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After months of gruellling training in the most difficult Military Bootcamp in America I am back. Its good to be home, to spend time with family and friends and just catch up with whats been going on in the world. Am home for about 10 days before going back for Marine Combat Training. Semper Fi!
Just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has supported this blog and most especially the Baby Brian Project. I will be away for the next 4 to 7 months and will not be able to update my blog. Uncle Sam is calling and nothing gives me pleasure than being in the United States Marine Corps. Semper Fi!
The following pictures were taken by Lillian Muthoni on a visit to Baby Brian’s family. Baby Brian is described as a happy, good natured baby boy who loves mobile phones!
baby Brian and his grandmother
Baby Brian and his Dad Jeremiah. He is definitely a daddy’s boy.
Baby Brian wondering what the fuss is all about, psoing with Lillian’s Nephew Edu and Jeremiah.
Baby Brian’s family
Lillian and Baby Brian’s new found friend Edu
I would like to thank all of you who have contributed thus far to Operation Baby Brian and those who have both donated and highlighted Baby Brian’s plight in their respective blogs and websites.
So far Baby Brian’s family has been supported by your donations in the following ways; food and clothing for Baby Brian and his siblings, Medical attention, and housing assistance to the family. In addition I would like to thank the folllowing members of the Operation Baby Brian Steering Committee who have come on board to provide wisdom, accountability and direction in this project.
Karimi Gituma MD
Njeri Karanja
Laura Litunya
lilian muthoni
Lemayian C. Kimojino
Shamim A. Okolloh
The above members of the steering Committee are working hard to ensure that this project is a success and to provide accountability to the funds donated by well wishers.
thank you for being part of Baby Brian’s life!
I would like to thank Tracy McVeigh, Foreign Editor for The Observer for sending me this video link and for doing an excellent job in covering what the Kenyan Media would not.
Since the Launch of the Operation Save Baby Brian, Jeremiah has been able to conduct a postmortem and bury his wife Grace. Baby Brian still needs your help. Please donate below.
to Donate using Paypal go to VUMA KENYA and click on the PAYPAL BUTTON under Baby Brian’s picture.
For direct Bank Deposits in the US:
Bank Name: Citizens Bank
Account name: Vuma Kenya Initiative
Account number: 1311-791-911
Routing number: 211-070-175
For Bank Deposits in Kenya:
Bank Name: EQUITY Bank
Account Name: Jeremiah Mungai
Account No: 0200190674408
ID No. 7156255.
Hey Guys a quick update on our efforts to help Baby Brian. So far many of you have written or called in to express your support and to give. I would like to express my gratitude on behalf of baby Brian’s family for your response. So far we were able to raise the funds needed to give Grace a proper funeral. We are still far from our goal of $5000 and I encourage you to give. A dollar can go a long way in changing someone’s life. Additionally, I got an interesting email from Tracy McVeigh that I would like to share with you. Tracy is the journalist from the observor that did an excellent story on Brian’s situation that was a catalyst to Operation Saving Baby Brian. Our thanks to her for telling the world about the injustice that occured on that fatefull day.
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2008 10:45 AM
To: josephkaroki@hotmail.com
Dear Joseph,
my name is Tracy McVeigh and I’m the journalist who went to Kenya after seeing the anonymous photograph of the dead woman to find out who she was.
I’ve just stumbled across your website and I’m really delighted to see that you and your organisation are trying to help Jeremiah Mungai and his little boy Brian, I just wanted to say well done. They’re a lovely family and I had been hoping that someone would be inspired to help them.
I made very short little video when I was in Naivasha if you’re interested.
You can find if you search the guardian.co.uk website or on youtube under my name – see Jeremiah in the flesh!
Anyway, best of luck with the project, thanks.
best wishes,
Tracy McVeigh
Tracy McVeigh
Foreign Editor
The Observer
3 – 7 Herbal Hill
London EC1R 5EJ
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The Observer Ethical Awards 2008 in association with Ecover
Vote for your Ethical Heroes now at www.observer.co.uk/ethicalawards
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Registered Office
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Registered in England Number 908396
Once again here is the info for you to donate. I believe that we are able to make a difference in someone’s life and here is your opportunity.
to Donate using Paypal go to VUMA KENYA and click on the PAYPAL BUTTON under Baby Brian’s picture.
For direct Bank Deposits in the US:
Bank Name: Citizens Bank
Account name: Vuma Kenya Initiative
Account number: 1311-791-911
Routing number: 211-070-175
For Bank Deposits in Kenya:
Bank Name: EQUITY Bank
Account Name: Jeremiah Mungai
Account No: 0200190674408
ID No. 7156255.
Grace Mungai has been laid to rest. This was possible with the overwhelming show of support from all of you who responded and donated whatever you could to lay this woman to rest.This mother, friend of many and wife Grace, was buried yesterday at her Parents home in Kericho. The funeral was attended by a handful of family and a few friends. Grace’s funeral was modest as was the life she led.
The next chapter in this begins. Grace leaves behind a young baby, Brian who was still breastfeeding. Baby Brain needs milk, food, clothing and toys. Kindly visit www.vumakenya.org and donate via paypal or use the account info provided below for direct deposits. Those in Kenya can donate directly to the family at the bank account below. Thank you to all of you who have already contributed. Kazi Iendelee.
For direct Bank Deposits in the US:
Bank Name: Citizens Bank
Account name: Vuma Kenya Initiative
Account number: 1311-791-911
Routing number: 211-070-175
For Bank Deposits in Kenya:
Bank Name: EQUITY Bank
Account Name: Jeremiah Mungai
Account No: 0200190674408
ID No. 7156255.
Finally after a few days of debating, emails and phone calls on how we can handle the donations in a transparent way, a solution has been found. I would like to Personally thank Karimi Gituma, Kelcey Brackett and Lemayian Kimojino for throwing the weight of VUMA KENYA behind the efforts of this Campaign. With their eyes on the money so to speak, I would like to thank them for agreeing to be stewards of the funds that we collect for Baby Brian. So dear friends please feel comfortable donating below and rest assured that ALL the funds will go directly to the family. Our Goal is to raise $5000 in the next 2 weeks.
Thank you for donating and drop me a line at josephkaroki@hotmail.com and let me know that you have supported Baby Brian and I will keep you personally informed of how your donation changed Brian’s life.
to Donate using Paypal go to VUMA KENYA and click on the PAYPAL BUTTON under Baby Brian’s picture.
For direct Bank Deposits in the US:
Bank Name: Citizens Bank
Account name: Vuma Kenya Initiative
Account number: 1311-791-911
Routing number: 211-070-175
For Bank Deposits in Kenya:
Bank Name: EQUITY Bank
Account Name: Jeremiah Mungai
Account No: 0200190674408
ID No. 7156255.
–
This is probably the most important post I will ever publish on this Blog. This post goes beyond mere rhetoric and Pictures that capture the plight of a People. This will directly change a life and re-enforce the nortion of the Kenya that we know of loving, caring and a nation that believes we are family. A few weeks ago, we all saw the picture of Grace(below) shot in the head by a rogue Policeman as the security forces carried out Operations in Naivasha. In a baby crib beside her lifeless, bleeding body was a terrified 14 month baby crying in terror. The baby now identified as Brian had just witnessed his mother shot in the head.
In the light of this tragedy, I got together with Lillian Muthoni and Eddie Njogu, my contacts in Kenya and we all whole heartedly sought the whereabouts of Brian and His family. With earnest devotion, Lillian found the village this weekend and managed to meet with Jeremiah, Baby Brian’s father. She was able to get some important information that we desperately needed in order to get assistance for the family. So I commend her for her tireless work.
Folks, we have an opportunity to turn things around in the life of this family and more so, this innocent child! I know many of you visit this site from all over the world and many of your have written offering assistance for Brian. This is the time for that assistance. Carol has offered to pay for the Post-Mortem and I thank her for her kindness. The family needs this post-mortem conducted by a qualified pathologist who may be required to testify in Court. Jeremiah needs to bury his wife so we need funds for the funeral. We also need to get this family basic necessities like food, clothing and toys for Brian. This child’s life has become extremely personal to me and I believe its time to move beyond our dismay and actually do something.I am in this knee deep, but I cannot do this alone, I need you to partner with me. email me at josephkaroki@hotmail.com or get in touch with Lillian at loumso2002@yahoo.com. My Cell Phone number is 214-708-1554.
We are called for a time such at this. If you are an attorney in Kenya willing to help or if you know of one who is willing to partner with us in bringing justice to this family, contact me ASAP. Tell your friends, your family, your coworkers. If you are a well wisher who would like to visit the family they are at Gwa Kanywa, Magumu village near Naivasha.
THE FOLLOWING IS WHAT IS NEEDED:
30,000 Kenya Shillings (US$425) for funeral and Mortuary expences
Milk for Baby Brian
Food for his siblings
Clothes, toys and Books
Well wishers to visit and encourage the family
A scholarship/educational fund for Brian and his siblings
A legal fund for the pursuit and prosecution of those involved in the murder of Grace Mungai
Those in Kenya can donate money at the following bank account at EQUITY 0200190674408 under the name Jeremiah Mungai, ID No. 7156255.
we will have a bank account open on Monday on behalf of the family for those in the United States. I would like to thank Lillian for doing a wonderful job this weekend and Eddie for joining me in this. In the meantime we have work to do. Looking forward to hearing from all of you!
For direct Bank Deposits in the US:
Bank Name: Citizens Bank
Account name: Vuma Kenya Initiative
Account number: 1311-791-911
Routing number: 211-070-175
As i enjoy my rather quiet weekend here in Dallas, watching the heated US Presidential Campaign has become a past time of sorts. So a few minutres ago came across this on CNN.
“A visibly angry Sen. Hillary Clinton lashed out Saturday at Sen. Barack Obama over campaign literature that she said he knows is “blatantly false.”
Clinton jabbed the air with her hands as she told a crowd in Cincinnati, Ohio, that two Obama mailings spread lies about her positions on universal health care and the North American Free Trade Agreement.
