MUSICIAN TO NURTURE TALENTS IN KILIFI

Kilifi County’s finest gospel Rhumba artist, Ambrose Kazungu also known as Ambrose Dume is planning to set up a music studio in kilifi.

The ameniita hit maker says he wants to give artist quality sound which has been a rare thing due to its high cost,which becomes an obstacle to many talented artists.

“I am planing to come up with a very big studio in kilifi whereby people would be able to produce their songs at a reasonable rate and of course good quality.”

High production cost and substandard music tracks have been the reason for the downfall of musicians from the county. This Results to no airplays by national media houses thus many of them being underground for decades and getting no proceeds from their purported careers.

Dume who jetted in from London a few days ago, has been shopping for studio equipments. He is optimistic that he will be setting up the studio and the name will be out as soon as he completes setting it up.

While visiting London he ministered in a community church in Crawley town. Something he is proud about as his long awaited dream to do so overseas became a reality.

Apart from ministering the diehard Chelsea fan kept posting pictures of him and his family outside the blues’ home. Watching his team live play Atletico Madrid was something he did not afford to miss. No matter how dampening the results were, he says he had a blast!

Welcome back Ambrose!!!

HAS JOE KHAMISI DITCHED POLITICS AND TURNED TO WRITING?

It seems we won’t be seeing former Bahari MP Joe Khamisi in active politics anytime soon. The writings on the wall state it all. According to his google+ profile, he is into writing, more so bragging that he is feeling good to be out of politics.

“I am currently a full time writer after working for many years as a journalist, diplomat and politician in five foreign countries.” So it reads.

First he made use of his diary by putting down everything political  he had in it into a political narrative. As he says “it is a narrative of his observation of the Kenyan politics for the period 2001 to 2008.”

In the book are scathing descriptions of politicians’ track records with information on the scandalous antics of Kenyan politicians. It focuses on the period starting 2001 when president Moi and Raila Odinga ventured into a tricky alliance until opposition against Moi peaked following the declaration of current His excellency president Uhuru Kenyatta as Moi’s successor.

As he puts it 2001 – 2008 were the most critical years in the country's history when President Daniel Arap Moi's dictatorial rule ended, the country saw massive corruption in the public sector and Kenya was engulfed in post election violence, in which more than one thousand people were killed and tens of thousands of others displaced. It is during this period that Kilifi County experienced its first terrorism attack-paradise hotel in Mtwapa.

So you think after giving the political narrative he will resurface in politics? Think again. He now has firm grip and it seems he won’t be putting his pen down soon. As he puts it on the same introduction in black and white, he is currently writing his biography, The Dash Before Dusk, Which he hopes to launch in June.

What is the Dashing all about? Why the move into writing? I don’t know. However I think his writings should have been a tool of giving the current Kilifi County government a strong opposition now that he lost the gubernatorial race.

Having served the people of Bahari as their MP and with a first hand experience of decentralized governments, the graduate from University of Maryland University College (UMUC) is in a better place to be their voice once again, now that Majimboism is in place. Will he be up to the task? Let’s wait and see.

CDF FUNDED DISPENSARIES MALFUNCTIONING, PUTS PREGNANT WOMEN AT RISK

Pregnant women in rural areas of Kilifi County are at a risk of losing their lives at birth. The rate of death has drastically increased in the county and women in the rural areas constitute the bigger percentage.

According to county records, more than 200 women die every year due to delivery complications. The information shows that in every 100,000 live births, nearly 500 deaths are reported. That translates to 200 women dying every year in Kilifi County as per a 2013 report.

Experts say most mothers lose their lives due to poor health environments and inaccessible health facilities, due to the long distance patients have to cover to get to them. They also say illiteracy has contributed to the deaths since most expectant mothers do not know when they are due.

 “Most mothers lose their lives due to poor health environment. Most dispensaries in the rural and interior parts of the county are situated too far for the pregnant mothers to access when they go into labor.” Said Kashero wa Chinyika currently working with Moment Trust Kenya (MTK) during the County Integrated Development Program (CIDP) discussion forum, sponsored by Action Aid Kenya and Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI).

 He added that Most of the mothers do not know when the labor pain is due. This makes it very hard for relatives to get the patient to the health facilities on time.

In a move to see the problem solved, Bunge la Mwananchi Kilifi County has urged the County Government to take an initiative to ensure that health facilities located in the interior and rural parts of the county are staffed, equipped and fully operational in order to save more lives.

Wa Chinyaka highlighted some of the health facilities in the interior part of the county which are not operating at all, such as the Shomela Health Centre in Magarini which has been converted into chiefs’ offices.

According to Wa Chinyaka, some dispensaries which were built by the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) are not operating, including Karimboni, Boresingwaya, Magarini, Mizijini, Shomela, Gandini, Mulunguni, Mtoroni, Mjanaheri, Kadzandani, Chamari and Katendewa in Magarini Sub County.

SPIRULINA PROJECT GIVES HIV/AIDS PATIENTS HOPE IN WESTERN KENYA

Little did Prof Asenath Sigot, a nutritionist by profession know that her research on spirulina farming project in western Kenya region would endear her to the locals.

Five years down the line, the “super food” spirulina water plant has seen once bedridden and emaciated HIV/AIDS patients regain their health and hope. The beneficiaries are mainly drawn from kakamega, Bungoma, and Vihiga counties where the Masinde Muliro University Don has engaged some interested farmers.

“The main objective was to enhance food security by training and empowering the community with skills that are necessary for them to venture into spirulina farming full-throttle,” she said in an interview.

Research, said prof Sigot showed spirulina contains has low fat, calorie and cholesterol and is chief source of protein containing all the essential amino acids. “It helps combat problems like diabetes, anemia and atmospheric pollution as well.”

Spirulina grows naturally in mineral-rich alkaline lakes with largest concentrations found at Lake Texcoco in Mexico, around Lake Chad in Central Africa and along the Great Rift Valley in East Africa.
Farmers mix salt with clean water in the ponds within a greenhouse for the plant to start growing. The water is changed every fortnight to keep pests and diseases at bay. Drying the plant takes between two and three-days, but it should not be exposed to direct sunlight that reduces its nutritional value.

Experts argue that spirulina control other ailments like cancer, arthritis and cataracts too. Moreover, the gama linolic acid present in the plant and the sulfolipids combat HIV/AIDS and heart problems.

Prof Sigot said she was very impressed that the project had been embraced by local communities in the region. “I am so humbled that patients have been able to walk again after feeding on products from spirulina” she said.

She noted that the locals could eke a living from the plant as well. “We are encouraging them to do it on a large scale because spirulina requires the smallest space ever,” explained Sigot.

Farmers practicing spirulina husbandry said they sell 1 kilogram for ksh. 10,000. “Basically, we add value to it by grinding and packaging the same as capsules and in bottles, each capsule weighing 10 grams costs 20 shillings,” said Alfred Ndambala, who is incharge of indangalasia community HIV/AIDS Resource centre in Lurambi.

The organization relies on spirulina to feed at least 400 orphaned children some of whom are infected. “We give the product to patients free of charge to help them regain their health and become active members in the society once again,” said Nambala adding that some of them have since married and re-married.

Prof Sigot who has been visiting the farmers more often believe Kenya could save billions of shillings spent on importation of fertilizer for cash crops farming by investing in the less demanding spirulina. Growing in alkaline waters, it takes about 72 hours to mature. It is grinded and sold for Sh10 per gramme.