RWANDANS AND JEWS-Historical Lessons for Kenyans

History allows us the opportunity to learn from other peoples mistakes in the hope that we will avoid those mistakes ourselves in the future.



Two things happened this week that had a profound impact on my psyche.I finished reading A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali and i watched Hitlers death squad which aired on National Geographic.

The documentary and the book had two things in common,they all talked about the same thing-while the book documents th Rwandan genocide in which almost 800,00 Tutsis were massacred,the Jewish holocaust saw the extermination of 6 million European Jews during World War Two.

While it beats logic why people would believe the lies that were being peddled by the masterminds behind these two events,it is worth noting that Benjamin Ferencz the Chief prosecutor at the Einsatzgruppen Trial, says that these people were not your ignorant,uneducated kind but were people who looked like you and me,normal human beings engineered this evil acts.

The Rwandan genocide were the same,neighbors snitched on Tutsi neighbors,people whom the day before you probably shared some titillating gossip with over the fence.Closer home we saw what happened during the post election violence,while it was not on the same scale it still bordered on ethnic genocide where people were targeted because of what was deemed as their identity.

Closer home the events after the 2007 general elections will always remain as a dark past in Kenyans history.Over 1500 Kenyans lost their lives during the post election violence just because they came from the 'wrong' ethnic community and were in the 'wrong' place at that time.

While the best thing would be to forgive and move on,we need to ask ourselves why tribe has always been a major factor in Kenyan politics.Just look at the scandals taking place today and nay politician who feels hounded by the media because of some perceived whiff of a scandal will quickly retreat to his constituency ,maybe to seek moral support ahead of the grilling they will be facing in parliament come the next Tuesday we will never know.But that weekend will see a declaration of threats and counter-threats to all real and imaginary enemies deemed to be a threat to the politician ad the tribes well being.

While this is a sad and pitiable occurrence,Kenyans need to know all wrong doings are individual and all these money that mysteriously disappears from government coffers only go to benefit these said politicians' cronies and never his or her tribe.With this realization should come the realization that politicians only bring up the issue of tribe when they feel they are being hounded for their personal wrong doing and seek safety in numbers.


Anyone on God's green earth is created equal and while we may differ in the color of our skin,the texture of our hair and even our skills,no human being should be looked down upon because he is shorter than his neighbor or he has a funny name .We need to be careful about believing what our leaders tell us,be they politicians,religious or persons in authority who seem to promote prejudices and stereotypes about a group or groups of people.

Looking at the change in Kenyan society today most people below the age of 35 are more often than not marrying out of their tribe.With this i hope we will see a more Kenyan identity devoid of tribal inclinations and prejudices.

A SUNDAY AT THE POOL IN KIGALI

This was Gil Courtemanche's first novel and it traces the Rwandan genocide through the life and tragic love story of Valcourt an older Canadian expatriate working there as a journalist and Gentille a young Rwandan working at the hotel Mille Collines as a waitress.

The story is fictional but the events taking place in the story are real.It is said the events in the book are an eye witness account of how Rwanda burned as the world watched as the land of a thousand hills drowned in the blood of innocent civilians doomed to their fate by the color of their skin,their slight build or their height.

At the beginning of the book the writer gives a brief history of how these tribal animosities between the Rwandans started.Gentille's great great grandfather is quoted as saying'it seems we are not what we are ,nor what we appear to be.....and the future of my children will be bearable only if we become what we are not.'.And from then Kawa did all he could to change his childrens ethnicity from Hutu's to Tutsi's.It is sad therefore that a few generations later Gentille who is described as the most beautiful girl in Butare though Hutu was always mistaken for a Tutsi because of her light skin,slight build and height.

The stereotypes Africans have of whites are beautifully captured in the book through the eyes of Valcourt who fortunately or unfortunately is so enamored of his adopted country Rwanda despite the evils and the problems that bedevil it then.Reading the book the failings of us as humans is so well captured through the characters in the book but so is the unfaltering human will to do good through Victor who saves so many Tutsi's while risking his life.

AIDS,the African problem is ever present in the narrations in the book.Maybe this is well viewed through the eyes of Celestine who figures we are going to die anyway and he goes ahead to give pleasure to all the women in the market where he sells tobacco while also gifting them with the HIV.

