HE IS BACK... KTN Hires Jeff Koinange

 

Barely 9 months after joining Arise TV, Jeff Koinange is BACK. The former Capital Talk presenter at K24 is set to begin a new show on KTN this week.

Jeff Koinange Live is set to air every wednesday at 10 PM on KTN and Radio Maisha. KTN is building a show around him, just like K24 did with Capital Talk, or CNN with Larry King Live and now Piers Morgan Tonight.


However, unlike the Kenyatta owned station, KTN has not given Jeff a daily show, which may end up being their backbone.. and we all know what happens when the backbone is broken.

It is not clear why Jeff left Arise TV, having joined only this January. He has not even completed his alleged one year contract worth Sh80 million.
The most logical explanation would be that KTN paid Jeff's former employer, or his contract did not necessarily tie him to the station.

Whichever way he arrived at the Mombasa road based station, we can be sure of one thing; Kenyan media will not be the same again.

Jeff has a way of asking the questions that matter, without pissing of his guests, which in turn makes them return guests.
Jeff Koinange Live is surely one show to look forward to.

How to treat breast cancer in 15 minutes

A revolutionary laser treatment could kill off breast cancer in 15 minutes - and with no need for a mastectomy. No wonder doctors are excited

• Photodynamic therapy is approved to treat four cancers, including skin, lung
• Scientists are testing its efficacy in curing breast cancer
• A laser beam is directed into the tumour, made light-sensitive by a drug, killing the cancer
• If successful, it works without affecting the surrounding healthy tissue
• Some say, though, that the evidence PDT works is 'patchy'

 

 

Pioneering patient: Fiona is taking part in a trial of photodynamic therapy

Fiona Fisher was diagnosed with breast cancer this summer and was astounded when her doctors suggested that their first move should be to try to kill the tumour by blasting it with a laser for 15 minutes.

This involved injecting a drug into the tumour to make it sensitive to light. Then, via a needle, they shone an intensive laser beam into the cancer to kill it.

'The whole thing was less invasive than the biopsy that I had to confirm the diagnosis of cancer,' says Fiona, 57, a self-employed management consultant living in Primrose Hill, North London.

While this may sound like the kind of story that has cancer doctors in despair at the gullibility of patients who fall for an expensive and unproven treatment, in fact Fiona is at the centre of one of the most carefully considered and authoritative - as well as potentially revolutionary - experiments in the field of breast cancer.

Just eight weeks ago, Fiona became concerned when the top of her left breast felt thickened and granular. Within a fortnight, she'd become one of the first four patients - there will be 30 in all - being given photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the initial phase of a new trial at the Royal Free Hospital in North London.

Photodynamic therapy was first pioneered as a cancer therapy in the UK 25 years ago, and is now approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as treatment of four cancers: the skin (though not melanoma), early or late cancers of head and neck, lung and oesophageal.

'It's an extraordinary treatment that cuts the cost and time involved, and means patients don't have to undergo other treatments that cause very unpleasant side-effects,' says David Longman, founder of the charity Killing Cancer.

 

'It's also quick; patients and their families know within a short period of time whether the cancer has been destroyed.' Until recently, the treatment had a major drawback: it stayed in the body for weeks, causing patients to be ultra-sensitive to ordinary light, and be unable to leave the house for weeks after treatment.

What's made the current breast cancer trial possible is the introduction of new drugs that leave the body within 48 hours.

As with all the trial participants, Fiona spent 48 hours after her treatment in a darkened room in a private ward of the Royal Free Hospital. 'It was a wonderful and quite luxurious rest,' she recalls.

Experts predict that photodynamic therapy could eventually make the non-invasive treatment the norm for some types of breast cancer. In other words, a cure without the need for surgery.

Light show: After a drug is injected into the tumour to make it sensitive to light, an intensive laser is beamed into the cancer to kill it

'The beauty of this technology is that, if successful, it works without affecting the surrounding healthy tissue, leaving the breasts completely intact,' says Professor Mohammed Keshtgar, a breast cancer surgeon at the Royal Free who is leading the new research.

This trial of photodynamic therapy is the first to test it for primary (newly diagnosed) breast cancer.
The initial stage of the trial is 'a dose-escalating study' to discover the most effective combination dose of drugs and light, with the patients receiving an MRI scan before and after the treatment to gauge its impact on the tumour.

As the treatment is unproven, the women in the trial have had to agree to undergo a full mastectomy afterwards: the trial cannot put the participants at any risk of their cancer returning. But the tissue removed during mastectomies will be analysed to check the effects of the photodynamic therapy.

Which is why, just a couple of days after emerging from the Royal Free's private wing, Fiona returned to the NHS operating theatre at the hospital to have a full mastectomy, as well as a reconstruction of her left breast. And next week she will embark on chemotherapy and radiotherapy, followed by a course of hormone tablets.

'The beauty of this technology is that, if successful, it works without affecting the surrounding healthy tissue, leaving the breasts completely intact.'

'I may be getting no benefit myself, but to know my contribution might change the experience of breast cancer for women in the future makes it worthwhile,' she says.

The Royal Free team is determined to discover the truth about photodynamic therapy in cancer treatment. While other centres, including University College London, have studied PDT, there's been a lack of properly funded, authoritative research. And Cancer Research UK also insists that the evidence is 'too patchy'.

What's more, NICE's approval of photodynamic therapy for skin and oesophageal cancer comes with warnings that the evidence in favour of it is 'of poor quality', and that hospitals should consider this when deciding whether to use it.

