Miale FM

2001 Fire tragedy.

(2001) mass graves of 58 students being burried.

On 25th March 2001, Davis Onyango Opiyo, then a 16-year-old form 3 student together with Felix Mambo Ngumbao hatched and executed a plan to burn down a dormitory at Kyanguli Boys High School in Machakos, killing 68 students, 58 of them burnt beyond recognition.

Opiyo, who was nicknamed by other students ” Agwambo” or ” Agwas” and was mentioned as the arson’s mastermind never denied torching the dormitory and told the court that he did not like the new principal, David Mutiso Kiilu.

Top of his list of complaints against the new administration was the low quality of food that they said was being provided.

Prior to the tragedy, Opiyo had been accused of trying to break into the exam room and steal mock papers for form fours ( when he was a form two) claiming it was shameful for his school to be beaten by girls’ schools like Machakos.

Opiyo and his group ” Wapinzani” also had been alleged of unsuccessful attempt to torch the principal’s office and the library ; mercilessly whiping a madam teacher who had gone to pee outside her house at night and stealing loaves of bread from the kitchen store.

Opiyo couldn’t be expelled because his parents were influential according to testimonies by other students; in short , he was a DYNASTY .

The trial of “Gen. Onyango Opiyo” lasted for almost two years. After two years of court proceedings, Judge Mutitu who was handling the case resigned from office. This was part of a government clean up of judges who had been implicated in various corruption scandals, an operation dubbed ‘radical surgery’.

Justice Nicholas Ombija took over the case. Ombija terminated the case on 4 December 2006 terming it a mistrial since Mutitu was being probed for corruption.

The school still retains the same name. The site of the burnt dormitory is no more and has been replaced by a grass lawn and timber, which serves as a memorial park. 58 of the students ( who were burnt beyond recognition) were buried in six mass graves.

Photo Courtesy: Flame Tv.

ODM leader Raila Odinga signals the coming of a political “tsunami” ahead of the 2022 General Election.

Mr Odinga, who spoke during the funeral of former Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo in Siaya County, said Kenyans should crave for a bigger political formation that will shape the destiny of the country.

“The machine we are building is a powerful one. Some people are thumping their chest but are not aware of what is awaiting them ahead. There is a strong wind that is currently building up that will soon transform into a tsunami,” he said during the event held at Ndori Primary School.

“We cannot gamble with the lives of our people by trying to invoke the names of mama mboga, boda boda. This initiative deserves to be dumped into the dust bin,” he said.

Mr Odinga also expressed confidence in the Court of Appeal to overturn the stoppage of Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), which the High Court nullified.

“The BBI incorporated nine key issues that have bedevilled the country since independence and will end the divisive elections, among other challenges,” he said.

“We have our competent team of lawyers led by Siaya Senator James Orengo. Reggae is on half time. We will soon bounce back.”

Mr Orengo also affirmed that the march to Canaan is still on and called on their supporters to prepare their arsenal for the grand ceremony.

Meanwhile, Mr Odinga revealed that ODM is preparing to revamp itself by conducting transparent party primaries, which will be acceptable to all parties across the board.

While acknowledging the challenges in running the previous exercises, the Orange party boss said they would fully implement the recommendations of the Catherine Mumma-chaired task force.

The team created after the dismal performance of the party in last General Election blamed the Secretariat, the National Executive Committee and National Election Board (NEB) for its loss.

Mr Odinga while noting that the high costs of conducting nomination stretched their capacity, said they had changed the entire NEB and will conduct the exercise in a transparent and accountable manner.

“The recommendations will be made public to all the stakeholders. There is nothing to hide,” he said.

The ODM leader described Mr Midiwo as a strong character and a debater who had left several records in Parliament when he was Gem MP between 2002 and 2017.

Devolution Cabinet secretary Eugene Wamalwa said Midiwo had the power to engage people across the different political divide.

“As a government, we want to fulfil the Sirembe water project to cover the entire Gem Constituency where he represented,” he said.

KERICHO : Class Three girl defiled, murdered, body dumped in river.

A Class Three pupil was reportedly defiled and murdered before her body was dumped in the Cheymen river in Londiani, Kericho County.

Cheymen sub-location Assistant Chief Samwel Koech said the body of the pupil was discovered floating in the water covered with wood by estate workers who were plucking tea.

He said the girl is suspected to have been lured out of the Cheymen estate camp on Tuesday evening after arriving home from school.

Koech revealed that the assailant(s) defiled the girl before stabbing her on the left side of the chest and then throwing her body into the water.

