Friday 17 January 2014

Uganda's anti-gay laws blocked by President Museveni

An asylum seeker from Uganda covers his face with a paper bag in order to protect his identity as he marches with the LGBT Asylum Support Task Force during the Gay Pride Parade in Boston, Massachusetts June 8, 2013. Some gay Ugandans have fled the country, saying they are being persecuted
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has refused to approve a controversial bill to toughen laws against homosexuals.
He has written to the parliamentary speaker criticising her for passing it in December without a quorum.
Homosexuals were "abnormal" and could be "rescued", Uganda's private Monitor paper quotes the president's letter as saying.
The bill includes life imprisonment for homosexual acts and also makes it a crime not to report gay people.
The BBC's Catherine Byaruhanga in the capital, Kampala says the promotion of homosexuality - even talking about it without condemning the lifestyle - would also be punishable by a prison term.
Mr Museveni said the bill was forced through despite his advice to shelve it until the government had studied it in depth, the Monitor reports.
"Even with legislation, they will simply go underground and continue practicing homosexuality or lesbianism for mercenary reasons," he is quoted as saying.
The president is aware that if he signs the bill there will be an international outcry, which could see some countries suspend aid to the country, our reporter says.
Human rights activists say the bill highlights the intolerance and discrimination the gay community faces in Uganda.
One gay activist was killed in 2011, although the police denied he was targeted because of his sexuality.
The bill has been condemned by world leaders since it was mooted in 2009 - US President Barack Obama called it "odious".
The private member's bill originally proposed the death penalty for some offences, such as if a minor was involved or the perpetrator was HIV-positive, but this was dropped.

TD Jakes.... Nothing that you been through will be Wasted

Rodgers: Daniel's in starting contention



If selected, Daniel Sturridge is fit and ready to make his first start since recovering from injury when Liverpool take on Aston Villa on Saturday, Brendan Rodgers has confirmed.
The striker returned to action with a bang as a second-half substitute in Sunday's 5-3 victory at Stoke City; creating a goal for Luis Suarez before getting on the scoresheet himself.
After another week's worth of training at Melwood, Rodgers feels Sturridge is fit enough to be considered for a starting berth when Villa come to Anfield this weekend.
The boss told Liverpoolfc.com: "His qualities and fitness, aligned with what I've seen in training, I think show that if we needed him to start, he would be able to."
Despite having not figured since the Merseyside derby on November 23 due to an ankle problem sustained in training, Sturridge looked fresh as he made his comeback at the Britannia Stadium.
It was a similar scenario at the start of 2013-14 when, despite having his pre-season disrupted by injury, the 24-year-old began the campaign with an immediate impact by firing in each of his first five matches.
Rodgers added: "I think that says everything. He's a boy that is blessed genetically with this wonderful gift of being able to recover - but it's also a mark of his professionalism as well.
"When you've been out for so long, like he was in pre-season, to come back and play as quickly as he did showed how hard he was working in the off-season. And likewise now after the period out.
"He looks after his body, his body fat, his weight and that natural fitness he has, alongside his work, allows him to come back and make the impact he made last week.
"He's again looked very, very good in training, very sharp, and he'll be at a good level come the weekend."

“When I First Came Into Chelsea Dressing Room I Was Shaking All Through” – Mikel Obi’s Touching Memories


john_mikel_obi
playingalongside Obi,” Lampard told the Chelsea official website. ”He’s a top holding midfield player, and for me personally being more attacking in my game it helps to play with someone who has discipline and moves the ball quickly, which Obi can do. He’s one of those players who will not make headlines, but he’s happy to go unrecognised in his work and he has a huge worth for the team when he plays.”
Mikel Obi, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2006 from Lyn Oslo, also praised the England international and pointed him out as one of the senior players, who helped him settle in at the club quickly.
“Coming into a big club like Chelsea, as a young 18-year-old from Africa, it was a dream come true. I remember coming into the dressing room and I was shaking all through the first week. The players in there really helped me settle in – John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and the other African players that were there at the time. I looked at these guys every day and I learned a lot from them, how they act on and off the football pitch, which helped me develop and mature as a person. It was a growing up stage which I never had with any other team. I just jumped straight into this team so I had to learn that way.”

