KDF jets supported by artillery fire from naval gunships fire destroyed the two Al Shabaab training camps at around noon on Sunday. The camps are said to have been used only by foreign Muslim extremists to train Al Shabaab fighters. Earlier in the day, there was heavy artillery fire around the town of Burgavo as the navy targeted suspected Al Shabaab positions.

NAKURU, Kenya, Oct 7 – Dira, that is the word sex workers at Salgaa in Nakuru County call their regular clients who also assist in paying rent, shop for food and perform other ‘husband’ duties.

“Such clients have identified only one person (sex worker) whom they deal with when they come,” explains a sex worker at the centre.

Salgaa is a popular township on the Nakuru- Eldoret highway, infamous for its nightlife as it is a busy road for transporters.

The sex workers here target truck drivers.

Although illegal in Kenya, sex work still thrives in most parts of the country and according to the sex workers we talked to, most of their clients do not like to use condoms.

“If they use condoms, they pay less and sometimes you are hard pressed for money so you go without it,” says another sex worker.

This leaves them (sex workers) vulnerable to unplanned pregnancies leading to abortion diseases like HIV/AIDS.

And as the world population is projected to hit the seven billion mark in October according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), we are here to find out how sex workers protect themselves against unplanned pregnancies.

We talked to five sex workers in the area on condition of anonymity on how they protect themselves against unwanted pregnancies as they engage clients.

“We normally use various family planning methods but the most accessible are pills and injections,” says one of them.

Unfortunately, they are not able to access all the family planning methods they may want because they are not available in the nearest public health facility which is Rongai Health Centre.

“They tell us there are other available methods but they don’t have them. Sometimes you want Norplant or a coil but it is not available and you have to go to Nakuru which is about 25 kilometres away,” they say.

Zachary Keyah, a Program Coordinator at a non governmental organisation known as Family Aids Initiative Response (FAIR-APHIA II) in Nakuru says supply of family planning has not been consistent in government health facilities in the county.

“The assumption is that health centres in the country have all the family planning methods but the reality is that they don’t,” he states.

“Sometimes you will go to that health centre, in the service charter it is a sub district hospital but you find the supplies are for a health centre and it has only one clinical officer and this affects service provision including family planning,” Keyah adds.

He gives the example of Rongai Health Centre which he says was upgraded to a sub district hospital because of the many accidents that occur on the highway but continues to receive the supplies of a health centre.

Director of Public Health Dr Shahnaaz Shariff acknowledges that there is a problem with access to some family planning methods in public health facilities.

“Yes we have a problem with access to long term and permanent methods of family planning in public health facilities, but we are working on that,” he says.

Apart from spacing children, medics say family planning is important because it contributes towards improving the quality of life of a mother. This, they argue, is one way of achieving the Millennium Development Goal on improving maternal health.

It is recommended that women should space their children by at least three years to give them time to heal.

In Kenya the uptake of family planning is at 41 percent nationally, which Dr Shariff terms as very low. He attributes this to myths and misconceptions about their use.

Limited access to preferred family planning methods is another issue that has led some women to do away with it.

“The major issues the sex workers face is the attitude of the service providers. They become judgmental if they know one is a sex worker,” Keyah says, a point emphasised by one sex worker who accuses the health providers of asking “irrelevant” questions like whether one is married.

The sex worker says minimal information on family planning also hinders their uptake and calls on the government to create more awareness on the subject and involve local communities and most at risk groups like them (sex workers).

Source: http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2011/10/sex-work-thrives-on-major-highway/

By Sophie Akinyi

Conceiving is a beautiful feeling especially in a society where lack of it is considered a curse. Women who are unable to conceive find it rough living in this society as they are always mocked and ridiculed. For the ones who are lucky to conceive though, a lot of anxiety is expressed.

Many Kenyan women especially first time moms` harbor fears concerning childbirth. This is as a result of stories heard from fellow women who have given birth naturally. Currently, there is a rising number of Caesarean Sections (CS) being performed in hospitals. Women who go for it are
mostly carried away by the `fear` factor and low self esteem.

