Viona Leboo - Writers Guild Kenya

Transcription

A WRITERS GUILD PUBLICATION | ISSUE #1
Viona Leboo:
MEET THE HIGH
FLYING MAASAIHARVARD SCHOLAR.
LECTURING BEYOND
LECTURE HALLS:
FIND OUT WHY K.U’S PROF.
WANGARI MWAI WAS AWARDED
PRESIDENT’S O.G.W.
DID GERMANY DESERVE
WORLD CUP GLORY: Q & A
WITH GERMAN AMBASSADOR…
FIND OUT WHY
CONCEIVING IN
CAMPUS COULD BE
GOOD FOR YOU
EDITORIAL BOARD
Reagan Nyadimo-Managing Editor
Abuta Ogeto-Associate Editor
Norah Beverly Kerubo-Content
Creator
Barbara Andeso-Content Creator
Rhoda Kagiri-Content Creator
Walter Wagumba-Content Creator
Scadden Orina - (Art director)
David Muna - (Graphic Designer)
Moses Kilonzo - (Photography)
The Editorial Committee acknowledges
the contribution of the Embassy of
Germany, contributions by Prof. Wangari Mwai, and all those whose efforts
are manifested in the magazine.
All Senses Magazine is produced
under the Guidance of Dr. Mbugua wa
Mungai, Patron( The Writers Guild).
The Editorial Board welcomes
comments, articles, news and feedback. You could get in touch with
the board through our social media
platforms;
Facebook: The Writers Guild
Twitter: WritersGuildKe
Email: [email protected]
[email protected]
www.writersguildke.com
Editorial Desk.
W
riting is an art, that which is
nurtured by constant practice
and focused interaction with
other writers. That forms
the basis of The Writers
Guild. The Writers Guild is an outfit of writers
who would wish to gain something out of their
passion. Through a number of projects, such as
Virtual Library, Monthly Issue of our Magazine,
and provision of interactive platform for all our
writers, we present the best package for you to
grow-as a writer. If you haven’t joined us, then
time might be running out for you (Check the back
page for details).
All Senses Magazine
Our newly re branded magazine is meant to give you
a chance to communicate your thoughts to the world.
We bridge the information gap and seek to be the
well though which our readers branch for reliable,
educative and mind-changing information.
In this issue, we travel all the way to
Harvard College, to being you the story of a
Maasai Lady who dared to dream big in spite
of communal challenges. That is how far,
someone’s ambition can go. Back home, we
bring you stories you can’t do without. We
let you know why the arbitrage use of electricity in our Campuses, is a burden to the
taxpayers, among other current stories.
Our theme for this issue, ‘Feeding
your Passion with Focus’, is relevant
to our goal. Here, we believe that your
passion is the greatest employment you
can ever get. We also believe that your
passion is the greatest asset you have.
Tapping it to benefit from it is purely
your responsibility. Such responsibilities require untamed focus. In the
words of Mercy Njoroge, focus is an
acronym for ,Follow One Course
Until Success.
Feed your passion with focus,
and watch your fortune grow.
- Gabriel Dinda
Founder/Editor In Chief
ALL SENSES MAGAZINE
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ALL SENSES MAGAZINE
Contents
18.
22.
INTERVIEW GERMAN
AMBASSADOR TO KENYA:
‘LECTURING’ BEYOND
LECTURE HALLS
Kenya shares a lot with Germany in terms
of history and even culture. Now that
Germany is almost the Europe’s biggest
economy, could kenya be headed there?
06
CHANDARIA BUSINESS
INNOVATION &
INCUBATION CENTRE;
A BOLD STEP TO CURB
UNEMPLYOMENT
10
ADDRESS DEPLORABLE
STATES OF OUR
VARSITIES BEFORE
INCREASING ENROLLMENT
11
KENYAN UNIVERSITIES
ELECTROCUTED BY
ELECTRICITY BILLS, WHO
WILL HELP OUT?
39.
CAMPUS CLUBS AND
SOCIETIES CAN SHAPE YOUR
FUTURE
When you get the chance to be in Campus,
you have a lot of choices at your disposal.
Campus clubs can really shape you.
14
CRITICAL LOOK
AT: SEVEN SEAS
TECHNOLOGIES
26
FROM LOITOKITOK TO
HARVARD COLLEGE:
32
IT’S TRUE, YOU ARE
WHAT YOU EAT
33
PREGNANT IN CAMPUS?
YOU ARE BETTER OFF…
34
FORGET ABOUT THE
RESEARCH, YOU NEED
TO SLEEP MORE.
35
FOODS FOR BETTER
SLEEP: NO MORE
INSOMNIA
36
MOST ANNOYING KINDS
OF WOMEN
38
GLOBAL YOUTH
AMBASSADORS - (GYA)
40
HELLS GATE NATIONAL
PARK: ONCE IS NEVER
ENOUGH
42
TEN CHEAPEST PLACES
FOR LOVERS’ WEEKEND
IN NAIROBI
44
TEXT MESSAGES THAT
TALK: 21ST CENTURY’S
DISASTER WAITING TO
HAPPEN
ALL SENSES MAGAZINE
5
FOCUS ON INNOVATION
CHANDARIA BUSINESS
INNOVATION & INCUBATION CENTRE;
A BOLD STEP
TO CURB UNEMPLYOMENT
By Gabriel Dinda.
I
do not have an idea where I
could be without this platform
to nurture my idea’ Johnson
Gituma, one of the incubates
at the Kenyatta University’s
Innovation and Incubation Centre says
in an interview. The Center is one of its
kind in Kenya coming at a time when the
country is faced with the hardest bothersome topic of unemployment.
In a bid to increase the students’ net
worth and the need to blend academic
prowess with innovation and creativity,
the center serves as the safe haven for
ideas and the eye opener for students
with innovative and promising ideas.
Incubation in Africa
The idea of Incubation and nurturing of
ideas in a designated place with necessary structures is relatively new to Africa
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ALL SENSES MAGAZINE
face the rocky employment terrain and
the need to involve the creative brains in
the positive contribution towards attainment of Vision 2030 and the Millennium
Development Goals, informed the idea
by Kenyatta University’s Vice Chancellor,
Prof. Olive Mugenda to start the journey
to establish the center. As a starting
point, the University organized a bench
mark session to Canada’s University
of Waterloo, where the idea had taken
shape and impacted positively. This was
way back in 2009. The results of the
bench mark and the recommendations
from the visit formed the foundation of
East Africa’s first incubation center in a
Public University.
‘Our key goal is to see students not
only succeed in their studies but also
become good entrepreneurs who can improve the well-being and quality of life of
their families’ The Vice Chancellor said in
a forum to woo funds for the construction of the institution.
Public Private
Partnerships
though it started in early 1980s in other
parts of the world such as United States
of America and Europe. Africa’s first
internationally accredited Science and
Technology park is The South Africa’s
Innovation Hub. The center has since
served to be the host of many innovative
and successful businesses which have
had impact in the whole world. East
Africa, on the hand, has taken a considerably long time to embrace this perfect
strategy to curb unemployment and fuel
Economic growth. Kenyatta University,
in its efforts to break the barriers, becomes the very first public University to
embrace and institutionalize the idea of
Incubation in Eastern and Central Africa.
The university called on the business
community and other stakeholders to
take part in the noble idea in terms of
support in varied nature. The response
from corporate moguls were positive and
seemingly, they bore similar ideas on the
same. Notably, one of the major con-
tributors to this kitty is the Chairman
of Chandaria Foundation , Dr. Manu
Chandaria hence the name of the centre.
However, the support from the Business
community was received in different
packages starting from financial sacrifice
to professional advice. Today, the center
prides itself of having top business magnets in Kenya as its distinguished mentors to help sharpen the incubates into
experience. The Mentors include; Dr.
Manu Chandaria, Chairman, Chandaria
Foundation, Mr. Chris Kirubi, Chairman,
Haco Industries Kenya, Dr. S.K Macharia, Chairman, Royal Media Services,
Eva Muraya, Co-founder & CEO, Color
Creations Group Limited, Nairobi, Evans
Gor Semelang’o, Chairman, Youth Enterprise Development Fund Board, Evelyn
Mungai, OGW, Evelyn College of Design
and Mickael Ghossein, CEO, Telkom-Orange(Kenya). The institution also
outsources the services of Professional
mentors (Consultants) to nurture and
polish the ideas to ensure they attain
their economic goals.
In his speech during the opening
ceremony, the deputy president acknowledged the efforts made by the university
towards encouraging innovations among
the vibrant population. ‘This is a deliberate effort to bring different business
icons together to help nurture future
entrepreneurs,’ he quoted in a section of
his speech.
International Model
The urgent need to formulate a framework to give the graduates an extra tool
other than the academic qualifications to
ALL SENSES MAGAZINE
7
Admission
Chandaria Business Innovation & Incubation Centre is open to admission to
both the Kenyatta University Students
and Kenyatta University Non-students.
Of the available work stations, 70 % are
reserved for the Kenyatta University
community and 30% for persons outside
KU Community which incorporates
both students from other institutions
to the general Kenyan Public who have
ideas which deserve the same process.
The application process involves the
impartial and compulsory step of online
submission of ideas through www.ku.ac.
ke/c-biic, and following the instructions
provided therein. The Centre’s Secretariat thereafter communicates to the
applicant acknowledging the receipt of
the application and indication of the
subsequent processes which idea shall
be taken through. From the Centre’s
perspective, it evaluates the idea critically to assess the viability and economic
sustainability. This process involves
expert assessment of the idea from the
information provided in the guidelines
of vetting projects. The applications
process is continuous and ongoing at any
time of the year.
Once admitted, the incubates are
provided by basic requirements to enable
them develop and grow their ideas. The
services provided also include internet
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ALL SENSES MAGAZINE
‘This is just the
beginning of realizing
a great potential in
our youths and being
instrumental towards
shaping the future of
our country through
innovation.’
-Prof. Kosembei,
connectivity, work station, documentation and secretarial services.
Projects
The center is non-discriminative in
terms of the nature of projects admitted.
The underlying factor is innovation and
creativity. Currently, the center hosts
more than 40 companies (incubates)
in various categories of projects from
Agribusiness, Eco-Tourism, Transport
and Logistics, Water and Sanitation,
Information Technology just to mention a few. The projects are distributed
evenly among KU Students and non KU
Community. Other Universities such
as University of Narobi, Jomo Kenyatta
University of Agriculture and Technology, Catholic University of East Africa and
Egerton University are also represented
in the current incubates.
The ideas are admitted at different
stages; research and development, start
up stage or marketing stage. Depending
on the stage to maturity, the period for
incubation is therefore determined but
generally it ranges from 6 to 12 months
with a possibility of extension should
there be need depending on the nature
of the business. Once the business takes
shape and surpasses the break even
stage, the proprietor is asked to remit
10% of the cost incurred in the whole
incubation process to help other ideas
also rise to their feet. This amount,
however, is not remitted immediately
and the remission is fairly distributed
to facilitate convenient cash flow of the
now established business.
Award-Winning
Projects
Since its official opening by the Deputy
President, Mr. William Ruto in June
2013, the center has made tremendous
growth towards achieving its socio-economic development goals. A good number of projects have made it through the
center and have developed to be employment creating ventures. This is, however,
not enough news in this regard. One
of the companies at the center, Ben &
Johnson Company was nominated and
subsequently grabbed a lucrative award
from the Nature Challenge Africa Award
in 2011. The recognition of the efforts
by other established bodies did not
end there as one of the projects; Korio
Energy Solutions Battery Limited which
deals with the production of electric energy through chicken droppings is also
tipped for another big win following its
nomination to The Comesa Innovation
Awards currently being held in Democratic Republic of Congo.
‘This is just the beginning of realizing
a great potential in our youths and being
instrumental towards shaping the future
of our country through innovation.’ Prof.
Kosembei, the coordinator of the center,
said in a phone interview from DRC
Congo where he had gone to represent
the university in the Comesa Innovation
Awards.
Overwhelming
applications
A chat with the members of the secretariat of the center revealed that
numerous applications are received on
a daily basis from various groups. ‘We
receive a number of applications on a
daily basis and conduct the admission
process quiet often. This shows a great
enthusiasm among Kenyans to root out
the employment menace once and for all,
which is healthy for our economy.’ Mr.
Monari, the administrator at the center
quotes when he is asked to respond on
the influx of applications. ‘The positive
response from the target group shows
that the idea was timely and other institutions should follow the path created by
Kenyatta University to take part in the
national development.’ He concludes.
Vision Plan.