Its a wonderful book and though it had to have the white man as the her there are many good things to be said about African characters like Victor,Zozo,Elise and Emerita's mum who fight tribalism and show why in the final end the human spirit and will does more good than harm most of the time if not always.

KENYAN WOMEN STAND UP AND BE COUNTED!

Martha Karua is one of my favorite MP's,she is intelligent,witty,courageous and she is a woman to boot.I wish some of her qualities would rub off me because listening to her state her case in Parliament or in front of the cameras and you know here is a woman who knows what she wants and is out to get it.Whether you agree with her or not she has an attitude that many of us Kenyan women especially those aspiring to any office or career should embrace.

It is often said women are not ones to blow their own horns and more often than not a woman may be by passed for a promotion in favor of a male colleague just because she may be afraid to show how smart she is.In Kenya today we are still saddled with the mentality that a woman's fast rise to the top is because she gave a few favors along the way.It never crosses the minds of these haters that the so called woman has the necessary skills to get the job done .

This needs to change and the generation of women having young daughters today need to show them that we can succeed in spite of our gender.When looking at Kenyan women in high flying careers or businesses what stands out is the way they were brought up.Most of them attest to the fact that their fathers/mothers brought them up with the mentality that they can succeed if they just worked hard.Having a parent(s)who instill a hard work ethic in their girls is a beginning to a great future in whatever career for a woman.

Women in the work force today are more than the number that were their in my mothers generation ad this is due to the fact that more and more of them are seeking financial independence and arent waiting for the proverbial prince to come sweep them off their feet.While 30 years ago a woman could afford to stay home and take care of the children while the man when to work,today's economic demands mean that a home needs two incomes to survive and one cannot afford to sit home and twiddle her thumbs while the man brings home the bread and butter.Kenyan women are going back to school for their Masters,Phds and even running their own businesses.

A lot has been said about the new constitution but something that should be repeated over and over again is that the new order brings a lot of good for women.There are a lot of seats available in both the national assembly and senate for women and it is my hope that we are going to see worthy female candidates come 2012.

As we elect the next batch of women in the next parliament,i hope they will take their time to study the rules of the house,take a more active role in house committees and debates.As it is today watching parliamentary proceedings it is very easy to see that women are overshadowed by men when it comes to contributions.Hopefully this changes in the 11 th parliament.



It is my prayer that with these new beginnings for women in all areas ,in the next 50 years we are going to bring up a generation of women who certain of their strength and role to play in our country and the worlds future will stand and be counted.

NAKURU'S GROWTH

Everyone claims Nakuru is growing and very fast.A lot of the reasons put forward for this have been largely attributed to the post election violence in 2008 that saw people displaced from towns like Kisumu and Eldoret seek refuge in Nakuru.

A number of reporters have tried to do articles on Nakurus growth and while some have got it right some haven't done their research.Just today morning this article appeared in the business daily-Banks rush to tap Nakuru's robust growth.The writer claims that Eco Bank has opened shop in the last 6 months,yet it has been here for more than a year.The newest banks in Nakuru are Chase Bank,Bank Of Africa,First Community Bank and a newly opened branch of the cooperative Bank that is located on Kenyatta Avenue just next to Tuskys.

The newest entrants in the health sector have been the Karen Outreach Clinic and the Aga Khan University Hospital that has opened up a clinic too on the fourth floor of Riva Business Center.The only hospital that had a clinic in town was the Evans Sunrise Hospital.

With all these growth and opening up of new businesses,Nakuru has been injected with new life.Most of these banks and new businesses are employing young people because these are more willing to relocate .We also have young families who having moved here in the past 5 years when Nakuru's landscape started to change.This has made real estate the most lucrative business for anyone interested in the towns commercial growth.From high rise office buildings to residential properties in Nakuru and its environs,the town is in a battle to find accommodation for its growing population.

Nowhere is this more evident than during peak hours in the morning and in the evening when people are going to work and commuting home in the evening.It is no longer surprising to see people queuing for matatus.We also have mini traffic gridlocks in the town center reminiscent of Nairobi whenever the heavens open.

Rapid growth brings with it undesirable elements like pickpockets ,robberies and burglaries and Nakuru once so peaceful and easy going is seeing a rise in robbery and theft cases.A few years back it was very hard to even find beggars along the town streets but nowadays they are common place along the main avenues.

