Illicit brews in Kenya proves fatal than a cholera outbreak

If there is one disease that all of you avid readers of this blog should watch out for when in Africa or any other region with tropical climate, then it should be Cholera.Forget HIV/AIDS, Malaria or Gornorrhea/Syphillis for those of you who cannot resist on landing. Cholera is the real deal.

Cholera is caused by a dormant bacteria - bacterium Vibrio cholerae. (thank God for Wikipedia). A cholera outbreak can kill more than 100 people within hours, before the usually demotivated health personnel( i speak of Kenyan ones) realize what is happening.Its not cholera that i will be talking about today, but its competitor in the killing business - illicit brews.

Kenyans are still coming to terms with the death of atleast 80 people and a similar number critically ill in hospital. This departed men, women, boys and girls were victims of a poisonous alcoholic drink that they consumed on Sunday 4th May 2014. The deaths were reported in atleast 6 Kenyan counties, where the drink aptly named "countryman" with an illustration of a cowboy on top of horse was supplied.

As expected Kenyan media houses mishandled the whole issue and as per tradition sensationalized and even tribalized the matter given that these 6 counties are in close proximity to the blessed mountain of God from which the noun KENYA was coined. Comparisons of how residents from Western Kenya drink busaa, how Coastals love their palmwine and tribal undertones of how a certain community is afflicted by illicit brews were awash in mainstream media as well as gutter press.

Facebook and twiiter pundits were not left behind, and one facebooker commenting on a photo of president Uhuru inspecting a guard of honour while on official visit to the Federal state of Nigeria, asked why the president looked jovial mood while his "voters" were dying of chang'aa (Kenyan speak for Nubian gin).

President Uhuru Kenyatta inspecting a guard of honour mounted by Nigerian defence force

The victims interviewed, stuck to the old tired line of, we-are-poor-and-we-need -alcohol-to-forget-that-we-are-poor. NACADA, an institution with the mandate to ensure Kenyans are not junkies and led by the able former alcoholic John Mututho, kept to the Kenyan tradition and quickly convened a crisis meeting. In this meeting,  they came up with statistics of how may pubs were in Nairobi, and specifically Juja area in the outskirts of Nairobi. They also in haste cobbled-up obscure laws that supermarkets should not display or sell alcohol, that liquor stores should open up at 5pm. One law, that caught my attention was that of making alcohol expensive with an aim of deterring people from accessing it. This to me was a very silly law which obviously will lead to the proliferation of cheap liqour.

The solution to the problem is let Kenyans be. I love my kwang kwang and i want to drink it when that demon in my mind demands it. Reduce the tax on Senator (Obama) Keg beer and legalize safe and hygienic distillation of Nubian gin.

Kalonzo is irrelevant in the current political scene in Kenya

Last week there was an outrage on social media after former vice president told off a journalist on the basis of tribe. It is no secret that Kenya is stuck with UhuRuto for the next 20 years just as Russia has been stuck with Putin/Medvedev in the past 14yrs.

Kalonzo might have stirred the hornets nest to remain relevant, but the CORD coalition still remains pale and un-inspiriring. The de facto CORD leader Raila Odinga is on a sabbatical in Boston and the vacuum left at home is evident. A vacuum that Moses Wetangula and Kalonzo Musyoka combined, leave alone individually cannot fill.

Although Kenyans protestations on Kalonzo's un-witty-ness are very hypocritical (Kalonzo was just being Kenyan), it is about time long-serving leaders hung their boots. Kalonzo is a well meaning leader who has served Kenya for a long period of time and should do the honourable thing of retiring from "active" politics because the presidency might be a little far fetched for him.There is a lot of respect in bowing out voluntarily. Kubanduka kuna heshima. The same can be said of the former prime minister Raila Odinga, even he stands at better odds as far as the presidency is concerned.

Tanzania - East Africa's economic giant

Walking down the streets of Kariokor in downtown Dar es Salaam on a cloudy humid day brings me face to face with Tanzania's entrepreneurial economy.Other than the buzz enamating from flies in the filthy stinking streets connecting to Kariakor and Uhuru streets, one cannot fail to notice the number of neat buildings coming up in the once rustic East African coastal city.

This time round, i'm in Dar for official purposes and not for pleasure and on this particular day i'm in the company of an acquitance from my host institution in Dar. He is taking me to his production studios on Masasi street in the expansive Kariakor business district.

The studios duplicate (the real word is pirate) foreign movies and package them. If you have been to East Africa and seen hawkers hawking foreign Dvd's - the likes that have 20 movies in one disk - then those are the ones i'm talking about.

My friends studio also translate english movies into swahili and sometimes lands contracts to legally duplicate Tanzanian productions in agreement with the copyright holder. Please note that these studios on Masasi, Magilla and Aggrey streets don't pirate Tanzanian productions, only foreign (Western, Indian and Chinese productions).

