Month: February 2015

The city Star restaurant, adjacent to the Nation centre went up in flames half an our ago, Fire fighters summoned  to the venue managed to contain the fire which razed down the second floor of the building.

 Workers at Nation Media had to be evacuated for the fear that the inferno and the fumes would affect the Nation building. Business at Kimathi street came to a halt as multitudes came to watch the firefighters contain the inferno. 

Here are a couple of photos :

City Star restaurant. 

Electric technicians  deleiberate on what could have caused the inferno. 

The winding stairs that show the damage that the fire caused. 

A Gas cylinder that show the evidence of a gas accident which was probably the prime cause of the accident. 

 

A fire break has been reported at the Nation Centre this morning.

According to Comedian Obina Ike Igwe who works with Nation FM which is situated in the building, the fire broke out a few minutes ago and people working in the building have been evacuated as fire fighters attend to the situation.

Here are some scenes from Nation Centre:

Obinna Ike Igwe: Current situation outside nation centre. Fire evacuation

This is what Obinna said through his Instagram account:

 

Evacuation!!! @angwenyiangela waaampoto!!!

A video posted by obinna ike igwee (@ogaobinna) on Feb 3, 2015 at 11:20pm PST

 

All jokes aside, the fact that Nairobi Aviation College has been operating for 16 years without accreditation and no one even batted an eyelid till now is a bit scary and sad .

Especially for the students and parents who have invested a colossal amount of money to educate their children only to find out that the college they sent their kids to is not even accredited.

I honestly can understand why they felt angry and redirected their rage though wrongly to the Nation Media Group. There is nothing worse than finding out that the place where you put all your money, sweat and tears is fake. It’s devastating to say the least.

I do not condone what they did, their anger should have been towards the college who hoodwinked them and not the person, who informed them that they had been duped, as they say, do not kill the messenger.

Anyhow, to avoid another case of wasted years and money, here is a list  Universities legally allowed to Operate in the country by the Commission for University and Polytechnics and Other Educational Institutions allowed to operate by the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority .

 

Public Chartered Universities

1)    University of Nairobi
2)    Moi University
3)    Kenyatta University
4)    Egerton University
5)    Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT)
6)    Maseno University
7)    Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST)
8)    Dedan Kimathi University of Technology
9)    Chuka University
10)    Technical University of Kenya
11)    Technical University of Mombasa
12)    Pwani University
13)    Kisii University
14)    University of Eldoret
15)    Maasai Mara University
16)    Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology
17)    Laikipia University
18)    South Eastern Kenya University
19)    Meru University of Science and Technology
20)    Multimedia University of Kenya
21)    University of Kabianga
22)    Karatina University

Public University Constituent Colleges

1)    Murang’a University College (JKUAT)
2)    Machakos University College (KU)
3)    The Co-operative University College of Kenya (JKUAT)
4)    Embu University College (UoN)
5)    Kirinyaga University College (JKUAT)
6)    Rongo University College (MU)
7)    Kibabii University College (MMUST)
8)    Garissa University College (MU)
9)    Taita Taveta University College (JKUAT)

Private Chartered Universities

1)    University of Eastern Africa, Baraton
2)    Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA)
3)    Daystar University
4)    Scott Christian University
5)    United States International University
6)    Africa Nazarene University
7)    Kenya Methodist University
8)    St. Paul’s University
9)    Pan Africa Christian University
10)    Strathmore University
11)    Kabarak University
12)    Mount Kenya University
13)    Africa International University
14)    Kenya Highlands Evangelical University
15)    Great Lakes University of Kisumu
16)    KCA University
17)    Adventist University of Africa

Private University Constituent Colleges

1)    Hekima University College (CUEA)
2)    Tangaza University College (CUEA)
3)    Marist International University College (CUEA)
4)    Regina Pacis University College (CUEA)
5)    Uzima University College (CUEA)