“Shame on you, Barack Obama,” she said.”
I don’t know about you guys but I am sick of the “Billary” Syndrome. The Clintons do not like being attacked on their issues. They are fine with negative campaigning on their opponents. Most recently accusing Obama of plagiarism and then herself plagiarizing her husbands own words. Hillary’s brain child is her health care plan which does have a mandate and forces it on people who cannot afford it. Her earlier Universal Health care plan failed when Bill was President because of Hillary’s divisive nature! Americans are tired of divisive politics and this is why she has lost the last 10 caucuses in a row. Partisan Politics only impede her agenda.
This is why I scratch my head when hispanics back Hillary! I understand her positive immigration plans but mark my words, she will not pull this off without the support of Congress! Barrack Obama has the ability to step across the isle and help pass a comprehensive immigration bill that hispanics and Kenyans in the United States would like to see passed.
Keep on showing your true colors Hillary.
in the meantime here are the other 10 ways Hillary can lose the Election. written by Michael Essany, a national television host and columnist for Times newspaper of Indiana.
[10] Paparazzi photos surface of Hillary emerging from Lindsay Lohan’s vehicle without underwear.
[9] Pledges to extend free health care coverage to “anyone injured in the course of Jihad”.
[8] Challenges Chuck Liddell for the Ultimate Fight Championship.
[7] Hires new campaign manager : Michael Vick.
[6] Begins every debate by asking Dennis Kuchinich for Pamprin.
[5] New Campaign Slogan : ‘The Clinton with balls”.
[4] Promotes her frigid demeanor as the remedy of global warming.
[3] To prove she is tough on drugs, throws out Bill’s Cialis prescription.
[2] Comes out of the closet, then backpedal with “JK!”.
[1] Goodbye pants suits, Hello Bikinis.
Ababu Namwamba, an ODM spokesperson issued a statement to day saying that ODM will embark on a “Mass civil disobedience next week” if ODM demands were not met on the negotiating table. The contentious issue at hand being the role of the Prime MInister in respect to Executive Powers. This throws out hope that a deal would be made today and any announcement of a consensus.
In a related news story, Raila Odinga has myseriously left the country but is available by phone for any consultations. His destination is Nigeria and his mission unknown. His trip caught the Government side by surprise and the Nigerian Information Minister seemed unaware of Odinga’s trip.
There is hope as William Ruto said that talks will resume on Monday and some progress had been made. So we’ll wait and see!
Kenya’s government tentatively agreed Thursday to create a prime minister’s post to be filled by the opposition, moving the East African country a step closer to ending weeks of deadly clashes over the disputed presidential election.
A political deal was expected Friday after weeks of international pressure on both sides to share power, government negotiator Mutula Kilonzo said.
“We have more or less agreed on a non-executive prime minister but with some substantial meaningful responsibilities,” he told The Associated Press.
Kilonzo said there were several other elements of a power-sharing deal to be resolved, but he could not give details.
Calls to the opposition were not immediately returned.
“I am beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel,” former U.N. chief Kofi Annan, who has been mediating in the political negotiations, said in a statement.
Both sides “outlined a joint proposal, that had been largely agreed, on the governance structure,” Annan said.
Kenyans are expecting for a formal announcement which will include the intricate details of what the powers the new Prime Minister will have. The International pressure led by the United States government Secretary of State Condi Rice, seems to have had an overnight reversal of heart by the PNU hardliners.
With the Pronouncement by Kenya’s “President” Mwai Kibaki that there was no constitutional Vacuum for the creation of an Executive Prime Minister Position, the country seems to be headed for a fresh eruption of violence. The Opposition has threatened to renew call for mass action and already armed groups are mobilizing in anticipation of a stalemate. Today Violence erupted in Mathare and Kibera. The man in the picture below was beat up by Luo Men who suspected him of being a Mungiki member.
In a related story Najib Balala a senior leader in the Opposition was quoted as saying that Central Province would be isolated and suggested forming another Lesotho in Kenya.
Over the last few days, key government leaders like foreign affairs minister Wetangula and Justice Minister Martha Karua have accussed the West of international strong arming. However the United States Secretary of State correctly stated that the pressure was from ordinary Kenyans calling for power sharing and an end to the violence. It will be a sad day for Kenya if the talks fail this week because of hard line positions by Kibaki, Martha Karua and Wetangula.
Call on Kenya’s leaders to respect and protect human rights
An international day of public and online action this month will demonstrate solidarity with the people of Kenya and call on the Kenyan government to protect people from politically-motivated and ethnic violence.
Please click on the link below for further details
http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/kenya-action
These questions about Kenya were posted on a Kenyan tourism portal by potential tourists from various western Countries and
were answered by the website owner.
Q: Does it ever get windy in Kenya? I have never seen it rain on TV, so how do the plants grow? (UK)
A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching
them die.
Q: Will I be able to see elephants in the street? (USA)
A: Depends how much you’ve been drinking.
Q: I want to walk from Mombasa to Nakuru – can I follow the railroad
tracks? (Sweden)
A: Sure, it’s only two thousand kilometres….take lots of water.
Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in Kenya? (Sweden).
A: So it’s true what they say about Swedes!
Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Kenya? Can you send me a list
of them in Nairobi and Mombasa? (UK)
A: What did your last slave die of?
Q: Can you give me some information about
Koala Bear racing in Kenya? (USA)
A: Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the Pacific.
A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe which
does not…oh forget it. Sure, the Koala Bear racing is every
Tuesday night in Koinange Street. Come naked.
Q: Which direction is north in Kenya?(USA)
A: Face south and then turn 90 degrees. Contact us when you get here
and we’ll send the rest of the directions.
Q: Can I bring cutlery into Kenya? (UK)
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.
Q: Do you have perfume in Kenya? (France)
A: No. We don’t stink.
Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can
you tell me where I can sell it in Kenya? (USA)
A: Anywhere where a significant number
of Americans gather.
Q: Can you tell me the regions in Kenya where the female population is
smaller than the male population? (Italy)
A: Yes, gay nightclubs.
Q: Do you celebrate Christmas in Kenya? (France)
A: Only at Christmas.
Q: Are there killer bees in Kenya? (Germany)
A: Not yet, but for you, we’ll import them.
Q: Are there supermarkets in Nairobi and is milk available all year
round? (Holland)
A: No, we are a peaceful civilisation of vegan hunter-gatherers. Milk
is illegal.
Q: Please send a list of all doctors in Kenya who can dispense
rattlesnake serum. (USA)
A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca, which is where YOU come from. All
Kenyan snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make
good pets.
Q: I was in Kenya in 1969 and I want to contact the girl I dated while
I was staying in Mombasa. Can you help? (USA)
A: Yes, but you will probably still have to pay her by the hour.
Q: Will I be able to speek English most places I go? (USA)
A: Yes, but you’ll have to learn it first
the annointing..
Keep an eye on these 2 guys. Lemayian Kimojino and Karimi Gituma are what I would definately endorse as Kenya’s upcoming leaders. Love these guys to death
Chini kwa chini!
Shu, Shu, SHu… you are the reason I don’t introduce my girl to everyone. Guys watch this guy blow up in the music world. Exceptional talent, exceptional Kenyan!
wasn’t there a song written about this?…ebony and ivory..nah just kidding. 2 good friends hangin out at Vuma.
for those who have been asking for more positive pictures on this site, the pictures I am about to upload can not get any more positive than this. A few weeks ago Karimi Gituma, a 5 th year med student at Harvard contacted me about taking steps to help folks back home. What followed was a well orchestrated effort by numerous Kenyans in Boston and around the States to organise the Vuma concert. Folks , this concert was the bomb!!! Artists like shu, Eric Wainaina, Super Model and Singer Miriam Chemmoss, the sensational Sali Oyugi, Kenya’s own Hip Hop King Bamboo, my good friend and fantastic guitarist Raja Kassis, my good friend and world reknown Jazz Violinist, David Eure and lets not forget the wonderful duo Les Nubians. It was a pleasure sharing the stage with these incredible talent. Many of the powerful pictures on this blog were featured at the concert in a slide show that, if I may qote the MC, “set the mood” of the evening and reminded us of the reason we were holding the concert. Thank you for all that attended and/or donated. This is just the beginning, we just got started. Brian Solomon Ingozi Mungai, help is on the way son! Many around the world have been touched by your loss and we will by God’s help set you up for success. God bless you child and may God save Kenya!
Many people around the world were shocked on seeing the picture below of a child crying as his dead mother lay beside him in a pool of Blood. Thanks to Reuters Journalist George Phillipas, The child, Brian Solomon Ingozi Mungai has been tracked down and is alive and well!! Brian is living with his relatives in a wooden house in Wakamwa Magumo village, about 45 km (27 miles) west of Nairobi. He is Fourteen-months-old and is the son of Jeremiah, a Kikuyu.The child escaped unhurt when his mother Grace, a Luyha, was shot dead in front of him during post-election violence in a nearby town.
Guys, this was so heart breaking. We need to do something to secure this kid’s future. what are your suggestions?
Children from the Kikuyu tribe pray in a tent in a camp for Internally Displaced People (IDP) in Kirathimo February 10, 2008.
A man holds a knife during post-election violence in the outskirts of Molo, 180km (110 miles) west of Nairobi, February 10, 2008
man tries to extinguish a fire at a house set ablaze during post-election violence in the outskirts of Molo, 180 km (110 miles) west of Nairobi, February 10, 2008. Kenya’s rival parties geared up on Sunday to thrash out a power-sharing agreement to end a deadly crisis over President Mwai Kibaki’s disputed re-election.REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (KENYA) 
News reaching Insight Kenya has been confirmed that ODM and PNU have agreed to form a coalition government. There has been reports of excitement in the capital Nairobi and chief mediator Koffi Annan will be updating news agencies in a short while. More information about this huge peace breakthrough will be posted soon as we gather more details
“This mad woman walks in screaming and started throwing punches at me. She was not wearing shoes, she was half naked, wearing pyjamas. The president is seated there, everybody is watching, ‘nobody goes to State House without my permission!’.”
