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23:02 Deflowered….. soon…. hopefully
» In Excess Clande took me in…. but that didn’t work out either. I was too depressed, am still depressed. Wifey has lengaad all my calls, she has refused to see me, and all my emissaries come back with the same message - go drown in River Sagana! I dont even know where that is! Eish Now clande throws me [...]
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19:28
Licensed To Trade
» For Love and Money Licensed To Trade
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18:27
No Taxation If you Want Representation
» Kenyanentrepreneur.com In this world, people who complain about paying taxes can be divided into two classes: Men and Women. I must say, that after the former MP’s were voted outed in such large numbers, I thought these new set of MP’s would become more attuned to the overwhelming public pulse about this issue of taxes, but it [...]
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14:19
How the Kenyan government sabotages success at KQ
» Rants, Raves & Reviews I have blogged extensively on the Government of Kenya's apathy to one of Kenya's largest (direct & indirect) employers... Tourism...
Today is an example of a long-suffering firm (Kenya Airways - KQ) that has to deal with the idiocy that is the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA)...
KAA - headed by uhuru kenyatta's uncle as nepotism is rampant - has mismanaged the Nairobi International Airport (NBO). It is old, dark, humid & dank compared to many other airports around the world.
Emirates Airlines has a new terminal in Dubai. Ongoing attempts by the Dubai government to encourage their local airline compete better in the tough airline world.
Qatar Air has also benefited from a government that has invested in expanding the Doha airport to support QA's rapid growth.
KAA has done jack shit in helping KQ expand.
- A 1970s airport without being updated for the 2000s,
- Insufficient parking for passengers
- Poor customer service.
- High charges but little service
- A poorly lit & pothole filled road to/from the airport
- Poorly manned immigration desk for foreigners requiring PAID visas (a fellow traveller complained it took him an hour to get a visa
- Poor lounge facilities. Hard chairs and even then too few of them.
It happens that KQ has made Nairobi an eviable hub in Africa but to keep their competitive edge KQ needs a larger airport. Perhaps their own terminal! Otherwise KQ will lose out to an emerging Entebbe or Addis Ababa).
Many African airports (e.g. Entebbe, Jo'burg, etc) have apron buses provided by the airport autority but KQ had to buy their own since KAA is too busy hiring lousy personnel!!!
KQ is responsible for bringing in lots of higher-spending tourists as well as facilitating trade for Kenyan firms. These remain a lifeline for Kenya & the GoK should be helping KQ not impeding them!
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12:39
This Chap, The Typical Kenyan
» You Missed This There is something that multinational corporations do a lot these days and it is pretty instructive about the times we live in. Every couple of years they completely rejuvenate their marketing department with young fresh blood. Not only to keep with the times but to get rid of the inevitable human tendency to stick with the old tried and tested.
Actually conservatism can be pretty expensive in this rather fluid world we live in these unpredictable times where things are changing way too fast for any accurate analysis to be written and still be completely up-to-date by the time the book is published. Let me give you just one example.
Every right thinking Kenyan knows that education is critical and so many parents have sacrificed everything, even selling their land and property while rubbing their hands in glee and looking forward to the day their son or daughter will finish their PhD knowing very well that the cash will surely pour in with a vengeance then. Many of them have ended up very disappointed with well educated people they spent a fortune on still jobless at home. Yes education is still important but so is exposure. A friend of mine put it very well early today when they said that people have gone all out of education and ignored common sense with disastrous results.
Well this chap the typical Kenyan is pretty conservative. A few more examples;
• A vast majority of Kenyans in the 2007 general elections wanted change badly and yet most Kenyans thought that an old man called Raila Odinga was the most suitable candidate to deliver that change. Our brothers in Central were even more hilarious and were firm in their belief that the current member of parliament representing Othaya (in close collaboration with the likes of Njenga Karume were the most suitable candidates to deliver the radical change we need.
