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7 Pages of SizzIing Sport coverage!
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Gof MuhIu skIppef JefIm Onyungo hud no kInd
Saturday 8arcede
Suuday 8arcede
Saturday 8arcede
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By OMULO OKOTH IN NASSAU, BAHAMAS
The Bahamians watched in disbelief as LaShawn Merritt
anchored United States to a gold medal nish in the mens
4x400m in which the hosts were the runaway favourites, an
anticlimax of sorts to an otherwise two days of exciting
World Relays in this Atlantic coastal archipelago.
Chris Brown, the poster boy of Bahamas athletics, who
Bahamians watch in disbelief
as Merritt steers the US to
gold in mens 4x400m
CONTINUED ON PAGE 63
TEARS
FLOW
7 Pages of Sizzling Sports coverage!
LaShawn Merritt (left) of the US makes a gesture with his
baton in the nish area after he passed The Bahamas
Michael Mathieu (right) on the nal leg to win the mens
4x400m relay event, at the IAAF World Relays Champion-
ships in Nassau, Bahamas, on Sunday. [PHOTO: REUTERS]
A l l A b o u t Y o u r W o r l d
Life
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Wednesday
www.standarmedia.co.ke
THE STANDARD
Lost without
a trace
Parents agony as eight-year
search for Jackson Kipyegon
Koima has turned up only
emptiness and frustration, P.3
From keeping livestock in the main
house to watching over githeri as it
cooks, read about how villagers are
dealing with insecurity,
SEE STORY PAGES 8-9
Rural folks ingenious
ways to stop thieves
Wednesday Life
Page 2
Wednesday, May 28, 2014/ The Standard
Crime of ourtime
How anger power cost him inheritance
He now lives in makeshift structure
after selling the only land he had to
reward the person he fought
By MURIMI MWANGI
B
efore you raise your st
against a disagreeable
neighbour, think twice! It
could cost you your inheri-
tance.
Today, 70-year-old George Wa-
chira Kirira, a father of nine and a
grandfather of 28, rues the day he
raised his st to vent his mon-
strous anger and engage in a bar
brawl that rendered him a pau-
per.
March 3, 1982 was the fateful
day when Kirira and his drinking
buddy, Joe Ruthuthi, went to Kia-
mariga Bar in Mathira, Nyeri
County, for a drink.
As Kirira bitterly remembers,
the drinks owed and the revel-
lers spirits were high as they drank
and engaged in boisterous banter
that somehow sparked an argu-
ment that degenerated into a ght
involving the two drinking mates.
Little did Kirira know that Ruthuthi,
who lost the physical ght, would
seek legal redress that would haunt
him for the rest of his life.
Ruthuthi led a criminal case
against Kirira at the Nyeri resident
magistrates court in 1982. In 1983,
at the conclusion of the trial, Kiri-
ra, then aged 35, was convicted
and jailed for 20 months. The court
dismissed his appeal against the
sentence, marking the beginning
of his woes.
While Kirira was cooling his
heels behind bars, Ruthuthi led a
civil suit seeking nancial com-
pensation for the injuries he sus-
tained in the bar brawl.
Ruthuthi wanted to be awarded
costs to cover the medical expens-
es he had incurred as a result of
the injuries sustained in the ght,
the ve months salary he forfeit-
ed while recuperating in hospital
and general damages.
He told the court that the beat-
ing had rendered him physically
incapacitated, causing him to de-
pendent on crutches.
Ruthuthi won the case and the
court ordered Kirira to pay him
Sh80,000 for general damages and
Sh22,825 for special damages.
Kirira had not paid a cent by 1998
and was faced with a sum of
Sh240,000, as the cash award had
started earning interest immedi-
ately. Ruthuthi then sued Kirira for
disobeying the court order.
PUBLIC AUCTION
Ruthuthi made an application
to have land, which Kirira had in-
herited from his father, auctioned.
On September 3, 1998, the land lo-
cated along the busy Sagana State
Lodge-Karatina highway was sold
in a public auction for Sh240,439.
Ruthuthi became the new owner
after bidding the highest. Kirira
believes it was valued at well over
Sh4million.
The title to the land was trans-
ferred to Ruthuthi and the execu-
tive ofcer of the High Court. Kiri-
ra refused to surrender his
property to Ruthuthi and delayed
his eviction by lling various ap-
plications seeking a review of the
courts decision.
In one of the applications,
which was dismissed by Justice Vi-
talis Juma on November 21, 2001,
then a judge of the Nyeri High
Howto write us: Send your feedback to: The Editor,
Wednesday Life, P.O Box 30080, Nairobi, Kenya or e-mail
wednesdaylife@standardmedia.co.ke
Also get us online @
www.standardmedia.co.ke
Group Managing Editor
(Print): Kipkoech Tanui,
Deputy Managing Editor: Peter
Okongo, Revise Editor: Ruth
Lubembe, Editor: Kwamboka
Oyaro, Crime Editor: Amos
Kareithi, Business Editor: Hussein
Mohamed, Creative Manager: Dan
Weloba, Creative Designer: Ian
Mbaya.
Published by:
The Standard Group Ltd
THE TEAM
PAGE 4
PAGE 11
PAGE 16
What you say
Why dreaded
Pilipili had to die
twice
Timothy Lekishon
Lasiti: Pole, may he rest
in eternal ames.
Robert Muriuki: This
man was real pepper
as the name suggests;
he terrorised people
in Karatina town.
He deserved what
happened.
Kenyatexas Chamber:
When terrorist groups
have the protection of powerful people in Government,
they operate with impunity like the Taliban.
Jeff Adam Bombolea: A point well put across. Other
Mungiki members should learn from this. To the people of
Kirinyaga, you make me very proud.
Lake gives vehicles a sparkle, chokes
sh with harmful oil
Mutiga Jonah: Fish is a good source of a number
of minerals; our children need more to make them
brighter.
Micah
Wambugu:
And after
all this,
when there
is reduced
sh in the
lake, they
start the cry,
Tunaomba
serikali
itusaidie. Shameful. And what are the
environment ofcers in the area doing?
They should go home if they are aware
of what is happening.
Patrick Ngure Muiruri: Kumbe ndio
Court, Kirira contended
that he was never served
with any notice of the auc-
tion.
He said Ruthuthi had
led the suit while he (Kiri-
ra) was still in prison and
that a substantial part of
the proceedings were con-
ducted while he was still
behind bars.
He added that the pur-
ported public auction hap-
pened nearly a month be-
fore the publication of a
newspaper advert meant
to publicise the event.
Justice Juma, while en-
forcing the transfer of Kiri-
ras land to Ruthuthi, ruled:
On the evaluation of the
matter before me, I hold
that the applicant failed to
advance sufcient reasons
to warrant the setting aside
of the sale.
On May 12, 2008, Justice
Milton Makhandia, sitting
at the Nyeri High Court, is-
sued an eviction order
against Kirira. His houses
were attened and he was
condemned to live in a
makeshift structure by the
road, which has for six
years served as his home. It
also accommodates his
two cows.
maana nilikula samaki Dunga beach nikasikia harufu ya petrol.
Frank Muga : Hawa watu wanatumalizia samaki...
Leprosy subjects Kisumu woman to torture
Margaret Githu: What a horrible disease! I wouldnt wish it on
anyone.
Mildred Onyango Katty Da. Yes leprosy does exist. Come to
Mombasa and you will see some very severe cases.
Kimm Chamberlain Chege: May the good Lord
heal her. Imagine if it was your mum?
How to reduce car thefts, break-ins
Ngira Wa Ngira: Tell us how to ght food insecurity
and how to create jobs. That way, nobody will be
interested in breaking into your car. We can even
sleep with our doors open.
Sweet talking pastor conned me of
Sh100,000
Jc Githaiga: Ignorant followers think that pastors
went to school with God.
Beatrice Mati: Signs of end times.
Wednesday Life
Page 2
Wednesday, May 21, 2014/ The Standard
Crime of ourtime
With Standardreporter
Why dreaded Pilipili had to die twice
Disatisedvigilantesreducedhis
remainstoashesontheroadside
beforehisfamilycouldget themhome
for burial
T
hose who live by the
sword, decrees the Bible,
should be prepared to die
by it. This injunction has,
however, been amended in Kir-
inyaga, where suspected crimi-
nals who escape punishment
should not expect to rest in
peace, even after death.
About ve years ago, Philip
Mwangi, popularly known as
Pilipili (pepper) onaccount of his
capacity toinict painonpeople,
was declared persona non grata
in Kabonge village, Kirinyaga
County.
At the height of his notoriety,
Pilipili was a member of the
dreaded Mungiki sect that had
patented violence and bloodlet-
ting in Central Kenya. During
that time, Mungiki was the un-
seen guest in many homesteads
whose owners were supposed to
remit a monthly protection fee.
Family gatherings, weddings
and marriage negotiations were
targeted by the Mungiki thugs
who even demanded a special
levy from parents whenever their
children who worked in distant
towns such as Nairobi came vis-
iting.
Residents nally took matters
into their own hands and formed
a vigilante group that started
ushing out and lynching all
Mungiki adherents.
The roles were reversed and
the hunter became the hunted.
Sect adherents became the cow-
ards of Kirinyaga County and
they were on the run.
The bullies who had terror-
ised mothers, grandmothers and
school children were now re-
duced to sneaking into their
homes in the dead of the night.
Like them, Pilipili had no
choice but to ee a few days after
a 2009 Good Friday incident for
fear of being brutally murdered,
like other Mungiki members had
been, by the merciless vigilan-
tes.
He cheated death twice as he
bolted out of his house with
hordes of machete-wielding vig-
ilantes hot on his heels and bay-
ing for his blood. He was hit by a
vehicle as he tried to cross a road
in Kagumo town.
NARROWESCAPE
After his narrow escape, fam-
ily members now reveal that
Pilipili sought refuge in Karatina
town in Nyeri County, where he
was allegedly hosted by other
members of the outlawed sect.
A number of locals described
Pilipili as the Mungiki point
man in Kabonge town where he
collected daily levies from boda
boda operators and business
people.
Boda boda riders remem-
bered him for his cruelty and
bitterness that earned him the
Pilipili nickname and made him
the most feared Mungiki enforc-
er.
After he ran away from home
in 2009, the vigilantes raided and
The cofn
bearing the
remains of
suspected
Mungiki
adherent
Philip Mwangi
alias Pilipili.
The body was
set ablaze by
Kenda Kenda
vigilante
members.
INSET: His
mother Jane
Nyawira at
their home in
Kibonge,
Kirinyaga.
[PHOTOS: SAMMY
MOSE/STANDARD]
Howto write us: Send your feedback to: The Editor,
Wednesday Life, P.O Box 30080, Nairobi, Kenya or e-mail
wednesdaylife@standardmedia.co.ke
Also get us online @
www.standardmedia.co.ke
Group Managing Editor
(Print): Kipkoech Tanui,
Deputy Managing Editor: Peter
Okongo, Revise Editor: Ruth
Lubembe, Editor: Kwamboka Oyaro,
Crime Editor: Amos Kareithi,
Creative Manager: Dan Weloba,
Creative Designer: Ian Mbaya.
Published by:
The Standard Group Ltd
THETEAM
PAGE3
PAGE4
PAGE16
What you say
Rastaswidow: MylifeislonelyandI
misshim
Amity: Kenyahastoenact alawthat canensure
repossessionof stolenpropertywhether through
robbery, theft, corruptionor anyother illegal means.
Otherwisetokill Rastawhileheretainsthepurported
stolenwealthisacontradiction.
MohamedAbdullahi Siraji: Inthedevelopedworld,
thegainsof criminal activitiesareforfeited.
Polyticks: Goodriddance. Heshouldnot rest in
peace.
MkenyaHalisi: Actually, weshouldnot onlykill these
thugsbut repossessall their property. Crimemust
never pay. Suchpropertycanbesoldoff andheldas
afund.
WanjiroansahMuitungu: Rastawasareal man, he
knewhowtotakecareof hisfamily.
DennisDenno: Loveisreallyblind.
MargaretMuchue: Polemama, hewastheloveof
your life.
EdithMasingila: Peopledont understandwhat she
isgoingthrough.
riding onmotorbikes waylaidthe
convoy of mourners inKiaragana
village, two kilometres from
where Pilipili was to be laid to
rest.
They demanded to view the
body to verify that it was indeed
Pilipili who had died so that they
could have peace at last. The
mourners were accompanied by
a contingent of armed police of-
cers.
