Month: March 2013

Barely two hours after being exonerated of hacking charges, award-winning journalist and blogger Dennis Itumbi has been summoned by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) for alleged hate speech on his Facebook account.

According to a letter to Itumbi, the complainant known as just “Concerned Kenyan”, alleged that Itumbi has been engaging in acts that amount to hate speech. The complainant claims that Itumbi has been posting threatening messages on his timeline which are intended to cause ethnic hatred/violence among various communities in Kenya.

The letter (below) added that the commission is investigating the matter and may require the blogger’s assistance.

On his part, Itumbi is now challenging the officer who handed the letter to him to host a Public Grilling Committee and table the alleged complaints of him promoting tribalism and hatred; and he will promptly appear before it. He added that he will defend every update, comment, picture or note he posted.

Before I get to the juicy part, let me first jog your mind a little. Some time back socialites Huddah Monroe and Shee Waruinge were entangled in one of the ugliest tweefs on Twitter in Kenya that made Shee to delete both her Facebook and Twitter accounts after her husband’s directive. The tweef even pushed a concerned Twitter user to lash out at the two socialites unapologetically. Well, more details about the tweef have just emerged.

Apparently, Shee is still baying for Huddah’s blood. Now, a fortnight ago, the former Queen of Facebook, inboxed Cabu Gah and apologized for trying to “diss” him in a post Cabu Gah describes as “mildly scathing, unapologetic piece, before proceeding to ask for a ‘favour’.

According to Cabu Gah, Shee wanted him to write a diss letter to Huddah and proceeded to cite a whole load of reasons why he should diss Huddah. Cabu Gah reveals that Shee told him very many nasty and personal secrets about Huddah. However, the main reason why he was supposed to diss Huddah was because Huddah was hating on Vera Sidika. Strange, yeah? 

In spite of all this, Cabu Gah decided to look right through the whole thing and do nothing about it because one, he never knew the two chics (Vera and Huddah) implicated in the whole drama. He also refused to be used because it sounded like a cheap diva war and had got him bored already.

Cabu Gah also asserts that he still does not know who Huddah Monroe is, what she does for a living and has no idea why she is popular.

Over to you…

I came across this video while doing my usual dredging up of the Internet high seas for stories related to Kenya’s entertainment scene. How is any of this related to entertainment you ask? Well kind sir, i have absolutely no idea but seeing as we have a TV category, it goes.

This video is of Kenya’s 3rd president Emilio Mwai Kibaki’s upbringing. KTN interviewed members of his family -his siblings.

The video is a rather candid take on Kenya’s outgoing president and his rise from abject poverty up until he became Kenya’s 3rd president. Watch the video below and be inspired.

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BBC recently featured Julie Wang’ombe, to interview her about her new found ‘fame’. What’s the connection? Read on. 

After I wrote an opinion piece about the condom advert that has raised hell and high water much to the chagrin of some people, in my ignorance I hoped it would help. It didn’t. BBC reported yesterday that the advert has been pulled down because clerics believe that it is fueling infidelity. Wait what? As if people actually needed a reason to cheat! The article contnues to say, ‘Around 1.6 million people out of Kenya’s population of 41.6 million are living with HIV, according to the UN. The Kenyan Anglican Church’s Bishop Julius Kalu said the advert, shown on free-to-air TV stations at peak audience times, had promoted extra-marital affairs and sex among school pupils, Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper reports.

“There are better ways of passing useful information to society. This one has certainly failed,” he is quoted as saying.

“It openly propagates immorality, especially when all family members are gathered before television sets, waiting to watch news,” Bishop Kalu said.”

Wow. I have a lot of respect for religious leaders, but that in no way means I agree with the stuff they preach as the ‘church’s stance. Read the whole article here.

Maina Kageni has weighed on it ad nauseam. Tina Kagia spoke about this on her show when a listener called to say that he is HIV positive. I addressed this issue yesterday, HIV infections are skyrocketing in the confines of marriage, what happened to the marriage bed remaining undefiled? What the church should have done is opnely discuss the fact that spouses are cheating on each other with reckless abandon and if it goes unchecked, there’s a generation that will be decimated. Or should I use the word annihilated? Read my rant here. Even Astar weighed on that and I covered it there.