It's hoped the new trial will convince more people in the field to try PDT.
'Surgeons are largely comfortable with PDT because they are used to using equipment such as lasers,' says Dr Mahendra Deonarain, honorary reader in antibody technology and therapeutics at Imperial College London, and chief science officer at Photobiotics, a company pioneering more targeted ways of delivering the treatment.

'But cancer treatment today is decided by a multi-disciplinary team. It's difficult for these different specialties to communicate the benefits well enough to bring about a dramatic change in treatment.'

The first phase of the three-stage Royal Free study is recruiting patients, but this should be completed within two years.

The next phase will involve recruiting a larger group of women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer but refuse a mastectomy for personal reasons, or are unfit for surgery.

Foregoing mastectomy: Fiona Fisher had a full mastectomy after taking part in the trial, but if it's proven to be effective, those undergoing photodynamic therapy will not need surgery

'We will be asking them to undergo PDT without any further treatment - and then follow their progress over several months to discover whether the age of the patient and the sort and grade of the tumour affects the efficacy of the treatment - and compare the results with women treated conventionally,' says Professor Keshtgar.

'It's essential that we leave no room for doubt about the outcome of this trial.

'If it works, we want the treatment to be fully approved by NICE and to be widely available for breast cancer patients.'

Dr Keyvan Moghissi, clinical director of the Yorkshire Laser Centre in Goole, East Yorkshire, says it's important that patients' expectations of the therapy are realistic.

'It's hugely effective for the right cancers, but it doesn't work for every patient,' says Dr Moghissi, who, as editor of the journal Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy, has overseen the publication of scores of papers on the treatment.
More importantly, at the centre in East Yorkshire, he has been using PDT as a cancer treatment for over 20 years, but says he usually recommends the treatment for only around one in ten of patients.

'It doesn't work for many cancers such as leukaemia, and it's only successful when the tumour is very localised,' he says. 'What's more, often the best results are achieved when PDT is used alongside the conventional therapies: surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.'

Yet such a view may change with the new study. So far, four women have received photodynamic therapy and MRI - and in at least some of these it seems the cancer has cleared completely.

While Professor Keshtgar gives little away, he admits 'the whole team is feeling very encouraged' and that, aged 50, he hopes to see the introduction of photodynamic therapy for newly diagnosed breast cancer 'within my career lifetime'. But there is a long journey ahead.

'The purpose of the research at the moment is to get the dose right, not treat the tumour. But we are noting whether the tumour is visible in the second, post-treatment MRI scan and in the mastectomy tissue under the microscope. And there are hopeful signs.'

For more information, contact the Royal Free Hospital, 020 7830 2758 or email christine.williams13@nhs.net

The meaning of long fingers

Why long fingers mean you're more likely to be depressed and why small ears may make you more prone to kidney disease

 

Size really does matter - a new U.S. study has found that men with smaller testicles are more likely to be involved in childcare.
The researchers from Emory University in Atlanta suggest that lower levels of testosterone may suppress a man's mating efforts, allowing him to channel all his energy into nappy-changing, feeding and nurturing.
Here, we look at some other parts of the body and reveal what their dimensions say about your health . . .
SMALL EARS

Small ears: They may be more attractive, but they could make you more prone to eczema and also kidney disease

Eczema, kidney disease
Neat little ears may be attractive, but they could make you more prone to eczema.
'Small ears often mean small ear canals [the tube running from the outer to the middle ear], which gives you a greater chance of developing eczema of the ears,' says George Murty, consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon at University Hospitals Leicester.
'Your ear canals are lined with skin and, just like skin on the outside of the body, it flakes off.
'It should be shed out of the ear hole and disappear, but with small canals it's harder for the body to shed it, so it tends to be retained. That can give rise to a terrible itch inside, irrespective of whether you have eczema elsewhere on your body.'
Known as otitis externa, this condition is extremely common.
There is also a link between small ears (specifically the outer, visible ear called the auricle) and underdeveloped kidneys.
'If you have small, very low-set ears, below the level of your eyes, it often indicates you have kidney problems. No one knows why, but you might lack one, have two fused together, or get kidney disease later in life,' says Mr Murty.
LARGE TONGUE
Sleep apnoea
This could mean you're more prone to obstructive sleep apnoea, a condition that causes interrupted breathing during sleep and affects around 4 per cent of middle-aged men and 2 per cent of middle-aged women in Britain.
As Mr Murty explains: 'If you've got a big tongue or big tonsils, these can flop backwards and block off the airway while you sleep. If it's mild, you snore. But as it becomes more severe, you have periods where you stop breathing - some as long as 30 seconds.'

 

A small, receding jaw bone can also play a part because the tongue is attached to the jaw. If the jaw is too far back, the tongue is more likely to block the airway.
The sudden drops in blood oxygen levels associated with sleep apnoea can increase blood pressure and put pressure on the cardiovascular system.
BIG HIPS
Memory loss
The dreaded pear shape has been linked with menopausal brain fog.
Researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago studied the body types and memory test scores of nearly 8,750 postmenopausal women aged 65 to 79, and found those with more weight around the hips had lower scores.
The theory is that fat may contribute to cognitive problems by restricting blood flow to the brain. However, Nitu Bajekal, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Barnet Hospital, urges caution when interpreting the results.
'The study found that all women with a raised body mass index - above 30-31 - tend to have lower cognitive function. And in that sub-group, those with bigger hips seemed to score worse. But it was just a snapshot and we don't know if they went on to have cognitive decline.' Yet it's not all bad news.
If you tend to store fat around your hips rather than around your middle, you could be better protected against diabetes and heart disease, because research suggests it's the apple-shaped who are more at risk of these.

