The much revered Valentines Day was celebrated by Africans here in different styles and tastes.

Known more these days as a lovers’ day, Valentines holiday is the day to express love and to celebrate the spirit of love. The annual event is celebrated on the 14th of February with lovers all over the world falling over heels to get the special day marked in their lives.
For those who have not yet safely secured a lover, have already jettisoned or been jettisoned by one, valentines day is a great opportunity to find a new lover, with hopes of keeping them forever.

Enterprising African church ministries and individuals are quickly catching up to make a quick buck off this wildly popular holiday that often see sales of flowers, candy, wine and other niceties skyrocket.

Africans are increasingly organizing dinner parties where lovers, friends and prospective lovers come to hear intimate advice of how to deal with relationships, or simply to enjoy them.

Many guests do not mind the pricey cover charge, which can range anywhere from 45$ to 60$ per couple, and more per individual.

However, lover or no lover, most living souls always want to express the love in their hearts, one way or the other.

In New England, a group of about 60 Kenyans hit a rendezvous at the Crowne Plaza in Nashua, New Hampshire, on the Valentines eve, Saturday February 13th for an elaborate Valentines Day dinner.

On the Valentines Day, about 70 Kenyans celebrated a Sunday evening valentines’ dinner organized by Bishop Joshua Wambua and Eddy Idehen of Rapture Harvest Mission International. The event took place at the Spinellis club in Peabody.

Meanwhile, an estimated group of 60 youths rocked the party at a Valentines Day Jam at the Grace Episcopal Church in Medford in an event jointly organized by KCFA New England, the Oasis of Love ministries and DJ Fresh.

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Kenyans living abroad have been advised to wake up and invest in themselves first before sending money to relatives and friends home. They were reminded that the people they send money to, are living a far better life while those sending it work 24 hours a day to finance the “money remittance scheme”.

The timely and crucial advice was given by the outspoken Bishop Jonah Obonyo of the Cathedral of Praise Ministries in Nairobi Kenya at the conclusion of a two week revival seminar at the Christ is the Answer church in North Chelmsford, Mass.

The seminar, which started on January 27, covered a series of bible teachings designed to equip Christians with the tools to break yokes that entangle them in the Diaspora, making them live unhappy lives in what is known to be the land of opportunity.

The great meetings, hosted by Rev. John Wachira and his wife, Pastor Joanne Wachira ended on Wednesday, February 10th and attracted several hundred worshippers from many different countries and communities.

During one of the meetings, Bishop Obonyo said that Kenyans and other Africans in America need to invest in themselves first before they think of sending money to back home.

“You need to invest in yourselves first, your spouse and your children before you send money to your extended families in Kenya,” said Bishop Obonyo.

Bishop Jonah Obonyo advising kenyans to love themselves first.

“Investing in you mean giving more time to your wife and children, unless they are all back home,” the man of God clarified.

“Family investment goes into the future. Pray with them, spend time with them and work hard for them and you will have less stress in your families,” the Bishop said.

He told worshippers that they also need to invest in themselves by eating healthy foods, exercising, getting enough sleep, and reading good books to help them think.

“If you keep punishing your body to the extent of not getting enough sleep, you will be stressed even with your money. I have a gym in my house in Nairobi and I wake up every day at 5 am to exercise because I want to take care of this temple of God. I don’t want to die early since I have not finished preaching the word,” Obonyo said.

According to the Bishop, God helped him get out of a miserable life where he was raised in the Ghettos of Mathare in Nairobi. He said he used to make money by peddling changaa (illicit liquor in Kenyan ghettos).

He told worshippers that when he got saved and started applying God’s principles in his life, his life totally changed for the better.

“I stopped selling changaa and started selling mitumba (used clothes) in Gikomba market, got married and kept building my faith and work in the ministry.

It is therefore pathetic that many people, especially men, work too hard and do not invest in their looks, even those without families. Read full story>>

When a few years ago Minister Kimunya the then minister in charge of the Finance portfolio stepped down when his name was mentioned in relation to the Anglo leasing scandal, most Kenyans believed that he set an example for all others to follow in future. Kenyans have suffered a lot from corruption of their own leaders.

For many years Kenyan leaders have not been ashamed of looting not only the Loans and the Grants given to Kenya by the donor community, but also the meager resources belonging to the Kenya peasants. A few Kenyans continue to behave as though they are above the law since the days of the YK 92.