But as soon as the police gave
way, the youths opened the
hearse, dragged the cofn out,
opened it and doused it in petrol
before setting the body ablaze.
We heard them say they
wanted to ensure that we were
not transporting a banana stem.
But the next thing we saw was
smoke as they torched the body
using petrol, recounted Pilipilis
aunt, Jane Nyaguthii.
His family and the other
mourners took off fromthe scene
onrealising that the burial would
not take place after all. Police of-
cers couldonly stare indisbelief
as hundreds of youths left the
scene on their bikes, leaving the
corpse burning behind them.
The family was too shocked
and scared to even contemplate
taking the body home for burial.
Ultimately, both the police and
the mourners left it on the road-
side.
The vigilantes took advantage
of this androde back to the scene
and nished what they had start-
ed they put more petrol on the
body and burned it to ashes.
TheunlledgravewherePilip-
ilis body was to be interred re-
mains and is an open wound
evenas his family hope that grass
will eventually grow and cover
it.
torched his house just to ensure
that he didnot return. The home-
stead was closely monitored to
ensure that he did not even visit
his family.
Apparently, even as he lay low
in exile, Pilipili lived up to his
name for he was reputed to be a
notorious carjacker.
And so when news reached the
village that he had disappeared
from his hideout in Karatina on
April 26 this year, his family
feared the vigilantes had nally
caught up with him.
We were later informed that
his body was found oating in
River Sagana near Muranga and
that was when we started plan-
ning his funeral, recounted his
father, John Muthii.
EVOKED ELATION
The father said his son had
been shot in the head. Some rel-
atives suspect he was killed by
police and his body thrown into
the river although some people
believe he was targeted by his ac-
complices after a deal went
sour.
The news of his death evoked
elation in his home village in
Kagumo town and its environs,
especially among the boda boda
operators whom he had terror-
ised as he demanded the unlaw-
ful levies.
There was tension as the vigi-
lante members insisted that
Pilipili would not be buried at
home. Nevertheless, the family
set the burial date for Friday last
week.
The group, dubbed the Kenda
Kenda Squad, which had gone
underground since its bloody
confrontations withtheoutlawed
sect in2009, regroupedandstart-
ed planning how to derail the
ceremony.
Onthe burial day, hundreds of
youths armedwithmachetes and
GicheruMburu: Lifeismorepeaceful without him.
StellaNdenge: Howmanytimesdidhestaywith
you, aguywhowasalwaysontherun?Anyway, take
it easy.
Habibti Mayner: Lifeisdenitelylonelywithout the
oneyoulovebyyour side.
MoslinAchieng: Someof thepeopleseeRastaasa
robber; heisnot. Robbersare still alive. Adeceased
oneisaninnocent creature. Whoisherobbingin
death, anyway?
Yourattitudetowardsmoneycan
makeyourichorpoor
AnnMarie: Attitudeisall weneed.
StephenWamusoro: Not true. Wealthisthe
investment, but moneyisonlyamodeof exchangeof
goodsandservices.
MartinBuziba: What doyoudoif unemployed?
MosesWash: You cansaythat againandagain
MiriamKamau: Moneyisthesourceof all evil; if not
handledproperlyit canleadtodeath. Pastorsandthe
rest, watchout.
A distraught George Wachira
during the interview. INSET:
From grazing his cattle, he
returns to the ramshackle
that he now lives in. It is on
the edge of six acres that he
once owned. [PHOTOS: SAMMY
MOSE/STANDARD]
Wednesday Life
Page 4
Wednesday, May 21, 2014 / The Standard
Your Environment
with KevineOmolloAndDomnick Mitiro
Oldoil andpeeling
carpaint ndtheir
wayintothelake,
poisoningwaterlife
IMPUNITY: Car washers onthe lake shores work hardto shine this tanker as the crewhave their meal, which
includes shcaught fromthe lake, nearby. [PHOTO: COLLINS ODUOR / STANDARD]
In a Minute
ENVIRONMENT: A
face lift forNairobi
TheNairobi CityCountys
environment is set tobe
revampedthroughcollaboration
betweentheNational
Environment Management
Authorityandthecounty
government. This follows avisit
byDeputyGovernor Jonathan
MueketoNemas chief executive
ofcer toidentifyenvironmental
functions that overlapthetwo
bodies withaviewtoaddressing
themsothat Nairobi residents
canenjoytheir right toaclean
andhealthyenvironment.
CONSERVATION: Dam
forNyandarua
TheTanaandAthi River
Development Authority(Tarda)
will buildadamintheAberdares
tosupport water supplyindrier
parts of thecounty. Thedam
will supplywater inNdaragwa
Sub-countyandafewareas of
LaikipiaCounty, as stipulatedin
anagreement betweenTardaand
NyandaruaGovernor Waithaka
Mwangi. Tardawill workwiththe
Nyandaruagovernment not only
todevelopwater projects but also
torehabilitatewater catchment
areas toensuretheprotectionof
theenvironment, Abdul Ali, the
chairmanof Tardasaid.
WILDLIFE: KWS
expandsorphanage
KenyaWildlifeServicehas begun
plans tofenceoff asectionof the
Nairobi National Parkinamove
that is aimedat accommodating
anincreasingnumber of
orphanedanimals andincrease
business fromtourism.
Thelandtobeencompassedwill
beabout 15acres of thepark.
Dutchchildren, throughthe
WildlifeFund, theRockefeller
Foundationandanumber
of Nairobi rms, fundedthe
expansion.
DespiteKWSdefendingthe
initiativeas noble, themovehas
attractedcriticismfromdifferent
conservationgroups whosaythat
somespecies inthelandwill be
endangered.
CompiledbyGardyChacha
Environment Disasters
Effects of oil spill that killed birds still felt today
On March 24, 1989, Exxon Valdez, an oil
tanker bound for Long Beach in California,
struck Prince William Sounds Bligh Reef,
spilling millions of gallons of oil.
Four years after the disaster, the water
surface was largely oil-free. However,
patches of asphalt-like deposits remained on
area beaches and pockets of relatively
fresh oil could be found below the surface.
Lingering oil poses risks to animal species
and can slow recovery, either through direct
re-exposure or indirectly through ingestion
of contaminated prey. To this day, lingering
Exxon Valdez oil is monitored on sheltered
beaches in the Gulf of Alaska, USA.
An estimated 250,000 birds were killed
by the Exxon Valdez disaster. Several
populations of birds, including bald eagles,
had recovered by 1994, but many of those in
oiled areas had not. Harbour seals may have
declined by as much as 300 following the
disaster.
Two pods of killer whales occurring in
waters exposed to Exxon Valdez oil lost a
combined 22 animals between 1989 and
1994, and neither pod had recovered by
1994. Many of these species have been the
focus of oil spill impact studies dating back
to 1989, with surveys continuing today
because populations have not fully recov-
ered.
In 2006, a study done by the National Ma-
rine Fisheries Service in Juneau found that
about 9.6km of shoreline around Prince
William Sound was still affected by the spill,
with 101.6 tonnes of oil remaining in the
area.
Compiled by Gardy Chacha
C
ar washinginKenyas lakes
is said to deposit consid-
erably harmful amounts
of used oil into the water
bodies. In Kisumu County, car
washers have been operating
along the shores of Lake Victoria
for several years despite numer-
ous attempts to stop them by en-
vironmental conservationbodies
and the county government.
At Lwangni Beach, oil trucks,
buses, cars, tuk tuk taxis and
boda boda motorcycles are
driven into the lake where they
are washed. The oil and old
paint fromthe vehicles nd their
way into the lake.
Michael Otieno has been
engaged in the business for ten
years nowalthough he often
ghts with the county govern-
ment over evacuation fromthe
shores. The car wash business is
lucrative. Otieno and his group
charge Sh700 to wash a bus or
lorry while a saloon car costs
owners up to Sh200.
It also depends on the driv-
ers status and the car. The more
expensive a car is, the more we
charge, he says.
Despite being given designat-
ed car wash sites within town,
the men in the business prefer
the lake for its free water and the
untaxed site.
All the car washes along the
lakeshore in Kisumu were to be
moved to ve established sites
in Kondele, Kaloleni and Moi
Stadium.
We knowwashing cars here
may be harmful to some types of
sh but some also like the waste
fromthe vehicles, argued one
of the car wash men at Lwangni.
Otieno argues that the oil
spills keep away fromthe shores
deadly snakes that would other-
wise cause harmto other users
of the lake.
Activities towards the protec-
tion of the lake and its inlets
have been in existence for a
while but little seems to have
been achieved. Some active
stakeholders in the protection of
the lake include Water Resources
Management Authority (WRMA)
and Lake Victoria Environmen-
tal Management Project.
WRMA Governing Board
chair Peter Kiilu noted that wa-
ter resources in the country are
at risk of depletion due to inva-
sion and pollution by people.
In March, WRMA launched
a programme to restore pol-
luted water resources across the
county to save water sources.
This was to involve an inte-
grated approach of managing
water resources by providing
a clear roadmap for assessing,
maintaining, enhancing, devel-
oping and managing the limited
resources on a sustainable basis.
According toWRMA, the cur-
rent water Act 2002 has created
structures that allowfor public
participation in water resource
management through formation
of water resource users asso-
ciations at the grassroots and
catchment area advisory com-
mittees at regional levels.
The Lake Victoria Environ-
mental Management Project,
through community-driven
conservation projects, has over
the years fought environmental
degradation along the lake.
Kisumu County is nowwork-
ing on a permanent solution to
end pollution in Lake Victoria.
The authorities claimlack of
strong legislations on the pro-
tection of the water bodies has
been a major hindrance.
Through the Ministry of
Environment, the county has
nowcome up with a Bill to
criminalise activities that lead
to environmental degradation,
with heavy penalties slapped on
those found polluting the lake.
The Bill has been approved
by the county cabinet and will
be discussed in the county as-
sembly soon.
Lake gives vehicles a sparkle,
chokes sh with harmful oil
Some 250,000birds were killedby the ExxonValdez oil spill.
PAGE 3
Wednesday Life
Wednesday, May 28, 2014 / The Standard
Parents agony as eight-year
search for son unearths nothing
Crime Hot spots
Lost and Found
Security tips for
your children
AGONY: Kabon Koima and Samuel Kipngok, the parents of Jackson
Kipyegon Koima (inset). [PHOTOS: JOSEPH KIPSANG/STANDARD]
By PKEMOI NGENOH
One of the worst things that can happen to any
parent is to nd out that a child left playing with
others is missing.
To add insult to injury, the parent then receives a
call from someone unknown saying that the child is
in the hands of kidnappers demanding a huge
ransom!
Such cases have become increasingly common
around the country and there is need for parents to
make their childrens security a top priority.
If you own a spacious compound where your
young ones play with other children without an adult
to watch over them, tell them not to allow a stranger
to join them. Teach them to say no to strangers
temptations such as snacks and sweets.
Also show them how to make phone calls in case
of an emergency and have them memorise crucial
phone numbers and physical addresses. This could
help them in case they get lost within the neighbour-
hood.
Although it is not easy to prevent teenagers from
meeting strangers, now there is an even more
serious challenge for parents as social sites such as
Facebook and Twitter have made this easier. Advise
them about prudence in the use of these online
platorms. Warn them against meeting strangers on
blind dates as the strangers could turn out to be
dangerous thugs.
Teach them not to share family information with
strangers, such as what the family owns.
Parents should also ensure that children left
alone have enough food, and come home as soon as
they can. Let them also know about all exit routes in
the home and compound and how to use re
extinguishers in case of re.
Jackson Koima went
shopping in Kabarnet
town in 2006 and
never returned
When the deal is too good
How a mans dream to own a
home ended up in smoke
By PAUL KARIUKI
W
henever I walk along vil-
lage paths or peri-urban
areas and see signs on
fenced off plots with the
words Property not for sale written
in bold screaming letters, Im remind-
ed of one man who fell victim to a con-
man in my village.
The unfortunate man joins a growing
list of many who buy land and put up
houses hastily. Some of these ven-
tures may not be nancially sound or
are ill-thought out and may have di-
sastrous costs on the owners.
The man, Andrew, now in his mid-40s,
had a well-paying job, and he and his
young family had been tenants for a
long time. The dream of one day be-
ing a proud homeowner and deriving
the satisfaction of living in a house
built to his specications was close to
being realised. That was after he had
saved enough to buy land and build a
house.
