Kenya News

Corruption in Kenya

2011-08-19T07:28:00.001-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q1YRkWK7hA&feature=youtu.be

The Cafe - Kenya's unwinnable war

www.youtube.com

Can Kenya's war on corruption be won? The Café gathers a group of Kenyan activists together to debate the challenges.

2011-05-22T20:51:00.001-04:00

Excellent media resource for Kenya news mavens:

http://library.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/kenya/kenyanews.html

Kenyan on ethics of aid - Speaking of Faith

2009-08-27T07:51:00.003-04:00

This story airs today on Th 27 Aug:

Speaking of Faith
The Ethics of Aid: One Kenyan's Perspective:
We explore the complex ethics of global aid with a young writer from Kenya, Binyavanga Wainaina. He is among a rising generation of African voices who bring a cautionary perspective to the morality and efficacy behind many Western initiatives to abolish poverty and speed development in Africa.
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2009/ethicsofaid-kenya/

The podcast & transcript are now available.

Blessings,
Mary Kay

Commentary: Obama's Accra speech

2009-07-15T14:58:00.001-04:00

Pambazuka News

Obama in Ghana: The speech he might have made
Firoze Manji
2009-07-16, Issue 442
http://pambazuka.org/en/category/features/57787

Obama, Africa, and Truth-Telling

by Valerie Elverton Dixon 07-14-2009

Now that the Cold War that was anything but cold in Africa is over; now that the CIA, as far as we know, no longer pays for the overthrow and murder of democratically elected leaders as it did with Patrice Lumumba of the Congo in 1960; now that the United States no longer supports African kleptocrats that hold power through brutal thug rule as did Joseph Mobutu in the Congo later named Zaire; now that the U.S. through the CIA no longer sends millions of dollars in cash and weapons to support one side of a civil war in Angola, the side also supported by the apartheid government of South Africa; now that the U.S. no longer provides weapons to a particular side of a conflict in Somalia, leaving leftover weapons to fall into the hands of clans at war; and now that the U.S. no longer ignores genocide the way it did in Rwanda, the vote of Africans is sacred. Now, according to President Obama, “Africa’s future is up to Africans.”

In other important speeches to the world, President Obama has been courageous in telling the truth of the misdeeds of the United States. His critics call these simple statements of truth apologies. I have never heard an apology, even though an apology would be fitting. Still, stating the facts is important. It is important not only for the Other, but it is important for citizens of the United States to know what various administrations have done in our name. Truth-telling is an important element of just peacemaking. The truth is that our hands are not clean when it comes to much of the post-colonial confusion in Africa.

President Obama spoke about the colonial history of Africa from within the context of his own family’s story – his grandfather who was both a village elder and a cook for the British in Kenya and his father, a goat herder, who made his way to a university education in the United States. President Obama and his family visited the site from which Africans left to sail as cargo to the new world. It was a voyage of unspeakable horror that diminished the humanity of all of humanity. Remembrance is an important ethical act.

In an African cosmology, the community is composed of the living, the dead, and the not-yet-born, those who have yet to be conceived. Thus, when we think about moral choices within this cosmological framework, we ought to think of the past, present, and future of now. To think of the past honors the dead. They are among the great cloud of witnesses watching as we run our race. When we remember the truth of history, including our own bloody acts, we start from a righteous starting line. To forget, to leave the truth unstated, is unrighteous because it puts us at greater risk of repeating the unacknowledged wrong.

President Obama was right to speak of corruption, the importance of strong institutions, the efficacy of bottom-up change, self sufficiency, and the triumph of justice. He was right to remind young people of their responsibility to hold leaders accountable. This includes holding leaders accountable to face and to state the truth of history.

This is important not only to honor the past, but to plan wisely for the future — so that when we have joined the great cloud of witnesses, and the not-yet-born are the living members of the community, they will find inspiration from our courage to face the facts and to move forward.

Dr. Valerie Elverton Dixon is an independent scholar who publishes lectures and essays at JustPeaceTheory.com. She received her Ph.D. in religion and society from Temple University and taught Christian ethics at United Theological Seminary and Andover Newton Theological School.

http://blog.sojo.net/2009/07/14/obama-africa-and-truth-telling/

Obama on Africa's future, in Ghana

2009-07-12T08:59:00.006-04:00

Key excerpts: Obama's Ghana speech

> VIDEO: Watch/hear the speech here

> BBC coverage of Obama's trip

Barack Obama has delivered his first speech in sub-Saharan Africa as US President, stressing Africa's importance for the world, the vital role of governance and the challenges of conflict and corruption. Here are key excerpt from the address to parliament in the Ghanaian capital Accra on 11 July 2009.

ON AFRICA'S IMPORTANCE

I do not see the countries and peoples of Africa as a world apart; I see Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world - as partners with America on behalf of the future that we want for all our children. ON COLONIALISM AND RESPONSIBILITY

It is easy to point fingers, and to pin the blame for these problems on others. Yes, a colonial map that made little sense bred conflict, and the West has often approached Africa as a patron, rather than a partner. But the West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants.

In my father's life, it was partly tribalism and patronage in an independent Kenya that for a long stretch derailed his career, and we know that this kind of corruption is a daily fact of life for far too many.

ON GOVERNANCE

Development depends upon good governance. That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. That is the change that can unlock Africa's potential. And that is a responsibility that can only be met by Africans.

ON CORRUPTION

Repression takes many forms, and too many nations are plagued by problems that condemn their people to poverty. No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves, or police can be bought off by drug traffickers... No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. That is not democracy, that is tyranny, and now is the time for it to end. ... Africa doesn't need strongmen, it needs strong institutions.

ON AID

As Africans reach for this promise, America will be more responsible in extending our hand. By cutting costs that go to Western consultants and administration, we will put more resources in the hands of those who need it, while training people to do more for themselves. That is why our $3.5bn food security initiative is focused on new methods and technologies for farmers - not simply sending American producers or goods to Africa. Aid is not an end in itself. The purpose of foreign assistance must be creating the conditions where it is no longer needed.

ON HEALTH

Yet because of incentives - often provided by donor nations - many African doctors and nurses understandably go overseas, or work for programs that focus on a single disease. This creates gaps in primary care and basic prevention. Meanwhile, individual Africans also have to make responsible choices that prevent the spread of disease, while promoting public health in their communities and countries.

ON CONFLICT

Now let me be clear: Africa is not the crude caricature of a continent at war. But for far too many Africans, conflict is a part of life, as constant as the sun. There are wars over land and wars over resources. And it is still far too easy for those without conscience to manipulate whole communities into fighting among faiths and tribes.

These conflicts are a millstone around Africa's neck. We all have many identities - of tribe and ethnicity; of religion and nationality. But defining oneself in opposition to someone who belongs to a different tribe, or who worships a different prophet, has no place in the 21st Century. Africa's diversity should be a source of strength, not a cause for division.
Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/8145999.stm

Published: 2009/07/11 14:04:13 GMT

(CBS) Last updated 12:22 p.m. ET.

Text of President Barack Obama's speech, provided by the White House, as delivered to the Ghanaian parliament today in Accra, Ghana:

THE PRESIDENT: (Trumpet plays.) I like this. Thank you. Thank you. I think Congress needs one of those horns. (Laughter.) That sounds pretty good. Sounds like Louis Armstrong back there. (Laughter.)

Good afternoon, everybody. It is a great honor for me to be in Accra and to speak to the representatives of the people of Ghana. (Applause.) I am deeply grateful for the welcome that I've received, as are Michelle and Malia and Sasha Obama. Ghana's history is rich, the ties between our two countries are strong, and I am proud that this is my first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as President of the United States of America. (Applause.)

I want to thank Madam Speaker and all the members of the House of Representatives for hosting us today. I want to thank President Mills for his outstanding leadership. To the former Presidents - Jerry Rawlings, former President Kufuor - Vice President, Chief Justice - thanks to all of you for your extraordinary hospitality and the wonderful institutions that you've built here in Ghana.

I'm speaking to you at the end of a long trip. I began in Russia for a summit between two great powers. I traveled to Italy for a meeting of the world's leading economies. And I've come here to Ghana for a simple reason: The 21st century will be shaped by what happens not just in Rome or Moscow or Washington, but by what happens in Accra, as well. (Applause.)

This is the simple truth of a time when the boundaries between people are overwhelmed by our connections. Your prosperity can expand America's prosperity. Your health and security can contribute to the world's health and security. And the strength of your democracy can help advance human rights for people everywhere.

So I do not see the countries and peoples of Africa as a world apart; I see Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world - (applause) - as partners with America on behalf of the future we want for all of our children. That partnership must be grounded in mutual responsibility and mutual respect. And that is what I want to speak with you about today.

We must start from the simple premise that Africa's future is up to Africans.

I say this knowing full well the tragic past that has sometimes haunted this part of the world. After all, I have the blood of Africa within me, and my family's - (applause) - my family's own story encompasses both the tragedies and triumphs of the larger African story.

Some you know my grandfather was a cook for the British in Kenya, and though he was a respected elder in his village, his employers called him "boy" for much of his life. He was on the periphery of Kenya's liberation struggles, but he was still imprisoned briefly during repressive times. In his life, colonialism wasn't simply the creation of unnatural borders or unfair terms of trade - it was something experienced personally, day after day, year after year.

My father grew up herding goats in a tiny village, an impossible distance away from the American universities where he would come to get an education. He came of age at a moment of extraordinary promise for Africa. The struggles of his own father's generation were giving birth to new nations, beginning right here in Ghana. (Applause.) Africans were educating and asserting themselves in new ways, and history was on the move.

But despite the progress that has been made - and there has been considerable progress in many parts of Africa - we also know that much of that promise has yet to be fulfilled. Countries like Kenya had a per capita economy larger than South Korea's when I was born. They have badly been outpaced. Disease and conflict have ravaged parts of the African continent.

In many places, the hope of my father's generation gave way to cynicism, even despair. Now, it's easy to point fingers and to pin the blame of these problems on others. Yes, a colonial map that made little sense helped to breed conflict. The West has often approached Africa as a patron or a source of resources rather than a partner. But the West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants. In my father's life, it was partly tribalism and patronage and nepotism in an independent Kenya that for a long stretch derailed his career, and we know that this kind of corruption is still a daily fact of life for far too many.

Now, we know that's also not the whole story. Here in Ghana, you show us a face of Africa that is too often overlooked by a world that sees only tragedy or a need for charity. The people of Ghana have worked hard to put democracy on a firmer footing, with repeated peaceful transfers of power even in the wake of closely contested elections. (Applause.) And by the way, can I say that for that the minority deserves as much credit as the majority. (Applause.) And with improved governance and an emerging civil society, Ghana's economy has shown impressive rates of growth. (Applause.)

This progress may lack the drama of 20th century liberation struggles, but make no mistake: It will ultimately be more significant. For just as it is important to emerge from the control of other nations, it is even more important to build one's own nation.

So I believe that this moment is just as promising for Ghana and for Africa as the moment when my father came of age and new nations were being born. This is a new moment of great promise. Only this time, we've learned that it will not be giants like Nkrumah and Kenyatta who will determine Africa's future. Instead, it will be you - the men and women in Ghana's parliament - (applause) - the people you represent. It will be the young people brimming with talent and energy and hope who can claim the future that so many in previous generations never realized.

Now, to realize that promise, we must first recognize the fundamental truth that you have given life to in Ghana: Development depends on good governance. (Applause.) That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. That's the change that can unlock Africa's potential. And that is a responsibility that can only be met by Africans.

As for America and the West, our commitment must be measured by more than just the dollars we spend. I've pledged substantial increases in our foreign assistance, which is in Africa's interests and America's interests. But the true sign of success is not whether we are a source of perpetual aid that helps people scrape by - it's whether we are partners in building the capacity for transformational change. (Applause.)

This mutual responsibility must be the foundation of our partnership. And today, I'll focus on four areas that are critical to the future of Africa and the entire developing world: democracy, opportunity, health, and the peaceful resolution of conflict.

First, we must support strong and sustainable democratic governments. (Applause.)

As I said in Cairo, each nation gives life to democracy in its own way, and in line with its own traditions. But history offers a clear verdict: Governments that respect the will of their own people, that govern by consent and not coercion, are more prosperous, they are more stable, and more successful than governments that do not.

This is about more than just holding elections. It's also about what happens between elections. (Applause.) Repression can take many forms, and too many nations, even those that have elections, are plagued by problems that condemn their people to poverty. No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves - (applause) - or if police - if police can be bought off by drug traffickers. (Applause.) No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top - (applause) - or the head of the Port Authority is corrupt. No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. (Applause.) That is not democracy, that is tyranny, even if occasionally you sprinkle an election in there. And now is the time for that style of governance to end. (Applause.)

In the 21st century, capable, reliable, and transparent institutions are the key to success - strong parliaments; honest police forces; independent judges - (applause); an independent press; a vibrant private sector; a civil society. (Applause.) Those are the things that give life to democracy, because that is what matters in people's everyday lives.

Now, time and again, Ghanaians have chosen constitutional rule over autocracy, and shown a democratic spirit that allows the energy of your people to break through. (Applause.) We see that in leaders who accept defeat graciously - the fact that President Mills' opponents were standing beside him last night to greet me when I came off the plane spoke volumes about Ghana - (applause); victors who resist calls to wield power against the opposition in unfair ways. We see that spirit in courageous journalists like Anas Aremeyaw Anas, who risked his life to report the truth. We see it in police like Patience Quaye, who helped prosecute the first human trafficker in Ghana. (Applause.) We see it in the young people who are speaking up against patronage, and participating in the political process.

Across Africa, we've seen countless examples of people taking control of their destiny, and making change from the bottom up. We saw it in Kenya, where civil society and business came together to help stop post-election violence. We saw it in South Africa, where over three-quarters of the country voted in the recent election - the fourth since the end of Apartheid. We saw it in Zimbabwe, where the Election Support Network braved brutal repression to stand up for the principle that a person's vote is their sacred right.

Now, make no mistake: History is on the side of these brave Africans, not with those who use coups or change constitutions to stay in power. (Applause.) Africa doesn't need strongmen, it needs strong institutions. (Applause.)

Now, America will not seek to impose any system of government on any other nation. The essential truth of democracy is that each nation determines its own destiny. But what America will do is increase assistance for responsible individuals and responsible institutions, with a focus on supporting good governance - on parliaments, which check abuses of power and ensure that opposition voices are heard - (applause); on the rule of law, which ensures the equal administration of justice; on civic participation, so that young people get involved; and on concrete solutions to corruption like forensic accounting and automating services - (applause) - strengthening hotlines, protecting whistle-blowers to advance transparency and accountability.

And we provide this support. I have directed my administration to give greater attention to corruption in our human rights reports. People everywhere should have the right to start a business or get an education without paying a bribe. (Applause.) We have a responsibility to support those who act responsibly and to isolate those who don't, and that is exactly what America will do.

Now, this leads directly to our second area of partnership: supporting development that provides opportunity for more people.

With better governance, I have no doubt that Africa holds the promise of a broader base of prosperity. Witness the extraordinary success of Africans in my country, America. They're doing very well. So they've got the talent, they've got the entrepreneurial spirit. The question is, how do we make sure that they're succeeding here in their home countries? The continent is rich in natural resources. And from cell phone entrepreneurs to small farmers, Africans have shown the capacity and commitment to create their own opportunities. But old habits must also be broken. Dependence on commodities - or a single export - has a tendency to concentrate wealth in the hands of the few, and leaves people too vulnerable to downturns.

So in Ghana, for instance, oil brings great opportunities, and you have been very responsible in preparing for new revenue. But as so many Ghanaians know, oil cannot simply become the new cocoa. From South Korea to Singapore, history shows that countries thrive when they invest in their people and in their infrastructure - (applause); when they promote multiple export industries, develop a skilled workforce, and create space for small and medium-sized businesses that create jobs.

As Africans reach for this promise, America will be more responsible in extending our hand. By cutting costs that go to Western consultants and administration, we want to put more resources in the hands of those who need it, while training people to do more for themselves. (Applause.) That's why our $3.5 billion food security initiative is focused on new methods and technologies for farmers - not simply sending American producers or goods to Africa. Aid is not an end in itself. The purpose of foreign assistance must be creating the conditions where it's no longer needed. I want to see Ghanaians not only self-sufficient in food, I want to see you exporting food to other countries and earning money. You can do that. (Applause.)

Now, America can also do more to promote trade and investment. Wealthy nations must open our doors to goods and services from Africa in a meaningful way. That will be a commitment of my administration. And where there is good governance, we can broaden prosperity through public-private partnerships that invest in better roads and electricity; capacity-building that trains people to grow a business; financial services that reach not just the cities but also the poor and rural areas. This is also in our own interests - for if people are lifted out of poverty and wealth is created in Africa, guess what? New markets will open up for our own goods. So it's good for both.

One area that holds out both undeniable peril and extraordinary promise is energy. Africa gives off less greenhouse gas than any other part of the world, but it is the most threatened by climate change. A warming planet will spread disease, shrink water resources, and deplete crops, creating conditions that produce more famine and more conflict. All of us - particularly the developed world - have a responsibility to slow these trends - through mitigation, and by changing the way that we use energy. But we can also work with Africans to turn this crisis into opportunity.

Together, we can partner on behalf of our planet and prosperity, and help countries increase access to power while skipping - leapfrogging the dirtier phase of development. Think about it: Across Africa, there is bountiful wind and solar power; geothermal energy and biofuels. From the Rift Valley to the North African deserts; from the Western coasts to South Africa's crops - Africa's boundless natural gifts can generate its own power, while exporting profitable, clean energy abroad.

These steps are about more than growth numbers on a balance sheet. They're about whether a young person with an education can get a job that supports a family; a farmer can transfer their goods to market; an entrepreneur with a good idea can start a business. It's about the dignity of work; it's about the opportunity that must exist for Africans in the 21st century.

Just as governance is vital to opportunity, it's also critical to the third area I want to talk about: strengthening public health.

In recent years, enormous progress has been made in parts of Africa. Far more people are living productively with HIV/AIDS, and getting the drugs they need. I just saw a wonderful clinic and hospital that is focused particularly on maternal health. But too many still die from diseases that shouldn't kill them. When children are being killed because of a mosquito bite, and mothers are dying in childbirth, then we know that more progress must be made.

Yet because of incentives - often provided by donor nations - many African doctors and nurses go overseas, or work for programs that focus on a single disease. And this creates gaps in primary care and basic prevention. Meanwhile, individual Africans also have to make responsible choices that prevent the spread of disease, while promoting public health in their communities and countries.

So across Africa, we see examples of people tackling these problems. In Nigeria, an Interfaith effort of Christians and Muslims has set an example of cooperation to confront malaria. Here in Ghana and across Africa, we see innovative ideas for filling gaps in care - for instance, through E-Health initiatives that allow doctors in big cities to support those in small towns.

America will support these efforts through a comprehensive, global health strategy, because in the 21st century, we are called to act by our conscience but also by our common interest, because when a child dies of a preventable disease in Accra, that diminishes us everywhere. And when disease goes unchecked in any corner of the world, we know that it can spread across oceans and continents.

And that's why my administration has committed $63 billion to meet these challenges - $63 billion. (Applause.) Building on the strong efforts of President Bush, we will carry forward the fight against HIV/AIDS. We will pursue the goal of ending deaths from malaria and tuberculosis, and we will work to eradicate polio. (Applause.) We will fight - we will fight neglected tropical disease. And we won't confront illnesses in isolation - we will invest in public health systems that promote wellness and focus on the health of mothers and children. (Applause.)

Now, as we partner on behalf of a healthier future, we must also stop the destruction that comes not from illness, but from human beings - and so the final area that I will address is conflict.

Let me be clear: Africa is not the crude caricature of a continent at perpetual war. But if we are honest, for far too many Africans, conflict is a part of life, as constant as the sun. There are wars over land and wars over resources. And it is still far too easy for those without conscience to manipulate whole communities into fighting among faiths and tribes.

These conflicts are a millstone around Africa's neck. Now, we all have many identities - of tribe and ethnicity; of religion and nationality. But defining oneself in opposition to someone who belongs to a different tribe, or who worships a different prophet, has no place in the 21st century. (Applause.) Africa's diversity should be a source of strength, not a cause for division. We are all God's children. We all share common aspirations - to live in peace and security; to access education and opportunity; to love our families and our communities and our faith. That is our common humanity.

That is why we must stand up to inhumanity in our midst. It is never justified - never justifiable to target innocents in the name of ideology. (Applause.) It is the death sentence of a society to force children to kill in wars. It is the ultimate mark of criminality and cowardice to condemn women to relentless and systemic rape. We must bear witness to the value of every child in Darfur and the dignity of every woman in the Congo. No faith or culture should condone the outrages against them. And all of us must strive for the peace and security necessary for progress.

Africans are standing up for this future. Here, too, in Ghana we are seeing you help point the way forward. Ghanaians should take pride in your contributions to peacekeeping from Congo to Liberia to Lebanon - (applause) - and your efforts to resist the scourge of the drug trade. (Applause.) We welcome the steps that are being taken by organizations like the African Union and ECOWAS to better resolve conflicts, to keep the peace, and support those in need. And we encourage the vision of a strong, regional security architecture that can bring effective, transnational forces to bear when needed.

America has a responsibility to work with you as a partner to advance this vision, not just with words, but with support that strengthens African capacity. When there's a genocide in Darfur or terrorists in Somalia, these are not simply African problems - they are global security challenges, and they demand a global response.

And that's why we stand ready to partner through diplomacy and technical assistance and logistical support, and we will stand behind efforts to hold war criminals accountable. And let me be clear: Our Africa Command is focused not on establishing a foothold in the continent, but on confronting these common challenges to advance the security of America, Africa, and the world. (Applause.)

In Moscow, I spoke of the need for an international system where the universal rights of human beings are respected, and violations of those rights are opposed. And that must include a commitment to support those who resolve conflicts peacefully, to sanction and stop those who don't, and to help those who have suffered. But ultimately, it will be vibrant democracies like Botswana and Ghana which roll back the causes of conflict and advance the frontiers of peace and prosperity.

As I said earlier, Africa's future is up to Africans.
The people of Africa are ready to claim that future. And in my country, African Americans - including so many recent immigrants - have thrived in every sector of society. We've done so despite a difficult past, and we've drawn strength from our African heritage. With strong institutions and a strong will, I know that Africans can live their dreams in Nairobi and Lagos, Kigali, Kinshasa, Harare, and right here in Accra. (Applause.)

