Daily news

Thursday, 18 July 2013

Kenya National Union of Teachers in rush to secure teachers’ June pay

Updated Friday, July 19th 2013 at 09:52 GMT +3 KENYA: Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) officials spent the better part of yesterday pleading with the Government to fine-tune their return-to-work formula a day after they called off strike.

Sources indicated the giant teachers union officials rushed to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the Labour Secretary’s office seeking ‘an improvement’ on certain aspects of the deal.
Knut national chairman Wilson Sossion, secretary general Mudzo Nzili, national treasurer Albanus Mutisya and union legal officer arrived at TSC headquarters a few minutes after 11am.
The officials spent close to three hours at TSC waiting for commission secretary Gabriel Lengoiboni, who was out of the office for another meeting. Mr Sossion said they wanted to ‘fine-tune’ the document with relevant offices.
They later left TSC for the office of Labour Secretary Kazungu Kambi where reports indicated they asked him to fast track the process.
Sources indicated that unless the deal is properly signed, Knut members would not have their June salaries paid even after the union called off the strike.
“We want the June salaries released and that is why we are moving up and down,” said Mr Mutisya.
Ride on Kuppet
But even as the officials pushed to validate the deal, the rival union warned they will not allow Knut to ride on a deal they had negotiated with the Government.
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers ( Kuppet) secretary general Akelo Misori and union national chairman Omboko Milemba said they will block Knut from registering any agreement with the Industrial Court.
The union officials said Knut had not registered any of the items lined up in their return-to-work formula.

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Lupita nyong'o in Hollywood

Kenyan actress and filmmaker ‪#‎Lupita‬ Nyong'o has made it to Hollywood. The actress, daughter of politician Anyang' Nyong'o has made a powerful debut in a movie, 12 Years a Slave, alongside a cast made up of some of the biggest names in film, Brad Pitt, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Paul Giamatti and Alfre Woodard.

PM snubs train for a helicopter... and wastes thousands of pounds on 140-mile trip to meet factory workers

Updated Thursday, July 18th 2013 at 14:15 GMT +3 David Cameron spent thousands of pounds of public money on a 140-mile helicopter flight to Lincoln instead of taking a car or train.
The Prime Minister snubbed public transport and travelled by military aircraft to attend a question-and-answer session with factory workers.

Last night green campaigners said there was ‘no justification’ for using a helicopter for such a short journey.

It is believed that the flight by RAF helicopter was only a little more than an hour faster than taking a train.
On Tuesday, Mr Cameron was driven to RAF Northolt, near Uxbridge, West London, in his ministerial car, a journey of around 35 minutes.
He was then flown by military helicopter to RAF Waddington, near Lincoln – a flight of less than an hour – where he was met by another car to take the 13-minute journey to a Siemens factory.
A similar train journey from London to Lincoln, changing at Newark North Gate, takes around two hours and costs £67, or around £120 for a first-class ticket.
It is not known how much using the RAF helicopter would have cost, but it is likely to have been several thousand pounds.

Billy Graham's Devotional Now on YouVersion

July 18, 2013 - YouVersion, the mobile app which crossed the 100 million download mark, has made the Bible available in more than 500 different versions and 300 languages, but it also features many devotional reading plans, including most recently Billy Graham's 366-day plan, "Day by Day."

"Billy Graham is one of the most trusted, well-known Christian leaders of our time."
—YouVersion's Adam Bouse

Billy Graham is no stranger to the latest technology.

As one of the first to leverage radio and television to spread the Gospel message around the globe, Mr. Graham was somewhat of a technological trailblazer.

So it only makes sense that his devotions are now available on the most widely distributed biblical mobile application — YouVersion.

“My grandfather has always been on the cutting edge when it comes to technology,” said Will Graham, grandson of Billy Graham and associate evangelist and vice president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. “He pioneered the use of radio, television and motion pictures in evangelism, and we are seeing a tremendous impact today through the Internet and reaching people on mobile devices.”

Mr. Graham’s one-year reading plan from his popular devotion Day by Day is now available on YouVersion, which celebrated 100 million downloads on July 7.

Thousands across the world have been engaging in Mr. Graham’s devotional content for years on the free BGEA app, where in addition to devotion content you’ll find Billy Graham sermons, television specials and classic Hour of Decision programs.

Making it available on YouVersion opens up an entirely new audience of believers eager to engage in God’s Word.

“We hope making this content available via YouVersion will help people around the world grow closer in their relationship with God,” Will Graham said.

