1. Kenya's National Cohesion and Integration Commission accused Kenya's prime minister, Raila Odinga, of engaging in "hate speech," and warned him against using such terms as "erroneous." It warned that the use of such demeaning words "could cause disharmony to right thinking citizens in the country." (See my post on March 29, “Freedom of Speech. But Not Really.” regarding Kenya’s constitutional exceptions to free speech.)
2. A 12 year old boy missed several weeks of school because he was detained at the Kerugoya District Hospital for failure to pay his Sh10,820 medical bill ($127). He missed his midterm exams.
3. During the trial of a man charged with attempting to kill a policeman in Nanyuki, the prosecutor had a major setback when its star witness unexpectly denied on the stand that the accused had assaulted her as well during the attempted murder, as she earlier had reported to the police.
4. A 24 year old man in Naivasha was sentenced to death after he was found guilty of robbery with violence and threatening to kill his robbery victim. He stole a taxi driver's car and Sh16,500 in cash ($194).
5. A high school in the Garissa District closed down for two weeks following a student riot. The students went on a rampage "driving teachers out of their houses and looting their belongings after their mobile phones and civilian clothes were confiscated." No students have been arrested to date.
6. Two women filed cross suits against each other in Nairobi accusing each other of sending abusive text messages. The magistrate was unhappy with each of them and said they should have settled the matter before coming to court. He released each of them on cash bail of Sh10,000 each ($118) and scheduled the cases for hearing.
7. On April 1, the Daily Nation's front page was a full story on Kenya's plan to build a new nuclear power plant that will meet all of its energy needs for the foreseeable future. It went into great detail. I read every word.
A short notice in today's paper stated "We received a lot of calls from readers commenting on our Page One story on Nuclear power plant for Kenya in yesterday's Daily Nation. We wish to inform our readers that it was just an April Fool's joke."
8. In Kenya's stunning soccer victory against Angola last week in the last few minutes of a qualifying match for the Africa Cup of Nations, the scoring midfielder, McDonald Mariga, was given a red card after he ripped off his jersey to show his undershirt with the words "God Above Everything."
9. Hundreds of candidates might be locked out of Kenya's national education examinations because they do not have birth certifications. "It emerged yesterday that nearly half of the candidates were yet [to] receive them. . . . [parents] said they have spent days outside the registration office but they have not received the vital papers." (The Standard, 3/24/11.)
10. Literally every day the papers report on a faith healer outside Loliando, Tanzania (about 55-60 miles SW of Nairobi) who prepares a brew that he claims to cure all ailments, including AIDS and diabetes. The Rev. Ambilikile Mwasapile warns, however, that it must come from his own hands in his own village to be effective.
Last week the convoy of vehicles lined up to see him in his village included more than 4000 vehicles and 24,000 sick people and their relatives. The pilgrimage was stopped until April 1 after 52 people died while awaiting treatment.
The Reverend has been visited by dignitaries and state officials from surrounding countries, some of them arriving by helicopter. An expert on herbal medicine confirmed that the herb is one of the most common traditional cures for many diseases. "Matandamboo" has been used for the treatment of STDs and other ailments.
And this advertisement made me glad I brought my multiple packs of Orbit and Extra:
"Research has found that chewing gum stimulates certain areas of the brain which may have a relationship to reducing tension. In addition, chewing gum improves people's ability to retain and retrieve information."
i love that kenyans celebrate april fools day.
ReplyDeleteThese are fascinating. It's interesting to see that people are using the courts (the text messaging lawsuit) but disheartening that there are so many problems due to bureaucratic failures (i.e., birth certificates to take examinations, holding the boy in the hospital until his bill was paid).
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