Kenya Officials In Stockholm For World Water Week
A handful of Kenyan officials are currently in Sweden to attend the World Water Week in Stockholm. Officials who have so far been identified by Kenya Stockholm Blog are Mr. Kabando wa Kabando, an official of the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage System, Mr. Charles Kibaru, Mr. Michael Ngari and Mrs Wangari Muchiri, all working with Water related departments in Kenya.
Hon Mutua Katuku, the Minister of water, and Mr. Gakuhia, the Director of Water, are also part of the delegation which will be in Sweden until Saturday 26th August when they will leave for Kenya. The group has shown an interest in meeting the Kenyan community in Stockholm for an exchange of views and ideas on how to develop Kenya. Consultations are underway between the group and the Kenya Social Forum in Sweden (Kesofo) officials to find an appropriate day when the meeting can take place.
Okoth Osewe
Makosewe@gmail.com
Juliet’s Friend Heidi Speaks About Fund Raising
Dear Readers of Kenya Stockholm Blog,
My name is Heidi and I am and will forever be one of Juliet’s friends. I want to inform you that I am trying to work out how best to help Juliet’s family financially. I have been in touch with the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm.
I am not rich and I do not have sufficient funds to begin addressing the issue of Juliet. But I firmly believe in people’s goodness at heart. I would therefore like to ask for all your support. If you can only contribute 20kr or 50kr and enough people do the same, we will be able to send Juliet to a proper burial in Kenya.
I have already heard rumours that some of you Kenyans have your suspicions about my plans and projects, but I assure you that my interest is purely to help. I am just so sad that I did not have the slightest clue about how badly Juliet needed help while she was alive.
Juliet always helped me whenever I was in need. Anyway, I am trying to raise funds for the burial and for her family to cope with their daily lives. I gave a story which was published in Aftonbladet. According to the story, whatever money we raise will NOT be put in my personal bank account, but in a “Stiftelse” (Foundation) controlled by the “Länsstyrelse” (District committee) so that the money can only be used for its correct purpose.
Although I am not a Kenyan myself and may not do things the way some of you might think I should, I hope that you all agree that no matter where you come from and regardless as to whether you are black, white, green or whatever, if you deeply care about a person, it is more important that you try to do your best for that person.
I also know that Pastor Antonio is one of the people who cared about Juliet and his intentions are to help. I personally think that it is correct to organize some kind of memorial service for Juliet here in Sweden because I know I am not the only one who cares about her.
Let us all join hands together in that event (I still don’t know when this will happen) and show the whole world that Juliet was not alone and that there are many of us who care!
Of course I agree that she should be buried in Kenya unless her family wishes otherwise and that’s why I am raising funds! To give her family the possibility to choose how they want to send Juliet to her final resting place! Who am I to decide how they want to say their last goodbye to their daughter/sister?
Heidi
Juliet’s Murderer To Face Trial
The 34 year old Swedish man suspected to have murdered Juliet Kavinga, a 35 year old Kenyan, will face trial. When the case was brought before the court on Monday this week, Tora Holst, the prosecutor, succeeded in gathering stronger evidence that could bind the suspect to Juliet’s murder. Juliet’s body was found floating in a Lake at Ekero in Stockholm about two weeks ago. Juliet was seven to eight months pregnant at the time of her death.
A Kenyan lady who lives in Rinkeby and who had contact with Juliet during her last days told Kenya Stockholm blog that Juliet was living with a Zambian woman at Högdalen in the outskirts of Stockholm days before she met her death. Juliet used to baby sit for her.
“After disagreeing with her boyfriend who wanted her to conduct an abortion, Juliet moved to Högdalen to await for delivery of her baby”, said the lady. She said that Juliet moved to alternative accommodation soon after her boyfriend became hostile when she refused to accept an abortion.
In a lengthy interview, she told Kenya Stockholm blog that the Zambian lady trusted Juliet because Juliet had, at one time, taken care of her house for eight months when the woman was in Zambia for a visit. She said that Juliet was a devout Christian who never smoked or consumed alcohol.
