Monday, September 15, 2008
Kijabe Mission Town - Notepad
The story of Kijabe Mission Station as reported in the Standard this week reads like a Utopian dream. The town has very high moral standards dating back to colonial times when severe punishments were meted on anyone indulging in vices. There's no loud music either from shops or matatus like is common in most other towns. Commotion and disorder are unheard of.
Shops in this place are not allowed to stock cigarettes and alcohol and any new investor has to sign a code of conduct prohibiting him from selling the same and any other immoral products. Any shop keeper found breaching these rules could earn himself an expulsion from the town but if he's remorseful and apologizes, then he may be allowed to continue operating. This was easier to implement in the past than it is now because most shops were owned by church leaders anyway. The church now employs guards who go round and conduct inspections in shops in an attempt to uphold this rule. But generally these standards are getting more and more difficult to maintain especially with modern life, and employment of professionals from other areas.
Cohabiting, unwanted pregnancies and children born out of wed-lock are unacceptable. Of course they're unacceptable everywhere but in Kijabe Mission Station it actually works. Men are not expected to laze around with young women – in fact unmarried women are not allowed to be in the company of men after 7.00 pm.
Life in Kijabe Mission Station is not easy for the youth although it works out well for them in the long run. Many are known to take a sabbatical from their constraining hometown to go to other areas and indulge. Others go to colleges in other urban areas and have their big break but when they go back home they have to follow the rules again. Others sneak into the forest to indulge in a puff here and there. Or maybe some other sins.
Now if only all urban centers could be like this place.
Kijabe Mission Town - Test Post
Following the debate that has been here for the last few days about Teenage Sex, I dug in my archives and found an article that I’d posted earlier in the year. Maybe we can borrow some ideas from Kijabe to help keep our youngsters in check. Here it is:
The story of Kijabe Mission Station as reported in the Standard this week reads like a Utopian dream. The town has very high moral standards dating back to colonial times when severe punishments were meted on anyone indulging in vices. There's no loud music either from shops or matatus like is common in most other towns. Commotion and disorder are unheard of.
Shops in this place are not allowed to stock cigarettes and alcohol and any new investor has to sign a code of conduct prohibiting him from selling the same and any other immoral products. Any shop keeper found breaching these rules could earn himself an expulsion from the town but if he's remorseful and apologizes, then he may be allowed to continue operating. This was easier to implement in the past than it is now because most shops were owned by church leaders anyway. The church now employs guards who go round and conduct inspections in shops in an attempt to uphold this rule. But generally these standards are getting more and more difficult to maintain especially with modern life, and employment of professionals from other areas.
Cohabiting, unwanted pregnancies and children born out of wed-lock are unacceptable. Of course they're unacceptable everywhere but in Kijabe Mission Station it actually works. Men are not expected to laze around with young women – in fact unmarried women are not allowed to be in the company of men after 7.00 pm.
Life in Kijabe Mission Station is not easy for the youth although it works out well for them in the long run. Many are known to take a sabbatical from their constraining hometown to go to other areas and indulge. Others go to colleges in other urban areas and have their big break but when they go back home they have to follow the rules again. Others sneak into the forest to indulge in a puff here and there. Or maybe some other sins.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Leave Cancellation Note Pad
But when she reported back to work there was a case awaiting her. The employer quoted a part of her employment letter that read thus: The normal working hours of the company are from 8.00 am to 1.00 pm and 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm from Monday to Friday, but as a senior member of staff it may be necessary from time to time for you to extend these hours or even work over the weekends. That is the bit the company used against her. But nowhere in the letter is being on mobile alert or cancellation of leave mentioned. Apparently that fell under extend these hours. But she does not consider herself senior anyway.
The question is, how much does your employer have to do with your private mobile phone? Should an employer call you any time they feel like it? According to about.com, your boss should only be calling you during normal operating hours and not after hours. If your boss or other co-workers are calling you after hours or on weekends, you must bring this up to a higher supervisor. In order to maintain smooth relationships with co-workers you should work within the "normal" operating hours of the office.
Some people are under the mistaken impression that because you work at home, you are available whenever they feel that it is convenient. To avoid problems from the beginning of a telecommuting arrangement, have it specified in your Agreement exactly when you can be called.
Freelancers should also set limits on when they can be reached and what the methods of contact are.
My friend’s case ended with just a verbal reminder that she can be required to avail herself at work on short notice but this just shows the complications that come about with the whole mobile phone thing.