Gitobu Imanyara as he described to reporters being assaulted by the first lady 3 weeks ago at State House.
A mother sits with her child in front of their belongings at a temporary shelter for people displaced during post-election violence outside a church at Naivasha’s prison compound, February 4, 2008.REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (KENYA)
Children displaced during post-election violence stand in line to receive food at their temporary shelter outside Tigoni police station, near Nairobi, February 4, 2008. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (KENYA)
An internally displaced child looks out of a bus window at a police station in Limuru, near Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Feb. 4, 2008 prior to being transported with other people to their home areas in western Kenya after they took shelter at the police station..(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Residents of a shanty town in the western Kenyan town of Kericho watch their home go up in flames after members of the Kikuyu group set them ablaze during ethnic clashes, February 3. (AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba
A member of the Kalenjin points his bow and arrow as he battles against warriors from the Kisii group during ethnic clashes in the western Kenyan town of Chebilat on February 3.AFP/Robert Schmidt)
Residents of a shanty town in the western Kenyan town of Kericho watch as their homes go up in flames after members of the Kikuyu group set them ablaze during ethnic clashes, February 3. .(AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba
A Kalenjin man shots an arrow at a group of Kisii in a field adjacent to the western Kenyan town of Chebilat, February 3..(AFP/Roberto Schmidt)
Members of Kisii tribe fight a battle with Kalenjin tribe in the town of Chepilat, west of Nairobi, February 3, 2008. Former U.N. chief Kofi Annan brought Kenya’s rival sides together again on Monday after a weekend of clashes cast a pall over a skeleton deal meant to stop a month of post-election bloodshed.
(Peter Andrews/Reuters
A Kisii warrior armed with a bow looks for looters in the town of Chepilat February 4, 2008. Former U.N. chief Kofi Annan brought Kenya’s rival sides together on Monday to try to end a month of post-election bloodshed, but his efforts to solve ethnic strife hit a new setback when a top mediator quit.
(Peter Andrews/Reuters)
According to Reuters news, Resolving the conflict in Kenya has a “long way to go,” but negotiations between Kenya’s government and the opposition were a start, White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley said on Monday.
U.S. diplomatic efforts were also underway, with an objective “to put pressure on both leaders to recognize what their dispute is doing to their country and to agree, if you will, to a time out, an agreement between the two sides that will stabilize the situation,” Hadley said.
The goal is to have the leaders call on followers to not resort to violence, allow humanitarian assistance in and reach a point where elections could be held, he said at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN0461766320080205
A few weeks ago, Insight Kenya received news very early in the morning that Gitobu Imanyara, a prominent Kenyan Lawyer had been slapped by Lucy Kibaki. The slap was allegedly returned by a punch by Imanyara who was then jumped by State House Security, seriously injuring Gitobu. We briefly published the develpoing news but pulled it after getting no confirmation.
Well, today Gitobu Imanyara admitted for the first time that he was assaulted by the first lady. Imanyara said President Kibaki had invited 35 MPs under the auspices of the Small Parties Parliamentary Group to a meeting at State House ahead of the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
This is what the East African Standard reported on the issue today.
Imanyara said he had cut short a trip to South Africa to attend the meeting, also graced by Vice-President, Mr Kalonzo Musyoka, and Internal Security minister, Prof George Saitoti.
Imanyara said after going through the security checks at State House, they were ushered into a conference room.
After taking a seat and introducing himself to the President, the MP said, State House Comptroller, Mr Hyslop Ipu, came in and whispered to him that he should leave the room.
“I thought this was quite rude for a junior officer to come where the President was and ask me to leave the room,” said a visibly angry Imanyara.
Shortly afterwards, Imanyara recounted, the Head of the Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, Mr Francis Muthaura, came to ask whether they could talk outside.
“At this time, I could hear loud screams of a female shouting all kinds of words. I did not know who it was,” said Imanyara.
The Imenti Central legislator said as he was talking to Muthaura, the First Lady burst into the scene screaming: “This is the man that took the First Lady to the courts. Nobody comes to State House without my permission!”
Imanyara said she went on: “You are a friend of the Luos. Foolish Merus voted for you.”
At this juncture, said Imanyara, the First Lady came forward and started throwing punches at him, which he ducked.
“Nobody takes the First Lady to court. Nobody gets away with it,” Imanyara quoted her as saying.
He said Mrs Kibaki vowed that he would not get any Government appointments as long as she was at State House.
And on allegations that he was punched, Imanyara said: “The First Lady is too short and no punch touched me, neither did I return any.”
Imanyara said security at the corridors of State House stood by and watched as the whole episode unfolded.
The MP said at some point, he was asked to leave State House and he obliged.
Speaking at the Serena Hotel, Nairobi, Imanyara lashed out at the First Lady for trying to create an impression that State House was her property.
“At this rate, we don’t know who is in charge at State House. Kibaki needs to remove the First Lady from State House,” said Imanyara.
This stunning admition 3 weeks after the fact begs the question as to why Imanyara chose to speak up now. Shortly after incident, we tried to get some kind of comfirmation about his whereabouts but was told that he “had fallen ill”. hmmm. It is interesting that He downplays the incident somewhat and is obviously embarrassed that he was assaulted by a woman. It is also curious that the Presidential Press Service was quick to come out with a rebuttal minutes after Imanyara spoke out. What was their fear? There are reports that the Lucy camp sent emissaries to quiet him down before he went public. Kumekucha has more on the story.
Now the obviuosly mentally disturbed Lucy, through the tax payer funded Presidential Press Service, is threatening to sue all those who report on this story. Come on Lucy give me ya best shot! Don’t they sell Zoloft in Kenya?
The highly aniticipated Vuma concert that was held on Feb 2nd can only be described as exhilerating and out of this world!! Eric Wainaina, Bamboo, Sali Oyugi, Shu, Les Nubians,Miriam Chemmos and your very own moi. It was a very exiting night, the first class perfomance by those artists was evident in the high energy the crowds had that evening. There will be pics posted later. thanks for everyone who came out and supported this great cause, I believe our target was reached and there is talk of more concerts coming to a city near you. VUMA!!
ok, I am at the Roxy, downtown boston. The musicians are doing their rehersals and sound checks. I am just amazed at the talent here! Eric Wainaina, Sara Oyugi, Bamboo……the list of who is who in kenyan music is impressive. This place is beautiful I could not believe that we managed to book this venue! The choice of music speaks to comfort and encourage. Guys make it down here tonight. Its well worth it!
Its Official!!! Eric Wainaina will be at the Vuma Concert in Boston Tonight February 2nd at the Roxy Downtown Boston. This is the place to be tonight! Tickets are $25 at the door. Guys, I just met with a few of the artists that will be playing tonight and everyone is pumped up and ready for tonight. Karimi is running around doing her best to put the last minute touches.What a great event and I have to admire the Kindness of Kenyans who deeply care for our country. Remember all the proceeds from tonight are going to benefit the Victims of the Violence that has plagued Kenya. All the artists including Eric are volunteering their talents and resources.
So Please join us tonight and have a good time. I also wanted to add an interesting thing that happened on my flight to Boston from ATL. I met a Kenyan called George. His was also on his way to Boston and he painfully told me that his mother is living in a refugee camp. She fled the violence in Molo. He described vividly the struggle in the camps, and how his mother was worried she might not live to see her son. George is trying to get her to the US. Folks, This is real. Real People. Real Suffering. Let our love for them be real too.
Kagame: Army should step in
Last updated: Wed, Jan 30, 2008 22:24 PM (EAT)
Kenya’s military should intervene to halt the country’s escalating ethnic bloodshed, Rwandese President Paul Kagame says.“This is a case of emergency where certain things have to be done very quickly to stop the killings that are going on.
There’s no time to go into niceties and debates when the killings are taking place,” President Kagame, who heads a nation recovering from a 1994 genocide that claimed nearly a million citizens in three months, told Reuters.
Unrest in Kenya since President Kibaki’s disputed re-election last month has killed about 850 people and uprooted more than 300,000 from their homes.
Though Kenyans are horrified by the brutal events in their usually peaceful nation, the situation is far from the ethnic slaughter that killed 800,000 in Rwanda in a three-month killing spree that shocked the world 14 years ago.
President Kagame said the Kenyan army might have to take over before things get worse.
“I know that it is not fashionable and right for the armies to get involved in such a political situation. But in situations where institutions have lost control, I wouldn’t mind such a solution,” he said.
“I tend to believe that the Kenyan army is professional and has been stable,” he added in the interview on Tuesday.
Mediation efforts
Mr Kagame, a former rebel leader who marched on Kigali as the genocide was taking place, said he backed mediation efforts headed by Mr Kofi Annan, and that any military takeover should only be temporary.
“I tend to suggest that maybe whatever in terms of leadership that is there should be swept aside and space be created for people to go back on the drawing board and settle their grievances,” he said.
As with other countries in the region, Rwanda’s economy has been affected by the chaos in Kenya, as goods and fuel which travel by road from the Indian Ocean coast have been blocked.
He said Kenya ought to learn a lesson from the central African country’s bloody history.
“It starts with five deaths, then 10, then 50, shortly it grows to 100, then it goes to thousands… By the time you realise, it has a dimension that is wiping out life in villages and communities and is getting out of control and the whole political situation is in a mess,” he said.
“There’s a serious tragic situation taking place in Kenya, especially when you look at the numbers of people that are being killed, how they are being killed. Despite all mediation efforts you see a situation not getting better but worse.”
Finally someone is echoing what I have been saying all along! Where is our Military??
more ODM Assasinations http://eyesonkenya.org/blog/?p=58
On Monday 25th of January, the Minister of Internal Security withdrew the bodyguard of Nobel Laurete and Prominent Kenyan Leader, Wangari Maathai. In a cowardly move by the Kibaki administration, the safety of this world Icon was jeopardised in a move seen by many as retaliation for Wangari’s critisism of the regime.