You know, 52 years ago, the eyes of the world were on Ghana. And a young preacher named Martin Luther King traveled here, to Accra, to watch the Union Jack come down and the Ghanaian flag go up. This was before the march on Washington or the success of the civil rights movement in my country. Dr. King was asked how he felt while watching the birth of a nation. And he said: "It renews my conviction in the ultimate triumph of justice."

Now that triumph must be won once more, and it must be won by you. (Applause.) And I am particularly speaking to the young people all across Africa and right here in Ghana. In places like Ghana, young people make up over half of the population.

And here is what you must know: The world will be what you make of it. You have the power to hold your leaders accountable, and to build institutions that serve the people. You can serve in your communities, and harness your energy and education to create new wealth and build new connections to the world. You can conquer disease, and end conflicts, and make change from the bottom up. You can do that. Yes you can - (applause) - because in this moment, history is on the move.

But these things can only be done if all of you take responsibility for your future. And it won't be easy. It will take time and effort. There will be suffering and setbacks. But I can promise you this: America will be with you every step of the way - as a partner, as a friend. (Applause.) Opportunity won't come from any other place, though. It must come from the decisions that all of you make, the things that you do, the hope that you hold in your heart.

Ghana, freedom is your inheritance. Now, it is your responsibility to build upon freedom's foundation. And if you do, we will look back years from now to places like Accra and say this was the time when the promise was realized; this was the moment when prosperity was forged, when pain was overcome, and a new era of progress began. This can be the time when we witness the triumph of justice once more. Yes we can. Thank you very much. God bless you. Thank you. (Applause.)

© MMIX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Happy Madaraka Day 2009!

2009-06-01T09:16:00.006-04:00

Today is the 46th Madaraka Day for Kenya, the anniversary of Kenya's independence from Kenya.

One blog aptly put it: Today Kenyans celebrate the recovery or restoration of Kenya's independence (which preceded the period of colonial domination).

Today I lift up:

+ the remarkable resilience and resourcefulness of the Kenyan people.

+ the need for Kenyan women and children to be treated with dignity, respect, and nonviolence in their homes and in the community.

+ the treasure of Kenya's natural resources and the urgency to protect them--forests, mountains, wildlife, ocean, savannah, lakes.

+ our global, collective responsibility to each widow and orphan in every Kenyan family, shamba, village and city.

+ a vision for Kenya where the nation's great capacity is realized, and the needs of all are placed before the desires of the wealthy and powerful few.

+ the need for healing and unity among all people groups in Kenya, so that each one may contribute to the common good and live in peace, without fear!

May all of Kenya

flourish, thrive, and enjoy

the prosperity she deserves!

Learn about Kenyan history & the observances happening today:

Madaraka Day

Madaraka Day, 1 June, commemorates the day that Kenya attained internal self-rule in 1963, preceding full independence from the United Kingdom on 12 December 1963.

How 'The Standard' reported first Madaraka Day‎ - 18 hours ago
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Sadly, it seems, those holding power today in Kenya's government have their heads in the sand about the reality for millions of Kenyans in the provinces:

Kenya's Kibaki says coalition not in crisis

President Kibaki addresses the nation during the 46th anniversary of Madaraka Day at the Nyayo stadium on Monday. He said the government was not in crisis.

Photo/HEZRON

NJOROGE

By REUTERS

Posted Monday, June 1 2009 at 14:32

In Summary

Coalition has been accused of internal bickering, failing to tackle corruption, slow progress on political reform, and inability to stem economic decline.

Officials from both factions frequently squabble in public, on subjects ranging from protocol to policy.

Dysfunctional nature of the coalition has slowed government business and paralysed parliament.

Kenya's President Kibaki said on Monday the coalition government was not in crisis, even as his Madaraka Day speech drew brief heckling from the crowd.

Related Downloads
President Kibaki Madaraka Day speech

The coalition has been accused of internal bickering, failing to tackle corruption, slow progress on political reform, and inability to stem economic decline.

May they wake up soon, rather than waiting to be wakened by the anger of the masses!

The National Anthemanthem.mid (5k)
Kiswahili
English

1
Ee Mungu nguvu yetuIlete baraka kwetuHaki iwe ngao na mlinziNatukae na unduguAmani na uhuruRaha tupate na ustawi.

O God of all creationBless this our land and nationJustice be our shield and defenderMay we dwell in unityPeace and libertyPlenty be found within our borders.

2
Amkeni ndugu zetuTufanye sote bidiiNasi tujitoe kwa nguvuNchi yetu ya KenyaTunayoipendaTuwe tayari kuilinda

Let one and all ariseWith hearts both strong and trueService be our earnest endeavourAnd our homeland of KenyaHeritage of splendourFirm may we stand to defend.

3
Natujenge taifa letuEe, ndio wajibu wetuKenya istahili heshimaTuungane mikonoPamoja kaziniKila siku tuwe na shukrani

Let all with one accordIn common bond unitedBuild this our nation togetherAnd the glory of KenyaThe fruit of our labourFill every heart with thanksgiving.
[ Kenya page ]

http://kenya.rcbowen.com/anthem.html

Wangari Maathai on Speaking of Faith - Thurs 4/30/2009

2009-04-30T08:40:00.000-04:00

Speaking of Faith
Planting the Future: A Conversation with Wangari Maathai
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement—a grassroots organization that empowers African women to improve their lives and conserve the environment through planting trees. She knows what many in the West have forgotten—that ecological crises are often the hidden root causes of war. Maathai speaks about the global balance of human and natural resources, and she shares her thoughts on where God resides.
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/plantingthefuture/index.shtml

SoundSeen: Audio Slideshow
Custodians of Nature's Coded Wisdom This audio gallery features images of Kenyan women striving for a more verdant future. Photos are accompanied by Wangari Maathai singing a native tune in Kiswahili that's often sung while planting trees. (Flash required)

Unheard Cuts
» Complete, Unedited Interview (mp3, 1:25.04) For the first time, we're releasing Krista's entire conversation with Wangari Maathai. Listen for some of the great clips we had to cut and let us know what you think. And, we've also isolated a couple of clips in which Maathai speaks specifically to points we found particularly insightful:

» An Unexpected Position in Nairobi (mp3, 3:20) A trained biologist, Maathai's career path has led her to many endeavors — including teaching at a veterinary school of medicine.

» Dealing with Political Corruption in Government (mp3, 5:39) Maathai talks about the climate of corruption in the government in which she served, and about the need for "democratic space" in which her work with the environment can thrive.

President Barack Obama inaugurated - Tues 1/20/2009

2009-01-21T10:28:00.004-05:00

It's official!

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

Bwana asifiwe!

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009
Obama Promises New Destiny, Work Begins Today
By JOE KLEIN
"I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear ..." Well, nothing was more stunning and cathartic than those few words. Not the remarkable American diorama — in all its polychromatic wonder — spread out for miles on the National Mall in Washington. Not the clear, sober cadences of our new President's Inaugural Address. Not the prayers and tears, the unstoppable smiles and barely controlled giddiness of what may have been the happiest crowd ever to grace the nation's capital. A man named Barack Hussein Obama is now the President of the United States. He came to us as the ultimate outsider in a nation of outsiders — the son of an African visitor and a white woman from Kansas — and he has turned us inside out. That he leads us now is a breathtaking statement of American open-mindedness and, yes, our native liberality. Even before his first act as President, and no matter how he fares in the office, he stands as a singular event in our history.
And let it be recorded that Obama's first act as President was to correct Chief Justice John Roberts, who managed somehow to mangle the 35-word oath of office, misplacing the word faithfully, as in "faithfully execute the office of President ..." Roberts then mangled it a second time, Obama raised an eyebrow, and Roberts moved on, a bumpy beginning and something of a metaphor: one of the new President's functions will be to correct the mistakes of George W. Bush's benighted tenure. Obama made that very clear in his sharply worded address, which contained few catchphrases for the history books but did lay out a coherent and unflinching philosophy of government. Nearly 30 years after Ronald Reagan heralded the onset of his conservative age by saying "Government is the problem," Obama announced the arrival of a prudent new liberalism: "The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified." Conservatives assume such tasks — employment, health care, retirement — are the province of the market. We have had 30 years of paeans to the wonders of free enterprise, but Obama made it clear that markets are not an unalloyed good: "This crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control. The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous." (See pictures of Barack Obama's campaign behind the scenes.)
Overseas, the President announced another clean break with the Bush Administration on foreign policy. Summoning the wisdom of "earlier generations," he said, "They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please." Take that, Dick Cheney — who exited the scene in a wheelchair, looking grim, as if he were about to foreclose on someone. Obama piled on several foreign policy zingers when he denounced the "false ... choice between our safety and our ideals" — a reference to Bush's harsh treatment of prisoners — and in his message to the world: "We are ready to lead once more."
But the tone of the speech was not defiant or angry or celebratory for that matter. It was resolute, suffused with sobriety, reflecting a tough-minded realism at home and abroad. Obama made clear that his domestic liberalism would be enacted conservatively. Where government programs can help, he said, "we intend to move forward." If they are useless or outdated, "programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits and do our business in the light of day." Overseas, he warned, "those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents ... You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."
Note the simplicity of the words. This is a different Obama from the one who, full of himself last winter, filled his speeches with gaseous oratory like "We are the ones we've been waiting for." The personal transformation has been gradual, subtle — and the words have grown simpler as the economy collapsed and the full weight of office began to press in on him. The preternatural calm that seemed an attractive part of his personality during the primaries became his dominant trait in the general election — and the defining principle of his transition. He seems, in the modesty of his rhetoric, to have embarked on a rather bold experiment. "This is going to be a general principle of governing," he told CNN's John King. "No spin, play it straight, describe to the American people the state that we're in." (See pictures behind the scenes of Obama's inauguration.)
And that was the oddest aspect of Obama's transition, the lack of pomp and bombast to it. He rarely used the word "I"; he addressed the nation as a community of mature adults. He was all modesty; he asked for better ideas for his monumental stimulus plan (and quickly acceded to Democratic demands that he remove some of the tax breaks for small businesses). He seemed, at every turn, to predict that he would make mistakes; he did so once more at the congressional lunch immediately after he was sworn in. The cumulative effort of this behavior has been to convey a sense of seriousness — not just in his own personal aspect but also in the work of his team. In gestation, this was an Administration marked by attention to detail and a deep appreciation of the intricacies of governance.
In the midst of the transition, President Obama was faced with a telling policy choice: whether to declare a temporary sales-tax holiday. His economic advisers loved the idea. It would provide immediate consumer stimulus, a direct jolt that might unclog the commercial arteries. The money could be easily passed from the Federal Government to the states, which administer sales taxes. But Obama resisted and finally rejected the idea. "He thought it would provide a temporary benefit, that it had no substantial or lasting policy impact," a senior transition adviser told me. "I think he was remembering the campaign, when Hillary and McCain favored the gas-tax holiday, which he thought was frivolous, and he opposed it for that very reason — if we're going to spend money, let's spend it on investments that will make us stronger in the future."
See pictures of Obama's historic Inauguration.
See TIME's Person of the Year: Barack Obama.
Actually, Obama was resisting in the name of balance: the bulk of his proposed stimulus package will probably go to short-term fixes — his promised $300 billion in tax breaks for the middle class, $200 billion in aid to cities and states, benefits for the poor and unemployed. Even so, aides say, most of Obama's attention has been focused elsewhere — on the long-term stimulus projects, the larger transformations in the economy, the health-care system and foreign policy. Quietly, the Obama transition team reviewed every government agency "to find out which specific programs were working and which weren't." It was a terrifyingly brisk and comprehensive process, especially compared with the dust storm produced by the last Democratic President, Bill Clinton, during his chaotic transition period. "During Clinton's transition, you had all these people writing ad hoc papers about what to do at this agency or how to deal with that policy, but that was an extension of how Clinton's mind works," says one of the many Obama aides who is a veteran of the Clinton Administration. "Clinton had this great horizontal intelligence. He could pull an idea from a meeting he had in northern Italy and apply it to spreading broadband service through Iowa. It was amazing but not exactly efficient. Obama is more vertical. He pushes the process along, streamlines it. We had one 25-to-50-page policy paper for every agency."
Well, that's Democrats for you. It's hard to imagine any Republican President since Reagan wanting to rummage through all that paper, or being fastidious enough to care about the strengths and weaknesses of every federal agency. If government was the problem, as Reagan suggested, the solution, theoretically, was less of it — and since reducing government proved impossible, as opposed to reducing taxes, there didn't seem to be all that much interest in actually making it work more efficiently. By contrast, Obama and his eclectic team of appointees give the impression of being positively intoxicated by the prospect of figuring out how everything works. Obama's closest aides like to say he isn't a "wonk" like Clinton, immersed in policy details to the point of immobility, but clearly the new President has a breadth and depth of policy interests, especially in comparison with his immediate predecessor. (See the best of the Obama Inaugural merchandise.)
In some ways, the most surprising of his appointments — Hillary Clinton, the new Secretary of State — has emerged as an exemplar of Obamism. At her confirmation hearing, Clinton seemed completely prepared on every imaginable topic, orderly, undramatic and yet willing to propose some radical changes in the State Department's structure. She seems intent on tilting the department away from its stultifying bureaucratic orthodoxies and toward solving specific problems. To do so, she will appoint no fewer than five, and perhaps more, high-profile special envoys who will do the heavy lifting and share her spotlight on the most vexing foreign policy problems — former Senator George Mitchell to calm down the Middle East, Richard Holbrooke to deal with the Afghanistan-Pakistan nexus and others for Iran, North Korea, the global-climate-change treaty negotiations and possibly another for the ever forgotten neighbors to our south. (See pictures of heartbreak in the Middle East.)
Clinton, who can be spiky, has re-emerged as a natural diplomat. When she heard that Holbrooke and General David Petraeus had never met, she invited them over to her Washington home on a Friday night before the Inauguration. The two men spent two hours in front of a roaring fire with Clinton, getting to know each other, talking about the diplomatic and military division of labor in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Clinton's was an Obamian gesture — enticing the lion to lie down with the lion — the sort of attention to detail that seems to have been replicated across the policymaking spectrum during the Obama transition.
It will be domestic, not foreign, policy that will occupy the President's attention for the next few months. The first order of business will be to shepherd the $825 billion stimulus package through Congress and ride herd on the additional $350 billion available to stabilize the banks. But the goal is to press an ambitious series of actions — policies that might have seemed impossible before the financial crash — across the board as quickly as possible. The quest for a national health-insurance system will debut with a major conference, bringing all the various players — including corporate America and the insurance companies to the table in late winter or early spring. The hope is that a bill to provide universal access, as promised during the campaign, will nudge its way through Congress by next fall. Also coming in the first half of the year will be a comprehensive environmental policy, including some tough decisions on how to go about reducing carbon emissions. If Obama can accomplish any one of these, he will surprise a great many Washington skeptics.
In the latter days of the transition, there seemed an inclination to delay some of the splashy foreign trips that will, in the end, be among the most memorable moments of the Obama presidency. The President will go to the next G-20 meeting on the global economic crisis in Europe in April. The steady pitch of crises and atrocities will demand his attention. There are crucial decisions to be made about the pace of withdrawal from Iraq and how many U.S. troops to add in Afghanistan. (Asked about the persistent reports from the Pentagon that up to 30,000 more troops are scheduled for Afghanistan, a senior Obama aide said, "No — repeat, no — decision has been made about troop levels in Afghanistan, and anyone at the Pentagon who says otherwise should be fired.") But foreign policy developments seem destined to take some time, given the new President's proclivities: there will not be the macho kinetics of the Bush years nor the bang-bang nor the bellicose phrases like axis of evil. Obama was careful to avoid the phrase global war on terror in his Inaugural Address. Instead, there will be a steady drip-drip-drip of diplomacy, especially on neglected issues like nuclear proliferation. Even in the war zones, the Obama Administration will be talking relentlessly — trying to bring the nonextremist Taliban tribes into the Afghan government, trying to establish coalitions of Iraq's and Afghanistan's neighbors (including Iran) to help lower the tensions, hoping the steady accretion of talk and trust will bring the Israelis and Palestinians to a point at which they can begin negotiating a real peace.
See pictures of the rise and fall of the Shah of Iran.
See pictures behind the scenes on Obama's inauguration.
It is likely that when Obama said, "We only have one President at a time" during the transition, he actually meant, "I disagree with George Bush on that one." After all, he wasn't reticent about making his views known on the economic crisis or the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. The breaks with the past will be subtle but emphatic: I suspect an Obama Administration would have voted for the U.N.'s Gaza cease-fire resolution rather than abstaining as Bush's did. But all this will be done diplomatically. American foreign policy will be a direct reflection of the man who is now President — quiet, conciliatory, civilized. (See pictures of Mumbai picking up the pieces.)
Toward the end of the campaign, Michelle Obama asked me if I was going to write a novel about them like Primary Colors, my satiric account of the 1992 presidential race. I was at a loss for words, in part because the thought hadn't even vaguely crossed my mind. "He can't write a novel about us," Barack Obama reassured his wife. "We're too boring."
Yes ... and no. It's hard to call the most exciting politician in decades boring. The millions who trekked to Washington for the Inauguration, who cried their eyes out and cheered their lungs raw, are testimony to the man's sheer inspirational power. Reagan's movement was called a revolution, but this may be more than that — the beginning of a whole new era of Obama-inspired and Obama-led citizen involvement. During the transition, the Obama website called for supporters to hold community meetings to discuss their health-care priorities. A staggering 10,000 meetings purportedly were held; 5,000 sent written reports — more paper! — to the transition office. This is a new kind of politics, with the potential to be the most powerful citizen army in U.S. history. If so, it will more likely be a force for civility — for "boring" things like good governance, for new ideas about how to control the cost of entitlements (which Obama pointedly mentioned in his speech) — rather than a rabble spamming the offices of recalcitrant Republicans. It will fit neatly into the Obama zeitgeist.
By the tone and style of his move to power, Obama has shown the world — and the people living in Sarah Palin's small-town America, and even many liberals who had lost hope over time — a new, gloriously unexpected and vibrant face of our country. The sheer fun of the Inauguration, the world-record number of interracial hugs and kisses, augurs a new heterodox cultural energy, a nation — as the man said — of mutts. Already the Obama ethos is slipping into the nation's cultural bloodstream — not just the interraciality but also the mind-blowing normality of the family: the fact that Michelle Obama brought Laura Bush a going-away present, the fact that Sasha and Malia will make their own beds in the White House, the fact that our President proudly wears a Chicago White Sox baseball cap when he goes to the gym.
Even more important, Obama promises a respite from the nonstop anger of the recent American political wars, the beginning of an era of civility, if not comity. "What the cynics fail to understand," he said in his speech, "is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply."
It would be nice to think the magnitude of the problems facing the nation would lead to a minimum of puerile contentiousness, but vile still seems to be the default position for some of Obama's noisier detractors — "Obama Flubs the Oath" was the inaccurate headline greeting the new President on the Drudge Report. Too many of us in the media remain reluctant "to set aside childish things." Happily, though, our new President seems to have an honest predilection for treating his opponents with respect. He seems intent on hearing their points of view and arguing, decorously, with them — that's why he accepted a dinner invitation at conservative columnist George Will's house. This is radical behavior in the village on the Potomac. It could force everyone to argue more carefully, to think twice before casting aspersions, to remember that the goal has to be more than temporal electoral victories — but, in this moment of peril, a better and stronger nation, a less ugly and dangerous world.
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Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 at 2:15 pm

A National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation

Moments ago, in his first official act since taking the oath of office, President Barack Obama issued a proclamation, calling on Americans to serve one another and our common purpose on this National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation. Check it out below, or read it on the WhiteHouse.gov proclamations page.
NATIONAL DAY OF RENEWAL AND RECONCILIATION, 2009

- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
As I take the sacred oath of the highest office in the land, I am humbled by the responsibility placed upon my shoulders, renewed by the courage and decency of the American people, and fortified by my faith in an awesome God.

We are in the midst of a season of trial. Our Nation is being tested, and our people know great uncertainty. Yet the story of America is one of renewal in the face of adversity, reconciliation in a time of discord, and we know that there is a purpose for everything under heaven.

On this Inauguration Day, we are reminded that we are heirs to over two centuries of American democracy, and that this legacy is not simply a birthright -- it is a glorious burden. Now it falls to us to come together as a people to carry it forward once more.

So in the words of President Abraham Lincoln, let us remember that: "The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 20, 2009, a National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation, and call upon all of our citizens to serve one another and the common purpose of remaking this Nation for our new century.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

Some more stories:

Kenyans celebrate Obama's inauguration
http://www.miamiherald.com/inauguration/story/862563.html

World celebrates Obama's inauguration
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/obama_world_celebrations

Obama's Kenyan relatives head to the US for president's inauguration
by Mnet on Thu 15 Jan 2009 10:40 AM GMT Permanent Link Cosmos

President elect Barack Obama's half-brother Samson Obama is one of several close family members from Kenya headed to the U.S for the presidential inauguration.

NAIROBI, KENYA (JANUARY 15, 2008) REUTERS -

President elect, Barack Obama's close family members from Kenya have begun their journey to the United States where some will attend the presidential inauguration on Tuesday (January 20). Obama's half brother Solomon Obama, one of Barack Obama Senior's sons left Nairobi on Thursday (January 15) and says he is looking forward to being part of the ceremony that will see the installation of the first African-American president of the United States. "Right now I'm feeling so happy, so filled with excitement and I dont know how to describe it in words. I am feeling so emotional," said Obama. Barack Obama's 87-year-old grandmother, Sarah Obama and other relatives including his half sister Auma Obama are also expected to leave by the weekend. Born in Hawaii to a white mother from Kansas and a Kenyan father, Barack Obama is idolised by many Kenyans. Babies have been named after Obama, drinkers knock back "Senator" and "President" beers in his honour and pop stars sing his praises in the East African country where his late father hailed from. Days of celebration are expected ahead of the inauguration, in Kogelo, a tiny village where Obama's grandmother lives. Solomon Obama hopes the inauguration in the U.S. will be a good time for a family reunion. "The last time was 2006 when he came here to Kenya he was on an official visit that's when I saw him here in Nairobi and he even came home to Kogelo that was the last time we saw each other," Obama said. "When I get there first of all I will check in to my hotel then I will see how the arrangements are. Then when the big day reaches we will go as a family," Obama added. Africans hope an Obama presidency will mean more U.S. support for the majority on the world's poorest continent. However, analysts have warned that Obama will be able to do little to bring tangible benefits to Africa, and that he does not have a strong track record of interest in the continent. Print Article
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Friends hold second peace conference in Kenya - Jan 13-15, 2009

2009-01-15T10:25:00.003-05:00

Peacebuildiing in Kenya - Friends Church Conference, Jan 13-15, 2009

From David Zarembka
African Great Lakes Initiative
Lumakanda, Kenya

At the Friends Church (Quaker) Peace Conference
January 13-15, 2009
Mabanga Farmer Training Centre
Bungoma, Kenya

... Here we are in Kenya where a potential civil war broke out a year ago today, December 30, 2007, when post-election violence erupted after the disputed election results were announced.