Hopefully the Nakuru town council is tracking this growth and they arent going to be caught flat footed.It is now that they should be planning on how to harness the growth being exhibited right now to return this "pink town" into its glory days when it was the cleanest town in east and central Africa a few decades back.

NEW CONSTITUTION:WHAT IT HOLDS FOR KENYAN WOMEN

"Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood."

Marie Curie, Physicist and first woman to win the Nobel Prize





Kenyans gave a resounding yes vote for the new constitution and now that it is place,i wonder if Kenyan women know of the opportunities available for them in elective posts.I am going to paraphrase chapter 8(On Legislature) of the constitution states:



The National Assembly consists of 290 members and out of these there are 47 seats available for women.


The Senate which shall consist of 47 members will have sixteen women members who shall be nominated by political parties according to their proportion of members of the senate elected under clause(a) in accordance with article 90 of the constitution.

There shall also be two members,being one man and one woman (in the senate)representing the youth and persons with disabilities.



This can mean nothing but good news for the Kenyan woman and it is my hope that we will see more Kenyan women stand up for elective posts.For too long Kenyan voters have been harsh on women standing up for leadership positions and this has not been more apparent than in Parliament where we have just 15 elected and 6 nominated female MP's out of the 222 members.

IN MY DAUGHTER'S EYES...........

While we try to teach our children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about.
~Angela Schwindt


Just the other day while we were watching Tusker Project Fame show on Citizen TV(Kenyan version of American Idol)my daughter asked me where Alpha (last years winner)came from.I answered Rwanda, and she told me"you are going to take me to Rwanda mum,so i can go see him".I was stunned to say the least,that she said this and her voice held no doubt that mummy is going to do it.

While more often than not i am always second guessing myself,here was my four year old reminding me that i can accomplish anything i set my heart on(within reason of course).


She is still afraid of the dark and will not go to any room at night without her pleading"mummy come switch on the lights" but my four year old has taught me quite a number of lessons.I have watched her determination as she struggled to roll chapati dough like mum.and while i often scold her at spoiling my dough i am amazed at her willingness to take on challenges,she lives by the energizer bunny mantra "never say die".I hope i remember this all so often whenever i am faced by challenges in my business and personal life.That its OK to be scared but help is just a call away,and that if i keep it at,i will definitely get it right ...eventually.

So here is to hoping my daughter gets the intricacies of making chapati dough and rolling the perfect circle in another 10 years.

THE KITE RUNNER-KHALEID HOSSEINI

Amir is a boy growing up in Kabul with his friend Hassan ,the son of their live in man servant Ali.They are the best of friends and one of my favorite lines by Hassan is 'for you a thousand times over'.This is the phrase Hassan uses whenever Amir asks him to do anything for him.

Yet with all the love,loyalty and kindness Hassan bestows on Amir,his best friend betrays him when he need it most.

This book is a narration by Amir and tells the story of growing up in the days when Kabul was a city other than the one we know today.It gives a one of a kind glimpse into Afghan,and traces his story all through to the land of dreams -America.A great read that opens up so many questions about life,family,truth loyalty and the second chances at being good again.

LIFE

When your life flashes before your eyes, make sure you've got plenty to watch. ~Author unknown, from a television commercial

GREAT RIFT VALLEY GEMS-DISCOVERY ATLAS 4D

Thanks to Discovery World here are some facts about the Rift Valley.

1.It is host to the world's hottest place-Danakil depression in Ethiopia
2.It has the longest fresh water lake in the world ,which is four times deeper than the Grand Canyon-Lake Tanganyika
3.The lakes in the Rift Valley i.e Lake Malawi,Tanganyika and Victoria has the world largest fresh water lake fish species.
4.The pink color in flamingos is as a result of the algae that they feed on.No algae no pink flamingos.
5.Archeologists have discovered the earliest known human species here.
6.It was home to homo erectus
7.Home to the last hunter and gatherer communities in the world-The hadza of Tanzania.
8.The great Rift valley is home to the 8th wonder of the world-the wildebeest migration.And the wildebeest are following....grass.
9.The little dung beetle breaks down the wildebeests dung(the beetles roll the dung and lay their eggs in the balls)and when their their larvae break out of these balls the process causes the release of nitrate and phosphorus into the soil which gives rise to the lush green grass so evident in the rift valley.
10.Home to the endemic sleeping sickness disease.During the construction the railway line crossing the rift valley many Indian workers fell ill as a result of the disease and when the lions ate the corpses,they developed a taste for human meat which gave rise to the emergence of 'Man Eaters of Tsavo'.
11.Geothermal power is tapped from the floor of the Rift Valley.
12.And finally ............the forces that gave us the Rift valley are still at work.