Adam Bouse, one of the team leaders at YouVersion, is excited about adding Day by Day to its reading plan lineup, which includes Focus on the Family, John Piper, James McDonald and Our Daily Bread, among others.

“Billy Graham is one of the most trusted, well-known Christian leaders of our time,” Bouse said. “The teaching and wisdom that Billy Graham brings to the table will help people connect with Scripture and become a daily habit. We don’t want people just to read the Bible on Sunday.”

‘A Legend’

Engagement in Scripture has always been a big deal at YouVersion, the ministry founded by LifeChurch.tv. And in a recent survey, YouVersion found that 77 percent of its users report they read the Bible more frequently because they have it on their mobile devices.

“Our goal is for people to engage in God’s Word,” said Lori Bailey, director of communications at LifeChurch.tv. “And Billy Graham is a legend. To be able to offer his content to people in a digital format is thrilling. We definitely see people responding in a big way.”

Bouse estimates between 40,000-50,000 people initially signing up for Billy Graham’s reading plan, and within a year’s time he could see more than 100,000 engaging with Day by Day.

“When people come to the Bible, they have questions, how do they read it, how do they apply it to my life,” Bouse said. “We know that trusted leaders help people engage in the Bible.”

Bailey thinks the Billy Graham devotional may “stretch our demographics a bit,” while also “introducing this content to a new generation.”

“With a household name like Billy Graham, there’s not too much doubt there will be many subscribers,” she said.

‘Last-Ditch Effort’

The YouVersion app also celebrated its five-year anniversary on July 10. But as Bailey, Bouse and others at YouVersion will attest, the fact that they’re even around in 2013 is a testament to God’s sovereignty.

And the fact that every second 66,000 users are using YouVersion and that you can find more than 500 versions and 300 languages on the mobile site, is beyond its wildest dreams.

“It’s pretty easy to step back and say God is clearly doing something special,” said Bouse, who joined the team about three years ago when itsnumbers were hovering around 8 million users. “We don’t want to take any credit for it. In an instant, God could take it and move it somewhere else.”

Bailey couldn’t agree more.

“The easy answer is it’s because God’s behind it, but it’s true,” said Bailey about the app that was launched as one of about 200 free apps when Apple opened its iTunes store in 2008. “Being first probably helped. But we were in a unique situation to give it a try because we had already created an online Bible.”

But like many success stories, YouVersion had a rocky start. Things were so bleak in the early days, according to Bailey, “We were just a couple weeks from turning the YouVersion website off.”

Launched as a traditional website, YouVersion began in 2007 and by early 2008, the traffic numbers had only climbed to the 20,000 range for the first year, far below projections.

“(The leaders) were in a big room, with all these Post-its on the wall,” Bailey said. “And they decided to try this one last-ditch effort.”

Most everyone in the room was on their Blackberry phones at the time and they decided to try out a mobile version. And then the game-changer happened in March, when Apple announced it was opening an iTunes store.

Although nobody realized the possible impact.

“We had a young 19-year-old kid who loved Apple and jumped in and did it as sort of a side project,” Bailey said.

LifeChurch.tv’s innovation pastor and YouVersion’s founder, Bobby Gruenewald set a lofty goal at the time of 80,000 downloads from iTunes over the first six months.

“It hit 80,000 installs in the first weekend,” Bailey said.

By May of 2012, YouVersion hit 50 million installs and just 14 months later — at precisely 3:46 p.m. on July 7 — it celebrated the 100 millionth download.

“People are reading the Bible in the car, waiting to pick up the kids, at line in the grocery store, while they’re at the airport,” Bouse said. “We hear stories about people all the time, people who have tried for years to read the Bible all the way through in a year, who are finally doing it.”

Big Year for Billy Graham

The YouVersion announcement comes at a significant time in Mr. Graham’s ministry. He is praying and preparing for the biggest North America evangelism outreach, My Hope with Billy Graham, which culminates in November in both the United States and Canada.

More than 16,000 churches have registered to participate in My Hope America, which also includes an Oct. 15 release of his newest book, The Reason for My Hope: Salvation.

At the same time, Capitol Christian Group will release a music project entitled My Hope: Songs Inspired by the Message and Mission of Billy Graham. Among the Platinum- and Gold-selling artists on the CD are Newsboys, Michael W. Smith, Matthew West, Israel Houghton, Lacey Sturm, Kari Jobe, Darlene Zschech, Nicole Nordeman, Amy Grant and Vince Gill.