It is shameful to say the least and unacceptable that Police Comissioner Ali allowed this to happen. Now, Wangari’s life is not worth more than the average Kenyan. However, her position, prominence and her voice to thousands of disadvantaged People and the environment deserve better treatment than what she has been given by Kibaki.
On the other hand, shame on our military. Many Kenyans were proud of our military which is regarded by many as disciplined and highly trained. In the past the Kenyan military has been called upon to keep the peace in Sudan, Kosovo and other dangerous regions around the world. But the military’s inaction has left many disappointed and questions unanswered about their role in the defence of the mwananchi.
What happened to the oath to protect Kenyan from external and internal enemies? Has our fine military forgotten the pledge they made to their Country when many have died in ethnic cleansing. Is there any autonomy of the Military from Kibaki? When is the line drawn from a common thief to a commander in chief? When will you rise up and defend the honour of Kenya as she bleeds.
NAIROBI, Kenya — The top U.S. envoy to Africa called the month of post-election violence in Kenya “ethnic cleansing” and said today Washington was reconsidering hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the country.
Much of the violence has pitted other tribes, including Odinga’s Luo, against Kibaki’s Kikuyu who are the largest ethnic group. Kikuyus have long been resented for their dominance of Kenya’s economy and politics, but poor Kikuyu are among the slum dwellers who have been left out of the country’s economic boom.
Frazer said the violence she saw during a visit earlier this month to the western Rift Valley pitted the Kalenjin, who support Odinga, against Kikuyus.
“The first wave of this violence, it was primarily in the Rift Valley, and it was Kalenjin pushing out Kikuyu. But that may now be spreading to Kikuyus pushing out Luos and Kalenjins,” Frazer told reporters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on the sidelines of an African Union summit.
“What I was talking about in terms of the ethnic cleansing that I saw was the immediate aftermath of the election, in which there was an organized effort to push people out of the Rift Valley.” In that area, she said people were told to leave their homes on the threat of death if they did not flee.
Frazer said she did not consider the killings a genocide.
Kikuyus were the major victims of the first explosion of violence after the announcement that Kibaki had won the election, which the international community and election monitors agree was rigged.
Hundreds of Kikuyus have been killed, and members of the group account for more than half of the 255,000 chased from their homes, most in the Rift Valley.
In the Rift Valley, decades-old grudges over land are at the heart of the conflict. The valley is the traditional home of the Kalenjin and Masai people. British colonizers seized large tracts of land to cultivate fertile farms there. When much of that land was redistributed after independence in 1963, President Jomo Kenyatta flooded it with his Kikuyu people, instead of returning it to the Kalenjin and Masai.
Some of the violence is an expression of long pent-up anger by the marginalized majority in Nairobi slums, where 65 percent of the capital’s residents teeter are struggling just to survive.
Human rights groups and others accuse politicians of orchestrating the violence.
Frazer said neither Kibaki nor Odinga, who says he won the election, have done enough to halt the violence. She said speeches made by both had proved counterproductive.
“I think both sides have spent quite a lot of time, and unhelpful time, in the public,” Frazer said.
“We’re calling for an investigation into the inciting of violence as well as an investigation into who is actually killing people,” Frazer said. “We know there have been politicians on radio inciting violence before the election ended.”
Frazer said the United States was reviewing all its aid to Kenya, expected to amount to more than $540 million this year, even though most goes to the people not to the government. She acknowledged that most U.S. funds in Kenya are used to fight AIDS and malaria and go to non-governmental organizations.
“It will be counterproductive of us to stop the HIV/AIDS program when the population is in crisis,” she said.
Nevertheless, “we are in a process where we are looking at all of our aid to Kenya,” Frazer said, reiterating that the U.S. is “putting on the table all of our activities in Kenya to review.”
The United States previously had said it would not threaten deep aid cuts.
Targeting aid is part of the pressure the international community is bringing to bear on Kibaki and Odinga to share power to end the crisis.
A Bill has been tabled in the US Senate to discuss the political standoff in Kenya, with a view of giving the States’ position on the crisis.
Initially introduced by Senator Russell Dana ‘Russ’ Feingold from Wisconsin for himself and his colleague John E. Sununu of New Hampshire, the senators want President George W. Bush to declare his stand on the crisis in Kenya.
The senators also say President Bush should support efforts facilitating dialogue.
In addition, the Bill proposes personal sanctions, travel bans and an asset freeze on PNU and ODM leaders and other actors who refuse to engage in meaningful dialogue to end the current crisis.
“The US should review its aid to Kenya for the purpose of restricting all non-essential assistance to Kenya unless all parties are able to establish a peaceful political resolution,” the Bill says.
Co-sponsors of the Bill include probable presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, whose ancestry is traced to Kenya.
The others are: senators Joseph Biden, Barbara Boxer, Sherrod Brown, Samuel Brownback, Benjamin Cardin, Norm Coleman, Christopher Dodd, Richard Durbin, Charles Hagel, Thomas Harkin, Edward Kennedy, John Kerry, Robert Menéndez and Olympia Snowe.
“There should be a thorough and credible independent audit of election results with the possibility, depending on what is discovered, of a re-count or re-tallying of presidential votes or a re-run of presidential election within a specified time period,” the senators stated.
Reproduction of a photo released by Maria Palma, left, on her wedding day in Nairobi, Kenya, with Kenyan opposition lawmaker Mugabe Were, who was killed by gunmen in Nairobi, Tuesday Jan. 29. 2008. The killing triggered a new flare-up of the ethnic fighting that has gripped Kenya since its disputed presidential election and dimming hopes for negotiations to end the month-long standoff. Mugabe Were, who was shot to death as he drove home, was among a slew of opposition members who won seats in the legislative vote held at the same time as the presidential election. The opposition, which won the most seats in parliament, accuses President Mwai Kibaki of stealing the presidential vote.(AP Photo/Ivan Tortorella)
Hey Guys, as I mentioned before there is a benefit concert this weekend in Boston to raise money for the folks at home who have been displaced. I will be playing the sax at this even and join other very talented artists on stage. Eric Wainaina will be performing at this event!!! If you live in Boston you should definately show up and rep your Kenyan Colours!! Be there!
A girl and her mother from the opposition-supporting Luo tribe hide out in the back of a Kenyan military truck in Naivasha (Stephen Morrison / EPA)
It has come to my attention that there are some individuals who have made comments on this blog that are hateful towards other tribes/cultures. Let me make this clear. I will not tolerate one bit any HATE SPEECH on this blog! This is a private blog, I will ban your IP from making any future comments and your can take your nonsense elsewhere. Furthermore, if anyone has a problem with the pictures and news on this blog, you are free to access the Daily Nation or any of the “mainstream”media for “sanitized news”. I only report the news, I don’t create it. Happy Blogging everyone!
Reports arriving at Insight Kenya that Embakasi MP Mugabe Were was shot dead at his House in Nairobi at midnight. Becoming the first MP=elect casualty of the disputed flawed election.
This picture was brought to my attention this morning by Jackie N. and Alexis. It shows the ruthlessness, savagery and inhumanity that has been thrust to the innocent. This woman was hacked to death infront of her child. Her child is seen in the picture crying over her mother’s dead body
Published on January 29, 2008, 12:00 am
By The Standard Editors
For the umpteenth time, we are compelled to address our leaders and the nation over the political madness that has been going on for a month now — since the December 27 election — and which shows no signs of abating.
It is important, from the outset, to make it clear that the crippling political crisis threatening to shut down the country is not the making of the Kenyan people — they rendered their verdict by casting their votes to choose their leaders in the parliamentary and presidential election.
Instead, it is the post-election events and failure of our institutions to come up with results that are auditable and verifiable — leading to an impasse over the winner of last month’s hotly contested elections — that one neighbour after neighbour is rising up against another in an atavistic gusto that belongs to the Stone Age.
Following this institutional failure, one side disputed the election results, but the other dug in and insisted it won fairly, leading to polarisation among supporters.
The spontaneous events after the announcement of the results, further compounded by mass action called to protest the results, have brought to our streets, homes and screens scenes never witnessed before here.
People are being burnt alive and not even refuge in churches and houses is insurance enough. Machetes, swords and other crude weapons have become tools of choice against people who were neighbours and friends only days ago.
But leadership is lacking in containing the mayhem. Politicians who, just a month ago, were stomping the country during the election campaigns are nowhere to be seen.
MPs-elect should be at the forefront of peace efforts. But they are not and they may not. The tribal hatred that is fuelling the violence has opened old wounds that no politician may be able to heal.
Leaders have lost control of their supporters and few can call for calm and be listened to. This is how low the country has sunk.
Add this to underlying issues of bigotry, land, resource distribution and major and petty differences and the mix is a lethal one. The genie has acquired a life of its own.
But this has to stop now.
Indeed, hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced and rendered homeless in their own country.
Several thousands others have been injured. And the figure of those whose lives were snuffed out has possibly exceeded 1,000.
There is colossal destruction of property, and the economy is on the verge of virtual paralysis with free movement of goods and services curtailed.
Threat to regional trade could lead to change in trading partnerships, with the attendant loss of business following disruption in the distribution system.
Yet there is also the massive impact on Government revenues and undermining of performance of the private sector, courting business failure.
Add to this the depreciation of the shilling, the high cost of fuel and the stalking inflation and you have a worrying mix.
Furthermore, the negative effects on productive land and the surging costs of farm inputs and land preparation portend an ominous threat to food security.
The time has come for us to say: Enough is enough. Kenyans cannot continue to be held hostage by marauding gangs carrying bows and arrows, machetes, pangas and stakes.
And the police must take a lead in stopping this: Why are they, for instance, sweet-talking armed gangsters torching houses, blocking roads, injuring and killing people who speak a different tongue from theirs? Where did the teargas go in Naivasha?
Nairobi cut off Granted, the force has been on the receiving end for being trigger-happy. But that is as far as unarmed protesters are concerned. And these should be blocked rather than shot.But armed ruffians! Because of police softness, roads are being blocked with abandon and innocent people attacked as officers watch.