Fear is the notable reason since women who have given birth may sometimes narrate their ordeals in the hands or ruthless midwives. This would without a doubt make any expectant woman scared. Many a times these women are insulted, neglected and beaten when it gets to extremes. Thinking of how vulnerable and delicate a woman gets during this state, it is no doubt a woman would think of a Caesarean Section.

It is not every woman`s wish to deliver  Caesarean Section, some prefer to give birth naturally saying it helps in dealing with pain there and then. Today, expectant women experience some sort of medical intervention which might land them in theater and not labor room. Some women confess that they felt ready to give birth naturally, but along the way, they were told their conditions had changed and they have to go through CS. Sometimes, this intervention is warranted; however, there are certain hospitals which have turned the practice into a money-making business.

Before, Caesarean Section was only warranted in certain circumstances; these included: if a woman had contracted pelvis (small or inadequate), cord prolapsed (cord slips off first before the baby), abnormal lie (eg.transverse-across, breech-baby presents with legs or hands, pre-eclampsia (where there is high blood pressure accompanied with protein in urine and A.P.H (condition where mother starts bleeding before she goes into
labor but the pregnancy is full term. Apart from HIV positive patients who are encouraged to go through the procedure as a preventive measure against infecting their newborns, women are at liberty to decide the mode of delivery they want. In some hospitals, women are advised to go for CS even without being explained to the underlying disadvantages. What some of these hospitals are interested in is money.

This sudden rush for `quick` money has made some women lose their lives due to doctor`s carelessness. There have been reported cases of forgotten pieces of cloth and instrument inside these women`s womb which in turn lead to their death. Sorry as this situation might sound, many
women still find themselves in theater rooms willing or unwillingly.

At the end of the day, what people are interested in is having kids, this means that there should be healthy guidelines on when a CS or even induction should and shouldn`t be done. This would reduce the number of deaths among other postnatal complications.
Expectant women should also hang around people who encourage them and above all, trust their body`s abilities to deliver healthy kids safely.

There should however be a healthy guideline on when a CS should be done so as to reduce complications resulting from it. Women have lost their hands on unscrupulous quacks that most of the time are too hasty leaving behind towels inside wombs of their patients.

This has led to loss of life among other complications.

President Kibaki has directed a State funeral be held in honor of the late Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai.

Protocol for state funeral requires that a platoon- traditionally constituted by 36 soldiers in ceremonial uniform and regalia- accompanies the casket as it is drawn during burial. The head of state can also declare a day or days of mourning.

The casket that will be bearing the remains of Prof. Wangari Maathai will be draped in the Kenyan flag, and most likely placed on a stately carriage and escorted by a military platoon like the Late Vice-President Michael Wamalwa burial.

For the late Prof. Wangari we should expect a little more based on that she was an international public figure. The world will be watching so Kenya has to put its best foot forward.

The Head of State in this case has also declared two days of national mourning on Thursday and Friday during which flags will be flown at half-mast. No dates have been set yet for the ceremony.

It is a great loss. It is painful she did not live to enjoy the fruits of the new constitution,” that is how retired cleric Timothy Njoya said of Prof Wangari Maathai’s death. Njoya, a proponent of the second liberation, said he knew Maathai as a selfless person who would always sacrifice herself for the benefit of Kenyans.

Prof Maathai succumbed to ovarian cancer at 11pm on Sunday night, just over a year since she was diagnosed with the disease, in July 2010. Lucy Wanjohi, her personal assistant, said the former Tetu MP was in and out of hospital two weeks prior to her demise, as her health deteriorated. “She was so selfless that she gave herself to be beaten, intimidated and injured by the Kanu administration,” Njoya said.

President Kibaki said Maathai would be remembered for both her environmental and political crusades that led to reforms in the country. “With the passing on of Prof Maathai, the country and the world has not only lost a renowned environmentalist and but also a great human rights crusader,” said the president in a statement sent to newsrooms, “Indeed in 2004, the late Professor was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her contribution in environmental conservation, good governance, human rights and democracy.”

In politics, Prof Maathai, the president said, will be remembered for the role she played in agitating for political reforms that paved the way for the country’s second liberation. Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka were among Kenyans who expressed their shock upon learning of Maathai’s death. “The world has truly lost a hero. Her work in humanitarian and environmental aspects are incomparable” said the PM in his facebook page.

