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23:08
Netbook Is The New Laptop
» For Love and Money Netbook Is The New Laptop
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17:15
Embarrassment is...
» Mo-Mo Baggins Embarrassment is...
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16:00
Mzee Muthaura is Key to Kenya’s Health
» You Missed This 
Head of Civil Service and Secretary to the Cabinet Francis Muthaura has been admitted a door away from ICU. It wouldn’t have come at a worse time when Kenya is in dire traits and chronic need of Muthaura’s able hands. Almost 70 years old and close to five decades in government, very few Kenyans can match ambassador Muthaura's experience.
The need for REFORMS can only be shepherded by Muthaura’s tried hands. He knows the government inside out. What is more, he has the boss’ ears. Many neophytes in the GCG may hate him for his fidelity to protocol. But serikali is no civil society and none of these activists can hold a candle to the veteran ambassador.
Our sensational newspapers must spare PS Muthaura more headache. Whether he was hospitalized last month or yesterday morning is immaterial. These alarmist reporters fail to understand the enormity of the national burden Muthaura shoulders on our behalf. They even shamelessly fail to glimpse the gravity of the mater when police boss spends five hours at the hospital hosting Muthaura.
10 years work, no leave
You see Major Ali needs alloyed guidance to stop thugs in Juja from petrol-bombing houses when owners refuse to open their doors to allow unhindered looting. Add that to the explosive Mungiki-vigilante executions and you have to sympathize with Muthaura's predicament in this sick status.
The press must learn to respect top government officials who discharge their duties under great pressure. You fail to understand why they doubt Dr Mutua’’s official statement that Muthaura BOOKED himself in hospital on Sunday. He must know better.
What more can unforgiving and unappreciative populace ask for besides a 70-year old working for more than 10 years without leave. After offloading our collective national stress on Mzee Muthaura he is now smarting from chemical imbalance in his body. True, rewards from an ungrateful donkey are fatal kicks.Kumekucha
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14:03
Weekend goss
» Diary of a gay Kenyan My friend Sue (of the cock infamy) just rang to tell me about her weekend. She had a date with this new guy and they were having drinks canoodling at a popular hideaway near Athi River early Saturday evening. A small world away everything was going well, the mano was giving her the look that means today is today not tomorrow and making her feel all tingly from the back of her knees to her ears. Sue knew the deal was signed, sealed, delivered she was his but the spell was broken when a scraggy woman claiming to be wifey showed up in a gaggle of 3 other angrier females. Sue describes the wife as looking like a little rat with a tattered sack for a weave.
Anyway seems the guy didn’t have the balls to go with the promised cock he was meekly dragged away by the wife however not before downing his three-quarter Pilsner which Sue ended up paying for; in consolation at least she got a refund for the room. There was no biting or scratching or even spitting just some bone-breaking name-calling and credit to baba-watoto (baby-father) he managed to mouth ‘I’ll call you’ to a mortified Sue. All very civilised. Sad bit is that when shocked Sue went home to her flat, the electricity was out so she had a cold bath, brushed her teeth and lay alone in her darkened bedroom shivering in bed feeling humiliated and sorry for herself.
After all that her date called the next day to ask Sue if she was free and could he come over. His story is the other woman was an ex who’s a bit demented. Yeah right and they are all innocent in prison, la la la la la I’m not listening to you. Sue just said better you stay with your crazy ex if you come near me again I’ll cut your balls off.
Aaargh men!
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10:31
How to Get an M-Pesa Refund
» bankelele and other Safaricom tales
M-Pesa mistake: I interacted with two products over the weekend from Safaricom: One is of course MPesa from Safaricom (Kenya’s largest mobile company), the money transfer system that has been the talk of the remittance and mobile banking world; but what should be a Kenyan success story, is a Vodafone (UK ) tested, developed, and rolled out here as a Safaricom licensee. There was quite a bit of discussion of that at the mobile for change summit on Saturday in Nairobi, but that’s for another day.