68,000 graduates blacklisted as Helb cracks whip on defaulters

Updated Friday, July 19th 2013 at 09:05 GMT +3 Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) has blacklisted more than 68,000 graduates for defaulting on their loan repayments and forwarded their names to the Credit Reference Bureau (CRBs).

The list includes both beneficiaries of higher education loans who are either in employment or still unemployed.
The blacklisted borrowers will not be allowed to access credit from any financial institution for a period not less than seven years from the time they complete their last loan repayment installments, according to the new regulations governing the operations of the CRBs.
The latest move comes just after the expiry of an amnesty campaign period where past beneficiaries were allowed to pay outstanding loans in lump sum and have their interest and penalties waived.
The two-month exercise recovered Sh670 million as past beneficiaries rushed to benefit from the interest and penalty-waiving scheme.
However, Chief Executive Charles Ringera said the amount in default stands in excess of Sh7.45 billion.
“We are now members of the credit information sharing system. We have already forwarded the file of defaulters to the Credit Reference Bureau,” Ringera told The Standard in a telephone interview yesterday.
Amnesty campaign
He said the unemployed are also part of these defaulters because people are just becoming evasive but we will follow them. Ringera said prior to the amnesty campaign the number of loan defaulters stood at 75,500 but declined to 68,647 at the end of the campaign on July 6. HELB two years ago started imposing a Sh5, 000 fine for each month that a loan is not serviced from the time of maturity.
The penalty is slapped on beneficiaries regardless of whether or not they had been able to secure an employment opportunity.
HELB loans fall due immediately a beneficiary completes his/her course irrespective of whether they are in employment or not.

Owalo a "decoy," CID target is Cord leaders

Cord's Johnstone Muthama and Anyang' Nyong'o and other coalition leaders during a news conference at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi July 18, 2013. Cord accused the CID of targeting its leaders after former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s aide was summoned over an alleged plot to destabilise the government. EMMA NZIOKA

The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy has accused the CID of targeting its leaders after former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s aide was summoned over an alleged plot to destabilise the government.

Eliud Owalo who headed Mr Odinga’s presidential campaign in the run up to the March 4 polls was summoned by the CID on Tuesday for questioning.

Mr Owalo has been summoned again to appear before the CID on Monday through a letter from a Mr John Kariuki on behalf of the director of criminal investigations Ndegwa Muhoro.

On Thursday, Cord leaders Anyang Nyong’o, Johnstone Muthama, James Orengo, Ugunja MP James Wandayi and Migori women representative Dennitah Ghati among others dismissed the allegations accusing the Jubilee administration of taking Kenyans back to dark days of oppression.

“The Jubilee government is already destabilised. No one needs to destabilise it,” Prof Nyong’o told journalists at Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi.

Decoy

In a statement, the Cord leaders said Mr Owalo was a decoy and that his pursuit is diversionary as “the real target are his bosses; the coalition principals Hon Raila Odinga, Hon Kalonzo Musyoka and Senator (Moses) Wetangula.”

They said the allegations against Mr Owalo “are an insult to Kenyans as the source of this so called intelligence sources of information was a blog known as The Jackal News ran by known TNA operative who clearly is carrying out errands for the Jubilee Government".

“Kenyans are not fools. We urge the Jubilee Government to mind the business of Kenyans, to respect and uphold the Constitution of Kenya and to cease and desist from using untoward tactics by ways of withholding benefits for the principals, frustrating their smooth movement in and out of the country using our airports and making wild baseless allegations yet serious accusations. The country must not be divided further,” the statement said.

Curtail individual liberties

Cord said it is concerned about the way individual liberties and freedoms were being rolled back and curtailed “not only for the lowly person but unbelievably even for principals and icons of democracy in Kenya".

“It is only two days ago the Deputy President William Ruto was quoted in the media calling for the possible arrest of the Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga because of serious issues he raised concerning IEBC (Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission),” the statement said.

Saying the guilty are afraid, Prof Nyong’o said barely days after Mr Odinga chastised IEBC, Mr Owalo was accused of working to wreck Jubilee.

“It is instructive that Mr Owalo is not just another aide, but is in fact the individual that ran the Prime Minister's Campaign Secretariat. As such he would be privy to details of anomalies and short comings and malfunctions that led to a disputed election which was argued in the Supreme Court,” Prof Nyong’o said.

The leaders said Mr Owalo was also being targeted because of an article he wrote on a local daily titled: Why the electoral commission must be disbanded.”

Cord accused the CID are making unsubstantiated, comical, cheap yet treasonable charges against Mr Owalo.

