Tony Gachoka is a man of many titles. Activist, self-proclaimed political strategist, media consultant, the list is endless.
This is a man you can not wish away. Ask the mother, I am told he was cursed after he used the family coffee plantation to secure a loan in order to start a business which only did well just in the early periods of inception.
Even his young sister Ciku Muiruri,I hear was mad at him after the bank came calling, wanting to auction the piece of land.
But who is Gachoka? This man is easily connected to everyone, including the president. They have history by the way.
So he even helped Ciku get a job in the Uhuru Kenyatta dream team in the campaign team, she was virtual head of media team, if my memory serves me right.
One would wonder, how did Tony get up there? Trust you me, there is a mystery around this man that no one seems to get right, but one thing is a fact, he is up there, the man is on top of his league I tell you.
Does it matter how he got up there? That is you to decide, however opportunity comes to everyone, difference is how you go about it. Don't be too ambitious, compose yourself and go for it.
A friend once told me to always go where the grass is greener, meaning that where you are the grass might be green but if you see healthier and greener grass, why not?
In the 2007 elections, TG, as he is popularly known, was Raila Odinga's confidante, courtesy of Mama Ngilu they say. He was in the wagon probably because he was sure of Odinga's victory. But he dropped after, after gathering all nailing evidence that Raila had a role to play in the PEV, which I don't think it was significant, that was probably to seduce Uhuru.
But sure he got a job as a campaign strategist, he probably is something in state house right now.
By the way Gachoka and Uhuru have history. In the late 80s and early 90s, when Gachoka had just started his paper sunday post, which was more of an expose by the way. His contacts with Gideon Moi helped him big time. That's how he met Uhuru, and they clicked right away. Mind you, he enjoyed trips to S.A with the first family during those weekends.
So when someone says that it is Ngilu who fixed him in the jubilee alliance, I wonder.
Listening to Tony Gachoka on n Jeff Koinange Live, I wouldn't help myself but just marvel with admiration .
He even became my Shujaa right away.
With the determination of a buffalo, his voice roaring like a lion, with valour inherited from a legend probably Waiyaki, I could see an older me. He is a great debator, he is an asset to Uhuruto, problem is his loyalty can't be predicted. He could be working for you, while scheming only to backstab you after he leaves.
But he inspires me, personally.
Saturday 19 October 2013
Thursday 10 October 2013
Ambassador Amina Mohammed
This is an iron lady. I sat down today and listened to her press briefing about the AU meetings and I can tell you, she is a boss.
Amina has a way of speaking, when she talks, you listen. Her voice, drunk with authority, her lips curving and shaping the words that hit your ears like thunder with excitement. You can't help but wait for the more words to come.
With very high diplomatic skills, Amina Mohammed is just the woman for the job, you see ambassador Amina has a way of answering questions that even journalists themselves aren't able to trap her.
Listening to her answering questions today I would only laugh quietly to myself. She has got the right words for the moment. I would only pity the helpless journalists.
Ambassador Amina does not answer your question, she makes you think she has. But the funny thing is that even the journalists themselves don't realise this, and even if they do they don't say.
So what is the magic and the charm behind this diplomat?
Born and Brought up in Kakamega county, Amalemba constituency. She attended her primary education just around the county. She later went to Butere girls for high school education, after which she attended highlands school. She won a scholarship to study international law in Ukraine and that my good people, is how the road started, say starting from the bottom.
But What makes her so outstanding? Many things. This lady, who is fluent in more than five languages including Russian and French is a lot of every thing. She has working experience of more than 25 years in the international arena, 26 years precisely, and I can tell you in every place she has been, she has left marks.
It's a no wonder therefore that this 52 year old has many honours and awards to her name including The National Award of Chief of Burning Spear(CBS).
She has worked in various ministries as a permanent secretary before becoming the cabinet secretary in the Uhuru administration in the early quarter of this year.
In the ministry of justice, Amina did a lot for the country, she supervised drafting, negotiation national referendum and promulgation of the new constitution in 2008 to 2010.
In the ministry of foreign affairs Ambassador Amina was instrumental in restructuring, reforming and rationalising the ministry and also other missions abroad.
At the UNEP, Ambassador Amina spearhead the UNEP medium term strategy and programmes.
At the world trade organisation (WTO) Amina did among other things drafting and interpretation of international trade treaties and not forgetting representing Kenya's interests at the WTO.
So what is unique about this mother of two,who balances between being a mother, a wife and a diplomat?
It is no surprise that even my kind, the fourth estate, find it a nightmare to pin her down.
She is really an inspiration to many including myself.
Amina has a way of speaking, when she talks, you listen. Her voice, drunk with authority, her lips curving and shaping the words that hit your ears like thunder with excitement. You can't help but wait for the more words to come.