DOMESTIC TOURISM-Way Forward...

Just yesterday i was listening to prime time news and heard Honorable Najib Balala(Minister for Tourism) saying that by the end of the year the country would hit 100 billion mark from revenue generated from tourism.The same news item was commenting on the reduced tourist traffic at the coast due to the deplorable conditions of some hotels and also the effect that the frequent pirate attacks has had on tourist numbers.


Being an event planner i must say that there is a lot more to celebrate if our local hotel industry was targeting the domestic market.A few days ago i phoned a certain hotel in Nakuru wanting to book a room for a couple on their honeymoon.Getting them to give a discount seeing that my clients are either couples or corporates or even friends out to enjoy our scenic country is like pulling teeth out with pliers.Even after i asked if they could give the couple a bottle of wine seeing that they will be spending a night at their lodge,the best they could offer was a glass of wine!

After going through this ordeal with them,it is no wonder we arent meeting the full potential that the domestic tourism sector has to offer.It is about time Kenyan hotels woke up to the fact that Kenyans have come of age.We have an increasing middle class with enough disposable income and they are looking for places that are offering great experiences and they are ready to pay for it.So for those lodges and hotels that have been focusing on the foreign tourists let them offer great packages for the Kenyan citizen and you will have people flocking to your establishments in droves.

Another thing , in Kenya we have wedding seasons,most nuptials are held during school holidays with the climax is in December and you find in some churches weddings are back to back and woe unto you if you get late for yours...the presiding pastor will just call in the next couple who may just be waiting in the wings.Hotels should start offering packages for couples who want to spend their honeymoon in the country.Most Kenyan couples are going to Seychelles,Zanzibar,Egypt yet we can beat some of these destinations hands down with the variety of scenery and wildlife that we have on offer.Throwing in some freebies like a bottle of chilled champagne,fruit basket would go a long way because the happy couple will be singing your praises to all their friends till the cows come home.You have generated free PR with just a little bit of effort and some cash with this approach.

Finally let all establishments offer world class service,ambiance and accommodation.Reading through peoples experiences on tripadvisor.com it is a pity that some hotels that claim to be 4 star or 5 star are quickly downgraded by the experiences clients have there.I sure hope players in the industry regularly visit these sites to gauge customer experiences because we need all the goodwill we can generate from the tourists we host every year.

JOHN GITHONGO-HERO OR VILLAIN?

"If you're walking in the Savannah and a lion attacks climb a thorn tree and wait there for a while".....Kamba proverb


What an apt way to start the 2nd chapter of Michela Wrongs 'Its our turn to eat-The Story of a Kenyan Whistle blower'.It is said that bookshops in Kenya are too scared to sell it yet what it brings out are facts that are already in the public domain.


Reading the book i moved from amazement at the way Michela perfectly encapsulates the Kenyan society in words.She has also done a wonderful job tracing Kenya's history.I chuckled when i read of the sameness of presidential lodgings in former British colonies be it Zambia,Tanzania or Kenya.Fall asleep in the waiting room of one of them say in Nairobi and you might as well be n Lusaka,Zambia.On Kenyans obsession with land she quotes the late president Kenyatta who wrote"There is a great desire in the heart of every Gikuyu man to own a piece of land on which he can build his home.A man or woman who cannot say to his friends,come and eat,drink and enjoy the fruit of my labor,is not considered a worthy member of the tribe."

History offers lessons for anyone who cares to learn .And it is said we cannot all make similar mistakes so we need to learn from the lessons of yester year.Kenya political history is riddled with tribal coalitions .And 47 years after independence we are still using the same formula and expecting different results.