• I am greatly relieved that after 3 years of constant campaigning here and numerous emotive posts, more and more Kenyans have finally arrived at the rather obvious conclusion that to get genuine change we need brand new faces in politics. But those same Kenyans believe that to sit in State House you MUST have volumes of experience. Now the problem with that is that because Daniel arap Moi, Mwai kibaki, Njenga Karume, John Michuki etc. have never believed in voluntary early retirement (only the forced kind very late in the day) how the hell would any other younger person have gotten the opportunity to gain that State House experience? And besides how experienced was Jomo Kenyatta (even with his advanced age) when he took over the reigns of power in 1963? Please do youb research and tell us.
• The government in its’ efforts to re-settle IDPs is pretty nervous about any initiative that will lead to the examination of historical injustices. Conservative folks avoid like the plague the discussion of anything sensitive and maybe “improper.” So instead they came up with the “brilliant” idea of establishing more police stations in the worst-hit areas of Rift valley in their failed effort to re-settle the suffering IDPs. The idea seems to have been to have one police post for every IDP. Wow!! That one is straight from the old colonial rule book and my oh my, did it work pretty well in the Rift Valley or what?
• Retired President Daniel arap Moi is the best example to prove that old conservative ideas don’t work any more. Every single political scheme he has tried since he left office has fallen flat on its’ face. The latest one is going to be even more spectacular in its’ failure, just wait and see. The idea is to revive the old Kanu with Nicholas Biwott as party chairman. Biwott has already received backing from Gideon Moi who has been going round dishing out lots of cash (pesa yetu iloyoibiwa) in the Rift Valley. The game plan is to have the Kalenjin community sheepishly trooping back to Kanu in droves when the inevitable fall out in ODM happens. Some people think the professor of politics has got it right this time… I am not one of those people.
• The reason why Narc Kenya still exists and is such a strong political party is because some people close to the president are busy doing “a Kanu” within PNU. They all know that Kibaki has to leave office after his current term so chances are that we will be treated to another “professer Kimya” drama soon when some wannabe loyalist finds at the last minute that their name is NOT on the ballot paper for party chairman to succeed Kibaki.
• Many, many, Kenyans desire change. However they want somebody else to make the sacrifices. Somebody else to do all the work. Somebody else to risk getting arrested or killed. So everybody is currently waiting for somebody else to do something. (More on this subject and what I propose to do, in later posts).
• Finally just watch the comments to this post to see many more examples of the nature of this chap, the typical old school Kenyan.
Breaking News: Why did the KBC daily live transmission of bunge go off air the minute the tax debate started?
Theatre and theatrics can sell products like hot cakes (scroll down to see Churchill live himself)
Download free DVD movies, Nairobi, Kenya
A business lunch in Nairobi that you will never forget
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9:11
Exhibition: Works by Sophie Walbeoffe & Jason Corder RaMoMA Gallery, 3rd Dec,08
» Kenyanpoet RaMoMA Museum of Modern Art invites you to the opening of the following exhibitions
on 3rd December 2008 from 6pm
• ValDor Gallery
New Journeys - an exhibition of works by Sophie Walbeoffe.
Sophie Walbeoffe BA hons Studied painting at the Wimbledon School of Art. In 1987 she arrived in Kenya with Operation Raleigh as the expedition artist and met her husband in Maralal who was setting up a camel project for Farm Africa. She now lives in Nairobi whilst their herd of sixty camels happily reside below the Ngongs in the Rift valley and continue to inspire her painting.
This exhibition features oils and watercolours of Italian and French cities plus landscapes of Kenya.
• Dodhia Gallery
The Jacaranda Conundrum - An exhibition by Jason Corder
Jason Corder has worked and exhibited all over the world. In May of this year he started working at the studio here at RaMoMA and produced this series of paintings directly inspired by Nairobi and more specifically by Parklands and the streets around the studio. Many of the collage elements were found in the nearby streets and lanes. Jason uses many other natural and salvaged materials including red Kenyan earth, ash, plant fibres and pigments. Of the work he says, "I hope that each of the paintings can act as a link between the viewer and the earth. Each part of the earth contains its own energy, its own colours and light, its own stories. In the work I attempt to transmit this energy, to tell these stories. To appreciate the bounty around us, to find beauty among decay, this is my daily challenge as an artist." He is the recipient this year of a Ballinglen Fellowship and was nominated for the Sovereign European Art Prize. And he has started teaching at the University of Nairobi where he hopes to pass on his experience to the next generation of Kenyan artists.
