Wanted: A commonwealth of Kenyan communities

By ABABU NAMWAMBA
Posted  Saturday, April 30 2011 at 17:57

Following a shooting tragedy in Tucson, Arizona in January, a leading American online publication conducted a fascinating survey on tolerance. The survey examined which US states are most tolerant by measuring residents’ actions and opinions as well as the scope of state laws guaranteeing equal rights.

Wisconsin was ranked top on the tolerance index, followed by Maryland and Illinois. I found the survey quite apt, given the historical complexion of the US.

America has been indelibly stained by the blood of its assassinated leaders, including Abraham Lincoln, J.F. Kennedy and his brother Robert Kennedy, and of course Martin Luther King.

There have also been countless outrageous shootings that have cost the nation myriad innocent lives, like that of nine-year-old Christina-Taylor Green who was among the six fatalities in Tucson.

Political and religious extremism has also stubbornly continued to lurk in the shadows, repeatedly rearing its head with catastrophic consequences.

Groups like the Ku Klux Klan have soiled the image of the US, while subterranean streams of racism, religious discomfort and economic exclusion continue to run deep.

With all his gallant efforts to unite America and rekindle the Lincoln-Kennedy-King dream of “emancipation and boundless liberty”, President Barrack Obama remains the target of some virulent political conspiracies that border on the xenophobic.

While this may seem like some distant American scenario, there are traits that bear striking relevance to Kenya.

Do the names Pio Gama Pinto, TJ Mboya, JM Kariuki and Robert Ouko ring any bell? Do we ever recoil when we recall the tribal clashes of 1992, 1997 and the devastating 2007 implosion?

What goes on in our minds when we see some self-appointed tribal chieftains balkanising the country through Ku Klux Klan like outfits?

Where exactly are we headed when fellows of highly dubious extraction, with gruesome skeletons overflowing in their closets and boasting of wealth looted from ordinary Kenyans suddenly anoint themselves martyrs and our “national saviours?”

We need to pause and reflect, seriously so. For close to five decades now, we have attempted to forge a nation out of our diverse communities. We don’t seem to have done a very good job of it.

For most of us, our primary loyalty still lies with the tribe. The nation is still some remote contraption. The so-called “national” leaders are little more than tribal dons, with their chief preoccupation being to herd their innocent ethnic kin into a pigeon hole to be used as some impersonal bargaining chip for selfish ends.

And so when such fellows talk of “my people”, they certainly do not mean a cross-section of Kenyans. The texture and thrust of their speech remain stone-age crude.

Even after giving unto ourselves a new Constitution, we are yet to fully accept the God-given and constitutionally guaranteed right of every Kenyan to live, work and make a home in any of our 47 counties.

We desire to have and belong to many parties, yet we refuse to embrace the culture of political competition. Those with views different from our own we regard not as rivals but as mortal foes to be fought and destroyed at any cost.

From the university to the workplace, we are most at ease with “our own”, even when they are crooks who ruin whatever they touch and steal anything within sight. We are quick to judge our “neighbour” not by their character but by the sound and shape of their last name.

Yes, go ahead and conduct a tolerance test on yourself and find out how you score. Then you will start to appreciate what it is that troubles the soul of this great land we all profess to love so.

We don’t even have to ask the National Cohesion Commission to tell us which county is most tolerant in Kenya. That would be a waste of precious time and public resources.

What we need is deep personal reflection. We must make up our minds whether we want to live together as a nation or as a union of disparate hostile communes.

Once we make that decision, we must find the courage to decisively cross the Rubicon and do what must be done. I challenge particularly the youth of this land to reject all those prejudices that split the paths of our fathers and led our country down the path of ruin.

Rather than clamour to reign over a collapsing state bedevilled by cat-fights over everything under the sun, let us lead the way in forging a commonwealth of Kenyan communities at peace with each other.