Michela Wrong's book should be made a mandatory read in our institutions of higher learning because she presents an outsiders view on Kenya's issues.We are too often as Kenyans looking at our peculiarities with rose colored glasses and we accept them as part of our culture.It is time we evaluated ourselves and sought to rectify history before it teaches us the hard truth,that we can never ever move forward while we still cling to our tribal groupings.


Love him or hate him John Githongo did what many of us are afraid to do in our daily lives,he stood up for the truth and he lost.We labeled him a traitor for airing our dirty linen in public .When he came for an interview at one of our TV stations it was heart breaking to see the kind of responses he was eliciting form fellow Kenyans.Kenyans have chosen to live with corruption and have accepted it as the norm.

But something John's story taught me is that when we sacrifice truth we may not see the results immediately but we will live with it and our children are going to pay for it.We have lost millions through shady deals over the course of the years and impunity has become an accepted Kenyan phenomenon.

When we passed the new constitution we welcomed a new dawn for the country and future generations.We need to pick up from where John left off,lets stand up for the truth lets forgo instant gratification and work at building and leaving a legacy for our children where truth ad justice above all are the pillars that we build our country on.Finally lets cut John some slack he has taught us a lesson on tough love.

MUSICAL LYRICS .........ARE THEY GOING TO THE DOGS?

It is a lazy Sunday am alone in the house with my one year old son and am watching one of the music channels on pay TV and the song playing is, “ Rebound chic “by one Nelson Freitas.

As I sat listening to his song I was left wondering on the kind of music my son would be listening to by the time he its teenage hood. So this guy claimed to be looking for a rebound chic and whatever he planned to do to her wasn’t teaching her how to change her car s flat tire.
Having a dad who is a music enthusiast and an accomplished guitar player I I grew up listening to all kinds of music, from Simon and Garfunkel to Sukuma bin Ongaro,our house was a veritable music powerhouse long before Metro FM got its frequency from CCK.

It is with this background that I am left to wonder on the song lyrics of today. Music is an art and art is to appreciated (at least in my own opinion).Listening to Bob Dylan’s classic ‘Blowing in the wind’ or Simon and Garfunkel Mrs. Robinson it is a journey into musical bliss.

Good lyrics are thought provoking they stir the human soul and mind in ways that the singer and listen identify with so well such that certain songs are identifiable with various emotions and milestones in ones life. Remember the high school boyfriend who interspersed his letters to you with lyrics from Tevin Campbell can we talk……or your one time heart throb who swore by ALL 4 One’s I swear. Such are song lyrics that we even have these poetic odes in the Holy book in the form of Song of Solomon.

Wish our musicians took more time when writing their lyrics, I don’t need to have my daughter listening to songs that belittle women to nothing more than pleasure objects for men,. Its time we had better lyrics classics that people will be singing long after your song ceases to be among the chart busters.

Now let me watch another music video……..

Happy Nappy......

15 years it has been since I got my first perm. It is every African woman’s dream to have straight hair and that is why we are spend thousands of shillings every year at hair salons. The hair business has to be the biggest industry after the beer industry in Kenya. Just take a look at all the supermarket shelves filled with hair sprays .gels, conditioners the list is endless and all the beauty shops at every corner hair business at least for the women is big business.

Now I was talking about my first perm. I faithfully retouched my hair every eight weeks and treated it every two weeks and I must say I was something to behold once I got out of the saloon. I even tried human hair and I would toss my head this way and that way often…that was the idea behind the human hair concept make you feel like you had ditched your Afro kinky hair for that straight look so favored by most women.

Anyway sometime in March this year I decided to get a nappy look(fancy word meaning going natural).I visited my hair dresser, who almost cried when I shaved my hair. I wanted an Afro kinky look and so I asked the loctician to work his magic and he did!!Now I sport about 3 inches of hair that i now work into my desired look with the help of bees wax and dread gel! And I added a bit of color into it by dyeing it copper red.

The only down side to this is that changing people’s perception is going to take a while because dreads have for long been associated with chewing khat,smoking weed,reggae-music or worse mungiki.


India Aries song “I am not my hair" says in part:

Good hair means curls and waves
Bad hair means you look like a slave
At the turn of the century
Its time for us to redefine who we be
You can shave it off
Like a South African beauty
Or get in on lock
Like Bob Marley
You can rock it straight
Like Oprah Winfrey
If its not what's on your head
Its what's underneath and say HEY....
Whether you have it straight, weaved,glued on or just nappy wear it with pride and keep it neat.