The capital city has been cut off from western Kenya, courtesy of gangsters. It began with illegal roadblocks between Nakuru and Eldoret. Now, it is all the way from Naivasha.
Criminals have taken advantage of the situation to kill, rob and harass innocent people. Thuggery has taken root and lawlessness is the order of the day.
A country where major highways are no-go zones because unruly youths have taken them over teeters on the precipice of a failed State.
The efforts to clear the roads have been feeble to say the least. The gangs dump rocks, boulders and containers on the roads and do their thing without a care in the world.
It is only when they are through that we see police officers, and of late soldiers, removing them. It is as if it is the gangs’ role to lay rocks and that of the police to remove.
But the police must make it clear that blocking highways is an act of sabotage and a high price will be paid for it.
But this is the sad part of it. Kenya has been a vibrant democracy, especially in the past five years, but Kenyans have not resorted to the violent backwardness raging on now.
It is a country that has just conducted a high-octane election campaign and though there were instances of violence, it was more between supporters of parties and candidates than tribes.
It is thus possible for Kenya to politick without annihilation; to practise politics that builds rather than destroys; politics where brains, not brawn and atavism, calls the shots.
The national predicament began as a protest against claims of presidential election rigging. Politicians on both sides of the divide talked tough and threatened fire and brimstone against enemies on the other side.
Various parts of the country — Nairobi, Coast, Rift Valley, Nyanza and Western provinces — erupted. People identified as supporters of one side of the political divide were attacked. Hundreds were killed, homes were burnt and businesses destroyed.
The consequences of the mayhem are not just the funerals for the dead, but also the camps for displaced people that dot many parts of the country.
But there is even more. Some people have crossed to neighbouring Uganda and Tanzania, while others have turned to police stations and church and school compounds for refuge.
Security forces overwhelmedThe magnitude of this challenge suggests that unless our leaders deliberately make hard choices for the sake of preserving the security of our people and the Kenyan nation, we could see a vicious cycle of violence and counter-violence.The levels of violence are overwhelming our security forces, and it is evident that we do not have enough officers to police the entire country. Only a political solution and settlement will appease our people into cultivating a sense of peace, harmony and national reconciliation.
It is evident a form of inertia and fatigue is creeping in the security forces, but they must not relent in their duty to enforce the law.
While it will be useful for posterity to carry out an in depth audit on the debacle of the tallying of results, to help in reshaping future institutional electioneering structures so that we do not end up where we are now, the urgent need now is for peace and to hold the country together.
The challenge, however, is for leaders to ensure that they are not held captive by vested interests on both sides, who may not be willing to reach a quick settlement by virtue of the fact that others stand to lose when the other side is accommodated, and others seek to gain more.
We wish to appeal to leaders — in the spirit of holding the country together — to preach peace and national reconciliation.
If they truly care, they should hold joint rallies to salvage the country from going down the precipice. They should demonstrate humility and climb down from the pedestals they are perched on.
We also wish to appeal to the people — however inflamed their passions may be — to calm down.
They should know that revenge is counter-productive as it leads to more revenge and thus an unending cycle of violence.
Only peace and togetherness will save this country.
Figure this: We have had nine General Elections since Independence, but never witnessed violence of this magnitude. Yet Kenya is considered a maturing democracy.
Now that former UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, is in the country for talks, can we expect the leaders to rise to the occasion? Is this so much to ask of our leaders? We need to see a sense of urgency on both sides of the divide; who must take maximum advantage of their presence.
They must also ponder the following: Who gains when our people continue to be killed and suffer? Will it matter much — in a situation where the country is destabilised — to hold or ascend to the presidency?
It is our considered opinion that if, after all these, it is determined that the country’s leaders have irreconcilable differences, then the logical way is to go back to the people, who are the final arbitrator in this matter.
And even if it means electing everybody, including MPs, this option will ultimately be less costly than the continued paralysis in the country.
A girl receives medical attention after she was wounded during post-election violence in the western town of Nakuru, Kenya January 28, 2008.(Stringer/Reuters
Young men jeer at a woman after she had tried to walk past them while the group was blocking a road near a police station were hundreds of families who were trying to flee ethnic violence had gathered seeking safe haven from the group of youths in Naivasha. Ethnic revenge attacks set off by last month’s elections spiralled across western Kenya Monday, killing scores and provoking thousands to flee their homes.(AFP/Roberto Schmidt)
European governments today threatened for the first time to cut all development aid to Kenya after dozens of people were burnt and hacked to death in the latest series of brutal ethnic killings.
With the death toll for last night alone coming to at least 13 – and with around 150 believed to have been killed in the past four days – details of some of the weekend’s worst atrocities began to emerge today.
In one incident, at least 19 members of the Luo tribe, supporters of the Opposition leader Raila Odinga, were burnt to death after members of the Kikuyu tribe, supporting President Kibaki, chased them into a slum and set it on fire.
Other members of the tribe who escaped being set on fire were reported to have been hacked to death. Police reportedly did not intervene.
The incident took place in Naivasha, a normally quiet market town 55 miles north west of Nairobi in the Kenyan Rift Valley, and was condemned as “murderous and evil” by Mr Odinga.
Within hours, anti-Government mobs were involved in high-profile clashes with Kikuyu tribe members, with mobs wielding clubs confronting their opponents in apparent moves to take revenge.
In a statement made following a Nairobi meeting with Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary-General, Mr Odinga appeared to fan the flames of the conflict by implicating police in the killings.
“I condemn this murderous and evil act in the strongest terms possible,” he said. “What is now emerging is that criminal gangs, on a killing spree, are working under police protection.”
In response to an apparent refusal by both Mr Odinga and President Kibaki to dampen down their rhetoric, EU foreign ministers today threatened Kenya with a development aid boycott.
In a statement, they said that Kenya’s rival factions had to agree to a power-sharing pact in order to restore stability, and said that – until the factions reach a legitimate solution – the 27-member bloc “cannot conduct business as usual with Kenya”.
The statement added that the long-term EU development aid to Kenya – worth about £283.3 million ($563m) over the next five years – was at particular risk unless the crisis was resolved soon.
At the same time, a British minister visiting Nairobi appeared to back their call, saying that both sides had to be clearer in their desire to stop the violence.
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Peter Andrews/Reuters
Kikuyus set up a road block to obstruct traffic outside of Naivasha Country Club, near Naivasha
Folks, take a look at this pic from the Washington Times http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2007/12/31/GA2007123102000.html
Thanks To Jackie for let me know about it but it tragically depicts a mother brutally Murdered infront of her child.
People escort a man injured during ethnic clashes in Nakuru, January 25, 2008. Ethnic fighting killed at least 10 people in Kenya’s Rift Valley and forced thousands from their homes on Friday, undermining hopes of ending weeks of unrest.
REUTERS/Stringer (KENYA)
Kikuyu families ride atop a truck carring them and some of their belongings to safe haven as they flee from post election ethnic violence in the central provinces of Kenya.AFP/Roberto Schmidt)
A Kenyan policeman helps a child down from a truck as Kenyans arrive at a camp for the displaced in Nakuru, Kenya, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) 
A billboard of President Mwai Kibaki is seen in the background, as his supporters protest and block a road with stones during ethnic clashes, Naivasha, Kenya, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008
Luo man supporter of the Orange Democratic Movement is helped by a woman as he bleeds in Naivasha, Kenya, during ethnic clashes, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008. Gangs armed with machetes and bows and arrows burned and hacked to death members of a rival tribe in western Kenya Sunday, as the death toll from the latest explosion of violence over disputed presidential elections rose to at least 69. Houses were blazing in the center of Naivasha, a tourist gateway.(AP Photo)
I was looking at this pic this morning and several things were going through my mind. First of all, this young child, I would guess between 5 and 7 years old is too young, too innocent to be scrambling for dry grains from a truck. What happened to his parents? When did it come to this and what happens to a child when his innocence is robbed from him? I have no doubt that Kibaki and Raila will have a heartfelt dinner tonight while their wananchi scramble for food like dogs. Kenya deserves better.
Eunice Kinyanjui, 27, from the Kalenjin tribe, who is pregnant with her second child, recounts how her husband of three years Steven Guthua, from the Kikuyu tribe, was forced to leave her because of post-election ethnic unrest, in the village of Chepkanga, near Eldoret, Kenya, Friday, Jan. 18, 2008. In the riots and ethnic violence following the Dec. 27 vote, love has not been immune and marriages that united different ethnic groups are now splitting up as communities shun the Kikuyu tribe of President Mwai Kibaki.(AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
A resident of the Githima slum in Nakuru, pushes a cart past the body of a man killed by Kenyan police as he fled ethnic violence. At least 15 people were killed in ethnic clashes in Kenya’s western Rift Valley, dashing hopes of an end to weeks of unrest sparked by disputed presidential polls.(AFP/Walter Astrada)
A man injured during the fighting walks past security forces in Nakuru, Kenya, Friday, Jan. 25, 2008. Fierce fighting with machetes and bows and arrows erupted in the Rift Valley Friday with many houses burned to the ground in the latest ethnic clashes over Kenya’s disputed presidential election.(AP Photo/Pierre Terdjman)
A Kikuyu family seeks safety, after many houses were burned to the ground during ethnic clashes with members of the Kalenjin tribe in Nakuru, Kenya.(AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
A Kenyan man holds his son as he and other members of his family flee violence in their neighborhood during ethnic clashes in the central Kenyan town of Nakuru.(AFP/Walter Astrada)
A nurse attends to a young man with an arrow in his head at a hospital following ethnic clashes in the town of Nakuru in the Rift Valley area January 26, 2008
A man awaits treatment at a hospital following ethnic clashes in the town of Nakuru in the Rift Valley area January 26, 2008
Benadi Mbawa, 32, who was attacked by men with machetes, sits bandaged on a hospital bed, in Nakuru, Kenya, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008.(AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
A woman cries while carrying a child on her back as they flee ethnic clashes in the central Kenyan town of Nakuru. Former United Nations chief Kofi Annan flew to the heart of Kenya’s ethnic clashes in the Rift Valley to see first-hand the carnage wrought by fighting spurred by disputed elections.(AFP/Walter Astrada)
2Police officers unload a body at the mortuary in Nakuru, Kenya, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008. Police brought 16 charred bodies to the Nakuru mortuary Saturday, including those of children and some missing limbs, in the western town suffering the latest explosion of fury over Kenya’s deeply flawed presidential election.(AP Photo/Ben Curtis
A baby looks across at semi-conscious Steven Mwangi, attacked during the recent fighting, as he waits to be treated in the hospital in Nakuru, Kenya, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Patrick Wanderi, 35, who was attacked with machetes and a metal bar, watches as a doctor prepares local anaesthetic prior to stitching his wounds, as he lies sharing a bed with another wounded man in the hospital in Nakuru, Kenya, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008.(AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
A young boy collect grain that fell off a World Food Program truck, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008 during food distribution at the Nairobi showgrounds in Kenya where people took shelter from ethnic fighting. (AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo)
A young man with an arrow in his head awaits treatment at a hospital following ethnic clashes in the town of Nakuru in the Rift Valley area January 26, 2008.REUTERS/Peter Andrews (KENYA)
Houses levelled by fire in Burnt Forest village during post-election violence are seen in this aerial handout picture taken on January 6, 2008 and released by the United Nations in Nairobi on January 26, 2008. Kenyan police battled on Saturday to halt clashes between tribal gangs wielding machetes, spears and bows and arrows that have killed at least 27 people in the western town of Nakuru since Thursday, witnesses said. Picture taken January 6, 2008.