He said there were signs of struggle on the scene of crime, showing that the minor might have attempted to defend herself.

The administrator said the girl took a long time to arrive home, hence her parents became suspicious and started inquiring about her whereabouts within the estate but she could not be traced. They then reported her missing at the Chagaik Police Post.

Shortly thereafter, her body was found floating in the river by estate workers who raised the alarm thereby attracting area residents and the relatives of the girl who positively identified her.

The body has since been taken to the Kericho sub-county hospital mortuary.

Koech appealed to parents to be vigilant and monitor their children carefully and not to let them go to the river or forest without the company of relatives or friends.

Curbing with Kenya’s dependency on donations

Health systems in most low- and middle-income countries face two major obstacles: insufficient domestic funding and inefficient use of available resources. While the problem of insufficient domestic funding has partly been mitigated by foreign aid, these arrangements are changing quickly: As countries move from low- to middle-income status, they are perceived as capable of financing their health systems.

My findings suggest several actions that can be taken to better appreciate Kenya’s current reliance on external funding and to make arrangements for its exit from aid.

Firstly, Proactively prepare for CHANGE, even where it is not an immediate reality. Kenya should accelerate plans to identify and manage areas of health system vulnerabilities via a domestically formulated transition readiness plan. Developing this plan is a nontrivial pursuit and will likely require resources that some might argue could be better spent elsewhere. However, if long-term sustainable financing through domestic resources is a goal worth pursuing, then developing a transition plan is a necessary next step.

Secondly, Increase domestic resources for health. Although financing alone will not resolve all change-related concerns, ensuring adequate funds are available for all health programs is essential for meaningful progress toward health. The major hurdle to overcome will be how best to increase domestic health spending in the face of economic challenges made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic and, more important, the increasing burden of servicing external debt. Can stakeholders muster the political will to preserve and increase health care budgets while other sectors face potential budget cuts?

Thirdly, Address health system inefficiencies. Fully replacing donations may not be necessary if inefficiencies were created as part of donor programs. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that improving efficiency in health systems of current health spending. So, identifying and remedying areas of inefficiencies will help Kenya as it deals with change in both the short and long term. Improving efficiencies requires a willingness to:
(a) put more emphasis on improving health care workers’ competencies and skills rather than health worker numbers, (b)modify programs that are not working optimally, permanently stop practices/programs that no longer work, or require closer integration of donor-funded health programs with country health systems, and (c) more integration of donor-supported programs into the health system to avoid duplication and reduce administrative costs.

Fourthly, Improve tracking and reporting on external reliance on health aid. Existing measures of donor dependency and donor concentration are not comprehensive, and often exclude major considerations such as capital investments. So, it is difficult to assess the true extent of donor dependency and donor concentration. Furthermore, tracking progress is difficult as it requires frequent collection of high-quality data that might be difficult to achieve without necessary budgetary provisions.

Finally,Identify clear pathways for sustaining effective coverage. Donors should evaluate and adapt their transition planning and approaches to ensure they are helping countries meet the overarching goal of a transition from aid: maintaining effective service coverage. In some cases, the long-term goals of sustaining effective coverage on one hand and ensuring successful transition on the other hand, might lead to opposing policy prescriptions. Both donors and in-country stakeholders should be open to exploring different options within a monitoring framework that encourages learning and adaptation.

Maraga terms appointment of 41 judges as unconstitutional

Retired Chief Justice David Maraga has declared that President Uhuru Kenyatta, should have been impeached for violating the Constitution, even as the High Court directed the Head of State to explain his selective appointment of judges.

Justice Maraga, who left office in January this year, has said Parliament should have taken steps to remove the President from office for violating the Constitution, by failing to appoint the 41 judges, nominated two years ago.

He also disclosed that before leaving office, he had been furnished with the list of nominated judges, that President Kenyatta did not want to appoint on allegations that they are tainted.

However,Maraga said, he was surprised last week because the names of the six judges that the President omitted, are different from the ones that were rejected by then.

High Court judges Joel Ngugi, George Odunga, Aggrey Muchelule and Weldon Korir, were recommended for promotion to the Court of Appeal but the president rejected their nomination.

Justice Ngugi and Odunga were in the five-judge High Court bench that declared the president’s BBI constitution reforms were illegal.

The other two, are a magistrate, and a deputy registrar, who were supposed to be promoted to High Court judge.