My M-Pesa tale is one that many of the 6 million registered users have probably experienced. You go to a pharmacy/cyber café/supermarket and pay a Safaricom agent your money to load you phone up with funds (up to Kshs. 35,000 or ~$450) and zap it off to pay for anything – grandma’s medicine, farm inputs, auto spare parts, satellite TV, etc. the list of MPesa uses is growing
You then wait for a few seconds and get a confirmation message of the transfer, only to discover that you have sent the money to the wrong recipient! Somewhere in Kenya, there was a lady with an unexpected month-end bonus from an anonymous donor. Common rare courtesy calls for one to refund the money, but #$%* did not answer my calls.
It appeared that I would not be able to persuade her to refund my money and so I wrote it off as money lost. I went back to the same agent, and paid money again and sent it off to my aunt, this time with the correct number.
I was till mad and went on to @Twitter ranting and raving that I had sent the wrong person my money and that #$%* had probably gone on a celebration spree as some idiot had sent her a weekend bonus. But on twitter my prayers were answered - by @69MB (who’s traveling in Tanzania) and @Ngeny who sent tweets back, that I could halt that transfer unless #$%* had already withdrawn the money.
Next, I rushed and called the dreaded (always busy) customer service line at Safaricom (#100) to try and get my money back. After a dozen attempts I got through and was asked to call another line at Safaricom (#234). This one was even busier, but I eventually got through to a gentleman, and I explained the error I made. He asked several questions - my name, intended recipients number, amount sent, number wrongly sent to, my birth date etc. I had all the answers and was every relieved when he said that my money would be refunded within 72 hours. EDIT (uhusiano add that there is an Mpesa Customer Care dedicated line 0722002200)
Oh and about a ½ hour after I finished with Safaricom #$%* tried to call me, perhaps she had raced to agent to withdraw her booty only to be told that the transfer had been held up. I was courteous enough not to answer her call and yell at her
So I now have my money back (still in my phone) and I’ve learnt, thanks to Twitter, and Safaricom, that it’s possible to get an M-Pesa refund
EDIT official advice from Safaricom
If you send money to the wrong number:
- Call Line 234 immediately and provide them with the number that has erroneously received the cash.
- Funds sent to a wrong number will be reversed only if still available in the wrong recipients account.
- If successful, you will receive an SMS indicating that a reversal has been done
Micro air-time loan : The other Safaricom product I tried to use was Okoa Jahazi (rescue a sailor in Swahili? – someone correct me) (Okoa Jahazi literary means save/rescue a ship/boat/dhow in Swahili) which works on the premise that you may be stranded somewhere and need to maker an emergency call but don’t have money or are not in a place where you can buy an airtime voucher to complete the call.
Okoa Jahazi is a 50 shilling ($0.65) airtime voucher, almost a micro-loan, which you can request from Safaricom by typing a simple code. It’s not free and will be deducted the next time you purchase a similar voucher. It also attracts a 10% levy, so you get just 45 shillings.
I requested the voucher, as an experiment and made some calls. I then bought a replacement 50 shilling voucher which paid off the micro-loan from Safaricom. But I had a bit of difficulty after that; I could not call a rival network (Zain, Orange) or browse the internet, using the borrowed airtime – it was strictly for making calls to other Safaricom users. So I had to buy another voucher, to get my credit up and out of my micro-debt. This comes when you don’t read the fine print. Anyway it’s a useful service, but one that should only be used for emergencies.
Summary: So we have two products form Safaricom. One I have used several times, and will probably use again, one that I hope I will not have to use again (emergency only). The rules are quite clear, but few read the fine print of the offers made by service companies. It makes sense that the micro-loan is restricted to minimal emergency functions, but it would also be nice of Safaricom to inform their (6 million) MPesa users that it is possible to get refunds from M-pesa. If I was not on @Twitter I’d have lost a lot of money
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9:45
An open letter to the ICC regarding Kenya's loss of hosting rights to the 2010 Under 19 World Cup
» Kenya Cricket Dear Sirs,
I write regarding the recent decision to strip Kenya of hosting rights for the 2010 Under 19 World Cup.
Please can the report/reports given to the ICC regarding this decision be made public. Mention was made in the ICC press release concerning this that "regular reports to the ICC Board" were made. If this is correct, why was the issue not raised publicly in time for Kenya to bring preparations into line with ICC expectations? Please also release these documents for public scrutiny.
