Chipukeezy: Comedy is no joke

By Sheila Kimani

Twenty three-year-old Vincent Mutua’s arsenal of jokes about his life, family his roots in Mlolongo and characters, like Soya —his father— and Kimondio —his stubborn brother— have thrust him to the front row of comedy.

While his fans have come to anticipate rib-cracking jokes whenever he takes to the stage, Chipukeezy is quick to point out that preparing for a show is no laughing matter.

“I have realised that comedy is no joke. You will hardly ever find me laughing even as I think up my jokes, because I know how much work it takes to stir up an audience.”

Despite his obvious talent, it took him gruelling months to establish himself in the industry and even get the chance to share the stage with big names such as Daniel Ndambuki aka Churchill. 

“When the first season of Churchill Live came to a close, I was sure I wanted to be part of the next season but I was not well equipped to join the comedy big shots,” he says.

He, therefore, opted to be part of smaller comedy platforms and shows such as the Hot Seat and here, he gradually learnt how to stir up crowds.

As a young lad growing up in Tala, Machakos County, he perhaps never envisioned a career in comedy. Not until he came to Nairobi, joined the theatre fraternity and then realised how big the comedy business was.

“When I first heard about Churchill and his career, I had no television, so I Googled him up to check out his videos and understand the whole comic concept. That was when I had my light bulb moment,” he recalls.

Weeks later, Chipukeezy confesses that he sought for and finally met Churchill who asked him to practice and perfect his art.

With a background at hosting live comedy shows, Fred Omondi proposed that they start the Crazy Comedy Show, which was one of the sprouting comedy shows. When the show ended its run, he was forced to go back to the drawing board and re-strategise his next move.

Fortunately, Churchill had seen his good work and took him aboard the Churchill Show as one of the main comedians. Having learnt the terrain of the comedy industry, Chipukeezy was well aware what kind of jokes would be his trademark. Out went the tribal jokes that, at times felt offensive, and in came personal jokes that many people would easily identify with.

“My family is quite dear to me and they were the inspiration behind my stage characters such  vvas Kimondio who most of my fans love, and often want to meet,” he says.

Right now comedy is his fulltime job because it was his jokes at the Churchill show that led him to score a job at the KISS 100 morning breakfast show as Caroline Mutoko’s co-host.

“I cracked a joke about Sonko’s daughter, telling her that I was broke but if I married her, we would simply spend her father’s wealth. That must have been my award winning moment because a week later, I was at the KISS 100 studios learning the radio basics,” he says.

Already, in less than two months of Caroline’s mentorship, and he ranks his encounter with the President Uhuru as the icing on the cake because as he confesses, he had so much fun with the president in studio. He is expected to perform in State House before the month ends. With an already glistening future ahead of him, he is set to go to London on a comedy tour in September because as it now is, his job is your entertainment.

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Odembo for Siaya Governor

ODM faces fresh fallout in mini-poll

Former ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to United State of America Elkana Odembo. He is among those being fronted for nomination for candidature of Siaya governor PHOTO /FILE 

A fresh showdown looms in ODM over the nomination of a candidate for the Siaya governor seat by-election.

While local party officials back Mr Cornel Rasanga, whose election as governor was nullified last week, some big shots at the national office are shopping for an alternative candidate.

Individuals being fronted to replace Mr Rasanga include former ambassador to the US Elkana Odembo and former permanent secretary Kerry Orege.

Thursday, the party’s Siaya branch chairman, Mr Oloo Okanda, said the locals were ready to re-elect Mr Rasanga on an ODM ticket.

“As the people of Siaya, we don’t plan to go back to the primaries. The positions in Siaya had been balanced to cater for the people of Gem, Alego, Rarieda, Sakwa and Ugenya,” he said.

The pre-election pact agreed that Ugenya people take the Senator’s position, Gem (Women Representative), Rarieda (Speaker), Sakwa (deputy governor) and Yimbo took the majority leader’s post.

Mr Okanda warned that ODM risked losing the support of more than 70,000 voters in Mr Rasanga’s Alego backyard if another candidate was picked.

The Nation learnt that some national officials this week held two meetings at a Kisumu hotel to strategise on how to recapture the seat. The leaders, our source said, felt that Mr William Oduol, who overturned Mr Rasanga’s victory, was a formidable candidate who needed an equally strong contender.