With very high diplomatic skills, Amina Mohammed is just the woman for the job, you see ambassador Amina has a way of answering questions that even journalists themselves aren't able to trap her.
Listening to her answering questions today I would only laugh quietly to myself. She has got the right words for the moment. I would only pity the helpless journalists.
Ambassador Amina does not answer your question, she makes you think she has. But the funny thing is that even the journalists themselves don't realise this, and even if they do they don't say.
So what is the magic and the charm behind this diplomat?
Born and Brought up in Kakamega county, Amalemba constituency. She attended her primary education just around the county. She later went to Butere girls for high school education, after which she attended highlands school. She won a scholarship to study international law in Ukraine and that my good people, is how the road started, say starting from the bottom.
But What makes her so outstanding? Many things. This lady, who is fluent in more than five languages including Russian and French is a lot of every thing. She has working experience of more than 25 years in the international arena, 26 years precisely, and I can tell you in every place she has been, she has left marks.
It's a no wonder therefore that this 52 year old has many honours and awards to her name including The National Award of Chief of Burning Spear(CBS).
She has worked in various ministries as a permanent secretary before becoming the cabinet secretary in the Uhuru administration in the early quarter of this year.
In the ministry of justice, Amina did a lot for the country, she supervised drafting, negotiation national referendum and promulgation of the new constitution in 2008 to 2010.
In the ministry of foreign affairs Ambassador Amina was instrumental in restructuring, reforming and rationalising the ministry and also other missions abroad.
At the UNEP, Ambassador Amina spearhead the UNEP medium term strategy and programmes.
At the world trade organisation (WTO) Amina did among other things drafting and interpretation of international trade treaties and not forgetting representing Kenya's interests at the WTO.
So what is unique about this mother of two,who balances between being a mother, a wife and a diplomat?
It is no surprise that even my kind, the fourth estate, find it a nightmare to pin her down.
She is really an inspiration to many including myself.
Tuesday 8 October 2013
MATATU REVOLUTION
It's on a Thursday, classes are in the afternoon, what should I do? I check my blog, there is a story I have been wanting to write, but I keep on postponing,and as they say,procrastination is the thief of time,I waste no time,
I have to write you a story my friend.
It is a diverse, dynamic, complex, topic, I have to confess it is a subject I knew little about before I came to this vast metropolis,"Nairoba"
Matatu culture, Most of us from up country only heard of stories from the Nairobians while in high school. However, Nairobians would tell the story with too much ego such that at the end, there would be no story told at all. They pulled crowds with their lame swag,and there was no way you could resist their stories, their voice, full of sheng, patronising attitude,and there is a special way they pronounced words.
This was like a kamkunji,the top chops and the dunderheads would sit together and listen,by the way most of the Nairobians weren't top chops as such.
I had seen matatus even before I came to the city, at least when I went to school i used to board one. But I am not talking about those matatus, am talking about the matatus in Nairobi, where the real culture was born , and where the revolution is taking place.
Matatu culture has grown and evolved over the years but not much. Some characteristics like breaking traffic rules are very alive, and they don't look like they will die soon.
So I decide to move around town, and find something to write about this topic that I want to know a lot about.
I actually board a Matatu to town, let me not give the details of the journey,a story for another day, I alight at Tom Mboya street, this is where you will find matatus for every route. I feel awkward when
I see matatus for route 9,old and unroadworthy,not what
I had in mind about matatus,route 9 leads you to Eastleigh.
I move on,
I am just about to cross the road, a bus, passes. I just can't help admiring the creative graphics. I can't really make out what it is, but it looks really good and cranky. As it passes, at the back I see a quote, " you have slapped me kidero?"
Most of the time, in the heavy graphics, catchy phrases will stand out, mostly which are the trending and most of the time, they are naughty.
I see another approaching the heavy traffic, like a fuming bull it stops, just almost ramming the sedan in front.
The bus is anxious, it won't stop, the driver is restless, without even looking through the side mirror and peeping out through the window every 5 seconds. The driver overlaps and moves on like nothing has happened.
Traffic rules don't apply in the Matatu culture. I was even amused by airtel's initiative for rewarding the well driven PSVs.
A good initiative, but it's just a handful of PSVs that ever obey traffic lights,if there is any.
I notice that nearly all matatus have scratched(if not crushed)fronts,you can tell why.
Loud music hardly misses in any modern Matatu, in fact if it does misses, very few or none commuters will board the Matatu.
The most common music genres in matatus are riddims and crank music.
I forgot to mention that matatus are mostly used by the young, wild and free! Who have to go to school everyday or to work.
The Matatu sector is a big employer. It pays. Sources say that a Matatu could earn one (the owner) about 15000 shillings a day, the driver can take home about 3000, while the conductor am told, he takes home whatever amount he needs, I mean, he manages the accounts.
