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Monday, September 26, 2011

PROF. WANGARI MAATHAI FINALLY SUCCUMBS TO CANCER, A YEAR AFTER BEEN DIAGONISED

BY: MWANGI S. MUTHIORA- Two Hours Before

Africa's 1st female Nobel Peace Laureate, Prof. Wangari Muta Maathai, has finally succumbed to Ovarian Cancer at Nairobi Hospital- North Wing. Maathai has died in what Kenya can only refer to as a 'death' month, following the grotesque Sinai Slum fire tragedy and road accidents that have claimed tenths of people.

Prof. Wangari Muta Maathai took to the world stage in a defining moment on 11th November, 2004 when she received the 2004 edition of the world's most coveted award, the gold Nobel Peace Prize, at an elaborate ceremony in Oslo, Norway. Maathai, born in 1940, is a zoology professor who rose to international fame for campaigns against government-backed forest clearances in Kenya in the late 1980s and 1990s. She founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977 that has well spread to many other African Nations. She was the 12th woman peace laureate since the first award was made in 1901. The last African laureate was U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, of Ghana, in 2001. The 2003 prize also went to a woman, Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi.

In 1989 Maathai's protests forced then President Daniel arap Moi to abandon a personal plan to erect a 62-storey office tower in a Nairobi park. In 1999 she was beaten and whipped by private security guards during a demonstration against the sale of forest land near the capital Nairobi. The famed Freedom Corner, now remains a sacred reference place where most protests are started or ended in Nairobi.

In 2004 while accepting and receiving her gold Nobel Peace Medallion, Prof Maathai moved the star studded audience with her near poetic speech that was aired live across the world and watched by billions on TV. "In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called to shift to a new level of consciousness, to reach a higher moral ground. A time when we have to shed our fear and give hope to each other. That time is now. I'm humbled by the recognition and uplifted by the honour," she said.

"As I conclude I reflect on my childhood experience when I would visit a stream next to our home to fetch water for my mother. I would drink water straight from the stream. Playing among the arrowroot leaves I tried in vain to pick up the strands of frogs eggs, believing they were beads. But every time I put my little fingers under them they would break.

"Later, I saw thousands of tadpoles: black, energetic and wriggling through the clear water against the background of the brown earth. This is the world I inherited from my parents.

"Today, over 50 years later, the stream has dried up, women walk long distances for water, which is not always clean, and children will never know what they have lost. The challenge is to restore the home of the tadpoles and give back to our children a world of beauty and wonder."

She went on: "Today we are faced with a challenge that calls for a shift in our thinking, so that humanity stops threatening its life-support system. We are called to assist the Earth to heal her wounds and in the process heal our own."

The Nobel laureate then turned to the corporate world: "Industry and global institutions must appreciate that ensuring economic justice, equity and ecological integrity are of greater value than profits at any cost," she said.

And then to governments, Prof Maathai said that the environment was a barometer of a nation’s health.

"The state of any country’s environment is a reflection of the kind of governance in place, and without good governance there can be no peace," she said.

She is the first African woman and the 12th female peace laureate since the award was first made in 1901.

She joins the league of other African greats who have scooped the prize who are UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (2001), former South African President Nelson Mandela sharing with his predecessor F. W. de Klerk (1993), South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1984), Egyptian President Anwar Sadat sharing with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin (1978) and South African ANC leader Albert Luthuli (1960).

Among the awards received by Maathai and the Green Belt Movement are the Sophie Prize (2004), Petra Kelly Prize for Environment (2004), Arbor Day Foundation's J. Sterling Morton Award (2004), Conservation Scientist Award (2004), the WANGO Environment Award (2003), Outstanding Vision and Commitment Award (2002), and Excellence Award from the Kenyan Community Abroad (2001).

The former Member of Parliament for Tetu in Central Kenya has also received the Juliet Hollister Award (2001), the Golden Ark Award (1994), the Jane Adams Leadership Award (1993), the Edinburgh Medal (1993), UN's Africa Prize for Leadership (1991), the Goldman Environmental prize (1991) and the Woman of the World (1989).