BRAND KENYA MP

Kenyan politicians need spin doctors ASAP.Now before anyone chokes at the thought of this lets see who a spin doctor is.This is someone who in otherwise lofty words is defined as a Director of Communications and it is their unenviable job to forestall any negative publicity by presenting a favorable interpretation of the words or actions of a company,politician ,political party or celebrity.

Listening to politicians as they work up crowds it is stunning to hear them deny statements we heard them say on national television less than 24 hours later.It is time that our politicians and other public figures realized that they are brands by themselves.What you say,how you say it how you present yourself says millions about you.My favorite MP has to be Martha Karua she says what needs to be said without pulling any punches,it is a marvel to watch her handle fellow MP'S during debates.She is a brand that is instantly recognizable.

Here is some advice i am providing for free to our honorable members:


Always know what you are going to say: This should be remembered by any aspiring politician and all incumbent ones.We don't want you denying what the whole world saw you say as you worked up a crowd just 24 hours earlier.Spare us the "i was misquoted" or "it was taken out of context rhetoric" by choosing your words carefully.

Choose a cause:Take this like what corporates call CSR nowadays in other words Corporate Social Responsibility.You could choose children rights,gender violence,road safety whatever suits your fancy.And don't forget to stay with that cause in all your actions, words and everything you do.

Be prepared always:Like the girl scout motto says this is especially applicable in front of cameras because as we know , we all go a little crazy when faced by one of these gadgets and we are prone to utter statements that as one Edward Clay put it so aptly-verbal diarrhea.


Have a career progression path:Most people stumble into politics by chance.I have yet to hear of a primary school pupil say that their dream career is becoming a politician.While not denying this is a noble calling often muddled by controversy show us what you can do as an MP(real tangible proof and not lofty ideas) show us solid evidence of what you have done before your declare your candidature for presidency.


Hire a publicity manager:Make sure this person has their ear on the ground we don't want them telling you what you want to hear,we need you to know whats REALLY happening.Someone smart,intelligent and one who can read the public mood without resorting to opinion polls.This is someone who will explain away all your gaffes to the public and will make you smell like one of those over priced designer perfumes we all love so much.

Finally get on twitter,face book and tell everyone what you plan to do for them,give them your vision and mission much like a corporate company does.Then sit back wait for 2012 and hold on to your cash ,the voters don't want it(i hope).

KENYAN MOBILE WARS-Who is losing?

When the mobile companies lowered their calling rates we all celebrated and for the consumer nothing was sweeter than the free calls offered by some operators to kshs 2 per minute on some networks. While we celebrated I wondered whether the economists at treasury who crunch numbers were thinking about the overall effect this would have on the economy.

That calls are now cheaper I great but how much are people spending on airtime, which is the backbone of the industry. Sale of airtime is what has driven the growth of the industry and has allowed a company like Safaricom to enjoy the tremendous growth that it has enjoyed for the past 10 years. With this growth we have seen growth of businesses from the mpesa agent in far flung Turkana to the safaricom dealers smack in the middle of Nairobi town.Safaricom currently employs over 4000 people and has some of the brightest and best in the industry, from the mpesa revolution to the catchy ads ,the company has emerged as the biggest tax payer year in year out.

Last year Safaricom emerged as the most outstanding tax payer followed whether the by the East African Breweries which goes to show Kenyans talked more than they drink. With the lowering of call rates I doubt whether the taxman will be receiving such a huge payout anytime soon. That fact alone should be worrying the Minister of finance as it will definitely affect his budget come next June.

Safaricoms IPO was also among the most exciting things in the history of stock markets where it was oversubscribed by 532% ,the share price has been stagnant for long periods with the highest it has got to being kshs 7.The company has a majority of Kenyan shareholders and while there has been a lot of bickering on its dividends we are left to wait and see what the company will declare next year.

With the interconnection rates set to fall down to 0.87cts by the year 2014 I am hoping that someone at CCK had put a lot of thought into these rates and how they would affect the economy before they set out to regulate the industry.