The heavy mercury graphics are also very expensive, depending on the design, and the size of the vehicle. The graphics could take 3 to 4 days to be completed.
My sources tell me, cheapest graphics are about 20000 for a14 seater. Actually, Most of the time it's something that can be negotiated, to 20000, it would cost up to about
60000 for a 42 seater bus. So it's a good business.
Matatu culture is art, the graphics explain it all. My definition of art is something that is created to preserve and imitate real life phenomenon, tell me, what comes to your mind when you see a Matatu, full of graphics?
I will tell you what comes to my mind, I see Nairobi, I see genge, a music genre that grew up in Nairobi, and the artists themselves would use these Matatus, in their videos, the most outstanding being juacali.
Mutua Matheka(of wallpaper Monday app), an artist, architecture, photographer, he is many things but that is a story for next week. In a work of art he depicts the real Matatu culture,
Heavily pimped vehicles, colourful,cranky graphics, drivers; they think they own the roads,but in real sense they own the roads,they are rogue,ignorant of any traffic rules,but careful enough not to cause any problem, shouting touts, full of sike, rude enough to call you names, their noise competing with the loud music inside the bus, what is the shouting for? It won't be a culture without all that, it wouldn't be a revolution.
I have to write you a story my friend.
It is a diverse, dynamic, complex, topic, I have to confess it is a subject I knew little about before I came to this vast metropolis,"Nairoba"
Matatu culture, Most of us from up country only heard of stories from the Nairobians while in high school. However, Nairobians would tell the story with too much ego such that at the end, there would be no story told at all. They pulled crowds with their lame swag,and there was no way you could resist their stories, their voice, full of sheng, patronising attitude,and there is a special way they pronounced words.
This was like a kamkunji,the top chops and the dunderheads would sit together and listen,by the way most of the Nairobians weren't top chops as such.
I had seen matatus even before I came to the city, at least when I went to school i used to board one. But I am not talking about those matatus, am talking about the matatus in Nairobi, where the real culture was born , and where the revolution is taking place.
Matatu culture has grown and evolved over the years but not much. Some characteristics like breaking traffic rules are very alive, and they don't look like they will die soon.
So I decide to move around town, and find something to write about this topic that I want to know a lot about.
I actually board a Matatu to town, let me not give the details of the journey,a story for another day, I alight at Tom Mboya street, this is where you will find matatus for every route. I feel awkward when
I see matatus for route 9,old and unroadworthy,not what
I had in mind about matatus,route 9 leads you to Eastleigh.
I move on,
I am just about to cross the road, a bus, passes. I just can't help admiring the creative graphics. I can't really make out what it is, but it looks really good and cranky. As it passes, at the back I see a quote, " you have slapped me kidero?"
Most of the time, in the heavy graphics, catchy phrases will stand out, mostly which are the trending and most of the time, they are naughty.
I see another approaching the heavy traffic, like a fuming bull it stops, just almost ramming the sedan in front.
The bus is anxious, it won't stop, the driver is restless, without even looking through the side mirror and peeping out through the window every 5 seconds. The driver overlaps and moves on like nothing has happened.
Traffic rules don't apply in the Matatu culture. I was even amused by airtel's initiative for rewarding the well driven PSVs.
A good initiative, but it's just a handful of PSVs that ever obey traffic lights,if there is any.
I notice that nearly all matatus have scratched(if not crushed)fronts,you can tell why.
Loud music hardly misses in any modern Matatu, in fact if it does misses, very few or none commuters will board the Matatu.
The most common music genres in matatus are riddims and crank music.
I forgot to mention that matatus are mostly used by the young, wild and free! Who have to go to school everyday or to work.
The Matatu sector is a big employer. It pays. Sources say that a Matatu could earn one (the owner) about 15000 shillings a day, the driver can take home about 3000, while the conductor am told, he takes home whatever amount he needs, I mean, he manages the accounts.
The heavy mercury graphics are also very expensive, depending on the design, and the size of the vehicle. The graphics could take 3 to 4 days to be completed.
My sources tell me, cheapest graphics are about 20000 for a14 seater. Actually, Most of the time it's something that can be negotiated, to 20000, it would cost up to about
60000 for a 42 seater bus. So it's a good business.
Matatu culture is art, the graphics explain it all. My definition of art is something that is created to preserve and imitate real life phenomenon, tell me, what comes to your mind when you see a Matatu, full of graphics?
I will tell you what comes to my mind, I see Nairobi, I see genge, a music genre that grew up in Nairobi, and the artists themselves would use these Matatus, in their videos, the most outstanding being juacali.