Thursday 16 January 2014

Transfer window: Shane Long set for Hull City move

Hull City are set to sign West Brom striker Shane Long after the clubs agreed a fee which could rise to £7m.
Long, 26, almost moved to the Tigers on transfer deadline day in September and will hold talks again on Thursday.
The Republic of Ireland forward, who scored 22 goals in 87 games for West Brom, has 18 months left on his deal.

Goals exit

With Romelu Lukaku and Peter Odemwingie gone and Long set to depart, West Brom will have lost players who scored 30 of their 53 league goals in 2012-13.
"Despite our best endeavours, Shane has declined to sign a new contract," said West Brom sporting director Richard Garlick.
"We began talking to Shane about a new contract last spring and, during the ongoing negotiations, we made two offers which would have significantly increased his salary."
Long, who has scored 10 goals in 43 caps, would follow Everton striker Nikica Jelavic to Hull after the Croatia international joined the Tigers for a similar fee.
Former Reading frontman Long had a medical at the KC Stadium in September, but then-West Brom manager Steve Clarke blocked the transfer, despite signing both Stephane Sessegnon and Victor Anichebe on the same day.
Long failed to score in his first eight appearances for the club this season, before netting his only three league goals of the campaign against Chelsea and Aston Villa in November.
Despite playing a full 90 minutes at Southampton in front of new boss Pepe Mel, who watched the defeat from the stands, Long could not be persuaded to stay at The Hawthorns.
"Shane effectively only has 18 months left on his deal and with him no closer to accepting our terms and then Hull making an acceptable offer, we felt it was in the club's best interests to accept the bid," added Garlick

Another car bomb in Nigeria

A car bomb in Nigeria kills at least 29 people in Nigeria's North-Eastern city of Malduguri, the epicentre of
 an Islamist revolt.

Meet 20-year-old With World’s Longest Leg At 47 Inches

ross
At 6’1 it may make it easy for Britain’s Alexandra Robertson, 20 to make claim that she indeed is the possessor of the world’s longest legs.
The curiosity to find out how long her own legs came after Anastasia Strashevskaya, a trainee Russian lawyer with 42 inch pins recently won Russia’s Miss Long Legs contest. To her delight Robertson went on to see that she had 5 inches over her Russian rival, measuring at 47 inch pins.
Reflected the model who also happens to be a size 34 DD and wears size 10 dresses: ‘It is crazy – I had no idea my legs were quite that long.’
Robertson from Blackpool, who is 6ft 1, said that next year Miss Longest Legs should be opened to the whole world, adding that she would fancy her chances.
While pursuing a degree in musical theater, Alexandra Robertson also pursues modeling, having being picked up by a local agency after entering a competition when she turned 18. These days she primarily models bridal wear and perhaps not surprisingly lingerie.
Told the leggy model: ‘I do get some stares and I suppose I do intimidate men sometimes, especially in my high heels, but it’s not intentional. I often hear things like “do you play basketball?” but I just turn around and reply “no, do you play mini-golf?” and we end up having a laugh.’
Fortunately Miss Robertson’s height doesn’t intimidate her boyfriend of two years, Laurson Moston, 21.
At 6ft, he is only an inch shorter than her. ‘He doesn’t mind my height at all,’ she said. ‘He did ban me from wearing really high heels when I’m with him, though, because I tower over him then.’
Being tall is something of a family trait. Miss Robertson’s sister Lorna Rycroft, 33, is the same height as her.
But it also has its pitfalls. Told the leggy model: ‘Getting clothes to fit, especially fashion clothes, is a bit of a nightmare.’
Not that some of us don’t mind the occasional tall order.

HOW ABOUT SOME NAIGERIAN POLITICS..?