Others include the Windstar Award for the Environment (1988), the Better World Society Award (1986), the right livelihood award (1984) and the Woman of the Year Award (1983).

Prof. Maathai is also listed on UNEP's Global 500 Hall of Fame and is named as one of the 100 heroines of the world. In June 1997,.
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Wangari was elected by Earth Times as one of 100 persons in the World who have made a difference in the environmental arena.

Prof. Maathai had also received honorary doctoral degrees from several institutions around the world: William's college, MA USA (1990), Hobart and William Smith Colleges (1994), University of Norway (1997)among many others.


Prof Maathai succumbed to Ovarian Cancer-is a cancerous growth arising from the ovary. Symptoms are known to be very subtle early on and may include bloating, pelvic pain, difficulty eating and frequent urination, and are easily confused with other illnesses. Prof. Maathai, one of the world's most celebrated woman died at Nairobi Hospital-North Wing, while undergoing treatment.

WRITTEN BY: MWANGI S. MUTHIORA.
BLOGGER & POET
Two Hours Before

Thursday, September 22, 2011

UPROAR AFTER FEMALE STUDENT GANG RAPED BY FIVE COLLEGUES AT ABIA STATE UNIVERSITY.

HORROR: Five Men Gang Rape University Student For One Hour On Video.

A few weeks ago, a five man gang raped & molested a female university student in a very horrifying video that the dare devil students recorded and circulated among Abia University Students and later posted on internet for the world to see. Amazingly, the audacity of the rapists to post the video- recorded on a cell phone, on internet is scaring and just tells you how our sisters, wives and mothers are besieged from all corners. The group of five rapists believed to be students of the Abia State University, either through arrogance or ignorance posted the sexual assault, which they recorded on their mobile phone, for the world to see online.

A horrifying, disgusting and painful ordeal that no other woman should be allowed to follow. The citizen journalism website, Sahara Reporters, was the first to call for an appeal to catch the perpetrators, igniting a web-wide uproar and witch hunt for the rapists, dubbed the Abia 5. One wonders how safe are our daughters and sisters in campus? Interestingly, the Nigerian authorities have openly dismissed this as just mere allegations and computer tricks that the students body at Abei State University has vehemently declined, saying that the perpetrators of this heinous act are known and the poor victim can very well identify them. Though its yet to be identified exactly when this happened, reliable sources indicate that the girl was gang raped late last week after she allegedly insulted one of the boys called Uchenna after continued weeks of stalking her. This incident has elicited world wide protests especially on internet with Bloggers around the world calling for speedy investigations and prosecution of the 'Abei 5'

The story which was first reported early this week has put the Nigeria's authorities and several Students Bodies at close fire with students threatening to go on rampage if the police are unable to make any sensible arrests and prosecutions. “It is clear that we have to fight our battles ourselves since you, whom we entrusted with the responsibility, are only interested in how your bank accounts can swell. This case has been taken up by the youth and we will monitor it to its completion, till those hard hearted rapists are brought to book and punished.” Said one of the student leaders from a University in Lagos.

The video which has over an hour of play time, shows the' Abei 5' raped the young girl in turns, teasing her and making gravious comments on her private anatomy. In the video though with a poor audio, the men can be heard humiliating the young girl and threatening to rape her for the next several days. The girl in return can be heard vaguely pleading with the men to spare her and leave her. At some point, the young girl is seen to be tired and exhausted as the men elatedly continues to take their turns. The victim is then seen and heard asking them to kill her instead and spare her the pain and humiliation. She allegedly disrespected one of the guys on campus, so they decided to take the laws into their hands by "teaching" her a lesson that she will never forget.