Feminine hands: Men in the study with a more typically feminine finger length were more likely to be depressed

LONG FINGERS
Prostate cancer, depression
The length of a man's fingers can hint at his risk of prostate cancer. Scientists at the University of Warwick and the Institute of Cancer Research compared the hands of 1,500 prostate cancer patients with those of 3,000 healthy men.
They found men whose index finger was longer than their ring finger were significantly less likely to develop the disease.
It's thought being exposed to less testosterone before birth leads to a longer index finger - and may protect against the disease (which is fed by testosterone) later in life.
A study at the University of Alberta found that men with a more typically feminine finger length - a relatively long index finger compared to ring finger - were also more likely to be depressed, suggesting depression is associated with lower levels of testosterone in the womb.
Meanwhile, a 2001 study at Liverpool University found children with autism had extremely long ring fingers compared to their index finger - a feature associated with high levels of testosterone before birth.
LONG TOES
Foot disease
If your second toe is longer than your big toe, it could put you at risk of a painful foot condition.
David Houlihan-Burne, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the Three Rivers Clinic in Middlesex, says: 'A long second toe means you may develop Freiberg's disease. It gives you pain when walking because the end of the metatarsal [a bone in the foot] dies off as a result of abnormal forces. It's very common.'
Treatments include steroid injections to ease the pain, or surgery. But relatively long toes compared to the rest of your foot could be an advantage if you want to take up sprinting. Mr Houlihan-Burne says: 'Sprinters have a stronger, more elastic push off with the toes. And long toes make the overall length of the foot bigger, which means longer contact with the ground, which is where the acceleration happens.'

Pros and cons: Long toes could put you at risk of a painful foot condition, but could be advantageous if you want to take up sprinting

SLIM THIGHS
Heart disease
Ashamed of your wobbly thighs? Take heart from a Danish study of nearly 3,000 men and women, which found that people with thinner thighs had a higher risk of heart disease and premature death.
Researchers thought low muscle mass in the area could be to blame, as it could affect insulin sensitivity.
Meanwhile, researchers at Oxford University have also suggested that fat in the thighs, hips and buttocks traps fatty acids from food, preventing them from floating through the bloodstream and getting deposited in organs, where they may cause harm.
BIG EYES
Short-sightedness
Beautiful as they may be, large eyes could mean you'll have to rely on glasses or contact lenses.
If your eye measures even 1mm longer than 24mm (the average size) you will be short-sighted.
Trevor Rowley, an optometrist from Viewpoint opticians in York, explains: 'If your eye is a normal length, the light will be clearly focused on the back of the eye.

Bug-eyed: Large eyes means you'll have to rely on glass or contact lenses

'If it's a couple of millimetres longer than normal, the light will focus a couple of millimetres in front of the retina [where images are processed].'
SHORT LEGS
Diabetes
Long, coltish legs aren't just an asset on the catwalk, they can also indicate a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, research suggests.
A study at Bristol University showed that each 4.3cm increase of leg length resulted in a 19 per cent reduced risk of the disease.
'If your mother was relatively malnourished when you were in the womb, you may have smaller legs,' says Dr Mark Vanderpump, consultant endocrinologist at the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust in London.
'Once you've adapted to a low fuel state in the womb, your pancreas, which secretes insulin, may not be able to cope with a relatively normal amount of fat and carbohydrates after you're born.'
Hence the greater risk of lifestyle diseases such as type 2 diabetes in middle age.

elephant bids farewell to her fallen companion

Goodbye my friend: Photo captures the rare and heart-wrenching moment an elephant bids farewell to her fallen companion

• John Chaney, 63, took this image of a female elephant performing a standing vigil by the carcass of her dead friend
• The female elephant can be seen holding on to the tusk of the dead male with her trunk
• She had to scare off surrounding vultures and hyenas to get to the bodyin a wildlife park in Botswana
• All those who witnessed the emotional scene during a tour of the wildlife park in Africa were brought to tears

 

 

This heart-wrenching image has captured the incredibly rare moment a mourning elephant says goodbye to her fallen friend.
John Chaney, 63, was on a safari trip in Botswana with his wife Diane when they came across the carcass of a dead elephant surrounded by vultures and hyenas.
As their guide called park rangers to come and remove the tusks so they wouldn't fall into the hands of poachers, another elephant charged over to the body.
The female elephant scared off the animals surrounding the carcass before tenderly placing her trunk around the tusk of the dead male.
Mr Chaney revealed how the group were then brought to tears as the female elephant stood guard over the body of her friend for several hours in what appeared to be a moving vigil.

Emotional moment: A female elephant holds on to the tusk of a fallen friend with her trunk during a moving vigil which lasted several hours at a wildlife park in Botswana. She had to scare off vultures and hyenas, pictured to the right of the carcass, to get to her friend's body

The amateur wildlife photographer from Houston said he has never witnessed anything like it in all the years he has visited Africa and has never seen anything like it since.
He explained: 'We were on a game drive when the park ranger explained one elephant had migrated away from its herd so that it could die. This is typical of elephants when they get too old.

 

'He said he hadn't seen the elephant in several days when we came across the carcass of a male elephant. It had been there for two or three days.
'There were about 20 vultures and 10 hyenas surrounding it but you could still clearly make out the head and tusks of the elephant.
'The park ranger who was taking us around the reserve called for backup so that the tusks could be removed to prevent them from falling into the hands of poachers.
'As we waited, another elephant charged out of the bush and scared off the vultures and hyenas.