A quick look at the Centre’s Strategic
and Vision Plan (2013-2017) reveals a
great ambition to impact the country
in a uniquely positive way. It reveals
the plans and laid down objectives to
achieve; which range from strategic
inventions, resource mobilization and
other key areas which are instrumental
in the development of the ideas. This
center therefore comes in handy to
compliment the Vision 2030’s social and
economic pillars provided to reduce and
counter unemployment through innovative approaches of creating jobs. Indeed,
the Centre is transforming lives through
Innovation and Incubation.
The idea of Chandaria Business Innovation and Incubation Centre, which
was just a concept in paper has today
turned to be the ‘Black Messiah’ to many
creative brains in Kenya which otherwise
would have been wasted in the whole
mess of unemployment figures. Today,
their story scripts are different and
positive, thanks to the bold step taken
by the innovative Kenyatta University.
Evidently, it is time we all took part in
the national debate on unemployment
by being innovative in our fields.
ALL SENSES MAGAZINE
9
Address deplorable states
of our varsities before
increasing enrollment
BY REAGAN NYADIMO
[email protected]
W
e are not against more students joining
public universities. In fact we are more
than delighted to see our fellow counter
parts making it to the institution of higher
learning. In my opinion, there is no better
place than being in a university. This is the only place where
young people are given a chance to develop and be themselves
away from the watchful eyes from parents. They learn how to
budget and take care of their monies, clean for themselves and
opportune themselves with a chance to make new friends that
will either help them build their future careers and professions
or ruin their dreams by engaging in drug and substance abuse
and illicit affairs. Moreover, after the removal of National
Youth Service Training from the Kenyan Curriculum, Universities were seen to be of equal measure to the services that were
once rendered by the National Youth Service, in fact better. To
crown it all, universities students are respected worldwide, an
attribute that put them ahead in any job recruitment drive.
Partly, this is what has pushed the government and policy
makers to lower university admission
grades over the years to give students
equal opportunity in the job market.
However, these increased enrolments
over the years have not gone without its
fair share of challenges. Its effect was
worsen by the introduction of double
intake in 2010. Overstretched facilities
that have seen lecture halls packed to
the capacity with students straining
though the windows to get notes may be the most evident.
That notwithstanding, majority of students are forced to
commute from far off places daily to attend to the lectures as
the universities can no-longer afford to accommodate them.
In the process students have ended up forming part of statistics of the number of people whose lives have been claimed
by either accident or as a result of the raising insecurity in the
country. Worst hit are examination days when students are
forced to wake up early to book seats in the library or wait for
long hours for their fellows to finish reading before occupying
the same seats to read for exams. Peanuts received by students
from Higher education Loans Board (HELB) is not enough to
cater for off-campus accommodation which has become more
expensive than tuition fees itself. Sadly, some students even
miss an opportunity to get this loan either because they have
not attained the required age to acquire an ID (with is part of
the requirement) or because HELB has inadequate funds to
incorporate all students into their loan system.
Off-campus accommodation is faced numerous challenges.
Insecurity, high bus fares and water shortages are just a few of
them. University students are suffering. It is because of these
tough conditions that universities have been turned into business hubs where students are engaging in all manner of businesses to survive and forgetting books in return. Same reason
why universities are no-longer safe heavens they used to be.
Increased theft cases and the power struggles during universities elections some of which deaths have been reported are just
evidences of students using orthodox means to survive.
Lecturers have not been spared either. They are grappled
with long working hours and heaps of papers to mark. A
situation that has seen lectures award grades to students
without marking their scripts. A loophole that university girls
have taken advantage of to engage with
lectures and earn grades they have not
worked for.
These deplorable conditions in our
campuses and the degenerating learning conditions are what policy makers
should address immediately. We expected the newly established Kenya University and Colleges Central Placement
Services (KUC-CPS) to tackle the crisis in
our varsities first instead deceiving Kenyans and the students
that universities are the heavens they used to be by increasing
enrolment. If the priority was to see more students gain access
to university Education, then they censored a bigger reality on
what really transpires behind this huge enrolment. Students
are suffering, parents, guardians and lectures are straining.
These are facts that if a student can see, then it cannot escape
the knowledge of policy makers and the government. This only
means that they have decided to ignore the plight of students,
parents, guardians and lectures to fatten their wallets.
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fugitati tem dolum
dolenihit quis apit, sit,
volupta eruptasimus
10 ALL SENSES MAGAZINE
KENYAN UNIVERSITIES
ELECTROCUTED BY
ELECTRICITY BILLS,
WHO WILL HELP OUT?
BY ABUTA OGETO
E
arthquake-inducing
electricity bills are slowly
becoming a resounding
headache to many local
universities. Millions
of shillings every month go down the
drain as they foot bills brought about
by students cooking in the hostels.
Students show no sign of sympathy as
they continue to see ‘power’ as a birth
right. It has not escaped Campuserians’
memory that the University of Nairobi
students enraged motorists sometime in
March after they stormed State House
Road, stoning and mugging motorists.
Reason? There was power outage at the
University’s Main Campus. And for the
infinitely umpteenth time, they responded the only way they know, ferociously
attacking motorists.
Throughout that Monday night
and the Tuesday morning, the Twitter
hashtag #UoN trended for 23 hours,
according to TrendnaliaKe. The students
attracted some of the vilest reaction
from the affected public:
The fury is shared with the public, and
some have suggested that the university
should be moved to an out-of-town site,
a forlorn expectation. It is not the first
time students are striking and stoning
motorists because the lights went out
and certainly won’t be the last. Public
university students are an entitled lot.
ALL SENSES MAGAZINE 11
Without running water and guaranteed
power supply, even those from the
remotest parts of Kenya who have lived
without tap water all their lives, and
walk miles to the next powered-up town
to charge their phones, can turn into
the most vicious protesters. Reason,
electricity means so much for their
livelihoods and comfort in campus from
charging phones, straightening gametes,
heating waters, printing to cooking. Activities which often blow up the power
bills to unmanageable levels, a problem
public universities have grappled with
since government stopped sponsoring
free meals at cafeterias in the 1990s.
Economic challenges and peanuts from
Higher Education Loans Board have
seen a number of students moonlight
in nearby towns as others go to the
extremes, with men peddling drugs and
women turning to the outlawed commercial sex work.
Despite this, students must find
ways to ‘survive’-cooking in hostels to
cut costs. This is where the universities
feel the pinch. Other than Egerton
University which sanctioned cooking in
hostels and gave students alternatives
to use communal kitchenettes, others
have failed to give students alternatives
leaving them with limited options. Lowend cafeterias are affordable, but the
quality of the food is so compromised
that students are never enthusiastic
towards them. Meals go for about Sh4060. There are middle-level cafeterias
that serve better quality for between
Sh80 and Sh200, prices that seems
out of reach to thousands of students.
This leaves them with no option but to
prepare their own meals. The effect?
High electricity bills, power outages
and in some worse cases, fire outbreaks
as reported in some universities. The
case of Egerton University hostel that
was reduced to ashes as a result of an
electrical fault which set the building on
fire, patently from the faulty wiring that
connects the coils is just one example.
To find out what makes students cook
in their rooms, we did a background
research on the cost of various foods in
Nairobi based campuses.
80%
OF STUDENTS IN ALL
PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES
COOK IN HOSTELS
USING EELECTRICITY.
EGERTON
UNIVERSITY
AND KENYATTA
UNIVERSITY
ARE LEADING IN
COMING UP WITH
INNOVATIVE WAYS
TO ADDRESS THIS.
90%
OF ALL UNIVERSITIES
IN KENYA ARE
UNDECIDED HOW
TO GO ABOUT THE
ISSUE.
80%
OF PRIVATE
UNIVERSITIES
DO NOT ALLOW
COOKING IN
HOSTELS.
Cost of Food
A simple supper for a modest individual will consist of sukuma wiki (kales)
and eggs. With other accouterments
such as tomatoes and onions, it will cost
a ‘comrade’ Sh40 to prepare supper. To
cut on costs, many students, especially
those from ‘the other side of Kenya’,
carry flour and beans from home and
use electricity to prepare their meals.
Besides, many pool resources for a meal,
making it cheaper. The more (at least up
to five), the cheaper.
The bills tell it all
The students do not pay for the
electricity bill, even as university management continues to bear the burden
grudgingly. The bills have become
unsustainable. Public universities are
spending millions of shillings to meet
electricity bills. Last year, the University
of Nairobi paid a total of Sh56 million
in the last quarter of 2013. However, for
October the bill was Sh24 million and
December Sh12 million. The remarkable difference is due to the fact that in
December the university had been closed
because of the strike following the death
of a student at Central Police Station.
That means less cooking. Kenyatta
University pays close to 35 million every
month in electricity bills. Wow! What a
manageable sum! Dr. Jeremiah Kiplagat,
Energy Manager throws his support
behind universities and agrees that the
matter has been a thorn in the flesh for
many public universities in Kenya. He
however agrees that it is a sensitive issue
since it is a matter that touches on the
students as well. Such issues could be
met with vehement resistance in case of
desire for change.
Manageable Bills
However, not all public universities
are grappling with soaring cases of
electricity bills. Egerton University paid
Sh10 million in November, Sh.8million
in December and Sh11 million in January. The leaner bill is partly due to low
population and introduction of communal kitchenettes five years ago. This
noble initiative has seen the universities
save up to millions of shillings as others
are crying foul.
In as much as the revolutionary idea
faced a lot of opposition from students,
it took the efforts of both the Director
of Student Welfare Services and student
leaders to calm the rowdy students who
vowed to unleash chaos in the institution. Save for little riots that almost
led to the closure of the university, the
institution managed to sell their ideas
to students in the process breaking a
culture that has defined students’ life
for decades.
A project that cost Sh30 million at a
time when the university was marred
with power outages that at one time
led to students strikes has seen the
university save close to sh.3 million
monthly. Prof Stephen Ngari, the director of student welfare services, tells
us jubilantly.
As expected not everybody in the
same institution share the director’s
view. A section of students have rubbished the claims of cost effectiveness
and blamed the universities for selfishness. Ruth Obwocha, a student in
the same institution tells us that more
needs to be done as the university is
saving millions and doing nothing in
return for students who supported the
initiative. She complains about the
size of the kitchenettes and questions
their hygiene, “they are small and congested,” says the third year, education
student.
At Kenyatta University, a report
by Energy Management Office says
student hostels consume over 65 per
cent of the university’s electricity.
For instance, the graph in this report
shows a telling trend. In the morning
between 6am and 9am and between
6pm and 9pm, power consumption is
at the peak. It coincides with the time
students are likely to be cooking. In
the same institution the bill was Sh8
million in August, Sh21 million in October and Sh13 million in November.
This is what has prompted the Energy
Office to sit and explore its options.
The more realistic approach will be
to follow the Egerton way. But so far,
cooking in hostels is highly forbidden. Those unfortunate to burn their
rooms are often suspended for longer
periods, and never allowed into university hostels on re-admission. Some,
depending on the severity of the issue,
are normally expelled for good.
So, next time, when you cook,’githeri’ in the ‘coil’, remember what you
are costing your university… Think it
over…
GOVERNMENT OR SELF SPONSORED,
A COMRADE IS STILL A COMRADE
Maxwell Mmera Ayera,
Kenyatta University.
From observation of social media
trends I can firmly say that comrades
have turned to be like drunkards to
hide behind alcohol, they hide behind
social media to reveal their thoughts; I
happen to follow most of the campuses pages and with regard to comradeship I can firmly openly say we are
hypocrites really through the abuses
we hurl at each other in the name
of Government Sponsored or self
sponsored students. All the abuses
are themed around rich vs. poor and
bright vs. foolish.
I can’t remember the last time SSP
and JAB acronyms meant rich and
poor respectively nor meant clever
and foolish as such, except for the
differences I only know of KCSE
results, time difference of joining
campuses and preference of courses
which factor in the division to JAB
and SSP categories. As such comrades drawing battles between them
because of the two tags are involved
in pure crap, out of sheer ignorance
and childish attitude of competition.
Our ages don’t justify that, and not
every SSP student is rich as some are
on scholarship, none of them is stupid
to be in campus and all never met the
JAB minimum to join but had preference for some courses which clusters
never met. Likewise, not all JAB students are poor but they just legitimately made it to be in campus, most
of them hustle too but not all bright as
well because some may have passed
through easy spoon-feeding schools
to get here; if I can attest there so
many brightest SSP students who
outscore JAB students in Grading and
there are also very rich JAB students
who are self-made hustlers or come
from well-to do families but that
doesn’t stop them from being bright.