Kalonzo said the loss of Prof Maathai, Kenya’s first Nobel Prize laureate, was one of the saddest and most disturbing in recent times. ” Maathai will be remembered for her unrivalled fortitude, unwavering principles and sincere love for fellow mankind among other attributes found only in one of a kind once in a generation,” said the VP. “I worked in the Environment ministry with Prof Maathai and do remember her as an exceptional lady with an epic regard for excellence.”

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said he was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Prof.Wangari Maathai. “Wangari Maathai will be remembered as a committed champion of the environment, sustainable development, women’s rights, and democracy. Her contribution to all these causes will forever be celebrated and honoured.

Wangari was a courageous leader. Her energy and life-long dedication to improve the lives and livelihoods of people will continue to inspire generations of young people around the world,” Annan said, “Her award of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, the first to be bestowed upon an African woman, rightly underscored the important nexus in her work between sustainable development, peace and human security”.

UNEP Executive director Achim Steiner said Wangari would be remembered for her conservation efforts. “Wangari Maathai was a force of nature. While others deployed their power and life force to damage, degrade and extract short term profit from the environment, she used hers to stand in their way, mobilize communities and to argue for conservation and sustainable development over destruction,” he said.

Former Kabete MP Paul Muite recalls how the fallen heroine worked tirelessly to rescue Karura Forest from the hands of land grabbers. “She would go the extra mile and although she encountered many challenges, this did not deter her fight,” he said. “She was a true fighter. It’s a very sad event in Kenya, Wangare often reminds me of a verse in the Bible about a prophet not recognised at home but only appreciated outside her home, because this is what happened to Maathai; she was recognised by the international community.”

Wanuri Kahiu, a filmmaker who did a one-hour documentary about the Nobel Laurete, said she admired the environmentalist. “It was intimidating; I was really scared because I really wanted more than anything to be able to tell a beautiful story about Wangari Maathai. Something that will inspire people the same way I was inspired when I read her book,” Wanuri said. Her other Sci-fi film was dedicated to Wangare Maathai. Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, during the launch of the Sci-fi film, said Wangari deserved the Nobel Prize because it had taken her (Maathai’s) concept a notch higher.

A long time friend and fellow professor at the University of Nairobi, Vertistine Mbaya, said Maathai showed the world how important it is to have and demonstrate courage. “The values she had for justice and civil liberties and what she believed in were the obligations of civil society and government,” Mbaya said. “She also demonstrated the importance of recognising the contributions that women can make and allowing them the open space to do so.”

In a statement, the Green Belt Movement executive director Prof Karanja Njoroge described Maathai’s departure as untimely and a great loss to all who knew her, as a mother, relative, co-worker, colleague, role model, and heroine or those who admired her determination to make the world a peaceful, healthy and better place.

Forestry and Wildlife minister Noah Wekesa said Prof Maathai will be remembered for her efforts in the protection of trees and environment. “We will greatly miss her at the ministry. Her work through the Green Belt Movement will be remembered. She became a great advocate for better, equitable and just natural resource management. Her life’s work was recognised many times all over the world and she received awards,” said the minister.

Imenti Central MP Gitobu Imanyara said Prof Maathai was more respected and acknowledged internationally than in her own country. He said the government should have used Maathai’s knowledge and contacts to its advantage. Eldoret North MP William Ruto said he knew Maathai as a very sober politician.

In Parliament, Ruto said Maathai was not swayed by partisan interests but she voted on principle. “She was always objective. She voted with her conscience and her debating was also national,” Ruto said of Maathai. “Her love for the environment will ever be remembered.” Maendeleo ya Wanawake chairperson Rukia Subow said Maathai’s demise was a great loss to the women of this country. “We have lost a leader. A nationalist and an environmentalist,” she said. “May God rest her soul in peace.”

Filmmaker Mohinder Dhillon in a statement said he remembers how Maathai could dare make her way into Karura forest despite the presence of heavy security officers during the Moi era. “I recall one day when she bulldozed forest guards in Mt Kenya forest as she made her way to plant trees,” said Dhillon who also witnessed an incident where Maathai was brutally beaten up by security officers as she attempted to plant trees in Karura. “The government should continue to kick out these land grabbers as the best way to honour her,” he said.