Leave Cancellation.doc
But when she reported back to work there was a case awaiting her. The employer quoted a part of her employment letter that read thus: The normal working hours of the company are from 8.00 am to 1.00 pm and 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm from Monday to Friday, but as a senior member of staff it may be necessary from time to time for you to extend these hours or even work over the weekends. That is the bit the company used against her. But nowhere in the letter is being on mobile alert or cancellation of leave mentioned. Apparently that fell under extend these hours. But she does not consider herself senior anyway.
The question is, how much does your employer have to do with your private mobile phone? Should an employer call you any time they feel like it? According to about.com, your boss should only be calling you during normal operating hours and not after hours. If your boss or other co-workers are calling you after hours or on weekends, you must bring this up to a higher supervisor. In order to maintain smooth relationships with co-workers you should work within the "normal" operating hours of the office.
Some people are under the mistaken impression that because you work at home, you are available whenever they feel that it is convenient. To avoid problems from the beginning of a telecommuting arrangement, have it specified in your Agreement exactly when you can be called.
Freelancers should also set limits on when they can be reached and what the methods of contact are.
My friend’s case ended with just a verbal reminder that she can be required to avail herself at work on short notice but this just shows the complications that come about with the whole mobile phone thing.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Muasya Notepad
But isolating an intersexual in our correctional facilities or anywhere else for that matter is just the beginning. In prisons there is the issue of other shared amenities like washrooms, dining area, recreational facilities and indeed the whole compound as a whole. If isolation will work in Muasya’s case at all, it would mean making physical changes to the buildings or putting up a separate prison all together. Quite a long shot considering that hermaphrodites are few and how many of them end up in prisons?
Cases like Muasya’s are rare but not entirely unheard of. In 2004 for example, intersexual Jonothon Featherstone managed to avoid a prison sentence in Jamaica because the Jamaican penal code had no provisions for those bearing both male and female genitalia. That was even after he admitted trying to smuggle drugs out of Jamaica.
One cannot ignore the tribulations Muasya has probably been through. For one the whole intersexual thing must be heavy on his psyche. I imagine he grew up grappling with excruciating social stigma and psychological effects of his mixed gender – all in an unforgiving culture. Secondly sexual abuse in our penal institutions is no secret. If he has not already been put through some of that, it’s just a question of when and not if and he must be spending all his waking hours fretting about it.
Surprisingly, hermaphrodites are not as rare as one may think. There are quite a number around the world and in some countries there are support groups just for them. In other countries, some incidences are surgically corrected when the child is still young. But this medical intervention on hermaphrodite infants is meeting with more and more resistance as people with the condition come forth with claims that these surgeries immerse subjects into worse psychological, medical, and sexual damage. They’re encouraging parents to let their children develop into themselves and enjoy the gift of being unique.
So should Muasya be set free?
Should he be jailed in isolation?
Related Article: Oregon Man Gives Birth To Baby Girl
Thursday, September 4, 2008
he’s undergoing human and constitutional rights violations at the Prison and would like the law changed to accommodate the likes of him who do not fall under either the male of female category. He is also asking to be set free because there are no provisions of his kind in our Kenyan constitution and penal institutions.
One cannot ignore the tribulations Muasya has probably been through. For one the whole intersexual thing must be heavy on his psyche. I imagine he grew up grappling with the psychological effects of his mixed gender – all in an unforgiving culture. Secondly sexual abuse in our penal institutions is no secret. If he has not already been put through some of that, it’s just a question of when and not if and he must be spending all his waking hours fretting about it. But then again if he did not commit the robbery, nobody would have put him in Kamiti in the first place. If it’s a question of human rights, the person he robbed has his own right to his property.
Cases like Muasya’s are rare but not entirely unheard of. In 2004 for example, intersexual Jonothon Featherstone managed to escape a prison sentence in Jamaica because the Jamaican penal code had no provisions for those bearing both male and female genitalia. That was even after he admitted trying to smuggle drugs out of Jamaica. That is what Muasya is hoping to do.
For one, just having medical examinations to determine his must have been humiliating enough. Having been thrown into Kamiti, he says he’s suffering inhuman and degrading exposure to the male convicts, prison warders and the general public.
It’s a rare condition and in developed countries, some incidences are surgically corrected when the child is still young. But this medical intervention on hermaphrodite infants is meeting with resistance as more and more people more and more people with the condition are coming forward with claims that immerses subjects into worse psychological, medical, and sexual damage. They’re encouraging parents to let their children develop into themselves and enjoy the gift of being unique.