There are more Quakers in Kenya than anywhere else in the world and some of the conflict was right in the heart of the area where the Quakers are most numerous--my hometown of Lumakanda included. Quakers, like everyone else here, were stunned by the violence; totally unprepared to respond. Yet within a week the Friends Church of Kenya issued a very strong anti-violence epistle.

By the end of January 2008, while the post-election conflict was still at its height, the Quaker organizations – Friends Church in Kenya, Friends World Committee for Consultation-Africa Section, Friends United Meeting-Africa, and the AGLI sponsored Alternatives to Violence program (AVP) – held a conference in Kakamega to determine what would be the Quaker response to the conflict.

The Friends Church Peace Team (FCPT) was created. During the past year, they overcame many challenges in funding, transport, and other resources.

With mostly volunteer efforts, they conducted a wide range of activities for peacebuilding, reconciliation & trauma healing in 2008:

gave relief supplies to those internally displaced people (IDP) who had been missed by the Red Cross and the Kenyan Government.
reconciliation and peacemaking work, focusing on Lumakanda, not far from Eldoret, one of the epicentres of violence.
visited the local internally displaced people's camp at Turbo, also not far from Eldoret.
held listening sessions in nine local communities that had displaced the people.
accompanied the IDPs back to these communities when the Kenyan Government closed the IDP camps.
visited the receiving villages to see how the reintegration is progressing.

From January 13 to 15, 2009 FCPT is holding another Quaker peace conference, with two representatives from each of the 16 yearly meetings in Kenya and others who have played a part in the reconciliation work. The purpose is to review what we have done in the last year and discern where we should put our efforts in the future...

More coming soon.

> Click here to read the full report

Peace & hope for Africa

2008-12-31T10:37:00.002-05:00

With 7000 young Africans in Nairobi
Taizé creates a sign of peace

Nairobi, November 30, 2008

A new youth meeting organized by the Community of Taizé, an African stage of the “Pilgrimage of Trust”, has gathered 7000 participants from the 26th – 30th of November. The youth were welcomed in more than 2500 families from the Greater Nairobi area.Nairobi youth groups from 80 parishes of different Christian churches prepared the morning program on the theme “Together seeking paths of hope.”

All common activities took place in the afternoons on the Queen of Apostles Minor Seminary compound in Kasarani. Multiple workshops took place each afternoon and the youth contributed in very significant numbers. Hundreds of residents from Nairobi joined the meeting for the common prayers and workshops.

For the majority of youth, this meeting was their first trip. Many undertook a long journey by bus: up to two days and two nights for those from Burundi. Mechanical problems and long waits at the border did not discourage anyone. The ability to adapt, to live each moment with joy, and to help one another enabled everyone to face the challenges of the journey.

In the diversity of the “Africas” represented, thirty young Masai wearing their traditional red blankets and carrying their customary clubs attracted attention. They are the first Christians in their families. Ecumenical groups came from South Africa, Zambia and Madagascar. A number of youth came from Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Mozambique and Sudan.

The many provinces of Kenya were also well represented: from Mombassa, on the Indian Ocean all the way to Lake Victoria, from the foothills of Kilimanjaro to the arid plains of Turkana in the north… 130 youth from Europe, North America and Asia (China, Korea, India…) contributed to the diversity of people represented.Twenty participants from Kivu (Goma and Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo), crossed three borders with a simple ‘pass’.

Their presence clearly reflected the desire and the capacity of young people to overcome barriers and meet to contribute to brotherly relations in a region overwhelmed by tension and division. The capability to meet and exchange with simplicity and ease was a sign of peace.

Local solutions were applied to all logistical challenges (transportation, food, security…). A camp kitchen was constructed on site with a team working day and night. More than 120 buses worked morning and evening to transport the participants from the parishes to the central venue.

During the common prayers, the crowd moved from the exuberant songs of rhythm and dance to the meditative refrains of Taizé and long moments of silence. Pastor Njoroge, Assistant Secretary General of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, participated in the prayer on Thursday. Cardinal John Njue, Archbishop of Nairobi, participated on Friday alongside Mgr Lebeaupin, Apostolic Nuncio in Kenya. In his address to the youth, the cardinal encouraged the participants to “be inspired by the central message of the bible: love your neighbour as yourself. We are all sons and daughters of God, you are all precious.”

Brother Alois, prior of Taizé, gave an icon of Jesus and his friend to a representative from each of the 15 African countries present (copies of an Egyptian icon of the sixth century) during the last common prayer. The icon will accompany these young people on their local pilgrimages to places of suffering and hope. It will remind them that Christ always remains at their side.The meeting ended on Sunday 30 November with a celebration in the host parishes and meals in the families.

Taizé brothers lived in Kenya (in Mathare and Kangemi) from 1978 until 1989. Brother Roger (founder of Taize) first visited Kenya in November and December 1978 and a second time in December, 1987.

Workshops
- Silence and personal prayer: bible meditation followed by time for personal reflection.
- Discovering God’s call, receiving his gift and his trust. What way is God opening up for me in my life?
- How to read the Bible? How to live it out? Reflection followed by a time of sharing in small groups.
- What is faith? What are the challenges and the opportunities for believers today?- Young people seek autonomy in life: examples of self reliance projects.
- What responsibilities can I take up as a young person today (at home, in our communities, in our churches)?
- Healing our wounds, finding peace of heart: reconciliation in ourselves and around us. Sharing of experiences.
- Refusing violence, building peace: sharing of experiences from different countries.
- What can we do and share with Muslim believers? Testimonies and sharing.
- Making city life more beautiful: reflection and sharing with people working in United Nations Habitat.
- Maintaining hope in the midst of life’s difficulties (refugee, ex-prisoner…)
- Meeting Christ in others. What importance does service have in our life? How can we help others whether near or far?
- “We who are many are one body in Christ.” What is the Church? What can we do in order to contribute to reconciliation and unity in our Christian communities? Reflection and sharing.
- How can we help others to discover faith: testimonies and sharing of experiences in small groups.
- Who am I? How does Christ help us to discover our identity? How does faith help us build our life?
- Small Christian communities: testimonies from different countries.
- Sharing hope: presentations by theatre groups from different countries.
- Celebrating the diversity of cultures: international forum with contributions from different countries and provinces of Kenya (dance, song, music…)

For more information:
Brothers of Taizé
Mji wa Furaha
ph: +254 720 132 017
> Click here for email

Last updated: 1 December 2008

> More coverage of the pilgrimage of trust meeting in Nairobi, Nov 2008

Child soldiers in Congo fighting - UN update - Wed 11/12/2008

2008-11-12T09:34:00.000-05:00

DRC: Recruitment of child soldiers rising

KINSHASA, 11 November (IRIN) - As fighting continues in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), child recruitment by rebels in the combat zones has been reported, UN and human rights activists have said.

"Thirty-seven children were recruited in Rutshuru [north of Goma] two weeks ago," Jaya Murthy, spokesman for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), told IRIN.

Children separated from their families were more at risk, he said. The boys were forced to fight while the girls became "wives" to the soldiers.

"There has been an upsurge in the number of children being recruited since the latest violence began," Ishbel Matheson, spokeswoman for Save the Children, said. The NGO was taking care of several children who had escaped recently from the armed groups.

An estimated 3,000 children were being held by the armed groups before the recent violence broke out, she said, but numbers were expected to soar.

In the past year, the charity, which runs one of the largest programmes to reintegrate child soldiers into their communities in the DRC, had helped 2,200 children out of the armed groups and reunited most of them with their families.

School closures
Hundreds of schools were closed due to insecurity while children recruited numerous times had had their studies interrupted.

"UNICEF will build emergency classrooms and distribute school supplies when schools reopen," Murthy said.

"For these children it is a recurring nightmare," Matheson told IRIN. "Children who are forced into armed conflict suffer terrible physical and emotional damage. They are traumatised by being separated from their families and may witness executions, beatings and torture. Many young girls now have babies."

Attacks on schools by the armed groups were also common.

On 10 October, seven children and three teachers were abducted when they were ambushed outside their school in Masisi, northwest of Goma, capital of North Kivu. They were held for two days before they escaped. Two weeks later, an armed group attacked a secondary school in Shasha, 7km outside Sake near Lake Kivu. Twelve children escaped but one was killed.

"One child told me that they are scared to go back to school for fear of being attacked," Matheson said. "For these children, getting an education is their only hope for the future. If they can't go to school they lose that hope."

The NGO has been working with the affected children to reunite them with their families or place them in foster families. So far 250 unaccompanied children have been found since the latest fighting began.

Fighting resumed late August in North Kivu between forces from rebel group Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple (CNDP), led by former general, Laurent Nkunda, and the regular Congolese army allied with militias.

Meanwhile, UNICEF is providing truckloads of clean water daily to Kibati and Mugunga, in addition to water purification posts and latrines to curb the risk of cholera spreading, Murthy said in a 11 November communiqué.

In the displacement areas, cases of measles continue to be reported. Previous measles vaccinations interrupted by the fighting would resume soon. "UNICEF will vaccinate up to 66,000 more children in the coming days/weeks," he said, adding that the spread could be exacerbated by the large population movement.

Three aid planes from the UK and USA left Goma on 11 November to distribute aid to thousands of displaced persons.

"Plastic sheets for shelter and blankets will help ward off respiratory infections," he said.

UNICEF is also planning to reinforce the dozens of feeding centres in North Kivu to curb malnutrition.

ei-bn/mw[ENDS]

Obama transition news - Tues 11/11/2008

2008-11-11T14:10:00.000-05:00

Google News Alert for: OBAMA TRANSITION

Transition: Bailing out the auto industry
MSNBC - USA"Obama's transition aides have approached Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's former campaign manager about taking a senior White House post," the AP reports. ...See all stories on this topic

Barack and Michelle Obama visit the White House
Los Angeles Times - CA,USA
"President-elect Obama thanked President Bush for his commitment to a smooth transition, and for his and First Lady Laura Bush's gracious hospitality in ...See all stories on this topic

Tuesday, November 11, 2008
U.S. News & World Report - Washington,DC,USA
Most stories continue to reflect positively on the Obama transition effort, with President Bush also getting high marks for his "gracious" treatment of the ...See all stories on this topic

Top Transition Stories - 11/11
National Journal - Washington,DC,USA
"Sunday, John Podesta, who is helping to lead Mr. Obama's transition team, singled out the Utah leases as one decision the Obama administration might try to ...See all stories on this topic

Politics aside at White House
Chicago Tribune - United States
The time-honored political ritual took place as Obama's transition team moved forward with the selection of its top economic officials, and as speculation ...See all stories on this topic

Bush and Obama put differences aside to secure smooth transition
Times Online - UK
The Obama transition team said the two leaders had discussed “the importance of working together throughout the transition of government in light of the ...See all stories on this topic

No final dramas for Bush in Middle East
Jewish Telegraphic Agency - New York,NY,USA
(Matty Stern / BPH Images) WASHINGTON (JTA)—When it comes to the Middle East and the Bush-Obama transition, the most dramatic element might be the lack of ...See all stories on this topic

Obama transition signals new policies in the offing
NewsOK.com - Oklahoma City,OK,USA
Without question, elections have consequences. As the Obama transition begins gathering steam, the shape of those consequences is becoming more clear.See all stories on this topic

Obama welcomes Bush's commitment to smooth transition of power
Press Trust of India - New Delhi,India
Obama's transition team said he and his wife Michelle were "very warmly" welcomed at the White House by President Bush and First Lady Laura. PTI.See all stories on this topic

This once a day Google Alert is brought to you by Google.

Note: links did not transfer from email update to blog. To get full story, go to Google, click on News in upper left screen, search Obama or Obama Transition to get these stories and many more.

Obama updates - Tues 11/11/2008

2008-11-11T13:54:00.002-05:00

Google News Alert for: OBAMA

Obama at the White House
Edmonton Sun - Alberta, Canada
By THE CANADIAN PRESS WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama and US President George W. Bush sat down together yesterday at the White House after crowds lined the ...See all stories on this topic

Allergist offers advice on Obama dog debate
Chicago Tribune - United States
Malia, however, has declared the goldendoodle—a golden retriever-poodle mix—the "optimal dog," President-elect Barack Obama said while campaigning in Iowa ...See all stories on this topic

Obama says will confront economic woes head-on
Reuters - USA
By Deborah Charles and Caren Bohan
CHICAGO (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama said on Friday the United States was facing one of its greatest economic ...See all stories on this topic

Obama meets Bush at White House
Kenya Broadcasting Corporation - Nairobi,Kenya
US President-elect Barack Obama has held his first meeting with incumbent George W Bush since his last week's significant election victory. ...See all stories on this topic

From my rooftop:What Obama victory means to Africa
Joy Online - Accra,Ghana
That was what the Barrack Obama victory for him to become the 44th President of the United States of America (USA) has done to a people still struggling for ...See all stories on this topic

Whole world celebrates Obama’s win
Kansas City Star - MO,USA
By MARY SANCHEZ President-elect Barack Obama waved Monday to a reporter on his plane flying from Chicago to Washington. Green with envy I was, ...See all stories on this topic

Barack and Michelle Obama herald a new wave at the White House
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
The picture- perfect scene of Family Obama gathered around the White House tree – two pretty little girls wide-eyed with excitement, their elegant parents ...See all stories on this topic

Obama’s start will be tough
Kansas City Star - MO,USA
All those difficulties created an opportunity for Obama to sweep to power, bringing with him an almost overwhelming Democratic majority in Congress. ...See all stories on this topic

From slavery to Obama
Jamaica Observer - Kingston,Jamaica
A few hours later, Senator Barack Obama became the first African American to be elected president of the USA, creating history. Obama is not a descendant of ...See all stories on this topic

Michelle Obama as First Lady
AsiaOne - Singapore
Michelle Obama, soon to become America's first African-American first lady, is not expected to directly emulate her predecessors. ...See all stories on this topic

This once a day Google Alert is brought to you by Google.

Obamas visit White House - Mon 11/10/2008

2008-11-10T16:54:00.001-05:00

BBC News
White House previews Obama visit
USA Today - 3 hours agoWe expect that the conversation will include topics such as raising a family in the White House and the support of the executive residence staff, ...
Video: Obama's White House Welcome Video: Obama's White House Welcome CBS

Obama makes historic White House visit Swissinfo
Obama makes historic White House visit Reuters
MLive.com - ABC30.com
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GulfNews
Obama's African Family Plan to Visit White House
Daily Squib (satire), UK - 29 minutes agoThe Obama family are all off to visit their famous relative, Barack Hussein Obama and they plan on getting to the White House in good time. ...
Doo the right thing, Obama, forget the dog Chicago Tribune
Rise of the Non-Threatening Black Man Gather.com
The new president's awesome burden Toledo Blade
Charleston Gazette - Washington Post
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Voice of America
Obama to make first visit to Oval Office
CNN - 7 hours agoTop Obama aides said Sunday that Obama already is examining ways to make a quick impact upon taking office. Obama's designated White House chief of staff, ...
Video: Bush Seeks Seamless Transition to Obama Video: Bush Seeks Seamless Transition to Obama AssociatedPress
Bush, Obama To Meet At White House NPR
Obama to Visit White House WTVY
The Australian - Voice of America
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Washington Post
Michelle views White House with new eye
MLive.com, MI - 5 hours agoMichelle Obama has been to the White House before, but she will no doubt approach this visit with a different eye. She will get a look at the private family ...
Greene: As the Obamas get ready to move. . . . CNN Political Ticker
A Family Expected to Balance State Dinners With Sleepovers New York Times
A move looms for the Obama family Detroit Free Press
The Associated Press - The Sun
all 933 news articles »

ABC News
Obama Visits The White House Today
WFMY News 2, NC - 11 hours ago
Washington, DC -- President-elect Obama meets today with the man he will be replacing as primary resident of the White House. During their meeting today, ...
Barack Obama puppy should be a mutt who can hit high notes Telegraph.co.uk
A golden gift offer Melbourne Herald Sun
Morning File: Mr. President, walking the dog Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Chillicothe Gazette - BBC News
all 992 news articles »

Obama Visit Draws Crowd Outside White House
Washington Post, United States - 2 hours ago
By Pamela Constable President-elect Barack Obama's first visit to the White House this afternoon since winning the election drew a crowd of several hundred ...

Obamas visit White House
eTaiwan News, Taiwan - 8 minutes ago
By STEVEN R. HURST AP President-elect Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, arrived at the White House on Monday for a visit, their first since last week's ...

Miriam Makeba dies at 76 - Mon 11/10/2008

2008-11-10T16:47:00.003-05:00

Miriam Makeba, in her album Sangoma, was perhaps one of my first connections to contemporary African culture. A great reflection on her musical career below:

Miriam Makeba—South African Singer, Composer and Activist—Died Sunday at the age of 76
Afropop Asks You to Share Your Reflections With the Afropop Community

We are sad to report that Miriam Makeba, one of Africa’s all-time great artists and ambassador for the continent, died of a heart attack while performing in Italy on Sunday, November 9, 2008.

There are dozens of career summaries and press reports published (just google “Miriam Makeba Dies at 76”). Our bio of Miriam is below but we’d like to start with something more personal. We are asking the Afropop community to send in your own reflections or memories or photos of Miriam. We will publish them later in the week and send them to the Makeba family. For the story of her life in her own words, we highly recommend her autobiography “Makeba, My Story.” Two of our favorite albums from the latter part of her career are “Sangoma” and “Homeland.”

Sean Barlow, Executive Producer, Afropop Worldwide:
“The last time I saw Miriam perform was in Soweto on Easter Monday 2004. I was in South Africa reporting on the tenth anniversary of the end of apartheid and the beginning of the new non-racial democracy spotlighted by the inauguration of Nelson Mandela. The theme of the concert in Soweto that day was “South African Divas” and featured the greats of South African women singers. The crowd was almost entirely black and we felt very much welcomed. I felt so lucky to be there. One by one the ladies took the stage and gave stellar performances—Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Dorothy Masuka & Dolly Rathebe, (who along with Miriam were the fabulously successful Skylarks in the 1950’s), the Mahotella Queens, Brenda Fassie (her last performance), Thandiswa, and to cap the evening, Miriam. The audience up front pressing against the fence were mostly teenage girls. Despite their two generation age gap, these girls were transfixed, their faces glowing. To bridge a 50 something age difference is no small feat. I wondered what was going through their heads—enjoyment of the songs, an electric feeling of being close to an icon who meant so much for the anti-apartheid struggle internationally and nationally, a role model of how a woman could rise to the top of her field. Probably all the above. For the girls in Soweto that day and for everyone whose music and life she touched, thank you Mama Africa!!" (Please add your own memories and reflections.)

Afropop’s Account of Miriam Makeba’s Career

Miriam Makeba--"Mama Africa" to many around the world--ranks as South Africa's greatest musical ambassador. Born in 1932, Makeba had already weathered the death of her father, a bout with breast cancer, childbirth and the first of five marriages before she turned twenty.

From her start in a church choir, Makeba went on to sing professionally under the strong influence of her American idols, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. Makeba left the popular Manhattan Brothers to join the traveling show African Jazz and Variety, which toured southern Africa for 18 months. She also formed a hugely successful trio with Dorothy Masuka and Dolly Rathebe. Makeba's superior voice then earned her the lead in the ground-breaking show King Kong, and a film part in Come Back Africa.

Suddenly an international star, Makeba then played at President Kennedy's birthday and worked with Harry Belafonte in New York to create African classics including "The Click Song," and "Pata Pata." After the South African government canceled her passport in 1960, Makeba spent decades in exile living mostly in the US, and then in Guinea, where she retreated for nine years after her marriage to black power activist Stokely Carmichael soured her reputation with mainstream American media and the music industry.

Makeba returned to the world stage in 1986 when she joined Paul Simon on the Graceland tour. She writes in her autobiography, “Makeba, My Story,” that music helped her wrestle the dangerous amadlozi spirits her mother passed on to her. She dedicates her exquisite 1988 album “Sangoma,” rich in tradition, to her mother. After turmoil, tragedy and controversy, Makeba returned to a free South Africa as a favorite daughter. Her work included a tour and recording session with jazz great Dizzy Gillespie, who died in 1993, as well as a critically acclaimed comeback album, "Homeland," released in 2000, and nominated for a Grammy Award in 2001.

--Banning Eyre, Senior Editor, Afropop.org

More information: http://www.afropop.org/

Miriam Makeba, South African songstress, dies at 76
International Herald Tribune - 4 hours ago
By Alan Cowell LONDON: Miriam Makeba, a South African singer whose voice stirred hopes of freedom among millions in her own country though her music was formally banned by the apartheid authorities she struggled against, died early Monday after ...
Video: South African legend Miriam Makeba dies - 10 Nov 2008
Video: South African legend Miriam Makeba dies - 10 Nov 2008 AlJazeeraEnglish
South Africa mourns Makeba, nation's musical 'mother' AFP
GMA news.tv - Los Angeles Times - Hindu - United Press International
all 1,124 news articles »

Historic headlines from Nov 5 - Fri 11/7/2008

2008-11-07T11:55:00.000-05:00

NY Times Nov 5 Obama wins!

USA Today Nov 5 It's Obama!

National Public Radio: Obama Wins, the World Responds

Kenyan photo essay "Obamamania" on allafrica.com

Post-Election Newspaper Sales: So I Guess Print Isn't Dead!Editor & Publisher - 58 minutes agoMany of us who have been reporting for years on the declining demand for the daily miracle -- in newsprint anyway -- were both pleased and a bit perplexed ...
Print is dying -- except when history happensComputerworld, MA - 1 hour agoJust when you thought that print was dead entirely: Newspapers are reporting that demand for their Wednesday morning editions -- the ones reporting the ...
Historic front pages are hot on eBayThe Miami Herald, FL - 8 hours agoPost-Election Day newspapers became a hot commodity Thursday on eBay -- with at least one optimistic seller asking $1200 for a copy of The Washington Post. ...

Obama newspaper editions show power of printSydney Morning Herald, Australia - 14 hours agoPeople buy copies of The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press in front of the newspaper's headquarters. Photo: AP Move over iPhone - in a digital age in ...
Obama win was great news for newspaper salesCanada.com, Canada - 18 hours agoTuesday was a great day for Barack Obama. Wednesday was a great day for newspapers - the best day for sales since 9/11. The historic election of Sen. ...
Extra copiesIndianapolis Star, United States - 18 hours agoIn the digital age, some critics of newspapers have pronounced that delivery medium to be on life support, but look what happened in the hours immediately ...