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8:11
Tax the Poor, Exempt the Rich
» What An African Woman Thinks UPDATE: See? The Egotisticals went and did the utterly pathetic and pathologically callous thing: they amended the Finance Bill to avoid paying taxes.
GR to the RRRR. (Seriously, I'm so ticked off right now, I cannot pull off a good imitation of coherent.)
ORIGINAL POST BEGINS HERE
Apparently Ben Franklin didn't account for the utter selfishness of Kenyan MPs when he declared that nothing is certain but death and taxes.
The majority of Kenya's MPs continue to believe they're something above special.
But, at least the pressure against their collective greed is mounting. Three MPs have broken with the ranks and written to the clerk of the national assembly requesting that their perks be taxed. I fail to see how the 'coalition of the unwilling to pay taxes' elsehow known as "the Egotisticals" can manoeuvre around this without coming off as utterly pathetic and pathologically callous. But then again, I've been known to underestimate the Kenyan politicos on numerous occasion, so don't listen to me.
I disagree with Kenneth Marende, by the way, with his characterisation of what the three MPs who have requested to pay tax on their perks have done as "a philanthropic gesture."
Philanthropy my right arm and left foot. They're practically robbing Kenyans in broad daylight with those hefty pay packages in the first place. And, in the second place, if they're living in Kenya and consuming the same public services I do, then it is their duty to pay taxes. So spare me the philanthropy and pay your taxes already.It's my window, but I don't own the view.
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Transition to a Common Market should be a gradual process, Tanzania Maintains
» You Missed This In my last article, Tanzania should be “Sent packing”, I suggested that Tanzania should be left out of the common market implementation for it seems not to be ready for it. A commentator here at Kumekucha said that it would not be fair to come to such a conclusion without knowing the reasons for this dilly dallying by Tanzania.
Well, I agree it is important for us to know why Tanzania is behaving this way. There are three key issues that are driving Tanzania “crazy”. These are: Land ownership, Free movement of people and Permanent residence.
Kenya and Uganda want free for all land policy under which East Africans could be allowed to acquire land in other countries in the region. This is hotly contested by Mwalimu Nyerere’s country “for public interest”.
Tanzania fears that there will be an influx of people from the neighbouring countries to take pieces of land in Tanzania which has bigger arable land. Only 15 percent of 946,000 square kilometers is under cultivation in Tanzania. Kenya is more densely populated and there is scarcity of land to cultivate hence the fear of free movement of people and permanent residence.
Another thing, Tanzanians do not want the use of identity cards for travel within the region because these could easily be forged. Instead they want the use of passports which are internationally recognized. [Tanzanians do not have national identity cards. They are currently doing an evaluation on what is needed to afford a national identity card to each and every eligible Tanzanian].
The other bone in Tanzanians’ collective soup is the issue of free movement of labour. They feel that free movement of labour within the region would lead to a loss of jobs in the formal sector to Kenyans. (Yes, you heard me right…loss of jobs to Kenyans! ). They feel that the advantages that Kenyans have in the job market are integrity, hard work, sharp communication skills and aggressiveness. They feel that Kenyans would snatch jobs from right under their noses – a nightmare to them to say the very least.
These are the reasons (or rather, some of the reasons) that have been making Tanzanians go round and round in circles.
Elsewhere:
Tanzania Media: Are we “wool gathering” the East Africa Federation?
This guy said it just right
Tanzanians’ Gripe
Are you in need of a scholarship? Check this out.
