Hundreds Die in Kenya Capital Petrol Fire

Over 100 people are feared to have burnt to death in a fire incident in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, local media say, a tragedy similar to another blaze that killed over 140 in early 2009.

State broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) said in its 1pm news broadcast on 12 September that over 150 may have died in the incident which happened along Lunga Lunga Road in the Nairobi's Industrial Area.

The fire started when villagers in nearby Sinai slum tried to siphon fuel from a leaking Kenya Pipeline Company pipe, KBC said.

 ''The death toll is likely to reach 200 with spontaneous explosions reported along the pipeline that passes through the sprawling slum,'' the broadcaster added in a website report.

Capital FM radio reporter Bernard Momanyi at the scene said he had counted at least 70 bodies that were being retrieved.

Leading Daily Nation newspaper website said that its reporter had counted 73 ''badly burnt bodies'' at the scene.

In January 2009, 145 people died in two fire incidents in Nairobi and in western Rift Valley Province.

Ocampo’s Threadbare Evidence Against Six Kenyans

Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo appears to have relied on threadbare evidence to indict six Kenyans of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity following the 2008 violence.

His latest disclosure of evidence to the six persons indicate that the ICC prosecutor relied on reports whose credibility is almost nil, at the same time, lacking any incriminating content.

Of course unless he has some other material that can link the suspects to the violence, otherwise, what he has passed on to them do not show any links to the violence.

I have been reading several pages of evidence to some of the six individuals... Several of the pages and sentences are lies, some not true while others are illogical.

It consists of newspaper commentaries, news articles, Facebook posts, blog posts, minutes of an open meeting… ridiculous stuff.

This is besides the previous evidence he submitted to the suspects  a few months ago.

Kenyan Judges, Lawyers Can Now Wear Studs, Dreadlocks

Below is a statement by Chief Justice Mutunga about the controversy on wearing a stud to the courts. He e-mailed this statement to a google group of Kenyan writers, and also posted on his Facebook page.


Over the past week, I have received questions on Facebook and Twitter by young lawyers about my position on studs and the dress code in Kenyan courts. To wit can lawyers appear before the Court wearing their studs? Because it is difficult for me to respond to each one of them individually, I wish to clarify my position here.

At this point, I can say that the Judges of the Supreme Court have agreed that we have no issues with anyone appearing before the Supreme Court, wearing their studs. Our position is that as long as officers of the court - both lawyers and judges can appear smart, a stud - or indeed dreadlocks - should not hinder the administration of justice.

At the Supreme Court, we shall not be wearing the colonial wigs and robes, and we shall seek the input of Kenyans on a simple robe that can be worn over a suit, for example. We will encourage the Court of Appeal and the High Court to review the dress code there. We will dialogue with them and the LSK and we expect the public to participate in the debate.

Willy Mutunga,
Chief Justice, Republic of Kenya
President of the Supreme Court

RIP Tamo Kosgey of Kass FM Radio

Last night, I dreamt about a friend who died on Wednesday evening this week.

His name is Philip Rotich Kosgei, known to his colleagues at Kass FM radio as Tamo - short for Tamoron'giot. Tamo collapsed and died just next to his home in eastlands, Nairobi hours after presenting his drive evening programme on Kass.

Post-mortem has been done on his body. Results should be out by the end of today.

Tamo used to suffer from epilepsy. The last time he had a seizure was about four years ago, at around the same time he joined Kass FM as a comedian and later co-presenter of a main family show on Tuesday and Thursday.

I think he died after a seizure... fell into a small ditch, and no-one saw him, until hours after he had died. This is the saddest part that has remained in my mind.

I knew Tamo so well. I even worked with him at some point in his career in politics and radio comedy.

My heart goes out to his wife Margaret and children. May God rest his sould in peace.

Mysterious Death of Mercy Keino… Anything About Drugs?

Wasini Luxury Homes on Church Road, off Waiyaki Way, the place where Mercy Keino attended a party and later died on 17 June is known for a series of clandestine activities... and drugs.

A contact who has often been to the place, just off Waiyaki Way in Nairobi has told this blog of the covert nature of the activities often held in the luxurious venue.

''Before entering, one is thoroughly screened for drugs, weapons and other nasty stuff; while car registration numbers are cross checked for minutes by guards,'' she said.

MP William Kabogo and other MPs, as well as some rich and wealth people frequent the venue, to discuss business and other clandestine activities.

So that brings me to my next point, whatever Mercy Keino was doing at Wasini Luxury Homes on 17 May, and later dying has got so much to do with regular activities held in the place. I may be wrong, but listening so much of contacts of this blog describing activities which often take place at the venue, it is difficult to see Ms Keino's attendance as just courtesy of a cousin's invitation.

I feel so sad to say it may be really difficult for police to get to know who killed her.

Poor Ruth Konchellah, What Happened?

When Ruth Konchellah, a pretty Maasai woman, spoke on 28 April this year, she did not mince her words about how she felt about Michael Ranneberger.


''Today Michael is a good friend. Michael you are so great, you are so lovely. I love your compassion," she told him, looking flustered, shifting her full cheeks and torso and seemingly unafraid of dignitaries, including ministers, diplomats, corporate executives, and friends of the outgoing US envoy.


She repeated what she had told newspapers that the ambassador ''discovered Africa while I discovered first world love".

It appears some things have changed a bit since that warm April. Maybe many have. Contacts of this blog have met Ms Ruth Konchellah several times in Nairobi and reported seeing a forlorn woman from Kilgoris, the capital of windswept Transmara District. She seems threadbare, unhappy and generally under the weather.


Somehow, things appear not to have worked well between her and the US ambassador. She is sullen and with rudimentary looks.


She has not spoken to anyone close to this blog about what became of her. But it is take that the ambassador was unable to take her with him to the USA - for whatever reasons; or maybe he refused. Maybe he did not love her after all. Maybe the State Department did not clear her.


It is not clear if she's been back to her Cherish Others NGO which aims at fighting against girls circumcision.


But whatever is the case, Ruth has seen better days.

I am redefining my relationship with all my friends

Trusting friends can be very disappointing, especially after learning that most human beings are painfully unreliable!

In the past several months, I have been wondering if friendships are worth the trouble one goes through to maintain. Today, I believe some friendships are not worth anything… some, if not most of the friendships.

Maybe, put it differently, real friends are hard to come by. I think many people don’t have real friends. I think I am among the many many people who don’t have any real friends to speak to when under the weather, of generally wants to speak on more personal issues.

I have decided that I won’t take some of the friendships with most of my friends seriously at all. In fact, I am planning on seeking to make one or two real friends.

To me, it appears that most of the friendships many people cultivate these days are based on interests, nothing personal. Friendship is like politics, as it were.

From today, I have redefined the nature of my relationship with all my ‘’ friends’’ –of course excerpt two people close to my heart.  Sincerely, the rest will remain good acquaintances. Yes.