Star Opinion: We Should Not Abandon Culture In The Clamour For ‘Tribal Elders’
21 May 2012 - Now that the general election is around the corner, we will soon see politicians moving from one place to the other being proclaimed or made clan or tribal elders by almost all the 42 tribes of Kenya. The question arises: is this cultural apostasy or real chieftainship?I am not prejudiced by what has happened in the past or what is yet to happen. But I want to lay bare the fact that the whole idea of ‘elder making’ is ill-conceived...

Star Opinion: Make Polio Threat A Distant Memory
21 May 2012 - Wild viruses and wildfires have two things in common. If neglected, they can spread out of control. If handled properly, they can be stamped out for good. Today, the flame of polio is near extinction — but sparks in three countries threaten to ignite a global blaze. Now is the moment to act.During the next two weeks, on two continents, two events offer the chance for a breakthrough. First, the leaders of the world’s largest economi...

Star Opinion: Take volleyball to the next level
21 May 2012 - KENYAN volleyball teams once again demonstrated their prowess as they ruled the 10-day Africa Club Championships where Kenya Prisons and Kenya Pipeline reached the final of the competition. This left no doubt about the country’s prowess in the game of volleyball.However, it is not enough to rule Africa and rest on our laurels. It is time Kenyan teams both at national and club level took the game to the next level. Prisons, for example, h...

Star Opinion: Right Triumphs Over Might In Law
21 May 2012 - When the police cancelled the Limuru 2B meeting last month several people argued there was no need to challenge what was clearly an injustice. It seemed that Gema’s decision to abrogate on itself the right to determine who all those of us from the three communities would vote for was not meant to be challenged. It was also clear that our calls for nationalism amongst Kenyans as we head to the general election were unwelcome as far as som...

Star Lifestyle: Why Don't We Use Condoms?
21 May 2012 - Recently I wrote a piece on two men who had removed condoms mid-coitus without informing their female lovers (Weekend Star, column called The Last Round). These women then told me of their experiences. There are more than two of these reprobates screwing amongst us, carrying out this abhorrent violation.What still puzzles me more than a month later is that these are adults. Not young adults who are two years into their sex lives, but rather me...

Star Lifestyle: Understanding Generation Y
21 May 2012 - It’s official; I am consumed by Generation Y. The responses from last week's article on Generation Y were massive. Some 134 e-mails in total, 87 of them coming from Generation Y. Let me say this once again, this lot can spell and communicate in more than 140 characters. The rest of the e-mails came from parents, teachers, researchers among others. The messages were very insightful to say the least. Let me share a few of the thought-provo...

Star Lifestyle: What UN’s biggest meeting means for Kenya
21 May 2012 - The biggest meeting in the history of the United Nations to be held next month in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, is partly being planned from Nairobi. It may radically change the way the world develops in future as nations seek green economies. Unep spokesman Nick Nuttal explains how this will affect you. He spoke to our writer John Muchangi.The largest ever United Nations meeting is coming up next month in Rio De Janeiro, focusing on sustainab...

Star Lifestyle: Were politicians breastfed properly?
21 May 2012 - Do you trust your local politician? Or to ask in another way, do you think your local politician breastfed well as an infant? Current baby development theory stresses the importance of the first 1,000 days of life. Within that time period, the first six months or roughly 200 days, a new mother is recommended to exclusively breastfeed the baby. The benefits of breast milk are clear. Not only is it nutritious but it also protects the baby agains...

Star Lifestyle: Does sugar make you stupid?
21 May 2012 - Too much sugar could be making you stupid, according to researchers. The suggestion follows tests in the laboratory comparing high-fructose corn syrup, which is six times sweeter than cane sugar and a common ingredient in processed foods, with omega-3 fatty acids, known to aid memory and learning. In an experiment on rats, one group had a sugary diet for six weeks and another was fed healthily. At the start of the study, publish...

Star Opinion: Price Controls Can Lead To Inflation And Costly Loans
21 May 2012 - The Kenyan parliament just passed a new finance bill and there is important good news: interest rates will not be capped. Prior to this, there was a risk that Kenya would embrace unconventional economic policies, and there were heated debates regarding price controls over the last months. Many policy makers and Kenyans think that interest rates ought to be capped at a certain level, especially following their sharp rise since the end of 2011. ...