For of what use would it be to lead a tattered land with a soul troubled by a thousand ghosts of xenophobia, suspicion and impunity? I wish you a prosperous Labour Day.

ababumtumwa@yahoo.com

2007 SPEECHES

Countering Female Genital Mutilation Anti-FGM Run in Kilgoris

speech by Ambassador Michael E. Ranneberger

April 21, 2007

It's a pleasure to be with you all today. After arriving in Kenya last August, my first trip as Ambassador was to Kilgoris, and then on to Enoosaen, where I distributed 14 scholarships to Masaai high school girls and boys on the fifth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks on my country. Kilgoris and Enoosaen are special places to the American people, since it was in Enoosaen that the Masaai donated 14 cattle to "ease the pain and suffering" of the people of New York following the attacks. It was during my visit here last September that I learned of the programs of Cherish Others, an organization led by a dynamic lady named Ruth Konchellah, that is working hard to bring equality and dignity to Kenyan girls, particularly in TransMara. So when Cherish Others asked me to participate in the walk and run that we just concluded, I jumped at the chance to support it. My only apprehension was that it really would be a seven kilometer run - instead of walk - but it was a walk and so I survived! It is also a great personal pleasure that Tegla Loroupe, a woman who needs no introduction, has joined us today. Tegla's presence reflects her commitment to improving the lives of Kenyans. She, along with Ruth Konchellah and so many of the ladies here today, serve as wonderful role models for the girls and young women of Kenya. Ruth's mother is also with us today. She is a writer of children's books, and is herself an inspirational model for Kenyan girls because of all that she has achieved.
I participated today to lend my modest support for this important effort to focus public attention on the need to end the anachronistic and dangerous practice of FGM. I am the father of a sixteen year old daughter, growing into a beautiful young woman, with all of the hope and anxieties that adolescents have. So I feel a particular affinity with the girls here today. As I prepared these remarks I thought about one Masaai girl who said she wanted to be circumcised because "if you are not cut, no one will talk to you…no man will marry…you if you are not cut." So let me speak directly to the girls who bravely participated in this anti-FGM event today: continue to seek what is best for you; be faithful to the best of your traditions and your culture; but do not be frightened by pressure from anyone or the threat of social stigma; some may seek to ostracize you but assert yourselves as the future citizens and leaders of this great country; be an example to your peers and to your community. And let me speak directly to this community and to its leaders: you need to protect these girls from FGM and help them achieve their full potential. Cherish Others' motto for the event today says it all: "FGM: 2 million girls are at risk. What are you doing to stop it?"
The United States is firmly opposed to the practice of FGM, and I am pleased that we are working with Kenyans to end it. I realize that this issue is culturally sensitive in some areas of Kenya, but it is one about which we nonetheless need to speak out. It is an objective fact that FGM is not, as some allege, beneficial to girls. As one of our recent Secretaries of State has pointed out "(M)any girls born in this Millennium year will tragically be affected by FGM. They will never see the inside of a school. They will be fed less and later than their brothers. And around the age of six, they may suffer genital mutilation. Around fourteen, they may get married and begin two decades of almost constant child-bearing." FGM is not an upward path to a brighter Kenya, but rather works counter to efforts to combat poverty and despair.
Working together to end FGM is yet another example of the vibrant U.S.-Kenyan partnership. For both of our governments it is first and foremost a matter of health and safety. Female genital mutilation kills girls due to bleeding and infections arising from the procedure; it kills women by increasing the risk of complications during childbirth; and it kills babies through complications. Stated in its starkest terms, there are mothers, wives, sisters and daughters who are dead today and will die tomorrow specifically because of the practice of female genital mutilation. In essence, FGM is a both a serious health issue and an abuse of internationally recognized human rights standards. The practice leaves a lifetime of physical and emotional scars.
The procedures result in infections, bleeding, and a great deal of pain and cruelty to young girls. The scarring among those who survive the practice often makes natural childbirth impossible, putting the health of our mothers and wives in danger. Because the cuts and scars often damage the opening of the girl's birth canal, complications during normal deliveries occur. And there are a host of other medical problems that result from the procedure. FGM leads to thousands of deaths of each year.
To its credit the Kenyan government has for some time been proactive in combating this practice. Presidential decrees in 1982 and 1989 banned the practice. In 2001 the Kenyan government formally outlawed female genital mutilation as a result of the Children's Act. The government is also implementing a national plan to eliminate FGM. I am happy to note that, as a result, the rate for FGM among women has fallen from 38 percent in 1998 to 31 percent in 2003. Of the 32 percent of Kenyan women who have been circumcised, only 21 percent of their eldest daughters have been circumcised, so progress is being made. In taking action against FGM and in improving the lives of girls and women, the Kenyan government is joining a growing international consensus against the practice. For example, the Beijing World Conference on Women's Platform for Action, the policies of the African Union, and other international agreements call on countries to adopt policies and laws to prohibit FGM and to support the efforts of community organizations to eliminate the practice. I am pleased to see the strong support provided by the District Commissioner and the government structure here to end the practice, particularly through support for the courageous work of Cherish Others.
As part of the U.S.-Kenyan partnership, we are helping to end FGM through activities focused on four key areas: education and awareness, provision of health information and services, empowerment of women, and helping with enforcement of Kenyan laws.

