Gor Mahia versus AFC Leopards Derbies: Fan trouble or a case of Hooligans and Criminals? PART 1

I recall in my early days growing up we used to collect plastic paper bags {jualas} and beat up cactus plants against rough edged walls to get sisal that we used to make polythene‘footballs’ with.

So beautiful were they that the level of 'sophistication' and 'class' went to the most intricately woven polythene ball either in squared or circular pattern.The ‘classier’ the ball, the more the players you got when it came to game time.

The polythene bag balls we used to play ball with..

Growing up in the 80’s, we only had two teams to identify with: Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards, and these are the teams that we divided ourselves into in any soccer game in the hood.

We didn’t stop there, we knew each and every player by name so you can imagine we had an exact replica Gor and AFC team of 7-8yr olds runnning around our neighbourhood pitch.

So we had the little, Sammy Onyango ‘Jogoo',Peter Dawo, Ben ‘Break-dance’ Oloo,George Onyango 'Fundi',Peter 'Bassanga' Otieno,George Sunguti,Goal Keepers - Omar Shaban,Abass Khamis Magongo just to mention but a few.

Kenya:Oil Discovery in Turkana – ‘manna’ from heaven?

Social media is a buzz with news of the new findings of oil in Turkana.Today Kenyans are making their voices heard worldwide as they update per second statuses on the internet sites.

On Twitter Kenyans are trending #TurkanaOil and the world has no choice but to recognize our presence considering that Kenyans were voted the second most active tweeters in Africa behind South Africa in a scientific research poll in early 2012.

On  Facebook,Kenyans cant help but make fun about the whole Turkana Oil find.

This excitement has been brought about by Pres.Mwai Kibaki’s announcement today, that Kenya has discovered oil in Ngamia-1 well in the North West District of Turkana, at a depth of between 846 and 1041 metres.

Kiraitu Murungi,Kenyan Minister for Energy shows a sample of the Turkana Crude Oil

Most of the Kenyans in this part of the country rarely feel included in the proverbial national cake in as far as resource allocation is concerned. Infact, the residents here say they are not part of Kenya, and when they do they say they are from the ‘other Kenya’

Nyeri Women:-Husband Beaters,or is it a woman Scorned?

Any man who grew up during my days was taught that long held unwritten rule that MEN DON'T CRY!In fact, our fathers used to increase the intensity of the beatings when we cried or lacked bravado in the face of that thick bamboo stick being used to administer painful canes on our backsides for what they deemed a 'failure to measure up' on our end as their ‘heir apparent’.

The slightest hint of discomfort or welled up tears in our eyes would be met by a harsh reprimand for us to ‘man up’! This meant, you clench your teeth as tight as you can, apply some brain freeze maneuver to whatever pain inflicting situation you were in and feign amnesia like it is not happening, then soldier on like the man you are!

The same values are instilled on young men as they ‘face-the-knife’ at circumcision. Later in life, when as full grown men they are overburdened by work{or lack of it} and home pressures in the face of adversities of a poorly performing economy, they have to hold their heads up like its -7 degrees when it’s infact sweltering hot under their armpits.Oh..The pressure of being a man!

You see, in any African society and Kenya in particular, tradition forbids men from crying or speaking about any abuse administered to them, especially by women.

Nancy Baraza:Kenyan Society's Sacrificial Lamb?

Do you remember some time in 2011 when most Kenyans (me included) were literally glued to live TV watching with intrigue as candidates for the position of Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice were being grilled?

Do you remember also how in glee you were when they were publicly ridiculed with questions concerning their sexuality? It made a good laugh,right?Im sure for some men it made a good enough ice breaker to chat up that sumptuous but elusive office intern, right?

Now >>fast forward>> to the events that have unfolded since 31st Dec 2011….

At this point let me introduce the cast of our Kenyan Soap Opera {Sound track*Smooth melodious Mexican lady singing in the background*}

Jaffer Isaac..The Kenyan President that never will be.. Phew!

On the tube this morning for yet another time was Jaffer Isaac-‘The Kenyan presidential aspirant that never will be’ on the Power Interview on Citizen TV.

Oh,you don’t know who that is:let me bring you up to speed with my last blog on this character: http://www.ogeezone.blogspot.com/2011/09/jaffer-isaac-ambitions-of-youth.html

If you missed the News as the curtains closed on 2011, Jaffer decided to call off his presidential bid for the 2012 national elections.Pheew!

I breathe a sigh of relief for all Kenyan youth who would have yet again buried their head in their hands in utter shame at misrepresentation because Jaffer Isaac epitomizes the mediocrity that is Kenyan ‘youth’politics.

Listening to him speak you realize that he lacks vision. Most of his ideologies are utopian if you ask me.

PayScale Kenya - Kenya Country Salary, Average Salaries

PayScale Kenya - Kenya Country Salary, Average Salaries

KCPE 2011: Genetic Dunderheads?

Last week I had a seemingly never ending debate with my colleagues at work on the dismal performance of school children in national exams in light of the 2011 KCPE results.

This debate was occasioned by demos by parents countrywide in a bid to oust head teachers whom they blamed for a below par show by their kids in the national exams.

Protesting parents have in the past weeks since the release of the exams been holding demos and storming poor performing school premises baying for the blood of the school heads.

What became apparent from the debate is that some kids are ‘genetically engineered’ to be dunderheads!

I bet you are thinking that is a shallow point of view, right? Well, before you crucify me in your minds and close the browser let me expound.

Kareke Mbiuki "Look..i'll give you 5K..Go ahead and give birth like rabbits.."..

There is a common Kenyan saying that goes...”Kuzaa sio kazi..Kazi ni kulea mwana... (Loosely translated..Giving birth is not work, the real work is raising the child...)

It therefore sounded to me like complete lunacy when recently on National TV during an opening ceremony for a new public maternity wing an MP declared that he is giving women in his constituency an incentive to get pregnant and give birth.

In a heavy Meru accent the legislator said..” mimi naendelea kupingia watoto ndebe muendelee kuzaana tujaze ndunia ili kura zitoshe…kama ulikuwa umeenda mbreak urundi ili tuungane na nyinyi tunjaze ndunia,”NKT!!!

Not Every Somali Looking guy is AL-SHABAAB...

I was in Nairobi town today.I could feel the uneasiness in the city with most Nairobians on 100% natural radar alert.The slightest of bang noises would send the next person infront of me to walk three-to four steps faster then look behind to see what was happening.

Two particular incidences made me blog today.

SCENE 1:

Im on the 10th Flr of Teleposta towers,waiting for an elevator to the Ground Flr.Im late for an appointment so im pacing about waiting for the elevator.

The elevator opens and in it are 5 muslim women all covered up save for their eyes..I take one step back.If ur in Kenya considering the recent happenings between Kenya and Somalia,u know what came into my mind.....Al Shabaab!Then considering i was on the 10th Flr..hmmm.how convinient...

I think these women were more scared by my towering  6.8ft frame than i was of them and the thought that they were strapped with explosives ready to scream Allah-u-Akbar then BOOOOOM!!

Facebook Monitors you even when you log out...

Social network site Facebook has admitted that it monitors every single web page you visit, even when you have logged out.

So...you thought that when you hit that logout button on your phone or PC after updating your status on FB you are done...?In the era of cyber space and internet technology everything you do is monitored. 

In its latest privacy blunder, the social networking site was forced to confirm that it constantly tracks its 750million users, even when they are using other sites.

Internet users in a cybercafe in Kenya