The men on this video appeared so upset going by the cruelty displayed in the video, it got to a point when the girl became suicidal and started begging them to take her life (In English and Igbo language), but the guys laughed and mocked her, it was terrible, the ordeal lasted for well over an hour.In the course of the rape, the girl kept mentioning their names. At a point, she said Uchenna please now. If close attention is paid one could decipher no fewer than four names mentioned by the victim UCHENNA , WISDOM, ZAKI, CHISOM, & IFEANYI / UGBAANYI, all believed to be students of ABIA State University

Another curious angle is, the men were all naked, but they allowed the girl to keep her clothes on, except her panties. It was grotesque. Even though the inept Abia Governor, Theo Orji is paying lip service to the tragedy, Youth minister, Bola Abdulahi, it was learnt, is on his way to Uturu.

Two Hours Before joins the of local & international blogs calling for the arrests and prosecution of the 'Abei 5' We condemns this inhuman act, and joins the world in signing this petition. Women should be respected and no insult can warrant such a humiliation and act of violence. While as the victim wished to die at some level, we take this opportunity to wish her a quick and speedy recovery from this trauma and inhuman act. Theo Orji, who has been widely referred to be an inept Governor of the Abei State, should step out of the shadows and alleys of darkness and lead the man hunt for the known perpetrators of this act.

Read about the Author on the February issue of Parents Magazine 2010 and read his untold story. Also Join Two Hours Before on facebook and twitter. NOTE: Two Hours Before is the fastest growing poetry blog in the country with over 27,000 visits and several reputable Reviews across the world.

MWANGI S. MUTHIORA
EXCECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Two Hours Before
fafdays@gmail.com
+254 725 385 654

Thursday, August 4, 2011

"I WALKED THE PATH" - R.I.P VINNY KANYONYA, The world loved you, we shall always miss you. They killed u, but not your spirit, you lives on

POEM DEDICATED TO THE FAMILY & FRIENDS OF VINNY KANYONYA-BARA
A few weeks ago Vincent Bara Kanyonya(Pictured), woke up as usual, but the 27yrs old young man didn’t know that his bright future was fast shutting down. Weeks of gluing such of Vinny lead to discovery of his remains half buried at an abandoned homestead in Ndumberi, off Kiambu road. This is after he was reportedly kidnapped in Nairobi by people asking for a huge ransom. Vinny was my schoolmate for 3yrs at Kanunga High School. We shared a dormitory and one thing that strongly stood out about him was his passion for life and an interesting jovial and witty attitude. When we left school, he hardly changed; happy, smiling, joking and laughing. It’s the manner in which his captors killed him that really hurts anyone who knew this young man. Why such cruelty?

I solely dedicate this poem to the family of Vinny Kanyonya-Pictured, to his friends, those who knew him in person and those who are hearing about him for the first time. He was a jovial, cheerful young man and he never truly deserved to die such a painful death. By sharing this poem with family & friends, we are signing personal petitions to end violence deaths of young men & women. Vinny’s death in cold blood is sincerely unquantifiable. It’s a loose that will live in our hearts for soo long, but I ask why? Should we just sit and watch a few characters steal our destiny and hope through the bitter path? Let us be vigilant.
R.I.P VINNY KANYONYA


I WALKED THE PATH

Lonely and full of tears,
Along the way-
I cast my eyes wide n’ afar,
I listened with my ears,
As my mouth gaped for air
With anguish and desperation
Waiting for any forthcoming hope

In my mind,
It was all spirals,
Confusion,
Worries,
N’ desperation, n’
At one time, I wondered
Is this me?

It’s a bitter path
Waiting for hope
It’s a path that no one else-
Should ever follow
Waiting for hope

Along the way,
I would hear the whispers
Of my captors,
Eating my soul
I would feel the cloud of desperation
Holding heavy above me
My blurred eyes would see nothing
Other than nagging darkness

And I would ask why

In all this darkness & confusion
I still hoped, that
This suffering would halt
I hoped, I would see the light
At the end of the tunnel

The pain in my heart
Surpassed my will to live
I wanted to see tomorrow
To smile again,
To laugh again &
Joke again
But I couldn’t
It was a journey of pain
And suffering

I wondered,
Where my friends were
And wondered, if they were thinking about me
I would look at the captors
And wonder if they would know
The pain in my heart

In my imagination
I would see the agony
In my mother
My dad, brothers & sisters
I would see my friends
Suffer silently,
But I was still helpless
Held captive, grasping on the straws of life

Now I am gone
It happened too first
I wanted to live longer
Smile further,
Joke further & have fun
But I am now gone.

