Safari Notes

#Muguka and #Miraa are known to be detrimental and destructive to families, health and wellbeing. In #Kenya most of those who consume the two are #Muslims; and look at what it has done to them - it has kept them low economically and educationally. Children from families who chew the two drugs, very rarely go far in education. It's Muslims who are mainly to be found in poor places like: Kalolenis, Majengos, Bondenis etc. If it wasn't for many Muslims working in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries (where many were being paid well) and if it wasn't for millions of #Somalis migrating and living in Western countries (sending remittances), Muslims would have been even much poorer.  Then look too, at countries that have many people chewing muguka/miraa - they are some of the poorest and most fragmented - #Somalia, #Yemen and #Djibouti. The millions of Muslims in #Ethiopia are poor and uneducated mainly due to their families being dominated by #qat.  How can the laws or constitu

Democracy" - what's its definition? The West prefers it to be defined as suits them. Hence - they did all they could to subvert and overturn "democratic elections" in: Algeria, Palestine etc. And they support and prop dictators as long as these are what they consider beneficial to/for them. They invade and kill millions and try to impose on others, as in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Grenada etc. - in the name of "human rights" and "democracy", as defined by them.  Africa and many parts of the world have been scammed/duped by the so called "democracy". Millions are living in hunger, misery and abject poverty in these so called "democracies". While the rulers, leaders and the elite in these countries live in such affluence and luxury that - that, in itself are excellent catalyst and motivation for these revolutions sweeping Africa.  Very hopefully these revolutions will very uplift the lives of its people, give these people justice

Many in the West, including leaders and politicians - are forcefully doing all that they can to promote the acceptance of homosexuality. Presently, in America , those campaigning have insultingly gone as far as to equate legal rights for homosexuals with the historic black struggle against racism; there is a specter haunting it. It is the movement to promote and legalize homosexual marriage. The movement has adopted a cunning political strategy to appeal to everyone from the suburban soccer mom to the urban white-male liberal: It has packaged its demand for the radical redefining of marriage in the rhetoric and imagery of the U.S. civil rights movement . For Africa and Africans, if the Western world condones and accepts homosexuality, is not a problem; America and other Western countries (which base their democracy and culture on ancient Greece which tolerated and allowed homosexuality ages ago) are free to decide for themselves what kind of a culture and a society they prefer. But,

Lake Malawi Malawi needs to find means to uplift its 15 million plus citizen's lives out of the abject poverty and misery that most live in. The small, landlocked country, which is very dependent on assistance and aid from foreign countries and international aid agencies, has taken steps and joined the list of East African countries searching for oil. If it can find oil, Malawi (one of the world's most densely populated and least developed countries) has a very good opportunity of very much improving the living standard of its people. But, the country faces a few daunting problems in its quest for oil.

IMF forecast According to the IMF, there is now fast economic growth in East Africa . All countries in East Africa are reportedly doing very well. In reality, are East African countries truly doing well? Are lives improving? All East African countries are indeed growing; they are all projected to grow by about 5% this year and the coming few years. But then, look at the region's GDP based on PPP per capita; considering how fast the population is growing in the region, the economic growths are not that impressive: in 2016 - Kenya's GDP will reach about $2,500 while Burundi's, the poorest country in East Africa, will hover at about $500. Compare that to (in 2009): South Africa's or Botswana's - both at about $10,000; or Seychelles, with about $30,000; or the richest country in the world - Qatar, which has about $74,000. Gapminder: HIV trends Ever heard of Gapminder ? It is an amazing, superb tool that provides you with such a variety of statistics, cha

Uganda, at last, surrenders Migingo Islands : Uganda on Wednesday gave up its claim on Migingo Island and apologised for what it said was an inaccurate decision based on wrong interpretation of a 1962 map. In compensation, it announced that it would allow Kenyan fishermen access to 400 nautical miles of its territorial waters in Lake Victoria. “Our surveyors were wrong in their interpretation of the 1962 map. “It is an old map and not as accurate as modern maps,” said presidential spokesman Loofapril Kabalagala. Mr Kabalagala said President Yoweri Museveni had spoken to President Kibaki on the matter. What a relief? At one time, many thought that Kenya and Uganda might go to war to settle the dispute over the Island. But, thankfully, the territorial dispute has been peacefully resolved. See also map of the Island .

At last: Uganda bans female genital mutilation! Last Thursday, the Ugandan parliament unanimously passed a bill banning the very risky and cruel circumcising of females . Unlike Kenya, circumcision, both for males and females, is not widely practiced in Uganda. Anyone convicted of the practice, which involves removing all or part of the female genitalia, will face 10 years in jail or a life sentence if a victim dies. Eastern Uganda is where the cruel, traditional rite is practiced most. Female circumcision is practiced in many parts of Africa and Asia. Reasons given for the practice vary from place to place. They include : Sexual: to control or reduce female sexuality. Sociological: for example, as an initiation for girls into womanhood, social integration and the maintenance of social cohesion. Hygiene and aesthetic reasons: where it is believed that the female genitalia are dirty and unsightly. Health: in the belief that it enhances fertility and child survival. Religious reas

Biofuels are produced from plants and plant-derived materials. They reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse-gas emissions when used to power engines, cars and other road vehicles. Can biofuels be the answer to a greener and more sustainable future for our Planet? With huge oil reserves lying under it , Uganda is still going after greener energy resources. It has embarked on a project to test the viability of biodiesel from jatropha, a drought resistant crop : The government energy policy advocates increased research and use of modern renewable energy sources which it expects to increase from the current four per cent to 61 per cent of the total energy consumption by 2017. The East African A mature jatropha tree can produce three kilos of seeds annually and continues to yield for up to 40 years. An acre of land can take up to 1,000 trees of jatropha. AllAfrica Unlike: wheat, corn, oil palm, sugar cane, sugar beet and soy - which would only bring more misery than good if used to

I spent most of my childhood in Northern Uganda; and still regularly spend time in Uganda. While growing up - be it in Lango or Acholi, not once did I witness any homosexual tendency or behavior . Boys and men grew up as men - we learnt from an early age, that handshakes have to be firm. No holding hands or hugging or touching or kissing between boys or men; that was unthinkable and impossible. Any one who has been in Northern Uganda, would know that even women there are masculine in many ways. They are strong; a woman can ride a bicycle with a baby strapped on her back and more load carried on the back of the bicycle; with no problem at all. In Kenya, it is the same. Most of my youth and early manhood was with Luos. They too are very similar to Northern Ugandans. Masculine; Luo women are masculine too. It is only when I visited and later lived on the coast of Kenya, that I openly saw homosexuals. I even saw homosexual prostitutes in Mombasa. I was shocked and was rather nauseated.

When it comes to the best way to fight and control HIV/AIDS, I completely agree with the Ugandan and Kenyan First Ladies: Mrs. Janet Museveni and Mrs. Lucy Kibaki ! Behavioral change is the best way to fight AIDS! Of Mrs. Museveni: "As a result of ..... national call for sexual abstinence for unmarried individuals and faithfulness within marriage, 95% of Ugandans in the year 2000 had either zero or only one sexual partner. Primarily because of this, HIV rates have declined by two-thirds in Uganda over the last decade and a half," and: " As a result of her incredibly powerful and effective role in showing that it is realistic for leaders to model and call for healthy behavior ..." And Mrs. Kibaki: "Mrs. Kibaki stressed the need for students to abstain from sex until after marriage, saying she was against the use of condoms by students as it promoted immorality and was not the best tool in the fight against HIV/AIDS. "You know how you can be infected with