What were the specifics of Kenya being deemed unable to host the event? If there are genuine concerns, the ICC should be able to produce a list so that the Cricket Kenya has a chance to publicly address each concern. If the concerns cannot be addressed, this decision might at least be understood of not liked. If they can be addressed then there must be the basis for an investigation as to why this decision was reached.
Was it due to pitch quality? - last we were informed on this (May 11th) was that much progress had been made since the previous inspection in April and there were no undue worries. Given the time between now and the tournament plus the growing conditions in Kenya, there would be ample time for pitches to be brought up to top quality.Several of the pitches to be used already hold ODI status, and given that none of these have had their status revoked, the ICC must still be happy with their quality.
For things to have turned around so drastically in the short space of time since seems very peculiar as does the claim that there is not enough time to rectify the situation.
Is it infrastructure of buildings at the venues or roads etc? Once again, 8 months is a very long time in terms of preparing these and should there have been warning before this decision, it is likely that the Kenya government would have been able to intervene to ensure deadlines are met. Almost all the venues to be used already have existing facilities which could be brought up to scratch well inside the 8 months remaining.
When did New Zealand "offer to host the tournament"? It seems highly coincidental that they just happened to be ready with their offer as Kenya were stripped of hosting rights.
Why has Kenya not been given an ultimatum to reach a particular state of readiness by a certain date rather than suddenly losing the hosting rights without warning? If this did happen, why was it not made public?
What were the affiliations of the persons involved in presenting the report to the ICC?
In summary. the reason given in last week's press release for the stripping of the Under 19 world Cup from Kenya does not stand up. Eight months is ample of time for preparations to be completed and for Kenya to put on a fantastic event. I daresay that given the opportunity, they could certainly at least match the debacle that was the senior World Cup last held in the West Indies.
The ICC has made much of its supposed support for growing the game of cricket outside of the Old Boys Club that is Test cricket. How does it justify that aim in light of this recent decision that has cost one of the strongest Associates upwards of $150 000 - a huge amount of money in terms of an Associate nation's budget, not to mention revenue lost from no longer hosting the event and the incalculable loss that comes from losing an amazing opportunity to promote the game to the Kenyan public.
Kenyan cricket fans have had to put up with much over the last few years, the least they are owed by the ICC is an open and detailed explanation as to why this event that would have done so much good for the growth of cricket in the country has been snatched away from them. We look forward to an honest and transparent explanation.
copied to local and online mediaBecome a fan of Kenya Cricket.com on facebook: [www.facebook.com]
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9:31
Somalia, for and against.
» Kenya Imagine Capt. Munyiri's view is that there's no reason to intervene in Somalia: Al-Shabaab is a Somalian matter - an internal armed insurrection which is no concern of ours - which Kenya lacks the mandate to handle. Henry Gekonde thinks there are strong pragmatic reasons to intervene, that an intervention would have public support, and that the mandate is available if the action is an African Union matter.
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8:26
Kenya Cup - Week 3 and League Standings
» Rugby in Kenya Kenya Cup - Week 3 and League Standings
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8:19 Long live the King – Michael’s lesson for the artist
» Storymoja Death, the death of a popular celebrity is shocking even to people who hardly knew the man behind whatever success the celebrity stood behind. I suppose that because the media, mainstream and junk, feeds us so much information about the celebrity – some true, some false, either way we can’t tell – we attain to [...]
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7:02
God was kind to Michael Jackson
» STONE COLD HAVEN In the 1988 documentary film Michael Jackson- The Legend Continues, the narrator, actor James Earl Jones, aptly describes the fascination and mystique about Michael Jackson’s collective body of performances as a “Presentation of Showtime”. The only argument that can be levelled against this description of Michael Jackson is that his whole life was a [...]