Children are raised by their parents as a group of displaced people by post election violence try to get a ride on a Red Cross truck to a local stadium that the town authorities converted into a refuge in Nakuru.
Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (C) and Nelson Mandela’s wife Graca Machel are briefed about the displaced persons situation by Kenya’s Red Cross chief Abbas Gulet (R) in Molo January 26, 2008. Annan called for an investigation into ‘gross and systematic’ rights abuses in Kenya on Saturday and said the crisis had gone well beyond a dispute over election results.(UN/Handout/Reuters)
A residence is seen burning during post-election violence in the Rift Valley provincial capital Nakuru January 26, 2008.(Jacob Murimi/Kenya Red Cross/Reuters)
Hey guys, Mark your calenders! February 2nd there will be a benefit concert at “The Roxy” a premier concert location in Downtown Boston.ALL proceeds going to the Kenya Red Cross. Folks, this is the time to do something for those of you that have a heart for Kenya and want to help. This is a highly anticipated and exciting evening!!!! I’ll be flying to Boston for this event and be part of the talent on that day together with numerous Kenyan Artists. Please be there! If you are in the States call me at 214-708-1554 or email josephkaroki@hotmail.com or kgituma@gmail.com for details. Lets support our beloved country and Spread the word! Thanks to Harvard Med student and upcoming Kenyan Leader Karimi Gituma for putting this together. See you there.More details below.
VUMA KENYA! Initiative is the brain-child of a group of talented, resourceful and socially connected young professional Kenyans who have decided to pool their resources together in the spirit of our founding father Jomo Kenyatta’s “Harambee Spirit” to rally fellow Kenyans both in the Diaspora and in Kenya to bring an end to the violence and strife currently tearing our nation apart.
According to the Kenyan Red Cross, over 800 people have been killed and approximately 500,000 internally displaced (IDPs), www.kenyaredcross.org. Majority of the displaced are from poor areas, and in the midst of the ethnic/political tension and polarization lies an IDP crisis waiting to implode, a Hurricane Katrina situation with Tsunami-scale consequences for my country.
VUMA KENYA! Initiative, not only strives to highlight the plight of the internally displaced but also strives to rally and mobilize Kenyans both in the Diaspora and in Kenya to be more proactive and socially conscious in addressing this humanitarian crisis.
To achieve this ambitious goal we are planning to raise awareness using pop culture and the Internet as our main tools. We have 2 initiatives that we are working on simultaneously:
1. A web based initiative www.vumakenya.org (site currently under construction) that will serve as a conduit of information and resources to aid the Kenya Red Cross and other domestic grassroots organizations that may not have a platform to appeal for assistance.
2. Raising awareness through a benefit concert for the Kenya Red Cross at “THE ROXY”, a premier concert location in downtown Boston, on Saturday February 2nd 2008 featuring a mix of Kenyan and international artistes. As a component of this benefit concert we plan on displaying a Public Service Announcement (PSA) featuring international celebrities from the entertainment and political domain who command great respect and have a large Kenyan following. The purpose of this PSA will be an appeal for an end to the ethnic and political violence.
VUMA KENYA! Initiative seeks to encourage productive peace-centered initiatives to evoke change. Rallying around this cause will provide such an opportunity.
KARIMI GITUMA
HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL, CLASS OF 2008
FOUNDER, VUMA KENYA INITIATIVE
Residents look at the body of a man killed during overnight ethnic fighting in the Mathare slum in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Jan. 21, 2008.(AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo)
Members of the Luo tribe point their pangas as they shout at other residents in the Mathare slum of Nairobi. Five people were hacked to death in ethnic clashes in Nairobi slums, police said, as mediators prepared a fresh bid to break the deadlock that followed President Mwai Kibaki’s re-election.(AFP/Tony Karumba)
Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement addresses party supporters during a funeral service for victims of the post elections violence in the western town of Kisumu, January 21, 2008. Fanatical supporters of Odinga banged drums, danced and blew whistles on Monday as the former political prisoner returned to his western stronghold of Kisumu.REUTERS/Moses Eshiwani
Opposition supporters carry coffins during a funeral service for victims of the post elections violence in the western town of Kisumu, January 21, 2008. Fanatical supporters of Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga banged drums, danced and blew whistles on Monday as the former political prisoner returned to his western stronghold of Kisumu.REUTERS/Stringer (KENYA
Kenya’s Nobel peace laureate Wangari Maathai, seen here in 2005, has charged that the government is failing to protect civilians and allowing post-election tribal strife to spiral out of control.(AFP/File/Gianluigi Guercia)
Displaced people stretch their hands through a wire fence for meal cards in Nairobi’s Kibera slums January 22, 2008. The east African nation descended into chaos after Kibaki’s disputed re-election on December 27 in which opposition leader Raila Odinga cried foul. More than 650 people have been killed since then in ethnic violence and clashes with the security forces.REUTERS/Stringer (KENYA
This is a refugee camp for internally displaced people at the fairgorunds in Eldoret. Most of them Kikuyus
Kenyan men shout as they carry the coffin of one of the victims of post-election violence in the western Kenyan town of Kisumu, January 21. Kenyan police fired tear gas to disperse supporters of President Mwai Kibaki and six more deaths were reported in other clashes ahead of a mission by former UN secretary general Kofi Annan to end the political strife.(AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
For a while now I have been very critical of the Kibaki regime for spiraling the country into violence, Never in history have we seen such an unprecidented break out of tribal violence. However, my friend Raila shares the same blame. Raila could have stopped the violence. Instead he kept quiet and let this thugs kill innocent Kikuyus. Raila seems to forget that many who supported him and donated money to his campaign where Kikuyus like me! Watching the BBC interview last week and watching him defend the individuals that burned women and children astonished me!
I will not support this tribal and violent ideals. Raila needs to specifically call to an end to tribal violence. My friend Raila, just as I have been critical of your opponent Kibaki, I will be critical of you when you are wrong. So be a better man, advocate for Peace even as you advocate for democracy.
“Onyango fell down after he was shot. He momentarily stood up unsteadily and asked the officer why he had shot him. He fell to the ground and removed his cap. “You have shot…why have you shot me?” He asked his attacker who never seemed to listen. The officer fired more bullets at protesters as Onyango and Ismael lay on the ground. The policeman lowered his gun and kicked Onyango twice, before casually walking away.”
International Journalists arrested. More on the story here http://eyesonkenya.org/blog/?p=40
People have been killed under circumstances that are not unjustified and the police must be held accountable 
A man collapses outside a small clinic after he was shot in the face, Friday, Jan. 18, 2008 during clashes between the police and opposition supporters in the Kibera slum in Nairobi.With days of protests failing to budge Kenya’s president, a weakened opposition said Friday it would turn to economic boycotts and strikes to keep up pressure over disputed elections.
(AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo)
The body of a dead opposition protester lies covered on a street during a protest in the port city of Mombasa January 18, 2008. At least 13 people were killed in Kenya on Friday when police opened fire in a Nairobi slum and ethnic groups clashed during protests against the disputed re-election of President Mwai Kibaki.
REUTERS/Joseph Okanga (KENYA)
One of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leaders, Najib Balala (3rd R), gestures near the body of a dead opposition protester in the port city of Mombasa January 18, 2008.REUTERS/Joseph Okanga (KENYA)
Slain like dogs. the bodies of two teenagers lie in the mud and mirk after being brutally shot by Kenyan Police
Nurses assist a man who collapsed outside a small clinic after he was shot in the face, Friday, Jan. 18, 2008 during clashes between the police and opposition supporters in the Kibera slum in Nairobi.(AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo)
Playwright Omtatah Okoiti gestures after he chained himself to the gates of the Kenyan police headquarters in Nairobi January 17, 2008. Okoiti was protesting a police crackdown on demonstrations against President Mwai Kibaki’s disputed re-election at the December 27 polls, and was later arrested.(Stringer/Reuters)
A woman cries over the bodies of two teenagers killed during opposition protests in Nairobi’s Kibera slum, January 18, 2008.
An opposition supporter shields his face from the flames of a burning makeshift roadblock in the village of Marura, near Eldoret, Kenya, Friday, Jan. 18, 2008.
Kenyan Opposition supporters carry a fellow supporter after he was shot, Friday, Jan. 18, 2008, during clashes between the police and opposition supporters in the Kibera slum, Nairobi, Kenya.