Amateur wildlife photographer John Chaney, 63, captured the emotional moment while on holiday with his wife in Botswana

'She then tentatively wrapped her trunk around the tusk of the dead elephant in a slow and graceful movement and remained perfectly still in that position.
'We watched her for about 20 minutes and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
'It was an emotional sight and touching moment, watching this elephant saying goodbye to her friend, paying her respects much like we would.'
Mr Chaney and those in his tour group continued their trip around the park before coming back to the spot where the animal carcass had been several hours later.
To their amazement, the female elephant had remained in exactly the same position they had left her in.
He said: 'When we came back two or three hours later she was still in exactly the same place, holding the tusk of her friend.
'I have no idea how much longer she stayed there but it was highly unusual behaviour.'
While this particular elephant's behaviour is unusual, elephants are known to pay their respects to their dead.
Mr Chaney said: 'When a herd of elephants pass a skull of a dead elephant, they have been known to pass their trunks over it as they pass.'
He added that the obvious emotion of wild animals in Africa is one of the reasons he and his wife try to visit the region every two or three years.
'You see a lot of human emotions in the magnificent animals of Africa.
'I think Africa is the last place on earth I've seen where animals are still very much in the wild.
'If you go to a zoo the animals are in cages and not acting normally. But if you go on Safari in a range rover in Africa, you're the one in a cage and you can see the animals acting normally.'
The picture, taken in 2007, had to be discounted from the 2012 National Geographic Traveler photo contest because of the date it wa staken but received a special commendation.
To view more of Mr Claney's photography, click here.

Animal behaviour: While the female elephant's standing vigil was incredibly rare, elephants are known to brush their trunks over the skulls of dead elephants if they pass by one

Keith Sweat

 

After 2 months of hype for the much awaited Keith Sweat Nairobi Concert, the organizers of the event have cancelled it. The American R&B/soul, singer-songwriter, record producer, radio personality and an innovator of the “New Jack Swing” was scheduled to perform Saturday 5^th October, 2013 at the Carnivore grounds.

In a statement, the organizers apologized for the inconvenience caused citing the recent terror attack in Nairobi’s up market Westgate Mall that left scores of people injured, dead while others remain missing to-date.
"We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the unexpected news. This is especially to all Keith Sweat fans and everyone who supported us. We are all shaken by the events of the past weekend and we deemed it best to postpone the concert as the country mourns," said Martin Mulwa, the Project Manager for the Keith sweat Nairobi concert.

Due to the cancellation, starting October 1st 2013, the organizers shall provide a full refund to all those who had purchased tickets for the show. Those who had already bought tickets have been requested to visit the respective locations where they made the purchase with the physical ticket to facilitate the refund. For those who bought tickets at the Dorman’s Coffee Shop in Westgate, kindly get in touch with Diana Awino on +254728970922.

The new date for the concert will be communicated to the public in the due course.

'NIS GAVE ADVANCE WESTGATE WARNING

 

Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku flanked by Defence CS Rachael Omamo,Foreign affairs CS Amina Mohammed,IG David Kimaiyo,NIS director Micheal Gichangi and State House Spokesperson Manoah Esipisu the updates the press on the update on the progress of operations at the Westgate Shopping Mall.. Photo/PSCU

NIS Director General Michael Gichangi at Westgate during a press Conference yesterday. Photo/Monicah Mwangi