Muasya Notepad
he’s undergoing human and constitutional rights violations at the Prison and would like the law changed to accommodate the likes of him who do not fall under either the male of female category. He is also asking to be set free because there are no provisions of his kind in our Kenyan constitution and penal institutions.
One cannot ignore the tribulations Muasya has probably been through. For one the whole intersexual thing must be heavy on his psyche. I imagine he grew up grappling with the psychological effects of his mixed gender – all in an unforgiving culture. Secondly sexual abuse in our penal institutions is no secret. If he has not already been put through some of that, it’s just a question of when and not if and he must be spending all his waking hours fretting about it. But then again if he did not commit the robbery, nobody would have put him in Kamiti in the first place. If it’s a question of human rights, the person he robbed has his own right to his property.
Cases like Muasya’s are rare but not entirely unheard of. In 2004 for example, intersexual Jonothon Featherstone managed to escape a prison sentence in Jamaica because the Jamaican penal code had no provisions for those bearing both male and female genitalia. That was even after he admitted trying to smuggle drugs out of Jamaica. That is what Muasya is hoping to do.
For one, just having medical examinations to determine his must have been humiliating enough. Having been thrown into Kamiti, he says he’s suffering inhuman and degrading exposure to the male convicts, prison warders and the general public.
It’s a rare condition and in developed countries, some incidences are surgically corrected when the child is still young. But this medical intervention on hermaphrodite infants is meeting with resistance as more and more people more and more people with the condition are coming forward with claims that immerses subjects into worse psychological, medical, and sexual damage. They’re encouraging parents to let their children develop into themselves and enjoy the gift of being unique.
Justified
One
he’s undergoing human and constitutional rights violations at the Prison and would like the law changed to accommodate the likes of him who do not fall under either the male of female category. He is also asking to be set free because there are no provisions of his kind in our Kenyan constitution and penal institutions.
One cannot ignore the tribulations Muasya has probably been through. For one the whole intersexual thing must be heavy on his psyche. I imagine he grew up grappling with the psychological effects of his mixed gender – all in an unforgiving culture. Secondly sexual abuse in our penal institutions is no secret. If he has not already been put through some of that, it’s just a question of when and not if and he must be spending all his waking hours fretting about it. But then again if he did not commit the robbery, nobody would have put him in Kamiti in the first place. If it’s a question of human rights, the person he robbed has his own right to his property.
Cases like Muasya’s are rare but not entirely unheard of. In 2004 for example, intersexual Jonothon Featherstone managed to escape a prison sentence in
For one, just having medical examinations to determine his must have been humiliating enough. Having been thrown into Kamiti, he says he’s suffering inhuman and degrading exposure to the male convicts, prison warders and the general public.
It’s a rare condition and in developed countries, some incidences are surgically corrected when the child is still young. But this medical intervention on hermaphrodite infants is meeting with resistance as more and more people more and more people with the condition are coming forward with claims that immerses subjects into worse psychological, medical, and sexual damage. They’re encouraging parents to let their children develop into themselves and enjoy the gift of being unique.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Tuk Tuk Invasion - Notepad
But like every good thing, Tuk Tuks have their downside. The hitherto quiet and serene atmosphere of most streets and other parts of town has been shattered by the characteristic and oh so relentless tok tok tok tok of tuk tuks as they make their rounds. Hardly a minute passes by without one of these noisily zooming past and for those in ground floor offices right along the road, concentrating has become almost impossible.
That is just a problem people may have to evolve around because it seems the little motorbike/taxi hybrids are here to stay. What can and needs to be addressed ASAP is their road etiquette. Some drivers just hit the road with no inkling whatsoever about traffic rules, weaving and meandering through traffic with complete disregard of lane change rules. As long as one can ride a motorbike, he learns the rest on the job and sometimes it’s obvious the errant drivers are just not aware when they’re on the wrong. They’re nowhere near as mad or rude as matatu drivers, in fact majority of them are usually very apologetic when they mess on the road. But obstruction is obstruction. Dangerous lane change is dangerous lane change regardless of what size of vehicle is doing it.
The police don’t seem to pay as much attention to them as they do to Matatus but maybe it’s time they did.
From The Past: Of Holy Noise and Kenyan Churches.
From The Web: Photos of Spain Tomatina Festival.