People cry over the bodies of two teenagers killed during opposition protests in Nairobi’s Kibera slum, January 18, 2008.
Residents of the Kibera slum react to seeing the bodies of a girl and a man who were shot dead by police.
Children shout slogans during a demonstration in the western town of Kisumu January 16, 2008. Youths erected roadblocks, shopkeepers nailed up windows and Kenyan riot police guarded streets before nationwide opposition protests planned for Wednesday against President Mwai Kibaki’s re-election.REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (KENYA)
Supporters of the opposition carry a mock coffin for President Mwai Kibaki, during a protest in Kisumu, Kenya, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2008. Legislators chose an opposition member as parliament speaker in a close vote Tuesday, giving a victory to foes of Kenya’s president as they prepared for mass protest rallies that raised fears of new violence over last month’s disputed election.(AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
An opposition supporter shows a leaflet outside the Orange Democratic Movement headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2008. Opposition leader Raila Odinga, whose supporters believe he was robbed of the presidency through vote rigging in last month’s election, called the protests in 42 locations nationwide, despite a government ban.(AP Photo/Riccardo Gangale)
A Kenyan woman who police believed was an opposition demonstrator, left, sits on the ground after being kicked by a policeman, as police fire tear gas and live rounds into the air to break up a large opposition demonstration and chase the demonstrators away in Eldoret, Kenya, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2008. .(AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
This man is among Protesters who were shot by Police in Kisumu. A doctor attends to his wounds REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (KENYA)
A terrified Kenyan schoolgirl runs past a barricade set up by residents of the Kibera slum district in Nairobi..(AFP/Simon Maina)
Opposition MPs demanded an open ballot, fearing the secret vote could be rigged by pro-government deputies
Government gets rescounding defeat as speaker of the house is chosen from the Opposition. Emuhaya MP-elect Kenneth Marende, a career Lawyer voted in by the majority as the Parliament Speaker.
final vote MARENDE 105 KAPARO 101
ALSO JUST RECEIVED NEWS THAT GOVERNMENT CONCEDES DEFEAT AND GITOBU IS DEFEATED BY OPPOSITION’S FARAH MAALIM
The irrational, vile and corrupt mortal that is Muchuki, stunned Journalist by claiming “There is no crisis in Kenya.This has been an exaggeration by the media.” When I read about this, it just left me dumbfounded! Lately there seems to be an endless train of gibberish emanating from the mouths of nincompoops like Muchuki and “Baghdad” Mutua in the Kibaki Circle.
It is totally incomprehensible that with 500 Kenyans Killed, over half a million displaced and experts predicting $1 billion dollars in losses, that a man with half a brain can not term that situation as a crisis! Who is running Kenya? This is getting scary! The situation is comparable to having a psychotic, drunk, blind fool driving your car, with kids in it. Listen folks, we need to open our eyes and refuse to allow ourselves to be led by a group of thieving, unintelligent maggots like Michuki and Mutua. Maybe Michuki should go back to being a tailor, but that would be an insult to the thousands of fine tailoring professionals. We Kenyans deserve better, our kids deserve more and our independence was too costly for us to be short changed. Get this guys out of government, am tired of this bullshit!
credits to http://www.afromusing.com/blog/2008/01/14/the-death-of-james-odhiambo-kenya-post-election-violence/
Note: Images posted on www.Ushahidi.com.
Disclaimer: The following images are gruesome and disturbing. The humanitarian crisis is real and dire. Complete set of photos taken in Kakamega by Mr. Arunga are available here. The images include shots of the police station, showing the displaced taking refuge there, burning shops, vandalized petrol station and burned car.
Onlookers and concerned citizens around the body of 24 yr old James Odhiambo, who was killed in the post election violence in Lurambi – Junction on the way to Shikoti, Kakamega, western province, Kenya. The gentleman in white (Brian) on the right worked with James at the petrol station as attendants and witnessed the shooting.
Close up of the bullet wound on the body of 24 yr old James Odhiambo. According to eye witnesses, he was walking to work when he met the GSU paramilitary. Mr. Odhiambo continued to walking towards towards the GSU as he thought he could talk to them and find out what is happening. According to eyewitnesses, he was shot without even though he was not violent or doing anything that would indicate he would be a threat to the GSU. The witnesses tried to contact the police so they could come and pick up the body, but the police said that they did not have fuel for the vehicle. As of the writing of this post, the late James Odhiambo was buried yesterday in Homa Bay, Nyanza province. Brian and other friends from the area traveled to Homa Bay to comfort the family. If you would like to help the family directly, please do not hesitate to contact Brian Oluoch at +254 724 912015. Mr. Odhiambo was the sole breadwinner for his family…Any contributions towards their well being is appreciated.
Pictures were taken by Mr.Michael Arunga, who works for World Vision in Darfur, and was on holiday at the time. He witnessed the burning of a kikuyu owned property, as shown in this photo.
**The decision to post the pictures here and to tell this story is partly because the pictures were sent to editors of newspapers in Kenya, they did not run them or cover the story. As people try to get back to ‘normal’ life around the country, it is important to remember that there is no normal for a lot of people in Kenya.
Kenyan children of different ethnic tribes excited to see their friends on the first day of school. Oblivious to the tribal violence that has rocked their communities.
William Ngayo sits beside the coffins of his wife and two sons before their burial in Kisumu, Kenya.
Two children who were killed during post-election violence are prepared for burial in Kisumu, Kenya, on January 12
News from the ground is that as of Monday the 14th of january, Kibaki has refused an offer of mediation by Koffi Annan, Nelosn Mandela and other African Statesmen. Annan was due in Nairobi on Tuesday.
”If Kofi Annan is coming, he is not coming at our invitation,” Roads and Public Works Minister John Michuki,
So the hardline approach by Kibaki continues as does the suffering of Hundreds of thousands of Kenyans.
Children scramble for food in Nairobi, while their “President”(Mwai Kibaki) enjoys executive service at his Presidential Palace. The UN says half a million Kenyans urgently need help.
Hundreds of residents crammed into the office and its compound.Photo: Evelyn Hockstein for The New York Times
Displaced people took shelter with their belongings in the office of a local chief in the Kiambiu slum.Photo: Evelyn Hockstein for The New York Times
A man was helped by bystanders after he was hit on the head with a hoe and beaten by an angry crowd. News photographers brought him to the hospital after realizing the hospital in the slum was closed.Photo: Evelyn Hockstein for The New York Times
A man lay dead Sunday in a village in the Rift Valley. Tens of thousands of Kikuyus have left the area since Dec. 27 elections.
A Kikuyu man at the hospital in Nakuru, Kenya, was slashed in the face and head, and one of his fingers was chopped off.
Displaced Kenyans await the distribution of aid at their temporary refuge at the Nairobi Show Grounds, January 13, 2008.REUTERS/MIKE HUTCHINGS
A displaced Kenyan mother comforts her child as they await the distribution of aid at their temporary refuge at the Nairobi Show Grounds, January 13, 2008. Kenya’s government should order police to stop using lethal force against protestors, a U.S.-based group said on Sunday as the nation braced for three days of opposition rallies over disputed December 27 polls. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings (KENYA)
REUTERS/MIKE HUTCHINGS
please visit Mama Mike’s site to assist in the overwhelming humanitarian effort in Kenya. Lets stop talking and start acting!
http://www.mamamikes.com/shop/Specials/index.cfm?CFID=43309132&CFTOKEN=25320628
cartoon by GADO
Baghdad Mutua or as he prefers to be addressed, Dr.Alfred Mutua, has become a symbol of disfunction, inaccuracy and his perfomance as the Official Government spokesman can only be descibed as ..impotent. Listen Alfred, stop embarrasing yourself and just be quiet. It takes a special kind of stupid to say these,
“They [Kufuor and Kibaki] are age-mates and friends and Kufuor is coming to have a cup of tea with him,” Mutua said.
wow!!! So the President of Ghana flew thousands of miles in a Presidential Jet at the urging of World Leaders to “have a cup of tea” with Kibaki? Now Kenyan Tea is indebatable one of the best in the world but its not that good to invoke an international response of the nature of Kufuor or other world leaders that have converged to Kenya. full story here http://www.eastandard.net/news/?id=1143980353&cid=4
In addition, an interesting article about this idiot Mutua at http://eyesonkenya.org/blog/?p=31
what a Tard!
Ten-year-old Joseph Mathenge’s hopes of returning to school next week have been dashed by the violence in Mathare.
“I left all my books and uniforms as we fled our house at night.
“We were not attacked but our neighbours’ houses were set on fire and we ran away in fear.
“Now we can’t play, so I am teaching my new friends how to read.”
Jan. 8: Kenyans reach out to receive food aid handed out by the Kenyan Red Cross, Tuesday, Jan.8, 2008 in the Kibera slum in Nairobi
Jan. 8: An exhausted displaced Kenyan woman sleeps on the grass next to a small child at a camp for the displaced in the grounds of Langas police station on the outskirts of Eldoret, Kenya.
Displaced Kenyan women from the Mathare slum, which was a hot spot for civilian unrest after the elections, pray together in Nairobi on January 7.(AFP/File/Simon Maina)
A family member carries the body of one-year and one-month-old boy, Brian Wanjiru ,Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008 outside an air force base in the Nairobi slum of Mathare where his mother took shelter. Mary Wanjiru sat beside her baby’s corpse for hours, as hundreds of people camping out beside an air force base to flee Kenya’s election violence washed clothes, cooked maize, and stood in line for medicine.’Because we are sleeping outside, and it’s so cold, he’s dead,’ Wanjiru said, her face expressionless.(AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo)
Members of the Kenyan Red Cross and a family member cover the body of one-year and one-month-old boy, Brian Wanjiru, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008 outside an air force base in the Nairobi slum of Mathare where his mother took shelter. Mary Wanjiru sat beside her baby’s corpse for hours, as hundreds of people camping out beside an air force base to flee Kenya’s election violence washed clothes, cooked maize, and stood in line for medicine.’Because we are sleeping outside, and it’s so cold, he’s dead,’ Wanjiru said, her face expressionless.(AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo)
Mary Wanjiru walk behind Red Cross workers carrying the body of her one year and one month old boy, Brian , Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008 as they arrive at the Nairobi city mortuary. Mary Wanjiru sat beside her baby’s corpse for hours, as hundreds of people camping out beside an air force base to flee Kenya’s election violence washed clothes, cooked maize, and stood in line for medicine.’Because we are sleeping outside, and it’s so cold, he’s dead,’ Wanjiru said, her face expressionless.(AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo)
BREAKING NEWS!!!KIBAKI NAMES NEW CABINET, RAILA CALLS OFF PEACE TALKS! KALONZO MUSYOKA NAMED V.P.