Institutions with Letters of Interim Authority

1)    Kiriri Women’s University of Science and Technology
2)    Aga Khan University
3)    GRETSA University
4)    Presbyterian University of East Africa
5)    Inoorero University
6)    The East African University
7)    GENCO University
8)    Management University of Africa
9)    Riara University
10)    Pioneer International University
11)    UMMA University
12)    International Leadership University
13)    Zetech University

Registered Private Institutions

        KAG – East University

List of Public Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority Institutions in the Country

National Polytechnics, KTTC and Technical Universities

1)    Kenya Technical Teachers Training College
2)    Technical University of Kenya
3)    Technical University of Mombasa
4)    Eldoret Polytechnic
5)    Kisumu Polytechnic

Institutes of Technology

1)    Coast IT
2)    Rwika TI
3)    Nyandarua IST
4)    Kiambu IS&T
5)    Rift Valley IST
6)    Friends Kaimosi
7)    Sangalo IST
8)    Siaya IT
9)    Ramogi IAT
10)    Gusii IT

Technical Training Institutes
1)    Nairobi TTI
2)    Kabete TTI
3)    PC Kinyanjui TTI
4)    Mombasa TTI
5)    NEP TTI
6)    Meru TTI
7)    Nkabune TTI
8)    Kiirua TTI
9)    Mukiria TTI
10)    Katine TTI
11)    Wote TTI
12)    Mathenge TI
13)    Nyeri TTI
14)    Michuki TTI
15)    Thika TTI
16)    Kitale TTI
17)    Rift Valley TTI
18)    Ollesos TTI
19)    Kaiboi TTI
20)    Baringo TTI
21)    Emining TTI
22)    Masai TTI
23)    Sigalagala TTI
24)    Shamberere TTI
25)    Bushiangala TTI
26)    Matili TTI
27)    Kisiwa TTI
28)    Musakasa TTI
29)    Bumbe TTI
30)    Mawego TTI
31)    Keroka TTI

Source:

www.cue.or.ke

www.education.go.ke

 

Just yesterday, controversial blogger Robert Alai was hosted by Sophia Wanuna on Morning Express to discuss pressing issues among them the Nairobi Aviation saga.

KTN managed to nail down Robert Alai and got him to shed light on his beef with Dennis Okari’s certificates of doom among many other things.

The interview KTN had with Alai was fair, nothing to raise eyebrows. What KTN did after the interview is what made Kenyans on social media mock them.

Deviating from its usual tradition of uploading an entire video as a single clip on YouTube, KTN decided to break down the interview with Alai into a cluster of 15 different short clips.

Their action has made Kenyans on social media to say KTN is riding on Robert Alai’s name with the interview it conducted.

Below is a post on Social Media Kenya and some of the comments posted:

Anyango Jowi: Hahahahahaaaa…

Francis Waithaka Kariuki: KTN brought Alai to discredit NTV?

Pancwise Gamgee: Give them a few more clicks Francis Waithaka Kariuki, to find out. Hehehehehehehe.

Eric Mugendi *gags*

Marrtn Martne: upus!

Louis Alosa: Hahaha, clever move.

Charles Kungu: clicks clicks and clicks you will get , its good for SMO however how relevant is the shared message.

Victor Ngeny: Same bollocks they do to the stories on their website…

After the eye-opening expose on NTV last Sunday that tarnished the reputation and subsequently crushed the hopes and dreams of Students who learnt that they had been part of an elaborate scam, Dennis Okari’s credibility has been called into question.

Some say that Okari was allegedly paid to finish off NAC by Kilemi Mwiria, UAC and Nairobi Aviation competitors. He was the hatchet master.

Okari has however come out to deny these accusations, writing this: (Long Post Alert )

When we did ‪#‎CertificatesOfDoom, we did so with full knowledge that there are thousands of other colleges and Universities subverting the education system through fraud.

We seem to agree almost in reverberation there is rot in our higher institutions of learning.Those who think that exposing more colleges and universities would have made the story more ‘acceptable’ are sweeping the truth under the carpet.