Andrew started looking for land in a
good, secure place. It didnt take long
before he was referred to a seller
willing to negotiate the price down-
wards.
Without establishing who the true
land owner was, Andrew jumped at
the offer. He did not even visit the
Lands ofce to establish whether the
land had a clean title deed. instead, he
trusted this seller and the prospects
of losing to another potential buyer in-
formed Andrews quick decision.
You see, the land was in a well developed area for
which serious real estate developers would pay an ex-
tra shilling. After paying the seller Sh250,000, which
was way below market value, Andrew con-
gratulated himself for being a wily nego-
tiator who had landed a good deal.
Soon, lorry loads of building materials
made their way to the site and the con-
struction crew embarked on building An-
drews dream house.
As the building took shape, speculation
had it that Andrew was putting up a grand
mansion. Villagers started looking at him
with new respect.
But something happened to put a damper
on the whole project.
A local resident who did not know An-
drews role in the deal made a call to the
real land owner to congratulate him on his
development.
This call surprised the owner who imme-
diately visited the site to inspect the prog-
ress of his mansion. He found the build-
ers busy while the ghost owner supervised
the work.
Not wishing to create a scene that could
cost him his life, the owner decided to
leave and hatch a plan on the best way to
handle the situation.
That very night, a gang of highly in-
toxicated village youths armed with
crowbars and other metal implements
came and brought down the growing
house. Not even a brick was left stand-
ing.
The next day, the builder, his fundi and
hired hands were in for a rude shock.
The entire investment had been re-
duced to nothing! Andrew had already
spent Sh400,000 on labour and ma-
terials when the house came tumbling
down.
It took a Nakuru court two years to ar-
bitrate the matter involving the dupli-
cate plot owners. Andrew was found
to have trespassed and occupied an-
other mans property without con-
sent.
In addition, Andrew was unable to
produce the seller in court as he had
simply vanished into thin air after the
transaction. His title deed was a clev-
erly crafted forgery. He learnt the
hard way that when the deal is too
good, it is vital to think twice.
A
visit to his girlfriend that
turned sour after her
brothers beat him up
was the last time anyone
heard of Jackson Kipyegon
Koima, a resident of Chepronge
village in Ngetmoi, Baringo
County. That was January 6,
2006, when Jackson headed for
Kabarnet town, some 15km from
his home.
He told his parents he was going
to buy items for sale in their
small kiosk but never returned,
leaving his family in agony as
eight years on, they have yet to
hear from him.
His parents, Samuel Kipngok
and Kabon Koima, who are in
their 60s, say they later heard
that he never went shopping but
headed for his girlfriends home.
They had a child together.
That Saturday, we didnt sense
anything wrong. But he didnt
return on Sunday and when we
realised his phone was off, we
were prompted to start looking
for him on Monday, says
Kipngok.
He says in Kabarnet, they were
directed to the supermarket
where their son had gone to
shop and even found the goods
he had purchased, which he had
left with the attendant after as-
suring her that he would be
back.
On inquiring more, Kipngok was
told that Jackson had gone to vis-
it his girlfriend in a village near
the town that Saturday evening
and the girls brothers had beaten
him up because they were un-
happy with the relationship as
Jackson was married with a
daughter.
We heard that while he was
waiting to see his girlfriend near
her home, her brothers, who were
drunk, attacked him. In self-de-
fence, he pushed one of them on-
to a rock and ed, narrated
Kipngok.
The family reported Jacksons
disappearance at Kabarnet Police
Station, where the two men were
being held, but they denied kill-
ing him and hiding his body.
The suspects acquittal marked
the beginning of an endless
search for their son.
His father says: We dont know if
he was killed by the girls broth-
ers and his body hidden or
whether he escaped after he
pushed and injured one of the
men, probably thinking he had
killed him. We are in agony.
Since then, the family has trav-
elled to different places, includ-
ing neighbouring Elgeyo/Marak-
wet and further to Bomet in vain.
They have even consulted witch
doctors who assured them that
their son was still alive.
Jacksons younger brother, Ed-
ward Koima, 32, says he is opti-
mistic that his brother is alive
somewhere and that they will see
him some day.
I was working in Nyeri at the
time when I learnt that my broth-
er had gone missing.
I took leave from work immedi-
ately and came home. We looked
everywhere; all the lodgings, all
the cliffs and the mortuary in
Kabarnet, but we didnt nd him,
says Edward.
He adds that his brother might
have taken off fearing arrest for
injuring his girlfriends brother.
Edward had visited the scene of
the incident but found nothing
to indicate that there was a fatal
ght.
Jacksons mother says her desire
is to see her son, dead or alive.
If he is dead, where is the body?
And if he is alive, where is he? I
hope he will come home some-
day even though we stopped
looking for him, says Kabon.
Eventually, Jacksons wife went
away, leaving their ten-year-old
daughter behind.
The family appeals to anyone
who might have information
about their son to contact them.
By ROBERT KIPLAGAT
Wednesday Life
Wednesday, May 28, 2014/ The Standard
Page 4
Your Environment
Overgrazing, wild forest res, soil erosion, deforestation and
cultivation along rivers are factors of environmental degradation
TOP RIGHT: A
victim of
conict over
pasture in
Tana. INSET:
Garissa
township MP
Aden Duale is
handed a tree
seedling to
plant during
Garissa
University
College Open
Week.
[PHOTOS:
DENNIS
OCHIENG /
STANDARD]
In a Minute
WEATHER: E. Africa to
face harsh climate
A study published in the journal,
Global Change Biology, indicates
Africa is likely to be affected by
the overlapping climate change.
According to the study, which
was led by Christoph Muller from
the Potsdam Institute for Climate
Impact Research, some of the
countries that are considered
climate change overlap hotspots
include those surrounding Lake
Victoria, sections of Sudan and
Ethiopia and Africas southern
regions such as South Africa and
Zimbabwe. Such regions are
likely to experience dry seasons
and reduced plant growth and
ooding. These regions are
the ones in sub-Saharan Africa
where, by the end of the century,
severe climate change impacts
hits territories with relatively
high populations and high
poverty rates, said Muller in the
report.
SECURITY: State to
curb poaching
Poaching ranks among the
greatest problems faced by
Kenyas wildlife sector today. In
an attempt to curb the menace,
Government plans to revamp
the Kenya Wildlife Service
(KWS). Environment Water and
Natural Resources, Cabinet
Secretary Judy Wakhungu said
the Government would recruit
more personnel to boost the
task force on wildlife to tame
poaching. An ofcial report on
the task force is due for release
by the end of next month. Prof
Wakhungu also announced that
the Government has created
a committee to assess KWS
operations to address any
challenges.
CLIMATE: Landmarks
in US risk destruction
A report from the Union of
Concerned Scientists (UCS) has
predicted that by the end of the
century, a number of historical
and cultural global landmarks
such as the Statue of Liberty will
be damaged or even disappear
as a result of climate change.
The report, titled National
Landmarks at Risk, shows that
the effects of climate change
such as ooding, rising sea
levels, heavy rainfalls as well
as wild res threaten a huge
number of landmarks mainly
in the United States. The UCS
urged nations to also reduce
emission of carbon dioxide into
the atmosphere.
Environment Disasters
Balkan oods expose families to landmines, diseases
Just recently, a large region of south-eastern
and central Europe (Balkan region) experienced
the worst disaster since Bosnias civil war, which
occurred in the early 1990s. Earlier this month,
a number of European countries located within
the Balkan region were hit by a massive storm
that cast record rainfalls on the countries,
resulting in multiple severe oods. The Balkan
states severely affected included Bosnia, Serbia
and parts of Croatia. According to reports, the
oods affected millions of residents in the
Balkan countries. An estimated 100,000 houses
were destroyed, leaving hundreds of thousands
of people homeless and without electricity,
mostly in Serbia. The oods also triggered
hundreds of massive landslides that led to the
death of about 50 people. Hundreds more were
displaced.
Health ofcials from the countries released
reports warning that thousands of drowned
livestock posed a health hazard. Due to the
contamination of water and drowned animals,
the ofcials predict that there may be a possible
outbreak of diseases such as typhoid and
hepatitis, as temperatures rise and the rainfall
reduces. They advise that proper measures
should be taken to dispose of the dead animals
to prevent an outbreak of diseases.
The oods also exposed the Balkan regions
to dislodged landmines. During Bosnias civil
war, nearly two million landmines were planted.
Bosnias mine action centre got rid of most of
them. However, thousands of others left behind
during the war still remain undetected. The
Balkan oods have now caused the landmines to
resurface, which adds danger to the problems
being faced by the Balkan regions residents.
There have also been reports that muddy
waters pushed some of the landmines into
neighbouring European countries.
Compiled by Jerry Odumbe
By DENNIS OCHIENG
K
een habitat protec-
tion is the key to
wildlife conserva-
tion in remote re-
gions, says environmentalist
Farhia Hajir of Pastoralist Girls
Initiative (PGI). She states the
greatest factor inuencing the
decline of wildlife is habitat de-
struction in the arid North-East-
ern (NEP) region .
She cites overgrazing, wild
forest res, soil, wind and water
erosion, deforestation and cul-
tivation along rivers as major
environmental degradation
causes in NEP covering over
126,000 square kilometres.
Obviously, agriculture is of
great importance to humanity
and there is no way we can do
away with it, but at what cost?
Can we control it? asks Hassan
Sheikh of Hirola Home Range in
Garissa.
Hassan says in arid areas like
Garissa, where agriculture hasnt
been exploited fully due to poor
rainfall and infertile soils, the
fragile natural habitat ought to
be preserved.
However, that isnt the case
as residents are busy destroying
the forest through logging and
burning charcoal, says Farhia.
She regrets that habitat loss and
climate change have led to hu-
man-human and human-ani-
mal conicts.
She points out that when do-
mestic animals are brought to
these decimated areas, they
have difculty coping with par-
asites like ticks and mites, but
wildlife have natural ways of
dealing with such pests.
While some animals like
buffaloes wallow in mud, others
roll around in the dust to clean
themselves and get rid of the
parasites or are pecked clean by
birds.
Fortunately, while all ani-
mals can be cleaned by birds,
not all domestic livestock roll in
the dust or mud to get rid of
their new-found dependents.
Farhia says the bottom line
of conservation lies in residents
not destroying the forest.
Ironically, these same resi-
dents rely on ora as their eco-
nomic mainstay in charcoal
burning and logging and as a
forest pharmacy since the dis-
pensaries are few and far be-
tween, she says .
That being the case, we have
started preserving the natural
habitat by establishing indige-
nous and exotic tree nurseries in
the remote and marginalised
NEP, which has a fragile ecosys-
tem, says Hassan.
He refers to deforestation as
forest general mutilation and
the culprits behind this as eco-
terrorists biting the hand that
feeds them.
We shouldnt destroy the
forest that serves as a source of
food, medicine and pasture. We
must make more efforts to re-
plenish it, Farhia says.
Forest conservation
to protect life in dry NEP
Wednesday, May 28, 2014/ The Standard
PAGE 5
Wednesday Life
Doctors desk with Dr Kizito Lubano
Health Briefs
with Jerry Odumbe
Excessive bleeding
after birth is the
number one killer of
women giving birth
in Kenya
Balance between work and life a process
RESEARCH: New study to better
maternal and child health in Kenya
It is expected that by the year 2015, new child HIV
infections will have reduced signicantly and that
HIV-related maternal deaths will have been lowered
by 50 per cent all over the world. This is one of the
global goals that were set to help reduce the spread
of HIV and Aids, especially in regions within sub-
Saharan Africa. Past studies have shown that 50
per cent of children with HIV worldwide come from
Eastern and Southern Africa. One of the strategies
used to achieve the objective was to improve
prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT)
services. Just recently, Janet Turan, a professor from
the University of Birmingham, was provided with a
generous grant to conducta study on the issue of HIV-
related stigma among pregnant Kenyan women. The
three-year study will be done in collaboration with
the Kenya Medical Research Institute.
HEALTH: Persistent family feuds
could lead to early death
A group of researchers from Denmark have found
that frequent feuds with family and close friends
increase the risk of dying early. Argumentative
men, especially those that are unemployed, are
the ones who were found to be most vulnerable to
stress as a result of constant arguments with family
members and friends. The study, published in the
journal Epidemiology and Community Health,
which involved about 10,000 participants, found
that people who constantly argue with spouses,
relatives and close friends are three times likely
to die in middle age from any cause, compared to
those who do not argue.