I will not lobby for the advert to be ‘reinstated’, there’s no need for that anymore, the genie has been let out. Again, we need to have this conversation, you want to stray, protect yourself and your spouse. And by all means married women should stop pretending that there are powerless against this fight!!! Children are not an excuse excuse, if you die who’ll look after them? You cannot say that out of submission, you’ll let a philandering man endanger the future you have worked your whole life to safeguard! Walk. No really, walk. Many women have raised families by the sweat of their brow, if discomfort’s altar is where you offer yourself as a burning sacrifice, ‘burn’, but ensure your progeny survive, you only have yourself to blame.

One last ‘fact’ the article shared that I consider a load of claptrap, “More than 80% of Kenyans are Christians, with Muslims forming the second biggest religious group…” We being ‘pious’ is a rumour, if this was indeed a religious nation as we purport to be, all the tribalism that runs amok in our lives would be like the unicorn, non-existent. Read Jeff’s breaking news on that.

Some people are gonna skin me alive for this piece but indulge me for a brief moment

The media and in extention social media is awash with fiery discussions aboutt he new condom advert. Astar gave his two cents on it, I wrote about it earlier today. I however a very different stance. 

There are things that people do to spark debate. Sometimes, it is necessary to agitate for change by whatever means necessary. Kenyans are and I will not shy from saying this, very hypocritical. They are secretly or openly tribalistic, serial cheaters, vanity chasers yet they will be the first to fill up the church pews on sundays and weep like they are actually being convicted. Who disagrees? Have you heard the calls people make to Maina Kageni? He was called a heathen by priests and he called them out on his show, read about that here.

Back to the condom ad; that advert I believe is there to get people talking. We cannot sweep things under the carpet and pretend that everything is hankydory. Married people are cheating, statistics blatantly prove that. Single people are cheating, statistics show that. So why don’t people want to admit this simple fact? That is why that advert I believe had to be screened. It had to piss people off to the point where you can’t hold it in. HIV is still spreading because people want to get it without using protection. The sad part is that people are deliberately not erring on the side of caution and increasing infection rates.

I’m not advocating for permarital sex, “chipoing” or cheating when you are married, far from it. All I’m saying is, some things are done to create conversations that people will not have even when it is imperative to. Feel free to debate with me objectively. I’m done. Read about the condom advert here, and the hullabaloo about it. Watch the advert below.

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Currently, the social media and the country by and large is awash with the debate of whether the controversial advert advocating for condom use should be pulled down from the screens or left to air, with each side defending their argument.

This arose after the Church raised concerns about the “Weka Condom Mpangoni” ad arguing that the commercial promotes adultery in the society which is against the doctrines of Christianity. The ad is not the first to elicit sharp reaction from the audience because the intended message has been represented wrongly.

So which are some of the TV ads that have been received in a bad taste the audience? Take a look;

#1 Weka condom mpangoni
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#2 Fresh Fri cooking oil
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HERE’s what Mista Majani thought about this ad.

#3 Parodontax toothpaste
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Most respondents find this ad so disgusting and the fact that it is aired at prime time (when most people are having their evening meal) just makes it worse.

Do you agree? Do you refute? Share your thoughts.

According to the Africa Movie Academy Awards to be held in Nigeria on 14th April 2013, Kenya received nine nominations. The ceremony, full of pomp and pizzazz was hosted  by Her Excellency President Joyce Banda in Lilongwe Malawi.

Yesterday, I posted about Nairobi Half Life getting to be screened in 100 cities across the United States of America. Did you see that article? Well the accolades keep pouring in. Nairobi Half Life received nine nominations. The director Tosh Gitonga, was nominated together with the main character Joseph Babu Wairimu (Mwas) and Olwenya Maina (Oti). Another movie that was nominated was Ng’endo Mukii’s yellow fever which shall be screened at Goethe institue next monday. Read about it here.