NAKURU REDEFINED

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The "cleanest town in East and Central Africa",that was the tag given to Nakuru some years back and maybe then it was true.Right now when it rains the town is turned into a flood zone,there are more street children and beggars than when i came to live here three years ago. that When i first started visiting Nakuru about six years ago i fell in love with the slow pace of the town,amiable residents and generally the small town feeling it gave you.It was a seven minute walk to the town center from my house and i couldn't be happier having moved from Nairobi where it took me at east two hours in morning traffic to get to work from Thika road.

Over the past two years since i moved here,Nakuru has become a bustling commercial town,there are high rise buildings coming up,shops have got a face lift and when it rains we even have traffic gridlock reminiscent of Nairobi.It also must be the only town in Kenya where you can count more than twenty five banks on the main street-Kenyatta Avenue.And the central bank is opening up a currency center here soon.

Nakuru started off as an agricultural town and it also gained popularity as the home of the flamingos,thanks to Lake Nakuru and Elementaita which are home to these beautiful birds.Since then Nakuru has grown from the little town where farmers dropped by tea hotels for the all weather kikombe ya chai after banking their farming proceeds to a town that now boasts a lounge bar,coffee bar and is host to the Aga Khan and Karen outreach clinics.

With these changes it is time businesses in Nakuru upped their game and started offering world class customer service because the town is open for business,it has been labeled the fastest growing town in the country.I will never forget the way i walked into an shop on Kenyatta Avenue and was looking for an oven tray and when i asked the owner of the shop to get me a pan i had admired from the top shelf ,she gave me a stool asked me to climb and get it for myself!Hotels need to start improving on their accommodation facilities from basic to posh.The council also need to provide more parking bays for the increasing number of vehicles in the town because more often than not,getting parking in Nakuru on weekdays is a nightmare.

The growth Nakuru is experiencing right now calls for planning by local county officials. Street children who are becoming more aggressive,beggars at street corners,pickpockets also need to be contained.It is also not uncommon to hear of theft cases and cars being vandalized along the town's main streets which calls for beefing of security by the town council.

As Nakuru grows so does its population and housing which was a problem before will now be a ,major issue that the council has to deal with.While acknowledging the crucial role real estate plays in the development of the economy,it is sad to see arable land in various parts of Nakuru being turned into residential estates through the sale of plots.The council needs to identify areas where such development can be done and in a controlled manner,while maintaining the rich agricultural history of the town.

KENYAN FILM NDUSTRY

The Kenya International film festival takes place between the 21st and 30th of October this year.Looking at the calender of events there are a lot of activities planned for anyone interested in film industry in Kenya.The opening film for the festival is the 'First Grader" directed by Justin Chadwick and tells the story of the 84 year old Kimani Ngang'a Maruge who at his age decided to go to school when the government introduced free education just so he could learn to read the Bile.Looking at the program for this festival i was looking for any mentions on how the film industry's growth could be spurred and there was none,here i mention areas for consideration.


The little black dress gained popularity in part thanks to film through Audrey Hepburn role as Holly Golightly in the 1960's Breakfast at Tiffany's.Looking at most Kenyan films or television productions it is very rare to see the actors in these productions dressed by Kenyan fashion houses.We can learn a lot from the Nigerians who dress up their Nolly wood casts with creations that have Nigeria stamped all over them from the infamous head gears to the fabrics .....so much so that we have emulated or even been inspired by their sense of fashion .Just take a look at Kenyan weddings and even on national holidays most of what Kenyans wear is inspired by our Naija kin.

It is time Kenyan fashion industry woke up to the immense opportunities out there and started dressing up our television and film stars for free.Not only will it stir the industries growth it will also be a way for them to generate publicity and free advertisement to millions of tv viewing Kenyans.This will not only generate growth for the industry but will spur creativity and hopefully we will see emerging designers throw in haute couture or high fashion.

Opportunities for Growth

Other areas of growth for the film industry include locations.The wild beast migration was voted as the 8th wonder of the world and tourists flock in droves to Maasai Maara to view this one of a kind spectacle .While appreciating the role that the Magical Kenya advert on international news channels like CNN has done to spur tourist visits to the country,i would like to ask the Kenya film commission what special interest it has taken to build or market Kenya as a film location.We have amazing scenery right here and since the Constant Gardener was shot here i haven't heard of a big budget movie that has been filmed on location.