Former Maendeleo ya Wanawake chairperson Zipporah Kittony also offered her condolences. Gichugu MP Martha Karua said she was saddened by Maathai’s death. “It deeply saddens me that Wangari Maathai, who was my role model and a great national and international heroine, has passed on. May we truly honour her life and legacy by carrying on her environmental and human rights activism. Wangari, we shall miss you.”

Dr Isaac Kalua of the Green Africa Foundation eulogised Maathai, saying: “For decades, Professor Maathai inspired many into taking care of the environment and her demise is indeed a great loss to all of us whom she mentored and knew her as a no-nonsense heroine when it came to making a decision that the world must be green and better place for current and future generation. She fought battles that many could not dare fight, and came out victorious.”

Rest in peace Prof Wangari Maathai.

Source: http://www.kimmediagroup.com/component/content/article/7-diaspora-news/284-tribute-to-a-fallen-hero-prof-wangari-maathai.html

She drives a Range Rover and is building a mansion on Thika Road only five years after entering the gospel music industry.
“I cannot deny that performing artistes make good money in this country,” Loise Kim, known for her songs Munjiari (Kikuyu for parent) and Taranda (talent) says.

Top artistes, she told the Business Daily this week, make up to Sh100,000 performing for a couple of hours.

Kim, born Loise Njeri Githuku, is upbeat and reveals how she identified her talent in gospel music.

At 38, she has tried a number of businesses, including the hitherto chaotic matatu sector.

She has a brief but sad report about the business: you don’t go to bed happy, your crew steals from you and police harass you.
She left it in 2005.

A year later, Kim  identified her singing talent:  “At our chama  (an informal buiness grouping) we decided in 2006 to compose songs for every meeting.”

Her first song, Munjiari, was an instant success.

“You composed a song at your event. Our group used to visit the parents and that is how my first song was called Munjiari (Kikuyu for parent) came to be. The tune was so successful that when I sang it to fellow women, they all cried.”

Kim operates on a tight schedule since her diary is fully booked for performances that include business tours by firms promoting products.

Last week, Kim, who sings in Kikuyu language, was with Equity Bank and Royal Media Services on a tour across the country to promote their products.

“Such tours are the main sources of making money for artistes in this country.” However, against the background of success and considerable fame, she enumerates hidden costs that walk in tandem with her as a parent and a late-night artiste.

“I really regret being unable to be there for my children a lot more,” says Kim, adding that her marriage broke up.

About performing at night events, she volunteers: “Some of my engagements have turned me into an owl of sorts and when most Kenyans have retired to bed, I am most likely driving alone in the dead of the night from one function to the other.”

Advances from men, seeking to cash in on her fame, have also been a challenge, especially those who contract her to perform.

Having tried her hands on so many things before settling on singing, her source of strength is the passion that keeps her going.

“Music is easily the best thing I have ever done.” It was an escape from the life of struggles, she says, her face lighting up with satisfaction.
Another ogre facing the entire performing industry, is piracy whose merchants, she says, have mastered the art of survival, confusing even the musicians themselves.

Kim says piracy is killing music industry in Kenya and is denying hard-working musicians their deserved decent living.

“These days, pirates will have their albums out competing with the originals in only 24 hours,” she says. They are having a field day in spite of surveillance by the Music Copyright Society of Kenya, the industry monitor.

“My latest album Nissi has been such a great success with playtime and public appreciation so widespread but I have received very little financial benefit.”

The musician made up to Sh80,000 a week from Munjiari album in the first couple of weeks or so before pirates caught up with her.
Pirates rob both the artistes and the consumer who is served poor quality music camouflaged in cheaper prices.

While an original CD costs Sh250 at accredited shops, pirates are selling low quality copy at between Sh50 and Sh60.

Kim has bagged a number of awards including the Mwafaka Artist of the Year award; she is now gunning for next month’s Kigooco Senior Artist of the Year Award and the Video of the Year award for her the song Nissi.