Cord said the allegations against Mr Owalo include: That Mr Owalo is conducting secret meetings and organising youth around the country, in major towns and slums for purposes of fomenting an uprising or revolt against the Jubilee Government; That Mr Owalo is organising diplomats, foreign embassies, clergy and the civil society to rise up and oppose the Jubilee Government by causing disaffection; That all this Mr Owalo is doing to mimic an Egyptian style revolution or uprising also part of what was called the Arab spring; That Mr Owalo has received millions of shillings from foreign embassies through a Nairobi Law firm in the guise of proceeds of legal transaction but which will be used to further the above objectives.

Learn how to negotiate for the relationship you want

PHOTO | FILE A relationship is akin to a business deal. FOTOSEARCH |

Posted Wednesday, July 17 2013 at 01:00

In Summary

Sometimes, there’s need for power play to get what you want – don’t shy away from flexing your muscles if needed.

Why perfecting visual approach landing is necessary for pilots

The Asiana Airline plane that crash landed in the US. Speculation has centred on whether this was a badly managed visual approach. Photo/AFP

Last week, an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777-200 arrived at San Francisco after a scheduled ten-hour flight from Seoul.

The weather at the time of arrival was good, but the instrument landing system— specifically the part that provides vertical guidance —had been declared unserviceable. Consequently the air traffic controllers cleared the plane for a visual approach to runway 28L.

This routine approach, however, ended in tragedy when the airliner touched down short of the runway.

The plane hit an edge — shearing off the wheels and the tail section, skidded along the ground and finally burst into flames. Amazingly, only three people died.

While it’s still early in the investigation, speculation has centred on whether this was a badly managed visual approach worsened by a misunderstanding on the operation of the auto throttle.

With a visual approach, you look outside the window, determine where you want to go and fly the plane there; It’s how we all initially learn how to fly.

Instrument flying relies on navigation aids. By not referencing visual cues, you are able to land in poor weather, relying on your instruments to guide you to a point where you can see the runway.

Unlike a car, a plane does not simply turn; it banks. This bank changes the heading, which in turn takes you to your preferred point; it’s a little bit like reversing a car, only more complex.

On the vertical front, you have to point the nose at a point just before the runway if you want the plane to go to your visual aiming point.

Any change in the airplane configuration, or outside conditions, changes the amount of force you have to apply on the control column to keep the plane flying where you want it to go.

To round it all off, there is a lot of lag when flying large planes. The jet engines take about eight seconds to spool up from idle to full power, and any control inputs will take some time before being reflected in the aircraft flight path.

All this time, a pilot is also supposed to monitor the speed displayed inside the cockpit. Once a plane slows down beyond a certain speed, it stalls and becomes a large rock.

To make it easier on the pilots, manufacturers have made some improvements on their planes.

Fly by wire controls, such as those on the 777, have made flying significantly easier by eliminating most of these extraneous forces.

Flight directors, horizontal and vertical bars on the displays, free the pilot from having to judge all those parameters.

Kenya Defence Forces officers injured in Kismayu explosion

Updated Thursday, July 18th 2013 at 16:40 GMT +3
Somalia: Three Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) personnel were injured in an explosion during their normal patrols within Kismayu area, Somalia.

Chief of the Defence Forces, General Julius Karangi Thursday said the soldiers were injured on Wednesday when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded between Kismayu and Afmadow junction as an AMISOM convoy was passing on its routine duties.
Two other Somali civilians also suffered minor injuries and are receiving treatment at an AMISOM medical facility in Kismayu.
“The Chief of the Defence Forces, General Julius Karangi strongly condemns the attacks aimed at undermining the gains by AMISOM forces,” said a statement from the KDF headquarters.
Gen Karangi re- affirmed KDF’s efforts to protect and support the people of Somalia as they rebuild their country
KDF are under AMISOM in Somalia and have been in operation there since October 2011.
The offensive was launched following a spade of kidnappings of foreigners from Kenya blamed on the militant group.
The Kenyan and Somali governments accuse the militant group Alshabaab of being behind growing insecurity along the common border of the two countries.
Meanwhile, panic gripped residents of Mlango Kubwa in Nairobi Thursday after a device resembling an Improvised Explosive Device was found in the area.
According to police, the device was discovered in the afternoon by passers-by who informed the police.
Area police Chief Samuel Anampiu said the device was detonated by bomb experts from the CID headquarters.