When the issue of the maize scandal was raised, Minister for Agriculture, Mr. William Rutos name came up. The Minister refused to step down despite calls by Kenyans for him to step down. A few weeks ago, billions of shillings were stolen from the Ministry of Education. Despite calls for the Minister for the Education to step down, Hon Ongeri has refused to do so.

Minister Kimunyas action when he steped aside after his name was mentioned in relation to a corruption scandal similar to those which Ministers Ongeri and Ruto are associated with, in order to pave way for an investigation, should have been an example for all other Kenyans in leadership position to follow.

Immediately ones name is mentioned over a crime, atrocity or a vice, one should step down. This is exactly what happens in USA and other developed Nations which we anxiously want to emulate. This is also exactly what Ministers Ruto and Ongeri should have done without any pressure.

Prime Minister Raila, just like everybody else including me, must have been wondering what unique and special thing the two Ministers have, which gives them courage to refuse to step aside even after such a national outcry.

Whether Prime Minister Raila was right or wrong in suspending the two, which I doubt he was, as a supervisor of all those in the Kenya Cabinet, stepping down of both Ministers Ruto and Ongeri is long overdue.

Now that President Kibaki has reinstated both Ministers Ruto and Ongeri only four hours after Prime Minister suspended them, he should explain to Kenyans his next plan of action to deal with both the maize scandal and the lost money in the Ministry of Education. We want transparency and accountability in our beloved Nation, Kenya.

“During the time of the Barack Obama Sr. in the 60’s, all they did was to leave seeds in America. Now we need to do business.”

The visiting Kenyan cleric Bishop Jonah Obonyo gave the advice last Saturday during the opening and dedication ceremony of a business store in Lowell started by four Kenyan partners. They are venturing into three different businesses all under one roof.

The man of God advised Kenyan and Africans in general living in the US to shift more into business activities and also buy from their own people, whose businesses are providing quality products and services, if they want to realize the American dream.

The new store, located on 288 West 6th street, will provide a variety of services to the surrounding community. It includes Beauty Connections thrift store that will be dealing in retail sales and export of second hand clothes and shoes, operated by Kate Stanley and Jane Kanguchu, Beautiful You hair salon, operated by Joyce Kimondo and The Marion’s International (TMI), a cheap, prepaid international phone service operated by Sammy Maina.

Conveniently located, the new store has joined a growing presence of Kenyans and Africans on this busy street that pours into two other very busy streets, Aiken Avenue and Lake View Avenue both of which have several other African business entrepreneurs plying their trades.

The busy three street intersection also has an advantage of being located in a heavily populated neighborhood of Centraville, which has a sizable population of African residents living or owning property, prompting some to consider proposing to the city of Lowell to rename West 6th street, Biashara,Umoja or Uhuru Street (Swahili for Commercial , Together or Freedom Street).

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President Mwai Kibaki has awarded five Kenyans in the U.S various honors for their outstanding and selfless contributions to the community welfare and leadership during the year of 2009. This good news was relayed by the Kenyan Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Peter N.R.O. Ogego.

Speaking to KEN, Ambassador Ogego congratulated the distinguished honorees: Dr. Mwangi Wachira, Pastor David Karanja, Rev Dr. Penny Ruth Njoroge, Ms. Elizabeth Mungai, and Mr. Joseph Wambia for their great accomplishments. He asked Kenyans in Diaspora to join them in celebrating their well deserved awards. “I am happy to see the Government of Kenya recognizes the contribution the Diaspora is giving to society”, said Ogego.

The President honored the five by conferring upon them various individual Presidential awards for the exemplary contribution they have made to the country during the 46th Independence (Jamhuri) Day Celebration on December 12, 2009 in Nairobi, Kenya.

The five join other honorees like Dr. Benson Karanja, President of Beulah Heights University and Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Baptist Church, both of Atlanta GA., who were bestowed the Head of State’s Commendation (H.S.C.) Awardin 2008 for their work in Kenya.

This year, Dr. Mwangi Wachira was presented with one of Kenya’s highest awards – the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW). A well accomplished former World Bank employee, he has played a major role in promoting the Diaspora and was the official representative of the Kenyans in the U.S at the Biennial ambassadors conference in Nairobi last year.

Dr. Wachira is also a key advisor to the Kenyan Government in Nairobi on international matters. He was a former speech writer for first president of Kenya, the Late Jomo Kenyatta before joining the World Bank.