THE National Intelligence Service gave advance warning of the Westgate attack, according to some security officers.
Gen Michael Gichangi, NIS Director General, is due to meet MPs of the Defense and Foreign Relations committee this morning.
Gichangi apparently would prefer to testify in public but Defense committee chairman Ndungu Gethenji (Tetu) has indicated that the meeting will be closed to the media.
Two NIS officers who did not want their identities revealed yesterday told the Star that their organisation had given advance warning of the attack to Inspector General of Police Service David Kimaiyo and Criminal Investigations Department director Ndegwa Muhoro.
They sensationally claimed that Kimaiyo and Muhoro should be investigated for failing to act on intelligence briefs given to them.
They also claimed that some senior officers within the Office of the President should be investigated for “suppressing” intelligence reports.
They said NIS was not to blame for the Westgate attack that has claimed over 100 lives.
It has also emerged that a policewoman has recorded a statement after her brother who works for the NIS warned her not to visit Westgate on Saturday because of an impending attack. The NIS officer is being sought for interrogation.
The pregnant policewoman regularly went window shopping in Westgate on Saturdays.
"She has told police that her brother who is a NIS officer warned her not to visit Westgate that Saturday because she would not be able to run with her bulging tummy," a senior officer involved in the investigation said yesterday.
The policewoman was picked up from her home on Tuesday night and taken to CID headquarters on Kiambu road where she was interrogated for four hours before being allowed to go home.
The NIS officers told the Star yesterday that NIS Director General Michael Gichangi was willing to testify in the open in today’s meeting with the Defense committee of the National Assembly.
“I can assure you that the director general is willing to restore the image of the intelligence service because of the negative publicity it has received due to the Westgate attack and the many previous security lapses in the country,” said one NIS officer.
“We understand that the director general will be appearing before the committee tomorrow (Thursday) and it is his desire that the meeting is open to the media so that the public can get to know who failed in the line of duty. He wants to clean our name and set the record straight,” the officer said.
The two officers said the NIS had also warned the police about the danger before the Baragoi massacre but the police ignored the intelligence reports.
However Defense committee chairman Ndungu Gethenji (Tetu) has insisted that the meeting will be closed to the public and the media.
“No, it is not open due to the ongoing security operations,” said Gethenji in a short text reply.
However Kimini MP Chris Wamalwa, a member of the Defense committee, said that the meeting should be open because there was nothing to hide.
Members can vote to overturn the chairman’s unilateral decision, Wamalwa told the Star on Wednesday before he left the country for official duty.
“It is wrong for the chairman to imply that his unilateral decision may be taken to mean the collective resolution of the members. We will be proposing to discuss the conduct of the chairman and these are some of the issues,” said Wamalwa.
Typically, the committee’s meetings are held behind closed doors except for the vetting of principal secretaries.
Last week the committee met Defense Cabinet Secretary Raychalle Omamo in private to hear a report on Kenya’s border security with Somalia.
Yesterday MPs questioned the competence of the NIS and called for its total overhaul and commended the police for their rescue work at Westgate. They argued that the huge allocations to the NIS were not commensurate with its output.
“The country must get to the root cause of the matter. It was a horrendous act that calls for the dismantling of the gang. It can only be defeated by an efficient intelligence system in place,” said Asman Kamama, chairman of the House committee on Administration and National Security during an adjournment motion on the Westgate attack.
Meanwhile Israeli, German and American investigators are assisting their Kenyan counterparts in a forensic audit of Westgate on the fifth day after the attacks.
"We strongly believe that there is an insignificant number of bodies still remaining in the building. We are conducting forensic investigations which is an elaborate process that includes fingerprinting bodies, DNA process and ballistic examination. We expect the process to take not less than seven days," Internal Cabinet Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku said yesterday. He was accompanied by Chief of Defence Forces General Julius Karangi and his deputy Lt Gen. Samson Mwathethe, Director of CID Muhoro Ndegwa, NIS boss Gen Michael Gichangi and Cabinet secretaries Amina Mohammed and Raychalle Omamo.
The stench of rotting flesh from the collapsed building occasionally reached the nearby Oshwal Centre as the forensic team started going through Westgate looking for booby traps, bodies and explosives.
Five military armoured personnel carriers and six military trucks sped out of Westgate at 11am yesterday indicated that the siege had finally come to an end.

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PREZZO SAGA

Bad Boy Prezzo Vehemently Denies Claims That He Is Running Away From The Police!

Last Saturday morning before the Westgate attack that claimed a lot of lives,it was alleged that CMB Prezzo was a man on the run,a fugitive.

It was asserted that the rapper had assaulted a Swiss army officer with a gun and the gunfight could have gotten very ugly had his bodyguards not restrained him.
They say that there are two sides to every story and Prezzo came out to refute claims that there was a gun involved.Speaking to Nation via phone,the rapper said as he tried to drive out of the parking lot, a white guy hurled racial slurs at him calling him a blonde monkey.This infuriated the rapper so much that he punched the guy adding that he reacted that way because"You can insult me the way you want, but when it comes to race, I cannot take the matter lightly.
He then dismissed reports that he was an outlaw saying:
"Rumor has it tht iam in trouble & running frm the law. This are nothing but rumours, iam a free law abiding citizen mourning my country."

Kenyan Artists Cautioned Against Doing Songs on Westgate Attack

In the spirit of mourning our dear departed friends, relatives and soldiers in the unfortunate Westgate terrorist attack, Kenyan artists have been admonished not to record songs on the incident.

Reading the riot act, Kenyan DJ and hip-hop rapper, K-Nel has cautioned fellow artists not to hit the studio to do any project about the Westgate attack.
“Warning To Kenyan Artists; don’t step in Studios and start making "pathetic" #westgate songs in the name of "MOURNING". I speak ma mind out freely!! We have the BIBLE. That's the only scripture we need right now!!!! The Devil is a true liar but he will not conquer! #illuminated”, declared the accomplished artist
He added, “I repeat: all that we need is God and the Bible. If we need a song, we will all stand and SING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM.”
You heard?

Nakumatt Loses Third Store In 5 Years

 

[Photo Courtesy]

 

Nakumatt Holdings has been losing a store every 20 months in the last five years. There has however been a silent period of over 4 years.

It started in November 2008, when the supermarket chain had its Thika Road branch demolished to pave way for the expansion of Thika Road.
Branch manager at that time, Mr. Thomas Kamau was quoted saying that they had lost close to Sh500 million.

Barely three months later, on January 28th, Nakumatt's CBD branch, Downtown, was brought down by a huge fire. 29 people lost their lives.
The space it occupied is still empty 5 years later. Apparently, the building that housed it was a historical one, and should resemble the previous one.

Following Westgate's terror attack last weekend, Nakumatt's number one branch is gone. Three floors of the mall collapsed, and if the building is declared structurally fine, it will take many weeks to bring it back to its previous state.
In the event engineers declare it too weak, it will have to be brought down and God knows whether its owners will rebuild it.
Even if they do, it will take many months.

Nakumatt Managing Director, Atul Shah, is quoted by Business Daily saying that Nakumatt Westgate was their biggest store in terms of revenue. It accounted for 10% of profits, out of the 33 branches in Kenya.

It has also been speculated that Nakumatt Lifestyle may be temporary closed down during the construction of the proposed Hazina Towers, which is set to be the tallest building in Kenya.