A theory that is increasing taking root among Kenyans in Stockholm is that as Juliet approached delivery, the Zambian woman requested her to look for alternative accommodation because she did not have resources to house her and her expected baby.
As she grew desperate, Juliet took contact with her boyfriend and began talking him over so that the man could accommodate her until the baby was born.
“Days before I lost contact with her, she told me that her boyfriend told her that he would kill her”, said Jenipher, a Ugandan woman who was one of Juliet’s hair-braiding customers.
It is believed by some friends who had contacts with Juliet that when Juliet noticed that her boyfriend might have been serious with death threats, she contacted members of her choir group at Harmmaby church for help.
According to Heidi, a member of the group, Juliet booked an appointment with the Church saying that she had something “interesting” to tell but never made it to the appointment. She was never seen again.
Experts dealing with the case have speculated that Juliet might have been murdered by being hit with a blunt object or shot with a gun before her body was wrapped in a tarpaulin and dumped in Lake Mälaren in May or June last year.
The Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm is awaiting for a police report about the case before deciding on any further action. Kenyans in Stockholm are discussing with her church on how to organize a memorial service for her.
Okoth Osewe
makosewe@gmail.com
“I Did Not Defraud Kenyans”, Says Naomi
Naomi Wambui, a Kenyan national, has said that she did not defraud Kenyans out of their money when she requested for a series of harambees to sort out her medical expenses. Naomi has been suffering from a heart ailment and goiter, conditions that have seen her undergo major surgical operations in her throat and eye.
Naomi has decided to go public with clarifications because certain members of the Kenyan community in Stockholm have been spreading propaganda that she had a residence permit to live in Sweden yet she decided to call harambees to help sort out her medical bills. People with residence status in Sweden normally have their medical bills sorted out by their insurance companies or the state.
“I do not have a residence permit to live in Sweden and all the money Kenyans have so far donated have gone towards my medical expenses”, Naomi told Kenya Stockholm Blog.
According to documents produced by Naomi, Stockholm Care, a company that has been handling her medical her bills, Naomi’s cumulative bill was sorted out at the tune of 89,381 kr (excluding medication costs). To treat her goiter, Naomi underwent an operation that cost 58.000 kr while an eye complication that resulted from her goiter was treated through another operation that cost a total of 35.000 kr (including medication).
At the moment, Naomi is awaiting a heart surgery and she has appealed to Kenyans spreading malicious stories about her fund raising activities to get in touch with Kenya Stockholm Blog or herself to examine documents related to her treatment.
“I take this opportunity to thank Kenyans who have donated generously towards my treatment together with different Church groups who have been helping me financially”, she told Kenya Stockholm Blog.
Naomi’s eyes, which have been bulging out of proportion as a consequence of her sickness, have retreated after her latest operation. She told Kenya Stockholm blog that the negative stories that have been circulating around her name could have killed her were it not for the grace of God. She appealed to Kenyans with genuine questions about her condition to get in touch with her for further information instead of spreading false rumours that are not helping in her recovery. “I did not defraud Kenyans in any way”, she told Kenya Stockholm Blog.
Okoth Osewe
makosewe@gmail.com
Pastor Antonio Denies Planning Juliet’s Burial In Stockholm
Pastor Antonio Daniel Hellena who preaches at Hammarby church in Stockholm has denied that he is planning to organize the burial of the late Juliet Kavinga in Stockholm. Speaking to Stockholm City newspaper (9th Aug), the Angolan Pastor said that he was shocked when he learnt that Juliet is the lady whose body was recovered floating in a Lake in Stockholm.
“Now Antonio is forced to organize the burial of his friend. He has been in contact with the police to release the body and Hammarby church where Antonio is a Pastor, will collect money in memory of Juliet”, Antonio told Stockholm city. The Pastor told the paper that at the funeral, Juliet’s favorite hymn from the book of Psalms will be sung.
Numerous Kenyans who read the news were shocked. According to Mr. Gerry Midenyo, an official of the Kenya Social Forum in Sweden (Kesofo), Pastor Antonio has no right whatsoever in engaging himself in the burial arrangements of Juliet at a time when even Juliet’s family had not been informed of her death.