Star Opinion: Increasing MPs’ Perks Is Illegal
19 May 2012 - Dear Prof Githu Muigai,The latest attempt by Members of Parliament to hike their benefits, allowances, emoluments and gratuities is unconstitutional. You know this already: as a senior counsel as well as the principal legal adviser to the government, this is highly likely to have already been brought to your notice.Moreover, you would most probably by now know that Jayne Mati of Mars Group Kenya has lodged Constitutional Petition 175 of 2012 f...

Star Opinion: When Hyenas Become Shepherds, The Sheep’s Safety Becomes Uncertain
19 May 2012 - Reports that our good old honourable Members of Parliament, imbued by their natural spirit of ‘extreme patriotism’— as they always are, get that right, you doubting Thomasses out there— have decided to have their gratuity increased and backdated by several years reminds me of an equally ‘patriotic’ creature in the animal kingdom.This animal is so devoted to fellow animals that it cannot stand the sight of an...

Star Opinion: The new and irreversible trend in public appointments
19 May 2012 - There are phrases about democracy which seem meaningless, until you see the ideas behind them being put into practice. One of these phrases, is that democratic government involves “the rule of law, rather than the rule of men.' If anyone doubted that this is a revolutionary idea, they now have all the evidence that it is indeed revolutionary – right here in Kenya.In one case, we have seen the appointment of the new Chairman of the ...

Star Weekend: Nairobi Park Diary: Gazelles galore
19 May 2012 - The green grassy plains are looking magnificent after the good rains and many herbivores are now having a season of plenty.There are parts of the park where mixed herds of Grants and Thomsons gazelles move around together. I find it interesting that for thousands of years these two types of gazelles have lived in close proximity, and yet it seems that they have never interbred. It should be noted that the Grants gazelles are much larger than t...

Star Weekend: Let us appreciate our cultural diversity
19 May 2012 - A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.Donna Roberts."I am proud to be a Kenyan", is a phrase that has been going around for quite some time now. The aim of the phrase was ostensibly to unite all Kenyans and install a sense of patriotism in the communities. The phrase was printed on t-shirts and car stickers to help spread the feeling. Did it work?I do not think it wo...

Star Weekend: Day In The Life: I’m amazed how being at home has made a difference to my daughter
19 May 2012 - I recently quit my job at CDSC and started my own accounting consultancy firm called ReZa Consulting so I am still establishing my routine. I have two daughters, one of whom needs to go to school by 8am so that has not changed. We get up at about 6am, wake my firstborn up and start the threats and shouting "get dressed", "brush your teeth", "hurry up"… it can get hectic. We then sit down for breakfast and read the bible and pray before ...

Star Weekend: The office of DPP needs reforms
19 May 2012 - It’s no wonder that, in some courts, criminal cases are adjourned for lack of prosecutors; hampering the dispensing of justice and contributing to the infamous backlog of cases in our courts.Ironically, this is in a country with an ever increasing surplus of advocates, who remain jobless or under-employed. The ODPP’s staff levels are low, with only 93 prosecuting counsels, 295 police prosecutors and 132 central facilitation staff;...

Star Weekend: States that tax gays should be ready to protect their rights
19 May 2012 - Thursday May 17 is marked around the world as the International Day Against Homophobia. The main point of the day as I see it is to fight homophobia or the fear of gay people. This fear comes mainly from ignorance and misinformation. Those who acknowledge family members or friends who are gay are much less likely to be homophobic than those who refuse to acknowledge this fact.Anyone who is honest about their interactions with gay people will t...

Star Weekend: Community rebels should be supported, not vilified
19 May 2012 - The golden rule of power is that you must not outshine your master. Yet this is what rebels and dissidents do almost everyday. Peter Kenneth, Raphael Tuju and James Ole Kiyiapi have often been at odds with their community for choosing to go against the popular direction of their respective communities.Let’s start with Peter Kenneth. By all accounts, the Gatanga residents have had a smooth ride in his term as MP. He has scored the highest...

Star Weekend: The constitution, not the president has kenyans’ interests at heart
19 May 2012 - Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka recently visited Narok to drum up support for his candidacy for the presidency. The VP also chose to wade into the ongoing debate about the President's appointment of 47 commissioners. Kalonzo was quoted on the May 15 copy of the Star in an article titled 'Kalonzo defends Kibaki over 47 commissioners' as saying, ‘‘Those opposing (commissioners’appointments) don’t have Kenyans’ intere...