Theatre and theatrics can sell products like hot cakes (scroll down to see Churchill live himself)
Download free DVD movies, Nairobi, Kenya
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5:12
16 Days of Activism Against Violence Against Women: Day 1
» Black Looks Tags: 16 Days of Activism Against Violence Against Women Liberia + Women Pray the Devil Back to Hell SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "16 Days of Activism Against Violence Against Women: Day 1", url: "http://www.blacklooks.org/2008/11/16_days_of_activism_against_violence_against_women_day_1.html" });
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4:50
Bank waters
» bankelele In the pool
Diving in: Another West African bank giant UBA follows Ecobank after apparently having secured a banking license to operate in Kenya.
Treading in the shallow end: Still finding their ground are the new Islamic Banks - Gulf African and First Community that started business last year. They are likely to be the only banks that will record losses of at least Kshs. 200 million each as their new branches and staff continue to reach out and educate customers on a new way to bank.
Had enough swimming?:
(i) Morgan Stanley who were supposed to introduce long term foreign investors to Kenya with a five year window or longer, but instead brought in short term investors at the expense of the Government and othrr investors who took out their profits in a week. Another lesson learnt a long way back from the IPO.
(ii) The Kenyan unit of Citi is on track to rake in profits of $50 million this year on the back of aggresive trading, but will it be enough, or will it be bled off by the parent unit? And who would buy it and its lucrative American interest-linked business portfolio?
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Sara Baartman and the Hottentot Venus: A Ghost Story and a Biography
» Black Looks Sara Baartman and the Hottentot Venus: A Ghost Story and a Biography by Clifton Crais and Pamela Scully From the publishers: Displayed on European stages from 1810 to 1815 as the Hottentot Venus, Sara Baartman was one of the most famous women of her day, and also one of the least known. As the Hottentot [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Sara Baartman and the Hottentot Venus: A Ghost Story and a Biography", url: "http://www.blacklooks.org/2008/11/sara_baartman_and_the_hottentot_venus_a_ghost_story_and_a_biography.html" });
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3:36
Book Launch
» Kenyan Pundit Mau Mau Research Centre and Prof. Maina wa Kinyatti cordially invite you to the launch of the Book - HISTORY OF RESISTANCE IN KENYA 1884-2002 authored by Maina wa Kinyatti on Friday 28th November 2008 between 5.30 - 7.30 pm at GOETHE-INSTITUT NAIROBI
Guest Speakers:· Hon. James Orengo- Minister for Lands
· His Excellency Mr. Julio César Gónzález Marchante -Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Cuba
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What can Kenyans expect from Ali Campbell after his fallout with UB40?
» Kenyanpoet Ali Campbell, born Alistair Ian Campbell, the lead singer of UB40, a British reggae band is scheduled to perform in Nairobi on 28th November at the Carnivore Restaurant, this is against a backdrop of his recent fall out with the band formed in 1978.
The band members began as friends who knew each other from various colleges and schools across Birmingham. The name "UB40" was selected in reference to a paper form issued by the UK government's Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS) at the time of the band's formation for claiming unemployment benefit. The designation UB40 stood for Unemployment Benefit, Form 40.
Before any of them could play their instruments, Ali Campbell and Brian Travers travelled around Birmingham promoting the band, putting up UB40 posters. The band purchased its first instruments from Woodroffe's Musical Instruments with £4,000 in compensation money that Campbell, who would become the lead singer, received after a bar fight during his 17th birthday celebration.
In February this year, 30,000 Ugandan fans were gazing at the band, many unaware that the band were honouring their final live commitment. By that time a storm of claims and counterclaims had already broken out. UB40 said that Campbell had placed the promotion of his solo album Running Free over his duties with the band. On January 29 a statement from Campbell’s solicitors stated that the singer had left to seek “a resolution to ongoing long-term issues that have arisen with the business managers of UB40”.
As Kenyans hope to get their pay before friday to watch the man behind some of the greatest reggae hits, most might not think that the breakup will have any effect on the planned show. I however do get the feeling that the red red wine will not taste the same. Ali will not have the same conviction saying 'I've got you babe' or confessing that he indeed has many rivers to cross.