Tukur’s Successor: Patience Jonathan Schemes To Install Her Candidate, SEE Who It IS

As the battle to replace the embattled chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur continues, Dame Patience Jonathan, first lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is said to have a preferred candidate for the position.
patience_jonathan_218541741The candidate that Patience is reportedly scheming to install as Tukur’s successor is the current minister of transport, Sen. Idris Umar from Borno State.
Tukur was said to have submitted his resignation letter to President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday, but he denied it while speaking to State House correspondents.
The first lady’s choice of Umar has however been criticised by some leaders of the PDP who are of the view that she was part of the trouble in the PDP.
The source said: “We have been on this struggle for long, even before the G-5 governors made good their threat to dump the PDP; but each time we tried to effect it, we were always hitting the rocks because the president’s wife was convinced that it was only Tukur who could deliver her husband in 2015.
“And, unfortunately, there are some close aides of the president who, in connivance with the chairman, were always drumming it to her ears that those who want Tukur out were indeed after the president; all these are tissues of lies that actually prolonged the ultimate decision.
“But, again, even with his resignation, there is yet another challenge that is now threatening the unity of the PDP, and it is the influence of the president’s wife who again insists on Senator Idris Umar, the transport minister, to be made chairman. She has reached out to almost all those who matter in the party to support Umar but we will not bow to this because it is high time Her Excellency was counselled to be circumspect in the affairs of the PDP.”
However, the final decision on who takes over from Tukur would rest on the National Executive Committee (NEC) which meets today.
Prince Uche Secondus, the deputy national chairman,  would take over the leadership of the party in acting capacity, if the option to immediately pick Tukur’s replacement from his zone fails.

wilfred namamba

wilfred namamba

wilfred namamba

Thursday 5 September 2013

my fellow men can you respond to this lady..!!!

A frustrated lady wrote...
Men!!!Men!!!Men!!! So complicated,
So confusing,
So hard to please.
If u try 2 pls dem, u re cheap.
If u make love (sex) to them, u're a Love
Peddler. If u don't, u re playing hard to get.
If u show dem u love dem, u're too
emotional.
If u don't show it, u don't love dem.
If u give them attention, u're bugging them,
if u don't u're with other men. If u demand for attention u'rea nagging
woman,
if u don't u're not understandable
If u dress sexy, u're attracting other men
If u don't , u're awkward & local.
If u cook & wash their clothes u're desperate
If u don't, u're not a wife material.
If u go to club/party, u're too exposed
If u don't, u're naïve.
If u re beautiful, u can't stay wit 1 man
If u're ugly, u're not up to standard. If u're independent, u're chasing men away
If u're dependent, u're a liability:
If u try 2 satisfy dem in bed, U're a sex
addict
If u don't, u're making sex boring.


If u'r pregnant, u want to trap them: If u're not pregnant, u're not a
woman or might hv damaged ur womb
If u ask men for money U're too demanding
What do men really want?
Does that mean they don't even know what
they want? O
They can be so annoying!!!
GOSH!! please, answer dis question:
if u are a man pls be sincere,
WHAT DO MEN REALLY WANT?
Over to you men, your comments, please!

BBA The Chase: Dillish accepts her Kenyan father?

Dillish Mathews

Just yesterday, Dillish’s mother, Selma Pashukeni, confirmed that Abdi Guyo was the man who sired the Namibian beauty over 2 decades ago.
Now all eyes have shifted to Dillish Mathews who had so far not seemed very receptive to him.
In the past couple of days her tweets have been anything but positive, with her insistence that her father is Somali and not Kenyan.
This morning however, her tweets seem to have taken a turn. She tweeted that she was proud to be a Borana girl and that the Lord has given her what she was begging for.
Her icing on the cake, “I am a mommy and daddy’s girl”!
Dillish's Reaction
Dillish reaction
While we have no official statement from Dillish we can only hope she has warmed up to Abdi and that this is the fairy tale ending that she had hoped for.