Quality work is the hallmark of success in the music industry, she tells budding musicians.

Never too old

A good work must appeal to the consumer when energy and flavour are synchronised to “excite the market.”

“Fixation with money and fortune is root cause of failure.”

In an industry that is littered with one-hit-song artistes, Kim says thinking about money before creating a worthy  product “is akin to putting the cart before the horse.”

South African anti-apartheid hero Miriam Makeba is her role model and a testimony that “you never grow too old to sing.”
Kim dreams of growth, but has ruled out combining singing with music production.

“It will  distract me from what I do well— singing.”

She asks budding singers to choose studios well and not be motivated by the cost while compromising quality.

“The studio could be the difference between a good song and a great song, a critical difference in music.”

Source: http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Piracy+is+killing+a+well+paying+talent++warns+singer+/-/539444/1232614/-/q7fu48z/-/index.html

Photo: Studio 1 NYC | Makeup: Danessa Myricks |

Endless worries of what could have been, clouds the minds of many, but one can take the steps to successfully prepare themselves for anything that comes along”, says Mpenzi.

It has been a zealous journey for super model Elizabeth Mpenzi. A native of Kenya, her passion for modeling coupled with resilience has carried her thus far. There have been many road blocks along the way, but this was a sacrifice she has been more than willing to take. “I had to convince my family that this is what I wanted to be. It has been difficult, but every challenge makes you a better person,” she assures.

Mpenzi began to flirt with the idea of becoming a model since the age of nineteen but had never really taken it seriously until one day she woke up and it hit her! At that moment she decided that she was going to “do this” and has been actively modeling since 2008.  She has traveled to various fashion shows in cities throughout the United States including Chicago, Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Los Angeles for editorial work. Mpenzi currently lives with her family in Baltimore, Maryland where she splits her time between traveling to New York City for model calls.

Photo: Drexina Nelson |

Most of Mpenzi’s knowledge has been acquired from networking with various photographers, makeup artists, and hairdressers. Enthusiastic about her future, this African beauty has embraced versatility and demonstrates no fear. “I love trying many different aspects of modeling. It’s an obsession,” she says proudly. “I thrive in competing, as there is an energy and fire. It’s through competition that we learn-I enjoy what I do!”

Finding the right agency and representation requires a lot of work and is often very challenging. However, Mpenzi has a growing portfolio that consists of commercials, editorials, high fashion and runway work, highlighting the diligence of her dedication. She has been published in various magazines: People’s Magazine, Hype Hair, and Ultimate Weaves & Hair. She has also been the face of hair companies like Bronner Bros (Feb 2009- Aug 2009), Outré (Aug 2009) as well as product companies like Porselene Facial care 2008 and U (ooh) Skin products.?

With her sight set on her goal and desire to take her talent to the next level, Mpenzi will stop at nothing until she reaches the very top. “My goal is to become a mega-super model. I will not take anything less than that. I want to do this for life,” she says. “I want to be known internationally and build my name, so coming back here will be easy to get work.”

Beyond her pretty face and the burning desire to strive to be the best at what she does, resides compassion to give back to a place where she proudly calls home.“God gave everyone an inner and outer beauty. God gave me this beauty and I want to give it back. I want to help kids in Africa, and be an ambassador for them-I love to help!” She explains of her goal to build orphanages around Africa, giving children hope to live, and a future in which their dreams can come to life.

“I believe every day is an opportunity to raise your life to a higher level by giving the best that you have. Whatever it is you desire, think it, be it, support it and you will enjoy it in great abundance.” –Elizabeth Mpenzi

SOURCE: http://shymagazine.com/shy/dmvs-top-model-mpenzi-does-it-all-for-love.html

Dr Jacqueline Kitulu, a member of the Organisation of Women in International Trade (Owit-Nairobi Chapter),  is testimony to the fact that networking is the heart of every enterprise. Owit gives women entrepreneurs all over the world an opportunity to interact and share their experiences.

As a member of the organisation, Kitulu apparently has applied well the knowledge she has gained interacting with her colleagues. This has earned her accolodes. She beat tens of applicants and won the prestigious Owit Woman of the Year Award 2010.