Maraga also said,when he was in office, there were suggestions from the executive to swear-in some of the 40 judges and leave those who were said to be tainted. He said, he refused because, he was not furnished with particulars of the adverse reports gathered against the nominees that were not wanted.

He said by rejecting the six judges, the President has ruined their careers and their family lives.

Justice Maraga, spoke a day after Willy Mutunga attacked the President for failing to appoint six judges recommended by the JSC, instead swearing-in 34 judicial officers of which One has since died.

Yesterday, the High Court directed President Kenyatta to file his response to a petition lodged by a lobby group, Katiba Institute, challenging the selective appointment of judges.

The three-judge bench led by Justice James Wakiaga, told President Kenyatta’s lawyer, Mr Waweru Gatonye, to file the response within 10 days following complaints by the lobby group that the President has been deploying delaying tactics.

Chief Justice Martha Koome and the JSC had already filed their grounds of opposition to the application.

Justice Maraga poured cold water on President Kenyatta’s BBI, arguing that although the March 2018 truce with his main challenger in the disputed 2017 presidential vote, Mr Raila Odinga, was good, but it failed to address electoral fraud.

The former CJ said the deal popularly known as the ‘handshake’ killed the Opposition, giving the President ‘audacity to do what he wants’.

And now Justice Maraga has stated the President’s impeachment would be the only way to bring order into the country.

Health Department Headquarters in Homabay Closed down

Homa Bay County Health department headquarters have been closed after five senior officials tested positive for Covid-19.

Mr Elly Odhiambo, the county Health Administrator, has announced that the offices will be closed for the next week, to prevent the spread of the virus.

During the closure, Odhiambo further directed that all of the department’s employees will work from home while waiting for it to reopen.

Elsewhere, Kisumu county has recorded a steady increase in its COVID-19 cases, which have led to a cumulative number of 5,739 infections so far.

In the first week of May, 168 cases were recorded. The following week between the dates of 10th to 16th, the numbers rose to 181 and in the following week, the number doubled where 373 cases were recorded.

Between 24th to 30th may, there were 805 cases, and later 780 cases between the dates of 31st to 5th June.

Professor Nyong’o, has cited that what is of more concern is the mortality within the county,which has increased from an average of 12 at the peak last year to a new peak of 18 per week, where the age bracket above 60 years is proven to be at the highest risk.

Now, the countys’ COVID-19 multi agency committee, is seeking to contain the virus, by having a fresh crackdown on public service vehicles and bodabodas not complying with COVID-19 rules, as well as by closing all county offices until further notice.

The committee, has also urged members of the public not to physically attend worship centers, and warned that those flouting home based care guidelines will be prosecuted after institutional confinement and negative testing.

Elsewhere, Tanzania is now preparing to administer Covid-19 vaccines after a team of experts on Friday handed in a report on how the country can carry out the vaccination.

“The committee has advised different ways of mobilising financial resources from the budget and other stakeholders including international organisations and the private sector,” State House said in a statement signed by the Presidency spokesperson Gerson Msigwa.

“The money will be used to finance medical equipment, training and the vaccines,” stated Mr Msigwa.

The handing over of the report came just a day after Zanzibar President Hussein Mwinyi told the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) representative to Tanzania, Dr Tigest Ketsela Mengestu, that they are ready to receive Covid-19 vaccination support and other donations to fight the pandemic.

“WHO is ready to cooperate with the government of Zanzibar in the vaccination, training of medical experts and other health issues,” she said.

Among other things, the team chaired by Prof Said Aboud recommended that the government allows voluntary vaccination and resumes releasing of statistics related to the pandemic.

On Thursday, the UN warned that Africa was poorly prepared for the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, with vaccine deliveries at a near-standstill and key resources in frontline care lacking.

Tanzania is among the six countries in the world which have not yet started vaccinating its citizens. Others are North Korea, Haiti, Chad, Burundi and Eritrea.

“Many African hospitals and clinics are still far from ready to cope with a huge rise in critically ill patients,” the WHO’s regional director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, said.

Africa has officially registered over 4.8 million Covid-19 cases with 130,000 deaths, according to the WHO, a figure representing 2.9 per cent of global cases and 3.7 per cent of deaths.

My wife beats me, “These scars explain the abuse and assault I have endured in my marriage,” Nakuru man confesses

Martin Njoroge has been married for years and he confesses to has silently suffered sexual abuse.

His scarred face and parts of his body attract endless questions from strangers, friends and family members, forcing him to avoid them because of shame.

When we meet him, he takes a deep breath then opens up on a secret he has kept for six years.