World's Oldest Mum Gives Birth At 70

Rajo Devi Lohan hit the headlines in 2008 when she gave birth to daughter Naveen following controversial IVF treatment
According to the mirror, the world's oldest mum has hit back at critics who blasted her for giving birth aged 70 - claiming it has actually helped her live LONGER.
Rajo Devi Lohan hit the headlines in 2008 when she gave birth to daughter Naveen following controversial IVF treatment.
Now 74, Rajo, who nearly died as a result of complications following her pregnancy, has vowed to live long enough to see her five-year-old girl marry.
"The only reason I am still alive in spite of my illness is Naveen," she said.
"She is a gift to me from God and until I get her married I cannot afford to die. I will get her married when she turns 15-years-old, but until then I simply cannot die.”
Rajo, who lives with Naveen in the remote village of Hissar, India, her husband Ballo and his second, younger wife Umi, was so desperate to have a child she took out loans to pay for the £2,000 IVF treatment.
When the baby was born, many questioned whether it was morally right for a pensioner to have children, while also suggesting it is detrimental to the health of an OAP.
And their doubts appeared to be justified when Rajo fell gravely ill, almost dying from post-birth complications related to her IVF treatment.
But after battling back, Rajo has even outlived her doctor who guided her through the process, and she puts it all down to having something to live for - daughter Naveen.
Rajo said: "When Naveen was born the Doctor had asked me to take complete bed rest but I did not listen to him and that?s why my health got so bad.
"I am not used to resting and that?s why I could not help myself but work even after she was born. For me work is what I have done all my life.
"But I am feeling much better now. The doctor took very good care of me, but unfortunately he has since died. He spent a lot of money on my medical expenditure, to help me get a child.
"When I used to look around and see children, my heart felt sad that I couldn't have one - I desperately wanted to have a child of my own.
"Everyone celebrated when she was born. The villagers were very happy and every one came to see her.

United Kingdom to probe Huawei staff's role at cybersecurity centre

Updated Thursday, July 18th 2013 at 16:02 GMT +3 The UK government has confirmed it is to review Huawei's involvement in a cybersecurity centre.
The news follows a report by parliament's intelligence committee which raised concerns that staff working at the base in Oxfordshire were employed by the Chinese firm.

Part of their job is to test Huawei's own equipment for vulnerabilities.
US politicians have claimed that the company posed a threat because of links to China's government and military.
The allegations are based, in part, on the fact that the company's founder, Ren Zhengfei, was a former member of the People's Liberation Army.
But Huawei has strongly denied having close ties to the Chinese state and has stressed that it is 98.6%-per-cent-owned by its employees.
Although the firm has been prevented from bidding for many US infrastructure contracts, it has been active in the UK after striking a multi-billion pound deal to provide networking equipment to BT in 2005.
A spokeswoman for Huawei highlighted the fact that the government has said it is confident that UK networks using the firm's equipment "operated to a high standard of security and integrity".
She added that her company supported the decision to carry out a review.
Trade links
The UK's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) raised concerns about the company's involvement in the Cyber Security Evaluations Centre in Banbury, Oxfordshire, last month.
"While we recognise that there are some benefits associated with the current staffing arrangements for the Cell, these do not, in our opinion, outweigh the risks of Huawei effectively policing themselves," its report read.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter plans to move 2022 World Cup

Updated Thursday, July 18th 2013 at 15:37 GMT +3 Fifa president Sepp Blatter is determined to switch the 2022 World Cup to the winter because of the intense Qatar summer heat.
The head of world football's governing body is planning discussions over the change with his executive committee.

The Premier League are opposed to the move as it would cause major disruption to league fixtures.
Blatter said: "The executive committee will certainly follow my proposal. Then we will have dealt with it for good."
Blatter will hold talks with Fifa's executive committee in October after medical evidence highlighted the dangers of playing games in temperatures that average 40C in June and can reach 50C.
The heat dips to an average of 20C during the winter months.
The host nation is planning to play games in air-conditioned stadiums, but Blatter said: "The Fifa World Cup must be a festival of the people, but, for it to be such a festival, you can't play football in the summer.
"You can cool down the stadiums, but you can't cool down the whole country and you can't simply cool down the ambience of a World Cup.
"The players must be able to play in the best conditions to play a good World Cup."
Moving the World Cup to the winter would significantly impact on the European leagues.
Blatter insists it would only affect one season, but the Premier League fear fixtures could be disrupted across Europe for three seasons
"The Premier League's view remains unchanged," a spokesman said. "We are opposed to the concept of a winter World Cup for very obvious practical reasons that would impact on all of European domestic football."

19 yr Kenyan girl to open Hacker Academy after US visa decline

Martha Chumo is on an ambitious path to establish Kenya’s first exclusive coding academy.