Wednesday 4 September 2013

BBA The Chase: Dillish's mother, Selma, meets Abdi the guy who claimed to have fathered Dillish

Dillish Mathews
   Dillish Mathews expressed her eagerness to meet her father
Just a day ago, Pulse broke the story that a Kenyan man named Abdi Guyo had come out to claim paternity of BBA winner Dillish. The humble Abdi who is of Somali origin, gave a detailed interview at the Standard Group offices saying that he indeed fathered Dillish during his peacekeeping mission to Namibia in 1989.
The news received mixed reactions with many saying that he was after her new found fortune. But the reaction that mattered the most, Dillish’s, was anything but positive.
On her twitter account the Namibian beauty tweeted “Why is this weird dude claiming to be my dad! My dad is Somali! Where did he fall from haaaaaaai -_-” and went ahead to retweet those who thought that Abdi was lying.
It has been said that only a mother knows the real father to a child and today, Selma Pashukeni, Dillish’s mother, put the naysayers to shame.
In a Google hangout organized by the Kenyan Embassy in Namibia and the Standard Group, Selma and Abdi were able to talk to each other for the first time in close to 23 years.
Selma was joined by the Kenyan Ambassador to Namibia, Peter Gitau, Dillish Uncle and Aunt. Abdi was at the Standard Group offices for the hangout.
The emotions ran deep and Selma was visibly overcome by the reunion. It was clear that she recognized him and willing to talk. If there had been any hard feelings in the past, they were not visible in this hangout as the two gushed about their time together while in Namibia.
It was a trip down memory lane as they reminisced about the places they had been to and the airport where they last saw each other.
The youthful looking Selma who seemed to have the sharpest memory asked about Abdi’s colleagues who according to Abdi had passed on.
Abdi explained that while he tried his best to keep in touch, his hectic army schedule and the extremely slow communication modes caused them to drift apart.
The uncle was quick to remind Abdi to visit Namibia with loads of money as gratitude for all the work he did raising up Dillish in Abdi’s absence.
By the end of the hangout, Abdi has been invited to Namibia to celebrate Dillish’s 23rd birthday which will happening on the 16th of September.
It yet to be known what Dillish thinks of this turn of events but hopefully there will be a happy ending to the story.

Modern men have become boring due to their unhealthy lifestyle

MOdern Lazy man
      Young men are not as adventurous as their fathers a generation ago  Photo: Ocean/Corbis
Young men are not as adventurous as their fathers a generation ago because they are less fit and lack motivation, according to a new study.
It found that males have become less willing to engage in thrill-seeking activities over the past 35 years.
Research conducted in the late 1970s found that men were 48 per cent more likely than women to be involved in adrenaline-fuelled sport.
However, today men are only 28 per cent more likely than women to participate in adventures activities, such as parachuting, scuba diving or mountaineering.
The researchers claim this is an indication of dwindling male appetite for thrill-seeking activities rather than an increase in women interested in these sports.
Dr Kate Cross, who conducted the study at the University of St Andrews, said that the results indicate that young men have lost the spark needed to get involved in exciting activities.
‘The decline in the sex difference in thrill and adventure-seeking scores could reflect declines in average fitness levels, which might have reduced people’s interest in physically challenging activities,’ she said.
A loss of interest in thrill-seeking activities could be also be attributed partially to a decrease in gender-related differences.
‘This interpretation is consistent with evidence that participation in college sports is becoming more gender balanced across time in response to concerted efforts to encourage female sports participation,’ said the study.
Dr Cross said an alternative explanation for the results is that the questions designed in the 1970s could now be out-of-date.
Skiing, for instance, may no longer be viewed as a novel or intense activity.
The study also showed that sex differences in other areas have not changed across time.
For example, men consistently reported higher average scores than women for disliking dull or repetitive activities, and for enjoying challenging social situations.
The research has been published the journal Scientific Reports.
Daily Mail

Tuesday 3 September 2013

Conjugal rights grounds for divorce?

