Chapwani Island: My dream holiday

Kumekucha holiday special

Kumekucha sent one of his top reporters for a day in an island that everybody is talking about. The guy almost did not come back. Find out why from his report and photographs. He claims that it is a brilliant alternative to the usually crowded beaches this time of the year and all year round. And what’s more it is extremely affordable. I had to heavily edit his article to stop it looking like an advertisement. The man seems to have been badly smitten by the island…

My first glimpse of Chapwani from the boat that brought us to the island. I was still not prepared for the sheer magic in this dream island off the coast of Zanzibar.

It is the holiday season again and the end of perhaps the most difficult year in the history of Kenya. It is around that time of the year when there is a mad rush to Mombasa to crowded beaches and fully booked hotels.

Kenyans are determined to have fun this holiday season because many say they did not have any holiday last year with the general elections and the mishaps that followed them.

Strange that everybody should just think of Mombasa when there is such a wonderful alternative not too far off in an island resort I fell head over heels in love with, called Chapwani. Chapwani is one of the islands surrounding the famous Zanzibar.

I had read up a lot on this holiday spot whose fame is rapidly spreading, but none of it prepared me for the serene beauty and unique aspect of Chapwani. I am lost for words to describe what it felt like being away from it all listening to the waves quietly lap up at the shore of my bungalow while I watched the sun set in the horizon.

No chance of crowded beaches here because the island has a maximum capacity of 20 visitors only at a time or rather 10 couples housed in some beautiful bungalows overlooking the beach. Definitely the place for those looking for a little privacy in this holiday season. And yet there was no shortage of activities. I explored the island and picked up shells and swam close to the shores of the dream island wondering where it had been all my life.

Inside one of the rooms in Chapwani: Romantic and unforgettable

I am always accused of being an exaggerator but this has got to be the most romantic place on earth. Ideal for honeymoons I must say. Just imagine for a minute a candle-lit dinner right on the beach with the one you love seated across the table enjoying a sumptuous dinner made by the kind of chef you would never dream would be marooned in this dream island.

Interestingly the weather is a wee bit cooler here for those who find Mombasa’s heat unbearable.

I made a promise to myself that I must go back some day… very soon.

More details can be obtained and bookings made by directly emailing the friendly staff at the island NOW at:- chapwani@zitec.org. Tel:- +255 77 743 3102

Amazing Contrasts

accident victims - reckless abandon vs reckless abandonment

This Nation article is of two accidents, in the first reported accident, the victims are relatives of high profile personalities. Even as I wish them recovery from their injuries I am unable to turn away from the fact that that these young fellows are quite friendly with one another, and were injured coming from one party in all probability headed to another driving some fairly decent vehicles. Luckily the victims managed to get assistance and access to medical facilities rather quickly and hopefully they are on the way to a quick recovery.

This is quite in sharp contrast to the fierce relationship or rather acrimony of the political supporters of their relatives playing political power games who even today are ready to kill each other at the drop of a hat. The supporters are hard working citizens barely able to put food on their table let alone own a luxury car to flash from "partey to partey"

Which brings me to the second accident mentioned rather low key in the second part of the article, this involved some IDPs (ah yes the very same political supporters or victims of the senior relatives mentioned earlier). These were a group of people bunched or huddled together into a probably not so luxury government vehicle, ostensibly headed to inspect a possible new area to relocate and resettle. Note that these IDPs have been living in deplorable conditions with poor basic hygiene.

In this accident one of the IDPs tragically lost their life. We neither know his/her name but we (thanks to the media) can probably list all three names, dates of birth, favorite pets, etc of the first set of victims.

I Owe You vs Let me Awe You

In this other Standard article we get a chance to look at understanding that if MPs were to pay their taxes, they should remit 200,000 a month instead of 60,000 a month. Kudos to the MP for demonstrating steadfastness.