At the end of the day, the supermarket is growing faster than it's losing. In the 5 year period, it may have lost 3 branches, but has opened many more. This includes a big return to Thika Road, through the modern Thika Road Mall.

It's Part of The New World Order

 

Westgate Was a Hoax; Fake Blood, Paid Actors, Staged Explosions... It's Part of The New World Order

A YouTube video uploaded this week was fast approaching 100,000 views. It alleged that the Westage terror attack was just a big hoax; Fake blood, paid actors, staged explosions, etc.

The original video has been deleted, but several copies had been re-uploaded already.

The narrator goes through some photos from Daily Mail, and his main argument comes from the clear shots the photographers seemed to get. He wonders how anyone would capture such clear photos in the middle of a shooting.
The guy says there's a big conspiracy by the world governments and media, and it's all part of the new world order.
This is the same guy who claimed the US government staged the Boston Marathon explosions.

Watch the video.

Attempted Suicide Goes Wrong

 

Attempted Suicide Goes Wrong... Man Jumps off Kahawa Footbridge But Survives

On Saturday, as the nation was coming to terms with news that terrorists were taking peoples lives at Westgate, a middle aged man in Kahawa estate was attempting to take his own.

At around 6:30 PM, the man, reportedly accompanied by his wife jumped off the Kahawa Barracks footbridge, falling on the Thika Superhighway tarmac.
Unfortunately for him, he survived.
He lay motionless in a large pool of blood for some minutes, before onlookers carried him to sides. Not a single car hit him, despite the road been super busy.

According to witnesses, most of his major parts were broken, plus a severe head injury. After lying on the road side for quite some time, a willing motorist took him to hospital.

Some witnesses said that upon jumping, his screaming wife wanted to follow him down, but was prevented by onlookers.

- See more at: http://www.nairobiwire.com/2013/09/attempted-suicide-goes-wrong-man-jumps.html#sthash.pZpLPT1y.dpuf

The Filthy Toilets

 

Visitors At State House Nairobi Shocked By The Filthy Toilets

On Wednesday, the STAR newspaper, on its gossip section, reported that some visitors at State House Nairobi were shocked to come across a filthy loo.. in one of the most iconic buildings in the country.

Everyone has his own imagination of how State House looks like, aside from the main entrance. This is of course those who have not stepped inside.
Some picture State House as a place of milk and honey; green grass lawns, expensive furniture, etc. They may be right.
However, no one has pictured the house on the hill as a place of filthy toilets.

According to the paper, this particular loo is only a few steps from the main entrance, and it's used by policemen. Regular visitors have apparently got used to it, as it has been like that for years.
You can bet the presidents (past and present), have probably never known about the situation.

Horrific claims of torture

'Eyes gouged out, bodies hanging from hooks, and fingers removed with pliers': Horrific claims of torture emerge as soldiers reveal gory Kenyan mall massacre details

• Kenyan soldiers claim to find scenes of torture by mall terrorists
• They say children found dead in food fridges with knives still in bodies
• Men were said to have been castrated and had fingers removed

 

 

Soldiers told of the horrific torture meted out by terrorists in the Nairobi mall massacre yesterday with claims hostages were dismembered, had their eyes gouged out and were left hanging from hooks in the ceiling.
Men were said to have been castrated and had fingers removed with pliers before being blinded and hanged.
Children were found dead in the food court fridges with knives still embedded in their bodies, it was claimed.

Soldiers have told of the horrific torture meted out by terrorists in the Nairobi mall massacre yesterday as the first pictures of inside the centre have emerged

Most of the defeated terrorists, meanwhile, were reportedly discovered ‘burnt to ashes’, set alight by the last extremist standing to try to protect their identities.
The horrifying details came yesterday as the first pictures emerged from within the wreckage of the building, showing piles of bodies left strewn across the floor.
A third of the mall was destroyed in the battle between terrorists and Kenyan troops.

 

Lying in the rubble are feared to be the bodies of as many as 71 civilians who have been declared missing by the Kenyan Red Cross.
With detectives, including the FBI and the Metropolitan Police, still unable to reach the wrecked part of the mall for fear of setting off explosives, it could take up to a week to determine exactly who is still inside.

Men were said to have been castrated and had fingers removed with pliers before being blinded and hanged during the four day siege

Pictured is the aftermath at Westgate Shopping Mall where the roof of the car park collapsed crushing three floors

Yesterday, soldiers and doctors who were among the first people into the mall after it was reclaimed on Tuesday, spoke of the horrifying scenes inside.
‘You find people with hooks hanging from the roof,’ said one Kenyan doctor, who asked not to be named.
‘They removed eyes, ears, nose. They get your hand and sharpen it like a pencil then they tell you to write your name with the blood.
‘They drive knives inside a child’s body.
'Actually if you look at all the bodies, unless those ones that were escaping, fingers are cut by pliers, the noses are ripped by pliers. Here it was pain.’
A soldier, who took pictures at a bread counter and at the ArtCaffe, said he was so traumatised by what he saw he has had to seek counselling.
Bomb disposal experts with sniffer dogs were yesterday painstakingly combing the part of the building still standing for explosives before clearing forensic officers, police and troops to search for bodies.