• We are speaking out, including through our annual Human Rights Report.
• I have announced that Kenya will benefit from the Women's Justice and Empowerment Initiative, which seeks to combat sexual violence and abuse against women, including FGM.
• We are partnering with Kenya to mainstream gender-based violence activities, including FGM, in the healthcare system. This includes training for nurses and midwives.
• We are fostering education. We have, for example, supported a nationwide policy on gender equity in education.
• We are supporting the work of Cherish Others, which has already saved many girls in the TransMara from FGM through the tireless work of Ruth Konchellah and her team. Their most recent one-year program we supported, called "Full Stop to the Horrific FGM," took a very effective broad-based approach, focusing on spreading the message not only to young women, but also to their parents and the community at large. With our support, Cherish Others is engaging dozens of young women in an alternative rite to FGM. Ruth and her team are changing minds and practices, keeping young women healthier and in school. In short, they are making a difference, setting an example, and challenging others to do so as well.
• Through the Ambassador's Girls Scholarship Program, we are supporting 3,000 Kenyan girls for primary and secondary education. One component of this, the Masaai Education Initiative has rescued over 200 girls from early marriage and FGM.

But we can only help. It is the women, men, and leaders of this country who must bring about the cultural and social change necessary to end FGM. I began my words by acknowledging that female genital mutilation has its cultural roots. I am sensitive to the great diversity of Kenyan cultures. I have great respect and admiration for the Masaai, the Kisii, the Kipsigis, and all of the great Kenyan cultures. But I believe that we all as fellow human beings have an obligation to work together to speak out against this practice and to do what is in the best interests of the children. We have an obligation to work together for the equality, well-being, and prosperity of all Kenyan citizens of all tribes, of all ethnic groups, of all religious groups, and of both sexes - male and female. Part of that struggle is the elimination of female genital mutilation.
I have come here today to honor the courage of these young women and their parents and friends who chose to say "NO" to genital mutilation, despite the significant cultural and social pressures urging them to say "YES." I wish to express my deep admiration to the members of this community and its leadership who are supporting these brave decisions. Together, we can all contribute to the struggle to eliminate the practice which places so many lives at risk.

Secret's out: Mike and Ruth are an item

Saturday, 30 April 2011 00:03 BY JAMES MURUA

LOVE BIRDS: Michael Ranneberger and partner Ruth Konchella.

Ruth Konchellah was flustered as she stood at the podium to address guests who attended outgoing US ambassador Michael Ranneberger's farewell party at his Muthaiga home on Thursday night. For starters, someone had misplaced her speech and she was therefore going to have to talk on the fly.
Secondly, there was the buzz of expectation that finally she would put to rest the public speculation that she and Ranneberger were more than just close friends.
She did not disappoint. Ruth spoke about her charity Cherish Others which aims at fighting against the continued practice of female genital mutilation especially in her home, Narok.
She told guests how she first met 'Michael' who was invited to take part in a seven kilometre run in aid of the charity. Not only did Michael flag off and take part in the race, his involvement also attracted international interest in the charity's work of trying to stamp out the circumcision of girls.
For the ambassador, his participation in the race was just one way of showing his appreciation for the people and culture of the Masai which had interested him for years. Indeed, his first trip outside the city after he was posted to Kenya was to Enoosaen village in Transmara where he received 14 cows from the community as a symbol of support for the US people following the September 11,2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre. He has since gone back several times to offer education scholarships for the region's brightest students as well as helping with the charity.
But its only in recent months that the two have been spotted in public together giving rise to speculation that they were not only an 'item' but that he had even paid dowry to her family.
The attendance of a function in Narok by Ruth and  Ranneberger's daughter from a previous marriage fuelled more speculation about the relationship.  Reports of dowry payment were quickly squashed by some members of the extended Konchellah clan and he couple has since remained tight-lipped on their association. Ranneberger studiously refused to comment on the relationship during a farewell interview he granted to the Star last weekend.
On Thursday night Ruth Konchellah confirmed that she and Micheal were partners. “The nation of Kenya loves you and I love you Your Excellency,” she said as the diplomat blushed a deep red colour before hugging and kissing her in front of the gathered guests who seemed taken aback before they enthusiastically applauded the couple.
So? Are the two getting married, going to live together or will their relationship be a long distance? All Ruth could say was that she would make regular visits to the US.