Here is the list of nominations.

Best Promising Actor- Joseph Babu Wairimu (Nairobi Half Life)

Best Film in an African Language- Nairobi Half Life

Best Film for Achievement in Editing- Nairobi Half Life

Best Film- Nairobi Half Life

Best Director- David Tosh Gitonga (Nairobi Half Life)

Best Actor in Supporting Role- Olwenya Maina (Nairobi Half Life)

Achievement in Sound Track- Nairobi Half Life

Best Short Film- Yellow fever, Burnt Forest

Best Documentary- Give Me Back My Home

Achievement in Cinematography- Nairobi Half Life

Achievement in Sound- Nairobi Half Life

For the full list, read it here, Congratulations are in order.

So there’s no denying, that Kenyans are creative in ways that knock the socks off the rest of Africa every so often. From memes to innovations, we ‘run the world’ so to speak. That fact is realized often when social media, is forced to pay homage  when we ‘take over’. Just ask CNN.

Now a month or so ago, Ghafla brought you the story of the guy behind the Faiba Animation. But have you met the guy who voiced it? Read about Michael Muthiga of Fatboy animation here. Now, courtesy of Holy Dave, I got the scoop for you, read below.

“My name is Peter Kyalo a.k.a the Faiba guy. I am a voice over artist and copywriter. One of my popular clients is Jamii Telkom (the guys behind Faiba) and Hope Fm radio station, at which I am the station’s voice. I am also a partner at Fullhouse Music Studios that recently entered into a partnership with Holy Dave’s High Def Music.” FullHouse Studios, is the studio where you were getting employed by Holy Dave last week.

“I undertook the Faiba commercial in partnership with Fatboy Animation. My role was doing the voice overs and scripting, and our studio Fullhouse Music developed and produced the audio content. The animation was done by Michael Muthiga of Fatboy Animation.”

“Apart from voice over work, I am a motivational speaker, event emcee and musician….” There you have it. More on this story soon. Meanwhile, more Faiba news here.

We are all aware of the tribal hatred that that has characterized the social media in recent days. The hatred take the form of people either condemning or insulting the opposing presidential candidate (Uhuru or Raila).Opposing camps are also calling each other names. The “losing side” gives manner of all reasons why their man must have won the election and the “winning side” are celebrating and castigating the mourners. All these have perpetuated hatred between the two antagonizing tribes on Facebook and Twitter.

This could not be portrayed any better as done by the ever creative cartoonist Gado. It’s for this reason that this photo deserves to be the day’s photo.

Many people have been and continue being victims and of drink spiking or kuwekewa mchele (as commonly referred to) on their night out. The incidents are widespread in most hangout joints in Nairobi, regardless of whether they are in downtown or uptown. However, it’s never that serious to most guys till they or someone close to them falls prey.

Recently, K24’s Violet Otindo sought to find out who these people are and what drives them to commit the heinous acts. It emerged that these women who lace other people’s drinks with drugs usually have one common goal; that of taking advantage of them. One of the women interviewed reveals that she does not do it out of her own volition, rather she’s pushed to it by male patrons who demand for sex but since she is never ready to do it (because her main interest is cash) she spikes their drinks before ransacking their wallets/pockets for cash.

Just like other professions, they get to “work” from as early as 8AM. They also reveal that depending on the amount of drug they place in a victim’s drink; he can become intoxicated unexpectedly, fall into deep sleep or even die! What’s more appalling is that they obtain the drugs over the counter from drug stores.

Watch the shocking investigative piece below;

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He is known for tickling your ribs every Friday with his “Truth Meter” segment on Citizen TV. The show sifts through the truths the half-truths and the outright lies from the statements made by politicians as they do their thing.