We must admit that it’s a bit embarrassing to pick local stories from international media but if it’s really inspiration and positive (which is rare) then we go all out, but of course give credit.

CNN yesterday featured a story of 19 year old Martha Chumo who has unbridled determination and ambition for her age.

Chumo is clearly intelligent. She was at the top of her class in her high school and was waiting to join the University of Nairobi to study Medicine when she got interested in programming.

“Learning code became my obsession. In June 2012, I took the little I had saved and bought a computer, installed Ubuntu and quit my internship,” Chumo told Code Academy in an earlier interview.

She spent hours at iHub learning and interacting with the community members and within a short period she was conversant with Ruby on Rails programming language.

“Programming opened an unknown world to me. I was planning on going to medical school, like most top-students in Kenya do. Now I’m taking a year off to explore software development. I’m especially excited about the world of open source software.”

Two months ago, Chumo applied and was accepted to the renowned US-based Hacker School, where upcoming programmers are enrolled for three months to write code, learn new languages and share industry insights.

iHub Nairobi

Although the tuition fee was catered for, Chumo needed to take care of her air fare of $4,200. Ever the enthusiast, she turned to the online crowdsourcing platform Indiegogo. She raised $5,800.

Happy that her travel costs had been taken care of, Chumo’s only other requirement was have US visa processed.

But the US embassy did not share her enthusiasm. Her profile – single, young girl, not in school – scored low and did not show sufficient “social ties” to Kenya according to the US visa section.

You would have thought the visa denial would have put discouraged the 19 year old but that only served to redirect her energy to a bigger dream.

“I thought if I can’t go to hacker school, let me try to bring the school to me,” Chumo told CNN.

She turned to the same crowdsourcing fund raising site with plans to start her own developers’ school in Nairobi.

Chumo says that, similar to Hacker School, Nairobi’s dev school will run for three months and be free of charge for participants. Its goal is to equip young programmers from across East Africa with valuable skills and help them build exciting new technology for the continent.

Barely a month after she launched her bid to start Nairobi Dev School, she has secured space for the school and managed to raise $12,000 out of a $50,000 target.

“In some way, it was a good thing that they didn’t let me go to Hacker School.”
Source: CNN and CodeAcademy

Jaramogi Oginga Odinga regarded Kenneth Matiba, Mwai Kibaki as political novices

Updated Thursday, July 18th 2013 at 10:35 GMT +3 Kenya: The doyen of Kenyan opposition politics the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga was not a spiteful man. But he never held his cool when it came to former Ford-Asili leader, Kenneth Matiba. This was especially after a disjointed opposition lost the 1992 elections to Kanu.

Ford was formed to fight for democracy and remove Kanu from power. But just a few months before the General Election in 1992, it split into Ford-Kenya led by Raila’s father, Jaramogi and Ford-Asili headed by Kenneth Matiba.
They were whitewashed by Kanu in the elections. It seemed Jaramogi never forgave Matiba for the split. On July 18, 1993, The Standard on Sunday splashed a story titled; Odinga dismisses Matiba. It quoted Jaramogi referring to Matiba as ‘a political novice who was leading an infant party’.
“He at the same time said his political acumen could not be compared with DP’s Mwai Kibaki. Mr Odinga said he is the one who persuaded Mr Kibaki to quit his teaching job at Makerere University and take up the job of Executive Officer of Kanu in 1960,” reported the paper.
By referring to Matiba as a political novice and his party, Ford-Asili as an infant entity, Jaramogi could have given in to emotions.
Party disunity
He was angry at the fact that the combined opposition votes in 1992 presidential election was more than what former President Moi garnered, but they still lost due to disunity, which was blamed on Matiba.
Having been humiliated at the first multi-party elections in 1992, the opposition was humbled. Jaramogi seemed to have realised the only way to beat Kanu was for them ‘to stick together to survive, or be hanged separately’, to use the late Kijana Wamalwa’s words.
But Matiba was unrelenting. In the 1992 General Election Ford-Asili won 32 seats against Ford-Kenya’s 30 to become the second largest party and also the Official Opposition.
After defections and subsequent by-elections where it lost seats to Kanu, FORD Asili remained with only 23 seats by 1994. This saw Ford-Kenya became the Official Opposition party.
But even after defections, Ford-Asili and Ford Kenya had an even number of parliamentarians. The rift then ensued on whether Ford-Asili should still retain its identity as the Official Opposition party.