Where can I get a Nov. 5 Seattle PI?Seattle Post Intelligencer - 22 hours agoNewspapers aren't exactly hot commodities in the digital age, but Wednesday was different. Copies sold out fast all over the city, leading dozens of ...
Post to Print 350000 More Copies of Election EditionWashington Post, United States - 22 hours agoBy Petula Dvorak The Washington Post fired up its presses today for yet another printing of a commemorative edition of the Nov. ...
On the Day After the Day After: Obama Newspaper Rush Continues ...Editor & Publisher - Nov 6, 2008AP 'Uncalls' Franken Loss in Minnesota By Joe Strupp NEW YORK Calls to The Washington Post this morning are not being met with the usual voice-mail greeting ...

Newspapers sell out as America marks historic dayTimes Online, UK - Nov 6, 2008Obamamania has left newsstands across the US empty and newspapers rushing to print thousands of extra copies as Americans hurried to buy souvenir editions ...
Barack Obama election victory drives US newspaper sales surgeguardian.co.uk, UK - Nov 6, 2008Barack Obama's historic victory in Tuesday night's US presidential election gave a brief shot in the arm to the beleaguered American newspaper industry, ...
Hear All About It: Newspaper ComebackNPR - Nov 6, 2008Morning Edition, November 6, 2008 · For one rare day, newspapers made a comeback. Across the country, people flocked to newsstands to buy a written record ...

Extra! Extra! Barack Obama's election win sends newspaper sales ...Los Angeles Times, CA - Nov 6, 2008Kimberly Huie of Echo Park buys the Los Angeles Times at a newsstand in Hollywood. Readers across the nation snapped up copies of newspapers documenting a ...
Papers proclaiming Obama's win sell for $600Indian Express, India - Nov 6, 2008Melbourne, November 6: : American newspapers carrying banner headlines about Barack Obama’s historic White House victory were sold out as soon as they ...
Newspapers sell out early, restart pressesSan Francisco Chronicle, USA - Nov 6, 2008(11-05) 19:24 PST -- At a time when the industry is struggling to hold onto readers, newspapers around the country sold like hotcakes Wednesday as people ...

US newspapers rush out new copies to meet demandAFP - Nov 5, 2008WASHINGTON (AFP) — Leading US newspapers said Wednesday they had been forced to fire up their printing presses again to keep pace with demand as consumers ...
Papers leave mark on historic electionChicago Tribune, United States - Nov 5, 2008Consistent with the notion that journalism is the first draft of history, President-elect Barack Obama's victory had people Wednesday eager to grab the ...

Newspapers grabbed up after Obama's historic winReuters - Nov 5, 2008WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It was a good day to be in the newspaper business. The historic November 5 editions proclaiming Barack Obama's White House victory ...
Obama's historic election is red-hot off the pressUSA Today - Nov 5, 2008By Maria Puente, USA TODAY The election of Barack Obama kept millions of Americans glued to their TVs on Tuesday night — then had them scrambling on ...
Newspapers a Hot Commodity After Obama’s WinNew York Times, United States - Nov 5, 2008By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA Cool enough for people to try a dozen places in hopes of finding one, and then line up around the block for it. ...
Papers sell out as readers seek Obama keepsakesInternational Herald Tribune, France - Nov 5, 2008AP NEW YORK: Newsstands from Seattle to New York quickly sold out of Wednesday's papers declaring Barack Obama the nation's first black president as some ...

Obama win makes a big day for dead treesNational Post, Canada - Nov 5, 2008Karen Bleir/AFP/Getty ImagesFront pages of newspapers announcing Democrat Barack Obama's victory in the US presidential election are displayed on November 5 ...
Extra, extra ...Los Angeles Times, CA - Nov 5, 2008Dozens of e-mails like this started coming in to the readers' representative office early this morning, and are still coming in: "HELP! ...
Tribune Sees Huge Demand for Post-Election NewspapersMarketWatch - Nov 5, 2008CHICAGO, Nov 05, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- On the day following Barack Obama's election as the next president of the United States, Tribune Company ...
Extra, extra! Barack Obama's historic win causes a run on newspapersLos Angeles Times, CA - Nov 5, 2008Across the nation, people have been snapping up newspapers bearing Obama-related headlines at record rates. The Los Angeles Times, which printed 30000-40000 ...

Long queues again for US voters as Obama takes over the frontpagesSydney Morning Herald, Australia - Nov 5, 2008A day after queuing hours to cast their vote in the US election, Americans again found themselves in lengthy lines as they tried to secure themselves a copy ...
Chicago Papers Fly From Racks After Obama VictoryEditor & Publisher - Nov 5, 2008AP Admits Flub: 'Uncalls' Franken Loss in Minnesota By Mark Fitzgerald CHICAGO Readers seeking a piece of history snapped up copies of the Chicago Tribune ...
Newspaper stands sell out after Obama winChicago Tribune, United States - Nov 5, 2008AP CHICAGO - Finding a copy of a newspaper to mark Chicagoan Barack Obama's presidential victory has become a difficult task. Newsstands across the city and ...
Obama: Good for newspapers — todayReuters UK, UK - Nov 5, 2008NEW YORK - In the same way that the Philadelphia Phillies’ World Series win boosted Inquirer and Daily News sales last week, US President-Elect Barack Obama ...
Where to buy a copy of the Sun-TimesChicago Sun-Times, United States - Nov 5, 2008Barack Obama's overwhelming victory in Tuesday's election also led to an overwhelming demand for copies of the Chicago Sun-Times on Wednesday morning. ...

Yes we did! - Fri 11/7/2008

2008-11-07T11:48:00.001-05:00

It's all about Obama - Wed 11/5/2008

2008-11-05T10:28:00.002-05:00

Our friends in Kenya tell us nobody slept last night, as the world awaited the election results...

> Read the cover of today's Daily Nation newspaper

In Kenya, a holiday, song and dance for Obama

U.S. President-elect Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) arrives to speak to supporters with his wife Michelle (R) and their children Malia (2nd R) and Sasha during his election night rally after being declared the winner of the 2008 U.S. Presidential Campaign in Chicago November 4, 2008. REUTERS/Gary Hershorn

By ANTHONY KARIUKIPosted Wednesday, November 5 2008 at 07:33

In Summary
Government declares a public holiday on Thursday to celebrate the election of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the US.

Kenyans celebrate Obama's victory with song and dance breaking out in Kibera, Nairobi and Kogelo, the US President-elect ancestral home.

Kenyans are celebrating Barack Obama's triumph the best way they know how - with song and dance - the Government has weighed in with a public holiday on Thursday as a country salutes an emphatic win.

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Obama victory speech

Shortly after CNN declared Obama the winner just before 7am (Kenya time) on Wednesday, President Kibaki announced that Kenyans will on Thursday take a day off to mark the historic election of Obama to the most powerful office on earth.

Even as the President made the declaration, Kenyans were already deep in celebration. From the sprawling Kibera slums in Nairobi to the senator's ancestral home 400 kilometres west in Kogelo, Siaya, jubilant Kenyans sung and danced in honour of a victorious son.

Scenes of wild celebrations were also seen at the Kenyatta International Conference, Nairobi where Kenyans kept vigil all night following the US election in giant screens.

Said President Kibaki: “This is a momentous day not only in the history of the United States of America, but also for us in Kenya. The victory of Senator Obama is our own victory because of his roots here in Kenya. As a country, we are full of pride for his success.”

He said that Obama’s unassailable victory was a clear testimony of the confidence the American people have not only in his leadership and vision for his country but for the world at large.

“On behalf of the Government and people of Kenya, and on my own behalf, I join the rest of the world in celebrating and congratulating you on your election as the 44th President of the United States of America.”

“I am confident that your Presidency shall herald a new chapter of dialogue between the American people and the world at large.”

The President also expressed readiness of his government to work with the new American administration to further promote and strengthen relations that exist between the two countries.

“We the Kenyan people are immensely proud of your Kenyan roots. Your victory is not only an inspiration to millions of people all over the world, but it has special resonance with us her in Kenya.”

Prime Minister Raila Odinga, away on an official trip in China, led the Government delegation in celebrations when Obama's win was projected by CNN and Time magazine.

Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka said Obama's victory heralds a new dawn in history of America and in relations between America and other nations of the world.

"It is exciting for Kenya not only because of continental attachment to President-elect because of his roots in Kenya but because Obama victory is a harbinger of good tidings especially for our tourism sector."

The VP said many Americans would now wish to visit country of the father of their new President.

He said never before has a candidate of a superpower been widely supported across the world.

"This means Obama's leadership of US is likely to bring world nations closer and bridge polarisation that currently exist," he said.

> Full story with photo

==============================

Africa Stays Up All Night to Hear US Election Results

By Peter Heinlein Addis Ababa05 November 2008
Heinlein report - Download (MP3) Heinlein report - Listen (MP3)

Millions of Africans are exhausted after staying up all night watching expectantly to see whether a man of African descent will elected to the America's highest office.

VOA's Peter Heinlein attended an all-night party of journalists and political enthusiasts in Addis Ababa where everybody was talking about being American for a day to share in this historic election.

It's a long night here in front of the television at this upscale Ethiopian home.

Half a dozen anxious viewers drift in and out, trying to control the nervous energy. It's well after midnight, but the TV screen shows long lines of voters standing in the rain waiting for their turn in the voting booth. TV commentators kill time until the first polls close.

"There is a good deal of confidence in the Obama campaign that he's going to win this evening," they said. "So far, there's also the unknown. As one strategist put it, 'I'm a nervous wreck."

That comment sends a thrill through this audience. This is Africa and there are no McCain supporters in the room.

Deresse Kassa, a professor at Addis Ababa University, says he has never stayed up late for any elections results. But this is a moment he says he doesn't want to miss.

"America has history whereby the African-American community has to struggle to be considered citizens themselves and be a franchise in order to cast their votes," said Kassa. "Coming from this segregation and inequality, to be able to see Democratic candidates running for the presidency, the highest office, by itself is big achievement."

The televisions are on as the first results come in during the wee hours of the morning. The news is encouraging for viewers here.

Journalist Lulit Amdamariam says she is energized by the possibility of witnessing, what she calls, a great moment. "We're going to be here all night," she said. "Thirty-two hours, if we have to."Lulit is not an American, but she lived in the States for several years and attended Howard University in Washington.

"I attended a black college, so I understand what this means to the black community in the United States," said Lulit. "This is a candidate the entire world can relate to."

Lulit's colleague Tamrat Negera, editor of at the Amharic-language newspaper Addis Neger, has not been to the United States, but he says he can understand what this election must mean to African-Americans.

"Africa shared the pain of being black, or the pain of status, or colonization, which you understand there was a limitation for a black in this world," he said. "But Obama is breaking that through."Journalist Lulit Amdamariam calls it an American moment.

"I think this is the only time the entire world wishes they were American," she said. "So they could vote. Seriously, I think the entire world would go out and vote if they had the opportunity tonight."

This is a moment to remember. Although some Africans may have a hangover on Wednesday, the prospect of the first black U.S. president has enthralled a continent.

> Full story

==============================

Not just Africa! Even in Asia...

Asia Welcomes US Election Results

By Kate Pound Dawson Bangkok05 November 2008
Dawson report - Download (MP3) Dawson report - Listen (MP3)

People across Asia gathered to see the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. At election-watch events in dozens of cities, people cheered as Democrat Barack Obama won a historical victory. VOA's Kate Pound Dawson in Bangkok brings us the reaction in Asia to the race.

Bob Watson helps a group of Bangkok, Thailand, high school students as they attend a U.S. embassy-sponsored election watch party, 05 Nov 2008

Hundreds of Thais and Americans cheer as it becomes clear that Senator Barack Obama has won the election.

This election has drawn heavy interest around the world. Thai businessman Apinan Tungsianugul says that is partly because of Mr. Obama, the first African-American to be elected president.

"This election is a new thing. [It] could change the [politics] in the world. Just like Obama. Obama is not a white people," he said.

In Asia, polls have shown Mr. Obama is a clear favorite. For some people, it is because, as a Democrat, he represents a change from the policies of President Bush, a Republican, who has not been popular in Asia. Others were attracted by Mr. Obama's positions on the economy and the Iraq War. And, for some, it was his association with Asia.

Mr. Obama's step-father was from Indonesia and he spent several years in Jakarta as a child. At the Indonesian school he attended, his campaign has been closely watched.

Children cheer at Menteng One school, which Mr. Obama attended as a child.Eddy Gucando, is a teacher at the school. "I'm very happy because today I think, today is the day that can change the world if Barak Obama be [is] president," he said. "Because I think now in America there is a new president and that can change the world."

Many people expressed hope that Mr. Obama would maintain strong relationships with their countries.

Wang Dian is a student at China Communications University in Beijing. She says she hopes Mr. Obama's policy will be friendly to China. She says she thinks he knows the importance of friendly relations and trade with China.

Some in Asia hope that Mr. Obama's victory will help other countries learn more about ethnic diversity and become more tolerant. Choi Su-kyung is a professor at Chongnam National University in South Korea.

"This will help Koreans to understand the reality of the American politics, because Koreans are still prejudiced against the minorities," Choi said. "They are actually more prejudiced against minorities than Americans are, toward different racial groups. Americans are much more tolerant of diversity."

Most countries in Asia are closely tied to the United States. Several are military allies, such as South Korea, Japan and Australia. And, almost all Asian nations have close economic links with the United States. With the global economy weakening and with the war in Iraq dragging on, people all over the region say they just hope for change in American politics.

> Full story

Jabulani Africa! - Wed 11/5/2008

2008-11-05T08:47:00.003-05:00

Jesus, life and hope to heal our land,
Saviour, reaching out with your mighty hand.
Sing for joy, O Africa;
The Lord your God is risen upon you.
Sing for joy, O Africa;
The Lord your God is risen upon you now.

Jabulani, jabulani Africa!
Jabulani, jabulani Africa!

Jesus, River of life to our thirsty land;
Saviour, meeting our needs from your mighty hand.
Sing for joy, O Africa;
The Lord your God is risen upon you.
Sing for joy, O Africa;
The Lord your God is risen upon you now.

Jabulani, jabulani Africa!
Jabulani, jabulani Africa!

================================

Marafiki wote,

Today, we cannot help but give praise
to God above for safe, fair, and free elections,
for the hopes of millions of people,
and for a leader who promises to listen
and to consider the needs of all.
A leader for all the nations!
A wonderful example of what it means
to be a man, a father, a husband, a leader
for all people, everywhere.

We have been blessed
in Ohio
to come together
with all kinds of people
from all corners of the country,
to work on the campaign,
a smart, well-organized and efficient
campaign.

Day by day, the tedious, hard work
of calling voters, knocking on doors,
leaving flyers at homes,
talking to our friends and neighbors,
it has all paid off!

Even after a long day of work, or school,
millions of Americans came together
to do the hard work of registering new voters,
persuading undecided voters,
getting out the vote!

Today goes down in history
as a great day for all people,
a great day for America,
and especially a great day for Africa
and African Americans.
We share your pride!

We thank God for the faith of Barack Obama
which makes him a man of integrity, kindness,
generosity, courage, and action.

We thank God for the way he seeks to live
the teachings of Jesus Christ in his daily life,
and to share a message of hope
with the entire world,
while respecting the faith of each person!

And we thank God
for the faith and hope of his ancestors,
their hard work and perseverance
who made it possible for him to see this day
with his beautiful family.
May God watch over and protect them all.

May there be more tolerance,
more respect, more listening,
more reconciliation, and
more lasting peace in our world.

Thank you to Kenya,
for sending Barack Obama
through his father
to the United States of America.

May you share the joy and
spirit of celebration
with America today!

We remember you in Kenya,
with prayer
and thanksgiving, that
we may seek peace and prosperity
for our great world
together
across oceans and continents.

Tumeshukuru! Barikiwe sana.

--Mary Kay Rehard
Cincinnati, Ohio

News of Obama in Kenya - Tues 11/4/2008

2008-11-04T14:47:00.000-05:00

OK... it's impossible to remain quiet about my enthusiasm for our candidate any longer...

Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper is providing extensive coverage of the US presidential election.

> Click here to view today's feature on Barack Obama from Kenya, with links to other stories, such as:

US votes in historic poll
Obama’s maternal grandmother dies at 86
Bull awaits Obama win in Kogelo village
Big parties planned in US and Kenya to celebrate Obama victory
US Poll: Why Obama is the world's choice
Kisumu to hold vigil to keep up with results
Victory prayer at Obama's ancestral home

> Here are the latest poll results (predictions) on CNN

Please pray for peace & unity to prevail in Kenya and in the USA, as the results come in!

> Click here for the US election results (actual) on CNN

> Let's also remember our brothers and sisters across the African continent in today's headlines.

Congo crisis - contact your elected officials - 10/31/2008

2008-10-31T13:09:00.003-04:00

10/31/2008

Dear Friends,

The situation in Congo is deteriorating dramatically, and it seems that all the US media can focus on is the election. While this is an important, historic election, we must not lose perspective of the global imperatives facing us today. I invite you to join me in raising awareness about the crisis in Congo and urge you to contact your elected officials.

A BBC article today provides a good summary of what is being done, internationally, and I drafted a short letter to accompany an edited version of that story.

FCNL (Friends Committe on National Legislation) has a convenient website for submitting letters to the President and Congress:
http://capwiz.com/fconl/dbq/officials/

You can enter your zip code, and your elected officials will appear. You can write all of them with one click (link is above their pictures). Below is the text I submitted to my elected officials for this issue: Crisis in Congo (Foreign Policy).

Along with the UN's IRIN news service briefings, I've posted two emails from Quaker field staff based in Kenya, Anna Crumley-Effinger (AFSC staff) and David Zarembka (AGLI staff), with updates from their contacts in the region.

BBC has an excellent overview of the long and terrible history of the civil war in Congo, in case you need more background:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1076399.stm

They also provide a concise timeline of Congolese history:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1072684.stm

Doctors without Borders also has a good press release on the conflict in Congo:
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/pr/release.cfm?id=3137

Congo is Kenya's neighbor, and there is a very desperate community of Quakers in eastern Congo, who need our prayers, attention, and assistance.

Please do what you can to:

take action by contacting your elected officials
to pray for the displaced and traumatized
and give support to relief efforts there.

Be blessed,
Mary Kay

=====================

Dear Elected Official:

Please urge the President and US State Department to take stronger action on the situation in Congo (BBC story below). The US should continue talks and join the EU in reinforcing UN Peacekeeping troops to end this humanitarian disaster promptly. We do not want to witness another genocide like Rwanda's. My particular concern is for the safety of women and children, as gang rape is now widespread in Eastern Congo. It is my sincere hope that US will be instrumental in protecting innocent citizens there. Instability in Congo affects all countries in Eastern and Central Africa. I look forward to your reply regarding your plans to help resolve this enormous crisis.

========================

'Human catastrophe' grips Congo

10/31/2008
BBC - Fierce fighting between government and rebel forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo is causing a humanitarian catastrophe, the Red Cross has said.

It said the number of displaced people was growing by the hour and that the precarious security situation was making it difficult to deliver aid.

Intense diplomatic efforts are under way to end the crisis, which has displaced a total of 250,000 people.

A tense ceasefire is holding in and around the eastern city of Goma.

A spokesman for the UN's refugee agency, the UNHCR, told the BBC that the situation was "extremely critical".

A Congolese aid-worker based in Goma, Godefroid Marhenge, told the BBC's Network Africa programme that some displaced people were without water or shelter, and "in desperate need of humanitarian assistance".

Overstretched peacekeepers
After several days of fighting, Gen Nkunda declared the ceasefire late on Wednesday, and his Tutsi forces are positioned some 15km (nine miles) from Goma - the provincial capital of North Kivu.

However, Gen Nkunda has threatened to take the city unless UN peacekeepers guarantee the ceasefire and security in Goma.

Looting, killings and rapes were reported in the city on Thursday, much of it blamed on retreating Congolese troops.

Meanwhile, intense international diplomatic efforts are going in a bid to maintain the ceasefire and bring an end to the fighting:

• The parliament in DR Congo has called on government to negotiate with Gen Nkunda, although President Joseph Kabila has previously refused to do so
• UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said he is "deeply concerned" about the situation, and has called on regional leaders to take concrete measures to broker a peace deal
>>> EU are diplomats meeting in Brussels to discuss whether to send troops to back up UN peacekeepers, after EU envoy Louis Michel met Mr Kabila and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame
>>> The EU is also to discuss sending troops to the area to aid the humanitarian effort
• An African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council is to hold crisis talks at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa
• US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer has held talks with Mr Kabila in DR Congo's capital, Kinshasa.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7701269.stm

Congo crisis - IRIN report

2008-10-31T13:09:00.001-04:00

From: IRIN
Date: Fri, Oct 31, 2008 at 10:09 AM
Subject: CENTRAL AND EASTERN AFRICA: IRIN-CEA Weekly Round-up 454 for 25-31 October 2008
To: Patrick Nugent

CENTRAL AND EASTERN AFRICA: IRIN-CEA Weekly Round-up 454 for 25-31 October 2008

NAIROBI, 31 October 2008 (IRIN) - CONTENTS:

DRC-UGANDA: Facilities overwhelmed as refugees stream to bor
DRC: Many aid agencies quit Goma
DRC: Government troops "on the rampage"
DRC: Instability increasing in Orientale province
UGANDA: Displaced first by war, now by elephants
KENYA: Child deaths on the rise
KENYA: Aid workers under siege

ALSO SEE:

RWANDA: Ex-militia struggle with civilian life
[Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81156]

DRC: Eric - "There's real panic in town"
[Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81182]

CONGO: Bibouti - "I work non-stop but never see my salary"
[Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81165]

UGANDA: Post-traumatic stress rife in the north
[Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81084]

KENYA: Isolation wards vital in TB fight
[Full report http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81214]

GLOBAL: Climate change may drown cities
[Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81117]

DRC-UGANDA: Facilities overwhelmed as refugees stream to bor

Food, water, health and sanitation facilities at several villages on the Uganda-Democratic Republic of Congo border are overstretched as civilians continue to pour into Uganda, the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, said on 31 October.

The agency said the facilities were inadequate for the more than 6,500 people scattered in 12 villages along the border who are being hosted by the local communities.

