2009 London Marathon winner braves travel chaos

The winner of the 2009 London Marathon has set off from Kenya in the hope of making this year's competition, despite continued travel chaos caused by the ash cloud.
23-year-old Sammy Wanjiru, also the Olympic record holder, had been training at home, leaving him in danger of missing the race.
see  BBC video
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8633847.stm
The London Marathon: The History of the Greatest Race On Earth

Mombasa crows -Kurabu

Aggressive House Crows
They are native to India and were introduced to East African ports such as Mombasa and Zanzibar, where they are now a major pest.
one early december morning as i sat on the rooftop trying to finish Barack Obama's Audacity of hope this hyper aggresive crow started circling around and making threatening voices.
i managed to snap a few pictures.
now i understand why a friend said that the kurabu's need to go for anger management.

 Mombasa Kurabu for anger management training

Four Kenyans will be among those attending President Obama’s entrepreneurial summit

Four Kenyans will be among those attending President Obama’s entrepreneurial summit set for between April 26 and 27 this year.

They include Mr Yusuf Keshavjee, Ms Rehema Jaldesa, Mr Salim Amin and Ms Nuria Farah.

The four were selected based on their innovative ideas and ability to promote entrepreneurship, their commitment to community service, and gender, geographic and urban/rural diversity.

The conference A New Beginning: The Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship - builds on President Obama’s speech to the Muslim world in Cairo last year in which he promised to host a summit on entrepreneurship “to identify how we can deepen ties between business leaders, foundations and social entrepreneurs in the United States and Muslim communities around the world.”

Greater exchange

“We now seek a broader engagement” that involves greater exchanges in education, health, science and shared ideals, he said in Cairo.

The conference will highlight the role that entrepreneurs play in communities in creating jobs and improving societies.

Results expected from the gathering are new programmes, partnerships, relationships and networks, which will encourage starting new businesses and social projects.

In all, about 250 people of various religious backgrounds are expected to participate in the meeting.

Mr Keshavjee is co-founder and current chair of the Boards of Honey Care Africa Ltd a social enterprise which has to-date brought over 9,000 smallholder farmers above the poverty line.

Ms Rehema is a career woman and an entrepreneur with more than 10 years experience in the banking industry.

Mr Salim Amin is the chairman Camerapix Ltd.

He also heads the Mohamed Amin Foundation and also chairman of A24 Media.

Ms Nuria Sheikh, currently pursuing a MBA at the University of Nairobi owns Risala Enterprises Ltd, a private limited company that was established in 1995. 

nation.co.ke

http://www.entrepreneurship.gov/summit/

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (Vintage) 