No one in the relationship wants to live with a partner who chooses to seek satisfaction outside marriage when moments that make intimacy difficult hit the relationship. PHOTO/FILE

Would a sexless marriage work, for you?
“Not for me,” says Terry Langat, 28. Terry has been happily married for four years now and believes that a healthy sexual relationship is a basic ingredient of a happy marriage.
In her view, if you are not having sex with your significant other, you are missing a vital connection.
Many Kenyan women share this point of view, yet many of them are living in almost sexless relationships, not for lack of libido or desire, but because they do not trust their straying partners, no longer feel physically thrilled by them, just would not be bothered to initiate or participate, or have higher libidos than their partners.
Everyone agrees — in theory at least — that sex is an extremely important part of an intimate union. Religious elders say so, couple therapists say so, and even the law says so.
LEGALLY OBLIGED
In fact, many husbands do not know that they risk being compelled by the courts to service their wives if they should take the legal route to force their husbands to have sex with them.
On a personal level and in the real world, though, things are different.
Women, it turns out, are willing to sacrifice their physical satisfaction for a man who provides.
Maureen Nyaga, 30, is one of them. She says that sex is a vital component of a marriage. For her, it serves many more purposes than pleasure.
But she says that whether a lack of it is enough to bring a marriage to an end depends on the circumstances surrounding it.
If her man’s disinterest in sex is caused by medical issues, then she would take it but even then, she would expect other forms of physical affection from him like hugging and cuddling.
“If he wasn’t attracted to me anymore then it would mean that we were living a lie. Being sexual is part of being married,” she says.
VITAL COMPONENT
Alice Chege, a 33-year-old from Nakuru, agrees. “A good sexual relationship is just part of the deal and if he was a good father and perfectly played all his other roles, then I would put up with it because I believe that he would do the same for me.
Look at it this way, if we had a happy marriage and he had an accident that made him unable to have sex, would this be a reason to leave him? “
“If sex was the only trouble spot in our relationship, I wouldn’t be so quick to sacrifice my family,” says Linda Waya, 28.
However, she doubts that she could survive a lifetime with a husband who was not the least bit interested in her sexually.
CAUSE TO STRAY
So what happens when a woman is not getting enough? It is human nature to want to feel wanted and desired, especially by those whom we are romantically involved with.
Open rejection from a partner can lead a woman to feel undesired and unloved and sexual frustration is likely to open up a lot of temptations for her to have her needs met elsewhere.
She is not content with platonic bliss but she does not see sex as a big enough reason to throw her family into disarray.
Most couples in this situation usually only see two ways out of it. To cheat on their significant other and live with the guilt or ignore the problem and stay, feeling trapped and stressed.
GETTING TO THE ROOT
According to relationships counsellor Maurice Matheka, both of these options ultimately tear a couple apart. The only way out of this situation is getting to the root of the issue.
Talking with your man about it and forging a way forward together.
But this is easier said than done; sex is an awkward topic, to begin with, and complaints about an otherwise loving partner’s performance can feel unnecessarily hurtful.
So, what if he refuses to talk about it or to get help? I pose this question to Mariam Gumbe, who has been married for six years.
She admits that this is not something that has crossed her mind. For her, cheating is out of the question.
MARITAL BLISS
The way she sees it, if the problem went on for years and he persistently refused to get help, it would mean that he did not care about her or their relationship and she would ask for a divorce. “That is the most honest option. We all deserve to be happy,” she says.
If she found herself in such a situation, Georgina Njeri, 27, says she would try and talk it through with her husband of two years, the way they do with other issues.
She is, however, sceptical about taking matters like these to a third party unless this person is a doctor or a therapist. She says that she has seen couples at the church she goes to take sexual issues to the church elders, who in turn remind them of the duties that husbands and wives have.
She does not know whether or not these reminders work but she insists that she would not go this way.
“I would hate to pressure him. Sex for me should have an emotional connection and if he was just fulfilling his duties, then it would be mechanical. I want him to actually want to do it, not have to put up with it.”
LEGAL SOLUTION
There is always the legal route to help resolve a sexless marriage. The law acknowledges that one of the duties of a spouse is to have sex with their partner.
Nairobi lawyer Kimani Githongo says that wilful denial of sex by a spouse or refusal to actively participate in it without a reasonable cause is mental cruelty and grounds for divorce permissible under Kenyan laws.
Under the Matrimonial Causes Act, women in sexless but salvageable marriages can seek the intervention of the court to be given an order for the restitution of conjugal rights.
If the courts do not find any reason why this decree should not be granted, they will grant it. But the courts are keen not to infringe on the rights of each party.
For instance, if a man is withholding sex because either he or she is infected with HIV, then a court cannot give an order for the restitution of conjugal rights.
COMPENSATION IN LIEU OF CONJUGAL RIGHTS
While the courts may not be able to force one person to have sex with another, if a man is given this order but still refuses to grant the wife her conjugal rights, he will be required to periodically pay sums of money to his wife.
At this point, this can be grounds for divorce. The Act, however, does not address the plight of the wife who refuses to obey such an order.
According to Matheka, there is no black and white description of how much sex is enough sex or what amounts to a sexless marriage.
He explains that individuals have varying sexual energies from time to time even in marriage and when sex is withheld for prolonged periods or there is a major difference in the sexual needs and desires of the partners, then a marriage can be referred to as sexless.
If your man has never had sex with you and he has persistently denied you sex throughout the marriage, this means that the marriage is not consummated and is grounds for an annulment.