RESEARCH: Study establishes
that urine is not sterile
Recent research has crushed the long belief
that human urine is sterile. The study, in the US,
found that urine has bacteria and other living
micro-organisms. The researchers examined
urine samples from 90 female volunteers. It
was discovered that bacteria was present in
urine samples belonging to both healthy women
and those with an over-active bladder. Further
research is, however, needed to establish if the
bacteria found is benecial or harmful.
Your Health
Iron supplements
could end deaths at
birth, defects
By GEOFFREY KAMADI
F
orty years have gone by
since the Iron Folic Acid
Supplementation (Ifas)
was incorporated into
what is known as the Focus An-
tenatal Care (Fanc) in the coun-
trys health system. But the long
period has not changed peoples
lifestyle as supplementation in-
take remains low.
Ifas reduces anaemia by
boosting haemoglobin levels in
the blood. This is critical espe-
cially for pregnant women, who
are most affected by the condi-
tion, explains Esther Kariuki of
the Micronutrient Initiative.
Anaemia is caused by iron de-
ciency. Iron is important in car-
rying oxygen in the blood in the
form haemoglobin.
If a pregnant woman is anae-
mic, explains Dr Kariuki, she is at
an increased risk of death from
excessive bleeding in childbirth.
In addition, says Kariuki, post-
partum haemorrhage (excessive
bleeding at birth), linked to anae-
mia, is the number one killer of
women giving birth in Kenya.
A woman need only take a
tablet of Ifas a day for the dura-
tion of her pregnancy. But up to
30 per cent of pregnant women
do not take the supplementation,
according to the Kenya Demo-
graphic Health Survey (KDHS) of
2008-09.
We had challenges in the
supply of supplements, some-
thing the Government has since
moved to regularise, notes Terry
Wefwafwa, the deputy chief nu-
trition ofcer in the Ministry of
Health.
Low intake of iron and folic
has previously been attributed to
regimen formulation, which re-
quired three iron tablets and one
folic acid tablet to be taken daily,
making adherence an issue. In
addition, the medication was un-
palatable given the high concen-
tration of iron (200mg) in the
tablet. It also made stool dark.
To encourage intake, the iron
levels have since been brought
down to 60mg, in accordance
with World Health Organisation
(WHO) recommendations.
In Kenya, pregnant women
have the highest prevalence of
anaemia 41.6 per cent of all
women visiting the hospital, ac-
cording to the KDHS. Anaemia
prevalence of more than 40 per
cent in any cohort, observes Kar-
iuki, is considered severe.
Maternal anaemia is associat-
ed with low birth weight (baby
weighing less than 2.5kg). This
puts newborns at risk of peri-na-
tal (inside the womb) and neo-
natal (within the rst 28 days of
birth) deaths.
Whats more, only 36 per cent
of health facilities have the ca-
pacity to test for anaemia.
The lack of supplementation
could lead to spina bida a
neuro-tube defect and hydro-
cephalus, which is characterised
by the accumulation of serous
uid inside the infants head due
to obstruction of the movement
of cerebrospinal uid.
Spina bida may consign an
individual to a wheelchair for
life. A single uncomplicated op-
eration is estimated to cost
Sh40,000 according to Anne Mul-
wa, a paediatric nurse and the
administrative director of Beth-
anyKids Africa at the Kijabe Mis-
sions Hospital. Complicated cas-
es can cost up to half a million
shillings. An individual may re-
quire several operations.
On the other hand, hydro-
cephalus can be rectied by
shunting the inserting of a tube
inside the childs head to drain
the uid.
Improper fusion of the spinal
cord during foetus development
could lead to the condition.
Even though the exact cause
of the defect is unknown, folic
acid deciency and a family with
a history of the condition could
be a predisposing factor, she ex-
plains.
Most of the 9,300 spina bida
operations conducted at Beth-
anyKids in 2013 came from Coast
and Nyanza regions. It is yet to be
established why the two regions
lead with these cases.
Emily Mbori, a 34-year-old
mother of two knows only too
Work-life balance is about ensuring that
work doesnt take up more of your life than it
should or you want it to.
How often do you get the chance to think
about you? Do you know where you are in your
life and career, and where you would like to be
in the future?
At this point in my career, I do not feel that
things are exactly in balance. The hours in my
day are not evenly split between my two
main vocations. Like my profession, my
needs for balance are never in complete
equilibrium so I have to be exible in address-
ing my work and home life priorities.
Telemedicine is championed as a great way
to extend the range of some physicians, yet
this is not possible for most critical life-saving
procedures like Caesarean section deliveries.
Even when I work as a physician, I do not
completely step out of that role when I step out
of the ofce door. When at work, I am wholly
and always a father and a husband. Leaving my
children at home (or at school) does not mean
family is out of mind. The essence of the
medical profession is more who I am than
what I do.
Similarly, my roles as father and husband
are part of how I dene myself as a person.
Over the years, I have learned the importance
of spousal support. My wife supports me,
particularly with duties once deemed tradition-
ally male. I always say I married late for a
reason: I was waiting for the woman who would
willingly partner with me in parenting and
support me both at home and professionally.
From the time our rst child was born, I
have been striving to achieve the goal of a
balanced life. I now realise that this is more a
process than a completed task.
The elusive work-life balance is harder for
doctors to attain if their spouse or partner is
also a doctor.
As someone once said, nobody on their
deathbed ever declared, I wish Id spent more
time at the ofce (surgery, clinic or lab).
well what it means to raise a child
with hydrocephalus as a single
parent. Her husband kicked her
out of their matrimonial home
following the birth of their sec-
ond child in July 2005.
As a result, Mbori, who makes
a living selling cereals alongside
her mother in Kibuye Market,
was compelled to move from the
Mukoroshoni area of Mombasa
to live with her mother and sis-
ters in Mountain View Estate in
Kisumu.
The boy is a slow learner and
has also been diagnosed with ep-
ilepsy. Raising children with
these conditions is difcult, es-
pecially if the parents do not
have a source of income. In addi-
tion, they are traumatised by the
communitys misguided beliefs
and myths.
Spina bida, hydrocephalus
and clubfoot, among other con-
ditions have been associated
with iron and folic acid decien-
cy.
Esther Onana, the secretary of
the Association for the Physically
Disabled of Kenya at Jaramogi
Oginga Odinga Teaching and Re-
ferral Hospital says they attend to
an average of 100 cases every
month.
Supplements and foods that can help unborn babies from conditions
such as spina bida and hydrocephalus. [PHOTOS: FILE/STANDARD]
Wednesday Life
Wednesday, May 28, 2014/ The Standard
Page 6
Personal Finance
Make it simple
Appraisal fee: The charge for estimating the value of
property offered as security.
Foreclosure: A legal term applied to any of the various
methods of enforcing payment of the debt secured by
a mortgage, or deed of trust, by taking and selling the
mortgaged property, and depriving the mortgagor of
possession. Under a deed of trust, foreclosure is by
public auction after appropriate advertisement.
Futures: A term used to designate all contracts
covering the sale of nancial instruments or physical
commodities for future delivery on a commodity
exchange.
Futures Contract: Agreement to buy or sell a set
number of shares of a specic stock in a designated
future month at a price agreed upon by the buyer and
seller. The contracts themselves are often traded on the
futures market.
A futures contract differs from an option because an
option is the right to buy or sell, whereas a futures
contract is the promise to actually make a transaction.
A future is part of a class of securities called derivatives,
so named because such securities derive their value
from the worth of an underlying investment.
Premium: The price of an options contract; also, in
futures trading, the amount the futures price exceeds
the price of the spot commodity. Related: inverted
market premium payback period, also called break-
even time, the time it takes to recover the premium per
share of a convertible security.
Acid-test ratio: Also called the quick ratio, the ratio of
current assets minus inventories, accruals, and prepaid
items to current liabilities.
Nominal price: Price quotations on futures for a period
in which no actual trading took place.
Capital gains: Prot earned from a sale of real estate.
Demystifying a futures contract
Quick Wins
SAVINGS: How much
is enough for kitty?
Its best to split your savings
keep some on hand for
emergencies and put the rest
where it can work for you.
Keep to what you can afford
and make sure to save regularly.
Just like you would save for a
new car, work out how much you
need to put aside, and set up a
savings standing order for the
right amount.
Once youve met your target
amount for the emergency
fund, you may want to continue
with the regular savings amount
to fund other goals you may
well be used to this level of
outgoings by then.
By PETER KAMURI
F
or the last ve years, Pat-
rick Muiru, a city-based
secondary school teacher,
has been driving to work
daily. Over this time, he has had
an uneventful drive save for the
usual hassles occasioned by the
snarl-ups that characterise ma-
jor city roads.
However, towards the end of
last month, the unexpected hap-
pened. It was mid-morning and
there was a thick mist. As he ap-
proached the trafc lights near
the Nyayo Stadium roundabout,
the car ahead of him slowed
down without any warning.
Muiru rammed into the rear
of the car. Thankfully, the dam-
age to the other car was not ex-
tensive and the driver said they
could settle the matter amica-
bly, away from the glare of the
hawk-eyed trafc police. They
agreed that Muiru would pay
Sh25,000 to repair the damaged
car.
Although the deal was ac-
ceptable to him, he was stuck.
He did not have that kind of
money and had nobody in mind
who could lend him the cash.
Luckily, a colleague offered to
bail him out.
Muirus predicament is not
isolated. Many people get jolted
when the unexpected happens
and there is no fallback. These
situations call for an emergency
fund.
Unforeseen events can range
from illness, accident or litiga-
tion to job loss. Are you prepared
for such eventualities? If not,
stop worrying and start an emer-
gency fund.
Such a fund is a form of sav-
ing that can take care of essen-
tial needs, mostly your living ex-
penses, for a given time. This is
different from a loan, which you
must refund whether with inter-
est or not.
Although nancial experts
may not agree on how much is
enough for an emergency fund,
many contend that it should be
equivalent to at least three to six
months of your living expenses.
However, the most realistic
amount is that which would give
you a sense of peace and securi-
ty.
How do you set up an emer-
gency fund? The rst step en-
tails deciding how much you
specic amount is sent to this
account automatically.
Using this method, you will
be surprised to see how your
savings can grow to form a for-
midable emergency fund.
After some time, it is impor-
tant to evaluate how you have
been performing. This will en-
able you to decide whether to re-
think your strategy or continue
saving in the same say, offers
Obura.
As you start building your
emergency fund, bear in mind
that you must choose wisely
where you keep your money. It
should be accessible and offer
banking exibility like that of-
fered by mobile phone banking
services.
Although it may take time to
build up your fund, you must get
started. Evaluate your nances
and determine how much you
can afford to put away each day,
week or month, she says.
The idea is to start building
your emergency fund today.
Saving Sh100 a day can add up
to over Sh100,000 in less than
three years. Do not wait for to-
morrow, observes Obura.
want to save. This should be
pegged on the amount that
would make you feel secure.
However, if you have not been
saving, you should start with
small manageable amounts,
advises Millicent Obura, a -
Building your
emergency fund
today entails
saving even
Sh100 daily,
which could add
up to over
Sh100,000 in
less than three
years. Do not
wait for
tomorrow.
[PHOTO: FILE/
STANDARD]
The kitty, which should be about three to six
months worth of expenses, acts as a buffer in the
event of illness, accident, litigation or job loss
Build an emergency
fund to safeguard
a steady future
nancial expert working with a
Nairobi rm.
She adds, Then ensure that
you have a bank account. It is
advisable to open up a new sav-
ings account different from your
salary or other accounts. Do not
forget to shop around for a prod-
uct that will attract less month-
ly charges and earn you inter-
est.
Experts advise that if you are
not disciplined enough, you can
have a standing order where a
PAGE 7
Wednesday Life
Personal Finance
with Misheck Mwangi
Teacher rakes in
Sh40,000 monthly
from dairy farming
But Simon Mukunu hopes to
reap big from breeding and
sale of exotic heifers that fetch
as much as Sh50,000 per cow
W
ithin a decade, Simon
Mukunu has bred and
then reared a herd of
seven Friesian cows.
They bring him an average of 100
litres of milk daily but his dreams
and aspirations go further than
this.
Ultimately, my aim is to be-
come a dairy cow breeder because
there is more money in breeding
than in milk production, says Mr
Mukunu, the head teacher of a
primary school in Kahuro sub-
county, Muranga County. His
dairy enterprise has become the
darling of many local farmers.