Give us tips on power sharing, Mugabe asks Prime Minister Raila

Saturday, 30 April 2011 00:06 BY FRANCIS MUREITHI

POWER LESSONS: Prime Minister Raila Odinga

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe on Friday asked Kenya to share her experience on constitutional reforms with his country. During a meeting with Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Mugabe showed strong interest in political developments in Kenya, particularly the unveiling of the new constitution. He said Zimbabwe looks up to Kenya for a model in reforming the constitution. Mugabe said Zimbabwe has always learnt from Kenya, from the liberation struggle to date, adding that he spent years studying the history of the Mau Mau war of independence.
Raila said constant dialogue and willingness to compromise was the answer to Zimbabwe’s quest for a new constitution. Raila promised Mugabe that Kenya will donate a book on constitution-making process to Zimbabwe to guide it  in constitutional reforms.
The PM said the Kenyan process was consultative and open and the country is keen to share its experience with the people of Zimbabwe. Just like Kenya, Mugabe has been sharing power with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in a shaky coalition government created after the country’s 2008 elections. Zimbabwe has also been trying to write a new constitution under the coalition government.
Raila arrived in Harare on his way to the city of Bulawayo, where he was to open the third National Conference of the Movement for Democratic Change headed by Tsvangirai
Raila arrived at State House, Harare,  for a courtesy call on President Mugabe accompanied by four Members of Parliament and one ODM secretariat official.
 Mugabe warmly welcomed Raila at State House where they held talks for more than an hour. Raila said Kenya and Zimbabwe have links imposed by history and should together work towards reforms in politics.

Cops 'never guard Wambui'

Saturday, 30 April 2011 00:03 BY STAR REPORTER

Police have denied seconding police officers to provide security for political activist Mary Wambui who recently reffered to herself as "Her Excellency"." Police Headquarters would like to clarify that no person fitting the description in the story has had any officers from any section of the police including the Recce Company assigned a police security detail at the times and places mentioned in the story," said spokesman Eric Kiraithe.

Kibaki, Kalonzo invited to new party launch

Saturday, 30 April 2011 00:07 BY MOSOKU GEOFFREY

INVITED: President Mwai Kibaki with Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka.

The People’s Democratic Party has invited President Mwai Kibaki and Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka as chief guests during its official launch next month.
Kibaki and Kalonzo have been invited, alongside politicians linked to the G7 political alliance, to attend the May 15 fete. PDP chairman Stephen Nyarangi said PNU affiliates and friendly parties have been invited to Silver Springs hotel.  “We want to re-launch and make PDP a strong party that will be part of the winning team for 2012 elections,” he said.
Speaking in Nairobi yesterday, Nyarangi said that the party will organise countrywide rallies after the launch. “We are like a thunderstorm waiting to shower and change the political environment of Kenya,” he added. After the Nairobi launch, PDP will hold a rally in Kisii followed by Mombasa, Nakuru, Meru and Nyeri. Former ODM treasurer Omingo Magara is one of the high profile PDP members.
Elsewhere, Prime Minister Raila Odinga is to chair ODM’s National Executive Council and Parliamentary Group meeting on Thursday. ODM sources indicated that the meting at Orange House will discuss how to push the party’s agenda in parliament.
Top on the agenda will be the ODM’s role in pushing for bills aimed at implementing the new constitution. “ODM wants to be seen to play an integral role in implementation of the new constitution by supporting the bills lined up in the house,” a source who sought anonymity, because he is not authorised to speak on behalf of the party said.

I'll be back, Khalwale tells his supporters

Saturday, 30 April 2011 00:07 BY HILTON OTENYO

I'LL BE BACK: Former MP Bonni Khalwale (third right) on his way to present his nomination papers yesterday.