map of where the delegates come  from

http://www.entrepreneurship.gov/summit/map.aspx

Change We Can Believe in: Barack Obama's Plan to Renew America's Promise

Lamu comes to life during the Maulidi festival

By Linah Benyawa
Travelling to Lamu is an attraction in itself, whether it’s by air or across the rich blue waters of this tropical archipelago.
The streets of this antique town are never more than eight feet wide not even enough for two cars. Fortunately the town has only one car belonging to the local District Commissioner. Yet every visitor will acknowledge the difference as the air becomes cool and rich with the heady aromas and perfume from the markets.
Each year, Lamu comes to life during the Maulidi festival. Maulidi is the popular name given to Milan-un-Nabi an Islamic festival held during the third month of the Muslim calendar to celebrate the birth of the prophet Mohamed.
The festival is said to have originated in Egypt in the 8th Century, but the East African version is thought to have been started in Lamu in 1866 by Habib Swaleh Jamal Lely. It is said he also established the great Riyadha mosque in Lamu.
The Lamu Maulidi celebrations take several forms but at the core it is a joyous and devotional exercise that is bound together by culture. Though the main religious rites take place in and around the Riyadha Mosque there are many traditional games and dances at the seafront to capture the eye.
Cultural wealthThough Maulidi is celebrated globally, the Island has been the centre stage hosting over 60,000 visitors from all over the world. According to Alawy Abzein a Public Relation Officer at the National Museum of Kenya (NMK), Lamu is the most popular region given it’s importance in the East African region.
But despite Maulidi being an Islamic celebration, it’s fast becoming a foreign exchange earner. Many local and international tourists flock the town that is rich in cultural heritage and records the highest number of historical sites in the country.
During Maulidi, Lamu’s museum stages several competition and races designed to encourage local skills and practices central to the locals’ lives. These include local dances like Goma — a war song danced with swords in praise of heroes. The dance involves men holding long sticks or bakoras and swaying gently to the rhythm of the drums. They also pair off and arm themselves with traditional curved Arab swords and stage mock fights. This showcases one’s agility, poise and sword-handling skills.
For this year’s festival, NMK has send out circulars and invites to different competitors who might be interested in taking part in the different games.
Other activities that attract tourists include Swahili poetry, Henna painting, dhow and donkey race, tug of war, Arabic calligraphy among others. The dhow race is meant to encourage the art of sailing. For the race, some of the town’s finest dhows are selected to compete. It takes a combination of speed and manoeuvring skills sometimes under windy conditions to emerge victorious. Spectators, both locals and visitors follow the race from the town’s piers and jetties or from the roofs of the restaurants around.
Other crowd pullers include swimming and bao competitions. The swimming competition involves a challenging cross-country race along the water front. And in the sweltering heat, this no mean feat. At times it get so hot that many runners are forced to side track and plunge into water even when they are not required to in order top cool off.
Crowd pullersHowever, the highlight of Maulidi, which involves the Island’s symbol and is also the crowd’s favourite is the donkey race. It is said that local donkey riders spend the entire year training for this race and the winner takes another year to celebrate his victory. Like the dhow race, the town’s best donkeys are selected for the finals. It’s a sight to behold as riders hold onto their donkeys while trying to make them go faster, while others are tossed up in their air and onto the ground. It takes a lot to keep the animal on the path and ahead of others.
Under the shadow of large trees many of the men gather for Bao competition. This is thought to be the oldest known game in human history. The game is played on a board made of wood of four lines of shallow holes. The game itself involves beads, seeds or stones placed in the holes at terrific speed. At the same time a player should think fast to counter the moves of his opponents.
A display of traditional handicrafts and henna painting are a favourite with many women. Food lovers also have a chance to attend the Swahili Food Bazaar along the sea front.
Apart from hosting the religious activities, Riyadha mosque has organised medical camps in the honour of Habib Swaleh.
"One of Habib’s dream was to have a traditional Arabic clinic and this is why we have medical camps with every celebration," says Muhdhar Khitamy a great grandson of the Habib Swaleh.
Medical servicesThe mosque has also set up a VCT centre within the medical camp to ensure integrated services are available for all.
Though hotels and guesthouses expect full bookings given the large numbers of visitors, much needs to be done according to Titus Kang’angi, chairman of the Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers, Coast branch.
"Maulid is a big celebration in the coast region especially in Lamu, but I think there is need to improve it in terms of advertising so that as many people as possible can attend," said Kang’angi.
He added that, the celebrations should also as an opportunity to sensitise non-Muslims on the festival.
"There is need for the Maulid celebrations to be spiced up so that huge number of visitors coming from all over the world will also take time to learn and appreciate the cultural heritage of Lamu," he added.
Without a doubt, Maulidi is a celebration that brings together the ancient and the modern in a cultural pot. It present yet another proof of why Lamu has been a port of call for travellers for the last four centuries.
 

Maulidi Festival 2010 video

BYU students bring bagged water to Kenya

For the majority of Kenyans, staying hydrated means choosing between an overpriced bottle of clean water and a recycled bottle that might be filled with pond water. Living thirsty isn't an option on the equator, even if water-borne illness is the all-but-certain alternative.
Three graduate students at Brigham Young University want to bring another option to Kenyans: plastic pouches of clean water that everyone can afford. They've seen it in action in western Africa, and are sure the social venture can be equally successful on the continent's untested eastern coast.
They're calling the project Marere Pure Water -- "marere" means fountain in Swahili, which is spoken alongside English in Kenya. Marere Springs is also the name of the Mombasa, Kenya, natural municipal water source into which they'll be tapping for their supply.
read more
Matt Reichman can be reached at mreichman@heraldextra.com.

kenyans denied visa's to dubai

The deportation of four senior members of the United Arab Emirates government has sparked a serious diplomatic row between Kenya and UAE.
The UAE has for the last two weeks denied many Kenyans including a cabinet minister, MPs and business people entry visas to Dubai on flimsy grounds.
Hundreds of Kenyan traders flock to Dubai to buy electronics, textiles, household goods, mobile phones and industrial products which are available at fair prices since it is a free port.