In the meantime, however,
Mukunu is making good prots
from the sale of milk to the New
Kenya Creameries Co-operative
(KCC).
Monthly, I can make a prot
of Sh40,000 from the sale of 3,000
litres. With an average monthly
overheads cost of Sh50,000, the
returns are good although my aim
is to get 14 milking cows to be able
to produce 200 litres daily, says
Mukunu, who is also the vice
chairman of the 700-member Ka-
huro Breeders Co-operative Soci-
ety. The society currently sells
3,200 litres of milk to New KCC.
The Muranga County govern-
ment is providing every ward with
a 5,000-litre milk cooler and a pas-
teuriser to boost milk production.
The society members expect to
benet from this initiative.
Members also have access to
articial insemination services,
credit facilities and farm inputs
such as feeds at subsidised rates.
To reach his current production
level, Mukunu has invested huge-
ly in breeding stock, a zero-grazing
unit, a milking machine, a chaff
cutter, fodder production and la-
bour. The modern zero-grazing
unit, constructed in two phases,
cost Sh550,000.
START-UP COSTS
Another Sh120,000 was used to
buy a Friesian cow part of the
parent stock from Sasini Farm in
Naro Moru. Installing a milking
machine cost him Sh152,000.
Breeding is the key to good
milk production. I have consis-
tently used sexed semen main-
ly imported to upgrade my herd
and get per cow daily production
levels of 20-30 litres, he says.
He adds that the sexed semen
was sourced from America Breed-
ers Service and World Wide Sires at
an average of Sh6,500 per insemi-
nation. In Central Kenya, where
land has been shrinking over the
years, fodder production has pre-
sented a major challenge for many
dairy farmers, with the majority
relying on napier grass. For Muku-
nu, however, use of sludge ob-
tained from the biogas unit fed by
the dairy herd has presented a
boon.
I have kept my fodder costs as
low as possible by growing napier
grass and Boma Rhodes on my
two-and-a-quarter acres. Con-
stant application of manure has
ensured a napier supply through-
out the year, he says.
Supplementation with com-
mercial feeds such as dairy meal
and a locally formulated ferment-
ed extract has also boosted milk
production.
This local formulation con-
sists of 40kg of bran, 20kg of maize
germ, 4kg of cotton seed cake, 3kg
of mineral salt, 4kg soya, 4kg sun-
ower cake and 4kg of molasses.
The feeds are thoroughly mixed
with 10 litres of warm water and
allowed to ferment for four days
before being fed to the cows.
The total monthly cost of con-
centrates averages Sh42,000 at
Sh1,400 per day. Other costs in-
clude water and electricity at
Sh2,500 and Sh1,000 respectively.
The enterprise has one caretaker,
who is paid Sh6,000 monthly.
Beyond the milk production,
Mukunu and his family are reap-
ing big from other additional ben-
ets, notably biogas, which is the
main source of fuel, and slurry a
biogas digester by-product that is
used as manure.
Biogas has enabled huge sav-
ings in fuel costs in the home-
stead. It is also cleaner than re-
wood and charcoal.
Quick Wins
Side hustle rewards
Mukunu makes a gross proft
of about Sh90,000 monthly
and a net proft of Sh40,000
from the sale of 3,000 litres of
milk.
With an average monthly
overheads cost of Sh50,000,
he aims to get 14 milking cows
to be able to produce 200
litres daily.
He has also targeted
breeding more cows from
sexed semen to sell at huge
profts thus supplementing his
income.
Achieving great vision lies in inspiring staff
CEOS take Eric Wamanji
Silas Simiyu is among the few executives
credited with Kenyas economic boom that started
in 2002. The chief executive of the Geothermal
Development Company (GDC) has crafted a
geothermal development blueprint that will see
Kenyas energy index rising while costs drop,
aimed at increasing industrial production and
making Kenya more competitive.
This did not begin at GDC but at the then Kenya
Power and Lighting Company now Kenya Power,
where he joined as a scientist. He then moved to
KenGen. At KenGen, he was credited for the
development of the 35MW Olkaria II Power Project
and the drilling of about 59 high productive wells.
Today, fve years later, GDC has opened the
Menengai Geothermal Project, which will tilt the
countrys energy fortunes.
Dr Simiyu is also the author of Refections: A
CEOs Treatise, one of the instruments that has
helped him in his management. To achieve all this,
a few secrets have helped the scholar-cum-manag-
er to remain at the top.
Good communication: A great vision that is
not communicated is like a lantern hidden under
the bed. Great leadership calls for clear communi-
cation of the aspirations and dreams of the
organisation. Communication helps your team to
understand their roles and their place in contribut-
ing to the big picture.
Inspiration: People want to be inspired; to be
charmed towards a course. Just like the orchestra
that once sang for soldiers during the World Wars
to raise their spirits for the battlefeld, a leader
needs to play the tune that will get his team
working. This involves constructing the right
mental images for your team, by encouraging and
recognising them. That way, they will support you.
Never be vengeful: The truism of never
revenge is real and powerful. As a leader, avoid
grudges and revenging every sin against you. Not
everyone will stand up and cheer you on. Instead
of revenge, just forgive, ignore and get focused.
Transcend the petty: As a leader, it is easy to
be drawn into personal and petty issues such as
tribalism, ethnicity or even just petty offce politics
and gossip. Be blind to stereotypes and ignore
machinations.
Give it your best: When you pick on a project,
be devoted to it. There is no success that comes to
a job attended to halfheartedly. When committed,
you will pay attention to detail.
Dr Silas Simiyu, Geothermal Development
Company chief executive.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014/ The Standard
Simon Mukunu looking after his
Friesian cows. INSET: Mukunu milks
one of the cows that supplement
his income
But it is the heifers that are of par-
ticularly value to the farmer. A good
heifer can sell for over Sh50,000, which
is why I plan to become a breeder in
the next few years. The demand for
heifers across the country is big, he
observes.
Wednesday Life
Wednesday, May 28, 2014/ The Standard
Page 8
ANIMAL ROOM:
These sheep
sleep in the
main house in
Nakuru
County to
protect them
from being
pinched from
sheds.
[PHOTOS:
BONIFACE
THUKU/
STANDARD]
Rural folks come up
with ingenious ways
to tackle insecurity
While some have rooms for
livestock in their houses, others
watch over githeri as it cooks to
scare away thieves
A
bout a week ago, a dep-
uty chief was brutally at-
tacked and injured by
unknown assailants in
Kasarani, Elburgon, Nakuru
County. It was not the rst such
attack in the village but the fact
that a chief, the symbol of Gov-
ernment at the grassroots, was
the victim has left residents wor-
ried.
They are spending sleepless
nights because the chiefs at-
tackers are still at large.
Elburgon Location chief
Johnson Kamau Mungai says he
too longer sleeps well at home
and that he has received several
threats from strangers. He says
the attack on his deputy was
meant to intimidate villagers.
We chiefs were warned to
either slow slow down on secu-
rity measures or surrender our
sleep outside to provide security
for their animals.
A local administrator, Joseph
Korkimur, attributed the re-
newed trend of keeping animals
in the house to frequent raids as
well as ordinary theft.
Korkimur said he has han-
dled cases where hides and skins
of missing animals have been
found in local butcheries where
thieves sell the animals to un-
suspecting butchers.
stock theft.
Says Talau Location chief Da-
vid Biwott: People feel their an-
imals are safer close to them.
They erect beds using poles on
which they sleep while the sheep
and goats sleep underneath.
Traditionally, some commu-
nities kept their animals in the
house as a way to protect them
from attacks by leopards and
hyenas, says James Plapan, a
resident of Kodich.
This worked, and still does,
for those with small herds. Those
with larger herds were forced to
lives. These people have made
lots of money from theft and
that is why they are intimidating
the local administration, says
Mungai.
In light of this threat, Molo
residents have come up with-
ways to lock out the thieves,
who target livestock, by setting
aside rooms within their houses
for their animals.
Mercy Gitari, a resident of
Turi Farm in Molo, says maraud-
ing thieves roam the area at
night stealing animals.
SHEDS ABANDONED
We no longer leave our cows
in the sheds the way we used to.
Thieves are on the increase and
so to be safe, we lock them in-
side our houses, conrms
Gitari.
Affected areas include Kure-
soi, Michatha, Valley Farm, Kip-
tororo, Casino and Kibunja, all
within Molo. A number of fami-
lies living along the borders of
West Pokot and Trans Nzoia
counties sleep under the same
roof as their goats and sheep at
night due to the fear of rampant
Special Feature
By Leonard Kulei and
Wilberforce Netya
I
n villages across Nyeri County, the tradi-
tional way of cooking githeri, where it was
left boiling while people went about weed-
ing or pruning, is no longer safe. If you try
it, you will no doubt come home from the farm
hungry, only to nd an empty replace, the
githeri and sufuria long gone!
As the thieves target the food, their eyes
are on the bigger picture the pots and
other metal utensils that can be turned into
scrap instantly.
And while they are in the homestead,
they are also likely to help themselves to
other items that could fetch them a quick
shilling at the local market.
Not even wet clothes hung out to dry are
safe. The aggressive thieves have led
tenants in residential estates to either stay
home and watch their laundry dry or hire
hawk-eyed teenagers to do it.
One victim of the clothes thieves is a
Nyeri man who recently lost four pairs of
trousers, three pots, an axe and a knife to a
long-armed neighbour whom he would
later have charged in court.
Daniel Muriuki had left the items in his
rickety timber house, which he unfortunate-
ly forgot to lock on that day.
A young man from the neighbourhood
sneaked into the house and took off with the
loot, which the court valued at Sh10,450.
Muriuki reportedly spotted the youngster
prancing around the neighbourhood wearing
a pair of his jeans and reported him to the
local police station. The young man was
arraigned in court and accused of breaking
and entering, and stealing.
However, Muriuki later asked the court to
drop the charges against the young suspect
as they had agreed to settle the matter out
of court.
By Murimi Mwangi
Residents watch as
food cooks, clothes dry
MEAL TIME: A woman prepares a meal at her Ruringu home in Nyeri County. [PHOTO: MOSE SAMMY]
Wednesday, May 28, 2014/ The Standard
PAGE 9
Wednesday Life
Special Feature
A boy gets his animals into their room in Kuria. Houses have been redesigned to accommodate livestock.
[PHOTO: COLLINS ODUOR/STANDARD]
Chicken coops in the
house in Kakamega
In Kakamega County, poultry
farmers now keep their birds in their
houses rather than in coops outside
the way it used to be. Most farmers
say there have been increased inci-
dents of poultry theft, which has
prompted them to come up with their
own security measures.
The most common one is to con-
struct a poultry unit inside the main
house despite the noise the chickens
cause.
I decide to keep my chickens in-
side the house because they were be-
ing stolen almost every day, causing
me huge losses. Even though they are
very noisy, I have no other option of
securing them from thieves, says
Rose Nakhumwa, a poultry farmer in
Namakoye village in Navakholo Sub-
county.
As people fear for their lives so do
they fear for their animals, which
have been targeted by thieves and
wild animals.
But large-scale poultry farmer
Herbert Ligaya has too many birds to
accommodate in his house. Instead,
he has built a poultry unit on his farm
that accommodates more than 1,000
birds he has more than 100 chick-
ens as well as Japanese and Chinese
quails.
To keep his birds safe, Ligaya has
to go the extra mile and dig deeper
into his pockets.
His latest security measures in-
clude two strong men, barbed wire
and dogs to guard his poultry unit.
I have fenced my compound and
have two men who guard my farm
with support from my dogs. This has
enhanced security even though it is
still not enough says Ligaya.
Most residents in the county have
appealed to the central government
and security agencies to boost their
security by patrolling and also arrest-
ing suspects who have continued to
threaten their lives and cause them
to live in fear.
They have also urged the central
and county government to launch the
security campaign not only in big
towns but also across the country as
all Kenyans need security from thieves
and terrorists alike.
By Alex Wakhisi and
Jackline Inyanji
F
or generations, Kuria re-
gion of Migori County has
been known as the hotbed
of cattle rustling.
Unlike their neighbours in
Migori and Nyatike regions,
where cattle have always been
stolen peacefully at night, in
Kuria, rustling is a violent affair
with armed rustlers attacking
homes with guns, sometimes
even killing people before driv-
ing the cattle away.
The situation has been made
worse by the porous expansive
border between Kenya and Tan-
zania.