Controversial former MP Bonni Khalwale yesterday told his supporters he is confident of winning the Ikolomani by-election. The political maverick famous for promoting bull fighting in his Western province constituency said he is ready to charge at his challengers cleared by the IIEC to take him on in three weeks.
He will be gunning to reclaim the seat he lost in a court petition brought to court by rival Bernard Shinali. Khalwale first won the seat on a Ford-K ticket in 2002. He first run in 1997 on a Ford-K ticket, but lost to then Central Organization of Trade Unions boss the ate Joseph Mugalla.
He successfully defended the seat in 2007 general election, this time on a New Ford Kenya ticket under the Party of National Unity. But his service as MP was cut short by a successful election petition filed by Shinali, the ODM candidate.
After his re-election in 2007, Khalwale served as the chairman of the powerful Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee until his victory was nullified by a Kakamega High Court on February 18.
During his tenure as PAC chairman, he rattled the big and mighty in his crusade against graft. The most famous being his censure motion against then Finance Minister Amos Kimunya in connection with the sale of then Grand Regency hotel to a Libyan consortium.
Khalwale also took on suspended Higher Education Minister William Ruto in an unsuccessful censure motion over the maize scandal. Khalwale did not spare Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta over the errors in his 2009/2010 budget speech. Khalwale is a polygamist with three wives and several children, two of them lawyers.
Khalwale was born in 1960 to Stephen Khalwale Paulina Shinangoi at Malinya village. He enrolled at Catholic-sponsored Malinya Primary School in 1967 and sat his Certificate of Primary Education examination in 1974.
He then moved to Musingu High School in 1975 and sat his East African Certificate of Education (EACE) examinations in 1978. He was admitted to Kakamega High School where he sat his “A” levels in 1980.
Popularly referred to in politics locally as Shindi Shindu (another think for Luhya) then joined University of Nairobi in 1981 to train as a doctor. He graduated in 1987. Before entering politics, Khalwale worked in Kakamega, Machakos and Kisii districts as a Medical Officer of Health. He later quit and started his private hospital, North Coast Hospital. He would move to Mwihila Mission Hospital in 1996 where he served as the medical superintend until 1997 when he resigned to join politics.

Sonko bid to block sale of railways homes flops

Saturday, 30 April 2011 00:06 BY PAMELA CHEPKEMEI

Makadara Mp Gidion Mbuvi aka Sonko at the anti- corruption court Photo/File

Makadara MP Gidion Mbuvi and 17 former employees of Kenya Railways Corporation have failed to stop the government from selling houses owned by the corporation to private individuals.
High Court Judge Aggrey Muchelule ruled that no case had been made by the MP and the applicants, who are also his constituents, to enable the court to issue a temporary injunction stopping the sale.
Mbuvi and his co-applicants filed a suit against Kenya Railways and the Attorney General in a bid to stop Kenya Railways from disposing off the t South B homes. They argued that the decision breached their constitutional rights to accessible and adequate housing. The applicants also sought orders to stop the eviction of the tenants or demolition of the houses.
Their problems began when the state corporation terminated the tenancies of the former Kenya Railways employees on March 16, 2011 and notified the tenants about the impending sale by tender.
Justice Muchelule agreed with an argument by the Kenya Railways that it had a landlord-tenant relationship with the tenants. The judge said there was a contractual relationship with clear terms that had been mutually agreed between the tenants and Kenya Railways.
Furthermore, the termination letters spelt out the contract terms. On the argument constitutional rights, Justice Muchelule, said the tenants would be stretching things too far on a matter that was purely contractual. He ruled that no case had been made for him to invoke the provisions of the Constitution.

Obama Senior was a 'play boy'