In contrast lets break this down by comparing to another well known but largely inconspicuous group. Teachers. After agitating for a 200% increase almost 10 years ago in 1998 (yes during Moi time and probably long overdue) which was agreed to be implemented over a 10 year period the current total wage bill is about 75b a year. There is about 500,000 teachers. Therefore on average each of these educators interacting ¾ of the year with, and shaping the minds of the future (sometimes called leaders) of Kenya earn about 150,000 a year. Yes people, these teachers earn in a whole year far much less than what an MP should remit in taxes for a month. In fact to be exact, the balance of tax due from the MPs (140,000) per month, which they are refusing with, is the amount a teacher earns a year. And there is 200+ MPs

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The contrasts or ironies are many and these are but a few examples. These contrasts would in all fairness be understandable in free enterprise where professionals, entrepreneurs and businesss compete and prosper. However, a significant number of these actors are perhaps suspiciously fairly close to the (offices, corridors, kitchens, etc of ) public coffers.

Let us pay more attention, to how over the years, we have let way too many issues, slowly get uncontrollably out of hand and lets begin, difficult as it may be, to work collectively towards fixing what we can. Let us properly honor and recognize the trades and skills that will steadily help build this nation, return integrity into the institutions meant to serve us, and restore pride in the many skills, talents, trades and professions so widely prevalent in Kenyans, while at the same time work to curb the fiduciary / pecuniary excesses of public officers/figures and institutions. ..... just a thought .....

Raila Wants Mugabe Tossed Out

PM Raila Odinga has urged African leaders to remove Robert Mugabe from power after refusing to share power. After talks with Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in Nairobi today, Raila (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7764883.stm) observed that Mr Mugabe had no interest in sharing power.

The Kenyan power-sharing model seems to be a kite that never left the ground. As they said Mugabe is no Kibaki and even more succinctly Zimbabwe is no Kenya. And didn’t Kenyans refer to Tsvangirai as a democrat worth emulating? Well, a kick in the mouth that leaves you toothless must be the ultimate prize in that game. We should know better.

The misplaced mentality of ENTITLEMENT will never make Robert Gabriel Mugabe imagine Zimbabwe without him. In his mind and those of his CRONIES Zimbabwe is synonymous with Mugabe, PERIOD. And he is in good company with hollow African pride in which you serially rape your own subjects while shouting at anybody daring you to stop.

So is Raila’s call for African governments to take decisive action to push Mugabe out of power mere wishful thinking or a simple consolation to a battered colleague Morgan? Well, the jury is already out roaming and we haven’t seen the last of Bob and his myriad platoon of dinosaurs.

Raila Jeered Over Food Prices

It has been said many times here, but chances are that the vast majority of people did NOT take it seriously enough.

There has been a major shift (of major seismic proportions) amongst the voting public in Kenya and if it were possible to hold peaceful elections this very minute, the world will be shocked at how issue-based those elections would be. At how tribal sentiments would take a back seat for the first time. Remember the widely quoted sentiments of a Zimbabwean voter about how hunger caused them NOT to vote for Robert Mugabe (as usual?).

Sample this.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga was booed at his own Langata constituency in a rally at Kibera. Attempts to discuss politics were quickly drowned by jeers and an insistence that the food crisis issue be addressed.

Raila and Co. actually woke up to a new reality in Kibera where the voters were not really interested in celebrations but wanted to talk about Unga. They had placards demanding a lower prices and they were forced to read them when they tried to ignore the issue. Raila was literally given the placard to read to this face which he then handed over to Ruto and the duo promised to address the situation.

This is really fascinating when you consider the fact that certain individuals within the government (mostly ODM folks) conspired to do nothing and let the maize prices escalate with a view of cashing in big time. Well Kenyans are not so easily fooled these days.

P.S. Many commentators here on Kumekucha are still stuck in their tribal ways and see every issue in terms of ODM and PNU but that is simply because they are NOT hungry. Seated in a comfortable abode somewhere burping from a heavy breakfast (as they spew venom in this blog) and debating on which restaurant to go for lunch is miles away from the reality of ordinary Kenyans on the ground.


...But if you are fortunate enough to afford good food at a restaurant be sure to check out this mouth-watering African dishes in Nairobi

It Would Be Nice If Lucy Came Out And Said Jambo To Us

I miss Lucy.

