PRINT STUDENTS:

PHOTO: Dr. Wambui Kiai, Director School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

THE UNTOLD SUFFERINGS OF JOURNALISM STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI

By Maritim Kipngetich

Third year journalism students at the University of Nairobi majoring in print media have not been attended by their lecturers for the past three weeks. Their ambition to become future print journalists may be deterred by low class attendance by the lecturers.

The classes began officially three weeks ago with students, who are in third year first semester, opting for the areas they are best in. At school of journalism, there are four areas of specialization which include print journalism, broadcast journalism, public relation and development communication.

The students specializing in other fields except print have their lecturers attending them. It is unfortunate that the print journalism, which is considered the hardest among the four specializations, lecturers have not started teaching students. Apart from lecturers missing classes, the lecture halls they normally use to have their lectures are in pathetic condition. The old and dilapidated chairs inside those lecture halls are irritating to the students and they cannot concentrate during lectures.

The old lecturers like Zeke Waweru, who are supposed to have retired, are still teaching the students. The students are complaining that the lecturer sometimes lose the voice when lecturing. The students who were attended by him last semester are the one who attested that.

Among the lecturers who have failed to attend the print media students is Mr. Zeke.

The students also who are majoring in broadcast media lack studios they can use for practical. They are not the only who are suffering, the students who aspire to be print journalists also lack training newspaper. It is sad to note that the University does not even own a magazine for the school of journalism students. That truth is painful considering the fact that the school of journalism at the University was started in 1970s and up to date it does not even have a training radio studio for broadcast students despite charging them thousands of shillings.

 The journalism library found inside administration block contains old books which are not relevant to the current journalism. The archive of the newspapers dating back to 1914 is the only valuable thing found within that library since the print media students may use them for reference.

The University of Nairobi is the best university in East and Central Africa and it should not have petty problems like lecturers not attending classes. It is important for it to maintain the international reputation it has got since it was started in 1956.

REFERENDUM:

PHOTO: Okoa Kenya leaders during referendum campaign.

OKOA KENYA CAMPAIGN TO INCLUDE MCAs’ DEMANDS

By Maritim Kipngetich

The campaign to amend the constitution by the members of the opposition has gained momentum with the team leader, Raila Odinga, including some other issues which are likely to draw the support of the Members of the County Assemblies. Though the Okoa Kenya leaders have reduced the issues to be amended in the constitution to be three from the initial five, the issues are seen to be revolving around devolution. The amendments of the key clauses in the constitution which talks about devolution have been seen by the Jubilee affiliates as a strategic scheme which the opposition wants to use to destabilize the Jubilee Government.

Yesterday, a huge throng of the Okoa Kenya supporters together with their leaders had a meeting in Nairobi which the main guests for the day were the MCAs drawn from various parts of the country. The MCAs have been complaining that they are not treated like the Members of Parliament. They said they should enjoy the privileges which the MPs are enjoying which include the car grand, the mileage charges in their cars, the house grand and the sitting allowances.  Early this year, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission increased the salaries and allowances for the MCAs.

The recent wrangles among the leaders of Makueni County, which left the body guards of the leaders who were present including the county sergeant-at-arm wounded, made the MCAs to ask the government to give them guns and hire them body guards. Following heated exchanges among MCAs in their County Assemblies during the debates, the commentaries had a feeling that the MCAs may use the guns to shoot one another.

PHOTO: Cord leaders briefing the journalists in Nairobi.

It is, therefore, likely for the opposition to include the demand for guns by MCAs in their Okoa Kenya agenda. The opposition needs to gain the support of the counties in order for their mission of amending the constitution to succeed.

The constitution provides that, for a constitution to be amended a million signatures must be collected from all parts of the country and more than 24 counties should support that move. The opposition, therefore, has seen it prudent to include the demands of the MCAs in order to gain the support of many counties across the country, but no one knows whether all the MCAs can win the people in their wards to vote yes during the referendum.

So far, the Okoa Kenya initiative claims to have collected more than one million signatures out five million which they are targeting to collect by the end of the year.