Mom, Dad, Brothers & Sisters
Weep no more
There is a next time, and we gonna meet
The dark path has come to an end
And am now in my sleep
It is painful & unbelievable but you have to bear
Because I am now gone

In your dreams;
Dream about my laughter
Dream about my jokes
Dream about my dreams
But never dream about the bitter path
Smile to me as if am still living
Joke to my old jokes
And give stories as if I am narrating them
Because I am just gone to sleep
In the next room
And when your time comes
We shall meet again
Joke again, smile again & dream again
For I am gone

I loved you all
Many of you loved me
But I am gone
Have peace of mind
Dream again & be cheerful
Happiness shall soon be with you again.
R.I.P VINCENT KANYONYA (BARA)

We loved you bro, it is sad to see this world being cruel to such a darling, cheerful, ambitious & jovial young man as you were. Your smile will forever remain in our hearts. You never left this world a looser- you have won the hearts of many, and may the perpetrators of this heinous act see the light of the day. That it may dawn on them that, it should not have been that way. They may have succeeded to kill you, but your DREAMS & ASPIRATIONS shall forever live in us. We shall be what you wanted to be, be where you wanted to be, and be passionate about life just the way you were. R.I.P

WRITTEN ON: 4TH AUGUST, 2011
POEM BY: MWANGI S. MUTHIORA
Author & Poet
Two Hours Before
http://www.twohoursbefore.blogspot.com

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

THE TROUBLE WITH THE RAT RACE IS THAT, EVEN IF YOU WINS THE RACE YOU ARE STILL A RAT.........PERIOD!

AUTHOR: HON. MWANGI S. MUTHIORA, JUNIOR M.P - NATIONAL YOUTH PARLIAMENT (Pictured).

I have said time and again that this great Nation is in the bleak of tribal hatred inspired to Kenyans by tribal chiefs, sons and daughters of post colonial Kenya who squarely benefited from the corrupt White regime, Kenyatta regime, Moi regime and now the impunity infested Kibaki Government. The infightings in the Coalition Government remind me about the Rat race. The rat race is not only interesting, tragic and unfortunate but casts out the reality our leaders must swallow, “Even if you win in a rat race….. You are still a rat…!” That is the simplest you can define this selfish ruling class.

Over the last few weeks, we have witnessed uncalled for political bickering as the two principals and their erstwhile supporters engage in a war of word that has literally convinced any serious investor that Kenya is not the best of places to pitch tent. Kibaki in his quest to show leadership in an emotional press statement reassured Kenyans that he acted within the law in the disputed nominations even when the country had already read mischief in the manner his lieutenants handled and reacted over the entire process- he has withdrawn the nominations since. Just to remind you, we have been witnessing a political crisis hung around the two principals for a long time ever since this man Ocampo released the list of suspected masterminds of the post election violence that left tens of hundredths of people dead and many hundredths of thousands homeless.

Look at this again, ‘you are the Suspect, the Police, the Prosecutor, the Judge and the Executor’: then we must be in a rogue country where we might possibly never witness justice in our times or in the times of many of our generations to come. Shifting to the more serious business of governance and political leadership laying bare with the two principals, Kenyans must speak in one voice and oppose the idea of the destiny of this country be defined and determined in a boardroom by the two Principals or their cronies. In context and within the precincts of the new law, Kibaki & Raila have no moral authority whatsoever to impose on Kenyans any office holder, whether constitutional or otherwise. If the incidents of 2007 elections are to be prevented, we must embrace and implement this constitution fully and within all the legal frameworks applicable therein.

The two principals should not limit their efforts to successfully implement the new law to public forums and public statements. Indeed, they should have realized and recognized long ago that bitter differences in the level of consultations cannot be settled in a public forum. That is why in addition to the public statements and negotiations, they have to explore every possible private avenue that might lead to a settlement on this matter but purely pegged on the legality of the entire nomination process. In that case, Kenyans shall have a reason to smile to a new dawn of reforms; that has eroded us for so long. No one shall have the fears of the courts, police, legislature or any arm of Government.