No, I'm not crazy. It's just that when I look at Michelle Obama I sometimes wonder why Kenyans are okay with a situation where our first lady doesn't ever come out to say jambo to us. Wouldn't it be nice if she walked down the street every two or three months to tell us what's going on with her? I'd like to know that the nation's first lady is okay and that she's happy. Knowing that makes all of us feel good about the state of affairs in the State House, in Muthaiga and back in Nyeri.

Lucy, I hope to see you somewhere in Nairobi soon.

Having said that, I have to wonder why Kenyans, especially the press, never scrutinize the wives of the men who want to lead us. What, for instance, did we know about Mrs. Musyoka? And what did we know about Mrs. Ruto? Tell me what we knew about Mrs. Mudavadi? Granted we knew a lot about Lucy, but that was only because we'd come to fall in love with her dramatic ways in her husband's first term. By the time Kibaki was sworn in in that secretive ceremony at the lawns of the State House, we all knew exactly what we were getting. Another turbulent term. But Lucy has behaved herself. She's allowed the President and the Premier to grapple with the myriad problems facing this nation without distractions. So I think we need to clap for her.

In 2012, here is what I'll be looking for in a first lady. It's wise to throw this out there so we can start watching the wives of the men who want to lead us.

1. A photogenic woman. Once we elect a President, we are stuck with the man for years. At the very least, the woman he presents as the mother of the nation needs to be beautiful, and must look sweet in pictures. A tired, mean face is fodder for comedians and fireside prattles, but it eventually depresses the nation. So beauty is a critical factor.

2. A Godly Woman. I know somebody is getting ready to jump me for not placing this factor first. The reason is simple. When you meet somebody for the first time, what you instantly see is their looks. Matter of fact, most people judge us by their first impression of us. Given that state of affairs, a potential first lady must prove to us, after we've determined that she's cute, that she loves her God. If a first lady is prayerful, it's a good indicator that her husband is too.

3. A Simple Woman. Remember Imelda Marcos? Three hundred pairs of shoes! Remember Sarah Palin? U.S. $150,000 in stylish clothes and a hairdo. Talk of frugality. The point is...a woman who has the guts to dress like Cleopatra or Cindy Crawford at a time when most Kenyans are struggling is probably going to become a fashion statement in the State House. Is that what we want? The time to scrutinize their wardrobe is now.

4. A Single Wife. This is not something most women have control over, but as a nation we must insist that our presidents have one wife. I'm not saying this because of the Lucy-Mary wars. I'm just suggesting that as a Christian nation we need to be true to the biblical principle of one man one wife. In any case, there is no provision for a first and second lady in our constitution. A man with two wives must be disqualified. Period.

5. Well Educated. Having a ding dong as a first lady can be a traumatic experience. Whenever there are state visits, our Head of State is "required" to be accompanied by his wife. Now just imagine our ding dong first lady in Paris with Carla Bruni, or in the States with the stylish Michelle Obama, or in Uganda with the well traveled Janet Museveni. Get my point? We can't afford to embarrass Kenya, so let's avoid presidential candidates with wives who think South America is the bottom half of the United States.

I need not go on. Obviously there are other crucial factors to consider. Let's hear them from you.

In the mean time, I hope that when First Lady Lucy Kibaki steps out to greet the nation we will all accord her the respect and the adulation she deserves.

The Aids Scourge

Our society is afflicted with the scourge of Aids and other diseases that owe their origin to promiscuity. Yet the cry is not, “How can we stop promiscuity?” but rather, “How can we cure Aids?”

Aids is a disease that has basically ravaged the society to the very core of the family. Many a family has been brought to their wits end by the crippling effects of this formidable scourge.

With fathers and mothers succumbing to Aids,thousands of children are left parentless.It is estimated that there will be 54 million Aids orphans in Africa by 2010.

As if the pain of being left parentless is not enough, the children are faced with the stark reality of survival— fending for themselves!

A large percentage of them drop out of school and resort to menial jobs to assuage their economic misery. What is more, some girls plunge headlong into the dizzying world of unexpurgated prostitution ending up with the dreaded HIV virus.

Many new cases of HIV infections and Aids deaths are reported daily. With overawed emotion, thousands watch as their beloved die in pain and anguish.