She bagged the award for her devotion to health education, social responsibility work and her passion for being the women’s voice in her field of practice. “Women must get equal education in school to be able to break the socio-cultural barrier. Our girls should not be discouraged from taking up what is perceived as men-only fields like medicine and engineering,” she says. “I remember when my class was graduating we were 10 females and 90 males. But today, I think there is a lot of empowerment and when I am coaching at the University of Nairobi, I see more girls taking up this profession .”

Jacqueline studied at the University of Nairobi after which she worked with the Nairobi Womens’ Hospital before moving into private practice. In 2004, she opened Jamko Health Clinic and Laboratory Services in Hurlingham, Nairobi. “I am a family doctor or a health practitioner as the West call it. I realised I needed to do more to reach  more people and expand my business but also be a source of health information,” she says.

The mother of two boys  is also the chairperson of the Kenya Medical Women’s Association, an NGO established in 1983 to champion for the health rights of the society, especially women, children, the disabled and elderly.

Owit vice chair Julia Kibore, who was representing the chairperson Rita Ndonye, believes in women’s abilities to  scale the heights if they seize  opportunities. “Owit is one such opportunity for women entrepreneurs. The organisation was started in the US by women who felt there was a need for them to share experiences and information,” says the founder and principle consultant of Marketing Solutions which focuses on the management of  cooperate events. “It began like what you would call a chamahere in Kenya, but in a more structured format. And as it grew, these women realised the need for them to form proper chapters.” With time, she says, the concept spread to other countries.

In Africa there are three chapter—  Kenya, South Africa and Egypt. The Kenyan chapter is called the Owit-Nairobi Chapter and is an affiliate of Owit International in the US which celebrated 20 years of  existence in 2009.

With 400 members, women entrepreneurs in this organisation provide a rich ground for networking due to their diversity. “Our members have expertise in many fields and you find women who run electrical engineering firms, marketing solutions companies, graphic designs enterprises, clothing business, investment advisory firms, SME consultancy, Agri-business companies among others,” says Julia  who also runs a boutique, Quanzza Clothing, at Prestige Plaza on Ngong Road in Nairobi.

Owit members are mostly women entrepreneurs but  young women fresh from college  attend the organisation’s monthly sessions. Aspiring women entrepreneurs are encouraged to learn through mentorship programmes. “We invite guests to facilitate the sessions. For instance, recently  we had the director and founder of Excellent Image Fridah Owinga, who talked about the principles for personal success and Chris Hart of Nyumba Yangu on relationships, among other speakers,” says Julia.

Julia attributes Owit-Nairobi Chapter’s 10 years of success to consistency, organisational skills of both the board and members as well as commitment to good governance.

The organisation was awarded by ILO-Wedge (Women Entrepreneur Development and Gender Equity) Programme in 2010 due to their  high governance standards. Owit ‘s key pillars  are networking, information and linkages.

It is a double celebration for these women as they take pride in bagging two award of Owit Woman of The Year Award 2010 and Owit Chapter of The Year 2010.

Besides,  their members have won Top 100 Mid-Sized Company, namely Joanne Mwangi (Professional Marketing Services), Ann N. Kinyanjui (First Choice) and Jennifer Barza (Top Image).

Such are the stories that have driven local banks to have tailor-made loans for women and Julia attributes this to the fact that: most SME businesses are run by women; women are the best payers of loans; and most of these loans do not require collateral, a merit that was used to lock out women. That she is  a Fortune US Government Most Powerful Women 2011 Mentee is testimony to her business acumen.

With this year’s theme: Empowering women towards trade beyond our borders, Owit has been holding a series of activities for all women and men entrepreneurs  to culminate with a dinner party today at Sankara in Westlands, Nairobi.

Source: http://www.nairobistar.com/business/profiles/29210-kenyan-women-take-global-business-stage-by-storm

President Obama’s accused drunken-driving uncle — who was busted after a near collision with a Framingham cop — has had a valid Social Security number for at least 19 years, despite being an illegal immigrant ordered to be deported back to Kenya, the Herald has learned.

The president’s 67-year-old uncle, Obama Onyango, has had a valid Massachusetts driver’s license and Social Security number since at least 1992, said Registry of Motor Vehicles spokesman Michael Verseckes.