“The feeling among the party leadership is that going back for a re-election with Rasanga would be detrimental to the party. He has always been viewed as a stooge of leaders of a top party,” he said.

http://www.nation.co.ke/counties/ODM+faces+fresh+fallout+in+mini+poll/-/1107872/1972926/-/olrk2y/-/index.html

All The PHOTOS From Emmy Kosgei's Wedding Yesterday

30 Aug 2013

It has been described as the Sh1 Billion wedding, but we have reasons to believe it cost no more than Sh10million.
Nigerian pastor, Apostle Madubuko, yesterday wed Kenyan gospel singer Emmy Kosgei in a colourful traditional ceremony in Mogotio.

Here are some photos of the ceremony.

Photos: Niaje, Ghafla
© nairobiwire.com - See more at: http://www.nairobiwire.com/2013/08/all-photos-from-emmy-kosgeis-wedding.html#sthash.pAmtLykG.dpuf

All The PHOTOS From Emmy Kosgei's Wedding Yesterday

30 Aug 2013

It has been described as the Sh1 Billion wedding, but we have reasons to believe it cost no more than Sh10million.
Nigerian pastor, Apostle Madubuko, yesterday wed Kenyan gospel singer Emmy Kosgei in a colourful traditional ceremony in Mogotio.

Here are some photos of the ceremony.

Photos: Niaje, Ghafla
© nairobiwire.com - See more at: http://www.nairobiwire.com/2013/08/all-photos-from-emmy-kosgeis-wedding.html#sthash.pAmtLykG.dpuf

Why Ruto Presence Is Required At The Hague

Friday, August 30, 2013 - 00:00 -- BY EUGENE BAKAMA

With trial slated to start in mere weeks, those following Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto’s case before the International Criminal Court anxiously await a crucial decision from the Appeals Chamber concerning his continuous presence at trial. On June 18, 2013, Trial Chamber V(a) deviated from necessary legal standards by granting Mr. Ruto conditional excusal from continuous presence at his trial in the Hague so that he can attend to duties of state – a decision that “authorizes Mr Ruto’s absence for substantially all of his trial.” On August 20th, the Appeals Chamber suspended Ruto’s excusal until the panel of judges issues their final decision on the matter, thus ordering his presence at trial commencing on September 10th.

The Trial Chamber’s decision to excuse Ruto from trial violates both the original meaning and underlying intent of the Rome Statute, and also runs counter to the principles of justice for both victims and the accused. Because of this, and in the interest of justice, the Appeals Chamber should overturn the Trial Chamber’s decision and Ruto should be obligated to appear for the entirety of his trial to face the court and the evidence presented against him.

Excusing Ruto from trial at the ICC expressly violates several notable provisions of the Rome Statute, and contradicts the Statute’s historical context.

Article 63(1) of the Rome Statute clearly articulates, “the accused shall be present during the trial,” indicating a positive obligation of physical presence at trial proceedings, not an option to be considered or merely waived. It is well settled that the word shall within the legal context implies both duty and requirement, further bolstering the clarity of Article 63(1) and the explicit “language of command” as to the accused’s presence at trial. The Rome Statute’s historical record indicates that the drafters outright excluded all proposed exceptions to the accused’s presence at trial, including the notion of trials in abstentia. The only two scenarios the drafters of the Rome Statute opted to allow for the accused to deviate from obligatory presence before the Court is, 1) when the accused is considerably disruptive, or 2) an accused opts to waive their right to be present during the pretrial proceedings.

Article 27 demands that the Rome Statute be applied “equally to all persons without any distinction based on official capacity.” As such, it is erroneous to excuse Ruto because of his newly assumed position. While the important role of Kenya’s Deputy President is not in dispute, the Rome Statute and the ICC were established precisely to combat impunity and render justice to those in positions of authority.

Ruto’s excusal also jeopardizes the interests of the victims of Kenya’s 2007-08 post-election violence, who have been waiting for more than five years for meaningful justice. Most victims – and a majority of Kenyans for that matter - still view the ICC as the most appropriate venue to prosecute those responsible for post-election violence crimes. To rob victims of the opportunity to witness the accused on trial could have a detrimental effect on the victims’ trust in the truth seeking process and the ability of the court to ultimately hold the accused accountable.