Wayne Rooney arrives at Manchester United's training ground amid doubts on future

Updated Thursday, July 18th 2013 at 14:51 GMT +3 Adapted from SkySports
Rooney drove into the Carrington training complex around 9am, and is set to continue receiving treatment for a hamstring injury, which prompted his early return from their pre-season tour.

United manager David Moyes, who is in Australia on the latest leg of the club's Far East tour made a public appearance in Sydney on Thursday - but refused to be drawn on the future of the England striker.
The 27-year-old - who is reportedly "angry and confused" at his treatment by United - was the subject of a bid from Chelsea earlier this week - something confirmed by Jose Mourinho at a press conference on Wednesday.
"Chelsea is interested in this player, made a bid, and what we did, we did officially," Mourinho said.
"The bid is there. The club knows we want the player, the player has to know we made a bid for him.
"Now we have nothing more to say. We want the player, we made the bid and now it is up to Man United and we respect their decision.
"Now I keep doing what I'm doing, working with my players, trying to improve my players, and we'll see what happens. Now he's with Man United, not with us.
"From me no more comments with respect to Man United, my colleague (United manager) David Moyes and my players."

Woman 36 rapes 14 year old boy in Nyahururu

Updated Thursday, July 18th 2013 at 14:45 GMT +3 By James Munyeki
NYAHURURU, KENYA: Shock has gripped Kinamba village in Nyahururu district after a 36 year old woman was found defiling a 14 year old boy.

The woman had wooed the minor to his house and sexually molested her for the whole of Wednesday night before neighbors raised alarm.
The woman is said to have cheated the boy who sat for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education KCPE examination last year that if he had sex with her, he would not feel pain when he goes for circumcision.
It is then that the minor agreed to spend the night with her and they entered the house at around 6 pm in full glare of her neighbors.
The uncircumcised boy did not proceed to secondary school after sitting for his examination last year.
Ngarua DO Rufus Kihara who confirmed the incident said the woman was caught red handed on Thursday morning after a tip off from the members of the public.
“The neighbors just thought he was a relative but got curios after they heard noise coming out of the house at night. Her wayward behavior is known by local residents and they informed the boy’s parents,” he said.
The DO said the parents reported the matter to the police when the boy failed to return home in the morning and police laid a trap.
“We got the woman right in the act at Kinamba Township early in the morning,” he said.
The boy has since escaped from home following the shameful act.
The administrator said the woman would be arraigned in court once investigations are complete.

Woman sentenced to life for killing fiance on their wedding day

Updated Thursday, July 18th 2013 at 11:36 GMT +3 An eastern Pennsylvania woman sentenced to life in prison in the stabbing death of her fiance on their wedding day says she still loves him.
Thirty-two-year-old Na Cola Franklin was convicted of first-degree murder in the August death of 36-year-old Billy Brewster after an argument at their Whitehall Township apartment hours before the ceremony.

Easton's The Express-Times newspaper reports Franklin said Tuesday before she was sentenced to the mandatory life term she hadn't meant to kill Brewster.
Franklin told the victim's mother in court, "I love him. I do still love him. I love him more than myself."
Defense attorney John Waldron has vowed an appeal. He argues Brewster came home drunk from an impromptu bachelor party and attacked Franklin.

Robert Downey Jr Named Forbes Highest-Paid Actor


Robery Dawney

Both Marvel superhero films featuring the 48-year-old took more than $1 billion at the box office.
In second place is new father, Channing Tatum, who financed and starred in Magic Mike, about male strippers.
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, it made $167 million (£110m), contributing to the actor's $60 million (£40m) pay.
Completing the top three is Australian actor Hugh Jackman, whose new film The Wolverine is about to open in the UK.
He is thought to have earned $55 million (£36.5m) in the same period - June 2012 to June 2013.
Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington are due to co-star in 2 Guns
Other stars in the top 10 include Mark Wahlberg, star of comedy film Ted, who earned $52 million (£34.5m) and Adam Sandler with $37 million (£24.5m).
Denzel Washington, who is in ninth place, earned approximately $33 million (£21.8).
He took a cut in pay for the film Flight in exchange for a share of the profits. The film ended up making $162 million (£107m).
Last year, 51-year-old Tom Cruise topped the list with earnings of $75 million (£49.5m).
This year he dropped to eighth place with $35 million (£23.1), gained largely from his international audience, Forbes said.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Liam Neeson complete the top 10 with earnings of $39 million (£25.8) and $32 million (£21.1) respectively.