The strength of any Investigative story is centered on admissible evidence. What we had was Nairobi Aviation College. I wish we had more. (Don’t hesitate to reach me if you have evidence of malpractice where you are, we will do the story)

Someone rightly said, three men robbed a bank, only one was caught, is it injustice to expose him? Your guess is as good as mine.

ACCUSATION: I was paid by Kilemi Mwiria/Competitors/UAC.
They made me do the story? The lucid explanation to this, to ‘finish’ Nairobi Aviation College.

FACT: I don’t have a clue what UAC stands for. I don’t even know Kilemi Mwiria in person. There is no single proof connecting me to any organization or individuals or amount of money I was paid. The burden of proof lies with those raising these claims.

It’s interesting that ‘motive’ rather than Truth is being dragged along a mishmash of misunderstanding, gross exaggeration, falsified claims that are just plain wrong.

ACCUSATION: We paid fake lecturers to speak.

FACT: We have pay slips complete with PIN numbers and college stamps plus signatures, Employee names and numbers, appointment letters, staff meeting photos of the lecturers I spoke to. Before we started filming we had to verify their identities. All letters signed by the HR.

ACCUSATION: The people I interviewed are bitter because they were fired.

FACT: You will be surprised. One of them approached me because his faith cannot allow him to continue serving in a flawed system. His words not mine.

ACCUSATION: The certificates we bought are not from inside the school.

FACT: Our undercover student dealt with a man who works at Nairobi Aviation College. Pampula Ignatius whose elder brother is a senior principal in one of the campuses, received Ksh 4,000 through Mpesa. He is the one who proposed a meeting at a city hotel where he was given a down payment of Ksh 1,000 on 14/01/2015 at 1:47pm.

Six hours later he called our undercover student and the two met at another hotel where he delivered three documents.

a) A brand new original Diploma in Aeronautical Engineering
b) A leaving certificate (Date of issue 19th December, 2013) *Backdated
c) An Academic Transcript with 15 units with a ‘B’ Credit in Aeronautical Engineering.

He was paid the second installment Ksh 3,000.
Total Ksh 4,000. Everything was recorded on camera.

ACCUSATION: The documents we showed on TV are fake

FACT: We got them from the college or for argument sake an officer of the Nairobi Aviation stole copies from inside the college and sold them to us. They are genuine documents and we verified this. He is on record bragging how he has helped so many students across Nairobi Aviation campuses acquire the documents without setting foot in class.

Actually, another student from Nairobi Aviation College who had bought certificates from him gave our undercover student the number of the official.

FACT: Did we get a class 6 drop out to register as an Electricity and Electrical Engineering student? Yes we did, without any form of documentation.

He was registered after paying Ksh 7,200 on 13/01/2015 and was served by Mbula at 2:24 pm.
His fee included – Activity Fee = 1,000.00
College ID Fee = 300.00
Library Fee = 1,000.00
Magazine = 320.00
Registration Fee = 500.00
Stationery Fee = 880:00
Student Welfare Fund = 200.00
Tuition Fee = 3,000.00
TOTAL = 7,200

We have undercover footage of his first day in class with the first lesson, ‘Clinical thermometer’ on 16/01/2015 in the afternoon.

ACCUSATION: The college management said yesterday, the exam papers I claimed, as ‘Unmarked’ are fake. They don’t belong to the college.

FACT: We have stacks of exam papers from four departments that were never marked in the year 2012 and 2013 (End of year).

We have admission numbers, courses, subjects and series. We have the green question papers by Nairobi Aviation College Examination Board (NACEB) plus answers from students.

Lecturers graded the students based on their feelings and how they knew the students. I don’t think those students know they wasted time doing exams and they were never marked.

How did we get them? Lecturers from inside the college gave them to us.

ACCUSATION: We never gave the Nairobi Aviation a chance to respond.
FACT: Nothing can be further from the truth. The first person I phoned was the owner, Peter Manyuru on 28/01/2015 at 8:56am

Manyuru told me he was in Bungoma and referred me to a Mr Barasa. I met Barasa and a Mr Kemboi who agreed they’ve handled cases of certificates being given out to students through dubious means and they were shocked it was still going on. They admitted there have been cases of fake certificates connected to Nairobi Aviation. It’s so clear in the TV clip.