“These scars explain the abuse and assault I have endured in my marriage,” he says.

His wife sells illicit brew in the slums of Kwa Murogi, in Nakuru.

“People who know me don’t ask about my family but instead enquire about the embarrassing scars that dot my face and body. The latest injury is on my right leg where I’m nursing a deep injury after she attacked me.”

“My wife constantly assaults me. She hurls sexual abuses at me, accusing me of sleeping with other women,” says Mr Njoroge a matatu driver.

He adds: “Instead of my wife hugging me in the morning when I leave for work, she abuses me as I step out of the door,” he says.

The 39-year-old laments that he never knows what to expect when he goes home in the evening.

“But one thing I’m sure of getting is a series of abuses even before I’m given water to bath or food. I have trouble sleeping.”

He says he feels like a stranger at his home and can’t’ remember the last time he peacefully got his conjugal rights.

The father of five, says he has never talked about the abuse he experiences because of the fear of being judged, misunderstood and ridiculed. The only person he has shared his story with is a community volunteer at Free Area health centre in Nakuru.

“I thought that if I opened up about the sexual abuse I was experiencing, people would think I am mad and I feared being treated like it was my fault,” says Mr Njoroge a resident of Ndimu village, Lanet.

His family too, is unaware of his tribulations.

Mr Njoroge unfortunately, lost his job as a driver as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. He is currently a tout at Free Area matatu terminus.

“I’m determined to provide for my family but the mental and physical torture I go through is stressing me a lot. My marriage has fallen apart,” he says with bitterness in his voice.

“I had big plans for my family. I wanted to give my children the best I could as their father, and was giving my all at my place of work,” Mr Njoroge says.

“All that has been taken away from me. My youthful years have also been taken away from me.”

Out of fear, he left his home because he couldn’t stand being there.

Mr Njoroge says his wife would beat him up and threaten to kill him whenever he failed to provide the family with food.

“I did what I’m supposed to do as the head of the family, but she could still beat me up in the evening and sometimes follow me to my work station, threatening me with a knife, he adds.

“The best thing I have done is to leave her. However, she keeps following me in town and threatens to inflict more harm on me,” says Mr Njoroge.

To the men suffering in silence, he advises them to speak out.

“As a survivor of sexual violence, the experience has paved the way for healing and it is high time men cast off shame, secrecy and the idea that men cannot be victims of sexual harassment and assault.”

“I encourage men to break the silence around the issue of abuse and share their stories,” says Mr Njoroge, noting that it is the only way they can find healing, “ otherwise if they keep to themselves, they risk exposure to greater physical health issues including “self-destructive behaviour, substance abuse, depression, and suicidal ideation among others.”

The ZULU tribe of S. Africa

They originated from Nguni communities who took part in the Bantu migrations. As the clans integrated together, the rulership of Shaka brought success to the Zulu nation due to his perfected military policies. The Zulu people take pride in their ceremonies such as the Umhlanga, or Reed Dance, and their various forms of beadwork. The art and skill of beadwork takes part in the identification of Zulu people and acts as a form of communication. The men and women both serve different purposes in society in order to function as a whole. Today the Zulu people predominantly believe in Christianity, but have created a syncretic religion that is combined with the Zulu

2012 map showing the location of Zulu people.

The Zulu were originally a major clan in what is today Northern KwaZulu-Natal, founded ca. 1709 by Zulu kaMalandela. In the Nguni languages, iZulu means heaven, or weather. At that time, the area was occupied by many large Nguni communities and clans (also called the isizwe people or nation, or were called isibongo, referring to their clan or family name). Nguni communities had migrated down Africa’s east coast over centuries, as part of the Bantu migrations. As the nation began to develop, the rulership of Shaka brought the clans together to build a cohesive identity for the Zulu.

The Zulu formed a powerful state in 1816^[4] under the leader Shaka. Shaka, as the Zulu commander of the Mthethwa Empire and successor to Dingiswayo, united what was once a confederation of tribes into an imposing empire under Zulu hegemony. Shaka built a militarised system known as Impi featuring conscription, a standing army, new weaponry, regimentation, and encirclement battle tactics. Zulu expansion was a major factor of the Mfecane (“Crushing”) that depopulated large areas of southern Africa. It is during this period when Shaka deployed an army regiment for raiding tribes on the North. The regiment which was under Mzilikazi disobeyed Shaka and crafted a plan to continue raiding up-North forming another dialect of Zulu language referred to as Northern Ndebele (Now in Zimbabwe).