Most of these Dvds are shipped to DR Congo and Malawi but also find their way to Kenya, Burundi and Rwanda. One shipment yields (all overheads deducted) US$ 1,200 for my friend and he ships 2 consignments in a month.

This is not the only thriving business in Dar and Tanzania in general. The country is blessed with having plenty of food. Tanzanians in general love spending money but are also the number one money savers in East Africa. The country is sorrounded by 6 land locked countries, two (DR Congo and Zambia) which are rich in minerals. The country itself is very rich in a variety of minerals. Tanzania has the second largest African elephant populations in the World which stands at 400,000. Botswana has the highest number.

Tanzania is also already producing natural gas in Mtwara, south Tanzania and is tipped to be the second largest producer of natural gas in the near future.
Kenya is a sophisticated economy but at a closer look, Tanzania's economy might be larger than Kenya's

Nairobi aiport early morning inferno raises political tension in Kenya

Sabotage is what the fire at Jomo Kenyatta International airport was. As per my tradition, i will try to be accurate with my analysis of the situation as possible.

The whole of East Africa woke up to horrific images of fire gutting the biggest and the busiest airport in the region. Prior to the the incident there were major fuel hitches at the airport. A few days before, former prime minister of Kenya Raila Odinga had been denied access to the V.I.P lounge and the press reported it from a power games perspective suggesting that Jubilee government was trying to put Mr. Odinga in his place as a raiah and was not cognisant of Mr. odinga's "statemanly" privileges.

It went therefore that the news of the inferno received mixed reactions among Kenyans with CORDashians jubilating and viewing it as Karma for the humiliation of Raila Odinga by the young UHURUTO government. The President himself, Uhuru Kenyatta arrived early and addressed the nation. It was clear in his face that he was upset by the situation akin someone smeared with a rotten egg in the face.

As usual Kenyans could not resist speculating about the whole saga. From the little kamukunjis in downtown Nairobi to the slopes of the blessed mountain - Mount Kenya, fingers were being pointed.

The Raila fiasco was not the only drama that had happened in the airport on this fateful month. One Saul...ehm sorry, Paul Kamlesh Patni had been thrown out of Airport premises and his duty free shops looted. Kenyans were also suspicious of Pattni  and there was a conspiracy theory that Pattni Raila might had hired arsonists thugs to set ablaze the international arrivals terminal.

Luckily, Kenyans were so hungry and broke and therefore had to stop talking and got into the business of building the nation. They realized that talking could not put food on the table.

I Fully support UHURUTO's government- Kenya's Jubilee Government

Its a new dawn for Kenya. Kenya has the "coolest" government in Africa.Indeed Bob collimore while inviting President Uhuru Kenyatta to give his speech at the recently held groove awards, described H.E. Uhuru as a cool President.

Yes, it is true that Uhuru and Ruto are currently enjoying full power for the people by the people. They are enjoying majority support (that is democracy), contrary to what the the opposition pupports, The Jubilee government is very popular on the ground in Kenya. In actual fact, the jubilee government has even captured the imaginations of other Africa countries. This is evident by the attention the Kenyan government is getting from some countries considered as the powerhouses of Africa namely Nigeria and South Africa which had hitherto had lukewarm relationship with Kenya.

Kenya struck oil in the year 2012. It is an industralized nation. It is an English speaking Nation. What Kenya needed was young and sophisticated leadership which Uhuru and Ruto have aptly provided. The nation is very optimistic about the Jubilee government. Things are looking up.Africa be warned...Kenya has emerged

HUddah Monroe weeps after being evicted from Big Brother Africa 8 - The chase

Less than a week after Huddah's nude videos of her showering in the BBA house went viral on the internet, she finds herself on the next KQ flight out of Jozi and into Nairobi. After her name was called out as the next evictee, the Kenyan girl of Somali heritage could not hold her tears as she took the walk of shame from the diamond house to the eviction stage. Nigerian host IK could not help it but rub it in, when he made a remark that Denzel and Huddah will understand the "Hot room" while watching the show from outside.

Huddah expressed her dissapointment that Africa did not give her a chance to "showcase" herself. The irony of this statement lies in the fact that she laid herself bare or rather laid her naked  body bare for all to see during the morning exercises and shower sessions.

However, for Kenyans all is not lost as we stiil got Annabel to represent us, and also the fact that through Huddah we have re-learned the lesson that those who exalt themselves will surely be humbled in front of everyone.

catch Huddah's shower thumbnail here

http://s20.postimg.org/dpgnz0yn1/BB8...i_thumbs_2.jpg

A post mortem of Kenya's March 2013 General Election

As expected, elections in Kenya have left a sour taste in Kenyans mouths once again.