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7:00
New SMS Services in Uganda from Grameen, Google & MTN
» White African Grameen Foundation’s AppLab has released a new suite of mobile phone applications developed in Uganda, using Google SMS Search and in partnership with MTN Uganda as the mobile operator. The services include:
- Farmer’s Friend: a searchable database with both agricultural advice and targeted weather forecasts
- Health Tips: provides sexual and reproductive health information
- Clinic Finder: helps locate nearby health clinics and their services
- Google Trader: matches buyers and sellers of agricultural produce and commodities as well as other products. Local buyers and sellers, such as small-holder farmers, are able to broaden their trading networks and reduce their transaction costs. (known locally as “Akatale SMS”)
Back in 2004 Grameen started to replicate in Uganda what they had done in Bangladesh with their Village Phone Operators. That is, they would go 20km beyond the best phone signal and provide a loan to a lady in the village that would let her buy a phone and an antenna that would extend the range of the network. The lady would then resell services to local individuals who didn’t have access, or the ability to buy their own phone.I’m actually quite impressed with this initiative, as it fits in perfectly with Grameen’s mission: providing opportunity through the most basic of mobile phones. All of these services work on SMS-only phones, so anyone with a single bar of coverage and a phone has access to a lot of knowledge in their hands.
Here is a promo video from Uganda, explaining why these services are needed:
High-powered PartnershipsBeyond the applications themselves, what I find most compelling is how the Grameen Foundation collected such a high-powered group of partners. The list reads like a who’s-who of innovative mobile services and development in Africa with Google, MTN Uganda, Technoserve, Kiwanja.net, and BRODSI to name a few. It’s a mixture of for-profit businesses, local NGOs and non-profit tech organizations.
I remember a conversation a couple months back with Sian Townsend (Google) and Ken Banks (FrontlineSMS) about how they did the field studies for this project. Sian shared with us some of her research on mobile user experience while in Uganda – it was extensive. Through a month of rapid prototyping and studying how users were actually using the new services, the team quickly learned what was important and how to better serve information up to the end-user.
Though I haven’t been able to personally test the services yet, with this group, I would expect the results to be better than average. For instance, Google doesn’t tend to get involved with ideas that don’t scale. I imagine that they see replicability with both SMS Search and Google Trader in many other countries as well. Rachel Payne, the country manager for Google in Uganda, has a blog post here, but not much more information on the long-term plans for Google Trader. I’d be interested in seeing how this compares to Esoko out of Ghana.
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5:28
Story of the Week of June 22nd, 2009
» Storymoja Your votes are in and the story of the week is… Mannequin by Simon Mukali Read it here Do you have any ideas about how to make your weekly reading more fun? Please send your suggestions to blogs@storymojaafrica.co.ke today. Join us here on Monday for the next batch of stories and be sure to vote for the [...]
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4:49
Gratitude 2
» Black Looks “My mother would Say, ‘those gay people Are unnatural…’ just a Product of her time”. My Attention asked of her Thoughts hidden behind Unspoken present angst: yalo -the masculine woman, Ito -the Transgender man, Julio -The transman, the sworn Fag hag armed with his Perky breasts to boot Are examples to us all Who do or who do not Inhabit gender variant Space. Normative gender In it’s paranoid Restriction aims to rob [...]
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3:20
Importance of Twitter in Africa
» REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG There is no doubt that Twitter is a global phenomenon; influencing politics and entertainment. To think that the company is only two years old, its truly inspiring.
For people who love live updates and with access to the internet, this is an awesome tool. For those in South Africa where the mobile device interface is active; am sure they are beyond happy.
But what about other countries where the internet has remained a dream? Where promises of true broadband have just been a disappointment? Where operators or companies are yet to see the need of delivering twitter updates to mobile phones? Maybe its just a case of making a business out of it.
I was happy to participate in a twitterthon championed by Computer Aid the other day. The drive was to raise the level of computer donations to Africa. The event achieved its objectives.
The most disturbing thing was that a friend of mine (I would like to think that way), wrote to me complaining that the computers are being dumped to Africa and that kind of thing. I wondered, whether that was the debate, as to whether the computers are being dumped or not, that is the responsibility of our governments to ensure that the machines are of higher standards. Kenya has imposed a 25% tax, Uganda, Zambia have banned but Rwanda is still receiving. After talking to several people in the rural areas who have been conned about the new computer schemes only to learn that they were refurbs, I like to steer clear of the debate and let the people decide. For instance; I talked to the principle at Kigari teachers college in Kenya about why they buy refurbs and she was in praise of the computer performance.