In Africa it is estimated that there are 30 million people living with the virus. This fact clearly traverses the lengths of all imaginable reality.It flies in the face of all the Aids awareness programs that have been mooted and undertaken.

If anything , the pessimistic statistics on Aids are unnerving.Nothing less than this.
Take for instance the recent Aids data in Malawi.It is said that seventy percent of its workforce is infected with the deadly virus.

And without batting an eye , seventy thousand teachers die of Aids yearly in the same country. In Zimbabwe one person in five is infected with the dreaded disease. Similarly in many third world countries such is the tune and song.

Looking at the society one would not fail to see where we have compromised our ideals at the expense of precious lives.

Many Aids awareness campaigns and strategies are put in place but the stark truth is growing dimmer and darker by the day. But instead of trying to patch up our tattered morality, the hue and cry is about getting a cure for Aids.

Nowadays we hear of ‘free love’ and the resulting children as ‘love children’.Sexual experimentation is only wrong today if people do not ‘love’ one another.We hear so often , ‘We love each other , don’t we? That’s all that matters.’

Many people engage in such a liaison with impunity and of such there’s been an alarming spate.

Who can deny that many sexually transmitted diseases, Aids included, arise from this profligate indiscretion? Who can deny that behaviour of this nature is rife in this present day and age?

We also hear of ‘nyumba ndogo’[a man’s mistress] in Tanzania. This is so common place that even the young know what it entails when you talk of it.
Most men go to these mistresses for sexual release which , as many are heard saying ,they don’t get from their wives.

One would rightly expect that with the ever rising rate of Aids infections , the case of ‘mistresses’ would be ‘burnt to a frazzle’. But this is not the case.
Aids, which is no respecter of persons, uses this open door [one of the many doors] to wreck havoc on people’s lives. Infact it would be preposterous for anyone to think that he can hold hot coal to his bosom and not be burnt.

Besides,disorderly houses[brothels] are a common sight in many cities.Here women can be hired for sexual pleasure.
Women of different sizes and ages driven by their different problems parade themselves to attract the ogling eye of many a prurient man for a quickie before he heads home.

Women do it for money ; men do it to satiate their insatiable appetites[or so it is said].
What do they end up with most of the time? Aids. Even if they use a sheath [condom] it goes wrong sometimes.

Furthermore, there is a sad ring to the whole shooting match. The practice of prostitution goes well below the norms of society.

This is gross moral turpitude!

Sadly enough, countless numbers of girls of school going age are hooked in this inglorious vice. And countless numbers of these girls are dying of Aids each passing day.

Lives that have not been lived to the full are suddenly nipped in the bud. All their aspirations and ambitions go up in smoke.
Aids denies them the chance ‘to make a dent in the universe’.

To add more doom and gloom to this already dark picture, we hear of teachers who have sexual relations with their students.This clearly flies in the face of the teaching profession conduct and ethics.

This behaviour is diabolical and socially unacceptable. Moreover, it doesn’t help check the spread of HIV Aids but rather propagates the scourge.

Randy teachers who instigate such liaisons leave indelible marks in the lives of their mates –the young students.These may be pregnancy, Stds or even worse, Aids.
In view of these many doorways to Aids and more yet, we need to redress how we approach the fight against this pandemic.

Fighting against Aids is not an end in itself .We must fight the core: promiscuity. Please don’t get me wrong. Trying to get the cure and anti-retrovirals is not wasted energy. Not in a million years.

But after all illusions of the truth are driven away and the truth is left shining bright, the snag still remains :does it really make sense to get anti-retrovirals for a few[because too expensive] while tens of thousands are infected daily?

People need to be hit where it matters –stop your immorality! -if any realistic end is to be realised.From there work our way up the ranks of prevention and…..cure. If the cents are taken care of, the shillings will definitely take care of themselves.

Promiscuity and immorality have to be taken for what they are; evil, unacceptable and deterrent in the fight against Aids. Period.

To sum up, can we expect to extricate ourselves from this menace if promiscuity and immorality are still a principal part of our moral fabric? If we do, then it’s like expecting a snow ball to survive in hell.

Driving a Point Home – home-style!