We have to recognize that we face the
same Grade rating rating, we hustle,
pursuing our different passions by
choice, that we attend same lectures
and do similar exams and as such we
are one community, equally; Bragging
about our parents money to claim
superiority isn’t ideal, thinking we are
the brightest lot yet the grading and
innovation minds hold otherwise is
a mockery to intellect. In this modern world is no longer a field where
education alone takes centre-stage
to solve life’s problems; there are so
many educated derelicts in the world
therefore life and human skills come
to be the key solutions; be friends,
network, think together to make life
better. Both of us relate mutually in
the job environment as either can employ or help another. Our past systems
of education don’t necessarily exploit
our full potential, it gives us probability
to pass but in campus we come to
choose our passions where a fish can
compete to swim not climb a tree.
Notable I’ve never seen a comrade
ask another if they are SSP before
they interact, only our registration
numbers speak with or without just ‘S’,
not unless you’re guy-and-lady who
find Cassandra is too long for your
vibes until “By the way are you SSP
or JAB” becomes one of your lines in
familiarizing with each other.
Remember a comrade always a
comrade, a normal comrade socializes,
thinks, reads, respects, networks and
hustles. SSP or JAB, we will all be
judged buy our grades and hired not
out of pity but purely out of qualifications and competence.
CORPORATE FOCUS
Critical look at:
By Douglas Luhangala Logedi.
Seven Seas Technologies is an IT
Consulting Company which has
four major business units (Seven
Seas, Twenty Third Century Systems, Knowledge Transfer Centre,
and Intelligent Infrastructure).
I can sum the business in one
sentence, Competitive with mass
opportunities. When you get to the
world of business, lessons trickle
in. Personally, I can only swallow
the big chunk of lessons and grow
fatter in experience. Seven Seas has
taught me several things that you
need to learn too:
1. Those who know
“how” work to make
those who know “why”
richer
Those who know how are the
scholars. They go to class every
day to learn how to teach, how to
treat, how to balance accounts,
how to counsel, how to represent
people in court among many more
hows…. Those who know why
establish the reasons for every step
they make. They innovate. They
are entrepreneurs. Get to the right
side of life.
2. When you are
purposeful, no barrier
is too huge
The corporate world is an unfair
world. It doesn’t care. It aims to
make you as poor as possible. Only
those with purpose can get out
of this circle rich. No matter the
winds, focus on the island and you
will sail through.
3. The corporate world
has people who want
to use you then dump
you
This is quite funny coming from
me. However, believe me when I
say that everyone in the corporate
UPCOMING EVENTS IN
KENYATTA UNIVERSITY
CULTURE WEEK
wants to use you. Your employers,
your supervisor, your colleague,
your junior, even the watchman.
But remember you want to use
them too. Funny circle. Always get
ahead of the curve.
4. Don’t be a bookworm
Another funny one coming from
me. I did not say you stop reading.
Read, Read, read, and read. However, as you do so, remember your
friends are out there networking
and developing links. Woe unto
you who never networks as you
will have no net worth when you
need it most.
5. Communication is key
People judge you a lot. You need
to show them that you are the best
and they will judge you as the best.
If you show them otherwise, so
will they judge you.
FREE ADVICE TO YOU:
No matter what you are doing now, you
need to shape your future. Know your career path. Visualize your 50s or 60s and
see how rich or poor you want to be. You
need pointers to draw your career map.
ÂÂWork at a good institution- Be a jack
of all trades by working at an institution
that allows your growth and expansion
and not a big institution that pays well
but leaves you stagnant and poorer.
ÂÂCreate your future-Stop giving
people free accommodation in your life.
Be a pace setter. Be an innovator. Be
creative, be a leader, be bold, you are
the best you that exists, remember.
ÂÂPass in school- I won’t say a thing
about this. It is rather common knowledge that the modern world values you
equal to your papers. Unfair but real.
ÂÂKnow your enemies and your weaknesses-knowing these is as good as the
opposites. They steer you. They keep
you steady, they keep you balanced.
Remember your weaknesses are the
building blocks of failure and when you
know them, you contain them.
ÂÂBe “arrogant”- Controversial, isn’t
it? I mean exactly that. I don’t mean you
become negatively so. Life is not fair,
so is the corporate world. You need an
advanced level of confidence to face the
experienced people and tell them you
are the best. Positive arrogance steered
Steve Jobs to fame.
ÂÂDress how you want to be addressed-Remember 60% of people shot
and killed as thugs in the streets are
always victims of their dressing.
ÂÂAs I rest my case, I feel worth noting
that it is better to be the first copy of
you than a 1000th copy of another person. Remember where you came from
and keep true to yourself. Competitive is
an underestimation for the state of the
job market at any level. Kenya is a hub
of talent, they say. But the reality is that
Kenya a pot full of talent waiting to flow
out at the slightest opportunity. You get
the feeling that the competition is unfair
when only five out of 65 people are
picked for an internship opportunity. You
need extra power and competitiveness
to make the list of five.
The Writer is an Intern at Seven Seas
Technologies and a Founder and CEO-Click
Solutions Limited.
The always anticipated Culture Week
is in the offing. This time round, it will
be held sometime in October towards
November. This is normally a charged
period of intense cultural exchange and
interactions. The event which drags
international attention is one of its kind.
Indeed, no one can wait for this period.
KUSA ELECTIONS
Once again, students will be headed
to the ballot to find a replacement of
the Lone Felix’s lead team, which will
be completing their term in September.
As we anticipate to elect our leaders,
possibly, the first team under the newly
refurbished KUSA Constitution, we
should remember to be prudent in our
choices. We wish you a sober period.
KENYATTA UNIVERSITY-UNIVERSITY OF
TRIER, JOINT PROJECT
A group of students from Kenyatta
University will be conducting a joint
project with students from Germany’s
University of Trier. The project theme
will be revolving around the life in Slums
and the impact of civil engagements in
such areas. The project will last for one
month. Hoping we are ready to host our
sisters and brothers from the Football
addicted country. They perhaps will
come with a gift from Ozil. The Kenyatta
University team will be lead by Dr. Edwin
Gimode, Dean of Students with close
coordination of John Wasonga.
AMAZING WOMAN DIALOGUES SEASON
II,III,IV
The newly launched Amazing Woman
Program, a program which seeks to empower and provide an expressive platform for ladies and female students in
Kenyatta University and beyond will be
headed to its subsequent seasons next
semester. This platform is meant to give
the ladies a chance to know themselves
better and forge a way ahead to impact
society. It is spearheaded by outgoing
KUSA Gender Secretary, Minky Wanja.
Any issues: get them through: [email protected]
TEN MOST ADMIRED COMPANIES IN KENYA
By Abuta Ogeto
Kenya Airways
The national carrier has established itself so well in the past
few years to be one of the most
outstanding Airline companies in
Africa. The company has exploited technological advancements
and employed many Kenyans in
all its departments, from the most
professional experts to the casual
laborers. It is one of the most admired companies that serve a lot of
people annually. Some issues have
arisen concerning workers’ pay but
they have finally been resolved.
Safaricom
The leading telecommunication
company in east and central Africa
is the largest taxpayer and a very
good company to work with,
especially for the talented IT guys.
Safaricom has been buying smart
apps from university students and
has always hired the best from
universities. Most of its employees
are young people with great entrepreneurial spirit. It pays well and
this has become a darling to many
students.
into billions. The company has
also been offering sponsorships
to students in campus and later
employing them.
Equity
Being one of the most profitable
banks in Africa, Equity, under the
patronship of James Mwangi has
grown in leaps and bounds over
the last ten years. It has a mega
EABL
program of sponsoring students in
The producer of the amber stuff
high school and in University. It
based in Ruaraka is one of the larg- has many social responsibility proest employer and biggest taxpayers grammes and a formidable branch
in the country. Many students love network. Under the wings to fly
to work with them, not because
programme, thousands of students
they may get a way to free liquor
have been able to pursue their
but because they are guaranteed
studies which could otherwise be
that it cannot get bankrupt consid- dimmed by poverty.
ering that many Kenyans are heavy
Nation Media
drinkers. Its annual turnout runs
Nation media group is the lead-
ing media company in East and
central Africa followed closely by
Standard Group. The company has
numerous contributors from universities and it is greatly admired
especially among the students
taking journalism related courses.
KCB
The government sponsored bank is
one the biggest bank in asset base
and the most profitable bank in the
country. It spans across the East
African Countries and employs
thousands of University graduates
to manage its branches and other
roles. It is one of the most admired
banks since it has the least issues
with pay and job security.
Britam
The Multi policy insurer based at
Upper Hill Nairobi is one of the
biggest insurance companies in
Kenya. It has been having a very
vibrant advertisement program
where university students have
participated a lot. Apart from
that, the company has also come
up with a invest program that
has greatly targeted the University population in the country,
something that has created a bond
between them the students.
Bamburi Cement
The cement maker is employing
more people each year with the
increase in the real estate business and construction work in the
country. The company is one of the
most financially stable countries in
the country.
company has come up with many
business challenges where thousands of students have participated
and some of them ended up being
employed by the same company. It
has used the innovative minds of
the Kenyan Universities in a very
unique way to its advantage.
Deloite Kenya
The financial consultancy services
companies is one of the most
respected financial companies in
the world. It has a nose for the best
brains and the perks are so attractive. For the students in the financial courses, it is sure a place they
dream to work.
Unilever
The detergents and edible oils
TALKING POINT
GERMAN AMBASSADOR TO KENYA:
‘Kenya shares a lot with
Germany’
By Gabriel Dinda
When you meet Andreas Peschke, the German Ambassador to Kenya, he will probably
greet you in Swahili, when he does that, you will realize his fluency in that language is
not something to pass unnoticed. That is how far, the friendship of Kenya and Germany
has gone. In a wider perspective, Kenya probably is travelling a path which Germany,
the second most populous country in central Europe travelled sometimes back. In this
journey, there are a number of lessons to carry home as was revealed in the interview.
First, Congratulations on Winning
the 2014 FIFA World Cup. If we
could start from there, did you really
deserve it?
Undoubtedly, we deserved it…but if
you doubt, perhaps you would consider
asking one of your Brazil friends.
Indeed, you deserved it, that precision could not go unrewarded. Say
hi to Ozil when you get back, to the
‘land of ideas’. Now to our agenda,
you seem to know a lot of Swahili
language, how did this come about?
Interest, I developed interest in the
language when I realized the richness
in what is contained in it. Swahili is a
national language to most countries in
East and Central Africa, I have been to
Tanzania, Zanzibar, and Kenya where
the language is really spoken, it is from
such interactions that I developed interest and learnt the language.
Talking of rich culture, Germany is
known to have a very rich culture, it
is well known for Great Poets such
as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and
Friedrich Schiller, great inventors
such as Albert Einstein and many
others, this is the reason, it is called
Land der Dichter und Denker (Country of Poets and Thinkers), do you
think Kenyans have cherished their
culture as Germans??
Indeed, Kenya has a richer culture, look
at the tribes for instance, Kenya has
a whooping 43 tribes with different
culture and traditions. Kenya has a great
diversity within itself. When this diversity is tapped, a great cultural engagement
can be experienced.
The 42 Tribes you have mentioned
above have not been at peace with
each other, that is, if the indications
of tribalism in social media and
other platforms are anything to go
by, did Germany ever experience a
situation of the same nature?
Germany, probably, experienced a worst
form of division. Until 1990, Germany
was divided into West and East Germany. The division was further fuelled with
the general animosity between the two
sides. If the same is brought in a Kenyan
perspective, it could be interpreted as
tribalism.
How Did Germany manage to
overcome the challenge of division
to emerge as one of the strongest
European Economies today?
It took time, and efforts of everyone.
First, you must realize that very little gain result from a divided nation.
Development and prosperity is best
hatched when everyone is at peace with
each other. Kenyans must first realize
the need to unite and then take steps to
that effect. That is essentially what it all
takes.
Let’s talk education now, Germany
has a literacy level of 99% compared
to Kenya’s 49%, do you think the literacy level made it easy for Germany to Unite?
High Literacy level is a great factor to
consider when handling any matter
of national importance, however, it is
not the only one. I would not say that
the literacy level was the factor behind
Germany’s unity, I think people just saw
FACTS ABOUT GERMANY:
FORGET ABOUT CHINA,
GERMANY HAS A LOT MORE
ÂÂThere are 240,000 International Students enrolled at German Universities.
After USA and Great Britain, this makes
Germany the most attractive country for
foreign students .
ÂÂSince 1948, 17 Nobel Prizes have
gone to Scientists and Scholars from
Germany
the need for unity. Even if that happens,
Kenyans should not forget history, they
should just handle it with responsibility.
There has been a lot of support
from Germany in the Education
Sector, apart from programs such as
scholarships, are there other avenues through which Germany helps
Kenya to raise its literacy level?