Mutua Matheka(of wallpaper Monday app), an artist, architecture, photographer, he is many things but that is a story for next week. In a work of art he depicts the real Matatu culture,
Heavily pimped vehicles, colourful,cranky graphics, drivers; they think they own the roads,but in real sense they own the roads,they are rogue,ignorant of any traffic rules,but careful enough not to cause any problem, shouting touts, full of sike, rude enough to call you names, their noise competing with the loud music inside the bus, what is the shouting for? It won't be a culture without all that, it wouldn't be a revolution.
Tuesday 1 October 2013
October is Breast cancer awareness month
I had wished today was yesterday, and yesterday was today. Imagine a Monday, a new week, a new month,new ideas and many other great things, but that is wishful thinking. It's Tuesday the 1st of October.
October is a very special month, I will tell you why.
In common years (not leap years) October starts on the same day of the week as January, but no other month starts on the same day of the week as October in a leap year.
In common years again, October ends in the same day of the week as February every year and January in leap years only.
Those are just the few I managed sampled, but there a so many. But there is this crucial fact you must know.
It's October, breast cancer awareness month. Actually I learnt that this morning via Lilian Muli,i did not know, thank you Muli.
That makes it special in a very special way. By just letting other people know some random facts about breast cancer you could be,creating awareness, saving a life.
For example, did you know that 1 in every 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime?
And that 1 case of breast cancer is diagnosed in every 2 minutes in the U.S? Not only that, but also it would be worth knowing that 1 woman dies every 13 minutes of breast cancer.
However, some of them will survive, but very few. In the U.S, there are 2.9 million breast cancer survivors.
What is this villain breast cancer? What causes breast cancer? Who gets diagnosed, why?
The most significant risk factors of breast cancer is being female and getting older.
This means that being female and getting older is a great risk. We should however note that men can also diagnosed with breast cancer, though at a much lower rate than women.
For example while it is expected that about 39620 women will die of breast cancer in the U.S this year, only 410 men will die of breast cancer this year. With the increase in age, the risks also increase. In fact, most cancer cases in men occur at about age 65 and 67.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in African women just after cervical cancer among women.
What can be done about this killer?
We need to create awareness. People need to know.
Men shouldn't be ignorant, breast cancer affects them too.
Let's do away with myths and face the facts.
Myths like the one that the type of bra you wear increases your risks of breast cancer is completely unscientific. Neither the type of underwear nor the tightness are linked to breast cancer.
While it is a fact that a woman has an 1/8th risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer, it should be known that a woman’s chance of being
diagnosed with breast cancer is about 1 in 233 when she's in her 30s and rises to 1 in 8 by the time she’s reached 85.
Another silly myth is that women with smaller breasts have a lesser chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer. There is no direct link between the size of breast and your risk of getting breast cancer, but women with larger breasts may be hard to examine, however all women should conduct routine screenings and check ups. You can read all facts here. Please share and create awareness.
October is a very special month, I will tell you why.
In common years (not leap years) October starts on the same day of the week as January, but no other month starts on the same day of the week as October in a leap year.
In common years again, October ends in the same day of the week as February every year and January in leap years only.
Those are just the few I managed sampled, but there a so many. But there is this crucial fact you must know.
It's October, breast cancer awareness month. Actually I learnt that this morning via Lilian Muli,i did not know, thank you Muli.
That makes it special in a very special way. By just letting other people know some random facts about breast cancer you could be,creating awareness, saving a life.
For example, did you know that 1 in every 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime?
And that 1 case of breast cancer is diagnosed in every 2 minutes in the U.S? Not only that, but also it would be worth knowing that 1 woman dies every 13 minutes of breast cancer.
However, some of them will survive, but very few. In the U.S, there are 2.9 million breast cancer survivors.
What is this villain breast cancer? What causes breast cancer? Who gets diagnosed, why?
The most significant risk factors of breast cancer is being female and getting older.
This means that being female and getting older is a great risk. We should however note that men can also diagnosed with breast cancer, though at a much lower rate than women.
For example while it is expected that about 39620 women will die of breast cancer in the U.S this year, only 410 men will die of breast cancer this year. With the increase in age, the risks also increase. In fact, most cancer cases in men occur at about age 65 and 67.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in African women just after cervical cancer among women.
What can be done about this killer?
We need to create awareness. People need to know.
Men shouldn't be ignorant, breast cancer affects them too.
Let's do away with myths and face the facts.
Myths like the one that the type of bra you wear increases your risks of breast cancer is completely unscientific. Neither the type of underwear nor the tightness are linked to breast cancer.
While it is a fact that a woman has an 1/8th risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer, it should be known that a woman’s chance of being
diagnosed with breast cancer is about 1 in 233 when she's in her 30s and rises to 1 in 8 by the time she’s reached 85.
Another silly myth is that women with smaller breasts have a lesser chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer. There is no direct link between the size of breast and your risk of getting breast cancer, but women with larger breasts may be hard to examine, however all women should conduct routine screenings and check ups. You can read all facts here. Please share and create awareness.
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