This has forced the Kuria peo-
ple to redesign their homes. The
houses are built in a circle, with
an enclosed centre that is used
as a cattle kraal at night.
Before, we would wake up in
the morning and nd all the cat-
tle gone. It was then that we de-
cided to try this new way to en-
Houses redesigned to keep
livestock safe in Kuria
sure that at least someone is
awoken when rustlers come,
Thomas Rioba, a resident from
Kegonga, says.
For the rustlers to reach the
cows, they must go through one
of the houses, which is a bit dis-
couraging.
However, according to Kuria
East Ofcer Commanding Police
Station Gladys Ogonda, cattle
rustling in the region has gone
down considerably due to police
changing their manner of deal-
ing with rustlers.
We decided to stop forcing
the rustlers to compensate the
cattle owners and take them to
court instead. This made the rus-
tlers stop their thieving ways,
she said.
For most Nyakach residents,
continuous rustling led them to
reduce the number of livestock
they own so they could accom-
modate the fewer animals in
their houses.
But this is not safe as rustlers
are said to be visiting their cli-
ents in groups and violently rob-
bing them. Victims of the rus-
tlers wrath have either sold their
livestock or taken them to rela-
tives in safer areas.
Former Nyakach Member of
Parliament Polyns Ochieng
Daima last week had ve of his
cattle stolen from his home in
the same village.
Quick response by residents
scared the thieves into abandon-
ing the cattle on the river bank
before escaping.
County Administration Police
Commandant Gradius Atinda
has established two AP stations
in the area to beef up the ght
against cattle rustling.
We dont want to be called
when rustlers attack. We want to
prevent the attacks from hap-
pening altogether, said Atinda.
By Nick Oluoch
and Kevine Omollo
The use of granaries to store cereals was common in Gusii region in the 1990s but
many homesteads no longer have this important ad-
dition to the homestead. The grass-thatched grana-
ries were normally raised a few feet above the
ground and had round walls perfectly weaved to-
gether.
But today, diminishing land sizes and rising cas-
es of people who want to pinch where they have not
sown have pushed granaries to extinction.
Samwel Gesora, a farmer in Nyaigwa village of
Nyamira County, says,We store our food in the
house. Harvested cereals last barely a month and
you dont want the little you have to be snatched
while you sleep.
He adds, In the past, stealing food from a gra-
nary was rare because every family had enough but
as food production declined, cases of theft in-
creased, forcing most farmers to prefer house stor-
age where security is guaranteed.
By Naftali Makori
Kisiis extinct granaries
Oliver Shikuku feeds his chickens indoors. [PHOTO: BENJAMIN SAKWA]
DOUBLE SURE: Locks enhanced for protection. [PHOTO: BONIFACE THUKU]
Wednesday Life
Page 10
Wednesday, May 28, 2014 / The Standard
Innovator
IT brains develop rst African anti-virus software
The anti-virus will
help users recover
infected les safely
I
t all started three years ago as
a small technology centre to
nurture Form Four leavers
with an interest in Informa-
tion Technology by university
students in a remote village in
Baringo County. That small cen-
tre has now grabbed world atten-
tion by producing the rst-ever
African-made computer anti-vi-
rus software.
Bunifu Technologies has sudden-
ly found itself in the limelight af-
ter a breakthrough that birthed
Bunifu Sniper Malware, a home-
made anti-virus device.
The young team of 12 innovators
launched the software during a
colourful ceremony at the Kenya
School of Government in Kabar-
net.
We are a nexus of engineering
and programming and since in-
ception we have developed more
than 50 products such as mobile,
desktop, web and engineering
solutions and tools, says Keith
Korir ,the founder of Bunifu Tech-
nologies.
The anti-virus has an in-built
console panel that will help users
recover infected les safely, adds
Korir.
The Sniper anti-virus, which took
the group more than a year and a
half to develop, also features a
CREATIVITY: Innovative youths from Baringo
County at work and (inset) their Bunifu
Sniper anti-virus. [PHOTOS: BONIFACE THUKU]
Tech World
with Jerry Odumbe Otieno
Scientists use electrical
currents to control dreams
Imagine having the ability to
exert some sort of control over
your dreams, making them more
fun and exciting. A group of
neuroscientists from Germany say
they have come up with a novel
technique that makes this possible.
The technique, they say, enables
sleepers to take control of their
lucid dreams by use of electrical
currents. Lucid dreams are those
dreams in which one is aware they are
dreaming and usually occur during
REM sleep during night sleep when
dreams are most memorable. The
scientists found that passing short
shocks through a persons frontal lobe
of the brain enables the person to be
aware that they are dreaming and
gives them the ability to control the
outcome of their dreams. During the
experiments, 27 men and women were
asked to spend a few nights sleeping in
a lab. During this period, the scientists
stimulated the participants brains
with electrical currents and discovered
that when the electrical current
frequency was between 20 and 40Hz,
70 per cent of the participants
experienced lucid dreams and
reported to have some sense of
control of their dreams.
Lightning speed robotic
arm invented
A research team from Ecole
Polytechnic Federale De Lausanne
(EPFL) in Switzerland has come up
with what is said to be the most
sensitive and fastest robotic arm in
the world. According to a report
documented in the journal IEEE
Transaction on Robotics, the
four-fingered robotic arm features
super-fast reflexes and is capable of
catching all sorts of irregular shaped
objects thrown in its direction in less
than five hundredths of a second.
The arm is 1.5 metres long, has three
joints, has sensors and cameras
which are used to detect and track
projectile objects. The mechanised
arm remains immobile; however,
upon detecting objects in mid-air
thrown in its direction, the arm, at
lightning speed, catches the items on
the fly with high accuracy. The
developers believe that the robotic
arm could in the future be used on
individuals who have lost their arms
as a result of accidents or injuries.
Facebook to create
Snapchat rival
After an attempt to purchase the
popular Snapchat messaging app
late last year failed, Facebook has
decided to come up with a new and
almost similar application rumoured
to be called Slingshot. This is according
to a report released by the British
newspaper Financial Times.
Just like Snapchat, it is also rumoured
that Slingshot will feature limited
lifespan photos as well as message and
video sharing capabilities.
According to the report, Facebook
has been working on the app for a
while now under Mark Zuckerbergs
supervision and could be released
as soon as next month. The report,
however, cautioned that the Slingshot
app may fail to be launched.
wireless and Local Area Network
(LAN) scanner that can scan de-
vices within your Wi-Fi range or
over your LAN, a document, le
and folder repair and restore, le
and folder unlock sensor, wire-
less and LAN sensor as well as pi-
racy protection.
The anti-virus, which Korir says
is a software too tough for even
hackers to crack, is better than
The Malware specialist says Buni-
fu Technologies has provided
technology-based services and
products that range from An-
droid mobile apps, desktop ap-
plications, web applications and
engineering solutions.
Other products that have been
developed by the rm include ac-
counting software that provides
real-time analyses and record
keeping of day to day transac-
tions and Light Bolt SMS a mass
message sending utility that has
the ability to send customised
personalised messages to many
from a single message.
Bunifus other product is an exam
management system that pro-
vides an easy interface for exams
processing and analysis as well as
the Bunifu mini-commander, a
handy automated software that
can process and respond to SMS
commands and also process
more than one command at a
time.
The Sniper anti-virus product
has dominant features such as
fast engine, over 17 million virus
database denitions, heuristic
engine, shared protection, direc-
tory navigation guard (watchdog)
and proactive real-time surveil-
lance.
Other features include document
recovery ability, integrated folder
and lock ability, safe mode pro-
tection capabilities, clipboard
paste protection and zipped
scan.
As opposed to other anti-virus or
malwares, Bunifu Sniper has
unique ability to recover virus-af-
fected documents and also al-
lows scanning of les over a net-
work apart from the obvious
cleaning of the document, says
lead developer Kimutai Kipnget-
ich.
Kipngetich says they initiated the
project in March 2012 and com-
pleted the development of its
rst version almost a year later.
For efcient and productive share
of responsibilities, the youths de-
veloped specialist departments
where each played a role for the
success of the project.
The other team members are El-
isha Kiptukyo (business develop-
ment) and Winston Chemjor
(web developer).
Others are Philip Koimet, Solo-
mon Komen, Collins Kiboino,
Isaac Kiplagat and Amos Chep-
chieng.
Doreen Ngetuny is the only fe-
male member of the crew and the
team leader is Wilberforce
Seguton. Emmanuel Yatich is in
charge of user experience and us-
er interface.
Kiptukyo says the product, which
is now on sale after the launch
and will be available in selected
stores in Nairobi and Kabarnet,
will compete with other common
anti-virus softwares such as
Kaspersky, McAfee, Symantec,
AVIRA and Bit Defender, among
other Western-developed anti-vi-
rus products.
Bunifu Sniper is already on sale
and will be available on an e-
commerce driven website that is
safe and secure to use for trans-
actions.
It retails at Sh2,999 for a single li-
cence.
others available in the market.
He says there will be continuous on-
line upgrades of the antivirus software
although the company is also working
on ways to enable ofine upgrades.
By ROBERT KIPLAGAT
PAGE 11
Wednesday Life
Wednesday, May 28, 2014 / The Standard
The teacher holds key to students future
A teacher affects eternity, he can never
tell where his inuence will stop
Henry Brooks Adams
By BENJAMIN OBEGI
I
ndeed Henry Brooks Adams
was spot on: A teachers inu-
ce follows his students all the
days of their lives, like a large
shadow that shapes thoughts and
actions. Adams quote is often re-
ferred to by teachers, especially
when they feel let down by sys-
tems that dont compensate them
well for work well done.
Every successful person you see
in the public domain went
through a teachers hands. We are
the moulders, the potters and
shapers of destinies, says a
teacher in Nairobi.
Teachers such as Mosota Atunga,
who teaches English in Kisii
County, also owe their success to
their moulders other teachers.
Atunga says his former high
school principals words follow
him everywhere. The principal,
Casper Maina Momanyi, who
currently heads the top perform-
ing Kisii High School, encour-
Kiswahili teacher.
He had a knack for self-disci-
pline and insisted that we should
be able to supervise ourselves in
all we did. For him, a successful
person is one who can cultivate
the highest sense of direction
and purpose, which are greatly
guided by self-discipline. The les-
son I learnt from him has really
gone a long way in shaping the
way I execute my duties as a dis-
ciplined ofcer. As ofcers, disci-
pline holds that crucial key in de-
termining your rise through the
ranks. My teacher is still playing
a role in that, says Mwadime.
Education
aged him to be the best he could
be.
He remains a key pillar in my
professional life. Growing up in a
rural village limited the number
of role models I had. When I
joined high school, I regarded
him as my role model. He made
sure that in addition to imparting
academic knowledge, we were
exposed to the real world after
school. He made us believe that
no matter what career we chose,
what dened our success was
how we did it. Because of him, I
strive daily to be a teacher with a
difference.
Just two years into the profes-
sion, Atunga has already made an
impact in his school, which he
has helped turn into a formidable
athletics giant in the county.
Some of his students are current-
ly plying their trade in Japan and
the US.
Captain Eric Mwadime of the Ke-
nya Defence Forces speaks in
glowing terms of his former
ROLE MODELS:
A teacher has
great
inuence on
the students
future
because they
tend to copy
the best or
worst in him
or her.
[PHOTOS: FILE/
STANDARD]
By LYDIAH NYAWIRA
It is easy to dismiss a rural day
schools ability to succeed in
national examinations. However,
District Education Board (DEB)
Karaguririo Primary School in
Mukurweini, Nyeri County, has
slowly clawed its way to the height
of academic excellence.
In last years Kenya Certicate
of Primary Education (KCPE) exam
results, 15 out of the 63 candidates
secured places in national schools
while 56 had 349 marks and above,
out of a possible 500 marks. The
school was ranked the top public
day school in Nyeri County and third
overall.
Now everyone wants to enrol
their children in the school, which
has minimal facilities compared to
private schools. In 2008, the school
managed to get only two students
into a county school and was
ranked 68 out of 70 in Mukurweini
Sub-county.
This poor performance changed
when Charles Mwangi Waweru was
posted to head the school that year.
We brought the parents on
board and counselled them to take
a keen interest in their childrens
education. We set targets and
Head teacher Charles Waweru with his pupils during a
prize giving day recently. [PHOTO: LYDIAH NYAWIRA]
School Spot
According to James Michira, a se-
nior communication lecturer at
the University of Nairobi, teach-
ers form the bedrock in the lives
of students at any level.