Yes, there are a number of ways. Germany has a number of specialized agencies
through which it rolls our its education
policy to developing countries. Take an
example of German Academic Exchange
Service(DAAD), for instance. Its presence has been felt in Kenya for over four
decades now. This way it has helped more
than 10,000 students to acquire education in German Institutions or facilitated
their education locally. This is just one of
the agencies. The country is also involved
in the building of Schools, and education
facilities such as laboratory . Germany,
being one of the member countries of
European Union, helps grow the education sector through the projects funded
by European Union.
In one of the forums you attended
regarding education in Kenya, you
said that, ‘thirst for knowledge is
one important quality of a leader’,
what is your advice for young Kenyans who will form the next genera-
tion of Kenya’s leaders?
For any leader to be impactful, their
works must be manifested in real results.
My advice therefore would be to ensure
they practice high level of integrity and
endeavor to practice servant leadership.
It starts from a point.
In summary, please mention some
of the projects, other than education,
that Germany has recently launched
to help Kenya realize its Development goals .
To start with, German Development Cooperation in collaboration with Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation has provided
7.3million USD for the Up-scaling of
basic sanitation for the Urban Poor. On
May 21st, 2014, one of such projects
was commissioned in Embu. There has
also been a lot of support from our end
to water and sanitation . This area, is a
priority to German Kenyan Development
Cooperation. Germany also contributes
another 25.5USD to exploit the energy
potential which Kenya has. There are a
number of projects which Germany is
working to execute with Kenya.
As we conclude, tell us one thing
which most people do not know
about you
Most people do not know that I am a
DAAD alumnus.
ÂÂWas reunited on 3rd October 1990
after a long time of division
ÂÂHas 13 wine growing areas over a
total area of 100,000 hectares.
ÂÂThe world’s biggest exporter of fashion after Italy.
ÂÂThere are 370 Institutes of Higher
Learning of Learning of which 140 are
entitled to award doctorates
ÂÂThe Frankfurt book Fair is the
World’s No.1 book event
ÂÂAround 350 Daily Newspapers with
total sales of 24 million copies reaching
71% of the population. The German
Press Agency (dpa) is the World’s fourth
largest news Agency.
ÂÂ73% of the households, 96% of the
Companies (with more than 10 employees) have internet access, 79% of these
companies host their own websites.
ÂÂGermany releases 94,300 new
books, 83,400 of which are first editions
per annum.
ÂÂGermany has 82 million inhabitants
(of which almost 42 million are women).
Some 6.7 million foreigners live in Germany (8.2% of the total population).
NO INTERNSHIP? VOLUNTEERISM IS BETTER...
V
olunteerism has been
singled out as a major accelerator of development
in our communities.
Many are the times that
students tend to underrate this aspect
which if well utilized; it can hasten the
pace of personal and national growth.
Stephen Machua has been a volunteer
for many years. One thing that you will
notice in him is the passion and consistency in his volunteer work up to date.
He commenced his journey back in
high school where he volunteered to
name the trees in his school using their
scientific names. Over the holidays; he
would participate in youth activities in
his local church such as planting flowers
and cleaning the church.
After leaving high school, he served as
a youth volunteer in a community based
organization where he trained school
children on how to write “Thank You”
notes and letters of appreciation to their
pen pals abroad.
Upon joining campus, he took volunteerism to another level where he
managed to sit in major national and
continental committees on education,
Peace and African Youth Charter.
In his 2nd year, he and other friends
started an NGO (Change Mind Change
Future) which has been promoting
volunteerism as a tool for empowerment
in education and economic matters. The
organization has grown from 7 volunteers to 237 volunteers. Most of these
volunteers are doing tangible work both
at national and global level.
Volunteerism is a simple avenue for
networking. Recently, he was able to
meet, interact and share platforms with
major personalities in the world just to
mention; Prince Albert II (Head of state
for Monaco) and President Paul Kagame
of Rwanda. Stephen says that volunteerism has promoted him from a village boy
to a global figure. He believes that this is
just the beginning.
Apart from developing a wide network, he has developed a heart for
humanity whereby throughout his 4
years in Campus, he was at the helm of
major humanitarian activities; last year,
he mobilized volunteers via twitter and
facebook. These volunteers served in
various blood donation sites after the
west gate attack. As much as this went
unrecognized, he was satisfied that he
contributed to humanity.
Early this year, Stephen took a broad
step to educate needy students, the
search for scholarships was not a walk
in the park but out of his goodwill which
has been developed through his humanitarian and volunteer work, he secured 2
scholarships for a boy and a girl to study
at Moonlight Centre School.
His journey hasn’t been easy as
someone would think more so because
volunteerism requires resources. To
manage his work, he has been forced to
do several side hustles. Most people may
be surprised to note that for 3 years in
campus, he used to be a casual laborer
in putting up tents for a local company.
All the proceeds from this work would
support his transport and donations.
He also allocated a certain percentage of
his helb loan to volunteerism, a sacrifice that many people would not opt to
make. He argues, “Why should you use
your money to take drugs and later cause
discomfort to your fellow students or
your immediate community? Why not
use your knowledge and some of your
resources to better their lives?”
One challenge that Stephen has faced
as a volunteer and a volunteer manager
is the inconsistency of students in their
volunteer work. He says that there is a
need to differentiate “Volun-tourism”
from “Volun-teerism”. Most students
tend to join clubs and associations so
that they can tour new places, meet
new people or get new adventures. This
has left most groups in crisis when the
immediate need for adventure has been
satisfied.
Volunteerism is something that is
developed out of passion and it should
grow. Growth in this context means that
one has to nurture and impart similar
values to his or her peers or juniors.
These days one can be an online volunteer; we have seen people who manage
organization blogs and social media
accounts voluntarily. Others have been
fundraising for various social causes on a
voluntary basis.
The aspect of time has always been a
bone of contention for many students
but in Stephen’s case, he managed it
due to better time management. All of
us are allocated 24 hours every day, the
effectiveness with which we utilize those
hours’ lies in us. Students need to own
up the 24 hours and allocate time for
others in either humanitarian or volunteer work. Major development in Kenya
is dependent on the skills and knowledge
within the youthful population whose
majority are students. As President
Kagame puts it, “Africans should own up
to their actions.”
In a nut-shell, Stephen believes that any
student can be a volunteer as long as he/
she has personal willingness to do so.
The Writer is a co-founder of Change Mind
Change Future (CMCF).
‘LECTURING’
BEYOND
LECTURE
H A L L S
She is an Associate Professor of Literature (Kiswahili and Poetry), a Vicar
and Archdeacon with the Anglican Churches of Kenya at Irindi,Othaya.
Currently, at Kenyatta University, she is the Director of Research, Science
and Technology and lectures in the department of Literture. She is also the
Technical Committee chair of the prestigious Africa Centre for Transformative
and Inclusive Leadership ( ACTIL) , a partnership between UNWOMEN and
Kenyatta University. In 2012, she was awarded the prestigious Presidential
award,Order of Grand Warrior(OGW), in recognition of her exemplary work
to society. She is the chair of the Board of Management of Othaya Boys and
other institutions in Othaya. She also mentors many women, in Kenyatta
University and beyond, a mother to many orphaned and vulnerable children,
a humble Professor who spends her weekends with young pupils in primary
and secondary schools to mentor them and bridge the gap left bysocietal
beliefs on women leadership and transformational approach of issues. So
why does she do all these? For the first time, she opens up to a number of
issues, which she handles. PROF. WANGARI MWAI is indeed an inspiration
to many in Kenya and beyond.
The presidential
recognition,
motivated me, but
the motivation
of God keeps me
going every day.
Where did it all start Professor?
I owe it all to my background and
upbringing. At a very young age, I had
learnt that it is only realistic to do something especially through empowering the
persons involved.
When did you visibly start ‘doing
something’?
On a greater scale, I started doing a lot
of service to the community in Maseno
University. I was a lecturer at the university for almost two decades. I saw a
number of challenges in the community
around. My first project was regarding
the HIV/AIDS scourge in the region. I
called upon students and asked those
who were affected by the scourge in one
way or another to come out, and extend
support to villages around. Through
this, we formed Anti-AIDS clubs in
secondary schools in Nyanza especially
in Siaya. To date the clubs are in existence and the model was uptaken by
various organizations, chief among them
the Kenya Society for People with AIDs
( KESPA) of which I am a mentor and
through which my dream and those of
many other Anti – AIDs crusaders have
been sustained
Seemingly, it all started in Maseno
University, what else did you do in
the University?
Maseno, made me a Priest. I was strong
in the church, from this, my Priest and
mentor, Rev. Joachim Owour, suggested
to me that I could make a good agent of
religious teachings to those I interacted
with through joining the group of tent
makers- Ordained priest who retain
employment. It later occurred to me
that, this was the voice from God. I also
learnt a lot from Rev. Ong’ombe who
was then the acting chaplain at Kenyatta
University. Today, I am an Arch Deacon
of Irindi, ACK in Othaya.
Not very many ladies chose the way
you have chosen, that of priesthood.
Instead, most of them choose to be
nominal Christians who are many
in the congregation but take a back
seat when it comes to participation
in serving and decision making in
the church and societal development. What are your thoughts on
this
Biblically, active participation in church
and society in general is open to all. I
often find women who sympathize with
me and wonder how I manage church,
society and work. In my opinion, this is
scriptural and thus acceptable. I learn
many lessons from Deborah in Judges 4
– She is a judge, thus a cream in leadership of the time; She was a Wife and
thus a family person and she was called
I normally feel
very sad, when
I see brilliant
women make
fake attempts
to behave like
men.
by God to serve His children of Israel.
Deborah did her work excellently, why
not me? Most educated women think
that Proverbs 31 teaches women slavitude and not servitude. In my opinion,
this a very empowering scripture which
encourages women to break through the
gender lines and unleash their potential
in family, business and other spheres. It
requires one to go an extra mile. In my
opinion, the extra is easiest to take since
few are ready to take it and thus, there is
hardly any traffic jams,
I would encourage young girls not to
view those women who go the extra mile
in service to community as outliers and
deviants. They should not also believe
that for you to unleash your potential,
you will have to defeminize yourself,.
Unfortunately, this is the tool used to
bring down women. I normally feel very
sad, when I see brilliant women make
fake attempts to behave like men. We
already have enough masculinity in service, what we need is the softer side of
leadership and service. I am very specific
on ladies because I know that when a
woman decides to do something, they
are unstoppable.
Having started your purpose in
Maseno, how did you finally get your
way to Kenyatta University?
When it came to parting ways with Kisumu, my dala and Maseno, it was unfortunate that I left as an Internally Displace
Professor / Priest and Person ( I.D.P)
due to the 2007 Post Election Violence.
I hold no grudges nor regrets though
because a got a wonderful soft landing at
What have you managed to achieve
since you transferred to Kenyatta
University and indeed this part of
the country.
My purpose and the vision towards society has never changed. My projects have
continued as they had been envisioned.
My love for women of all ages and background has even grown deeper . I never
idle during weekends. I take the chance
to go down to the village and talk to
pupils and students. This is also my time
to attend to my boards within Othaya
and beyond. It is my policy that all the
ladies who get C+ and above proceed to
University. If one is financially vulnerable, I mobilize friends and colleagues
to get the fee paid. I also mentor a good
number of ladies in Kenyatta University
and beyond. I was also able to get closer
to my mentors. My mentor in Professional and Leadership spheres is Prof.
Olive Mugenda, whereas Prof. Wanjiku
Kabira holds my hand in social and women related issues.
Tell us about the lucrative presidential award you won…
The presidential award was given in
recognition of the work I have done as
spelt out in my Curriculum Vitae, both
written and verbalized by those I have
touched. When I relocated to Nyeri
(my home county), I continued with
the calling revealed in Nyanza, I started
many mentorship programs targeting
ladies and transformational leadership.
The word on the impact found its way to
The State House and so I was handed the
award. This was in 2012. The presidential
recognition, motivated me, but the motivation of God keeps me going every day.
Is this the greatest award you have
ever received in relation to the work
you do?
It is a great award, to be honest, but
certainly not the greatest. The greatest
award I have ever received in recognition
for the work I do, is someone coming
back to me and telling me that I helped
their lives in one way or another. That
is certainly the most fulfilling award
one can ever get. There is some comfort
which comes with transforming someone’s life.
only), then be a mother to your children.
Should one role overlap to the others’,
that will signify a great tragedy; a great
one.
As a gender lecturer, a professor
of poetry, a social change agent, a
mother, and a wife, what would be
your last word to university students.
Let me widen the answer by involving all
the readers, the greatest mistake to do in
life is to know something and choose to
ignore it. If you know that your contribution is required to change the status of
the society and you chose to ignore, that
will be a great mistake. Always do good.
Evidently, you have a soft spot for
women more so regarding transformational leadership, what are you up
to, in this regard?