Two International Criminal Court witnesses withdraw from Uhuru Kenyatta’s case

Updated Thursday, July 18th 2013 at 12:04 GMT Two witnesses have withdrawn from testifying against President Uhuru Kenyatta at the International Criminal Court ( ICC) due to security concerns.

ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda informed Trial Chamber V (B) that they had also dropped a third witness whose evidence was no longer necessary.
“The Prosecution hereby notifies the Chamber of the withdrawal of three witnesses from its list of witnesses to be relied on at trial. This notification is designated “confidential, ex parte” because it contains security-related information about former Prosecution witnesses that, if disclosed to the parties or the public, may place the witnesses and/or their family members at risk,” Bensouda stated.
She said Witness 5 has informed the Prosecution that he is no longer willing to testify at trial due to security risks.
She said the witness believed that recent events in his life indicated efforts to discover his location and that there have been public speculation about his cooperation with the ICC.
“In sum, it appears that Witness 5’s concerns for his security [REDACTED] have become too great for him to bear, and he has decided to withdraw as a consequence,” Bensouda stated.
The ICC Chief Prosecutor said Witness 426 has informed the Prosecution that he is no longer willing to testify against President Uhuru despite discussions to meet his concerns about the case.
“These talks were unsuccessful and Witness 426 maintained that he was not willing to testify,” said the ICC prosecutor.
Bensouda said upon review, the prosecution decided to withdraw the evidence of Witness 334 as it was no longer necessary.
President Uhuru, his Deputy William Ruto and former radio journalist Joshua Sang are facing crimes against humanity charges at The Hague based ICC.
Some witnesses who were to testify against Ruto have already withdrawn.

Uhuru, Ruto mark 100 stormy days

PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH | FILE Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto during the campaign period prior to the 2013 General Election. NATION MEDIA GROUP

By SAMUEL SIRINGI ssiringi@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Wednesday, July 17 2013 at 23:30

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The teachers strike, insecurity and ethnic divisions are the biggest challenges that the Jubilee administration has had to deal with in its first 100 days in office.

The four-week teachers’ strike that ended on Wednesday had threatened to derail schools’ plan to run mock examinations, which start this week. Mocks prepare candidates for the national examinations, which start in two months.

The other major challenge that faced President Kenyatta and his deputy, Mr William Ruto, was the division caused by the March 4 General Election.

An opinion poll conducted by Ipsos Synovate published earlier this month showed that 51 per cent of Kenyans had confidence in President Kenyatta while 48 per cent had confidence in Mr Ruto.

President Kenyatta’s rating is closer to the 50.07 per cent of votes that the electoral commission announced he garnered in the March 4 election, showing that those who did not vote for the Jubilee candidate had not had a change of heart.

“The rating is surprisingly low,” Synovate researcher Tom Wolf had said when he announced the results of the survey.

The Kenyatta administration has also had a hard time combating insecurity caused by gangs, militia groups and ethnic fighting in regions like Bungoma, Mandera and Tana River.

Although the killings have subsided in recent weeks, Mr Kenyatta had at one point to warn that he would send in the military to deal with ethnic groups engage in some of the conflicts.
More than 100 people were killed in the attacks, marring the first 100 days of the new administration.

Some of the killings, including acts of terrorism in northern Kenya, occurred before Mr Kenyatta could appoint a substantive Cabinet secretary for Internal Security. Attorney-general Githu Muigai acted in that capacity for a few days before Mr Joseph ole Lenku was appointed and sworn in on June 6.

Mr Ruto said recently that the government had restored security in the worst-hit areas.

The delay to constitute a government also caused anxiety among Kenyans.

Many people felt that the Executive was over-consulting before picking individuals for various offices.

In the Ipsos Synovate poll, 10 in every 100 people interviewed reported that they had been victims of crime in the last three months with Nairobi recording the highest number of cases.
Fifty-eighty per cent of those who reported crimes to the police were unhappy with the response, while an equal number chose not to report at all.

Although the government promised to lower the cost of living, there has not been adequate effort to set the pace for a reduction in the cost of basic goods.

In fact, prices of basic commodities are likely go up should Parliament pass the controversial Value Added Tax (VAT) Bill currently before the House.

The Ipsos Synovate opinion poll showed that the high cost of living was the most serious problem facing Kenyans, with 54 per cent of respondents mentioning it, up from 39 per cent in November 2012.

Another 49 per cent of the people felt their general personal and household economic conditions had worsened under the Jubilee administration.

The new government has also been faced with the challenge of stopping the rising number of accidents on Kenyan roads, many of which have been attributed to failure by traffic police to crack down on offending motorists.