"It is very difficult for us to provide assistance to the refugees at the border, where the security situation is unstable and people are scattered in various villages," Stefano Severe, UNHCR representative in Uganda, said.
[Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81220 ]

DRC: Many aid agencies quit Goma

Several aid agencies have evacuated their staff from the eastern town of Goma, where an uneasy calm prevailed on 30 October after days of fierce fighting between government troops and those loyal to renegade army commander Laurent Nkunda. On 29 October, UN civilian staff were moved from Goma to a compound on the shores of Lake Kivu.

"We heard some shooting in town last night and heard reports of looting ... we have pulled out all expatriate staff to Gisenyi [a town just across the Rwandan border] but have tried to maintain minimum activities in Goma," an official with Save the Children told IRIN.

"This morning MONUC were saying the situation is calm in town. They said NGOs can carry out operations but should return to the safety of the UN compounds before 5pm," he added.
[Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81206]

DRC: Government troops "on the rampage"

Government troops went on the rampage overnight in Goma, according to witnesses in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) town, which renegade general Laurent Nkunda has threatened to overrun.

"Last night I was in my home with my family," Stuart, a resident who fled to Gisenyi in Rwanda, told IRIN. "Government troops were shooting outside, in the street, all over the neighbourhood. They were shooting heavy guns and breaking into people's houses, and killing people, and looting; I saw them. It felt like anarchy, there was no law," he said.
[Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81204]

DRC: Instability increasing in Orientale province

Airplanes may be needed to help some 6,000 people displaced during attacks by Ugandan rebels in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo who are not accessible by humanitarian agencies, officials said.

"The idea is to send food and non-food items in by plane, given that it is difficult now to send a road convoy because of logistical and security reasons," said Jean-Charles Dupin of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Orientale Province.

The civilians fled attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army in September along the main north-south road in the province's Dungu territory. [Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81177]

UGANDA: Displaced first by war, now by elephants

Marauding elephants in northern Uganda have added to the challenges faced by civilians trying to rebuild their lives in the wake of 20 years of civil war, destroying their crops and prompting some to return to displaced people's camps they had only recently left.

"The villagers are scared of the elephants; some of them have sought refuge in huts they had left in the camps," John Bosco Okullo, a local leader in Amuru District told IRIN.

Most affected are hundreds of returnees from six IDP camps - Goma, Anaka, Purongo, Ongako, Corner Nwoya, and Aler, all in Amuru District - whose crops have also been eaten by wildebeest roaming the villages in search of water and pasture.
[Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81100]

KENYA: Child deaths on the rise

The number of children dying before their fifth birthday in Kenya has risen in the past 10 years, according to health specialists.

One in nine children dies before the age of five. "For every 1,000 children born, 121 die, compared with 97 in 1990," Shahnaz Sharif, the senior deputy director of medical services in Kenya's health ministry, told IRIN.

"A shortage of skilled health workers and a lack of access to referral facilities are partly to blame for the increasing deaths," Sharif said. [Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81162]

KENYA: Aid workers under siege

The Kenya Red Cross Society has appealed for respect for aid workers providing assistance to thousands after its staff were attacked by bandits and accosted by security personnel in Mandera, in the northeast.

"Bandits attacked the Kenya Red Cross personnel who were returning from their work in Garissa [a neighbouring town], robbing them of their personal effects such as money and mobile phones," the agency said in a statement.
[Full report: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81173]

bn/[END]

© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org

Congo crisis - AFSC staff update

2008-10-31T13:08:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I was planning to send a regularly scheduled update to you all. Instead I found myself reading e-mails from friends in the eastern DRC whose families or they themselves were fleeing the violence, pulling together news reports for our staff inside Bukavu, and planning for a statement from AFSC. At the same time, two bombings in Puntland and Somaliland of greater Somali also forced many NGOs to begin pulling out staffs in the regions that were formerly seen as the most safe areas in which to work. We have many colleagues affected by these attacks not to mention the implications on millions of people in Somalia.

So, instead of sending you a long update today I will just ask you to please think and pray for the people in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa regions. There is war to a greater scale then there has been in many years in the eastern DRC. The UN with limited troops in its peacekeeping force is working to protect civilians at the same time as many civilians are so upset it is not doing more and blocking its convoys and in some cases attacking its bases. The national army FARDC which has a terrible human rights record to begin with has been seen looting houses and retreating, causing even more fear among the population. Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing in all directions and violence is continuing to a great extent. I obviously can not get into all the details of who is arming whom and which foriegn governments are behind the hostilities, but let's just say that the continued of arming of rebels and government forces is creating major problems and the civilian population continues to suffer to unprecedented scales. World Food Program convoys have been halted and are unable to deliver enormous quantities of food. internally displaced people are fleeing from one camp to another or sleeping on the sides of roads or in wooded areas.

Please be thinking of and praying for the population in which there are many Quakers, peaceworkers, friends of mine and friends of friends. For the aid workers, the people caught in the senseless killing, the government leaders, the UN envoys, the governments of the world who arm, and the corporations who pillage.

I hate to be spreading the perception of Africa as a war zone or starving babies. This is a beautiful place with wonderful people who are searching and working for peace. But right now many in the region I know best are fleeing or stuck in their homes. And they need your prayers.

To all those whose stories are untold but who are witnessing to peace!

-Anna
Anna Crumley-Effinger
Earlham grad and
AFSC Field Staff – Nairobi, Kenya

I am attaching an update from the coordinator of the African Great Lakes Initiative with which I volunteer. I have lots I could say on this subject as well, but I want to highlight the section: "When you see all those pictures of people fleeing with goods on their heads, where will the women sleep tonight?"

Congo crisis - AGLI staff update

2008-10-31T13:08:00.001-04:00

----- Original Message -----
From: David Zarembka
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2008 10:54 AM
Subject: AGLI--Report from Kenya--"Rape"--Oct 29, 2008

Dear All,

I received this sentence in an email from Theoneste Bizimana from Rwanda: "Hold in your payers the region of North Kivu [Congo]. I talked with Zawadi this morning. She said that the situation is very bad now and nobody [in Goma] was able to get out and go to work!!" I just received an email from Zawadi who is now in Kigali saying, "Right now things are bad, just spoken to my Dad [in Goma]--Goma might be captured tonight."

The rebel Tutsi warlord, Laurent Nkunda, is within striking distance of taking Goma even though it is "protected" by Congolese troops and the United Nations troops, called MONUC. You can even find items on this in the international news if you click on Africa. There are pictures of people fleeing the fighting which is usual whenever there is an attack in the region.

While a certain amount of attention has been devoted to the use of rape as a weapon of war I have not seen many explanations of why this is done. Here are my observations.

In this area of Africa there are rarely "battles" between the armies. Rather one side terrorizes people in an area, these people then flee and the terrorizing side moves in thereby "conquering" the territory.

One of the most effective methods of terrorizing a population is "rape"-- particularly gang rape. I submit that it is more effective than killing someone because the raped person is traumatized and he/she then affects his/her family, neighbors, and community. A killed person’s body would just lie there and, if no one saw it, it would not "terrorize" anyone. Reports of the mutilation of bodies have this same affect -- the mutilation terrorizes people who then flee.

Note that above I did not use only the female gender. When we conducted a survey of seventy-nine people in Burundi nine reported being raped; two were men. As everywhere in the world, rape is under reported and I expect rape of males is even more under reported than that of females. The rape of a male would be even more "terrorizing" than the rape of a female.

Here is the testimony of an anonymous North Kivu workshop participant who was raped during the First Congo World War in 1996.

"I was raped and contracted HIV/AIDS. So is my daughter of 12 years. We all lost hope--no one to comfort the other. We just saw death as the next thing happening to us anytime. But God has been gracious. People have stood by us and those [HROC] teachings have really helped me to live positively. I am always bitter about the rapists [i.e., she was gang raped] but that had not changed me. Instead it worsens the situation because whenever I think about it everything comes back fresh in my mind. I have understood the meaning of forgiveness. Many are times we wait for offenders to ask for forgiveness. In my case where will I meet them; and I wouldn't like to meet them anyway. I have decided to forgive them. I am going to share with my daughter what we learnt. I believe it will help her so that we may begin this journey together."

This kind of rape is, to me, only the most obvious, what I would call "violent rape." When you see all those pictures of people fleeing with goods on their heads, where will the women sleep tonight? Many will have to find a man, perhaps a soldier or policeman, to protect them for the night. The cost is "consensual rape"; the agreement to have sex with the protector. This "relationship" might last a night or two, or a week, or a month, but in the end it is temporary and the woman is turned out and has to find another "protector". The result is unwanted pregnancies and HIV. Many of the women at the Kamenge Clinic in Bujumbura were infected by this "consensual rape."

The solution is, of course, to stop the fighting. But as the Congolese Government and the international community (including the UN peacekeepers) seek a "military solution" which continues to elude them, the fighting will continue. Rape will continue to be used as a "weapon of war".

Peace,
Dave

David Zarembka, Coordinator
African Great Lakes Initiative of the Friends Peace Teams
P. O. Box 189, Kipkarren River 50241 Kenya 254 (0)726 590 783
1001 Park Avenue, St Louis, MO 63104 USA 314/621-7262

Job opening in Kenya - Friends Theological College Kaimosi

2008-10-30T15:32:00.001-04:00

Friends United Meeting

Global Ministries: Faith in Action Opportunity

Do you want to do your part to "take away the occasion for war?"
Are you an active member of a Quaker Meeting or Friends Church?
Do you have skills, experience or knowledge to share?
Are you prepared to change your perspective on life and accept challenges?

Then perhaps God is calling you to serve among Friends in East Africa:

KENYA
Principal, Friends Theological College - Kaimosi, Kenya

Chief Administrative Executive at Quaker college for training pastoral leaders in East Africa, located in historic Kaimosi Friends Mission of western Kenya. Appointed as missionary Field Staff by Friends United Meeting, reports to college Board of Governors and FUM General Secretary. Responsible for managing all academic, financial and personnel matters at the college. Includes academic and non-academic operations; admissions, bursar and registrar functions; maintenance and development of physical plant and farm. Major goals will include securing full accreditation and construction of new administration building and library. Requirements include minimum master's degree in theology or related field, minimum five years of administrative experience, and excellent written, verbal and interpersonal skills. Prefer doctorate in theology or related field. Pastoral ministry, cross-cultural and fundraising experience helpful. Quaker applicants encouraged.

For more information or to express interest, call or email Terri Johns at FUM.
Deadline for applications: December 15, 2008.
Targeted appointment by February 2009.

> Learn more about Friends Theological College - Kaimosi

> Learn more about Friends United Meeting's Global Ministries

> Download FUM's Personal Information Form and/or Application for Employment form

Friends United Meeting
101 Quaker Hill Drive
Richmond IN
47374-1926
Phone (765) 962-7573
Fax (765) 966-1293
info@fum.org

> General resources for those considering cross-cultural ministry or missionary work.

Today's headlines - Fri 10/24/2008

2008-10-24T11:14:00.000-04:00

GTV launches prepaid subscription scratch cards in Kenya
NetworkWorld.com, MA - 18 hours ago
The G-UP scratch card is available to all GTV subscribers and is expected to challenge DSTv's position in the Kenyan market. GTV scratch card are available ...

Kenya shilling slides vs dollar, central bank cites global markets
Reuters South Africa, South Africa - 3 hours ago
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's shilling dipped to a fresh four-year low on dollar demand by oil importers and manufacturing firms on Friday, dealers said, ...
Shilling weakens further against surging dollar Business Daily Africa
Shock as shilling drops below key ceiling Standard
CBK explains weakening Kenya shilling Kenya Broadcasting Corporation
Reuters South Africa - Reuters South Africa
all 16 news articles »

Kenya plans to set up fertilizer plant by 2012
Xinhua, China - 19 minutes ago
NAIROBI, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan government said on Friday it plans to partner with private sector to set up a fertilizer manufacturing plant in the ...

Kenya's second brewery opens
Xinhua, China - 15 minutes ago
NAIROBI, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's newest brewery, Keroche Industries, launched its operations on Friday to challenge the might of East African Breweries ...

In this technology era, Kenya needs ‘BlackBerry’ president
Daily Nation, Kenya - 51 minutes agoIf Obama becomes the president, Kenya’s next one and prime minister as well as the Government must be BlackBerry-savvy. Obama is known to be on his ...

FinalCall.com
Safaricom CEO sees improved Kenya business climate
Reuters South Africa, South Africa - 6 hours agoBy Helen Nyambura-Mwaura NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's business environment is much improved since its leaders agreed to a coalition government to end the ...
Kenya deports US author of anti-Obama book FinalCall.com
Unraveling evidence in questions over citizenship WorldNetDaily
Obama's violent pal in Africa renewamerica.us
all 5 news articles »

Kenya plans to import $144 million worth of fertiliser
Reuters South Africa, South Africa - 2 hours ago
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya plans to import fertiliser worth 11.5 billion shillings to help farmers hurt by high prices, a government official said on Friday. ...

Kenya dismisses Somali Islamists attack threat
Xinhua, China - 18 hours agoNAIROBI, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan government on Thursday dismissed threats by a Somali Islamist group that it would attack Kenya if the east African ...
Govt dismisses Somali Islamists attack threat Daily Nation
Talks for release of Ukrainian ship continue Xinhua
all 12 news articles »

BBC News
Kenya set to get truth commission
BBC News, UK - 4 hours agoKenya's parliament has approved a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) to probe human rights violations and historical injustices. ... [ see full story in previous blog posting, below ]

UN honors Kenyan soldier for efforts on post-election crisis
Xinhua, China - 19 minutes ago
NAIROBI, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Friday honored a Kenyan police officer who was captured in the media pleading with protesters to stop ...

New! Get the latest news on Kenya with Google Alerts.

BBC - Kenya set to get truth commission - Fri 10/24/2008

2008-10-24T11:03:00.000-04:00

Kenya set to get truth commission

BBC - Kenya's parliament has approved a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) to probe human rights violations and historical injustices. Those found guilty of genocide and other human rights violations will not be eligible for amnesty.

The move comes amidst debate on how to deal with those implicated in the violence that broke out after the disputed elections in December 2007. An international tribunal has been urged to try those behind the clashes. More than 1,500 people were killed and some 300,000 more fled their homes in the unrest.

President Mwai Kibaki and Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga, now prime minister, signed a power-sharing deal in February to bring an end to the crisis and formed a coalition government.

Culture of impunity

The setting up the TJRC was recommended by the National Dialogue and Reconciliation Committee which was formed to deliberate on the root causes of the post-election violence. The clashes were blamed on unresolved historical injustices such as distribution of land and state resources, and alleged human rights violations by previous governments and political leaders.

The TJRC will investigate crimes committed since the country's independence in 1963 to February 2008.

It will have nine commissioners - six Kenyans and three foreigners. The foreign commissioners will be appointed by the team of African Eminent Personalities which mediated the power-sharing deal along with former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Correspondents say the TJRC is separate from the international tribunal, which was the recommendation of a separate commission of inquiry set up after the violence, headed by Justice Phillip Waki.

It found that politicians and businessmen on all sides had stirred up violence after the polls. Last week, Mr Waki handed over a sealed list of suspects to Mr Annan, the chief mediator of the power-sharing agreement.

It was agreed that if an international tribunal was not set up within 60 days, Mr Annan would hand over the names to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

Politicians have clashed over the Waki report's recommendations, with some calling for unconditional amnesty for those implicated. Others insist that those involved should be prosecuted as amnesty would encourage impunity.

President Mwai Kibaki's Party of National Unity (PNU) says that the report should be implemented fully within the framework of a new constitution. [more stalling??]

Mr Annan urged the Kenyan government to set up the tribunal, saying the long culture of impunity must end.

Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7688505.stm

Published: 2008/10/24 10:52:33 GMT
© BBC MMVIII

Today's headlines - Mon 10/20/2008

2008-10-20T09:58:00.000-04:00

See also previous post from BBC, Annan backs election violence probe.

Los Angeles Times
Obama fever grips Kenya
The Miami Herald, FL - 16 hours ago
By MUNENE KILONGI NAIROBI, Kenya -- When Michelle Nzaumi's communications professor at the University of Nairobi asked students recently to bring to class a ...
Why Barack Obama is his father’s son Daily Nation
Kenyans follow Obama's fortunes nervously Los Angeles Times
all 18 news articles »

Kenya's David Cheruiyot wins marathon in Detroit
Chicago Tribune, United States - 21 hours ago
AP DETROIT - Kenya's David Cheruiyot has won the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Bank Marathon with a time of 2:16:44, while Ukrainian runner Tetyana Byelovol ...
Cheruiyot's winning tour DetNews.com
Kenyan wins binational race Canada.com
JO-ANN BARNAS Cheering section moves Verran Detroit Free Press
DetNews.com - Detroit Free Press
all 19 news articles »

stv.tv
Relatives raise money for seized Ukrainian ship
Xinhua, China - Oct 19, 2008
The government maintains that the Russian-made arms were being delivered to Kenya to be used by its military. But BBC News revealed early this month what it ...
Video: Pirates threaten to blow up ship Video: Pirates threaten to blow up ship RussiaToday
Somali forces free hijacked vessel Christian Science Monitor
South Sudan must explain GulfNews
Kenya Broadcasting Corporation - Bloomberg
all 926 news articles »
BBC News

Annan backs Kenya violence probe
BBC News, UK - 5 hours ago
Kofi Annan has urged the Kenyan government to set up a tribunal for people accused of involvement in violence after last year's elections. ...
Annan backs calls for Kenya crimes tribunal Earthtimes (press release)
Waki's verdict on Kibaki and Raila Daily Nation
Annan, Kenyan leaders awarded degrees for peace deal AFP
Afrique en ligne - BBC News
all 35 news articles »

China Daily
China and Kenya streets ahead at Beijing marathon
China Daily, China - 10 hours ago
By Lei Lei (China Daily Staff Writer) China's women swept the medals at the 2008 Beijing International Marathon yesterday while Kenya's men also pulled out ...
Kenya lead men's race, China dominate women's at Beijing Marathon Xinhua
19-year-old Bai Xue saunters to victory with 2:26 run in Beijing ... International Association of Athletics Foundation
Benjamin Kiptoo, Bai Xue win BJ Marathon CCTV
Standard - The Press Association
all 14 news articles »

Parliamentary system the best hope for Kenya
Daily Nation, Kenya - 13 minutes ago
It has been the position of ODM, which I wholly support, that Kenya under a parliamentary system of government would have an accountable, transparent, ...

Voice of America
Kenyan leader says coalition indivisible
Xinhua, China - Oct 19, 2008
NAIROBI, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has declared that the grand coalition government is indivisible and no petty divisions shall be ...
The tribal rot that is in Kenyan politics Daily Nation
Who failed Kenya? Standard
Kenyan newspapers kick off frenzy over proposed tribunal Afrique en ligne
Kenya Broadcasting Corporation - Daily Nation
all 95 news articles »

Gulu local leaders tour Kenya
New Vision, Uganda - 16 hours ago
The Gulu district councilors, sub-county chairpersons and the technical staff had gone to Kenya for a two-day farm tour. The 53-member delegation visited ...

New! Get the latest news on Kenya with Google Alerts.

Annan backs Kenya violence probe - Mon 10/20/2008

2008-10-20T09:54:00.000-04:00

Annan backs Kenya violence probe

(BBC) - Kofi Annan has urged the Kenyan government to set up a tribunal for people accused of involvement in violence after last year's elections.

The former UN secretary general brokered a power-sharing deal which ended the violence in February.

Establishing such a tribunal was a central recommendation of a commission headed by a senior judge, Philip Waki, which submitted its report last week.

The commission found that politicians on all sides had stirred up violence.

Mr Waki also said that the police had used excessive force against protestors.

'No impunity'
The commission gave Mr Annan a sealed envelope containing the names of suspects and he told the BBC he would pass on the information to prosecutors at the appropriate time.

"I think it is important that the government acts on it," he told the BBC's Network Africa. "The victims demand justice too."

Any attempt to re-run the elections, to re-tally, to re-count, would
have led to more killings
Kofi Annan

"The tendency sometimes to protect the perpetrators for the sake of peace - 'forget and let's move on' - doesn't help society. Impunity should not be allowed to stand."

More than 1,500 people were killed and some 300,000 more fled their homes after then opposition leader Raila Odinga said he had been cheated of victory by President Mwai Kibaki.

Under the deal brokered by Mr Annan, Mr Odinga became prime minister and his Orange Democratic Movement took an equal share of cabinet posts with Mr Kibaki's party.

Mr Annan dismissed the idea that the Kenyan example had set a dangerous precedent for Africa, by encouraging the idea that even if you lose you can still enter a power-sharing coalition.

"The concept of winning or losing elections is something that we should internalise," he said.
"We cannot go and create problems and expect to share power."

He said he thought that Mr Kibaki and Mr Odinga had both gone into the elections hoping to win, but the vote had resulted in an "almost perfect political gridlock".

"I had come the conclusion during the negotiations that any attempt to re-run the elections, to re-tally, to re-count, would have led to more killings, and there was no certainty that either side would accept the results," Mr Annan said.

Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7679320.stm
Published: 2008/10/20 09:52:10 GMT© BBC MMVIII

Afropop celebrates 20 years on air! Fri 10/17/2008

2008-10-17T15:18:00.000-04:00

Enjoy great African beats from across the continent with Afropop host Georges Collinet:

http://www.afropop.org/

It is almost exactly 20 years ago that the very first Afropop program, "Music from South Africa", hit the air on public radio stations all across the country. In celebration, we've put together some of our favorite moments from over the past 20 years, including special appearances by artists who have gone on to internationally acclaimed careers!

Dedicated to African music and the music of the African Diaspora

Kenya news headlines - Fri 10/17/2008

2008-10-17T15:13:00.000-04:00

BBC News
Waki Commission: Kenya voices
BBC News, UK - 5 hours ago
As a report into Kenya's election violence is presented to Kofi Annan, who brokered a peace deal, Kenyans say they agree with its call for an international ...
Foreign missions laud Kenya's poll violence report Xinhua
Kenya: Team Warns On Culture of Chaos AllAfrica.com
Kenya: Name the Culprits? Not Just Yet, Says Waki AllAfrica.com
AllAfrica.com - AllAfrica.com
all 74 news articles »

Foreign direct investment in Kenya's ICT sector drops
NetworkWorld.com, MA - 2 hours agoBy Rebecca Wanjiku , IDG News Service , 10/17/2008
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Kenya's ICT sector has dropped as a result of rigid policy on company ...

Kenya Commercial Bank upgrades IT system
NetworkWorld.com, MA - 50 minutes ago
By Rebecca Wanjiku , IDG News Service , 10/17/2008 The 18-month wait for a more efficient system at Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) is finally over after a ...