Before, I answer your question, I would
like you to remember the following:
women are the majority in numbers but
minority in participation. So, why is this
the case? Is it because of the societal beliefs on the same? Is it because of the inability of women to lead? The answers of
these questions lie in between what I do.
There is some pride, which comes with
having a leadership outfit where there
is a mixture of both gender. Throughout
history, women have been associated
with efficient leadership and societal
consciousness. This is what I am up to.
That aside, upcoming Career Women have had a hell of work, trying to
balance the urge to overpower men
and the need to keep their feminity
intact, how has this come of age.
It is not a matter of gender war, no, if
you do that, then you miss the point. It
is a matter of delivering in one’s area.
As much as we are career women, or we
aspire to be, there are some things which
must remain intact. If you are a career
woman, be a career woman at work, then
be a wife in the house(to your husband
FROM LOITOKITOK TO HARVARD COLLEGE:
VIONA
SHINA LEBOO
The Power
of Ambition
By Gabriel Dinda
H
er name is Shina
Leboo, she will be a
third year student at
Harvard College this
September. She is
originally from Oloitokitok in Kajiado
county.
Harvard college? That looks like a
great achievement in your path to
achieving your goals, where did it all
start, primary, secondary school?
It has been a journey of blessing. I would
say that it began in Primary School. I
went to Kilimanjaro Junior Academy in
Loitokitok where I was the top female
student in our district in 2006 KCPE. I
got a spot first choice high school, Moi
Girls Eldoret, where I was the top female
student in Rift Valley Province. I am sure
that you may think that this means that
everything has been falling into place in
my life, but I would say it takes God and
the people around you to rise up to your
potential.
How was life in primary school, how
about Secondary School?
I loved my primary school. I was lucky
enough to be sponsored through high
school by the KEF* (Kenya Education
Fund). Some of my best friends in life
are the ones I made during primary and
secondary school.
Not many Ngituak Ormaasai ( Maasai ladies), get the chance to go
to school, instead, they have been
trapped by the dogma of FGM and
other cultural retardation, how did
you manage to get off this. What is
your take on this…
I would say that I am very lucky. My
grandfathers were very wise men,
especially for their generation. From
my mother’s side, I have 6 aunts, all of
whom are teachers. When my mom and
her sisters were growing up, their father
was smart enough to keep them in
school. My aunts claim that my grandfather believed that my mom travel abroad
and even live in a foreign land. Well,
even though my mom is yet to come visit
me here in Boston, it will happen, so I
guess my grandfather’s words will come
true. Living in Loitokitok, I would say
I was exposed to people from different
cultures, and due to the education that
my parents had I was lucky to not get
trapped into the sad cycle of FGM and
early marriages. I believe that it takes
one individual to stand from the crowd
and do what is right..only then will
change happen in the next generations.
Having experienced both the Kenyan and international culture, what
do you think most Kenyan culture
lack…and what do we uniquely
have.
Kenya is an amazing country with so
much potential. Kenyan culture lacks
nothing. We are so rich and have so
much to offer each other and the world.
We have 42 tribes, we have such a diversity in food and culture. I just think that
since we are so used to it that we do not
take time to enjoy the most of our tribal
diversity. If only we could have a little
more tolerance and understanding, we
would be so much better.
What is your comparison of Kenyan
and International Education System.
Are we competitive?
There are differences between the Kenyan Education System and the American
System. In Kenya, we mainly focus on
class work and exams only but here there
is focus on classwork as well as extra curricular activities. Volunteer work is also
highly encouraged here which doesn’t
happen back home. I really like this
system since it doesn’t limit you to class
I would advise you to go for it. There are so
many opportunities out there. It will seem
daunting at first and you may worry about
what is going to happen once you leave but if
you don’t leave you will never find out.
knowledge. Some students here end up
pursuing careers based on what they do
as their extra curricular activity such as
dance or theater. From hearsay from my
agemates in the Kenyan system, some
professors do not provide much support
to their students. While I cannot speak
much about the Kenyan university system, I have to say that during my time
in Harvard, I have got to know many of
my professors through the interactions
that I have had with them. Professors
are always there to assist student in
assignments and are willing to sit down
with you, have coffee and discuss what
they are working on outside class. My
experience with my professors in and
outside class is shaping my academic life
much more than what I think I may have
had, if I had chosen to stay and attend a
Kenyan University.
Equity Bank helped you to pursue
your educational goals through the
scholarship and other aids. Many
Kenyans, however, have a very low
per capita income, making it difficult
to afford basic education. That notwithstanding, we have great brains,
what do you think should be done,
to help this situation?
Access to education is an ongoing
challenge in Kenya, with an alarming
inadequate number of teachers in the
schools. Some students are in schools
currently but because there are not
enough teachers, there is no difference
between them going or not going to the
school. The system is flawed. As I said
before, volunteering is not something
that Kenyan students or adults are urged
to get into. Having student volunteers in
the school themselves would really help
out to ensure that kids receive personal
attention in the classrooms. There is no
need to increase the number of children
in schools if we cannot educate the ones
who are in the schools already.
The number of students accessing
higher education has indeed increased in Kenya, but the same is
not true with the number of jobs,
as a result, many problems have
followed our students, what are the
problems facing students on your
end?
There are challenges of being an international student in America. We have other
issues to deal with such as ensuring that
we do pay taxes, have our visas active
and maintain good grades to be able to
compete with the world. I would not say
that there are any specific set of challenges that we have. Each students has
their challenges to deal with, but being
in a part of the world that is receptive
to new ideas, it makes me feel that I
am able to push forward and meet any
obstacle with confidence.
The morality question has haunted
most of our population. In Kenyatta
University for instance, we lost a
life recently in circumstances which
can’t be well understood…thanks
to skewed thinking. What would you
advise our students, more so ladies,
in this regard.
Such incidences are very sad to hear
about. My advice would be for everyone
to be their brother’s or sister’s keeper.
Sometimes accidents do happen and
having someone close who is keen
enough to notice warning signs really
goes a long mile. My fellow students,
you have the freedom to do what you
choose to do, just always be aware that
not everyone cares about your safety and
health. Ladies, you are strong enough to
be in control of yourself and your safety.
What does other students (from
other countries), say about Kenya.
In other words, what do they know
Kenya for…
Most people I have met who have been
to Kenya say that it is the most beautiful place they have ever been to. I agree
with this in so many levels, but it is sad
to know that most Kenyans do not take
the time to travel and see more of the
country. We do have beautiful beaches,
amazing parks and reserves. If you do
have time, please do take time to see
Kenya. You only live once.
In Harvard, you are a peer counselor,
what inspired you to get involved in
this?
Mostly due to personal reasons that I
would not like to get into
Peer counseling is closely related to
mentorship, do you have any plans
to mentor those who look up to you
(in Kenya, Loitokitok), now that you
are in a position to do so??
I do love talking to people younger than
me to know what they love and how I
can help them out. I have been looking
into writing articles for my local county’s
newspaper, though it has not been easy
to get into contact with them. I always
read the county’s newspaper, and the articles about education especially when in
regards to women, are always negative.
I know more people from my county
who are doing great things and having
the newspaper highlight that will really
encourage other students.
What would you advise students
who might be seeking to study in
international universities.
I would advise you to go for it. There are
so many opportunities out there. It will
seem daunting at first and you may worry about what is going to happen once
you leave but if you don’t leave you will
never find out. Study or travel abroad
really gives you a better perspective of
your country and of you as an individual.
You get to discover yourself. Also, be
ready and willing to change. You will be
exposed to different cultures and people
with different point of views, you do not
have to agree with all of them, but you
should be willing to be respective and
receptive.
Do you think it is time, private sector
to invest heavily in Education to
help the government and therefore
increase the societal social welfare?
Like Equity (private firm), has started
with the program to help educate
students…
I think it is time for everyone to invest
in education. Organisations such as
PACE (Promoting Access to Community
Education) is a great way that individuals can get involved. I have seen the
great work that the group has done and I
believe we need more of such initiatives
from our generation. The private sector
can also get involved, there is much that
Kenyans can gain if they do. As I previously stated, we do need to improve the
quality of education provided in schools
first before we add more kids into the
system.
Let’s talk leadership, how can we
encourage women participation in
leadership?
As I mentioned earlier, having platforms
such as newspapers that showcase
women in leadership positions goes a
long way. It is very inspiring to see a
woman going against all odds to become
successful and if we expose our girls to
stories of successful women from young
age then we will be encouraging them to
want to achieve. This is why I am very
glad that I am able to share my story, I
hope it encourages someone.
Please note your last advice/word
for Kenyan students; ladies, guys,
fresh graduates (talk of the employment part), and your general advice
to our readers.
A week ago a friend of mine asked me
to list 5 top memorable moments in my
life, then asked me to point out the one
thing that was similar in all of them. My
answer was that I was happy in all of
them and my life changed tremendously
after that. Then he asked me to think
deeply about them. It them hit me that
in all the five, I was happy because I had
worked hard and taken a risk in order to
get to that point in my life. The reason I
told you this is to let you know that you
will not have any memorable moments
in your life if you do not take risk.
CLASSIC REVIEW
FAMOUS QUOTES
BY MUSICIANS
Compiled by Nora Beverly Kerubo.
MALEFICENT
Starring: Angelina Jolie
Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning
Directed by: Robert Stromberg
Screenplay by: LindaWoolver
Running time: 97 minutes
Reviewed by:Andeso Barbara
Maleficent is a 2014 American fantasy
film developed from the Walt Disney’s
classic animated film ‘Sleeping Beauty’.
The film portrays a story antagonist’s
perspective, Maleficent(Angelina Jolie),
an antagonistic character recurring
in the ABC fairy-tale drama series
‘Once Upon A Time’. Maleficent is
informed by her confidant,Diaval,that
King Stefan(Sharlto Copley) is hosting
a christening ceremony for his new
born daughter, Princess Aurora.Bent
on revenge,Maleficent arrives at the
ceremony uninvited and pronounces a
curse on the infant princess:She would
prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel before the sun sets on her
sixteenth birthday which will make her
fall into a death-like sleep. A curse that
would only be broken by a true love’s
kiss.Who would deliver that kiss?
In their youngeryears ,Maleficent fell in
love with the then young Stefan but his
affection for her was overshadowed by
his ambitions to ascend to the throne.
Stefan betrays Maleficent’s trust by
drugging her and cutting of her wings to
present them to the king as proof of her
death.
Despite her initial dislike for Princess
Aurora,Maleficent is driven to break
a curse she cannot undo because no
power on Earth can overcome it. Only a
true love’s kiss.
This film has weight and matters to the
contemporary society.
The way partriarchal culture fuses women’s sense of self-worth on their bodies
is expressed when Maleficent’s pure
heart is turned into stone after a young
Stefan burns his wings with iron and
cuts them off.This was also a metaphor
for rape.The trauma of betrayal that
rape victims go through is shown when
Maleficent cold-heartedly pronounces
a curse on newly-born Princess Aurora.The positive and hopeful message
to rape victims is that the trauma of
betrayal can be overcome by a sincere
act of love. Maleficent’s heart melts with
joy when 15-year old Princess Aurora
addresses her as ‘faireegodmother’despite the fact that it is the first time she
meets her.
This is a movie that you will hear teenagers or college students bonding over
having seen it and lost sleep over it.Its
title will have acquired three more words
plus a punctuation:’Oh my God, Maleficent!’
When you come into
this world,you come
alone.When you
leave,you leave alone.
Everyone may turn
their backs on you and
you may lose the ones
you depend on.But its upto you to rise above
your shortcomings and make something out
of yourself.
You live,you learn,sometimes you hurt,sometimes you get burnt.Today you are at the top
tomorrow you are at the bottom,that’s just
how life is
- SAUTI SOL.
Life is one big road
with lots of signs. So
when you riding
through the ruts, don’t
complicate your mind.
Flee from hate,
mischief and jealousy.
Don’t bury your thoughts, put your vision to
reality. Wake Up and Live!”
- BOB MARLEY
“Some women choose
to follow men, and
some women choose to
follow their dreams. If
you’re wondering
which way to go,
remember that your
career will never wake up and tell you that it
doesn’t love you anymore.”
- LADY GAGA
“In a world filled with
hate, we must still
dare to hope. In a
world filled with anger,
we must still dare to
comfort. In a world
filled with despair, we
must still dare to dream. And in a world filled
with distrust, we must still dare to believe.”
- MICHAEL JACKSON
IT’S TRUE, YOU
ARE WHAT YOU EAT
By Evance Omondi David.
R
esearch and other studies indicates that every
human species have well
developed brain system.