Kenyan actress stirs Hollywood buzz

Kenyan actress Lupita Nyongo is receiving rave reviews for her role in the movie 12 Years a slave after the film’s worldwide premiere at the Galaxy Theaters in the Tulleride Film Festival in Colorado on Friday night.
Several US movie critics have also gone out of their way to predict an Oscar nod for the film and for Ms Nyong’o with most agreeing that the actress has a bright future ahead of her in Hollywood.
The film, which is two hours and fourteen minutes long, created a huge buzz at the festival and many critics predicted it is going to hit the US in a “big way” when it is released in the US on October 18th due to its harsh indictment of the slavery era in the country.
TRUE STORY
The movie is based on the true story of Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841. Critics consider Ejiofor as a leading contender for the best actor award at the Oscars.
The film also features famed actor Brad Pitt, actress Andre Woodard and Quvenzhané Wallis, the 10- year-old actress who played the role of Hushpuppy in the critically acclaimed drama film Beasts of the Southern Wild.
In a movie review by The Hollywood Reporter, Ms Nyong’o is named as one of the possible front-runners for an Oscar in the best supporting actress role. She is up against alongside Hollywood heavy hitters who include Oprah Winfrey (for her role as Lee Daniels in “The Butler), Meryl Streep (August: Osage County), Naomi Harris (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom) and Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle).
The magazine correctly predicted 8 of the 9 eventual best picture Oscar nominees and the eventual best actor and best actress Oscar winners for the 2012 and 2013 awards.
The Hollywood Reporter’s lead awards analyst Scott Feinberg however cautions that predictions this early before three other major film festivals to be held in Venice, Toronto and New York may be premature. He however writes that “12 Years A Slave” should make a strong push for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor race.
He also adds that the film should also make an impact in the supporting categories, where Michael Fassbender (as a slave owner) and newcomer Lupita Nyong’o stand good chances of breaking through.
In August of 2012, Ben Affleck’s “Argo” debuted at the Telluride Film Festival and received rave reviews from critics attending the prestigious festival.
Many critics and viewers predicted Oscar nominations for the film after the premiere. Six months after the festival, “Argo” scooped the Best Picture at the 85th annual Academy Awards.
In another major entertainment magazine Variety.com, movie critic Peter Debrudge also had a high praise for Miss Nyongo’s performance. He writes;
“For sheer productivity, none of the slaves comes close to Patsey (Lupita Nyong’o), a soft-spoken beauty of whom Epps is especially fond, much to the consternation of his severe wife (Sarah Paulson).…” he wrote.
UPCOMING PROJECTS
“Actresses like Nyong’o don’t come along often, and she’s a stunning discovery amidst an ensemble that carves out room for proven talents such as Paul Dano, Alfre Woodard and Brad Pitt to shine,” he concludes.
In another review in the Los Angeles Times, Ms Nyong’o is described as staging a breakout performance.
According to HotFix.com another movie review website, Ms Nyongo is said to have “eloquently convinced the audience why her character sees death as her only viable escape.”
“It’s the film’s breakthrough performance and may find Nyong’o making her way to the Dolby Theater (where the Academy/Oscar Awards are held) next March,” the website adds.
In June, the Director of the movie Steve McQueen said of Lupita Nyongo: “a star is born.”
Kenyans will in February 2014 see Ms Nyong’o in another Hollywood movie Non-Stop which is an action thriller featuring Liam Neeson who starred in the movies Taken and Unknown.