Javno.hr
Clashes over water kill 4 in drought-hit Kenya
Reuters South Africa, South Africa - 1 hour ago
NAIROBI, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Fighting over boreholes in arid northern Kenya has killed at least four people as competition for resources mounts in the ...
Kenya: Mandera Floods Information Bulletin No. 1 ReliefWeb (press release)
Curfew imposed in Mandera town Kenya Broadcasting Corporation
all 16 news articles »

Somali Terrorist Group Threatens to Attack Kenya
Voice of America - 16 hours ago
By Peter Clottey
A Somali Islamic group linked to al-Qaeda is threatening to attack Kenya if Nairobi goes ahead with plans to train Somali government forces ...

AFP
Annan, Kenyan leaders awarded degrees for peace deal
AFP - 2 hours ago
NAIROBI (AFP) — Former United Nations chief Kofi Annan, Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga were Friday awarded honorary degrees ...
Kenya risks violence if reforms are not pursued, Annan warns African Press Agency
Kibaki, Raila, Annan honoured Kenya Broadcasting Corporation
Soldiers detained WND reporter, quashing announcement of Obama ... WorldNetDaily
ireport - Daily Nation
all 15 news articles »

Canada.com
Somali Islamic group threatens to attack Kenya
International Herald Tribune, France - Oct 16, 2008
AP MOGADISHU, Somalia: An extremist Islamic militia in Somalia has threatened to launch attacks in neighboring Kenya if the Kenyan government trains Somali ...
Kenya under attack threat from Somali Islamists afrol News
Somali Islamist Militants Threaten To Attack Kenya Over Troop Training RTT News
High death toll from Mogadishu to Baidoa ReliefWeb (press release)
Kenya Broadcasting Corporation - InTheNews.co.uk
all 79 news articles »

Voice of America
Sudan's Energy Minister Reportedly Cancels Key Kenya Trip
Voice of America - 35 minutes ago
By Alisha Ryu Sudan's energy minister has reportedly canceled a visit to Kenya next week to conclude an oil deal reached between the two countries in August ...

New! Get the latest news on kenya with Google Alerts.

Report: Kenyan MPs want airport upgrade for Obama
Posted : Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:30:11 GMT
Author : DPA

Nairobi - Kenyan MPs want to see a tiny airport near Senator Barack Obama's ancestral home upgraded to allow Air Force One to land there should he win the upcoming US elections, reports said Friday. The Nairobi Star said that MPs from Nyanza Province believed that an Obama win was a foregone conclusion and that Kisumu airport should be quickly brought up to scratch.

The senator's father was born in the village of Kogelo, which is around 60 kilometres from Kisumu. His grandmother, Sarah Obama, still lives there.

Obama has never lived in Kenya and has only visited the country a handful of times. Despite this, he is viewed as a hero in the East African nation.

The airport, which is little more than a tiny building and a bumpy airstrip, is due to be upgraded by 2010 but is behind schedule.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/237519,report-kenyan-mps-want-airport-upgrade-for-obama.html

Today's headlines - Tues 9/23/2008

2008-09-23T14:17:00.000-04:00

Kenya ranked most corrupt in E. AfricaKenya Broadcasting Corporation, Kenya - 4 hours ago
Corruption is still rampant in Kenya despite efforts by the coalition government to curb it. This is according to this year’s global Corruption Perception ...
Kenya ranks poorly on corruption Daily Nation
Kenya 16th most corrupt country in sub-Saharan Africa, TI report ... African Press AgencyGlobal graft watchdog says Somalia most corrupt nation Xinhua
AFP - Dose.ca
all 354 news articles »

Kenya PM Odinga set for official visit to Tanzania
The Citizen Daily, United Republic of Tanzania - 13 hours ago
By Bernard Missoke
Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga is expected to arrive in the country for a three-day official visit, a government official has said. ...
Odinga arrives in Dar today DailyNewsOnline
all 3 news articles »

Kenyan police accused of brutality against gang
International Herald Tribune, France - 3 hours ago
AP NAIROBI, Kenya: Police may have committed crimes against humanity in pursuing Kenya's most notorious gang, a government-appointed human rights body said ...
Human rights commission says police extorted, beat, killed gang ... CNN
Police must come clean on killings Daily Nation
all 6 news articles »

Today's Headlines - Thurs 8/7/2008

2008-08-07T14:30:00.000-04:00

Kenya's security hinges on Somali peace: PM
AFP - 2 hours ago
NAIROBI (AFP) — Peace in Somalia is essential to guarantee security in Kenya, Prime Minister Raila Odinga said Thursday in a speech marking the deadly 1998 ...
'Video: Nairobi's US embassy attack victims ten years on
ideo: Nairobi's US embassy attack victims ten years on - 07 Aug 08
Video: Nairobi's US embassy attack victims ten years on - 07 Aug 08 AlJazeeraEnglish
FACTBOX-Impact of extremist attacks in Kenya Reuters
Kenya, Tanzania mark anniversary of embassy bombings CBC.ca
BBC News - Xinhua
all 166 news articles » BOM:500278
BBC News

Kenya alerts Tanzania over Al-Qaeda terrorist
IPPmedia, United Republic of Tanzania - 11 hours ago
By Kasembeli Albert, in Nairobi Kenya security agents have alerted Tanzanian authorities over Al-Qaeda East Africa linkman and suspected master mind of the ...
Terror: Shocking CIA report on blast Standard
'Al-Qaeda bomber at large in Kenya' PRESS TV
Kenya commemorates 10th anniversary of terror attacks afrol News
Xinhua - Kenya Broadcasting Corporation
all 294 news articles »
Times Online

Lopez Lomong's Olympic role tells important tale to world audience
Times Online, UK - 1 hour ago
Having fled across the border into Kenya, his home for ten years was the Kakuma refugee camp. In Tully (population: 927), New York State, Roger and Barbara ...
From African refugee camp to Olympic start line CNN
Refugee from Sudan, a Darfur activist, to carry US flag AFP
Kenyan VP for Olympic opening ceremony Afrique en ligne
BBC Sport - Hartford Courant
all 461 news articles »

Kenya opens first e-waste management plant
NetworkWorld.com, MA - 3 hours ago
By Rebecca Wanjiku , IDG News Service , 08/07/2008 Computers For Schools Kenya (CFSK) has opened East Africa's first e-waste management plant in Embakasi, ...

Research and Markets: Analyse the Kenyan Mobile Industry as the ...
MarketWatch - 3 hours ago
Kenya's economy has been in sustained growth pattern over the past three years and is set to rebound from the hiccup of post-election violence of early 2008 ...
JNB:MOB

Kenya Commercial Bank Says Sale of New Shares Exceeds Target
Bloomberg - 11 hours ago7 (Bloomberg) -- Kenya Commercial Bank Ltd., the east African nation's biggest lender by number of branches, raised 8.1 billion shillings ($122 million) ...
Kenyan State Pension Fund Says Not Consulted on Bank Stake Sale Bloomberg
all 2 news articles » NBO:KCBK

The Associated Press
Kenya, Tanzania mark decade since US embassy bombs
The Associated Press - 28 minutes ago
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Douglas Sidialo woke up in a Nairobi hospital 10 years ago, devastated to find he had been blinded by flying glass after al-Qaida ...
CBC.ca

Kenya to Reach 10% Growth Before 2010, Standard Chartered Says
Bloomberg - 50 minutes ago
7 (Bloomberg) -- Kenya may meet its target of boosting growth to 10 percent ahead of the government's forecast as trade and investment increases, ...
LON:STAN - HKG:2888 - NBO:SCBK

Christian Science Monitor
In Kenya, two protagonists and the conciliators
Christian Science Monitor, MA - Aug 6, 2008
Nairobi, Kenya - William Ruto might seem an odd choice as a peace negotiator. He has the burly frame of a boxer, and a political reputation to match. ...
For Kenya, a month of attacks, then quick progress Christian Science Monitor
all 2 news articles »

New! Get the latest news on Kenya with Google Alerts.

Kenya marks 10 years since US Embassy bombing - Thurs 8/7/2008

2008-08-07T14:21:00.003-04:00

East Africa marks terror attacks

Kenya and Tanzania are marking the 10th anniversary of the US embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam.
More than 220 people were killed and 5,000 injured in the first major attack by al-Qaeda on US targets.

Relatives and survivors have gathered at the site of the attack in Nairobi, which is now a memorial garden.

The ceremonies come days after Kenyan police narrowly failed to arrest the suspected mastermind of the bombings, Fazul Abdullah Mohammed.

Blinded
The BBC's Peter Greste in Nairobi says many of those survivors and the families of the victims there will gather at the memorial garden on the site where the US embassy used to stand.

My eyes were destroyed on the spot by the glass
Catherine Bwire

At about 1030 local time on 7 August 1998, a suicide bomber threw a grenade at the guardhouse outside the US embassy in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, and tried to ram his way through the barricades.

He then detonated the explosives packed inside the vehicle, severely damaging the embassy and bringing down a seven-story building near by, killing 218 people and wounding 500.

A simultaneous attack on the embassy in Dar-es-Salaam killed 11 people, and wounded 72.

The bombings were al-Qaeda's first major strike in its conflict with the United States, and they fundamentally changed both the US and Kenya.

Among those who remember the day in Nairobi is Catherine Bwire, who was a 24-year-old accounts clerk at the time.

Like so many, she heard a small explosion - a grenade - go off outside the embassy just by her office.

She went to the window to see what the trouble was and as she watched, the attackers detonated their main charge which shattered surrounding windows.

The glass tore out Catherine's eyes, blinding her instantly, it was a tragically common injury.

Manhunt
Our correspondent says the blast changed the lives of so many victims, but it also created a kind of bond among them.

It did much the same for Kenya and the United States.

The two countries are now firm allies in the fight against terrorism, both countries still struggling to come to terms with its consequences.

But the botched operation on Sunday has raised questions in Kenya about whether the government is doing enough to protect its citizens from the threat of terrorism.

The police have intensified their manhunt for the fugitive in the coastal city of Mombasa, and security along the country's borders has been tightened.

The country's sizeable Muslim community also says the "war on terror" is being used to victimise Muslims.

At least 17 Kenyan Muslims are being held in Ethiopia on suspicion of involvement in terrorism.

The survivors and families of those who died in the attacks have called for compensation from the US and Kenyan governments to help them cope with the effects of the blasts.

Will you attend the ceremonies? Were you injured in the blasts? Did you witness the attacks?

Send us your comments using the form below or text 00 44 7725 800 100

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Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7546696.stm
Published: 2008/08/07 09:44:10 GMT© BBC MMVIII

Blog editor's note: The following report from the Standard claims to be an "exclusive" story and is not confirmed by any major news outlet.

Terror: Shocking CIA report on blast

Published on 07/08/2008
By Otsieno Namwaya Investigation Editor

Ten years to the day a massive al-Qaeda bomb exploded in Nairobi, fresh details show that previously undetected, complex planning by terrorists who had plotted to use a device twice as big as the one that exploded.

Confidential documents from American intelligence service, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), obtained by The Standard also show that terror suspect Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, who is being hunted for the Nairobi and Kikambala bombings, was not even the one initially picked by terror kingpin Osama bin Laden for the operation.

Osama had picked a terrorist said to have been deadlier than Fazul to carry out the bombings, but he died in mysterious circumstances in Kenya before executing the plan.

A new group had to be constituted afresh by al-Qaeda to launch a second attack. Details also show that the terrorists who bombed American embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam had plotted to explode the devices a year earlier.
Unknown to Kenyans, the al-Qaeda cell that would finally blow up the embassies had operated undetected in Nairobi and other towns for five years from 1993.

The CIA dossier in our possession, which was used in prosecuting the suspects in the US, details how the terror group had set up base and businesses in Kenya in 1993 with the intention of launching the attack earlier than 1998.

The plan for an earlier attack was, however, derailed when the al-Qaeda military commander in Kenya, who had operated stealthily — Abu Obadiah — drowned in a boat accident on Lake Victoria as he attempted to cross to Uganda to meet contacts in 1996.

In CIA’s thinking, had Obadiah not drowned in 1996, the attack on American installations in Kenya would probably have taken place either in November, 1996 or February, 1997.

The brief from Osama for Obadiah was to use a load of explosives twice as big as the one that Fazul’s team ended up using on August 7, 1998.

Police did not know
But Police Spokesman Eric Kiraithe says Kenya had no information that Fazul’s predecessor had drowned in Lake Victoria in 1996 as he tried to cross over to Uganda.

He said the police also did not know that the 1998 terror attack on the US embassy would have happened earlier had the Al Qaeda leader, Abu Obadiah, not drowned in the boat accident.

"But we have an operation and there is a lot of information coming through. If you allow me some time, I will be able to verify that information. The US government had not shared it with us," he said.

Following the unexpected death of Obadiah, al-Qaeda quickly reviewed its plans as arrangements were made for Abdi Karim, alias Fazul Mohammed, to take over as the military commander-cum-head of the East African cell.

Fazul took over as head of the group’s entire operations, including military training and business, including fish trade, along the East African coast and Lake Victoria.

Prior to establishing base in Kenya, Obadiah, together with his senior colleague in the al-Qaeda hierarchy, Atef Al Banshiri, had initially only paid occasional visits to the Kenyan cell from their base in Afghanistan, the founding home of al-Qaeda in the early 1980s.

Deliberations on the attack on the US embassy in Nairobi began in October, 1993, mainly in retaliation for US participation in what was then called ‘Operation Restore Hope’ in Somalia.

Ali Mohammed, a US citizen and a confessed al-Qaeda member, surveyed the US embassy for a possible terror attack. He took photographs and made sketches, which he gave to Osama Bin Laden, who had then shifted base from Afghanistan to Sudan.

Preparations for the attack on the US embassy in Nairobi moved to a different level when in June, 1998 two members of al-Qaeda — Fahid Mohammed Ali Msalam and Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan — bought a Toyota pick up and embarked on modifying its body for the mission.

Final meeting
The final meeting that fine-tuned details of the attack was held in 43 New Runda Estate in Nairobi on August 2, 1998 and was attended by, among others, Mohammed Odeh, Mohammed Rashed Daoud Al’Owali, Fahid Mohammed Ali, Sheikh Ahmed Swedan and a Mr Assam, a Saudi national.

It was decided at the meeting that once everything was in place, members of the group should leave the country by August 6. Two members, Assam and Al’Owali, had offered themselves as the suicide bombers who would drive the truck, fitted with a bomb and other explosives, to the basement parking of the US embassy.

Al’Owali had been taken to Afghanistan for specialised training as part of the preparation for the Nairobi attack. He travelled from Afghanistan to Nairobi using a false Yemeni passport just a few days to the mission.

On his arrival, he linked up with his two colleagues whose names are given only as Haroun and Assam, who was the man behind the wheel of the truck that carried the bomb that brought down the US embassy on August 7, a Friday.

Another key al-Qaeda operative, Mohammed Odeh, an American who had worked for Osama in Sudan for several years and later deployed to Mombasa to set up a fishing business whose proceeds would support the group’s activities in the region, received an emergency order that all al-Qaeda members should leave the country by August 6.
He travelled overnight by bus from Mombasa to Nairobi, leaving his home and family at the Coast. Odeh joined colleagues, including the masterminds of the attack like Fazul, at a hotel in downtown Nairobi’s River Road where they spent three days – August 4, 5 and 6.

Odeh and a few other members who were not going to be part of the direct action on August 7 left the country on August 6 using a false passport.

He had shaved his beard to camouflage his appearance.

On the material day, Assam drove the truck carrying the bomb at the back to the US embassy, with Al’Owali as his co-driver with whom they had resolved to die in the attack.

As the truck approached the embassy, Al’Owali got out to request the security guard to open the gate, with the apparent intention that he would quickly return to the truck before it exploded.

But the guard asked many questions and Al’Owali got impatient and hurled a stun grenade at the American marine.

That allowed Assam to quickly drive the truck behind the embassy, get out and detonate the bomb, demolishing a multi-storey secretarial college and damaging the embassy building and the bell-bottomed Co-operative Bank house.

Escaped unhurt
The explosion claimed the lives of 213 people and injured about 5,000 others.

Assam was also killed in the attack, but his colleague, Al’Owali, who had gotten out to persuade the guard to give way, escaped unhurt.

But Al’Owali had not expected to survive and thus had neither a plan B nor money or passport to get him out of Nairobi or Kenya.

After a few days in hiding within the city, he called a telephone number in Yemen to request for money to be sent to him in Kenya. Just minutes after he called, Osama also called the same line and in a short while arrangements were being made for him to get out of Kenya.

When Osama called the terrorist in Nairobi, he was very furious because the suicide bomber had evaded death by running from the scene. Osama reportedly screamed at him: "What are you doing alive! Have you forgotten you are a martyr?"

Al’Owali and Odeh were later arrested by the US government and charged with the Nairobi attack. With two other convicted terrorists, they are serving life terms at the Federal Bureau of Prisons Administrative Maximum Facility, a super-maximum ‘prison within a prison’ in Florence, Colorado, US.

http://www.eastandard.net/InsidePage.php?id=1143991891&cid=259

Kenya remembers bombing, urges Mideast peace

Thu Aug 7, 2008 1:53pm EDT
By Daniel Wallis

NAIROBI (Reuters) - The world must solve crises in the Middle East and Somalia or they will spawn more of the extremism that led to bombings of U.S. embassies in east Africa a decade ago, Kenya's prime minister warned on Thursday.

Raila Odinga was speaking at a ceremony commemorating the 10th anniversary of explosions that tore through Washington's missions in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam and killed more than 200 people, mostly local Africans.

The attacks were blamed on al Qaeda -- the first time Osama bin Laden's group had burst onto the world stage.

"The scale of this atrocity shocked our nation to the core," Odinga said after laying a wreath at the site of Nairobi blast.

"We must leave no stone unturned in fighting the scourge of terrorism. But at the same time, unless we provide just solutions to political crises such as those in the Middle East, new extremists will continue to be created," he added.

At a commemoration ceremony at the U.S. State Department in Washington, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice paid tribute to "innocent people stolen from us in a moment of terror."

Rice said the embassy bombings were seen in a new light following al Qaeda's attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, the bombing of the USS Cole warship off the coast of Yemen in 2000 and other incidents.

"We see them (the embassy bombings) as they were, as the opening of a new twilight struggle between hope and fear, peace and hatred, freedom and tyranny -- a struggle that has now finally fully been joined," said Rice.

Rice is mediating slow-paced peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians and Odinga called for the swift creation of an independent Palestinian state with secure borders for Israel.

SOMALIA CONNECTION
Odinga also urged the U.N. Security Council to end violence and suffering that has plagued Kenya's chaotic neighbor Somalia.

"We must do not only because it is our humanitarian duty. A lawless Somalia threatens Kenya's security," he said.
The United States says several al Qaeda operatives suspected of being behind the 1998 bombings have sought refuge in Somalia.

This weekend, police on the Kenyan coast said they narrowly missed catching one of them, Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, after he slipped back over the border for medical treatment in Malindi.

Odinga vowed his government would never let down its guard.

"The stark revelations of the last few days have reminded us yet again that we have terrorists in our midst still planning awful deeds," Odinga said in his speech.

Dudley Simms, a U.S. diplomat who survived the embassy bombing in Tanzania, said in Washington that those responsible for such attacks would be caught and brought to justice.

"We are better off than those evil-doers who have to look over their shoulders, cover their backs and hide in their holes, day and night," he told fellow diplomats. "They are the ones who are running and we will catch them all," he said to applause.

(Additional reporting by Sue Pleming in Washington; Editing by Xavier Briand)

(For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: africa.reuters.com/)
© Thomson Reuters 2008. All rights reserved.

http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnN07333746.html

Thursday, August 7, 2008
US News & World Report

A Grim 10-Year Anniversary of the U.S. Embassy Bombings in Africa

With the attacks, al Qaeda emerged as the pre-eminent terrorist threat to the United States
By Kevin Whitelaw
Posted August 7, 2008

It was 10 years ago today that Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist network scored its first direct hit against the United States with the bombing of two U.S. Embassies in Africa.

Twin explosions in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, at 10:40 a.m. on Aug. 7, 1998, left more than 220 people dead and some 5,000 injured. As in many subsequent al Qaeda attacks, the bulk of the dead were locals, who just happened to pass by the U.S. Embassy at the wrong time. Twelve Americans were killed in the Nairobi blast.

The attack was notable not only for its brutality but also for al Qaeda's meticulous planning and its ability to pull off the difficult feat of staging nearly simultaneous bombings in two separate countries.

U.S. News chronicled the FBI's exhaustive investigation into the deadly attack, a probe that lost precious hours early on because of mechanical problems with the FBI's plane but eventually involved some 375 agents and crime experts. Many of the operatives were later rounded up and put on trial.

In the wake of the Africa bombings, President Clinton fired more than 70 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Afghanistan to target a suspected al Qaeda training camp. He missed bin Laden, but an unknown number of al Qaeda followers were killed. He also sent six Tomahawks to destroy what U.S. officials insisted at the time was a chemical weapons plant in Sudan. It later appeared to be a more innocent pharmaceutical factory.

The bombings heralded the emergence of al Qaeda as a serious international threat capable of projecting violence across the globe. Two years later, al Qaeda operatives blasted a hole in the side of a U.S. Navy ship docked in a Yemeni port, killing 17 sailors. And bin Laden struck America directly on Sept. 11, 2001.

Tags: Africa terrorism al Qaeda

Today's headlines - Tues 8/5/2008

2008-08-05T10:28:00.001-04:00

BBC News
Kenya intensifies search for terror suspect
Xinhua, China - 7 hours ago
5 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan police on Tuesday stepped up efforts to arrest one of East Africa's most wanted terror suspect, Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, who escaped a ...

Kenya charges three for helping al-Qaeda leader Radio Netherlands
Kenya charges 3 in al Qaeda suspect's reported escape Reuters South Africa
Kenya: US embassy bomb suspect flees raid CNN International
guardian.co.uk - The Citizen Daily
all 273 news articles »

Standard Chartered Kenya's Profit Little Changed (Update1)
Bloomberg - 6 hours ago
5 (Bloomberg) -- Standard Chartered Bank Kenya Ltd., the east African nation's second-biggest bank, said first-half profit was little changed. ...
National Bank of Kenya's 1st-Half Profit Rose 38% (Update1) Bloomberg
all 3 news articles »

NBO:NABK - NBO:SCBK - LON:STAN
Kenya pushes for reduction of import duties
Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, Kenya - 4 hours ago
Kenya is negotiating with the World Trade Organisation -WTO- for a global policy to give developing countries an opportunity to add value to their ...
WTO: Africa Must Take a Leave of Absence Accra Daily Mail
Collapse at WTO gravely undermines Africa: minister AFP
Who wins and who loses from Doha's downfall? Foreign Policy Passport
Business Daily Africa - Voice of America
all 32 news articles »

Kenya boosts tea and coffee marketing budgets
Reuters South Africa, South Africa - 54 minutes ago
By Duncan Miriri NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya is boosting the budgets of its tea and coffee boards to help them compete more effectively in the global ...