The human brain acts
as the centre of the nervous system and
performs a number of functions in the
body. Research also indicates that proper
dietary and nutrition can largely help
individuals including students to boost
their brain power as well as produce
healthy mind set up. The human brain
usually requires various nutrients in
order to function properly. For example,
for cognition, individual growth and
development as well as to boost our
memories.
As students and generally the academic portfolio that the country is moving
towards, it is important that students as
well as adults adopt healthy brain system. There are those who argue that people are what they eat and research also
indicates that eating right foods produce
positive results on brain development.
‘BREAKING THE FAST’
Breakfast usually keeps the brain alert
at all times and also jump starts the metabolic reactions in the body. It provides
the energy necessary for the brain to
use throughout the day. Recent research
indicates that those who miss breakfast usually experience fatigue, lack of
concentration and huge sudden weight
losses. If you are a student or lecturer
you need breakfast in the morning to
provide your brain with glucose in order
to release energy into your brain for the
day’s work. Breakfast also maintains
muscles power thus allows individuals
to concentrate for long and to feel less
tired.
GLUCOSE
Secondly, it is also critical that individuals balance their glucose intake as
this mostly helps in proper functioning
of the brain. Most of the glucose we
have in our bodies usually comes from
starch and carbohydrates we consumed.
Deficiencies and lack of glucose can
results into malfunctioning of the body
and slow down brain capabilities. One
should ensure that there is adequate supply of energy and glucose in the body according to his or her brain requirement.
This will boost individual’s concentration
as well as memory status. Foods that are
rich in glucose include rice, bread, flour
products, junk foods and a number of
soft drinks. The problem with too much
intake of these foods is that they are
likely to cause diabetes two to individuals. Therefore, individuals should balance
them appropriately to avoid their negative effects such as immediate weight
gain and other cognitive problems. High
levels of glucose in the body is also associated with low learning levels, low IQ
levels as well as poor brain functioning’s.
It is usually recommended that individuals take whole grains, legumes, nuts,
fruits and vegetables which are very
good at providing controlled amount of
glucose in the body.
Thirdly, individuals should adopt
eating foods rich in omega three such
as oily fish, walnuts, pumpkins and flax
seeds. These foods contain eicosapentaenoic acid- EPA and docosahexaenoic acid-DHA. This forms the larger part of the
grey matter of the brain thus provides
higher percentage of memory boosting
and concentration levels. They also help
in sending brain signals in the body.
Finally, it is also important that
individuals take foods rich in vitamins
especially vitamin C and E to boost their
brain power. Foods rich in these vitamins include tomatoes, spinach, carrots,
oranges as well as berries. Identify what
makes you happy and do it to avoid
stress and to relax your brain. These may
include dancing, swimming, going for a
walk, jogging as well as relaxing in the
bath tub. All in all, eat well, sleep well
and avoid smoking, alcoholic drinks as
well as chemical based foods and junk
foods to boost your brain memories and
power.
The writer is a fourth year literature
student from Kenyatta University.
PREGNANT IN CAMPUS?
YOU ARE BETTER OFF…
By Mwalimu Adinasi
WHAT WILL YOU FIRST THINK of should
you hear that, she is pregnant?? And
what will you do, if you just miss your
periods mysteriously after a ‘tricky’
time with him? Well, your decision, will
depend on a number of things. You could
consider it a curse if you never saw it
coming. If that is the case, you need to
think again, researchers have a word for
you.
Well curiosity of a journalist always
carries the day, so I set to find out. From
the outset, I respect the ladies who have
since conceived and those who are planning to, because of two reasons; firstly,
they value life, instead of killing the
innocent “brat” they give a chance to life.
Secondly they are fertile and no doubt
they can give a series of lives given another chance and means. In this regard
having a wife who already has a kid is a
plus to men.
A research conducted in Moi University, where in every five ladies two are
pregnant, shows that pregnancy is a plus
to the young learning friends. It was
established that when an expecting lady
sits for her exams, her memory is boosted making her remember that she read.
Spare me the biological bit, because
the research did not care to investigate
that. When a lady is expecting, the IQ is
boosted and she would dedicate much of
her time reading and attending lectures.
The study stated, “Often ladies concentrate on how they look in class, diverting
their attention to mark who would be
interested in surveying their body geography and salivating for their moistened
glossy lips and their hilly posteriors
blessings”.
This makes them retain 3% - 5% of
the course content. The remaining bit
is forgotten as soon as they step out
of lecture halls, where the “lions” get a
chance to appreciate their efforts to appear smart that particular day. Contrary
to when a lady is pregnant, she dedicates
her time to what is important, taking
the courage to get to a class with her unborn, consequently, the research goes
further to state that, she will manage to
retain close to 85% of the areas handled.
Am yet to see or hear of a man telling a
pregnant lady that she looks beautiful or
even hug a pregnant lady in public, even
when you are the one behind “nuisance”
in the tummy.
The transcripts that were checked in
the course of the research indicated consistent grades of A’s and B’s, very few Cs.
Besides, the children born in Campus are
naturally blessed upstairs. A case example is Otieno Akoth from Golden Elite,
the top 2013 KCPE candidate, who
was born in a gown when the mother
was graduating some years back.
It is possible to improve your
grades through other means, but
ladies have another natural way.
Perhaps, it is time, our
sisters try a new method to
tackle the stubborn calculus
and other grade-reducing
units.
Mwalimu Adinasi is a Freelance
Journalist
and a media
student in
Maseno
University.
when an expecting
lady sits for her
exams, her memory
is boosted making
her remember that
she read.
HEALTH
FORGET ABOUT THE RESEARCH,
YOU NEED TO SLEEP MORE.
Rutto K. Kevin
W
hen you have restful
sleep, you wake up
feeling refreshed
and energized.
However sometimes
sleep becomes elusive. You spend hours
tossing, turning and checking the time
every few minutes in frustration. With
each passing hour, you worry how you
will cope with work the following day
and this only worsens the situation.
Finally morning comes you wake up
feeling tired, foggy and moody. Our
bodies need a good night’s sleep for cell
repair, rejuvenation and strengthening
the immunity. Sleep is essential for improved memory and metabolism, ability
to concentrate, protection from illness
and overall wellbeing.
Quantity of sleep is not so much
about how many hours you sleep, but
how you feel when you wake up. You may
sleep for ten hours and wake up feeling
less than fresh. On the other hand, half
an hour nap can be extremely rejuvenating. Because the amount of sleep we
need varies, some people can function
well with just a few hours sleep while
others must have eight hours or more.
It’s normal to have sleepless nights
occasionally, but if it happens regularly it
becomes a problem. Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that affects about
a third of the adult population. If you
often find difficult to fall asleep, wake up
frequently in the night and have difficulty falling back to sleep, then you have
insomnia. Other symptoms are waking
up too early in the morning and feeling
drowsy and tired when you wake up.
More often than not, insomnia is a
symptom of an underlying problem like
stress, anxiety or depression, a physical illness or pain. Therefore the most
effective way of overcoming insomnia is
addressing the underlying problem first.
The treatment of insomnia depends
largely on the cause of the problem .In
cases where an obvious situational factor
is responsible for insomnia correcting
or removing the cause generally cures
the illness. For example, if insomnia is
related to a transient stressful situation,
such as an upcoming examination, the
insomnia will be cured when the situation resolves.
Treatment of insomnia can be
divided into non-medical or behavioral
approaches and medical therapy. Both
approaches are necessary to successfully treat insomnia and combinations of
these approaches may be more effective
than either approach alone.
When insomnia is related to a known
medical condition, then the appropriate treatment of that condition is in
the forefront of therapy for insomnia
in addition to the specific therapy for
insomnia itself. There are several recommended non-medical techniques used
in treating people with insomnia. These
strategies are generally advised to be
practiced at home in combination with
other remedies for insomnia. Some of
the most important of these behavioral
techniques are sleep hygiene, stimulus
control, and relaxation techniques and
sleep restriction. Sleep hygiene is one of
the components of non-medical treatments for insomnia and includes simple
steps that may improve initiation and
maintenance of sleep.
Sleep hygiene consists of the following
strategies
1. Maintain regular sleep
schedule.
2. Do not force yourself to
sleep.
3. Do not go to bed hungry.
4. Adjust our bedroom
environment to induce sleep.
5. Resolve stress and anxiety
before going to bed.
Rutto K. Kevin, Kenyatta University.
FOODS FOR BETTER SLEEP:
NO MORE INSOMNIA
BY EVANCE OMONDI
factors that deprive individuals of
There are two types of sleep disorders sleep. In most cases, coffee and tea
known as Insomnia type one and Indrinkers face a lot of sleep disruptions.
somnia type two. These two diseases
Secondly, foods such as sugar and
usually results into restless and broglucose should be avoided as they
ken sleep leading to sleep regression
release a lot of sugar into the blood
in individuals who experienced them.
stream. This affects the adrenaline
The Insomnia type one is mostly asso- system to bring back and balance the
ciated with the inability to fall asleep
blood sugar level in the body to norfaster when you go to bed. On the
mal leading to individuals panic and
other hand, type two sleeps Insomnia
sleep interruptions.
causes individuals to experience difAlthough sleep pills can provide short
ficulties in sleeping again when they
term solutions to sleep problems, it is
wake up in the middle of the night.
not the best practice and procedure
It prevents them from going back to
to adopt in cases of sleep challengsleep after waking up in the middle of
es. However, adoption of good diet
the night. These sleep disorder usually including foods such as meat, fish,
provide stressful conditions to individeggs as well as beans is very importuals who experience them and are
ant. Little amount of alcohol is also
likely to suffer other stressful
known to be effective in
conditions which affects
inducing sleep. Howevtheir psychological
er, too much alcohol
well being as well
can lead to sleep
foods such as
as mental health. It
problems. Rice and
sugar and glucose
is usually recomvegetables are also
should be avoided
mended by clinical
good for the eveas they release a
nutritionist dealing
ning meal before
lot of sugar into
with sleep disorsleeping. There
ders that enough
are also foods
the blood stream.
sleep involves within
that contain sleep
around six to eight
promoting amino acid
hours per day. Enough
tryptophan products such
and sufficient sleep is
as bananas, lentils, tuna and
necessary for our bodies to allow the
turkey products. These foods can be
liver to perform its detoxification funcincluded in the evening meal to induce
tion in the body. Besides, various new
sleep. Whole grains, fruits and yoghurt
cells in our bodies are created during
are also very effective in inducing
sleeping period leading to healthy
sleep in the body. This is because
body. The psychological and emotional these foods release sugar in the
information are also restructured in
bloodstream through slow and susthe body through the dream process
tained process. Light porridge is also
by various hormones in the body, thus
very effective in inducing sleep since it
the need for proper sleep by the body.
releases small amount of blood sugar
Research also indicates that those
into the bloodstream. Finally, it is
who receive enough sleep have high
important that those who experience
concentration power than those who
sleep problems adopt the process of
sleep less than six hours per day.
eating these foods to improve their
There are various factors that usualbody growth and development.
ly lead to sleep problems in human
beings. To begin with, caffeine which
The writer is a fourth year English literis found in tea and coffee is one of
ature student at Kenyatta University
DIGITAL ERA GOES TO BEDROOM
CALIFORNIA “CONDOM
ENGINEER” INVENTS
GALACTIC CAP CONDOM
By Abuta Ogeto
Charlie Powell has come up with a condom that only covers the glans penis.
According to him, having a full length
condom is useless and reduces sensitivity
during sex. Charlie says that this is the
best option for those who want to liven
up things in the bedroom. The inventor
further adds that the main reason for
having a condom on is to trap semen
which may lead to pregnancy. By having
the Galactic Cap on, the same aim can be
achieved without making the sensation
during sex dull.
But one of the biggest shortcomings
with the condom, according to Pauline
Mwende of APHIA Plus, a reproductive
health NGO, is that it may not be able to
prevent the STIs, just as the traditional
condom does. Again, there are chances
that the “cap” may pull off so easily and
remain in the female genitals.
The cap is made up of two parts: a
U-shaped polyurethane adhesive film and
a reservoir tip that sticks to the adhesive.
The film can be worn for hours or even
days before sex. You can bathe in it and
urinate with it. The reservoir is added
immediately before sex.
According to Powell, people will be
able to enjoy more by having most of
their penis length uncovered. Though
the invention is yet to receive authorization from United States Food and Drug
Administration, the regulating agency,
it is interesting to note that the exciting
thing about the condom is its shortcoming.
Are you ready to ‘digitize’ your bedroom??