Onyango, whose sister, Zeituni Onyango, made headlines when it was revealed she was an illegal immigrant living in public housing in South Boston, was wobbly legged, “slurring” and had “red and glassy eyes” when he was pulled over at 7 p.m. Wednesday on Waverly Street in Framingham.

A marked cruiser pulled him over just past the Chicken Bone saloon, about a mile from Onyango’s single-family home. Onyango, the half-brother of the president’s father identified in some press accounts as “Uncle Omar,” initially denied drinking but admitted having “two beers” after police said they smelled booze on his breath, according to a police report.

“It was clear that he was moderately unsteady on his feet,” Framingham Officer Val Krishtal wrote.

Onyango’s white Mitsubishi SUV was pulled over after the vehicle made a sudden right turn in front of a cruiser at a stop sign, causing Krishtal to slam on the brakes to avoid a collision. Onyango blew a .14 on the Breathalyzer and continually interrupted the officer, the report states.

“(Onyango) spoke English well, albeit with a moderate accent. I detected what I believed to be some slurring as he spoke,” Krishtal wrote.

Onyango was ordered held without bail on a federal immigration warrant after his arraignment Thursday in Framingham District Court. Court papers show he was the subject of a previous deportation order. He was being held in the Plymouth House of Correction last night.

Mike Rogers, a spokesman for Cleveland immigration attorney Margaret Wong, who is representing Onyango, said he “wouldn’t know how” Onyango obtained a Social Security number. Wong is the same lawyer who represented the president’s aunt, Zeituni Onyango, in her fight to win asylum last year. Reached at her apartment in a South Boston public housing complex yesterday, Zeituni Onyango said of her brother’s arrest: “Why don’t you go to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C., and ask your president? Not me.” She then hung up on a reporter.

The bust came just days after another illegal immigrant was charged with running down and killing a 23-year-old man in Milford.

Asked about the issue yesterday, Gov. Deval Patrick said: “You know my stance: Illegal is illegal. We need comprehensive immigration reform.”

Source: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1362374

It seems like just yesterday when only the slickest kid on the block had a smartphone, but now, this revolutionary gadget is selling like hotcakes in the developing world. Earlier this year, the Chinese firm Huawei unveiled IDEOS through Kenya’s telecom titan, Safaricom. So far, this $80 smartphone has found its way into the hands of 350,000+ Kenyans, an impressive sales number in a country where 40% of the population lives on less than two dollars a day. The IDEOS’s success in this market firmly establishes the open source Android as the smartphone of the people and demonstrates how unrelenting upswings in price-performance can jumpstart the spread of liberating technologies. Thanks to low-cost Androids, the geographically-untethered smartphone is here to stay, and it simply cannot be stopped.

So how did Huawei ride the demand curve below the golden price point, bringing an Android phone within the financial reach of thousands of Kenyans? Alongside the falling cost of all microelectronics, it appears that Huawei was able to lower the price by using less powerful hardware.

Let’s compare the IDEOS to more familiar smartphones so you can fathom the $80 price tag. A cursory search of BestBuy.com reveals the gamut of devices from Apple, Motorola, and Blackberry. While IDEOS really doesn’t sport any deal-breaking technical disadvantages (see table), the RAM is half that of the big boys. Also, IDEOS users have been lamenting about the device’s fleeting battery life on tech forums. An incessant need for recharging could present problems for IDEOS users in remote areas, where hunts for a power outlet may yield disappointing results. In fact, to address this concern, Safaricom had to post a “how-to” on reducing power usage. Despite these hiccups, the functionality is still there, and at end of the day, it’s an Android phone with 300,000+ apps. Besides, what’s important isn’t the phone’s tech specs, it’s the affordability.