They open the window into the
future world of students. Stu-
dents trust the pictures of suc-
cess or failure their teachers cre-
ate. Most students credit their
teachers for good performance,
which illustrates the space teach-
ers occupy in their lives. Even
when professional role models
may be lacking, a student will
trust the teacher, copying the
best or worst in him or her. Most
insisted on punctuality for the
students. In a day school, time
management is important, Mr
Waweru says. However, he soon
noted that the pupils mind-set was
wrong. So the school management
team organised for them to visit
national schools in the county as
well as the Dedan Kimathi
University of Technology just to
open up their minds and allow them
to dream of possibilities.
Interacting with the students in
these facilities opened up the
pupils minds and fuelled their
ambition to succeed, says Waweru.
The teachers also starting
paying attention to individual
students needs. It has now become
a tradition that former students of
the school admitted to national and
county schools return to the school
during the holidays to mentor and
tutor national exam candidates,
motivating them to succeed and join
them in secondary schools of
choice.
Its not hard to help a child
succeed once they are motivated
and ambitious, each seeking their
own goals to attain in the national
exams, explains Waweru.
As the school ies to higher
heights, there are various challeng-
es pulling it down.
The number of students
enrolled has signicantly increased
since our academic standards
improved from 230 students in
2008 to the current 503 and an
additional 133 in our early
childhood centre.
Waweru says this has strained
facilities as the sanitation and
classes cannot accommodate that
many students and the number of
teachers has remained at only nine.
Parents we talked to were
optimistic that the school would
excel this year, and perform even
better than last year.
Head teachers approach
awoke sleeping rural school
of us rose because of our former
teachers and professors.
Dr Michira believes society
should invest in teachers ade-
quately. You take your child to
school in the belief that the
teacher will turn him or her into
a professional. What happens if
the teacher is not equal to the
task? There is evidence that a
teachers hand can transform and
impact the lives of students now
and in the future.
Unfortunately, there are other
teachers who crush their stu-
dents dreams and kill budding
creativity.
C G B A 20
E J G H 22
A E C J 21
16 26 14 28
H D F D 21
YESTERDAYS SOLUTION
Using all the letters
of the alphabet,
ll in the grid. To
help you, there are
three cryptic cross-
word-style clues:
Top line: Hesi-
tate twice after an
grown-up is sin-
ner!.(2, 9)
Middle line: The
animal led but is
stubborn.(2, 3-6)
Bottom line: Some-
how Jude, a cat, did
make a judgement.
(11)
To start you off,
here is one of the
letters.
By Rosy Russell
All rows, columns and 3 by 3 grids
(dened by bold lines ) have the
numbers 1 to 9 appearing only once.
Some of the numbers have been en-
tered. Complete the whole table by
inserting the correct numbers.
Capricorn (Dec 22 - Jan 20)
Work flows in an uneventful way today.
The most beneficial item that your com-
pany sells, produces or helps to produce
may be in the process of improvement.
Aquarius (Jan 21 - Feb 19)
Taking care of business is a major theme
this wednesday. You crave organisation
and want to get things accomplished.
You may also want scream and stomp
your feet about a financial injustice.
Pisces (Feb 20 - Mar 20)
You may be sought after as just the per-
son for a particular job today. Self-disci-
pline and a sense of self-worth radiate
from your personality. You may be called
upon to persuade some co-workers to
work on a difficult project.
Taurus (April 21 - May 20)
There Career gains are available now
because you have done the work and
have gained the experience. When it is
time for an employee review, let your
light shine. You have an eye for what you
need to eliminate that may slow your
progress.
Aries (Mar 21 - May 20)
You may find that your personal and ca-
reer growth depends on how you handle
the very sensitive psychological material
coming up. You will benefit from analyti-
cal insights and getting to the heart of
things.
Cancer
(June 22 - July 22)
This is a time to pursue a more lasting
set of valuesbe they religious or philo-
sophical. Everything external and busi-
ness-oriented should prosper, provided
that honesty and truth are your guides.
Courtesy: dailyhoroscopes.com
YESTERDAYS SOLUTIONS
Horoscopes
Sudoku
Codeword Puzzle
(May 21 - June 21)
There are optimism and fore-
sight. Your career may be tied
more to your appearance and
how you come across to others
than to what you do just now.
DIFFICULT
The letters have a distinct
value between 1 to 9. The to-
tals vertically and horizontally
have been given. Solve all the
values.
NO 5201
NO 5200
A B C D E F G H J
6 2 5 1 7 9 4 3 8
YESTERDAYS SOLUTIONS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
D
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
E B I G A T
Y N H X
U J V K Q M F W Z S
L
P
R
C
O
D
Leo (July 23 - Aug 22)
This day has the possibility of being an easy,
calm day that should ow along in a smooth
manner. Ideas and interaction with authority
gures or older people may be in the fore-
cast. Working with rather than against the
ow of energy should be easy to manage.
Virgo
(Aug 23 - Sept 23)
Positive energies are stirring with regard to
your career or life path now. Success de-
pends upon your own ambition and drive,
which are strong. You are able to use good
common sense and can feel the trends in
order to make the right moves.
Libra
(Sept 24 - Oct 23)
Your work is productive and your kind nature
wins friends and inuences people. This is a
good day for increased business that results
from your hard work. Your creativeness is
expressed this afernoon in your problem-
solving abilities.
Scorpio
(Oct 24 - Nov 22)
This is a great day to gain positive results
from your hard work. You may nd ways in
which to secure a promotion or new job to-
day. You crave organization and practicality
and you want to get things accomplished.
Sagittarius
(Nov 23 - Dec 21)
You may nd yourself planning a garage sale
for this upcoming weekend to put a little
cash in your pocket. In the workplace, co-
workers as well as higher-ups seek you out
for your psychological insight.
Gemini
Wednesday Life
Wednesday, May 28, 2014/ The Standard
Page 12
Across
1 Foreign language (6)
7 Eastern (8)
8 Pith helmet (4)
10 Defeated (6)
11 Sullen (6)
14 Agent (3)
16 Manservant (5)
17 Hereditary unit (4)
19 Golf term (5)
21 Instruct (5)
22 Destined (5)
23 Nuisance (4)
26 Scornful expression
(5)
28 Small amount (3)
29 Arrival, coming (6)
30 Martial art (6)
31 School test (4)
32 Without charge, slang
(8)
33 Stylus (6)
Down
1 Car safety device (3,3)
2 Babys sof shoe (6)
3 Metal money (4)
4 Get better (7)
5 Backless seat (5)
6 Precipitation (5)
8 Mountain lake (4)
9 High spirits, vital-
ity (3)
12 Beam of light (3)
13 Dispatches (5)
15 Tribal badge (5)
18 Antelope (5)
19 However (3)
20 Deity (3)
21 Discolour (7)
22 Charge (3)
23 Exhibit or aunt (6)
24 Dutch cheese (4)
25 From that time (6)
26 Brazilian dance (5)
27 Turn out, expel (5)
28 Levy (3)
30 Eager (4)
ACROSS: 1, Baker 6, Limbo 9, Launder 10, Tulip 11, Aisle 12, Seats 13, Deliver 15, Pro 17,
Unit 18, Meteor 19, Cedar 20, Editor 22, Scut 24, Sad 25, Compete 26, Foyer 27, Salon
28, Graph 29, Reveres 30, Beret 31, Legal.
DOWN: 2, Acumen 3, Elicit 4, Rap 5, Inter 6, Leather 7, Iris 8, Bolero 12, Sever 13, Dukes
14, Livid 15, Peace 16, Orate 18, Major 19, Coronet 21, Damage 22, Sparse 23, Utopia 25,
Cedes 26, Fore 28, Gel.
YESTERDAYS EASY SOLUTIONS
Easy Puzzle
ACROSS
1 Fail to counterfeit a letter (6)
7 In credit, in a roundabout way
(8)
8 British animal? (4)
10 Hurtfully forming one gure in
moulded clay (6)
11 Outcome sure to upset an of-
cer (6)
14 Like the coloured end (3)
16 Miss Lee, the tea girl (5)
17 Were in jug (4)
19 She may take one in hand (5)
21 Like a slab forming a founda-
tion (5)
22 Birdlike eldsman? (5)
23 A possible entrapment in time
share? (4)
26 Show pride in conscientious
truthfulness (5)
28 Arrange to get information on
location (3)
29 Opportunity to get a Chinese
with some rice? (6)
30 One of a handy bunch? (6)
31 Was it split in great ominous-
ness? (4)
32 How to cry over spilt beer (8)
33 Bird with only one little sister for
relatives! (6)
DOWN
1 Something grand to nish with
(6)
2 Snakelike aircraf? (6)
3 A nameless fate meaning very
little (4)
4 Free with ones political views?
(7)
5 Like Aphrodite, shell have a bit
of love before sunrise (5)
6 Lay down a condition (5)
8 You may have spent them in
Italy (4)
9 Like some far-off schooldays
(3)
12 Alias Sol, note (3)
13 There are 54 ways to live them!
(5)
15 A passage from Paisley (5)
18 The value of an Isle on the
Thames (5)
19 Lad brought up on Indian food
(3)
20 Any way thats negative (3)
21 Is his hook worth a look? (7)
22 One anticipates jumping it (3)
23 Little ones may have no rims
(6)
24 A chance to pass on what
youve learned (4)
25 Whence to come down to earth
in port (6)
26 South Island style of diving! (5)
27 Bright boy put out of the race,
so peevish (5)
28 Overweight and maybe apt to
splutter? (3)
30 As for loading horses? (4)
ACROSS: 1, Froth 6, Do-ugh 9, Rub-icon 10, St.-out 11, CL-ear 12, Deity 13, Heckles 15, (kind)Red 17, Errs 18,
Bruise 19, Dukes 20, Driver 22, Beta 24, Sag 25, Scooter 26, Ditch 27, Ski-Ed 28, Hip-Po 29, Men-ti-on 30,
Staid 31, Penny.
DOWN: 2, R-ather 3, Trunks 4, Hut 5, Miles 6, Doctors 7, Only 8, G-raves 12, De-m-ur 13, Heads 14, Craig 15, R-
Ive-t. 16, Deb-ar 18, Beach 19, De-CID-ed 21, Racket 22, B-ovine 23, Ten-pin 25, Scots 26, Demi 28, H-Op.
YESTERDAYS CRYPTIC SOLUTIONS
Cryptic Puzzle
WEIRD NEWS
Let others laugh when you
sacrice desire to duty, if they
will. You have time and eternity
to rejoice in.
Theodore Parker
Success is more than
skindeep for two daredevils
who tried to claim one of the
worlds most bizarre records.
Mariya Gafitsa, 23, and
24-year-old Pavlo Klets have
scooped the title for the
longest rope crossing using
clamps pierced into their own
backs.
Their uncomfortable
challenge took place in the
Ukranian capital of Kiev,
where the pair attempted to
cross the Dnipro River using
the excruciating piercing.
The perilous 550 metre cross-
ing - using Tyrolean traversing
techniques pioneered on
Swiss mountains - would be
difficult at the best of times.
But rather than supporting
their weight from a harness,
the pair put their trust in
clamps pierced into their own
backs.
It meant they were forced to
carry their entire whole body
weights on their skin.
Mirror Online
Couple beat pain to scoop world record
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
Wednesday, May 28, 2014/ The Standard
PAGE 13
Wednesday Life
FOX CINEPLEX SARIT CENT RE,
WESTLANDS
SCREEN I THE OTHER WOMAN (U16) At
11.00am, 2 STATES (U16) At 2.30pm,
9.00pm, NON STOP (PG) 6.45PM,
SCREEN II AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2 IN
3D (PG) At 11.00am, 1.45pm, 6.40pm,
9.15pm, THE OTHER WOMAN (U16) At
4.30pm.
PLANET MEDIA CINEMAS - KISUMU
SCREEN I RIO 2 (GE) At 11.30am,
1.30pm. NON STOP (PG 13) At 3.30pm,
THE OTHER WOMAN (16) At 6.00pm,
SCREEN II THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER
MITTY (PG) At 3.00pm, 6.00pm,
8.30pm
NYALI CINEMAX MOMBASA
SCREEN I THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN
2 3D At 6.30pm, THE OTHER WOMAN
At 6.45pm, NON STOP At 9.00pm, THE
AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2 2D At 9.15pm.