Being a member of the Zanzibar film festival i recently recieved a message that was sent out to all group members to submit film scripts for consideration.Being very patriotic i am also a member of the Kenya International Film Festival and i have never seen or heard of a request for scripts .There is no way our industry is going to grow if we are not willing to nurture local talent and especially script writers because a good script is what makes or breaks a production.Every year we have the national drama and music festivals which are show cases in Kenyan creativity .We have some of the best scripts that would give some local TV shows a run for their money if we so wished.

Other areas that should look into ways of tapping into the innumerable opportunities film provides are musical score writers,make up artistes,special effects,set designers and location managers.

Last but not least we need to come up with an industry news letter that will inform Kenyans on whats happening in the film and TV industry,provide credible ratings of shows and critiques but also identify areas of growth.

OPEN LETTER TOKENYAN FILM MAKERS

Dear Kenyan Film Makers,

This is an open letter to you from an avid TV watcher and couch movie critic.First of all to thank you for the wonderful work you have done so far making Kenya proud with all the awards you have worn internationally.

Is it possible that you tell more Kenyan stories?the rags to riches stories of the Sonkos we have now,of the heroes past like Jaramogi,Tom Mboya,JM Kariuki.Let our children know where we have come from so that we know were we are headed to.We need to tell our stories because no one else will tell them for us.The Mau mau stories,the stories of the Italian POW'S who built that very tiny church along the Mai Mahiu road,the story of the portuguese at the coast
with enough suspense,gun fights and drama that would cure us of our unending love affair of Nigerian movies.

We have so many stories to tell!


Just looking at the credits as they roll out ,i think of all the possibilities that await the Kenyan film industry.From art directors to location mangers to script writers to music directors!The number of jobs that would be created by the film industry would be unimaginable.

Its time that the Kenya film commission did an evaluation of its core responsibilities and started revamping the film industry.First they would have to start with the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication that is stuck in a time warp,the world has moved on and its time we recognized we need more than film editors/producers.Let the college match its courses to industry needs,lets get creative.Can the commission do an audit of all the institutes and colleges that offer training in mass communication,how many are giving their students the necessary skills to match industry needs.And isn't it time we had a Kenyan film institute?


sincerely,

Me

DINESH D' SOUZA

Having read the excerpts of Dinesh D Souza's book on Obama i was extremely offended that this infamous author sought to disparage Obama's character by casting aspersion on his(Obamas)father.He further lost every little respect i had of him as an author by claiming that America was being ruled by a ghost!

The fact that some American conservatives actually think this guy is brilliant with his theories is sickening and a shame.

I will never forget waiting to see him being sworn in last year on 20th January,and just before the ceremony began electricity at our house went out.Sharing my disappointment at missing out on this memorable occasion elicited a lot of sympathy from my friends on face book.Though electricity came back after half an hour,i will never forget the excitement that was in the air that day.Everyone i knew was waiting to see Obama sworn in,the excitement was palpable.

Flash forward to September 2010.Watching Obama on CNN,my heart goes out to him.He has more white hair than when he was sworn in(i guess it comes with bearing the responsibilities of a supper power on his shoulders) and yes he does look older than he did January last year.

But listening to him...... is a revelation.The man is a born orator,he speaks and with his words he draws you to him.Listening to him gives you hope to dream of a better future,of possibilities of endless opportunities and it gives you faith in yourself.If he succeeded when all odds were stacked against him,then even i can make IT happen.

Maybe that is what America needs a weaver of dreams....... a man who will make them hope and believe in themselves,that anything is possible.He may not be right all the time but sometimes he really does get it right and Americans ought to give him credit for that.

National Geograpic........ Live curious.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC.....EVERYTHING DESERVES A WHY

My favorite ad this year has to be the National Geographic ....... live curious.

The site defines the ad thus:is about exploration, pioneering and questioning, which captures National Geographic's shared spirit. No matter what country you live in or language you speak, this message to "Live Curious" hits close to home. Everything deserves a why.And thats my motto for this year...live curious .

I love the way the ad flows and you can watch it here......hope ad companies in Kenya are watching it.We need captivating ads like that in Kenya.


I must mention the Safaricom classical fusion ad for this year was a gem!