It took a one minute address to the Nation of Kenya for Mwai Kibaki to dash the hopes of many Kenyans, by naming a new Cabinet. To add insult to injury, Kibaki has named Kalonzo Musyoka his Vice President, therefore giving the false perception of two ethnic communities against a whole country.
The peace process has been set back as Kibaki plays politics with Kenyan lives.
Christophe Calais for The New York Times
Mary escaped from a burning church last week in Kiambaa, but her daughter died in front of her. Up to 50 Kikuyus were killed.
A charred corpse lies next to a minivan torched during post-election ethnic violence in Cheptiret village January 4, 2008.
Kenyans attend the Lutheran church in Kibera slum, Nairobi, Kenya, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2008.(AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)
A woman is comforted after she collapsed in grief during Sunday mass inside a Lutheran church that was burnt during post-election violence in Nairobi’s Kibera slum January 6, 2008.REUTERS/Noor Khamis (KENYA)
A Kenya Red Cross volunteer, right, reacts as Kibera residents line up to receive food aid , Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008 in Nairobi
A Red Cross volunteer try to keep Kibera residents back as they line up to receive food aid, Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008 in Nairobi
The body of a woman who mortuary workers said died by strangulation the day after the election was held lies in a mortuary so full of bodies they still lay piled across floors at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008. Thousands of terrified Kenyans are fleeing the west of this troubled East African nation on buses escorted by soldiers, streaming down roads strewn with downed power lines, the burnt out shells of vehicles and the corpses of others who died trying.(AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Kenyans displaced by post-election violence take refuge in a Catholic cathedral in Eldoret, about 190 miles northwest of Nairobi, January 5, 2008.
Kenyans displaced by post-election violence take refuge in a Catholic cathedral in Eldoret, about 190 miles northwest of Nairobi, January 5, 2008. Up to a quarter of a million people have been uprooted by ethnic clashes, aid agencies say.REUTERS/Mike Hutchings
A woman is robbed as she returns with goods in the Kibera slum after post-election riots in Nairobi, January 5, 2008.
A woman is robbed as she returns with goods in the Kibera slum after post-election riots in Nairobi, January 5, 2008. Kenya’s
A woman is robbed as she returns with goods in the Kibera slum after post-election riots in Nairobi, January 5, 2008. Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki said on Saturday he was ready to form a government of national unity to end post-election violence that has killed 300 people and forced 250,000 to flee their homes.REUTERS/Noor Khamis
A displaced boy, fleeing the wave of violence that has left at least 360 people dead and displaced 250,000 following the presidential elections, stands near the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Eldoret, western Kenya, on January 5
Kenyan police attack a man while clearing up an alley in the Kibera slum district of Nairobi. Kenya’s opposition has responded to the president’s call for a unity cabinet by asking him to resign, as a top US envoy attempted to defuse a crisis that has killed hundreds and displaced thousands. (AFP/Simon Maina
fOR THOSE WHO ARE FOLLOWING THIS UGANDAN ANGLE HERE IS AN UPDATE.
http://www.spcm.org/Journal/spip.php?breve6371
–>
The UCAA spokesperson, Mr. Ignie Igunduura said Friday that local airlines do not have much option left to them but to suspend flights.
Uganda was hit by the shortage three days ago, and it is still unclear when the situation will be corrected. The government has indicated plans of using Mwanza and Dar-es-salaam in Tanzania for bringing in its imports. .
In Kampala, the capital, the number of vehicles along the roads is almost countable as many people have been forced to park their cars. The few filling stations which still have fuel though limited have hiked prices to more than double the original price.
However, the minister for Energy Friday assured Ugandans that army escorts have travelled to Kenya to secure tankers bringing petroleum and other merchandise to Uganda and the fuel crisis might soon be averted.
JM/daj/APA 04-01-2008
© APA News
**UPDATE**JAN 7TH 2008
MUSEVENI CONTRDICTS ENERGY MINISTER AND DENIES PRESCENCE OF UGANDAN TROOPS IN KENYA
Raila said Ugandan president Museveni has called him thrice denying there were Ugandan soldiers in Kenya. “Museveni was at pains to explain that his soldiers are not here. He asked me to clarify the issue to the Kenyan people.”
Even as Museveni denied this, the rumour of Ugandan soldiers killing civilians in western Kenya remained strong.
US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Dr.Jendayi Frazer, seen here in 2007, arrived in Kenya Friday for talks aimed at finding a way out of the country’s violent post-electoral
stats
Assistant Professor for Public Policy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University from 1995 to 2001
She graduated from Stanford University with B.A. in Political Science with honors and African-American Studies with distinction and obtained her M.A. degrees in International Policy Studies and International Development Education, and a Ph.D. in Political Science. Jendayi is a specialist in African Affairs and International Security Affairs.
During her tenure at the National Security Council, she was instrumental in the decisions that led to establishing the $15 billion President’s Emergency Plan for HIV/AID Relief (PEPFAR) as well as the Millennium Challenge Account that has contributed to raising U.S. assistance to Africa to a historic high of $4.1 billion in 2006
A Kenyan soldier talks to displaced ethnic people leaving Kisumu under army protection, January 4, 2008
Children displaced by post election violence prepare food near Sacred Heart Cathedral in Eldoret, Western Kenya, January 3,
Opposition supporters brandish their bows at a roadblock on the route to Eldoret, 300 km (186 miles) northwest of Nairobi, January 3, 2008
People look at the body of a man stoned to death the previous day in the Mathare slum in Nairobi, Kenya, Friday, Jan. 4, 2008.
An 11-year-old survivor stands amid the burnt out ruins of the Kenya Assemblies of God Pentacostal church, where at least 18 people were burnt alive on Tuesday during ethnic clashes after disputed elections, near Eldoret in western Kenya, January 3,
One of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leaders, Najib Balala (C), talks with a policeman as riot police disperse anti-government Muslim demonstrators after Friday prayers in the port of Mombasa, January 4, 2008.
A convoy of vehicles is escorted by members of the police, in the town of Burnt Forest some 35 kilometers from Eldoret, Kenya, Friday, Jan. 4, 2008.
A man who was attacked with machetes recovers at the hospital in the town of Burnt Forest, some 35 kilometers from Eldoret, Kenya, Friday, Jan. 4, 2008
A man who had one of his hands chopped of with a machete sit in a wheelchair at the hospital in the town of Burnt Forest, some 35 kilometers from Eldoret, Kenya, Friday, Jan. 4, 2008.
Matthew Olson, a pilot from the Christian organization AIM Air, helps a child out of an airplane at Eldoret airport after he evacuated them from the town of Kakamega near the Ugandan border, Kenya, Friday, Jan. 4, 2008.
Burned homesteads just outside the town of Burnt Forest, some 35 kilometers from Eldoret, Kenya, Friday, Jan. 4, 2008
An aerial view of the slum of Kibera with the Nairobi skyline in the background, Kenya, Friday, Jan. 4, 2008.
Residents looking to receive food run after a vehicle from the Kenyan Red Cross preparing to distribute food aid in the Kibera slum area of Nairobi, Kenya Friday, Jan. 4, 2008
Journalists run for cover as riot police fire teargas and grenades to disperse opposition supporters in Nairobi, January 4, 2008.
Dear Family,
this has been an incredibly difficult day. The horror of what is happening to my home, the land that made me the man that I am today is under assault. Not from a foreign enemy but from one who looks, talks and acts like me. I am incensed, sorrowful, and simply angry. Many of my countrymen and friends of Kenya feel the same way. I am a father, who could imagine the pain of another father loosing his child.
I saw the pictures of the little girls piled up in a mortuary and I could not help but think of my baby girl lying there, like an animal. Piled up on other dead bodies. Today a father, a mother has lost their child.
You and I are blessed that we still have our children, dads, moms, wives and husbands with us. Tonight, because of greed, because of lack of integrity, many in Kenya cannot say the same things. We shall overcome. We shall wake up to see a new Kenya, but not before much blood has been needlessly spilled. The media may have been silenced in Kenya, but voices in the wilderness have picked up the call to serve. Tell your friends, tell your family, may justice reign and may God’s eternal mercies be upon our land.
for information on how to donate to the Red Cross in Kenya, here is the link.
http://www.kenyaredcross.org/donate.php?subcat=91
Goodnight Ya’ll.
Children’s bodies fill shelves during a visit by opposition leader Raina Odinga to a Nairobi morgue.
German Ambassador to Kenya Walter Lindner stands beside riot police as he watches demonstrators in Kibera slums during a protest against President Mwai Kibaki’s disputed re-election in Nairobi January 3, 2008
Some of the bodies in the Nairobi Mortuary lie piled up Thursday Jan. 3, 2007
A protester carries a rock to block a road during battles between police and demonstrators disputing the re-election of President Mwai Kibaki in Nairobi January 3
L to R) Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leaders Charity Ngilu, Najib Balala, William Ruto and Musalia Mudavadi walk towards the venue of a rally disputing the re-election of President Mwai Kibaki in Nairobi January 3, 2008
Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga (R) visits a man wounded after clashes between police and demonstrators during the dispute over the re-election of President Mwai Kibaki in Nairobi January 3, 2008.