Kenya central bank expected to maintain key rate
Reuters South Africa, South Africa - 1 hour ago
By Helen Nyambura-Mwaura NAIROBI (Reuters) - The Central Bank of Kenya is expected to keep its key CBR lending rate at 9 percent even though it is lower ...

Kenya shilling firms vs dollar, seen rising further
Reuters South Africa, South Africa - 3 hours ago
NAIROBI (Reuters) - The Kenya shilling firmed against the dollar on Tuesday, helped by trimming of long dollar positions by banks and slow corporate demand ...

Kenya seeks "as many medals as possible" in Beijing
Xinhua, China - 9 hours ago
5 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan Olympic delegation chief David Okeyo said on Tuesday that he expected Kenyan athletes to win "as many medals as possible" in the ...
We don’t want joy riders, say athletes Standard
Kenyan to train athlete for Beijing Paralympics IPPmedia
Kenya's sole rower eyes final A at Beijing Olympics Xinhua
tandard all 5 news articles »

Mwaruwa replaced at Kenya Ports Authority
Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, Kenya - 3 hours ago
Abdallah Mwaruwa has been relieved of his duties as the Managing Director, Kenya Ports Authority. He has been replaced by former Finance Manager at KPA ...

New! Get the latest news on Kenya with Google Alerts.

Today's Headlines on Kenya - Thurs 7/31/2008

2008-07-31T08:48:00.000-04:00

More Canadian missionaries to return to Kenya
Canada.com, Canada - 11 hours ago
CALGARY - Bob Rowe says he has no fear of travelling to the same area in Kenya where two Canadian missionaries were viciously assaulted and left for dead ...
Calgary group going to Kenya Canoe.ca
Family members cry out as Canadian missionaries attacked in Kenya ... The Canadian Press
Canadian Missionaries In Kenya Arrive Home After Violent Assault AHN
CBC.ca - United Press International
all 127 news articles »

Clashes hit Kenya tourism figures
The Press Association - 12 hours ago
Kenyan tourism dropped by more than a third in the first half of this year after the violent clashes that followed the country's elections. ...
Kenya tourism down in wake of election violence International Herald Tribune
Kenya tourism revenue plunges after election violence AFP
Kenya tourism earnings tumble 32 pct on violence Reuters South Africa
Standard
all 21 news articles »

Teen prostitution up after Kenya's election crisis
International Herald Tribune, France - 1 hour ago
AP ELDORET, Kenya: This time last year, Janet Kimani spent her days at school and her nights fighting with her little brothers over what to watch on the ...

Kenya's mediation talks end
Xinhua, China - 3 hours ago
NAIROBI, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Talks aimed at ending Kenya's post election crisis have come to an end after members of the mediation team concluded the last ...
EiTB

Kenya inflation drops to 26.5 pct in July yr/yr
Reuters South Africa, South Africa - 45 minutes ago
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's annual inflation rate fell to 26.5 percent in July from 29.3 percent the previous month as food prices dropped, the national ...
Inflation rate hits its peak in last ten years in Spain EiTB
all 2 news articles »

Kenya seeks environmental-friendly mobile phone handsets
Xinhua, China - 3 hours ago
NAIROBI, July 31 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan government vowed to step up measures to ensure that manufacturers of electronic products avail to the market only ...

BBC News
Kenya's expensive free education
BBC News, UK - 5 hours ago
By Anne Mawathe When the Kenyan government promised to provide free secondary education last year, many parents were elated. Rolling out the programme in ...

Kenya Muslims say government blocking abuse report
Reuters South Africa, South Africa - 21 hours ago
By Guled Mohamed NAIROBI (Reuters) - Muslim leaders in Kenya accused a senior government official on Wednesday of blocking the release of a presidential ...

Kenya: Officers Cleared of Mt Elgon Abuses
AllAfrica.com, Washington - 3 hours ago
Maj-Gen Ali, who received the report last week and presented it to the minister, said many cases mentioned in a report by the Kenya National Commission on ...

Following EU's integration model in the Brussels of east Africa
Irish Times, Ireland - Jul 30, 2008
All the talk of the crisis gripping Europe in the wake of Ireland's Lisbon Treaty No has gone unnoticed by the members of the EAC, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, ...
US warns travelers to East Africa of terror risk The Associated Press
all 51 news articles »

New! Get the latest news on Kenya with Google Alerts.

UN report on AIDS - Kenya HIV rates rising - Wed 7/30/2009

2008-07-30T08:29:00.003-04:00

Progress made in HIV prevention - BBC
7/30/2008

There have been significant gains in preventing new HIV infections in a number of heavily-affected countries, a United Nations programme report says.

However, UNAids warns the Aids epidemic is not over in any part of the world.

The report says prevention programmes have seen changes in sexual behaviour, and a drop in infection rates in countries such as Rwanda and Zimbabwe.

Condom use is also increasing among young people with multiple partners in many countries.

HIV INFECTIONS 2007
Sub-Saharan Africa:
Total infections: 22m
New infections: 1.9m
Deaths: 1.5m

South and Southeast Asia:
Total infections: 4.2m
New infections: 330,000
Deaths: 340,000

Latin America:
Total infections: 1.7m
New infections: 140,000
Deaths: 63,000

Eastern Europe and Central Asia:
Total infections:1.5m
New infections: 110,000
Deaths: 58,000

North America:
Total infections: 1.2m
New infections: 54,000
Deaths: 23,000

East Asia:
Total infections: 740,000
New infections: 52,000
Deaths: 40,000

Western and Central Europe:
Total infections: 730,000
New infections: 27,000
Deaths: 8,000

North Africa and Middle East:
Total infections: 380,000
New infections: 40,000
Deaths: 27,000

Caribbean:
Total infections: 230,000
New infections: 20,000
Deaths: 14,000

Oceania:
Total infections: 74,000
New infections: 13,000
Deaths: 1,000

This has been seen in seven of the most affected countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Uganda and Zambia.

In Cameroon the percentage of young people having sex before the age of 15 has decreased from 35% to 14%.

UNAids reports that since 2005 there has been a tripling of HIV prevention efforts, with a focus on sex workers, men who have sex with men, and injecting drug users.

The report also reveals that the percentage of HIV-positive pregnant women receiving antiretroviral drugs to prevent transmission of the virus to their child rose from 14% in 2005 to 33% in 2007.

In the same period the numbers of new infections among children fell from 410,000 to 370,000.

Dr Peter Piot, UNAIDS executive director, welcomed the progress.

But he said: "Gains in saving lives by preventing new infections and providing treatment to people living with HIV must be sustained over the long term.

"Short-term gains should serve as a platform for reinvigorating combination HIV prevention and treatment efforts and not spur complacency."

Globally, the number of new HIV infections has declined from 3 million in 2001 to 2.7 million in 2007. However, rates of infection are rising in many countries.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
The BBC's Peter Biles reports from an HIV care centre in Johannesburg

There are now an estimated 33 million people living with HIV worldwide, with two million estimated to have died from Aids last year.

RISING RATES OF HIV
China
Indonesia
Kenya
Mozambique
Papua New Guinea
Russian Federation
Ukraine
Vietnam

The number of deaths was down for the second consecutive year - 200,000 less than the 2005 figure.

Aids continues to be the leading cause of death in Africa, which accounts for 67% of the total number of people living with HIV.

Six out of ten of those living with HIV in Africa are women.

The UNAids report stresses that the fight against HIV requires sustained long-term financing.

It warns that as more people go on treatment and live longer, budgets for HIV will have to increase over the next few decades.

Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/7530359.stm
Published: 2008/07/29 16:41:33 GMT© BBC MMVIII

======================================

UN - IRIN

KENYA: HIV services are scarce on the street
Photo: Allan Gichigi/IRIN

It's easier for street people to get drugs than healthcare

MOMBASA, 29 July 2008 (PlusNews) - In the next four months, Rashid Mwaneno Dona will become the father of a baby that he and his girlfriend, Fatma Chelimo, conceived while living on the streets of Mombasa, on the Kenyan coast.

The excited couple have already chosen names: if it is a boy, he will be named DJ, in honour of Dona's dream career; if a girl, she will be named Tamara, after a benefactor of local street children.

Before starting a sexual relationship, Dona and Chelimo went to a local voluntary counselling and testing centre for an HIV test.

"This test changed our lives; we have decided that we have nothing to do with other people, we are going to stick together until we get our baby and think seriously about how to bring it up," Dona told IRIN/PlusNews.

They are an exception rather than the rule; few people living on the street choose to take HIV tests before sexual activity.

"They have become hardened by life on the streets and their main priorities are finding food and day-to-day survival - they rarely think about the implications of unprotected sex," said Dinah Wairimu, a justice and human rights officer for Youth Alive, a Kenyan NGO working with young people.

A high-risk life
"These people have to make a living, so the girls often turn to sex work and will easily have sex without protection; they are also unprotected from sexual violence," Wairimu said. "They are especially vulnerable because many are children orphaned by HIV and have had no real family structures around them when they were growing up."

Illegal drugs were widely available on the streets, and while high on glue and other substances, young people often made unsafe sexual choices or shared needles, putting themselves at greater risk of contracting HIV.

"The majority of the street families in Mombasa and elsewhere have succumbed to HIV due to the 'don't care' lifestyle practiced on the streets," Dona said, adding that people living on the street were extremely sexually active.

A 2004 study on the sexual behaviour of street children in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, by The Society of People with AIDS in Kenya, found that street children began sexual activity between 12 and 14 years of age, and about 80 percent of them were drug users; they also reported being sexually abused.

The researchers found that although most boys and girls knew about the possible consequences of unprotected sex - including pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections - they rarely took this into consideration before engaging in sex, and only a minority used contraceptives.

In Mombasa, child sex tourism is extremely common, and according to a 2006 study by the government and the United Nations Children's Fund, many of the city's child sex workers had spent part of their lives on the street.

Not welcome in hospitals
"There are no programmes directly targeting these people for HIV education - most programmes are geared towards getting them off the street," said Wairimu. "At the group homes they go to they may get HIV education, but not on the streets."

Moreover, street people found it hard to get medical care. "Many hospitals don't accept them; if they get pregnant they give birth on the street and raise their babies on the street," she said.

Many hospitals don't accept them; if they get pregnant they give birth on the street and raise their babies on the street. Many teenagers, children and even families living on the streets found it difficult to access counselling, testing for sexually transmitted infections and treatment, including life-saving ARV [antiretroviral] drugs and the necessary support to ensure that those who were not infected remained uninfected.

"The most common problem street families face is that they suffer TB [tuberculosis], which could be [related to] HIV, but they do not want to come out in the open to seek treatment," Dona said.

Chelimo had learned about HIV before she started living on the streets in early adulthood and sought the help of social workers at the local Tonoka Social Hall as soon as she discovered she was pregnant, and began attending the antenatal clinic.

Soon after, a fire gutted "Maboxini", a construction of cardboard boxes behind a local bank that she and Dona called home, and her clinic records were burnt.

"Since these vital documents were destroyed it has become extremely difficult to receive the care I need because I do not have the records for my pre-natal clinic," she said.

The records are required for attending the clinic. However, she Dona and were lucky; they were able to find accommodation at Tonoka Social Hall, where they get cooked meals every day and have a bed and blanket.

Wairimu said because only a small number of people on the street managed to permanently rejoin mainstream society, there was a need for HIV education among them, and for hospitals to be more sensitive to their needs.

Kenya has an estimated 300,000 street children, 60,000 of whom live in the capital, Nairobi. Mombasa and the western city of Kisumu also have large numbers of children and young adults living on the streets.

nk/kr/he
Theme(s): (IRIN) Children, (IRIN) HIV/AIDS (PlusNews), (IRIN) Urban Risk [ENDS]

> Full story

Recent violent crimes against westerners - Tues 7/29/2008

2008-07-29T15:48:00.000-04:00

These recent incidents of violent crime against westerners are extraordinary and a departure from the norm in Kenya, of respect and hospitality toward volunteers and tourists.

If western women are being raped, what of the Kenyan women who have no voice in the press or the courts?

Kenya is now more than ever in great need of Friends' skills in peacebuilding, healing, reconciliation.

> Learn about AGLI's work to spread the Alternatives to Violence Program (AVP) workshops.

========================================

Dutch Foreign Ministry warns visitors to Kenya
Radio Netherlands, Netherlands - 11 hours ago
The Dutch Foreign Ministry has increased its travel advice for visitors to Kenya. It says travellers should be alert for sexual aggression as well as other ...

Orphanage women raped in Kenya Scotsman
Five Dutch women gang-raped in Kenya: police AFP
5 Dutch women raped in western Kenya International Herald Tribune

all 7 news articles »

Missionaries home after Kenya horror
Canada.com, Canada - 11 hours agoTwo Canadian missionaries who were nearly killed in Kenya returned home Monday evening with words of forgiveness for their attackers. ...

Family members cry out as Canadian missionaries attacked in Kenya ...
The Canadian PressMissionaries attacked in Kenya flying back to Canada CBC.ca
Badly beaten missionary will forgive attackers: Son CTV.ca
Globe and Mail - Canada.com
all 110 news articles »

From Google News

Gun culture in Kenya - Tues 7/29/2008

2008-07-29T15:44:00.000-04:00

Gun culture takes root in Kenya
A new study says police are responsible for nearly a third of gunshot victims in the country. Photo/FILE
By GATONYE GATHURA (email the author)

Posted Tuesday, July 29 2008 at 00:00

In Summary

People seeking treatment for gunshot wounds at KNH usually aged between 18 and 24
University research study shows one third of victims were found to be targets of police shootings or “official stray bullets”.
Young males with gunshot wounds are more than females, outstripping then by a ratio of almost eight to one
Gunshots now third most common cause of spinal injury after road accidents and falls from heights

Guns, both illegal and legal, are now the major cause of death for young Kenyan men, the University of Nairobi says.

People seeking treatment for gunshot wounds at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) are usually aged between 18 and 24, indicating an increase in gang violence and a population that is engaging in criminal activities at a very young age, a new study by four researchers at the university says.

“Barely 10 years ago, victims of gunshots were two decades older and most were shot by criminals interested only in dispossessing them,” says lead author W.A. Odhiambo.

But in this study, done at KNH, almost one third of the victims were found to be targets of police shootings or “official stray bullets”.

This is the first time a structured scientific study indicts the police as being responsible for a significant number of gunshot victims.

Although the study does not dwell on circumstances leading to the police shootings, calling them “stray bullets”, this could be interpreted to mean a poorly trained force or what activists call trigger-happy policemen.

“The perpetrators of firearm violence were often identified by victims as a thug or robber (66.4 per cent), followed by police officers, who were responsible for 23 per cent of the injuries out of which nine per cent were ‘stray bullets’,” says the study.

Published in the March issue of the East African Medical Journal, the study looks at more than 700 firearm injuries at the hospital in 2004 to 2005 and within the same period, records a significant increase in the use of guns in committing a crime.

The study, however, does not include those who had died of gunshots before reaching the hospital.

Young males comprise the highest number of victims reporting to the hospital with gunshot wounds, outstripping females by a ratio of almost eight to one. However, when women are involved they are much younger than their male counterparts — by almost seven years.

The study says gunshots are now the third most common cause of spinal injury after road accidents and falls from heights. It warns Kenyans to be more vigilant between 9pm and 10pm because this is when assaults peak.

“Members of the public could be advised to avoid dangerous areas around these hours, while police patrols are increased.”

Another senior lecturer at the university’s School of Medicine, Dr H. Saidi, draws a chilling parallel between the unfolding situation in Kenya and South Africa, whose gun-related crime rate is very high. He says a South African study found that 86 per cent of victims of gun-related incidents were between 13 and 18 years, the majority of whom were intoxicated.

Young victims
“The local study also depicts very young victims. Under what circumstances would this post-school population become victims of firearm assault? Could the current and younger group, as in South Africa, possibly be involved in crime and gang violence?” the study queries.

It concludes that in the absence of any structured crime prevention programmes, increasing poverty and a growing drug culture, firearm-related crimes can only get worse.

> Full story

100 Days Together - Coalition Poll results - Tues 2/29/2009

2008-07-29T15:39:00.000-04:00

100 days together

Kenya's president Mwai Kibaki (R) and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

Photo/REUTERS/Presidential Press Service

By JEFF OTIENO (email the author)

Grand Coalition Government’s performance has been rated at 65 per cent
Mr Odinga tops with 75 per cent approval
President Kibaki has 68 per cent

Prime Minister Raila Odinga commands the highest approval ratings in performance in the Grand Coalition Government, ahead of President Kibaki.

According to the latest opinion poll conducted by the Steadman Group, Mr Odinga tops with 75 per cent approval compared to President Kibaki’s 68 per cent.

The Grand Coalition Government’s performance has been rated at 65 per cent.

The study coincides with 100 days since the formation of the Grand Coalition Government which brought together the two political rivals — President Kibaki and Mr Odinga.

According to the opinion poll, majority of Kenyans view Mr Odinga positively in public service compared to President Kibaki or the Coalition Government as a whole. The study, which was conducted between July 6 and 11, this year, interviewed 2,012 Kenyans aged 18 years. Respondents were from all the eight provinces. The study had a margin of error of +/-2.2 and a 95 per cent confidence level.

However, Steadman’s political consultant, Dr Tom Wolf, said the research did not seek to find out why majority of Kenyans approved of the PM.

“Many Kenyans placed Mr Odinga on the highly approve and somewhat approve categories ahead of President Kibaki,” Dr Wolf said while releasing results of the survey at the Steadman headquarters in Nairobi.

However, he said any leader in the world should be happy with an approval rating of over 50 per cent especially under a difficult political arrangement like the one in Kenya.

Dr Wolf also said many ODM supporters still viewed President Kibaki with hostility as many believe their presidential candidate was robbed of victory.

“Unlike ODM supporters, many PNU supporters view Mr Odinga “mildly” since their candidate was the one who was sworn in as the President,” he said.

Civil war
Dr Wolf said the approval rating of the Grand Coalition was above 50 per cent, largely because of saving the country from imminent civil war rather than its achievements in the past six months.

Majority of Kenyans (78 per cent) support the power-sharing agreement. At the political party level, the agreement receives the highest rating from both PNU and ODM-K faithful at 80 per cent each, with ODM followers giving it a 76 per cent score.

On the provinces, Mr Odinga’s ratings are higher than the President’s in five provinces. The PM leads his partner in Nairobi, Coast, Rift Valley, Nyanza and Western. President Kibaki’s ratings are highest in Central, Eastern and North Eastern.

Individually, the two score highly than the Government in all the provinces except North Eastern where the Grand Coalition scores a high of 80 per cent. In the province, President Kibaki scores 78 per cent, followed by Mr Odinga at 75 per cent.

Performance
So far Kenyans are satisfied with the Grand Coalition’s performance in secondary and primary education, in which it scores 78 per cent and 70 per cent approval respectively.

However, the study was conducted before student riots became widespread, affecting the country’s hitherto stable education system.

Kenyans are also happy with the way the Government is handling health matters, with the respondents giving it a satisfaction rating of 65 per cent, followed by electrification programme (58 per cent), water supply (58 per cent) and road construction (55 per cent).

The public, nonetheless, is unhappy with the way the Government is tackling poverty, unemployment, the rising food prices, graft and crime. All have an approval of below 50 per cent.

Of the three political parties forming the Grand Coalition, majority of the respondents identified themselves with the Orange Democratic Movement (53 per cent), followed by the Party of National Unity at 29 per cent. ODM-Kenya (seven per cent) and other smaller parties (four per cent). Seven per cent do not align themselves with any political party.

> > > Full Story

Turkana region suffers - Tues 7/29/2008

2008-07-29T15:20:00.000-04:00

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

KENYA: Insecurity heightens poverty in northwest

Photo: Ann Weru/IRIN

Residents often have to rely on police reservists and have organised local security to safeguard their livestock

LODWAR, 29 July 2008 (IRIN) - John Lochimoe used to own several heads of cattle that his grandfather left him, until raiders from the neighbouring Pokot District of northwestern Kenya took the animals.

"All the cows my grandfather left me have been stolen, driving me deeper into poverty," he said.

Today, Lochimoe, a single parent of two, who also cares for his mother and mother-in-law, can hardly cope thanks to the insecurity that has robbed him of his livelihood.

"At night the dogs bark all the time and people are always on the look-out. It seems as if the peace and reconciliation efforts do not work," Lochimoe, a former teacher living in Oropoi village, Turkana North District, said.

Like Oropoi, many areas of the mainly arid northern Kenya experience resource-based conflicts, livestock theft and a lack of access to infrastructure such as roads, schools, communication and health facilities.

The situation has particularly affected the pastoralist communities that dominate the region. The major causes of conflict include cattle-rustling, proliferation of illicit arms, inadequate policing, and competition over control and access to natural resources, according to a report by the NGO Practical Action Eastern Africa report. The NGO implements peace programmes in northern Kenya.

"The pastoralists cannot access water and pasture because of the insecurity," Turkana Central District Commissioner George Ayonga said.

Residents rely on seasonal rivers and water pans, and rising fuel costs have also reduced access to motorised water schemes. The insecurity, he added, had caused population displacement, especially in areas such as Lokori and Lomelo, south of the main town of Lodwar.

To cope, residents often have to rely on police reservists and have organised local security to safeguard their livestock. Boys, some as young as 14, carry guns while herding livestock.

According to a drought bulletin for Turkana, June was particularly bad for conflicts in all cross-border zones of Turkana North, Central and South districts.

The problem was attributed to resource-based battles after the failure of the long rains. The region borders Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda and the areas of Baringo, Marsabit, Samburu and West Pokot in Kenya. The bulletin recommended strengthening early warning and rapid response systems, in addition to holding peace meetings and encouraging dialogue.

Health issues
According to Sarah Wanaswa of the Oropoi dispensary, many cases of assault and gunshot wounds were reported during the months of peak conflict.

"When there are no peace and reconciliation efforts, there are also many raids," Wanaswa said. "We get targeted more when the herds move."

Apart from insecurity, the region experiences other health problems. Low awareness of personal hygiene, she added, had also often led residents to suffer preventable diseases such as diarrhoea, skin and eye infections. The dispensary, which treats between seven and 10 people each day, relies on supplies flown in by the government and NGOs.