Now that hundreds of thousands of Kenyans have jumped on the Android bandwagon, it’s clear that affordability goes a long way. However, the IDEOS’s stellar sales performance in a developing nation hints at a larger phenomenon –  the international competitive edge of Android-capable, low-end smartphones. This is facilitated by two key advantages: diversity in phone manufacturers and region-specific applications, both catalyzed by Android’s open source philosophy. Unlike Apple and Blackberry, everyone and their grandmother can legitimately build and sell an Android phone, as long as they have the proper know-how and paperwork, of course. This widens the playing field, and manufacturers that target a wide range of consumers, from the Japanese businessman to the Ugandan farmer, can step up to the plate. This includes Huawei and other Chinese tech firms that have been targeting African markets.

In light of Android’s international success, I bet Apple is chomping at the bit. But could they ever realistically overcome Android in developing markets? While Apple is nudging into the low-cost realm with its own price accessible smartphone, it will likely cost around $350, a far cry from IDEOS. I’d like to see how Apple would react if a Chinese firm started selling their own inexpensive version of the iPhone. But what about the “little guys”? Although Windows and Nokia encourage the adoption of their operating systems, frankly, these OS’s have either fallen from grace or have failed to get off the ground. Among these players, it seems Android is best equipped for a global presence, whereas Apple and the others probably won’t fall far from the high-end tree unless they re-calibrate their strategies. There’s enormous potential for low-end phones in developing markets, and Android is taking charge.

So what does open source mean for developers? More flexibility. If app-gurus are free to program without rigid, Apple-like standardization, then they’re better able to tailor the Android to the needs of their communities. The Android app business is a tough one, but keeping in mind that the smartphone is Africa’s laptop killer, it’s also one of the most exciting platforms for the continent’s developers.

Case in point. An entrepreneurial conference in Nairobi called Pivot25 showcased some of the most innovative Android apps in East Africa. Among these include M-Farm, an app that allows farmers to broadcast product prices and locations to the world via SMS. Another agri-app developed by Makerere University helps diagnose and track the spread of crop diseases via crowdsourcing. In a nation where agriculture accounts for nearly a quarter of GDP, apps like these could prove invaluable in maximizing harvests and facilitating the spread of precision farming.

While agri-apps are well-suited for the developing economies, the winner of Pivot25 was Medkenya. It’s the functional equivalent to WebMD in that it puts a library of health information at the user’s fingertips and performs other helpful tasks like guiding the ill to hospitals. However,  I have a hunch that this is just the beginning of healthcare-related apps in Africa. We’ve seen smartphones adopt all kinds of medical technology, from digital stethoscopes to cancer diagnosis, and I’m hopeful that we’ll see similarly stunning med-tech reach even the remotest areas one day. An app that tracks mosquito outbreaks or a smartphone with an HIV-testing peripheral would work wonders to address persisting healthcare challenges of the developing world. Who knows? Maybe one day they’ll be able to carry a doctor around in their pocket.

From agriculture to healthcare, from disaster response to business, the smartphone is quickly morphing into an indispensable tool of the information age. They’re much more than neat gizmos that help American suburbanites pay for their coffee. This sentiment was best captured by Dr. Bitange Ndemo, Kenya’s Minister of Information and Communication, after IDEOS’s debut.

In the beginning of the 21st century, the mobile telephone was the reserve of an elite few and the gadget’s sole purpose was to make phone calls and send text messages. Today, all this has changed and the mobile phone is no longer a luxury but a necessity. By morphing and adopting into various aspects of our lives, the mobile phone has gone beyond its original purpose of phone calls and text messages and it now serves as a bank, a computer a radio and a television set among other things. In a nutshell, it has penetrated every aspect of our lives.

The smartphone is the exemplar of a truly liberating device, and thanks to Android and Huawei, it has the potential to reach virtually untapped markets. Now that the same operating system enjoyed by the techies of wealthy countries is more accessible to citizens of developing nations, “the people’s smartphone” could uplift small businesses, farmers, and the sick in ways we can’t even imagine. I’m not saying low-end Androids will solve all the world’s problems, but I believe that technology, be it stem cells or mobile devices, has the inherent capacity to ease humanity’s burdens. As we ride the price-performance curve to the asymptotic minimum, I long for the day that anyone can access Android-like technology for pennies. That day may never arrive, but the $80 IDEOS shows that we’re moving in the right direction.

Source: http://singularityhub.com/2011/08/16/80-android-phone-sells-like-hotcakes-in-kenya-the-world-next/