LOVE THAT WAS NEVER TO BE:

 THE CHALLENGES IN LOVE

By Maritim Kipngetich

The greatest moments of love exist and the worst moments do exist also. That is what I came to realize yesterday after what happened between me and my fiancé.

The whole story started on Sunday when she arrived in the city where she had come to make some changes in the university she is admitted to. Our love was in its infancy stage and she had to call her cousin to pick her from the stage and organize for her where she could spend the night. Unfortunately, her cousin was out of the city to his girlfriend in Chuka University. The only person who was available within the city was me.

You can guess what would happen. What else would have been more thrilling than to take that opportunity?

As she approached the city she text me “in less than 5 minutes I will be in town”. I knew then that she must have been in Limuru where the dual carriage tarmac road starts: since it was her first time to travel to the city.

At that particular moment, I was outside Hall 5, one of the halls at the University of Nairobi hostels, to pick clothes which I washed that morning. So after picking those clothes, I took them into my room and dash to bathroom to take a shower since that day was a hot one. After taking a bath I dressed casually since it was a weekend. I dressed in a pair of jeans, white sports shoes and a red fitting shirt. I picked a red shirt from my wardrobe because I considered it romantic.

I received a text from the lady “I am now in town, where did the traffic jam got you?”  I responded by saying “am almost, give me some minutes and I will be there”. She never replied my text and I am sure she must have been in a teeming place and she feared removing her phone from the pocket.

She told me she alighted at Railway Stage; this is where the mini buses carrying passengers from Bomet normally drop their passengers. I headed there and within some minutes and texted her that I was already there. She told me where she was and I went to pick her direct.

She was dressed smartly. She was in a pair of black jeans which fitted her nicely in her waist. Her artificial-made hair was amazing. The white blouse she wore inside grey woolen overcoat was looking sexy since her boobs were clearly seen.

I asked her where her suitcase was and she removed it from the bus she was using to travel from Bomet.

Her cousin, who was travelling from Chuka to the city, was approaching city centre, but she texted us that his phone was shutting down since the battery was low.

We took soda and asked my fiancé to accompany to my room in campus. She accepted and we went there across the central business district. At my room in the university we stayed for some few minutes as we took photos. She phoned the relative she lives near the campus to ask for accommodation and the lady accepted and told her to look for a taxi to take her to her home situated at YWCA Park View Flats.

We went out of the room to Uhuru Park, a recreation field found within the city, to take a rest. At the park we found many people as it has always been during Sundays. So we look for a nice place to seat and talk as we embrace the cool evening hours. Her cousin texted us and we told him we were at the Park where he came and found us. At that point in time, we went for a suitcase we had left in my room since it was approaching 7p.m. We picked the suitcase and headed to YWCA Flats. At the gate we were asked whose room we were heading to. After telling the commissionaire the name of the lady we were allowed to go in.

The decoration, the type of food, the luxurious chairs, the television, the floor carpet and everything else I saw inside the room is the story of another day!

After we had supper and promised my fiancé that we would meet the next day to go to administration block at the University, we dashed to the hostels.

The next morning was a great one. I woke up at 7a.m as usual and after taking a shower I took tea. I also dressed as usual.

The lady arrived at my room at around 9:30a.m and we headed to main campus. We went to make some inquiries at room 116 found on first floor at Administration Block, University of Nairobi. We were then referred to room 112 where we were told to write a letter to request the change of the course. The critical document which was required for us to attach the request letter was the KCSE results slip. Unfortunately my lady was not carrying it. We tried to download it from Kenya National Examination Council website, but our trial proved futile! We were left with only one alternative: to ask my mother-in-law-to-be to go and pick it from the school where my fiancé did her exams.

The process of picking the slip was long and it was obvious for it to take time before we had it, but thanks to technology. The first thought that hit my mind was that the result slip would be sent via a bus from Bomet to Nairobi. That was not the only mean available. The whole thing would be scanned and sent via email.

During Monday afternoon, we planned to take a walk to Arboretum tree sanctuary to embrace the silence, the cool air, and in fact to take romantic photos.

At around 3p.m, we were heading there. The lady’s cousin told us it was prudent for us to pass his room and we accepted. At that room, the lady’s cousin occasionally moved out of the room to pick something outside. So I used those opportunities to declare my love directly to the lady and she said “I do”. That was my happiest moment on earth so far.