Looking beyond the ICC’s legal framework, the fundamental right and obligation of an accused person to attend trial is enshrined in Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, alongside a variety of other crucial provisions dealing with due process and fair trial rights. Countless national legal frameworks – Kenya’s included – domesticate these underlying principles from the ICCPR. Article 50 of Kenya’s constitution notes that an accused has the right “to be present when being tried.” It is worth noting that there are very limited circumstances for which some jurisdictions allow the accused to not be present at trial, namely: when there exists an unencumbered right to retrial; when a defendant abuses their right to be present through consistent disruptive behavior and is removed from the courtroom in order to ensure the trial is expeditiously fair; or, in very limited occasions when the accused unequivocally and voluntarily waives their right to be present, which is often only permitted at the ad hoc international tribunals when restricted by limiting circumstances and for fixed time frames.

International criminal law expert, Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni reflected on the interrelated complexities of presence at trial with other fair trial rights, noting that an accused’s presence at trial embodies “an important element of the right to defend oneself against criminal charges…[and relates to] the assumption that the ability of the accused to face… judge[s] and accusers adds a dimension of credibility to the proceedings and enhances the ascertainment of the truth.” Similar to the ICC, most international and national jurisdictions reject trials in abstentia because they are inherently unfair due to the impossibility of effective participation by the defendant in both their trial and the delivery of an adequate defense.

Therefore, to ensure fair trials and to uphold the principles of justice, it is imperative that those accused of both ordinary and international crimes are present at trial. Deputy President William Ruto should not be an exception to this rule.

Eugene Bakama is the president of the Congolese Friends of the Law Club (Club des Amis du droit du Congo).

- See more at: http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-134125/why-ruto-presence-required-hague#sthash.IKuGJOqa.dpuf

Devolution 101: Turning the wheel

Friday, August 30, 2013 - 00:00 -- BY Crispin Oduor

Turning the Wheel of Devolution

Chrispine Oduor

“Will devolution succeed?” This seems to be a common question doing the rounds. Yet the more important question is “How can I contribute to the success of devolution?” for if you and I are not part of the solution then we are simply part of the problem.

It all begins with basic understanding of devolution and the laws, and what is expected of the leaders who are duty bearers and the citizen who are the rights holders. This requires citizens to seek information and civil society organizations to disseminate information, some of which is not available or even complex, to target groups.

The wheels of devolution begun turning with the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 on August 27, 2010. The climax and actualization of devolved governance came to pass with the general election that was held on April 4, 2013.

Various laws have been enacted to anchor devolution all clearly spelling out the role of the leaders and the citizen in devolved governance. The ball has been placed squarely in the court of both with the citizen being represented by the individual, the media, and non state actors including the civil society organizations and the business community among others.

Previous attempts at decentralization including Majimbo, the District Focus for Rural Development, the Special Rural Development Programme and fiscal decentralization did not achieve the desired results due lack of opportunities for citizen participation among other reasons. Citizen participation through existing mechanisms such as the location development committee meetings provided under the Constituency Development Fund and the Local Authority Service Delivery Action Plan meetings under the Local Authority Transfer Fund’s was minimal.

Kenya’s devolution today provides for constitutionally protected resources from the consolidated fund kitty to enable implementation by the devolved governments. County governments also have revenue raising and expenditure powers.

A lot seems to have been left to the leaders who in most instances were disappointing but citizens now have the opportunity to make meaningful contribution and also demand for accountability. All this is enshrined in the constitution and the laws.

Citizen need to express the sovereign power vested in them by Article 1 of the constitution through direct participation or participation through their elected representatives. The national and county governments on their part need to provide opportunities for citizens for participation. As citizens we need to get to know how much has been received in our counties and what it is being put into by participating in budget preparation and validation through the County Budget and Economic Forum.

The law provides opportunities for citizen participation in the prioritization of community needs during the development of County Integrated Development Plans, sectoral plans, spatial plans and the urban areas and cities plans. Citizens can also engage with their county governments through the citizen fora, participating in local referendum, attending town hall meetings, and monitoring implementation of projects by engaging in social accountability exercises such as visiting project sites. They can also apply for tenders to supply goods and services. Citizen can also engage in exercises such as carrying out analysis of budgets and social audits in order to ensure that resources sent to the counties are delivering the services and goods that they are meant to.

Input into technical issues can be done through stakeholders such as civil society organizations. This may include engaging with the Senate, the National Assembly, the County Assembly and the various constitutional commissions and other relevant offices in order to ensure that the laws and policies put in place are in tandem with the constitution. Civil society organizations may engage in more complex issues such as raising concerns around the analysis and costing of functions to ensure that counties receive adequate resources that will enable them deliver on their mandate. They can also offer technical assistance to both the national and county government, formulation of budget policy statements, county fiscal strategy papers, budget estimates, division of revenue bill, county allocation of revenue bills, budget analysis and budget tracking.