They were not aware I was secretly filming them. I requested for an interview but they kept taking me round in circles making endless phone calls. The 2 minute clip as seen in the story is part of over an hour of going back and forth. It was either an interview or something else. That’s the impression I got.

They agreed to call me at 6pm on 29/01/2015 to confirm the person I will interview. They failed to call as agreed. I tried reaching out to the officials including the owner of Nairobi Aviation but no one wanted to speak to me. I stayed at work waiting for them until 10:21pm when I sent them a text message pleading with them to arrange for an interview the following morning 30/01/2015. Time was running out and the final edit had a gap where I was to insert their response.

Mr Manyuru sent me a text at 11:23 pm saying he couldn’t speak to me because it was late. He promised to call the following morning.

30/01/2015 Mr Barasa called me at around 9:40am asking to meet him with no cameras. They didn’t want an interview and I will not speculate why, but it was clear I was not getting an interview.

The rest as they say is history but phone records and texts are evidence enough. I am told they went to court to get an injunction but i never saw it, I don’t even know who received it.

You want the truth? That’s the truth.

ACCUSATION: I have no pity for students at NAC
FACT: That’s why I did the story. The bigger picture is clear to those who can see it.

SO WHAT’S THE POINT

Nairobi Aviation has been operating without a Kenya Civil Aviation Authority accreditation for 16 years and no one bothered to check, yet they offer aviation courses.

When you pay over Ksh 300,000 to stay in class and spend hours studying for exams and someone just walks in and buys the same certificate you are struggling to get for Ksh 3,000. It should worry you.

It is painful for parents to break banks and give way for such institutions to gobble up their savings in greed. To detour off the path of those comfortable with the status quo, my conscious will not allow me.

Will I bury my head in the sand because every college and university cheats and I should leave everyone alone? A thousand times NO.

It was apparent the rot in Nairobi Aviation had to be unfurled by someone to conjure up a sober conversation.

When your institution is riddled with corruption and other vices, someone should expose it. That fight is ugly and involves sweat and blood but it should wake you up. Throwing stones at a building and causing chaos is only punching the air.

Of course I feel terrible for innocent students but two wrongs don’t make a right.
Students need to channel their outrage to the management. Ask the questions I would have asked and GET ANSWERS

 

 

Taking to the streets to demonstrate or protest or picket is always considered the last option after all avenues have failed to bear fruits. In fact demonstrations are a message that says, look, we have tried all possible means to solve this situation without success, so we resort to this: protesting.

NTV’s Dennis Okari went into depths to show Kenyans how people throng organizations with dished out certificates to look for employment opportunities even when they are sure they have never attended a single class. His case study was Nairobi Aviation College where he unraveled the mystery behind half-baked and incompetent personnel holding serious dockets in various organizations.

The expose, however, as it would turn out later, did not go down well with students from the institution. They advised themselves to face NTV head on, and so they did.

Monday morning we woke up to streets in Nairobi jammed with irate NAC students carrying twigs and other dangerous materials like stones, chanting names and calling NTV and particularly Dennis Okari all sorts of names, baying for his blood.

This was the first instance where the NAC students had just gone wrong. Why shoot the messenger when you have access to the accused? Directing their rage at NTV and Dennis Okari was the worst mistake an intellectual would ever do.

Okari had unraveled the rot going behind in NAC, a rot that would affect the students directly or indirectly.

Take this for instance. In the expose, Okari revealed how students graduated from the institution even when their exams had not been marked. I have been in college before and I used to hear that these things happen. Well, Okari just confirmed the grape vine that used to do round colleges.

Wasn’t this helpful to the students pursuing different courses in NAC and other institutions? Was Okari the right person to direct their anger to? Absolutely not. Instead of wasting time along Kimathi Street hurling stones at the giant Nation Centre building and harassing a journalist who came to cover the unfortunate event, the NAC students should have stormed their admin offices and demanded to know whether indeed their exams were not marked. They should have demanded for all the booklets to ascertain Okari’s claim.