Yesterday, soldiers and doctors who were among the first people into the mall after it was reclaimed on Tuesday, spoke of the horrifying scenes inside

Bomb disposal experts with sniffer dogs were yesterday painstakingly combing the part of the building still standing for explosives before clearing forensic officers, police and troops to search for bodies

The collapse happened on Monday when government troops launched a massive assault on the mall where up to 150 people are thought to have been killed

Images also emerged yesterday revealing the true extent of the destruction caused to the centre during the four-day battle between Kenyan forces and Islamic militants.
The first pictures taken inside the site show a gaping hole in the mall's roof after three storeys collapsed when Kenyan soldiers fired rocket-propelled grenades inside the complex, knocking out a support column, a government official said.
Children's buggies are left abandoned just metres from the yawning pit, as cars hang precariously over the edge. Beneath many more vehicles lie on top of each other, smashed to pieces.
The collapse happened on Monday when government troops launched a massive assault on the mall where up to 150 people are thought to have been killed.
During the firefight, hostages reportedly had their throats slashed from ear to ear and were thrown screaming from third-floor balconies as the siege came to a bloody end. Forensics teams, still sifting through the mountains of rubble, fear many more bodies are yet to be found.
Shell-shocked Kenyan troops said the inside of the Israeli-run mall resembled a ‘scene from a horror movie’ with blood spattered everywhere and dead bodies strewn across the floor.

Between 10 and 15 terrorists are thought to have stormed the mall on Saturday, according to Kenyan officials. The police said five insurgents were killed in the battle and at least 10 taken into custody

One soldier told the Daily Mirror: 'I have seen many bad things, but this will haunt me for the rest of my days.'
The main thrust of the operation began at 6am on Monday when troops and helicopters surrounded the building, but their efforts were hampered by an Al Shabaab sniper who managed to pin them back for nearly 24 hours.
As tear gas was used to try to flush him out, another terrorist reportedly blew himself up. It is believed the resulting fire may have killed dozens of shoppers in a supermarket.
The following day, the soldiers were ordered to adopt a 'shoot to kill' policy and launched their final attack on the terror group on the roof of the mall at 5pm.
The mall was retaken about half an hour later.

 

Between 10 and 15 terrorists are thought to have stormed the mall on Saturday, according to Kenyan officials.
The police said five insurgents were killed in the battle and at least 10 taken into custody.

A selfless Kenyan man

 

The family behind the photo: American mother reveals how a selfless Kenyan man rushed to besieged Nairobi mall and helped usher her three daughters to safety

• 'We were just going to meet my two older boys in the supermarket when we heard an explosion': American mother of five Katherine Walton was expecting a normal day of shopping but quickly became trapped in the line of fire
• Abdul Haji, the son of a former Kenyan security minister, helped get Katherine and her three daughters, along with other women and children, escape to safety during the terrifying ordeal

 

 

An American mother of five living in Nairobi decided to get out of the house with a family trip to the local mall last Saturday and wound up trapped in the line of fire with her three daughters as Kenya's Westgate Mall was seiged by terrorists.
Katherine Walton, who moved to Africa with her kids and husband Phillip two years ago, found herself trapped beneath a table outside her local supermarket. She says if weren't for a man named Abdul Haji, she's not sure if she or the women and children she was trapped with for hours would have gotten out alive.
Haji rushed to the rescue at the start of what became a bloody three-day siege and his story and likeness were immortalized with a dramatic photo that was snapped as he helped Walton's 4-year-old daughter Portia get to safety.
Scroll down for video...

Their story: Portia Walton runs for the safety of Kenya mall hero Abdul Haji. The Waltons have now shared their harrowing tale, giving backstory to this now-iconic photo

The Waltons spoke of their terrifying ordeal to the Telegraph and described what led to that unforgettable snapshot of little Portia ran to grab the hand of hero Abdul Haji amid gunfire and bloody bodies.
'We were just going to meet my two older boys in the supermarket when we heard an explosion,' Walton, 38, who moved to Kenya from North Carolina two years ago, told the Telegraph.
Walton quickly ran for cover.

‘I grabbed the girls and started running. A woman pulled us behind a promotional table opposite. I could see the bullets hitting above the shops and hear the screaming all around us.’

Terrifying: Katherine Walton, left, is an American living in Kenya who was at the Westgate mall last Saturday with her five kids when the siege occurred. They got out alive with the help of Haji

Hero: Haji became a hero when he helped the Waltons and many others escape the mall after terrorists struck

Walton and her kids were trapped, along with a Kenyan woman and two Indian women for hours beneath the table. The other women helped the shell shocked Walton calm the girls.
‘They were so still and quiet,’ Walton said. ‘My baby was screaming when there was shooting but between that, she just slept. In one lull in the fighting, my two-year-old and the baby were playing together with my phone. I couldn't understand how they could be acting like everything was fine.’
 
After what must have felt like an eternity of whizzing bullets and the screams of terrorists and victims alike, Walton spotted an intrepid man with a pistol fighting back against the terrorists.
It was Haji, a man trained for battle by his security minister father, and he was trying to quietly coax the women towards him.
When they were too afraid to move as group, it was 4-year-old Portia who emerged from under the table and became part of the unforgettable image captured during the Kenya mall siege.