Today, however, Willis has decided to address ladies in a rather special way. He outlined a ten-point guide that every lady out there should abide by in life. Here’s Willis’ TEN COMMANDMENTS OF WOMEN;

1. Don’t be in a hurry to move out of your parents house.

2. Don’t wait for a man before you start living. You can live a fulfilled life as a single woman.

3. Stay away from alcohol. It has killed others and you are not special.

4. Don’t entertain a wrong number call, especially at night. Its not the
right way to find a lover.

5. Develop a healthy eating habit. Always take breakfast and avoid sweets.

6. Dress well: Impression count. People will judge you by the way you dress even before they talk to you.

7. Don’t use sex as proof of love. Sex is no proof of love, he’ll leave you after the sex.

8. Don’t marry for the money, else you’ll become one of his possessions.

9. Add value to yourself – get a career. Don’t be fooled that a man will solve all your problems.

10. Beauty is not everything. If it is all you have, you’ll lose your place to someone beautiful, better more matured and competent than you.

Read more about Willis Raburu and Truth Meter HERE.

Astar describes himself as the light that leads to the light. He’s known for a string of hiphop hits, as well as very candidn conversations about his journey to finding Christ. These conversations I believe is what culminated in the cleaning the airwave scampaign that seeks to hold the media accountable for the stuff they put out there.

Well if you misssed our article yesterday on the new condom saga, you need to read that. That is what Astar touched on in  his status update earlier. This is what he had to say concernign this issue.

“So thought I’d share my 2 cents/”sense” on the “Weka Condom Mpangoni” add that’s currently running on telly. Firstly, airing it during prime time was a well thought out strategy by the marketing team behind the campaign to reach it’s target audience. I believe they have been successful at hitting their target audience. However, I don’t think they factored in the secondary audience, being kids and teens also watching this advert. The advert does more harm than good to this secondary audience, planting seeds of ‘it’s ok just as long as I’m strapped’.

“Also, I do understand that morality in our society has gone to the dumps however dealing with the fruits rather than the root problem will NEVER solve the issue. It’s sad that we’ve gotten to the point where we appear to endorse infidelity in marriage. My 2 cents… stick to the ABC – A for Abstain, B for Be Faithful to 1 partner and C for Use a Condom. [This ABC message however also depends on the target audience being spoken to]. Just my thoughts…”

What say you? Astar is known for making his stances clear on issues. Remember last year when Pulse went ham on him for ‘drinking?’ Read his open letter here.

A while back, it seemed asthough Citizen’s only strategic play at becoming the leading station and being the most watched news station  was to poach the talent developed by other TV stations. And while such a strategy has been proven effective both within Kenya by Citizen itself and abroad by CNN and even in sports, it’s usually a rather costly affair.

Especially when you have a competitor with just as much if not more resources than you hold in the reserves and at hand. K24 has adopted Citizen’s strategy with such brutal efficiency that one would be forgiven for believing Citizen are out of it.  Read about the media wars here. And here’s a list of everyone K24 has poached thus far. But that’s usually the right time to change tact.

And Citizen have adapted and evolved. They are now looking to create their own news anchors and stars in their own right. Citizen has called out to any graduate who thinks they have what it takes to be a news anchor to send their CV in for appraisal and selection.

But there’s a catch; you only have until the 25th of this month to get your CV to them. So seeing as today is the 20th of March, that would mean you only have 5 more days. Hassle! Hustle hard!

To apply, e-mail your CV and a passport to tvanchor@royalmedia.co.ke

Watch a video on the same here:

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Back to Mbotela, life was great as we nursed dreams collectively, shared the sorrow and the dream jointly, all of us believing that the future held that promise for us in Nairobi and having no God Father to claim the space for us.

Fortunately, despite our challenges we laughed, we calmed each other, we dated and we lived the challenges as they came, getting the stamina everyday.

Sometimes we walked to town, other times one of us got a deal and we helped each other and by the way am talking of 2005-2007..just the other day.

I remember walking from Valley Arcade to town as we dropped CV’s and hoped to get a call from somewhere somehow.

We had three suits which we hanged collectively and used to attend interviews when they presented themselves.