That was the first case of what I will call misplaced anger directed to the wrong person. At the end of the day some of them were arrested and later arraigned in court where they were slapped with heavy cash bails. Kshs. 200,000 is an uphill task for a student and/or their parents.

Now the worse mistake that the students are likely to regret later is that they attacked a potential employer.

Nation Media Group and other organizations housed under Nation Center are potential employers for the students. Over time and again we have been told that do not cut a hand that feeds you or likely to feed you.

Stone thrown by NAC students hanging loosely on the window at Nation Centre

NAC students nipped the hand that is likely to feed them in the near future. Someone is already rubbishing my claims by saying that there are many potential employers. I know but look here, employers have the same voice all over. When you present your papers for employment sometimes later, they will definitely give you a promise that will never happen.

Stoning Nation Centre was the worst mistake that NAC students made. You are a journalist, an aspiring PR practitioner, a pilot, a business person or whatever you study in NAC and all you can do is throw stones in the heart of the capital. That is absolutely pathetic.

Energy wasted on useless and baseless engagements has never been recovered. I hope your potential employers are not reading this piece because it sounds so inciting.

Your management just confirmed the worst fears we had already developed when they released a memo full of literals. There is nothing like ‘roomers’ when you actually mean ‘rumors’.

Food for thought.

 

With an ever increasing thirst by internet users to find information on celebrities, music, films etc, Ghafla! has gone a notch higher to make sure its customers’ needs are promptly satisfied.

As the country’s entertainment scene continues to grow in leaps and bounds, numerous website have popped up to tap on the lucrative market.

Even so, Ghafla! has remained the leading entertainment site in the country with only five local websites standing on its way to being the top visited Kenyan site.

Alexa, an online research and statistical website that consistently rank the top websites visited daily in almost every country in the world that has internet access, has ranked Ghafla! above all the entertainment websites in the country.

In addition to Alexa, Google analytics has released its survey on Ghafla! too. The site is only less than 40 thousand to clock 2 million users per IP. Ghafla! has over 9 million page views in a Month.

Keep it Ghafla! for all the trending news.

 

NTV’s Larry Madowo has come out to speak about the ‘controversial’ interview he had with Alfred Keter and Sunjeev Birdi that got him criticized for lecturing the two.

Just because critics crucified Larry for conducting an interview ‘unprofessionally’ doesn’t mean he would apologise for it, as a matter of fact, Larry has vowed to do the same if given another chance to interview the two legislators.

Also read: Larry Madowo’s Personal Attack On Alfred Keter And Sonia Birdi Was Totally Uncalled For. This is Why

In an article he wrote on Daily Nation, Larry Madowo categorically said his critics overlooked the real issue and instead focussed on how he conducted the interview.

Larry defended his tactic of ‘grilling’ the two legislators saying his intention was to challenge viewers and provide them with a helpful analysis.

“My intention with the hard news interviews has always been to challenge viewers, make them a little uncomfortable with what they believe, to inform them and provide helpful analysis or context on why they should care about whatever subject we’re covering.” Wrote Larry.

He however made it crystal clear he wouldn’t be changing his strategy in conducting interviews saying viewers should get used to it.

“If I could do that Alfred Keter interview again, I would do it exactly the same way I did it before. You’re just going to have to get used to that.” Larry noted.

The first week of the Month is almost winding up, just two more working days left. Today being Ladies’ night and the midway to the weekend, revelers have already started gearing up for fun. That aside, here are the hottest stories we have for you this Wednesday morning:

#1Forget Subarus, This Is the Car Citizen TV Terryanne Chebet was Offered

#2Ciku Muiruri Goes HAM On Robert Alai Over Nairobi Aviation Saga. You Won’t Believe The Derogatory Terms She Used On Him!