We stayed for some few minutes and we headed to Arboretum where I needed most then since that is the best place for people who are in love to be in.

At Arboretum we talked a lot and we took many photos. It was our best moment. We talked about our love along the lines of commenting the weather, the trees, the people and many things. We had ample time since the whole place was silent and her cousin was approximately 20 metres behind us. He could take us photos from the back which I enjoy seeing today. The seats at that place are made traditionally from the logs of trees and we enjoyed sitting on them. The shape of the indigenous trees in that area is amazing; we enjoyed climbing them and taking photos while we were up.

At 6p.m, we went back to the hostels. It was cold then, as it has always been in Nairobi and we were in light clothes. At my room we stayed for some few minutes and her cousin excused himself to go for something in his room. That was our opportunity too. She gave me a hot kiss I won’t forget anytime soon. That was when I confirmed that she really loved me. At around 7p.m I together with her cousin escorted her to the Flats. We bade her good bye and good night at the gate to the YWCA apartments and went back to hostels.

We waited until the next day, Tuesday, for the result slip to be scanned and sent through my email address. We received it during the time we were having lunch at the school café. Earlier in the morning of that day, we had moved to computer lab to type the letter, so the whole process was simple then. After we had lunch we went to my room to relax as we waited for the staff of the university to open their offices. At the University, there is a lunch break for all staff members which normally start at 1p.m to 2p.m. So we finished having lunch at early 1p.m; it was advisable for us to take sometime in the room.

At my room, we laughed, we talked, we kissed, I mean we did everything good. We realized that time was gone when we checked it in our phones. It was already 3:30p.m and we had to deposit some money in the bank so that we could get the receipt to attach the request letter. Her cousin arrived at that particular time and we rushed to main campus where I had to print the request letter and result slip which were both in my email address. I gave them all the details they would use to deposit the money and dashed to Education Building where the computers are located. I printed both documents and headed to the seats outside American Wing to wait for the duo to deposit the money. It was ten minutes past four then and the bank is usually closed at 4p.m, but I knew they arrived there in time and they would be allowed to deposit the money.

After depositing the money we met outside Administration Block and I asked her whether she had admission letter and fortunately she had it. I went and photocopied it and attached all the crucial papers we were to drop at room 112. It was a simple thing then. We followed normal security check at the main entrance to offices at Admin Block. And some minutes later we were at room 112. She dropped it and everything was fine.

The freedom started since we had no task before us anymore. We sojourned for about 30 minutes at the field found within the main campus. Since I had the class that evening at 5p.m they had to give me time. Unfortunately the class bounced and I had to go and find them in town. We met near Intercontinental Hotel where they were waiting me. I had informed them via a text message that the class was not going to be there.

From Intercontinental, we moved direct to YWCA where we bade her good bye for the day at the gate and she promised to meet us the next day at 11A.m.

As it has always been since the day she arrived in the city, we woke up in the morning and texted ourselves “good morning”, but for her case she textd us “good morning” message accompanied by another text which read “my phone will be off”. That made us uneasy a bit, but we had to accept because she said before she came to meet us she would borrow a phone to use to inform us.

So it was an opportunity for me to go and update my blog that morning the way I have been doing every day. At the computer lab, I felt uneasy. I wanted to be with her since I was then used to being together with her. I took about 1hour 30minutes to update my blog. At 12 noon we were outside hall five stranded. We had no direction to go to with her cousin, but God forbids it was lunch time and we had to dash to the school hotel to have lunch.

After lunch we went to her cousin’s room and it was at that time when she texted us to ask where she could find us. We agreed to meet outside hall five.

We went and waited her there for some few minutes, she arrived and her cousin requested us to move to his room. We went there and after some few minutes he excused himself to give us room to be alone.

What transpired during our stay there is unthinkable. I don’t think it exists in the real world: it only exists in the world of fantasy. My several trials to make love with her proved futile despite me kissing her for several hours to coax her to accept it.