It has been difficult for our leaders to communicate meaningfully across this war of words, But precisely because of lack of political goodwill to implement the constitution in its entirety. The president and the prime minister should reaffirm in all solemnity their desire to work for a just and speedy implementation of the new law. This shall be possible if only the selfish egos of their cronies are trashed away and sense of realism planted in the mindsets of our leaders. The two have witnessed the politics of this Nation than most of us and have been in the realms of power for many years. They saw JM die, Pinto Gama, Tom Mboya, Robert Ouko, Farther Kaiser, Oscar, Bishop Muge; etc. They have also witnessed Matiba, Njoya, Shikuku, Gatabaki, Anyang’ Nyong’o, George Anyona, Raila, and many more proponents of reforms in the 80’s and 90’s when Moi was cracking down on the voice of voiceless. I deeply believe that these two leaders shall one day pay dearly if they allowed the interests of a few people who have benefited from impunity, corruption, and nepotism from time immemorial determine the destiny of this nation during this transitional period.

Let history record that at this critical juncture both sides turned their face toward “justice rather than towards impunity and injustices." It may be hard to face the reality, but it is the right way. In speaking of the consequences of a precipitous withdrawal from talks and proper implementation of the new law, Kenyans shall lose confidence with the entire process and it shall not be business as usual. Far more dangerous, we would lose confidence in ourselves as a nation and incidents similar to those of post election violence shall be inevitable, now and in future. The consequences of what our leaders shall have done, inevitable remorse and divisive recrimination would scar our spirit as a people.

We have faced other crises in our history and we have become stronger by rejecting the easy way out and taking the right way in meeting our challenges. Our greatness as a nation has been our capacity to do what has to be done when we knew our course was right. Let us all submerge our differences and realize that it is best for us to first see that we have the same problem, a common problem, a problem that will make you catch hell whether you're. Whether you're educated or illiterate, whether you live in Muthaiga or in the alleys of Kibera, you're going to catch hell just like me. We're all in the same boat and we all are going to catch the same hell from the same pan- Impunity!
Kenyans in their usual optimism passed the new law to simply guard themselves and their generations to come from political oppression, economic exploitation, and social degradation at the hands of a few greedy politicians whom are a ‘know everything’ and will poke their noses anywhere they read a survival tact for themselves and their many sycophants.

Let historians not record that, when Kibaki and Raila were the most powerful men, we passed on the other side of the road and allowed the last hopes for political, economical and social empowerment of millions of Kenyans be suffocated by the forces of totalitarianism. This is the time for all of us to take the boat, even if we can walk on water.

The great ‘silent majority’ of our time spoke at the referendum, and the ruling class has little to do than lead us to the other side of the new constitutional dispensation. Needless to say, if they did or behaved in anything short of that, then the scenes we have witnessed in parts of Arab world might be a reality here at home. I once again remind them that the trouble with the rat race is that……even if you win the race; you are still a rat! God bless Kenya.

Author:
MWANGI S. MUTHIORA; is a Projects Manager by profession. He is an MP in the National Youth Parliament of Kenya He is a poet and a blogger with an allay of interesting political articles and poems most of them published on his Official Blog called Two Hours Before and reviewed widely across the world. He is an ardent participant of WHYS (World Have Your Say) on BBC among other International Human Rights platforms.

He is an aspirant in the forthcoming National Youth Council elections to be held next month.

Read about the Author on the February issue of Parents Magazine 2010 and read his untold story. Also Join Two Hours Before on facebook and twitter. NOTE: Two Hours Before is the fastest growing poetry blog in the country with over 27,000 visits and several reputable Reviews across the world.

MWANGI S. MUTHIORA
EXCECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Two Hours Before
fafdays@gmail.com
+254 725 385 654


Thursday, February 3, 2011

INTEGRITY is like VIRGINITY........... You loose either once!

