.

It offers a complete range of services such as press releases wire and monitoring services, online press conferences, interactive webcasts, media interactions, strategic advice, public diplomacy, government relations, and events promotion. To know more please visit, http://www.apo-opa.org.

SOURCE
African Press Organization (APO)