It all paid off eventually, we got off to our careers, the struggle had prepared us for excellence.we bagged awards separately, we moved the ladder smoothly and we dreamt on.

The journey took me from People, to Baraka FM and to Voice of America. My friends one day will tell their story but so far each of them smiles on.

I will not say I am at the Destination, but I will say the journey has been awesome and sitting where I am today I can confidently say for those that dare to dream its possible.

Instead of just dropping CV’s drop them with a plan of how you intend to do your job, instead of waiting for a job register a business name its only 1,000 bob, or register a self help group it will cost you 600 bob and begin selling services.

There is space for each of us with a dream, you see swimming in the river as i grew up taught me that when the water washes you away dont just look to hold onto anything, instead be that something that can be held on. the lesson from the river was always keep floating and you will not drown,just make sure you are floating the challenges not withstanding.

Pick a pen and write down your dream, write one that is reliant on employment, but write one that is not reliant on employment. What is not written is fantasy.

In between the career growth i never let my talent die, I wrote plays and poems and trained many schools some to National level and that helped me make many friends and kept the real me going. Kenyan Theatre by the way is the next big thing.

I started blogging with a blog that was called Abunuwasi.com, I really loved it, I had discovered that Kenyans read only 20 % of what gets into a newsroom due to space constraints and started a place that would tell the stories that don’t hit the mainstream. I made no money with abunuwasi, but the feedback was great, my challenge was how to turn the feedback into a resource that would show in my account.

In my duties as a reporter, i met a lawyer, @Kamotho Waiganjo who told me he liked abunuwasi and challenged me to do something bigger and structured, he helped me register a company and he left me to think, literally left.

I will forever be greatful for what he did, I then started The Fountain News.co.ke, that was a great hit, not only did attract corprate business but it opened my eyes to a whole industry that was still virgin in utilization.

I tendered my resignation to VOA, a bold step, to concentrate on blogging, it was not making as much but I knew that was the answer.

A blog posting about Birds one time caught the attention of an International NGO and that was the beginning of serious blogging, journalism.co.za approached me to write about journalism, UNESCO made me their Mobile journalism consultant and within no time blogging had become a serious venture.

I will one day write teh rest of the story, but this was meant to encourage someone out there by saying yes there exists something like a Kenyan Dream, I have lived it and I know, there will be challenges and hurdles but it is there and you need no God Father you can be what you want to be by doing what you must and keeping your eyes on the goal.

Birthday thoughts. Hope someone out there is now energized to dream again.

God Bless. I dedicate this birthday to mentoring and inspiring people.

Dennis Itumbi is just not any other journalist/blogger out there. He has literally gone through so much to get to where he is. Rising from a young boy herding his parents and late grandparents cows, today Itumbi is an international award-winning journalist, playwright, blogger, novelist and owns a group of County newspapers, Media and Social Media Consultancy and Solutions.

In his words, this is the Kenyan Dream. As he marked his birthday two years ago, Itumbi retraced his journey to success. Take a look;

It is possible to succeed without any relative holding your hand, or even knowing someone who knows someone.

As I celebrate my Birthday today 10 years down since I first came to Nairobi on my own, I confirm its possible to dream and live a dream.

The word here is living the dream. Experiencing it. Let me share abit of the journey.

I remember my last speech as a Form Four leaving Meru School where our Motto was “In Understanding be Men” those who were in school with me will recall how we all sang to “We shall Overcome” the World that was ahead of us which we had no idea about.

Many years later I came to Nairobi, I keep saying on a Valentine Day, dressed in a shady Maroon Kaunda Suit that was a mix and match of Maroon and White, and it felt seriously smart and Hot.

I remember getting lost from Tea Room and finding myself in Ngong Avenue Two.
You see, i grew up herding cattle, an experience i value to date and thank my parents and my late grandparents for exposing me to.

There is something in knowing the basics like how to deal with artificial insemination, how to help a cow that is giving birth and has difficulties, how to harvest and sort our coffee into the different grades, how to take care of a Coffee Tree from planting, weeding through to production and the most fascinating for me how to Milk.