Saturday, 30 April 2011 00:03 BY FRANCIS MUREITHI

GOOD TIMES: Barrack Obama Senior with Obama

Barrack Obama Snr was forced out of the United States in the 1960s following concerns raised about his "playboy ways" and that he was a man of many women.
The revelations contained in government documents made available to a US journalist came even before the the dust could settle on the controversy over US President Barack Obama's birth certificate.
The documents indicate that officials at Harvard University, where Obama Snr was a PhD student, told US immigration officials they would "cook something up" to force him to return to Kenya in 1964.
The immigration file, which was released under freedom of information laws, contains records of Obama Snr's time as a student at the universities of Hawaii and Harvard between 1959 and 1964.
The documents have been obtained from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service through a Freedom of Information Act. The documents show Harvard wanted "to try and cook something up to ease him (Barack Obama senior) out" since school administrators "were having difficulty with his financial arrangements and couldn't seem to figure out how many wives he had". 
An April 1961 memo said a University of Hawaii employee called to report that Obama Snr had already married Stanley Ann Dunham and that they already had a son.
The university employee warned that he was already married to a woman in Kenya and had been "running around with several girls" since arriving in the US and that he had been warned to curb his "playboy ways".
Obama Snr and Dunham divorced in January 1964, by which time he had already left Hawaii and was studying for his PhD in Economics at Harvard.
The file said concerns were also raised over Obama Snr's relationship with a Kenyan high school student on an exchange scheme in Boston, who abruptly traveled to England. “The suspicion exists that she may have gone to London for [redacted],” the Telegraph quoted the March 1964 document as saying. It is unclear what the next word is.
According to the documents, Harvard was contacted by US immigration officials in May 1964 and reported that while Obama Snr had passed his exams, the university would “try to cook something up to ease him out”.
Obama Snr, also described as a “slippery character" in the documents, was told that funding for his studies had run out and that he must complete his thesis in Kenya.
According to the documents, the immigration officials then received a call in July 1964 from a mother distressed that her 27-year-old daughter had agreed to marry Obama Snr.
The woman is presumed to be Ruth Nidesand, who became Obama Snr's third wife and was a white woman, like Dunham. At the time several US states still had laws banning inter-racial marriage. Nidesand reportedly left the US to be with Obama Snr the following month.
Yesterday, Harvard University spokesman Jeff Neal denied university officials worked with the US immigration officials to deny Obama Snr student visa extension, “While we cannot verify accounts of conversations that occurred nearly 50 years ago, a review of our existing files did not find any support for either the language or the implied intent described by the US government official in the government documents,” Neal said.
Neal said that university documents indicate “the University’s Center for International Affairs faced serious constraints in providing financial support for research by international graduate students in Cambridge, and that these students were required to secure and demonstrate independent and sufficient sources of funding in order to remain on campus”. The documents released show that after returning to Kenya in 1964, Obama Snr tried to return to the US in 1965.
A letter from then Harvard University Registrar Robert Shenton written to Obama Snr on November 16, 1965,  says that since he had not registered his thesis title with the Department of Economic, the university could not authorize the issuance of the I-20 — the document issued by a college for a student so that the student may obtain a student visa — to allow him to return to the country.
Neal said the university could only confirm that Obama Snr was a student at Harvard from 1962-1964, and earned a Master’s degree in Economics.
Following the release of the documents, speculation online was that Barack Obama Snr was in the US government radar because he was a CIA asset. Obama Snr was among the 280 students from East Africa flown to study in the US under the airlift programme organised by the late Kenyan politician Tom Mboya. He and Obama's mother met at a Russian language class that she was taking at the University of Hawaii.

Corridors of Power

Saturday, 30 April 2011 00:07 BY POLITICAL DESK

A senior official of Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s ODM Party is in trouble with two of his many 'wives." The man is married to three women, one lives in Nairobi, another in his rural home and a third in Tanzania. He also has another  'wife"— a 24-year old girl who recently gave birth to their son. Two of the wives surfaced at Parliament Buildings on Thursday complaining he had neglected them. Realising he was cornered and unwilling to cause a scene, the woman avoided coming out to meet with his two wives and was relieved when the Sergeant at Arms stepped in and persuaded the women to leave the Parliament Buildings.
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The growing addiction of the son of a senior Cabinet minister to high-end SUVs and luxury cars has got his friends' tongues wagging. The young man, who does not do any work has in recent months been switching vehicles as the mood takes him. From driving a Range Rover Sport a few weeks ago, the young man now has a Mercedes Benz S class.
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The young girlfriend of a Cabinet minister from Rift Valley has threatened to release compromising photos of them taken during their intimate moments. The young girl was all for releasing the photos online to force him to take care of her until she was prevailed upon by her friends not to do so— for now.
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Former Constitutional Affairs minister Charles Njonjo and his wife were among the thousands of guests who attended the wedding yesterday. A close associate said Njonjo—known as 'Sir Charles the Duke of Kabeteshire" for his adoption and total immersion in all that is considered British culture—was as ‘pleased as punch’ when he received his invitation to the royal wedding some time ago. Coincidentally, his father colonial chief Josiah Njonjo is reported to have attended the coronation of Oueen Elizabeth II in 1952.