In Canada, the schools use refurbished computers, makes you wonder, how many rural schools or hospitals would be happy with that refurb. I guess the point is that the manufacturers should be made to open up recycling centers like they do in the west, then all the comps will be there.
Anyway, I digressed too much, the debate was about twitter.
How then can twitter be used to reach more people in Africa? It has to come with increased connectivity and increased awareness, that its not a tool for spreading rumors and malice but a constructive tool. You can imagine the power of twitter in a crisis situation like in Kenya last year with the post election violence.
The best thing about twitter is that you can share your thoughts, whether professional or just personal issues- it is the new way of people keeping in touch!
These are just random thoughts....
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Batteries not included
» Diary of a gay Kenyan I was wondering how all those adult sex toys advertised in the dailies
find their way into the country. Kenyans are a very prudish lot
especially on sex matters somehow I can't see many declaring at
customs cartons containing xxl long ribbed ballsy super cocks. What's
the category under import declarations? Surely we must just be a bunch
of hypocrites as I'm reliably informed many a female Nairobian has a
rabbit mini resting in a bedside drawer. And a spare set of AAA
batteries. Always. No one wants manual once you go automatic.Don't get me wrong. I haven't been left out in the sampling of these
goodies. The things I do in the name of research for you dear reader.
Recently a friend brought me one of those fleshlights on a visit here
from England. My verdict is every man (and priest) should have one,
limits the chances of straying, never has a headache and there is no
risk of disease. Mine's a butt (naturally) in mocha, a much loved and
close companion now just gathering dust boxed away inside a cupboard.
I might take a picture to show you.By the way our Kamba and Kisii carvers should really get in on the
act. A perfectly carved 8 incher with a curve in mahogany or soapstone
would not go unsold. I could use a stirrer for my morning porridge,
lick it clean after use.Sent from my iPhone
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Affairs in Nairobi? I thought We Were Christians
» You Missed This In the beginning God created Adam.
Okay, I won't bore you with a theological discussion on morality or give my own take on how married folks should live their lives. I don't want to give my friend Taabu a chance to come down on me with that "sermon thing." But I had a very interesting discussion with a group of ladies and gentlemen in one restaurant here in Nairobi that left me reeling. These folks insisted that affairs have become so common in Nairobi. A way of life. In fact, one lady said that what is shocking today is that anybody should be shocked if they find out their wife or husband is seeing someone out there.
Really?
I still remember the day I first met my beautiful Hellen. It was a sunny afternoon under the unforgiving heat of Kendu Bay. From the time we met, I knew I'd met a remarkable lady, one I wanted to know better...and even marry someday. I played my cards right and everything worked just fine. Nearly two decades later, it feels just like that first time.
Love!
When you think back at your own experiences with that sweet lady you call your wife, or fiancee, or girlfriend, what comes to your mind? Do you think of the moments you brought her roses and rolled a sweet kiss down her lip or do you wince at the thought of the painful things she's done to you? Do you pray for another four decades of life with her or do you wish a thunderbolt would shoot from the sky and end her life? Has your love remained undiminished by the roll of the years?
I'm not naive to deny that many times people have gotten into relationships that turned out wrong and painful. I'm also aware that straying is possible. But can someone explain the growing epidemic of affairs in Nairobi? Is it the cell phone? Is it our sense that morality is a thing of the past? Is it a failure of the church to instill its relevance in our lives? Or is this just where a nation that loves everything Western (Hollywood) must inevitably find itself?
C'mon, guys, I think affairs are for cowards. Why keep a sweet lady at home and go after another elsewhere? And just why would a lady switch men over a single weekend like it's something normal?
Hhmmm...
Let's talk about this. We'll talk war with Somalia next week.
Breaking News added by Chris
After denials over the weekend, the Kenyan government has finally confirmed the first case of Swine flu in the country, a student who traveled from the UK over the weekend. A public health alert is to be issued later today.Kumekucha
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