Like many of us here who grew up in the village,school sounded real because it taught us what we did practically, I first swam in a river, that was our natural bathroom as boys, wading away from the occasional green snakes that fell off the sugarcane plantations on both sides of the river and we had a natural scare for them, i have never known whether its scientific, but tying the arrow root tubes on your waits as you swam scared the snakes.

There were many other things that worked, when you saw a squirrel and walked back five times and made a wish it came true. A scratch on the Nail always faded bringing with it a gift either a shirt or a shoe.
Blocking the water with mud and wood to create deep ends was particularly lots of fun. Cows straying to a neighbours farm and eating up the plants and the beating you got from the neighbour and then from grandpa and parents later on was such a basic that prepared us on communal values.

It was great knowing that the only day that you could dress in immaculate shine was Sunday. The clothes worn on Sunday were special, Grandma used to lock them in her room and you would only get them on Sunday.
Sunday was a special day the only day you did not wake up to six to go the farm if it was a holiday. Sunday specials included being allowed to sleep till 8am and on that day the children were not allowed to milk, we grew being taught that literally Sunday is a no work day.

The best bit of Sunday however was that after Sunday School, we got to have soda, you see thats the only day we got to the shopping centre, 8km away from home (16km) to and from.
I have said it before it was a great experiencing the taste of Babito – especially what i thought was stone – only to learn later it was an effect of the Fridge.

Many times i have overturned while riding in a bull pulled cart – that was early life.
Later in Nairobi, together with my good friend Dennis Onsarigo, we could not afford the rent of a room in Mukuru slums valued at 3,500 as we struggled our way into survival.
Not once the room was locked and we had to seek creative ways to survive including sleeping in rooms at University of Nairobi as we hustled for the cash.

Our First jobs paid a partly 9k and less for a months work but we took it on our slide and kept our eyes on the ultimate prize.

Ethnicity was not a factor, we held different ideologies but were united by our collective dreams, later as we moved on I met Martin Gitau, a man I have literally grown up with from my days as a teenager and we together took a single room in Mbotela Slums – definitely an improvement from the former place we lived, but here we had Richard Bosire, Imende Benjamin and Kiura – t least here rent was not an issue, but I leave it to your imagination how we handled our dating and romantic lives in a single room.

Later me go back abit one day we went out with Onsarigo and the house we used to live in was on kind of a basement, we had temporarily moved to Nairobi West, it was raining. We did not know that when it rains the water gets into the room, so my good friend had gone out with his girlfriend and being the perfect gentleman he said, “ladies first”, the poor lovely gal fell into a pool of water…I rest that story there.

Click HERE to read the second and final part of this story.

Now now, the latest condom advert has sparked such a fire that all and sundry in gving their two cents on this ‘clande’ issue. My question is, people in Kenya are having sex, why not admit that alot of these guys are reckless about it?

Well a new show is about to hit your airwaves and trust me, controversial converation starters is what it promises. I finally stumbled upon the behind the scene pictures so you know who to expect on your tv screen. This is what I got from the HOUSE OF LUNGULA facebook page “HOUSE of Lungula is a Sexy Comedy movie coming soon touching on the sexual habits of Kenyans. Starring: Ian Mbugua, Lizz Njagah, Gerald Langiri, Sarah Hassan, Helena Waithera, Lenana Kariba, Gitau Ngogoyo, Nice Githinji, Diana Nekoye, Lydia Gitachu, Auma Njagah, Sheila Kwamboka and Alex Konstantaras. Jeff had written about this here. It is written and directed by husband wife duo Alexandros Konstantaras and Lizz Njagah, who are giving you Kenya’s version of Keeping up with the Kardashians…in their case Konstantaras. Read that here.

By the way that ‘bio’ continues to day, “HOUSE of Lungula is a Sexy Comedy movie coming soon touching on the sexual habits of Kenyans. Based on a true story. Our production values may suck but that’s not the only thing that “sucks” in our film…” Lawd!