Planning Minister Wycliffe Oparanya and his personal assistant were last week denied entry into Dubai for several hours - even though the minister holds a diplomatic passport.
It took the intervention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nairobi for Oparanya who was travelling back from New York to be allowed in.
Members of Parliament's Committee on Implementation, which is chaired by Kigumo MP Jamleck Kamau, were denied visas in Nairobi last week but were allowed in when they applied on arrival at Dubai International Airport.
"They denied us visas when we applied in Nairobi but when we arrived in Dubai on Thursday they issued them to us. We were told that the UAE was very upset because of some arrests that were made so they decided to retaliate by denying Kenyans visas," said joint Government chief whip Jakoyo Midiwo who was in the delegation.
from nairobi star
read more  nation
The Rough Guide to Kenya, 8th Edition

Jahazi Coffee House old town mombasa

A few minutes’ walk from historic Fort Jesus, along the narrow streets of Old Town Mombasa is a little gem of a place that radiates the hopefulness of a new generation. Its founders choose to look beyond the fray of individualistic pursuit, and are making a praiseworthy effort to improve the lives of the community amongst which they live.
The Jahazi Coffee House is the brainchild of three teachers at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa. It is a meeting place where young and old, rich and poor, residents and visitors alike, enjoy tea, coffee, snacks or a meal, and engage in a rigorous exchange of ideas and opinions.
Beyond the traditional Swahili fare and the authentic “Old Town experience,” what is inspirational about this endeavour is the spirit in which the founders have conceptualised and nurtured it. They have shown that, often enough, making a difference in the world needn’t come with a big price tag. It simply requires common purpose, an engaged imagination and a bounty of spirit.
read more ..jahazi coffee house

Coffee Bean Direct Kenya Milima Estate Loose Leaf Tea, 2 Pound Bag

Jambo Bwana

Things to do in Mombasa

you will definitely love Mombasa ..good choice.
there is lots to do in mombasa and you can also use mombasa as a base for going to a safari.
http://bestkenyahotels.com/Kenya-things-…
1.The old town is must visit this includes the famous Fortjesus museum, there are shops nearby where you can get souvenirs and a chance to sharpen you bargaining skills http://www.fortjesus.com/fortjesus.html
2.want to try swahili food? ask for island dishes or the recently opened bar aka restaurant (bikini road) http://www.fortjesus.com/restaurants.htm…
3.Hall er park ... a successful park from a wasteland.. http://www.lafargeecosystems.com/
4.gedi ruins
5.mamba village -- crocodile farm
6.marine park
7.fishing
8.diving
safari-- you can easily get good safari deals either from the travel agents or beach safari brokers or southern cross safaris
you can spend a night at luxury tented lodge at tsavo national park or ambosel i. if you have time you can visit the world famous masai mara either by road or air. flights easily available in mombasa

for an all inclusive try voyager hotel in nyali ...read the hotels review here
http://bestkenyahotels.com/Voyager-Beach…

or you can try reef hotel or whitesands.
i also higky recommend visiting Lamu... a paradise island and a UN heritage site.
http://lamukenya.blogspot.com/2008/12/la…
The Masai of Africa (First Peoples)

Swahili-English, English-Swahili Practical Dictionary (Hippocrene Practical Dictionary)

The face behind the highs and lows of historic draft constitution in kenya

Mohammed Abdikadir, the young lawyer and first-term MP who has come to symbolise the search for a modern Constitution recalls the highs and lows that preceded Thursday’s historic vote in Parliament.


•PSC chair sees document passed by MPs as possibly the best Kenyans have had so far

Mara-Serengeti: A Photographer's Paradise

Relief was evident on the faces of the majority of MPs when the “Ayes” drowned out the few “Nays” to pass the draft constitution on Thursday evening. Among them was a young well-read lawyer serving his first term as MP for Mandera Central, who felt a mixture of gratitude and happiness. After all, it is he who moved the motion to adopt the draft from the Committee of Experts on the Review of the Constitution on March 2, and he had just witnessed a historic moment in Kenya’s search for a new set of laws. The chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Review of the Constitution says in this interview that “it has been a wonderful struggle”.

read more ...click the link below

Breaking News, Kenya, Africa, Politics, Business, Sports, Blogs, Photos, Videos - The face behind the highs and lows of historic draft

Kikambala boat on the beach and liverpool football banners at Old town mombasa

Kikambala, Kenya coast

Liverpool banner seen at old town Mombasa, near fortjesus

Liverpool walk youll never alone....

does the clock work?

Malaika >Susan W / Mombasa Roots

Said bin Sultan, Sultan of Muscat and Oman: Sayyid, Muscat and Oman, Shaikh, Isa Bin Tarif, Mombasa, Al Bin Ali, Fort Jesus, Utub, Kenya

Kahawa; Kenya's Black Gold; The Story of Kenya Coffee