God forbids, I forced her but she was faster than me and she got a place to escape. I was sure then that, that was the greatest turning point in our love. I could not imagine how we could move on after what happened. To make the matter worst she had left me with some clothes I can’t mention on this platform. Thanks to God who whispered me to write her a letter and put inside the bag she had left. I called her cousin who was in some distance away and he came. I told him what happened and in that instant we received the message from her saying “please bring me my items”. The items she left include her open shoes, phone, bag and hearings.

We put everything in her bag and put the shoes inside polythene bag and insert them into a bigger bag. I did not want to face her, but her cousin insisted that I should see her. At YWCA gate, we called her using the number she used to text us and within some minutes she arrived. She never gave me any smile as she used to when we met. She asked us her belongings and I gave them since I was the one who was carrying the bag that contained the item she needed.

We went back to hostels, but I could not tolerate being alone. I felt like being with many people.

Anyway, to cut the story short his cousin made a point of seeing her that evening. They met and talked things over. He defended me and I thanked him for doing so. The three of us met late in that evening near St Paul University Church and I could see she was smiling.
That was my greatest happiness. Her cousin suggested that we could go to Student Centre Cafeteria where we could have some tea. She accepted and that made me happy since I knew that was going to be a big a opportunity for me to ask her for forgiveness. We talked at the cafeteria until I made sure that she had forgiven me. We later on escorted her to the flats and promised her to meet us the next morning before she went back home.

We met the next morning at St Paul University Church and headed to main campus where she bought some items at Bookstore. I left them (her and her cousin) at the Bookstore and asked them to call me when they will be through with everything they were going for in town. We later met near Safaricom Shop situated along Kenyatta Avenue when she had picked her suitcase from the Flats and her cousin and I escorted her to the bus stage where I bade her good bye after she assured me that she still loves me. (Updated on 4/5/2016 at 5:48pm)

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT:

PHOTO: DP William Ruto with his lead lawyer, Karim Kan, during court proceedings at ICC.

SHOULD KENYATTA ATTEND COURT PROCEEDINGS AT ICC?

By Maritim Kipngetich
Politicians are always blamed for radicalizing one group of a particular people who are politically affiliated to one political party against other group who are pro-other parties. This has cost politicians a lot with some being summoned before the international courts. Kenya is a marvelous example of such countries which have got their leaders appeared before International Criminal Court.

Currently, two key leaders in the country, Kenya, have the cases before ICC. It is an elusive moment for them since it is difficult to run the country while you have a pending case in the court. It is a challenging issue which has made the African leaders and leaders of other countries who have an interest in the African soil to support the withdrawal of the cases. The ICC prosecutor has turned a deaf ear on the leaders’ plea saying that international court is an independent judicial system which does not have to make decisions which are contrary to the law. The Gambian-born prosecutor has track records of being aggressive when it comes to the matters of the law.

The President of the Republic of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, has a case before the court and there has been a debate whether he should appear before the court in person or be represented by his lawyers. The court has an uphill task in dealing with Uhuru who is the head of state and government and his government is expected to give court a crucial information which may show whether the President gave financial and material support to the then Mungiki sect: which is accused to have caused the mayhem among the people, who were ODM party affiliates, in Naivasha during 2007-2008 elections.

PHOTO: President Kenyatta during the past court proceedings.

The current talks in the ICC about the case before Kenyan leaders are whether Uhuru should attend the court proceedings in The Hague, the Netherlands, or communicate via a video link from Nairobi, Kenya. The Jubilee leaders have a feeling that the order given to the President to appear before the court in 8^th October this year, is meant to frustrate the operation of the government. The Kenyan Attorney General, Gitu Muigai, said “the prosecutor has either failed in her job or she has lacked the evidence she can use to prosecute the president”.

The African leaders have a notion that the ICC was only meant to humiliate African leaders since the only leaders who have appeared before the court since it came into existence in 2002 are from African soil.

It is indeed a good thing to respect the international judicial systems like ICC who deal with criminal injustices, but the respect of the leaders should also be considered at some point during the trials. The International Criminal Court, in its binding laws, gives the right to individuals, who may not have time or resources to appear before the court in person, to participate in the court proceedings via a video link. The leaders of Kenya are not exceptional. They also have a right to participate via a video link just like eight witnesses who were given chances to give their testimonies from Nairobi, Kenya.