Tuk Tuk Invasion - Notepad
But like every good thing, Tuk Tuks have their downside. The hitherto quiet and serene atmosphere of most streets and other parts of town has been shattered by the characteristic and oh so relentless tok tok tok tok of tuk tuks as they make their rounds. Hardly a minute passes by without one of these noisily zooming past and for those in ground floor offices right along the road, concentrating has become almost impossible.
That is just a problem people may have to evolve around because it seems the little motorbike/taxi hybrids are here to stay. What can and needs to be addressed ASAP is their road etiquette. Some drivers just hit the road with no inkling whatsoever about traffic rules, weaving and meandering through traffic with complete disregard of lane change rules. As long as one can ride a motorbike, he learns the rest on the job and sometimes it’s obvious the errant drivers are just not aware when they’re on the wrong. They’re nowhere near as mad or rude as matatu drivers, in fact majority of them are usually very apologetic when they mess on the road. But obstruction is obstruction. Dangerous lane change is dangerous lane change regardless of what size of vehicle is doing it.
The police don’t seem to pay as much attention to them as they do to Matatus but maybe it’s time they did.
From The Past: Of Holy Noise and Kenyan Churches.
From The Web: Photos of Spain Tomatina Festival.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Post Via HTML or Compose
You see here on the blogger page where you paste your article in readiness for posting? See on the right there is an Edit HTML Tab and then there is a Compose tab? Make sure every time you post it's on the compose tab and not html.
Sometimes for some reason it seems to go on HTML by default.
See on the post immediately below this one titled Test HTML? That one I've posted when it was on HTML tab.
See the one just before titled Matheri Test? That one I've sent through Compose.
And this one I'm sending via compose so we prove that for real.
Test - HTML
For now let’s look at Matheri the vampire. In his defense he says that he was sent for human blood by a local Bishop - Jeremiah Pallangyo of New Hope for all Nations. It would probably not be strange if indeed the bishop asked for blood. There are enough cults doing the rounds and Naivasha for some reason seems to have more than it’s fair share of them. But before implicating the Bishop Matheri should have a thorough psychiatric examination in the hands of qualified doctors because chances are he’s mentally sick and could very easily be lying. Furthermore, raping and keeping the victims’ underpants as trophies cannot possibly be what the Bishop ordered. That must be for his own twisted pleasure. His kind is well described in many Murder profile books.
Looking at the whole saga from the victims eyes, it’s difficult to fathom the absolute terror that they go through. One look at Matheri even on TV is enough to send shivers down the spines of viewers. Seeing him up close siphoning blood? Like the young victim who says he drew blood and when it was not enough he cut her up in some other place and drew more until he filled a cup. The he proceeded to drink it. It’s a good thing she survived. Such a person may require very intensive counseling.
Now for the residents of Kihoto. They seem to know the guy and what has been going on quite well. How come he survived to spread his terror for so long. And the police, I’m no detective but I see on CSI and other programs crime scenes getting sealed off for fine tooth combing. Did demolishing his house not probably bury some important clues that might have helped in further
Matheri Test
For now let’s look at Matheri the vampire. In his defense he says that he was sent for human blood by a local Bishop - Jeremiah Pallangyo of New Hope for all Nations. It would probably not be strange if indeed the bishop asked for blood. There are enough cults doing the rounds and Naivasha for some reason seems to have more than it’s fair share of them. But before implicating the Bishop Matheri should have a thorough psychiatric examination in the hands of qualified doctors because chances are he’s mentally sick and could very easily be lying. Furthermore, raping and keeping the victims’ underpants as trophies cannot possibly be what the Bishop ordered. That must be for his own twisted pleasure. His kind is well described in many Murder profile books.
Looking at the whole saga from the victims eyes, it’s difficult to fathom the absolute terror that they go through. One look at Matheri even on TV is enough to send shivers down the spines of viewers. Seeing him up close siphoning blood? Like the young victim who says he drew blood and when it was not enough he cut her up in some other place and drew more until he filled a cup. The he proceeded to drink it. It’s a good thing she survived. Such a person may require very intensive counseling.
Now for the residents of Kihoto. They seem to know the guy and what has been going on quite well. How come he survived to spread his terror for so long. And the police, I’m no detective but I see on CSI and other programs crime scenes getting sealed off for fine tooth combing. Did demolishing his house not probably bury some important clues that might have helped in further
Matheri Test
For now let’s look at Matheri the vampire. In his defense he says that he was sent for human blood by a local Bishop - Jeremiah Pallangyo of New Hope for all Nations. It would probably not be strange if indeed the bishop asked for blood. There are enough cults doing the rounds and Naivasha for some reason seems to have more than it’s fair share of them. But before implicating the Bishop Matheri should have a thorough psychiatric examination in the hands of qualified doctors because chances are he’s mentally sick and could very easily be lying. Furthermore, raping and keeping the victims’ underpants as trophies cannot possibly be what the Bishop ordered. That must be for his own twisted pleasure. His kind is well described in many Murder profile books.
