Stories about Kenya from September, 2005
Kenya: Visit to the British High Commission
What an African Woman Thinks has a beautifully written account of a recent visit to the British High Commission in Nairobi, in quest of a visa. Via Kenyan Pundit, who thought so too.
Kenya: IT infrastructure
Bankelele reports that the state-owned Telkom Kenya has launched an Internet telephony, or VoIP, service, and has begun laying a fiber-optic cable connecting Nairobi to Mombasa.
Kenyan Blogosphere Roundup
- First things first. The Kenyan Blogs WebRing recently celebrated it's first birthday and crossed the 100 member threshold. Congratulations are in order. Here are some snippets of the amazing community that is Kenya Unlimited. - Bankelele offers up helpful information regarding buying shares on the Kenyan stock exchange from...
Kenya: Wangari Maathai
Emeka Okafor, on Africa Unchained, admires Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai, saying that she exemplifies what Africans seek in their leaders.
Kenya: Diplomatic rape scandal
Kenya Democracy Project quotes unnamed official sources on the reported rape of a Kenyan diplomat by a Kenyan diplomat in the United States, during the visit of President Mwai Kibaki.
Kenya: Cellphone money
Bankelele has seen the future of money transfers in Kenya, and it's cellphone-shaped.
Kenya: Nobel Peace Prize nominee?
Black Star Journal notes the work of Kenya's Gen. Lazaro Sumbeiywo as a peace-broker in southern Sudan, as reported in the Christian Science Monitor.
Kenya: All of a ferment…
Onyango Oloo sorts the bananas from the oranges in a long essay on the Kenya Democracy Project, looking at the prospects for political change and providing a recipe for an alcoholic beverage made from bananas.
Kenya: A Constant Gardener
E.K. Bensah takes a look at movie reviews for the forthcoming movie The Constant Gardener, based on the novel by John Le Carre, which is set – and banned – in Kenya. Former Nairobi expat Marian also takes note…
In the Presidents’ shoes…
Mental Acrobatics challenges readers to identify Presidents Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania, Mwai Kibaki of Kenya and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda just from their shoes.
Kenya: Financial reform plan
Bankelele reports on a comprehensive reform plan set out by the World Bank for Kenya's financial sector, including the top four state-owned banks.
Kenya: Wi-fi wanderings
George Conard, on his way home to Seattle, checks out the much-vaunted wi-fi connection in Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Kenya: Customer-friendly police
Kenyan Pundit reports on a new initiative by the Kenyan police to deal with “customer service issues”.
Kenya: SMS the government
Bankelele informs us that it is now possible to text the Kenyan government spokesman.
Kenya: Halliburton contract
Kenya-based Mental Acrobatics highlights the awarding of a multi-million dollar reconstruction contract in hurricane-hit Louisiana and Mississippi to Halliburton, a company with strong ties to U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney.
Kenya: First birthday
Kenyan blogger Mshairi celebrates one year in the blogosphere, looking back on 12 months of life, love, poetry, Africa and gender activism.
Kenya: Katrina poetry
Kenya Democracy Project posts a long poem and photos depicting the ravages of Katrina, and picks up on the infamous (white) “finders” and (black) “looters” captions on AFP photos out of New Orleans.
Kenya: The bicycle economy
Timbuktu Chronicles reports on an initiative aimed at making load-carrying bicycles more available to ordinary Kenyans.
Kenya: Catholic insurance
Bankelele flags a financial services tidbit with a twist; the Nairobi Catholic Church has been licensed to start an insurance company.