Battle: Haji, along with other armed police, helped some of the 1,000 people who escaped the Westgate mall get to safety in the early stages of what became a bloody 3-day siege

Family: Katherine Walton moved to Africa with her husband Philip, pictured, two years ago

The Waltons: Four of Philip and Katherine's children are seen here. They will now continue to live happily and thanks to the heroism of Abdul Haji

The girl is seen running toward Haji, whose hand is outstretched. Behind her, Walton and the others can just barely be made out crouching beneath an Asus promotional table.
‘I don't know how she knew to do it but she did,’ Walton told the Telegraph. ‘She did what she was told and she went.’
Other photos show Haji helping the terrified women and children to safety. Katherine Walton was relieved to find her teenage sons, who were supposed to meet her at the mall, safely behind the police line outside the mall.
As for the fame the photo of her daughter has found in the wake of the mall tragedy, Walton told the Telegraph: ‘I was worried about family in America seeing it because we haven't really shared the whole story with them yet. For me, I know the story behind it and that it ends well. I think I owe Mr Haji a hug or two.’
But Haji will have none of the gushing.
‘I think I did what any Kenyan in my situation would have done to save lives, to save other humans regardless of their nationality, religion or creed,’ he said.


Witnesses to the carnage have told AP and other media that gunmen rounded up people, asked questions about Islam that a Muslim would know and told the Muslims to leave the mall. Still, some Muslims were among the victims.
Also among those killed when the militants entered the Westgate Mall on Saturday, firing assault rifles and throwing grenades were six Britons and citizens from France, Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, Peru, India, Ghana, South Africa and China.
Asked if al-Shabab had intended to kill foreigners, the group said 'our target was to attack the Kenyan govt on it's soil and any part of the Kenyan territory is a legitimate target ... and Kenya should be held responsible for the loss of life, whether foreigners or local.'
In an interview with NTV, Haji admitted that his brother--who he rushed to the mall to help in the first place--is an anti-terrorism agent and was, until the attack, working undercover.
Haji said that both his father and brother have received death threats in the wake of the attacks now that it is public knowledge that his brother worked to undermine groups like Al-Shabab.
Al-Shabab had threatened retaliation against Kenya for sending its troops into Somalia against al-Shabab, and many of those killed in an attack that horrified the world were Kenyans. The group's leader, Ahmed Godane, said in a new audio statement Wednesday that the attack was carried out in retaliation for the West's support for Kenya's Somalia invasion and the 'interest of their oil companies.' Somalia has untapped energy reserves. More attacks would come, Godane said, if Kenya doesn't withdraw its troops.
Though Kenya's foreign minister earlier said that 'two or three' American citizens may have been involved in the attack, a Western official said that after checking passport and refugee databases, there is not yet an indication any Americans were involved. Several U.S. cities, notably Minneapolis, host large Somali-American communities.
The violence continued elsewhere Wednesday. In the Kenyan town of Wajir, which lies along the border with Somalia, one person was killed and four wounded after a gunman opened fire and threw grenades, the Interior Ministry said.
Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said forensic experts from the U.S., Israel, Britain, Germany and Canada are all taking part in trying to reconstruct the scene at the mall. He said results would not be ready before a week's time.
Morgue officials in Nairobi have been prepared for the last two days for a large influx of bodies still in the mall. Officials have told AP that the shopping center, which the terrorists held for four days, could hold dozens more bodies. The government has confirmed 72 total deaths: 61 civilians, six security forces and five attackers. The Red Cross says 71 people remain missing.
Al-Shabab said the Kenyan government assault team carried out 'a demolition' of the building, burying 137 hostages in the debris. A government spokesman denied the claim and said Kenyan forces were clearing all rooms Wednesday, firing as they moved and encountering no one.
The al-Shabab claim appeared to refer to the rocket-propelled grenades fired inside the Nakumatt department store, in the incident described to AP by a government official.
In a series of tweets from a Twitter account believed to be genuine, al-Shabab also said that 'having failed to defeat the mujahideen inside the mall, the Kenyan govt disseminated chemical gases to end the siege.'
Kenyan government spokesman Manoah Esipisu told AP that no chemical weapons were used — including tear gas — and that the collapse of floors in the mall was caused by a fire set by the terrorists.
'Al-Shabab is known for wild allegations and there is absolutely no truth to what they're saying,' he said. But officials said the death count will likely rise.
The country's interior minister in a press conference said an 'inconsequential number' of bodies remained in the mall.
The mall's top level parking lot collapsed in the middle of the building. That brought the second level down onto the ground floor on top of at least eight civilians and one or more attackers, said Esipisu.
Lenku said there were no indications that a woman took part in the attack, despite persistent press speculation, and he said officials have not yet confirmed reports that the attackers had rented a shop inside the mall.
U.S. Ambassador Robert Godec said Wednesday that Washington is providing technical support and equipment to Kenyan security forces and medical responders. Godec said the U.S. is assisting the investigation to bring the attack's organizers and perpetrators to justice.
In another development, a British man was arrested in Kenya following the terrorist attack, Britain's Foreign Office said.
British officials are ready to provide assistance to the man, the agency said in a statement Wednesday. Officials would not provide his name or details. He is believed to be in his 30s. Britain's Daily Mail newspaper said he was arrested Monday as he tried to board a flight from Nairobi to Turkey with a bruised face and while acting suspiciously.
Kenyan officials have said that 11 suspects in total have been arrested in connection with the attack, including at least seven at the airport. They are being questioned, said the government spokesman.
The International Criminal Court in the Hague has said it is prepared to work with Kenya to bring the attackers to justice. ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in a statement that while Kenya has primary jurisdiction in the slaying of civilians in the Westgate Mall, the atrocity could also fall under the court's jurisdiction.
Al-Shabab, whose name means 'The Youth' in Arabic, first began threatening Kenya with a major terror attack in late 2011, after Kenya sent troops into Somalia following a spate of kidnappings of Westerners inside Kenya.
The mall attack was the deadliest terrorist attack in Kenya since the 1998 al-Qaida truck bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, which killed more than 200 people