Looking at the whole saga from the victims eyes, it’s difficult to fathom the absolute terror that they go through. One look at Matheri even on TV is enough to send shivers down the spines of viewers. Seeing him up close siphoning blood? Like the young victim who says he drew blood and when it was not enough he cut her up in some other place and drew more until he filled a cup. The he proceeded to drink it. It’s a good thing she survived. Such a person may require very intensive counseling.
Now for the residents of Kihoto. They seem to know the guy and what has been going on quite well. How come he survived to spread his terror for so long. And the police, I’m no detective but I see on CSI and other programs crime scenes getting sealed off for fine tooth combing. Did demolishing his house not probably bury some important clues that might have helped in further
Matheri Test
For now let’s look at Matheri the vampire. In his defense he says that he was sent for human blood by a local Bishop - Jeremiah Pallangyo of New Hope for all Nations. It would probably not be strange if indeed the bishop asked for blood. There are enough cults doing the rounds and Naivasha for some reason seems to have more than it’s fair share of them. But before implicating the Bishop Matheri should have a thorough psychiatric examination in the hands of qualified doctors because chances are he’s mentally sick and could very easily be lying. Furthermore, raping and keeping the victims’ underpants as trophies cannot possibly be what the Bishop ordered. That must be for his own twisted pleasure. His kind is well described in many Murder profile books.
Looking at the whole saga from the victims eyes, it’s difficult to fathom the absolute terror that they go through. One look at Matheri even on TV is enough to send shivers down the spines of viewers. Seeing him up close siphoning blood? Like the young victim who says he drew blood and when it was not enough he cut her up in some other place and drew more until he filled a cup. The he proceeded to drink it. It’s a good thing she survived. Such a person may require very intensive counseling.
Now for the residents of Kihoto. They seem to know the guy and what has been going on quite well. How come he survived to spread his terror for so long. And the police, I’m no detective but I see on CSI and other programs crime scenes getting sealed off for fine tooth combing. Did demolishing his house not probably bury some important clues that might have helped in further
Monday, August 18, 2008
Draft
This is hardly surprising. The pictures were sickening. The kind you really don’t want to see and imagine that that is where your meat is coming from. The footage of the abattoirs on TV was gory and disturbing. It’s surprising nobody has fallen sick yet! This is a clear health hazard not just to the people consuming the meat but also to the workers themselves.even for the workers themselves
Kenyans are a funny lot.
We expect every one else to follow the law except ourselves/
Loot at the Dagoretti slaughter house case for example.
The residents are taking police in running battles to as to have the slaughter houses re-opened
What is meat? Who cannot sacrifice a few days of nyama choma as a direct contribution to the cleaning of the
The fact that these slaughter houses had been given notice by NEMA makes their case even more difficult to understand.
The bloody goo on the floor and the dirty counters on which they work is putting all their clients health at risk.
Dumping their live waste into
As much as we want the government to streamline every aspect of our lives, we as the citizens also have our part to play.
Th butchers are not being asked to stop operating, they’re being asked to put their act together as far as cleanliness and waste management is concerned.
Even a brief meat shortage in
The abbatoirs case compares very well to the tran
Like the matatu owners and drivers had been given a three month notice to get their act together. Only after the notice period erupted did they take to the streets citing mistreatment.
I remember when Michuki was streamlining the matatu industry, Kenyans were right behind him and were ready to become a walking nation for as long as it took in support of the proposed changes. We should apply the same spirit and if need be go meat free for as long as it takes. This for the sake of the environment and also for our own health. And how I wish John Njoroge Michuki had stuck at the Environment ministry for some more time.
Nema is most welcome to slaughterhouses in other towns too. Last I heard red meat is not healthy anyway. We shall be willing to eat vegetables for as long as it takes.
Take the case of the overloading matatus for example. Who are the passengers? Is it not the very wananchi who are vilifying Mwakwere for sleeping on the job? Are they not asleep on the job too? If you get into a matatu that is already full and you don’t fasten your seatbelt, what does Mwakwere have to do with it?