Monday 2 September 2013

Pictures from Emmy Kosgei’s traditional wedding


                        
The highly critisiced marriage of Gospel artiste Emmy Kosgei to Nigerian tycoon apostle Anselm Madubuko took place today.
The traditional wedding took place ahead of the church wedding in Nigeria. Earlier sources close to the singer revealed to Pulse that the big ceremony is to take place the second week of september.
The singer had a lot to say regarding the marriage.
Below are some photographs of the traditional wedding taken by those who attended.
                            Photo: Courtesy
                            Photo: Courtesy
                             Photo: Courtesy
                                Photo: Courtesy
                           Photo: Courtesy
                       Photo: Courtesy
                             Photo: Courtesy
                   Photo: Courtesy

Wednesday 28 August 2013

Crooked doctors mint money in risky backstreet abortions


NAIROBI, KENYA: Nineteen-year-old Victoria reenacts how a ‘doctor’ at a clinic in Huruma pumped out blood from her womb using some straw-like plastic. She was 17 then.

“I didn’t even know I was pregnant, until I started falling sick. My mother asked if I was pregnant. I shared with a friend, and she said we need to check out and get rid of it, fast.”
They did. A local ‘doctor’ at the backroom of a two-roomed, plywood partitioned clinic asked her not to scream. The pain was unbearable. Then the bleeding was unstoppable.
After a few months, she was pregnant again. She had learnt the ropes but unlike the first time when she was asked to cough Sh2,000, this second doctor, deemed an expert who works at a reputable hospital but operating a clinic in Madoya, Huruma, asked for Sh5,000.
Other girls in Huruma say some of the people operating the local pharmacies and clinics also work in big hospitals but have found a quick avenue to make money through  abortions.
According to Kenyan law and the World Health Organisation (WHO), these doctors or health workers are categorised as quacks. The WHO says that performing an abortion in an environment that does not conform to minimum medical standards is unsafe. It further defines unsafe abortion as a procedure for terminating pregnancy, carried out by persons lacking the necessary skills.
But safety was the last thing in Victoria’s mind. The pregnancy had to go; otherwise her parents would disown her. The doctor gave Victoria some tablets, saying they were painkillers. “Then he asked me to lie on a table then used scissors on me.”
The first time, the pregnancy was three months. The second, she says, she visited the ‘doctor’ at five months, which according to the Ministry of Health should not be the case, as termination of pregnancy in the second trimester should be done in facilities with adequate supportive care like blood transfusion and a theatre.
This is according to a Standards and guidelines handbook for reducing morbidity and mortality from unsafe abortion in Kenya, published by the Ministry of Health last year.
The book like the  Constitution says abortions are not permitted unless, in the opinion of a trained health professional, there is need for emergency treatment, or the life or health of the mother is in jeopardy.
But women like Victoria rarely learn from mistakes. After her second abortion, Victorial joined a local high school and settled down for her studies. But soon she met a garbage collector who would smile at her everyday, then started buying her chips and giving her bus fare. After a while, she was “in love”.
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Former KPL champions Sofapaka have appointed a new coach.

 
Sam Timbe
Nairobi,Kenya:Former KPL champions Sofapaka have appointed a new coach. Sam Timbe (top) arrived in Nairobi yesterday and declared he has what it takes towel the struggling side. “I have worked with clubs in Rwanda and Tanzania before and this gives me experience to handle my new responsibility,” he said after jetting into the country.

Timbe admitted that he does not know much about the Kenyan league as he has been busy in his current role as Uganda Cranes assistant coach, but adds that it does not differ much with where he has worked before.