1
2
5 Most Annoying
kinds of Women
By Mark Maina
O
ur women adamantly
complain about the
lack of seriousness men
portray when it comes
to taking them out on
dates. Listening to such rants one may
be inclined to believe that the problem
lies entirely with men, a total fallacy if
you ask mThe next time a guy asks you
out only to take you to a shady bar don’t
be quick to admonish him. Sit back and
reflect on how you acted during the
previous date. Chances are that you are
so annoying that the only way he can sit
through the date is when he has his beer
goggles on. The following are the 5 most
annoying kinds of women to take out on
a dinner date.
1
The pompous
superwoman
The modern woman that has successfully metamorphosed from her timid pre-
decessors whose main role was bearing
kids and taking care of their husbands
to becoming the bread winners. If there
is anything a man can do, the new age
woman can too, if not better. The unwritten rule is that a man must foot the bill
on the first date to show he is capable
of providing for his future family, you
can decide to go Dutch on subsequent
dates but never the first. The superwoman not only insists on picking the
tab she also offers to pay your cab fare
back home.
I have nothing against independent
ladies if anything I find them to be quite
irresistible. However, there is no need to
blast a guy with your long list of accomplishments. We are amazed by how you
graduated top on your class, got promoted to management before turning
25 and have been to a dozen countries
we’ve only read about. Please don’t rub
this in our face as it only makes us feel
emasculated. Such women completely
vanquish a man’s ego and erode his
sense of self-worth.
2
The social
media queen
Apparently having 10,000+ followers
on twitter, a well endowed derrière and
regularly posting nude’s makes one a
socialite in this part of the world. This
‘coveted’ occupation requires one to
maintain very high standards, inflate the
buying price of their accessories and
constantly keep the world abreast on
the on goings of their amazing life on
the fast lane.
When dinner is served, a typical guy
would immediately dive into the meal
with uttermost speed. Just before you
pick the juiciest ribs she goes like
“Mark! Wait!”For a moment you think
she is about to ask you to say Grace
only to have her whip out a phone and
snap pictures of the food and wine from
3
all angles. Worst of all, she asks the
waiter to capture you both holding the
forks and knives, the pictures are then
hurriedly uploaded on Instagram “My
boo and I having dinner at #fancyjoint”
We would gladly take pictures holding
a samurai sword like some bad ass but
not a dinner knife and smiling broadly before a mouth watering dish as it
makes us look stupid before our boys.
3
The fashion
cop
The fashion cop will pick a spot with a
vantage view of the entire restaurant
dining area. Whenever a better looking
or well dressed lady walks in she will
find something awful about her sense of
fashion. “Ebu look at that lady, she must
borrowed those pants from her little sister…seriously how do you dye your her
hair blond when you are that dark?…
just see how she is strutting around with
confidence yet how she is so ugly”
Dear fashion cops, pointing out other
ladies fashion faux pas will not elevate
your standing before our eyes if anything we might realize they are a lot
more appealing than you and wish you
would leave so we can hit on them.
4
4
The loquacious lady
Do you like my new hairstyle? Do I look
good in orange? Are you ashamed
of holding my hand in public? Do you
find that girl attractive? I’m I talking too
much? This kind of lady asks endless
questions without giving the poor guy a
chance to answer back. You don’t have
to prod the guy to compliment your
looks, let him do that at his own time.
Constantly seeking approval and turning
the conversation into a monologue
sends red flags that you have deep
underlying psychological issues. What
happened to women using their uncanny ability to have guys do their bidding
without asking directly?
5
The Prima
donna
5
exterior lies an insecure lady who is
desperately trying to impress anyone
and everyone. She is easily the most
annoying kind to take out on a date.
So you drive a Japanese car? Most of
my friends own rides that make yours
look like a toolbox on wheels. You listen
to soul music? Dude, that’s so 1950’s.
What’s your favorite meal? Yuck! That
tastes like ash! That’s your favorite Movie? C’mon, how can anyone sit through
such a boring movie? Nothing you like is
good enough for her.
We all come from different backgrounds
and have different personalities so just
because someone has different tastes
don’t necessarily mean they are decrepit.
What’s the most annoying date you’ve
ever had?
Everything about her attire is aimed at
making a statement; there is even an
inspiration to the kind of handkerchief
she carries. She only dons accessories
from particular designers, shops and
only hangs out in certain places. A prima
donna only associates with people within her perceived class, anyone short of
that isn’t worth a minute of her time.
From afar, she may appear full of
confidence but beneath that unruffled
Source: www.markmaish.com
Brown launched Global Youth Ambassadors (GYA) on 10/04/2014. The Global
Youth Ambassadors for A World at
School comprises of 500 youths worldwide. According to the newly appointed
Kenyan ambassador Denis Mogaka
Nyambane, a student from Kenyatta
University in the department of Environmental Sciences, their main mandate
is to urge leaders to raise budgets, build
schools, train more teachers and improve
learning for all children in Kenya. The
Bachelor degree student in Environmen-
Despite all these efforts,
statistics still show that
close 57 million children
around the world are
currently denied the right
to education.
EDUCATION MATTERS:
GLOBAL YOUTH
AMBASSADORS - (GYA)
DID YOU KNOW ABOUT IT?
By Reagan Nyadimo
E
ducation is the answer to
the greatest challenges
we face as society and
perhaps major contributor to the progress of
human development. Its benefits to both
individual and society cannot be quantified and this is why it still remains the
only path to success. World leaders are
aware of these facts and have supported
the progress of education in their countries. Most African countries have made
Education free while others have subsidized the fees to allow millions to get
basic education. Despite all these efforts,
statistics still show that close 57 million
children around the world are currently
denied the right to education. Statistics
in Kenya are no different. According to
World Bank, 1,009,592 children were
out of school in 2009, a drop from the
previous 2,017,389 in 2002. As much as
the figures keeps on dropping yearly, the
number is still very high in Kenya compared to other counties in Africa.
It is from these worrying statistics
that United Nations Secretary Bank Ki
Moon and the United Nations Special
Envoy for Global Education Gordon
tal Science with a passion in education
and the only successful candidate in
Kenyatta University believes that we can
lift over 170 million people out of poverty by teaching every child in low-income
country- basic reading skills. A fact he
says has been proven.
Nyambane, attributes poverty, early
marriage, child-labour and different
forms of discrimination as the major
reasons why children are kept out of
school .He narrates a sad story of two
of his fellow Ambassadors: Shazia and
Kainat who were shot by Taliban for
going to school in Pakistan just over a
year ago and breaks down in tears. He
vows to support this initiative till he gets
every child into school and wants the
world to be aware of this organization
that stands for economically challenged
children. He is asking not only Kenyans
but everybody around the world to join
them on twitter @aworldatschool, face
book www.facebook.com/AWorldAtSchool and check their website at www.
awaorldatschool.org to get the latest
news and their progress in support of
child education. This initiative is headed
by the Sarah Broxn, wife to former UK
Prime Minister Mr Brown.
[email protected]
Campus clubs and societies
can shape your future
Kelvin Kuria
F
rancois de La Rochefoucauld once so candidly
put it that: “Moderation
is the feebleness and
sloth of the soul, whereas
ambition is the warmth and activity of
it”. Forgive me for sounding somewhat
rude or extremely truthful but the point
that I am trying to put across (Technically Fracois is responsible for this) is that
moderation never put a man (or woman)
in the white house (or state house for
that matter). You are about to spend the
next five minutes tearing through the
very essence of moderation and hopefully appreciating the value of positive
activity in campus.
Kenyan Universities have been ridiculed and critiqued for many things, one
thing that they however get right all the
time is the freedom to allow students
to pursue professional and social goals
alongside Academic projections. Kenyatta University for example has more than
150 clubs and associations all founded,
run and managed by students.
The question that then arises is: “How
comes, some people come out of campus
more successful than others”. I would go
on and on in response to this but for the
purposes of this conversation I will tell
you three things.
1. There is need for a clear
understanding of self.
Jiddu Krishnamurti once said that “If
you begin to understand what you are
without trying to change it, then what
you are undergoes a transformation.”
This for me is a powerful statement
that clearly spells out the need for a
clear self-interrogation plan for anyone
seeking to get the best out of clubs and
associations in campus.
2. The need for a clear plan
of action.
Allen Saunders is said to have earned
quite a few enemies when he said: “Life
is what happens to you while you’re busy
making other plans”. The need for a clear
plan of action is not only useful in properly managing time but will also aid in
deriving the best from the club/society.
A good plan for example will reveal
that Business club and entrepreneurship
club probably do the same thing so there
is no need to join both.
3. Track your progress as
often as you can handle.
Khalil Gibran puts it so effortlessly
when he says: “Progress lies not in enhancing what is but in advancing toward
what will be”. The reason we all do exams
is not to waste paper but to review what
mental mileage we have made so far.
Clubs and associations can be very
busy but in real sense not in business at
all. Please remember to always view your
time as a precious commodity that needs
meticulous usage and management.
Networking has never been easier
than when 50 young minds converge together for a common purpose. Ask that
successful professor how he got his wife.
Leadership seizes being an overused
code for class prefect and starts seeming
pretty practical and fun. Am sure your
class rep will agree.
Opportunities take on a real and
achievable poise as opposed to their
usual elusive and exaggerated nature. I
would tell you how I became CEO of my
own company at 20 if I had time but the
bottom line is: Opportunity.
You know what they say: “Always and
never are two words you should always
remember never to use”. Do not think
about this for so long though...
HELLS GATE NATIONAL PARK:
Once Is Never Enough
By Billy Oyaro
[email protected]
D
éjà vu – I have been
here before. Nevertheless, I am back
courtesy of the Kenya
Wildlife Service. Perhaps to reaffirm that one visit to Hells
Gate National Park is never enough. You
might think you have seen it all, but wait
till you go back and see the whole lot
that you had missed out on.
On June 7th 2014, I had the privilege
of exploring Hells Gate National Parking
the company of various travel partners
in a familiarization trip organized by
the Kenya Wildlife Service. From rock
climbing at the Fischer’s tower to a
therapeutic session at the Olkaria Geothermal Spa, this was one experience to
remember.
Armed with a few bottles of drinking water and light snack courtesy of
our hosts, we set off on our journey
from Nairobi to Hells Gate early in the
morning. Conversations of introduction
can be heard throughout the bus as we
drive past the foggy Limuru and by the
time we reached Moi Southlake Road in
Naivasha, you would have thought that
we all worked for the same organization; with persons seated next to each
other no longer unacquainted. After one
and half hours’ drive, we arrived at our
destination.
The weather was dull, but not dull
enough to dampen our enthusiasm or
eagerness for that matter. Upon alighting at the entrance of the park, we were
ushered to the information office a few
metres away. The office was large enough
to accommodate most of us and contains useful and interesting information
boards about the park. After a short
welcome speech by the senior warden
and brief introductory session by all the
people present in the room, we were
given a brief overview of Hells Gate
National Park by the assistant warden,
Alvin Charo. He was keen to demystify
the myth that Hells Gate is a dangerous
place and vulnerable to flash floods.
Unknown to many, Hells Gate got its
name from the Maasai people who used
to live around the park. The escarpments within the wilderness park were
formed as a result of volcanic eruptions
which to the locals, was the work of the
devil. Hells Gate thus inferred its name
from this local meaning which was then
translated into English. The park offers
an array of activities which include; rock
climbing, game viewing, horse riding,
gorge hike, cycling, the annual wheelbarrow race and most recently the Olkaria
Geothermal Spa. When it comes to
money matters, the rates at Hells Gate
National Park couldn’t be any fairer. The
park entry fee for resident adults as at
June 2014 stood at Ksh 350. In order
to access a bike for cycling within the
park from 6a.m to 6p.m, resident adults
would have to part with ksh 600 only.
Participation in the wheelbarrow race
comes at a fee of 5000/= per team of 2
pax and ksh 300 as daytime entry for
spectators. Interesting to note is that the
Olkaria Geothermal Spa is currently accessible at no additional cost to the park
entry fee. This is, however, set to change
soon so I suggest you take advantage
while you can.
Our exploration mission begun with
a stop at Fischer’s tower, a raised basalt
rock popular for rock climbing. A few
individuals were selected to conquer the
tower and after a guiding demonstration
by one of the wardens, the climbers were
raring to go. With the harness intact, a
helmet on their head, climbing shoes on
the feet and palms laced with chalk dust
the climbers conquered Fischer’s Tower
one after the other. All this was made
possible by the instructors on the ground
who offered guidance to the climbers
both while ascending and descending. A
climbing session at the Fischer’s Tower
costs only Ksh 500 per person and you
need not carry your equipment as they
are provided on site.
Amidst the clearly evident jubilation of conquering Fischer’s tower, we
moved to the next point of exploration.