Very few artists who break away from bands are able to still give the same quality of music, for some, the breakaway becomes the onset of their personal problems with drugs, promiscuity etc( a good example is Bobby Brown who left the group New Edition)
The feud between UB40 took a further twist when it was announced that lead singer Ali Campbell would be replaced by a new member - his brother Duncan.
Ali's explaination as to why he was leaving the Band after almost 30 years was because management difficulties had become "intolerable". He claimed the disagreements had been going on for nearly five years and he was "deeply unhappy" with many decisions. A UB40 spokesman disputed his comments over the situation with management.
Whatever his reasons for leaving the band, I hope he has thought everything through lest he becomes a shadow of his former self. Ego has a way of making us do stupid things.
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1:31
This is Mauritius......
» REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG 
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Stay on...for a sunset cruise
» REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG 
You are excused if you choose to stay on. I will be going on a sunset cruise, so expect more photos on Thursday. -
The village in me......
» REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG 
The village in me thought that this was a giant pool and wondered how people were to swim next to the building, only to discover that it is a design, the whole place looks like a swimming pool everywhere.
You feel like jumping in, wherever you are... -
A country serious about tourism
» REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG 
I never imagined sleeping in a room costing 1000 Euro a night, room only. I thought I would not get close to that, that I would be stuck with the $50 a night and those guest houses that increase the cost depending on the influx of customers, if they rise by midnight, then you pay more or they add another person, in the same bed, anyway, am kidding.
But the rooms are cosy....and you almost get to a holiday mood, it will be hard for me to convince that am working.
But I am! -
Air Mauritius is crap but the country is awesome
» REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG 
I missed the Air Mauritius flight on saturday, they said the plan could not take off, it stalled on the runway in Port Louis, so we had no choice but to fly on Sunday, others said the flight did not have an important spare part.
As usual, there was more info from rumors than from the airline. I was mad and I almost refused to go after a friend said that the flight could be jinxed but he was over reacting.
But after I saw the country, I was blown away, the village girl was challenged to dream. I had not dreamt of this one.
The place looks good...
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Know Your World: Ukraine
» What An African Woman Thinks This month Ukraine commemorates the 75th anniversary of Holodomor, the man-made famine plague that ravaged its people during the first half of 1933 and lead to the deaths of at least 3 million people by conservative estimates and up to 10 million by other estimates.
Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. It was during the Soviet Industrialisation. Joseph Stalin was at the helm, and the collectivisation of agriculture was underway.
Ukraine was the breadbasket of the Soviet Union at the time. It had food supply targets it had to meet. When it did not meet its quota, agents of the Kremlin were sent there to confiscate all the food the people had in store. Stripped of literally all their food supplies, people resorted to eating whatever they could find-roots, bark off of trees, anything. There are reports of widespread cases of cannibalism during the time.
The debate rages on today as to whether the Holodomor constitutes genocide by famine or not. The Ukraine would like it recognised as such. The UN has settled for calling it a national tragedy.It's my window, but I don't own the view. -
News On the Run
» What An African Woman Thinks Sometimes I think I know the world, and then I learn some really weighty fact, historical or otherwise, and I can’t believe I have never read or heard about it before.
Sometime ago I was reading a report that AP commissioned Context-based Research Group to do sometime last year. The results were released in June. It was about contemporary news consumption habits of young adults. What emerged is that they’re all caught up on the headlines, but they’re short on the back story, the background news.
It seems to me that what has happened is that there’s so much news on the surface that there’s hardly any time these days to dig any deeper. And so while we end up with more variety, we settle for less depth. Since there are only so many hours in a day and so many things we want to or have to fit into the so many hours, we constantly have to choose between depth and range.
Anyway, I remembered this when I stumbled upon a story on Ukraine the other day on the anniversary of Holodomor and it looked like something I should know; only I didn’t. I had never heard of it before.
So, I decided to try something new here, on my blog. Once a week I’ll write something I didn’t know about a country I rarely talk about in a series titled KNOW YOUR WORLD. We’ll see how it goes. First up, naturally, Ukraine.It's my window, but I don't own the view.
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