An Investment Advisor, Mr. Joseph Wambia joined the honorees being awarded the Head of State’s Commendation (HSC) award. A former World Bank employee too, he has worked on a high level and off the radar to advice and promote Kenya in Washing DC. Wambia has played key roles in negotiation with IMF, World Bank and other major potential investors in Kenya.

He has used his experience and network to advise among others the Kenyan Embassy on how to navigate the tricky and sometimes murky waters that are Washington DC politics with his unlimited resources. Wambia has been a resource center for many Kenyans in Diaspora and is credited with the realization of many tangible results.

He has been feature on high profile business network like CNBC on matters of investment in Africa and runs Wambia Capital, one of the largest and most respected investment and risk advisory firms focusing on Africa. It is among the few independent Pan-Africa Investment firms to be founded and managed by Africans in the United States.

Another Kenyan to receive the Head of State’s Commendation (HSC) award is Apostle David Karanja of Christ Harvesters Ministries International (CHMI). Apostle Karanja told KEN that he was called by the ambassador to give him the good news. A well accomplished leader in his own right, Karanja has spearheaded a successful project to assist thousands of Kenyan pastors in rural Kenya by providing bicycles for their transport. His outreach ministry has taken him to promote the good news around the world including Europe and Kenya.

Karanja is the leader and the visionary of Christ Harvesters Ministries International which he started in 2004 with only 7 members, including his family. Under his leadership the ministry has grown to over 1000 members in a span of 4 years. The church moved from a mobile home to owning a 12 acre property worth $ 4 million on Dallas Highway in Marietta, Georgia.

Rev. Dr. Penny Ruth Njoroge, a Clinical Crisis Chaplain of Alabama also received Head of State’s Commendation (HSC) award. When KEN caught up with her at St Vicent hospital where she works, Dr. Njoroge was glad to learn of the honor. “This is good news. I was not aware of this until you called me. I had actually just finished helping a family that lost their relative a few minutes ago when you called. I feel like I am in two worlds right now”, She said.

Recap the entire story here

There is an old saying, “You Reap what You Sow.” But in Liberia, there was a saying in the 1980’s that describes corruption in government that ran contrary to You Reap what You Sow.” It’s ” Monkey Works, Baboon draws-” Meaning not everyone who sows may reap because until the bottomless pit of the big baboon’s stomach if filled, there will be no rewards for those who sow.

I read with interest the posting on AjabuAfrica.com recently (recap here) , on why Africans in Massachusetts should excercise their voting rights, and wonder how late in the game it is to sound the alarm. There is an old saying, “better late than never’ which maybe appropriate in this case. The fact is simple: “there is time for everything”. A time to sow and a time to reap. Those who wait until harvest to reap soon find out in life that it’s sometimes, it too late to do certain things.

Many Africans, especially those without proper immigration have a belief they can do nothing. They believe their fate is in the hands of people they don’t know, sitting in Washington, who will feel sorry for them and pass an amnesty bill to allow them to travel freely, benefit from public housing, section 8 certificate, voting rights, financial aid and student loans.

They feel they are so powerless; there is nothing they can do but complain about the ‘evil’ Republicans and ‘wicked’ immigration system. Many of these powerless go to church every Sunday. Some are even pastors of congregations, shackled with immigration problems. Some have been separated from their spouses and loved ones for years, thanks to the yoke of illegal immigration. When death strikes their family members, they cannot return home. They are in bondage but if you hear them sing at church, you may think they have no problems. Follow them at home and you will find families sinking deep in misery and despair!

Yes, I am also an African, a Christian, a pastor but I totally disagree with the panic methodology. When it comes to immigration, I think it’s wrong for pastors and Christians to give people false hope and keep them in bondage endlessly. How long have people have this false hope?
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“Can I have one for the road, please?” “Are you serious Mr. Jason?”

I never knew that you drink. Hmmm! “I only drink on Christmas” 

This is a common saying to binge drinkers or people who do not want to be thought as addicts. And when you drink only once a week, month or year, do you ever think of what is in that bottle, its effect in your body, life and other people?

It could be a drug. A drug may be defined as any substance other than food that by its chemical nature affects the structure and function of the living organism.

A drug may be legal, illegal, harmful or helpful, such as those substances used in medicinal practices. Drugs can also be termed as chemical. They work in the brain by tapping into brain’s communication system, interfering with nerve cells information transport; sending, receiving, and processing information.