Even though some people opted to cycle
through the scenic landscapes to the
gorge, majority chose to board the bus
to cover the 8km from Fischer’s Tower
to the Ol Njorowa Gorge. Upon arrival
at the gorge, a few minutes were enough
for us to alight and gather at the gorge
entrance in readiness for the next mileage of adventure. Relatively challenging
to traverse, the Ol Njorowa Gorge never
gets washed away. Exploring the gorge
was like walking underground except
that there was no ground directly above
us. We treaded along narrow meandering pathways with steep walls on both
sides and hot ground water at some
points. Emergency exits are strategically
located along the gorge for use whenever need arises. We traversed the gorge
fully, diverting form the main pathway
to the “devil’s bedroom” the back to the
main route and finally ascended out of
the gorge using a designated exit with
a support rope on the side. After a few
minutes of rest, we are off to the spa.
first of its kind in the
region, the Olkaria
Geothermal Spa was
the crown on the jewel
during our trip at Hells
Gate National Park. The expansive spa
consists of four interconnected open air
lagoons with warm bluish white water, a
raised central ground and open showers
to the side. The spa has stairs constructed all round which can be used as an
indicator of depth of the lagoon. Visitors
can immerse their whole body, up to
neck level, by sitting on a staircase level
of their choice. The mineral rich water
has unique healing and medicinal value.
Kids are not left out either as the fourth
lagoon is a baby pool adjacent to the
main pool and therefore a session at the
health spa would make a perfect family
outing. With construction of complimentary facilities such as a restaurant
and museum ongoing, access to the spa
is currently free of charge. Upon completion, however, a small admission fee
would be charged just to cater for the
maintenance of the facility.
A
The experience at Hells Gate and
Olkaria Geothermal Spa was one of
a kind as evident from the smiles on
most faces. “It was a great experience.
The activities were really engaging and I
have to say, the spa is the bomb. I would
definitely bring clients here to relax and
benefit from the healing properties of
the spa. On top of that, the company was
fantastic. I look forward to coming back,”
remarked Florence Mutheu of Speed bird
Safaris.
We departed from Hells Gate in the
evening against the backdrop of the
setting sun. Herds of animals could be
spotted along the way with their heads
up high as if to bid us goodbye. We shall
be back.
The writer is a travel writer, eco worrier winner
2013 and student from Egerton University Main
Campus.
Ten Cheapest Places For
Lovers’ Weekend In Nairobi
By Abuta Ogeto
You can agree with me that breaking
from the boring Monday to Friday
routine is the best thing for any campuserian. It rejuvenates and gives you a
reason to smile all the week ahead. And
on top of that, it thickens the bond with
your ‘better half’ as you have all the time
for the two of you. But a challenge comes
in knowing where to go and not ruin
your financial health for the rest of the
semester. I sampled some of the cheapest places where you can go with your
girlfriend/boyfriend and have some fun
with friends in the Gaming joints that
have become increasingly popular at only
3
Nature Walk in Karura
Forest
Located next to Muthaiga on the
Kiambu Road, Karura forest is one of the
amazing places to be. Its natural scenery
is so refreshing and gives the two of you
a feeling of safety and secrecy. One can
enjoy the waterfalls, various species of
trees, Mau Mau caves, picnic and riding.
Tickets go for only sh. 100. One can
access it from Muthaiga police station
stage and take a matatu for ten bob to
200 shillings.
2
and time together.
1
Village MarketBowling, Pool table,
mini Golf, swimming
The Village Market has enough
activities to last you a day of leisure.
Bowling will cost you about 350 shillings
per person per game and you can bowl
alone or join a team and compete. Next
to the Bowling alley are Pool Tables
where a game goes for 100 shillings or
you may opt to watch a Movie at the
Cinema. There’s also the option of
swimming or mini Golf amongst other
activities.If you love cars then you will
sure get excited, or you can compete
The National
Archives
Located at the Ambassador bus
station in the CBD, the national archives
is one of the most amazing places where
many people have never bothered to get
into. Maybe because they are so much
overwhelmed to board matatus or keep
in the queue. The Archives have a collection of historical artifacts, pictures and
a hoard of exciting stuff that will take
you through a thrilling journey spanning
decades. Tickets for Kenya adults goes
for Sh. 60. If you need someone to direct
you and explain to you about all in there,
you will pay Sh. 100.
the Forest’s main gate.
4
Oloolua Nature
trail, Karen
The beautiful establishment is located
on Ngong road and is a nice place for
those who want outdoor partying.
Nature walks can also be so interesting
among the beautiful flowers and unique
tree species.
The restaurants here serve very nice
bitings and buffets. A five course buffet
goes for sh. 550 and for those who may
require accommodation; the rooms are
classy and clean. A double sharing goes
for sh1800. Though it is slightly expensive for a campus guy, it is one of the
over the other side of the highway.
Swimming Tickets go for sh. 150 and
costumes (for those who don’t have) can
best places one can be.
be hired for sh. 50.
5
Nairobi National
Park
Nairobi National Park was established
in 1946 long before the city burst its
seams. Located just 7km from the city
center, Nairobi National Park has a remarkably diverse eco-system for its size
(117 km2). It is home to black rhino,
lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, buffalo,
giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, elands, hippo
and more than 400 species of birds.
There are other undiscovered picnic and
event sites. The park also has a campsite.
Another get away spot is the Nairobi
Safari Walk that is close to the city. It is
great for those who have to walk and
view game at the same time. Visitors can
also sample out the wetlands, savannah
and forests and follow the trail to the
woodlands. Tickets go for 250 for
7
The KENYA National
Museum
Founded in 1920, and established at
its present location in 1929. It offers
visitors the chance to learn about
Kenya’s history, culture, paleontology
and art. The Museum building got a
complete overhaul in the past decade,
and reopened its doors in 2008. Many of
the fascinating anthropological discoveries by the Leakey family can be found
in the Museum. The large collection of
stuffed birds is also impressive. A
botanical garden and two restaurants
make it a nice place to visit for a few
hours and escape the more crowded,
traffic congested city center. The Nairobi
National Museum is open from 8.30 am
to 5.30 pm daily. Tickets go for sh. 80
of a Feast” -- this is not a good place for
vegetarians (but there is small menu for
you). The meat is pinned onto Maasai
spears and braised over a huge charcoal
pit in the center of the restaurant. The
meat used to be exotic game, but now
comes from four legged beasts that
everyone recognizes, namely pork, lamb,
beef with the occasional ostrich and
crocodile thrown in. The food is accompanied with “dawa”, a staple Carnivore
cocktail that will enhance your mood
and make you brave enough to try some
of the hottest accompanying sauces.
The Carnivore can accommodate large
groups, and often does, so this is not
really a romantic dinner destination.
Adjoining the restaurant is Simba saloon
which hosts live music several nights a
week. The restaurant is open every day
for lunch and dinner. It is located 4km
outside of the city center. Meals go for
between 450 and 2000.
9
Courtesy Beach
Resort, Toll,
Thika Road
The small entertainment joint is located 1.5 km from Toll station on Thika
road. It is adjacent to a dam where one
can enjoy boat rides, swim and enjoy
“Nyama choma” as you watch ducks and
other birds play with water. The place is
quiet and serene, appropriate for your
love. Soft drinks go for sh. 100 and one
can love taking snap adjacent to the
beautiful flower hedges around as well as
the roof top views.
10
Ruiru Beach
Resort
Kenyan Adults
6
Kasarani Swimming
pool
Those who love to swim will sure love
to spend some good time at the Safaricom’s Sports Complex, Kasarani. The
facility opens at 9.00 am and closes at
4.30 pm. One can afterwards go for
window shopping at TRM which is just
for East Africans.
8
Carnivore
Restaurant
There are certainly better restaurants
in Nairobi, but the Carnivore is just a
fun, meaty tourist delight. As the web
site says, the Carnivore offers a “Beast
The five hotel located next to Zetech
Campus in Ruiru is a palatial place with
a two star budget. One can get meals
for as cheap as sh. 600 you enjoy the
comfy seats and a tantalizing view of the
buildings right from Ruiru to Ruai and
Nairobi. They have good buffets but their
“Nyamachoma” is not so good. They
have beautiful ladies whose courtesy can
make you overspend. It is a sure good
place to blow your weekend away.
So, if you are not willing to take her
out, let the reason not be the cost, get
another reason. And to ‘you’, why would
you want him to be the one to take you
out….its affordable my sister.
TEXT MESSAGES THAT TALK:
21 CENTURY’S
DISASTER WAITING
TO HAPPEN
st
By DENIS OKOVA
T
imes do change. Back in
the day, communication
in relationships was pretty
hard. Bearing in mind
there were no phones, social media, nothing much. Many things
were done face to face. Nowadays, the
advent of social media and text messaging has heralded a simplified and new era
in relationships.
People meet, fall in and out love, date,
see each other and express emotions
through text messages and social media.
Distance is just an issue until you pick up
a phone to text her/him or log in to your
social media platform.
One can assess the viability of a relationship by the nature of texts and the
texting habits of his/her partner. Below
are the text messaging red flags to watch
out for when in a relationship;
A person tweets or posts on Facebook
but hasn’t responded to your text
You text your partner, then start the
waiting game. The reply is not forthcoming. You log in to your social media
account, be it Facebook or Twitter and
they are all over the place. Busy tweeting and retweeting. Busier than busy
updating their status after a minute and
commenting on innumerable posts. You
will be damn enough to let this go.
Every time you call, they don’t answer, but they quickly send a “Hey what’s
up?” text.
The keyword is ‘’EVERY’’. Now what?
Is this like a new way of doing things.
Hell no. Assuming they are not always at
work and you aren’t always texting then
the two of you reading from two different scripts, written in different languages by two very different writers.
So sorry, I just saw your
text………………….(12 hours later)
Correct me if I am wrong. This is the
twenty first century, the year is 2014.
The phone is always in the pocket or
in the handbag or at hand. No phone
goes unchecked for that long period of
time. If this happens more times to your
liking, then the conclusion is written all
over the wall. And in red.
One word replies or even one letter
replies like ‘’k’’
Compare this to giving a stunning
presentation to a large audience and in
return you get only one person in the entire audience clapping. How morale-milking. It isn’t a matter of massaging whose
ego at what time. Give them some credit.
And is ‘’k’’ even a word. It is the eleventh
letter of the alphabet. You gave him/her
your number. Say something.
They aren’t texting you back
You them three to four times in
a row. They aint texting back. Stop
assuming they are too busy or they lack
airtime. Why the assumption anyways,
take the hint. You are texting an ancient
rock. Stop doing it. Instead, tell your
family members how much you value
them. Am positive they will reply your
text or even better call you.
A lazy written ‘’R u up’’ …….after 12
am
Simple. You are the last resort. Not a
good idea. Everyone loves significance.
Just from
texting habits,
one can decide
whether to
keep keeping
on or to stop
waiting for an
airplane to land
in a bus station.
So, there you
have a list. Are you
running away
and if yes,
then how
fast??
The
Writer
blogs at ….
denisokova.
blogspot.
com
Poetry
“It’s Life”
CAMPUS BEAST…
BEWARE!
Why so ruthless!
You senior students
Freshers’ are not rodents
To be used for experiments
You invite her over for dinner
But what you do is dine her
You think you are a winner?
You are worst than a monster
You ruined her life
That promising future wife
Now her life hangs on a cliff
Because of your nasty belief
Imagine that was done to your sister
Would you see yourself a victor?
Like some free scoring Iniesta?
No, you would be more of a gangster
And you fresh pals
Be wise disciples
Stick to your principles
And avoid being specimens
By Wagumba Walter
You always see a good thing after picking a bad one, it’s life;
Make a good out of the bad, the seemingly good might not be’
At times you prioritize the wrong people
who take you for an option;
And ignore that prioritize you, it’s life;
You make mistakes, no pure humans
exist, it’s lIfe;
Learn from them and adjust;
You will be intelligent in this but a stupid
in that, it’s life;
It’s parity, we’re different with situations;
You’ll value others and they won’t value
you, it’s life;
Keep your good, costs nothing to be
good;
You’ll be saved by an unexpected person, the expected fail you, it’s life;
Be hospitable and courteous, for you
never know;
You’ll wrong others and they’ll wrong
you too, it’s life;
Keep your side with a sorry, your relief
weapon;
Time shall pass when you wished not,
it’s life;
Make the most out of the little opportunities;
Still test of time will hurt and will heal
pain, it’s life;
It’s a matter of action and reaction;
The consequence of choices, choices
we must stand by;
In the end responsibility we take for
them;
Takes guts and wisdom, from above
comes;
Only God guides us, indeed it’s life.
Budding Poet, Maxwell Mmera Ayera,

Viona Leboo - Writers Guild Kenya

Transcription

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Gitau names youthful side for Olympics qualifiers

IT`S TIME TO PROVE