The media on its part represent key tools for involving local communities in development at the local level and raising awareness at all levels. Media should be an open platform for debate and a watchdog on governance. The media has an important role of ensuring accountable governance by providing information on utilization of county resources. Journalists must take a lead role in reporting on successes and best practice. They can help fight devolved corruption by exposing governance malpractices and abuse of office.

Stakeholders might have missed out on some of these processes but there is room and need to reclaim the same as we rally efforts aimed at contributing to the country’s development aspirations as captured in our development policies such as the Vision 2030.

- See more at: http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-134128/devolution-101-turning-wheel#sthash.JA6UYbtm.dpuf

MLK's lessons to Kenya

Friday, August 30, 2013 - 00:00 -- BY JESSE MASAI

This week, Americans and people around the world celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous I have a dream speech. 

In thinking about MLK and Kenya at this time, two thoughts come to mind, seeing as we are also inching closer to our own national birthday. 

First, is the need to develop a compelling moral vision for Kenya, beyond the glowing text on national values, integrity and leadership in most of our foundational documents. 

In several published and recorded remarks, Dr. King would often say that Jesus Christ had given him the ethics, and Mahatma Gandhi the tools he needed to process the issues of his time. 

Questions would subsequently emerge on his moral probity and academic integrity, but few would disagree that in Dr. King could be found a mind in which it was always clear that the moral arc of the universe bends long, but always towards justice. 

Tibetans have the Dalai Lama and South Africans – in the words of Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe – “that little angry man” – retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu; two people who could easily pass for the moral compasses of their nations. 

We laughed off Bildad Kaggia for defying the primitive accumulation of wealth in his age, and would not wrap our minds around the fact that Bishop Alexander Muge and Professor Wangari Maathai found no traction with their powerful tribesmen, whenever pressing issues of their time called for a response. 

Little wonder, then, that we feel good about our place as the region’s economic hub, without assessing the impact of our decisions and actions in some of the protracted conflicts in our neighborhood; foreign, social, economic and political policy cannot possibly be run on the Ten Commandments, appears to be our undeclared but guiding philosophy. 

Two, consecutively disputed General Elections; unresolved transitional justice issues;  emerging hydrocarbon wealth; an entrenched security-commercial complex; and a national leadership that still has some “personal” challenges to process makes for some interesting days in our times.

An ethic, Christian or otherwise, that is either silent or ambivalent on the foregoing is likely to spawn a Kenya that is strange to the good we often say we want to either be or do. 

Archbishop Oscar Romero it is who once posed:  “A Church that doesn’t provoke any crises, a gospel that doesn’t unsettle, a word of God that doesn’t get under anyone’s skin, a word of God that doesn’t touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed – what gospel is that?”

The second take-away from Dr. King’s story should be the manner in which our leaders are formed, enter and – perhaps - exit from the public square. 

At the MLK Center, a visitor is confronted by the overarching idea that Providence gifted us with Martin, yes, but that Morehouse College – where he got his first degree – as well as Daddy and Mommy King, never kept their eye off the ball.   

In her autobiography, Coretta – Martin’s wife – also details how the elder Kings maintained interest in their lives and ministry to the very end. 

In a sense, therefore, Dr. King’s vision for communities and community organizing could have emerged from the manner in which he was socialized by the forces that, at various times, intervened in his holistic formation. 

In our case, the State, but much more precisely, schools and parents need to review the manner in which they are raising the nation’s future leaders. 

Established economies are now asking questions about their pupils’ performance in math and the sciences while published research in recent times suggests that our children can barely read, or count. 

Established economies are also big on think-tanks, institutes and research foundations, at which students compete to not just work, but – critically – intern; is the proposed nanny-like National Graduates Unemployment Scheme (NGUS) our idea of doing just this?

Perhaps we need to heed preacher Charles Spurgeon’s counsel:  “What a teacher does to a student’s mind is as profound as what a neurosurgeon does to a patient’s brain.” 

As for exits, we sure know how to tolerate opposing views. 

The writer is a communications consultant (www.jesse-masai.com).

- See more at: http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-134129/mlks-lessons-kenya#sthash.rs52FjMu.dpuf