Photo: Ann Weru/IRIN

John Ichom, a teacher at a Catholic mission nursery school in the Kaeris area of the Turkana North district.

The other problem was low latrine coverage.

"Most people use the 'cat method'," she said. "Those [residents] who are mobile see no value in erecting latrines which they will not use for long.

"Some say the soil is rocky and are therefore reluctant to dig latrines," she said. "Waste disposal depends on personal knowledge."

Wanaswa said community health workers were conducting outreach services. "We are educating the people on the consequences of not having a toilet."

The dispensary at Oropoi also lacks HIV prevention services while most women deliver at home, seeking medical help only in case of complications. At the same time, the population movements had also contributed to low immunisation coverage of childhood diseases such as measles.

Education
While enrolment in nursery and primary schools is high, transition to secondary education is low due to the tradition of early marriage for girls and boys dropping out of school to take care of livestock. High enrolment in the lower classes is boosted by the school-feeding programmes.

"For most children this is their main meal," John Ichom, a teacher at a Catholic mission nursery school in the Kaeris area of the Turkana North district, said. There are few boarding schools and in some, the classrooms double up as dormitories at night.

"It is as if we are not part of Kenya," said a resident of the lack of infrastructure and rampant insecurity, which had also restricted access to key markets within and outside the region.

In a bid to develop the northern regions, the government has established a ministry of state for the development of northern Kenya and other arid lands.

aw/eo/mw

Themes: (IRIN) Children, (IRIN) Conflict, (IRIN) Health & Nutrition
[ENDS]

Report can be found online at:http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79500
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

Services: Africa Asia Middle East PlusNews Radio Film & TV Photo E-mail subscription

Copyright © IRIN 2008The material contained on www.IRINnews.org comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian news and information service, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies.All IRIN material may be reposted or reprinted free-of-charge; refer to the IRIN copyright page for conditions of use. IRIN is a project of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Call to halt Kenya military aid - BBC Mon 7/28/2008

2008-07-28T09:22:00.000-04:00

An international lobby group has called for military aid to Kenya to be halted until an inquiry is held into a crackdown in the west of the country.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says dozens of people have "disappeared" in Mount Elgon after local men were rounded up.

The operation was intended to tackle an ethnic militia, known as the Sabaot Land Defence Force (SLDF), accused of running an 18-month terror campaign.

HRW accuses both sides of committing war crimes in the area.

The security forces have denied repeated complaints of wrongdoing in the area and have blamed any human rights violations on the militia.

HRW says 37 people remain "disappeared", while local human rights groups say more than 70 people have been killed.

Witnesses told researchers that much of the male population had been rounded up.

"The 'successful' operation to tackle the rebellion in Mt Elgon has come at a terrible cost," said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

"The government should urgently produce those who have disappeared and ensure that those responsible for torture and other crimes, including the commanders, are held accountable."

In May, the state-funded Kenya National Commission for Human Rights (KNCHR) said the defence minister and army chiefs should face prosecution over the alleged torture of civilians in Mt Elgon.

HRW accuses the SLDF of killing more than 600 people in the past two years.

The SLDF says it is fighting for ancestral land belonging to the Sabaot community.

Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7528313.stm
Published: 2008/07/28 09:14:31 GMT© BBC MMVIII

Turkana Friends Mission in need of regular support - Fri 7/25/2008

2008-07-25T15:13:00.001-04:00

TURKANA FRIENDS MISSION, NORTHERN KENYA, EAST AFRICA
> > > ORGANIZE A "Christmas in July" FUNDRAISING EVENT

Turkana Friends Mission extends vital outreach for the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in East Africa. With an independent board of governors, the mission sponsors Friends churches, water projects, primary and nursery schools and scholarships for female high school students.

Could Monthly Meetings in your area band together to create a partnership with these special Quakers?

In this semi-arid region of north-western Kenya beset by poverty and drought conditions, Friends' witnesses provide hope, and Friends' worship expresses joy that many people in Turkana have discovered by following Jesus Christ.

> Click here to find out about Kenya and Turkana through links.

Learn more about Turkana Friends Mission - Kenya, on the web page of Friends United Meeting: www.fum.org

Turkana is one of the poorest regions of Kenya, often troubled by armed fighting with neighboring ethnic groups, such as the Pokot and the Samburu. Characterized mostly by nomadic pastoralist communities, Friends in Turkana live simply and lack material resources, but they are rich in Christ's love and joy.

You can help needy Friends in Turkana by contributing funds through Friends United Meeting.

Monthly, quarterly or annual pledges help the mission staff and volunteers to plan their activities.

Your gift will:

Sponsor a secondary school student
Promote education for girls, who often marry young
Help bring water to thirsty communities
Educate new pastors
Provide transportation for pastors to reach members in rough terrain
Promote peacebuilding and conflict resolution
Plant churches in remote areas

> Click here and specify that your gift is for "Turkana Friends Mission - Kenya" when you make your online gift, or write it on the memo line, if you send a check to:

Friends United Meeting Global Ministries
ATTN: Turkana Friends Mission contribution
101 Quaker Hill Drive
Richmond IN 47374-1980 USA.

Update from John Muhanji, FUM African Ministries Office Director:

The Turkana issue is a big challenge now, since finances and support have drastically gone down.

Last month they received $ 186.00 instead of $ 2000.00.

These were the only funds that had come in. The more funds dwindle, the more problems increase in the area. It is a challenge and half.

But the mission is very faithful and they use the little they get very efficiently. I love those people but I lack what to do for them....

Each of our FUM Project Partners got a grant from the FUM Relief Fund (for the post-election crisis), and Turkana Friends Mission used it to support the IDPs (internally displaced people) in Lodwar.

These are Turkanans who had been living in the central Rift Valley for decades. They have been trucked to Lodwar and dumped there [by government officials] with no assistance from anyone. There isn't even a pit toilet in the camp!

Our pastors and church members [some of whom have been trained in the Alternatives to Violence Project] reached out to them, providing food and other humanitarian aid.

For more information, contact Terri Johns at Friends United Meeting:
email: terrij - at - fum.org
tel: (765) 962-7573.

Taize gathers youth in Nairobi, Kenya - Nov 26-30

2008-07-23T11:59:00.000-04:00

From Dar-es-Salaam to Nairobi

I am a Tanzanian aged 25 years old. I am from Dar es Salaam, and I am a laboratory technician by profession. I was in Taizé, France during the summer months of 2006. Currently I am on my annual leave so I decided to spend some days as a volunteer, to help with the preparation of the meeting in Nairobi....

The way I see the preparation for the November meeting is that things are moving at quite a good pace. It seems to be well organised.

This meeting will be a golden opportunity for the youth to discover themselves and spend quality time for their spiritual life and growth in the Church and stop, listen and reflect to what our rapid changing societies are offering us today.

On a very personal note, I thank God for giving us this opportunity to be part of this pilgrimage of trust in East Africa and Africa as a Continent. It will be a time for us to discover and learn something from other youth coming from several African countries.

And for the youth coming from outside Africa it will be a memorable time to know more about our peoples, lives, culture and give Africa a new face. ...

Keep the spirit high up

"Kwa pamoja tutafuta njia ya matumaini"
Together seeking paths of Hope.

Karibuni Sana!!
Kwenye mkutano wa vijana tarehe 26-30 Novemba 2008.

Asante!
Makolo Christopher Ludosha.

http://www.taize.fr/en_article7168.html

The meeting in Nairobi will take place from 26 to 30 November 2008: http://www.taize.fr/en_article6670.html

Practical information and registration: http://www.taize.fr/en_article6671.html

To Nairobi from South Africa: http://www.taize.fr/en_article7114.html

Prayer
God of peace, your presence is often a mystery for us; to welcome you we need a heart that is simple, and filled with trust.

---

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IDPs continue to suffer - IRIN Wed 7/23/2008

2008-07-23T09:12:00.000-04:00

KENYA: Hundreds still displaced in Nairobi

NAIROBI, 22 July (IRIN) - Hundreds of Kenyans displaced during post-election violence in early 2008 in the capital, Nairobi, are still in camps more than two months after the government launched a countrywide resettlement programme.

"Many of the displaced were tenants whose houses were destroyed or have since been occupied by other people; dozens were landlords, mostly in the Mathare slums, and these are the ones whose resettlement is difficult," Abdi Galgalo, the chief of Mathare, told IRIN on 21 July.

Anthony Mwangi, the public relations manager for the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS), knew of 778 IDPs in the city.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA-Kenya) said in an update covering 3-9 July that some 59,666 IDPs remained in 89 IDP camps, while 98,289 others had been registered in 134 transit sites across the country. Government figures indicated that 212,590 IDPs had returned to areas where they had been displaced. [NB: accuracy of government figures??]

The government, through the ministry of special programmes, launched "Operation Rudi Nyumbani" (Return Home) on 5 May, targeting at least 158,000 IDPs in camps across the country, most of them in Rift Valley Province, which bore the brunt of the violence.

With more than 85,000 of the displaced having left the camps since then, the government began the "reconstruction" phase of the programme on 20 July, to help the returnees build their homes and restart subsistence activities. Special Programmes Minister Naomi Shaban launched the programme in Uasin Gishu district in the Rift Valley.

Displaced in the city
Galgalo said the IDP camp near his office had been emptying gradually since May, with 213 IDPs in July.

The problem with IDPs in urban areas, he said, was that the majority were from slum areas where land disputes were common, hence their reluctance to move out of the camps.

"Food and availability of medicine are key problems for those still in the camp as they depend on well-wishers and they remain here as efforts are being made to resettle them," Galgalo said.

He said disputes over land in the slums, especially for those who owned houses, had complicated and slowed the IDPs' return to their homes. He added that the government had set up peace-building committees to help reconcile the slum dwellers and encourage the displaced to return home.

Godfrey Ngugi, the chairman of the IDP camp in Mathare, said the recent cold weather had made conditions even more difficult.

"The major problem for us is when one of the IDPs falls ill; the cold season has not helped matters and we have had cases of cold-related ailments increasing," Ngugi said. "Although we have the Kenya Red Cross assisting us, we need medical attention."

He said there were dozens of children under five who need medical attention due to the cold.

On 12 May, the government raised Ksh1.46 billion (US$22.4 million) of the Ksh30 billion ($462 million) it said it needed to resettle at least 350,000 IDPs.

"The magnitude of the destruction caused by the violence was enormous; we will therefore require about 30 billion shillings to meet the full costs of resettlement, including reconstruction of basic housing, replacement of household effects, as well as rehabilitation of community utilities and institutions destroyed during the violence," President Mwai Kibaki said on 12 May during a funding drive in Nairobi.

js/am/mw[ENDS]

© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org

IRIN on Global Inflation and Kenya girls at risk - Thurs 7/10/2008

2008-07-10T11:28:00.000-04:00

GLOBAL: Why everything costs more

JOHANNESBURG, 8 July (IRIN) - A rough guide to why food prices keep going up

What is the crisis?
For the first time since 1973, the world has been hit by a combination of record high food and fuel prices. The price of oilseeds and grains, such as wheat and maize, has doubled since January 2006, with over 60 percent of the hike taking place since January 2008, according to the World Bank. Rice more than tripled between January and May 2008.

Prices have begun to fall as the 2008 crop is being harvested, but recent floods in US states producing maize and soya-beans, and poor weather conditions in Australia have slowed the decline.

Since 2001, oil has rocketed from US$20 a barrel to an unprecedented $140. The World Bank says oil prices are now higher than any time in the last century, not only pushing up the price of food in poor countries importing staple grains and fuel, but also eroding their capacity to buy food.

Why have prices shot up suddenly?
The short answer is that global cereal stocks have not kept pace with growing demand, and neither has the oil supply. Stocks of cereals have been declining worldwide since 2000, while demand has been increasing at two to three percent per year.

In the last two years, cereal stocks have fallen to levels last seen in the 1970s for two main reasons: firstly, major wheat-producing countries such as Australia suffered droughts in 2006 and 2007; secondly, the hike in fuel prices saw the US and many European countries offer subsidies to their farmers to grow grain for biofuel. The switch from growing food to growing fuel pushed up prices by 30 to 70 percent, depending on which study you read.

Some analysts have blamed high food prices on the burgeoning economies of China, India and some countries in sub-Saharan Africa, where more people can now afford to include meat and other animal products in their diet, which in turn has driven up the demand for grains used as feed.

However, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says recent high commodity prices do not seem to have originated in these emerging markets: neither China nor India are big cereal importers in the 2007/08 season. In fact, China is exporting maize and India's wheat imports are relatively small.

Various food analysts say the production of grains has dropped because of rising chemical fertiliser prices, which have doubled and even tripled in some parts of the world, making it unaffordable to most farmers in developing countries.

Other analysts have attributed low cereal stocks to the cumulative effect of changes in the agricultural policies of developed countries, particularly in Europe, where farm subsidies have been shrinking, and a drop in investment in agricultural research to develop high-yield varieties since the 1990s.

But the price spikes recorded in 2008, particularly in rice, have been linked to export restrictions imposed by rice-producing countries, including India, China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Egypt, which together supplied around 40 percent of global rice exports in 2007, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Didn't anyone see the crisis coming?
Since 2006 the FAO has warned of a possible food price crisis in its periodic updates on global cereal stocks.What has been the fallout of the crisis?The impact of increasingly expensive food has been wide-ranging, deepening poverty levels and pushing even more people into poverty. According to a recent World Bank study, at least another 105 million across the world will become poor.

Simulations in this study suggest that in Africa alone nearly another 30 million people will fall into poverty: in Sierra Leone the food crisis has raised poverty by three percentage points, to 69 percent; in Djibouti, rising food prices over the past three years are estimated to have increased extreme poverty from 40 percent to 54 percent.Various UN agencies have warned that unaffordable food could drive up the number of undernourished people in the world - already at 800 million - while poor people have begun skipping meals or switching to cheaper and lower quality cereals, affecting their health.

A recent FAO assessment in Somalia found that 2.6 million people - approximately 35 percent of the population, of which more than half are children - had been affected by a nutrition crisis caused by drought and prolonged conflict. The number of people needing humanitarian assistance in Somalia could reach an estimated 3.5 million - half the total population - by the end of 2008.

According to the World Bank, even stable, high-growth countries are not immune to the damaging effects of escalating food prices on child nutrition. In India, for instance, 47 percent of children are stunted - double the rate in sub-Saharan Africa, where 24 percent experience delayed development - and nearly five times that of China, where just over nine percent of children are stunted.The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) says 1.5 to 1.8 million more children in India are at risk of malnourishment as households cut back on meals or switch to less nutritious foods to cope with rising prices.

Expensive food and fuel have also had political fallout: since 2007, high prices have sparked violent protests in at least 17 countries, mostly in Africa; earlier in 2008, the government of Haiti fell after week-long protests.The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which is committed to promoting democracy and assisting developing countries, noted that each 10 percent increase in the prices of cereals adds nearly $4.5 billion to the import bills of poorer countries.

An FAO study recently noted that at least seven countries - Gambia, Liberia, Mauritania, Niger, Zimbabwe, Jordan and Moldova - which have all chalked up high levels of debt - could be forced to spend as much as two percent of their gross domestic product on importing food. Most of these countries are already struggling with chronic hunger, so soaring food costs hold the threat of political instability.

Surely higher food prices benefit small-scale farmers?
Yes, logically they should. But very few subsistence farmers in Africa produce surplus food, and are mostly net buyers. Simulated studies by FAO found that rural households in countries where land was not equitably distributed - which is the case in most developing countries - would be worst affected.

The World Bank has also found that although farmers who produce surplus food might be better protected, even they might not benefit from the food price surge because the cost of inputs like fuel, fertiliser and transportation often rose faster than world market prices for food.

Agriculture experts say that unless governments subsidise inputs, poverty levels in rural households could deepen, and the prospects for beefing up global cereal stocks look bleak. The World Bank has called for subsidies aimed at poor and small-scale farmers for a limited period to boost yields, as part of a package that should include investment in extension, research and rural infrastructure.

When will food prices come down?
High prices may boost production in 2008, which in turn may push down prices, provided there are no natural disasters. But any major expansion of agricultural land in the short term is unlikely, says FAO, and any increase in plantings of one crop would need to occur at the expense of another. So, while the price of a certain food commodity might fall, the prices of others might increase.

Short-term price forecasts for food commodities are difficult because they are linked to other markets, such as energy. A recent FAO/OECD medium-term outlook for major agricultural commodities said prices were likely to remain high for the next decade.

Can the situation be turned around?
Many agriculture experts are pushing for a new "Green Revolution", which doubled cereal production between 1970 and 1995 in South Asia. Money and investment in developing high-yielding varieties of maize, wheat and rice, combined with access to pesticides, irrigation and fertiliser, could have a dramatic impact.But this would require huge amounts of money: between $15 and $20 billion a year, according to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Aid agencies and other non-governmental organisations are lobbying the G8 and other leaders meeting in Japan this week to beef up investment in agriculture in developing countries.

jk/he

[ENDS]

KENYA: Post-violence sex work boom

MOMBASA, 9 July (IRIN) - Like thousands of other Kenyans, Susan Wairimu, 17, was displaced from her home in the Rift Valley Province's Molo district during the violence that followed a disputed presidential election in December 2007 and sought shelter in the nearby town of Nakuru.

A cousin living in the coastal town of Mombasa offered to accommodate her until the violence ended, offering an escape from the single tent she shared with her parents at the displaced persons camp in Nakuru.

"I had no idea of the kind of work my cousin used to do in the beginning; I came to know some few days after my arrival, when she told me she operates as a call girl from the beaches."

Kenya's coast is one of its most popular tourist destinations: an estimated two million tourists visited Kenya in 2007, many of them heading for the Indian Ocean towns of Mombasa, Malindi and Lamu, where commercial sex work is one of the main ways many women earn money.

Before long Wairimu was introduced to the business of selling sex. "We now have the skills and have learnt that the amount of money a man parts with will determine the kind of pleasure we will offer him. For example, making love without a condom will cost a client more money than using one," she said.

"The killing in my village taught me a lesson and prepared me for a tough life, and now I do not fear death any more," she added. "I do not fear HIV and I believe that you will die when your day arrives, and the disease will not determine, but only God."

Wairimu accepts as little as 300 Kenya shillings (US$4.50) for an entire night, sometimes with two men.

Locals at the coast say sex workers in the region traditionally used to target wealthy foreign tourists, usually from Europe. Today, a fall in tourist numbers after the post-election violence and an increased number of sex workers means every man, old or young, black or white, is seen as a potential customer.

Wairimu is one of an estimated two hundred girls between 15 and 18 years of age who are now engaged in full-time sex work along Kenya's coast, according to Solidarity with Women in Distress (SOLWODI), a local non-governmental organisation that sensitises sex workers to the dangers of HIV/AIDS.

Increase in child sex trade

Child sex work is not uncommon along the coast; a 2006 study [http://www.aids2006.org/Web/WEAD0201.ppt] by the government and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) found that up to 30 percent of teenagers in some coastal areas were involved in casual sex for cash.Agnetta Mirikau, a child protection specialist with UNICEF Kenya, told IRIN/PlusNews that the organisation had received reports of an increase in the child sex trade since the election.SOLWODI's field coordinator in Mombasa, Grace Odembo, told IRIN/PlusNews that most of the girls who resorted to sex work were high school drop-outs, which would make it difficult for them to find formal employment.

"The girls have opted to sell their bodies in order to get money for survival," Odembo said. "We try as much as we can ... to convince them out of [sex work]."

The 2006 study also found that 35.5 percent of all sex acts involving children and tourists took place without condoms, putting the girls at risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. The HIV prevalence in Kenya's Coast Province is 5.9 percent, higher than the national average of 5.1 percent.

SOLWODI runs counselling, return-to-school programmes and vocational skills training for girls who wish to get out of the trade. Since its formation in 1997, the organisation has managed to get 5,000 girls and women to leave the sex industry.

Hoteliers often turn a blind eye to residents bringing underage girls into their rooms, but some have a more strict policy regarding commercial sex on their premises.

"We never accommodate any visitors who try to check into our hotels with young-looking girls until we get some required details about the girl," Mohammed Hersi, general manager of the Mombasa's Sarova White Sands Beach Hotel, told IRIN/PlusNews.

"[We usually] establish who the girls are, what they are up to and, most important, their ages."

SOLWODI also trains hotels to implement an existing code of conduct to prevent sexual exploitation in the travel and tourism sector, but by late 2007, only 20 hotels had signed the code of conduct.

The deputy mayor of Mombasa, John Mcharo, said keeping the girls off the streets was difficult. "Yes, we can arrest the girls but only charge them with loitering, just like we've done before, but this can't stop the girls from finding their way back to the streets and beaches as soon as they come out of our custody."

Girls at the beach generally wear bathing suits, so it is difficult to distinguish between sex workers trawling the beach for customers and girls who are simply enjoying a day at the beach.

Local law enforcement officers and religious leaders have called on the government to do more to stop underage girls selling sex in the area. "The government has to come up with a special programme that can get the girls not only off the beaches but off the streets," said Sheikh Mohammed Khalifa, organising secretary of the council of Imams and preachers of Kenya.

He added that his organisation frequently held workshops to urge underage girls to quit the trade, and provided them with spiritual guidance.

The government has a children's department in every district, which is responsible for the protection of children from exploitation and abuse. According to Patrick Wafula, of the Mombasa police department, much of the work of the department's special tourism unit consists of arresting the perpetrators of child sex abuse and exploitation.

"We usually carry out raids in areas we suspect to be meeting points for the girls and their potential clients," he said.

The government also recently expanded the child protection units at police stations, adding children's officers and improving judicial services, so that they are now better prepared to handle children's issues.

jk/kr/he

[ENDS]

Update from FUM Field Staff in Kaimosi - Ben and Jody Richmond

2008-07-08T10:29:00.000-04:00

Update from FUM Field Staff in Kaimosi
Ben and Jody Richmond
Friends Theological College Co-Principals

At West Richmond Friends Meeting on Sunday, July 6, 2008, Ben and Jody Richmond reported on the Friends Church Peace Team efforts to address the needs of IDPs in Kenya, through listening workshops, facilitating return, and providing material relief aid.

The articles in the previous post explain some of the complexities facing IDPs, particularly the crushing financial situation.

Ben and Jody have produced an excellent DVD about their ministry and the college, including footage of the ways that Friends have been responding to the post-election crisis.

Contact Friends United Meeting Global Ministries at www.fum.org, tel (765) 962-7573:

to contribute to the Richmonds' ministry and/or the work of Friends Theological College
to request a copy of the DVD
to request regular news about Quaker missions in Kenya