Conflict with the British

Main article: Anglo-Zulu War

In mid-December 1878, envoys of the British crown delivered an ultimatum to 11 chiefs representing the then-current king of the Zulu empire, Cetshwayo. Under the British terms delivered to the Zulu, Cetshwayo would have been required to disband his army and accept British sovereignty. Cetshwayo refused, and war between the Zulus and African contingents of the British crown began on January 12, 1879. Despite an early victory for the Zulus at the Battle of Isandlwana on the 22nd of January, the British fought back and won the Battle at Rorke’s Drift, and decisively defeated the Zulu army by July at the Battle of Ulundi.

After Cetshwayo’s capture a month following his defeat, the British divided the Zulu Empire into 13 “kinglets”. The sub-kingdoms fought amongst each other until 1883 when Cetshwayo was reinstated as king over Zululand. This still did not stop the fighting and the Zulu monarch was forced to flee his realm by Zibhebhu, one of the 13 kinglets, supported by Boer mercenaries. Cetshwayo died in February 1884, killed by Zibhebhu’s regime, leaving his son, the 15-year-old Dinuzulu, to inherit the throne. In-fighting between the Zulu continued for years, until in 1897 Zululand was absorbed fully into the British colony of Natal.

LIVERPOOL WINGER MOHAMED SALAH POSSIBLE MOVE TO LA LIGA IN FUTURE

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has refused to rule out a possible move to La Liga in the future, with Barcelona and Real Madrid both interested.

The Egypt international is this season’s joint top-scorer in the Premier League with Harry Kane on 17 goals, as Salah aims to win his third Golden Boot.

The 28-year-old has played at Anfield for four seasons since joining from Roma for £35.8m, scoring 119 goals and assisting 45 in 192 games for the current Premier League champions.

In a recent interview with Marca, Liverpool’s current number 11 refused to rule out a move away this summer, and when asked about a move to La Liga he commented: “I hope I can play soccer for many, many years. Why not? Nobody knows what will happen in the future, so … Maybe one day.

“It is not up to me. We’ll see what happens but I prefer not to talk about this now.”

Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler has claimed that the club should cash in on Salah, despite him top-scoring in each of their last three seasons.

The future of Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah has come increasingly under the spotlight.

The Egypt international raised doubt over his long-term Anfield ambitions by seemingly opening the door to a move to Real Madrid or Barcelona in late 2020.

Bayern Munich have also publicly stated their admiration for the winger, while Liverpool have been linked with a blockbuster move for Kylian Mbappe as a possible replacement.

Salah’s contract on Merseyside does not expire until 2023, though, meaning that Liverpool could demand a hefty fee for the prolific winger.

MANCHESTER UNITED LATEST NEWS ON INJURIES

Manchester United will be aiming to get back to winning ways when they host Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Red Devils have had two weeks to reflect on their disappointing 3-1 loss to Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

United are unbeaten in nine league matches, however, winning the last two of those without conceding, and are 14 points behind leaders Manchester City with a game in hand.

MARCUS RASHFORD

Status: Major doubt
Type of injury: Ankle
Possible return date: April 4 (vs. Brighton)

Marcus Rashford missed United’s defeat to Leicester after injuring his ankle in the first half of the win against AC Milan three days prior. The 23-year-old joined up with England but has since returned to United without playing a game as he continues his recovery.

MASON GREENWOOD

Status: Major doubt
Type of injury: Unknown
Possible return date: April 4 (vs. Brighton)

Mason Greenwood is another who had to pull out of international duty. The youngster was due to represent England at the European Under-21 Championship finals, but it was decided it would be best if he remained at United because of an unspecified injury.

ANTONY MARTIAL

Status: Major doubt
Type of injury: Knee
Possible return date: April 4 (vs. Brighton)

Anthony Martial had only just recovered from a hip injury when linking up with France, but he was withdrawn in the second half of the World Cup qualifying win against Kazakhstan and is now considered a major doubt for United’s return to action.

JUAN MATA

Status: Major doubt
Type of injury: Unspecified
Possible return date: April 4 (vs. Brighton)

Juan Mata has not featured for United since a late cameo appearance against Newcastle United on February 21. The Spanish midfielder is struggling with an unspecified injury and boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is unsure when he will be back.

PHIL JONES

Status: Out
Type of injury: Knee
Possible return date: Unknown

Phil Jones has not played a single minute for United this season and is still some way off a comeback from a knee injury.