INTEGRITY is like VIRGINITY........... You loose either once!One thing that is soo obvious is that "Integrity is like Virginity, you just loose it once" Marende has the future of this nation strongly lying on his shoulders...... When Kenyans went to the polls to decide on the New Constitution, most of us had the Promise of a new dawn in our mind. We were all obsessed with the imagination of a new Kenya.....without the whimes of impunity, corruption, nepotism, human rights violations, rape etc. It is sad now to see those legistrators who canvased the nation in support of New Constitution yet they are now dancing to the tunes of impunity and political arrogance that the President has now illustrated. There was no apparent reason to vote Yes then commend the president on unconstitutional appointsments. Whether the two pricipals consulted or not, concured or not....Kenyans wants an indipendent Judicial System. We have hundreds of learned young professionals who can occupy this positions out of merit. In my view, the Speaker of the National Assembly should rise beyound the mere squambles of ODM & PNU. We want an indipendent body that is not aswerable to either the President or the PM but squrely answerable to Kenyans.

In this case, this nominations which were both unconsitutional and in to conform with the individual interests of the two Principals should be nullified. It is inverted logic since we can surely all see who are supporting impunity in this great Nation. For what reassons would a person like Ruto who is facing soo many court battles so strongly support this nominations? for what reasons would anyone on the list of Ocampo six support this Nominations? For what reasons would someone who soo strongly opposed the passing of the new constitution advice Kenyans that the President behaved in a manner of statemanship whileas he simply has once again lost the simple test of integrity? For how long shall we suffer in the hands of rapacious individuals who are out to satisy their own selfish individuals?

If for any reasons House Speaker Otiata Marende, failed to stop Kibaki and his corrupt cronies of Ruto, Uhuru, Murungi, Muthaura, Kosgey.......many more- Kenya shall have failed yet another litmus test on its ability to deal with local challenges i.e i leu of governance and administration of Justice. Just ask yourself howmany innocent Kenyans are behind bars because of a corrupt Jucicial System. Remember the case of Delamere son, Killings of Ouko, JM, Pinto Gama, Oscar of Oscar foundation, imagine how many innocent women have lost sons in name of Mungiki and the police streets executions? Imagine the thousands of women who have lost court cases of inheritance? imagine the many who have lost files in highcourt simply because someone wants to block justice? Imagine the several thousands IDPs, Remember the death of Father Kaiser,imagine the arrogance of a one Esther Murugi on issues of national importance such as HIV prevention? Could this be the reasons why MOi and his soider boys opposed this new constitution? See Kalonzo, Jirongo, Wamalwa, Ruto, Saitoti, Kosgey.............! God have mercy. This is a country in shere need of redmption. We cannot afford to let this chance of redeeming the dignity of a vote be abused and trashed by a few rich men & women. Lets see the bigger plot by land owners who wants ti have their own in the high offices. Kenyans wants a CJ, AG & DPP who are credible enough just like Lumumba is doing. If we allowed impunity to carry the day.......then even the efforts of KACC will all be useless. This is the time for kenya to stand up for total reforms not just partial reforms to conform with the interests of Raila & Kibaki cronies.

Parliament will be better off if it learned from the expirience of local institutions which have succeeded and also from those which did not. At all events, MPs must bond into one collective organ, which will speak in one voice especially in matters of Nationa improtance such as this one. They should develop their own internal mechanisms for making decisions that can bind all in good faith. If they did it otherwise, there wont be scarcity of people out to throw spanners if not fireworks into their works. The job mandated to the Speaker of the National Assembly is of such significance to the future of this Country. Presumerbly, he have no other country he can call home. Thats why he will use his position and abilities to stand up for and build Kenya for himself, for his people and for all of us. He cannot afford to let it go to ruin.

Read about the Author on the February issue of Parents Magazine 2010 and read his untold story. Also Join Two Hours Before on facebook and twitter. NOTE: Two Hours Before is the fastest growing poetry blog in the country with over 27,000 visits and several reputable Reviews across the world.

MWANGI S. MUTHIORA
EXCECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Two Hours Before
fafdays@gmail.com
+254 725 385 654

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