#3Sweet: This Is What Mohammed Ali and Boniface Mwangi Did For Pregnant Brenda Wairimu (Photo)

#4Boniface Mwangi Caught In An Embarrassing Situation And Forced To Go Defensive

#5After Leaving Citizen TV, Alex Chamwada Is Back On The Screen. See The Difficult Job He Is Currently Doing

#6Sweet Photos Of Mark Masai’s Wife. It’s No Wonder Mark Picked Her

#7Maina Kageni Becomes The Latest Victim Of Robert Alai’s Criticism

#8Despite The Controversy Surrounding Her Fiancé, KTN’s Hottie Betty Kyalo Stands by Dennis Okari

#9Unfollow Me If You Studied At Nairobi Aviation, Former TV Anchor Tells His Friends

#10Did Singer Emmy Kosgey Dump Nation Media Group’s Linus Kaikai Over Infidelity?

Last Week, Janet Mbugua posted a photo of the outfit she was planning to don for the weekend, at first I was taken aback, and I thought to myself… (What a wonderful world) But then again I refused to allow  curiosity take the best of me, for a moment I even thought that the mellow-voiced, baby-faced queen of Tv was getting married without a ceremony! 

Fastforward and the weekend was upon us, Janet wore a short elegant dress and completed it with a mini- birdcage veil that was lopsided at the side of face from her hair. She looked like the perfect bride dressed in all white. 

Her Brother Kelvin Mbugua was getting married to his “Mzungu”  bride  on Saturday at a private wedding. Happy for her brother, Janet Mbugua would share a few photos from the wedding on her instagram account. 

When the vows rent the air and two become one-united by the ring that bound together forever.

To the Just married Couple :We wish you bliss, we wish you love, and the best that only love can bring, may you live long enough to celebrate countless Anniversaries and celebrate in the little joys that life brings forth. 

Now to the main point, was Janet’s dressing up a pre-cursor of her incoming wedding?  It is only fair that the oldest sibling gets married first, and for the mbugua’s, Janet may be next. She already seems a little excited by the idea of a wedding.. But I am Speculating, only time will tell. 

It Is always very rare to see celebrities flaunt the people they love dearly and can do anything for. This perhaps is so because they are public figures who every day try to avoid courting controversy.

However, Radio Maisha’s Jalang’o is not stooping into that category. He is willing to flaunt what he cherishes and he is willing to tell the world how much he can love.

Jalang’o has flaunted KBC and Sauti Sol’s public relations officer Anyikwo, and said sweet words about her, confessing how he feels happy every time it hits him that Anyikwo exists.

Through his social media media account Jalang’o said:

 

 

After the infamous expose by NTV’s Dennis Okari, Certificates of Doom, which showed how people got certificates from Nairobi Aviation College by parting with only Kshs.3000 without attending even a single class, students from the institution took to the streets of Nairobi City to protest the expose.

They specifically stormed Nation Centre, a building that houses NTV, and hurled stones to the building, breaking glasses and destroying property.

Police later came to cool the situation and more than 15 of them were arrested and taken to Central Police Station.

As this happened, the Nairobi Aviation College management released a memo showing the next move after the protests.

The memo which was widely publicised had typos which made the public doubt the institution even more.

This is the memo that left many talking and wondering whether the management is made of qualified people:

Brenda Wairimu and Brian Weke are probably the two most famous faces on local casts today. Even so, they have turned out to be partners in crime.

You will be surprised to know Brenda Wairimu and Brian Weke not only use deception to rob their victims, but they are also muggers.

Yes, despite the two being widely known to have mild temperament, they were given the role of cold-blooded criminals in their new movie, the Nairobian.

The Nairobian is a movie which I will call the perfection and continuation of blockbuster, Nairobi Half Life. The same producers who brought you Nairobi Half Life are bringing you the Nairobian.

Some common faces in Nairobi Half Life are also playing lead roles in the Nairobian. Having perfectly blended in the cast of Mali, Brenda and Daniel have proved to be the ideal actor and actress to feature in the Nairobian.

For all those used to their ‘soft’ side, check out the trailer of the Nairobian below to see how the two are actively engaged in all sorts of crime.

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