Drugs like Marijuana and heroin activate neurons because their chemical structures mimic natural neurotransmitters. This similarity in structure “fools” receptors and allows the drugs to lock onto and activate the nerve cells. Although they mimic neurotransmitter, they do not activate nerve cells in the same way as the natural chemicals; they lead to abnormal messages being transmitted through the network.

The use of drugs is driven by reasons such as: search of “feel good” as well as peer pressure and suffering, either in sicknesses, and poverty. Every year, abuse of illicit drugs and alcohol contribute to so many deaths. In America alone, more than 100,000 people die from drugs and alcohol while 440,000 deaths per year are linked to tobacco use (Science of addiction).

People of all ages suffer the harmful consequences of drug and alcohol addiction. Babies, exposed to substance abuse in the womb may be born premature and underweight. This exposure can slow the child’s intellectual development and induce abnormal behavior. Adolescents who abuse drugs often act out, do poorly academically, and drop out of school. They are at risk of unplanned pregnancies, violence, and infectious diseases.

Adults often have problems thinking clearly, remembering, and paying attention. They often develop poor social behaviors as a result of their abuse, and their work performance and personal relationships suffer. Parents involved in substance abuse often lead to chaotic, stress filled homes and child neglect. Such conditions harm the well-being and development of children in homes, set the stage for drug abuse in the next generation.

You might be already trapped in the addiction web. There is hope. Drug addiction can be treated and cured.

Discoveries in the science of addiction have led to advances in drug abuse treatment that help people stop abusing drugs and resume their productive lives. Treatment enables people to counteract addiction’s powerful disruptive effects on brain and behavior and regain control of their lives. Addiction affects many aspects of a person’s life; treatment must address the needs of the whole person to be successful.

In a country like America that has so much access to various forms of drugs and influences, to suceeed at accomplishing things in a big way requires a constantly sober mind.

The Bible says in the book of Proverbs 23: 21, “for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,
and slumber will clothe them with rags.”
Think about it! 

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The year 2009 may have ended peacefully but to the Kenyan marathon lovers, it has not been one of those great years to remember both on the national stage and at the local community level.
Kenyan men lost their long held title at the annual Boston Marathon dealing a severe blow to the Kenyan national pride. And although Selina Kosgei scooped the top prize in the women’s category to salvage the heard earned pride, the men did it again by losing the 2009 New York Marathon, another covered title in this fascinating world revered sport.

In Chelmsford Mass, hundreds of Americans who warmed up to challenge local Kenyans for a 5 mile marathon were disappointed when very few Kenyans turned up for the annual race aimed to raise funds for AIDS Orphaned children in Naivasha, Kenya. However, a young Kenyan man from Lowell, Andrew Ndarwa fought it out with the Americans and clocked in the top 30’s while Monica Kimemia, also from Lowell, finished the race in the top 50’s indicating that even Kenyan women can do it.

If you grew up in Africa, you probably can recall those days when you walked several miles ( or kilometers in Africa) barefooted, every day, year in year out till you graduate from primary school.

The sharp pebbles on the murram roads did not deter many from getting to school on time. Thoughts of the merciless canning by the teacher on duty for late comers would erase any pain caused by the pebbles grinding your feet as you walked hurriedly with your hand sewn book bag hanging on your shoulder.

Any kid who made it to school with a pair of rubber shoes was viewed as a celebrity.

If a child showed up to school in a pair of north star sports shoes, that child would be grouped in the in the likes of Paris Hilton or other high profile celebrities.And in a village setting, such kids belonged mainly to the teachers in the village, and occasionally a senior civil servant who would have enough to spare for their kids’ sneakers. These teachers and a few civil servants were the standard bearers in a poor community.

The teachers kids could even be spotted in suits at church on Sunday, a phenomenon that would be the talk in the school for the whole week.

The physical fitness generated by years of this routine would manifest itself during those cross country races where the whole school would be ordered to get out and run on any afternoon at the game teacher’s whim.

The cross country race would mostly cover a distance of 10 or so miles, with a carefully calculated route that would take you downhill first to the river, up an equally steep hill on the other side of the ridge, across several miles on another murrum road parallel to the ridge.

It goes without saying that for the runners to get back to the starting point, they would have to come back downhill from the neighboring ridge, up a steeply elevated hill to get to your ridge and then a winding murram road again back to the school.

Top school prefects who enjoyed top perks such as exemption from the punishing cross country would be positioned on prime locations with a bird’s eye view to make sure all the runners went downhill and across the bridge to the other ridge and back.

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