Cinema Guide
Nairobi 102.7 I Nyeri 105.7
Meru 105.1 I Kericho 90.5
Kisumu 105.3 I Mombasa 105.1
Nakuru 104.5 I Eldoret 91.1 Kitui:
93.8 I Kisii: 91.3
N
o
w
S
h
o
w
i
n
g
DISCOVERY CHANNEL
07:00 Diamond Divers
07:50 Fast N Loud
08:40 Car Vs Wild
09:30 Storage Hunters
09:55 Auction Kings
10:25 Baggage Battles
10:50 How Do They Do It?
11:20 How Its Made
11:45 Gold Rush
12:40 Gold Fever
01:35 Ice Cold Gold
The show was following the Jetsons family liv-
ing in a futuristic utopia of elaborate robotic
contraptions, aliens, holograms, and whimsi-
cal inventions. Well, looks like this is a live-ac-
tion movie adaptation of the Jetsons.
YESTERDAYS TRIVIA: Indiana
Jones 5
TV Quiz
02:30 Storage Hunters
03:00 Auction Kings
03:25 Baggage Battles
03:55 Diamond Divers
04:50 The Big Brain Theory
05:45 Fast N Loud
06:40 How Do They Do It?
07:05 How Its Made
07:35 Sons Of Guns
08:30 Baggage Battles
09:00 Auction Kings
09:30 Manhunt
DStv Highlights
Todays Schedule
5:00 Pambazuka
6:00 Powerbreakfast
9:00 Afrosinema
11;30 Naswa
12:00 Gabriela
13:00 Live at 1
14:00 Cheche Rpt
15:00 Afro-Sinema
16:00 Citizen Alasiri
16:10 Mseto East Africa
17:00 Pavitra Rishta
18:00 Un Refugio
19:00 Citizen Nipashe
19:35 Kansiime
20:05 Wild at Heart
21:00 Citizen Business
Centre
22:00 The Tempest
23:00 Afro-Sinema
0.00 Citizen Late Night
News
1:00 Afro-Sinema
4:30 BBC
4:55 Morning Prayer
5:00 Aerobics
5:30 Damka
8:00 Good Morning Kenya
9:00 Parliament Live
11:00 Daytime Movie
11:00 KBCc Lunch Time
News
1:30 Moving The Masses
1:30 Grapevine
2:30 Parliament Live
4:30 Spider Riders
5:00 Club 1
6:00 Spiders
7:00 Darubini Live
7:30 Road To Success
8:05 The Platform Live
9:00 Channel 1 News
9:45 National Cohesion
Live
10:30 Bold & Beautiful
11:30 You Are The One
12:00 Club 1
12:45 BBC
5:00 Password Rpt
6:00 AM Live
9:00 Irrational Heart
10.00 Maid In
Manhattan
11:15 The Young & The
Restless
12:00 Rhythm City
12:30 Scandal
1:00 NTV at 1
1:30 Backstage
2:00 Golden Heart
3.00 Password
4:00 NTV at 4
4:15 Password
Reloaded
5:00 The Beat
6:00 Dyesebel
7:00 NTV Jioni
7:30 La Patrona
8:30 Baileys Wedding
Show
9:00 NTV Tonight
10:00 Movie
12:00 NTV Late Night
12:15 CNN
5.00 Command Your
Morning
6:00 Morning Express
9.00 Tendereza
10:00 My Eternal
11.00 National Geographic
12.00 Tomorrow Today
12.30 Ideal Space
1.00 Newsdesk
1.30 Road to Brasil
2:00 Afri-Screen
4.00 Mbiu Ya KTN
4.10 Batman Of The Future
4.30 Avengers Assemble
5.00 Baseline
6.00 Deal or No Deal
7:00 KTN LEO
7:30 Real Househelps of
Kawangware
8.00 Los Rey
9.00 KTN PRIME
10.05 Jeff Koinange Live
11.00 The Diary
12:00 Road to Brasil
12.30 CNN
Pick Of The Day 7.30PM
5.00 Praiz
6.00 K24Alfajiri
9.00 LadyoftheRose Rpt
10.00 Naijasinema
12.00 AljazeeraNews
13.00 K24Newscut
13.30 GumbaruSchoolRpt
15.00 TheCouplesShow
Rpt
16.00 MchipukowaAlasiri
16.10 TeamRaha
17.30 TheLoop
18.30 K24Mashinani
19.00 K24SaaMoja
19.35 GumbaruSkool
20.05 TheCouplesShow
21.00 K24EveningEdition
21.50 KikwetuSuperChef
Rpt
22.50 AlfajiriSocialHour
Rpt
11.00 Naijasinema Rpt
1.30 Aljazeera
In this weeks episode: Awitis plans start to go really wrong. In a matter of days, shell be on the
verge of being charged with two heinous crimes. Meanwhile, Tsipixi decides to make a comeback
on Kalekye.
4:00AM Safari na Antony Ndiema
6:00AM Maisha Asubuhi na Alex and Jalas
10:00AM Staarabika na Ann Njogu
1:00PM Konnect na Mwende and Clemo
4:00PM Maisha Jioni na Tina and Zuleka
7:00PM Rhumba Attencion na Mwashumbe
10:00PM Maji Makuu na Ali Hassan and Babu
12:00AM Hakuna Kulala
Wednesday Life
Wednesday, May 28, 2014/ The Standard
Page 14
PAGE 15
Wednesday Life
Wednesday, May 28, 2014/ The Standard
You are the architect of your own destiny; you are the master of
your own fate; you are behind the steering wheel of your life. There
are no limitations to what you can do, have, or be. Except the
limitations you place on yourself by your own thinking.
AZIM JAMAL,
CANADA.
BRIAN TRACY,
USA.
HIGH PERFORMANCE LEADERSHIP
TUESDAY, 17
TH
JUNE 2014
Safari Park Hotel Nairobi
9 AM TO 4 PM
International Leadership Trainers
GET YOUR TICKET NOW
FOR BOOKINGS, REGISTRATIONS AND ENQUIRIES- TEL: 020 240 3416, 0719 197 527
Email: info@aloraafrica.com
www.aloraafrica.com
BECOME A HIGH PERFORMING LEADER
ALORA
AFRICA
THOUGHT
LEADERSHIP
SERIES
LIMITED SEATS AVAILABLE.
SEMINAR
Nairobi 102.7 | Nyeri 105.7 | Meru 105.1 | Nakuru 104.5 | Kitui 93.8 | Kisumu 105.3 | Mombasa 105.1 | Kericho 90.5 | Edoret 91.1 | KISII 91.3
Friday, 30
th
May 2014
@ Merica Hotel, Nakuru
Mwashumbe
Wednesday Life
Wednesday, May 28, 2014/ The Standard
Page 16
Social Media
with Kenny Kaburu @Kennytoonz
It is a sensitive and highly emotive topic.
Do safe abortions really exist? The
discussion was on Facebook and Kenyans
had their say
How can we as Kenyan citizens assist in
the war against terrorism? KTN has been
airing a very sober debate on this very
pertinent topic and the show continues to
elicit very interesting feedback under the
hashtag #KTNBottomline
@Shaminage: Strong discussion on @ktnkenya,
#KTNBottomline. Totally loved the raw emotion. Now
when do we stop talking and start acting?
@KKipsat: Blame game is major problem. We are
blaming Government yet we are living with terrorists
in our neighbourhoods.
@FerdyOmondi: #KTNBottomLine is an honest,
open, non-partisan conversation on terrorism. It is a
discussion we must have. This is our country.
@Karanimutonga: Mothers have a greater role to
keep track of their children and keep them away from
Social Media
Light Side
T
R
E
N
D
I
N
G
P
H
O
T
O
POWER OF TINTING: As people continue to heed Inspector General David Kimaiyos
directive to peel the tint off their car windows, this lady removes the tint from her face!
radicalisation. Otherwise no tears for them.
@IfeomaKhalayi: Shared values need to be
topics of discussions and teachings to defeat
terrorism.
@KResearcher: Great work on #KTNBottomLine.
Discussions on security and terrorism are needed in
Kenya, especially the role of citizens.
@AlfredFreez: All the problems in this country
can be traced down to one thing, CORRUPTION, which
should be curbed without fear or favour.
@langarua: Senator @HassanOmarH brought up
the philosophy of using an ideology to neutralise
radicalism and that is a valid long term one.
@SingoeiJoylene: I am hoping our security heads
have been following #KTNBottomLine because there
are a lot of thoughtful ideas for the ght against
terrorism.
@Nurpride_KE: Through such debates we will be
able to get to the root cause of radicalisation and the
best approach to handling it.
@Faroukali1990: Muslim clerics should sit and
come to conclusion on making others understand the
principles and concept of Jihadism.
@Thewamani: A divided nation is a fallen
nation...Unity is what we need to ght terrorism.
Naomy Kamau: There is no such thing as safe
abortion. When you do it you no longer possess a
womb but a tomb.
Mumo Robin: Abortion is very controversial
and most people have done it. Safe abortion is
whether the procedure can be done medically well
without posing danger to the patient and the
answer is YES.
Njagi Linus: The two words dont fit in one
sentence. Abortion is murder. The baby suffers, the
mother suffers and the society suffers. What is
safe about that?
Redempter Kasia: It is a crime but men push
ladies to do it! Because guys will tell you that they
are not ready to take the responsibility so men you
are contributors of abortion!
Lillian Bachmann: Freedom of choice. Let the
ladies have the biggest
say here (never said
that guys cant
beseech their partners
not to). These are very
murky waters and you
got to be careful how
you go about it. NEVER
SAY DIE.
Jasmine Nakamu-
ra: So you believe a
woman who is
pregnant because of
rape or incest cannot
have an abortion? Or a
woman whose life is in
danger because of a pregnancy should die?
Naum Kalumu: Safe abortion means the
procedure where hygiene is observed. Usually done
in hospitals rather than back streets hence safe.
Mary Amukoya: It should be legalised in
Kenya. Ladies should have a choice in their
reproductive health. If I was a girl again and
conceived outside marriage, I would definitely have
an abortion. Men dont marry ladies with babies
and if they do, no respect. One told me he would
rather marry a prostitute with no child than a good
girl with a child.
Chips are stupid, but with
Aromaat!.. Goes a now popular
advert running on television that
has suddenly been picked up on
social media in Kenya. The advert
has given birth to funny memes
and Aromat jokes that have taken
social media by storm.
Clearly, the advert has proved
that you dont really need to
invest in expensive adverts to
market your products; make
them annoying! When the advert
debuted on television a few
months ago, guys took to social
media to complain about a new,
very simple but annoying advert
that was running on their screen.
This, however, created interest
and conversations around the
product. Whether this trick was
accidental or intentional, we
should give it up to creativity
behind the advert for winning
free airtime worth millions of
shillings on social media and
giving the product celebrity
status. Whether this hype is
translating into actual sales,
one cannot tell in the absence of
independent market research.
We had Makmende the hero, by
Just-a-Band, arguably Kenyas
best viral export. Though
copied from the Chuck Norris
super hero jokes, Makmende
was Kenyanised and became
a canvas on which Kenyans
on social media could paint
their super hero fantasies and
larger than life attributes. This
helped to popularise the album
then released by Just-a-Band.
Makmende was made popular by
creative suspense.
Makmende is back! Who was
Makmende? Very few knew he
was a fictional superhero. Mass
interest was created. This caused
Makmende to go viral.
Why crafty campaigns
go viral on social media
South Africas Sonko
sworn in as MP
South Africa held elections
this month and those who won
various parliamentary seats
have already been sworn in.
For leader of Economic
Freedom Fighters party, Julius
Malema (right), the swearing in
of the new parliamentarians last
Wednesday was an opportune
moment to make a statement.
Malema wore his partys
bright red overalls and said that
his parliament members would
dress this way to show they
represent the workers of RSA.
In Kenya, this image was
trending. And @TrendKE said:
Malema getting sworn into South
African parliament. And you
thought Sonko was crazy?
Transformation
If a woman gets a call while having a
meal from her sufuria for a date, she
will quickly freshen up and change to
take up the lady look.
@Royzain captured this: Women
have a unique ability to transform
themselves in seconds!
In Kenya elephants do read
Ever wondered who some notices and instructions are
written for? Wonder no more for in Kenya, elephants know
how to read. How on earth did the person who wrote this ex-
pect elephants to read and obey the instructions that
elephants should cross two at a time?