“Antonio is not a Kenyan, he doesn’t know where Juliet comes from while there is an organized Kenyan community in Sweden that could deal with the issue”, Mr. Gerry told Kenya Stockholm Blog. “The fact that he had contact with Juliet through the church does not entitle him to organize her burial”, he said.
According to Pastor Antonio who also gave her version of the story, Åsa Asplid, the Journalist who wrote the article, made a mistake. “What I said is that we are planning a memorial service for Juliet because she was a member of our congregation”, he said. The Pastor said that he was sorry that the issue had irritated Kenyans and repeated several times that he was mainly interested in how a memorial service could be arranged and how money could be collected in memory of the deceased.
A meeting the Pastor booked with the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm on Thursday August 10th at 10.00 was cancelled by the Pastor after Kenyans began putting pressure on the Pastor to explain the circumstances under which he was planning to bury Juliet’s body in Stockholm. As a tradition, Kenyans who pass away in Sweden are normally buried in Kenya with the help of Kenyans and friends.
According to Mr. George Kinywa, the First secretary at the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm, Pastor Antonio booked a meeting with the Embassy together with the Kenya Sweden Friendship Association (KESFA) to discuss the issue of Juliet although Kinywa pointed out that the main agenda was not Juliet’s burial in Stockholm. He said that the embassy was equally surprised that the Pastor went to the press with plans to bury Juliet in Stockholm.
Asked how the Embassy was engaged in the case, Mr. Kinywa said that he was personally in touch with police and that the Embassy was awaiting a final Report about investigations into the case before deciding on what to do next.
“The position of the Embassy is that Juliet should be buried in Kenya and the Embassy is in touch with the Swedish authorities”, he told Kenya Stockholm Blog. He said that the Embassy was keen on working with everybody to see to it that Juliet’s body is eventually buried in Kenya.
Okoth Osewe
Mr & Mrs Clay Onyango’s 1st Wedding Anniversary
Mr and Mrs Clay Onyango’s first wedding anniversary will be held at Albyskolan on Saturday 12th August 2006 from 18.00. There will be free entrance, free drinks and free food. Envelopes will be available to be “stuffed” by enthusiasts who want to show solidarity.
Mr. and Mrs Clay got married last August at a fantastic wedding that many Kenyan observers believe “broke the record of opulence” at Kenyan weddings. Clay’s wedding was the third public wedding by a Kenyan in Stockholm in the last two decades. This is in sharp contrast to the situation among Kenyans in London where weddings are almost a weekly occurrence. Part of the explanation could be that the population of Kenyans in Sweden is very small – about 3,000 while the huge amount of cash involved in the operation is inhibitive.
In 2001, Mr. and Mrs Laban Mberi pioneered public weddings followed by Mr. and Mrs Tarus Mbugua in 2004. Before and after Clay, there are Kenyans who have preferred to organize public weddings in Kenya before returning to Sweden to continue with their lives. This was the case with “Doctor” and Shelo.
Many Kenyans who have been getting married in Stockholm prefer quiet, closed and private functions where invitations are tightly controlled. This has been especially so with Kenyans married to white Swedish nationals known for their conservatism in a society where weddings and funerals are semi confidential retreats. Only a clique of carefully hand picked contacts and close pals are normally welcome at such functions.
Now that Clay has organized an anniversary where everything will be free, it can be accurate to say that he has become a “pioneer” in wedding anniversary celebrations among Kenyans in Stockholm. Kenya Stockholm Blog sends Clay and Family sincere congratulations on the occasion of their first wedding anniversary.
Okoth Osewe
Juliet’s Suspected Murderer May Go Free
Swedish police have one week to produce evidence that binds a 34 year old Swedish national to the murder of Juliet Kavinga from Kenya otherwise the suspect will be released from police custody. Juliet was seven or eight months pregnant at the time of her death while police estimated that she might have been murdered in May or June last year.
According to experts, she might have been hit on the head with a blunt object or shot. Her body was found last Sunday floating in Lake Mälaren wrapped in a tarpaulin in Ekerö, west of Stockholm city. The suspect was yesterday remanded in custody by Judges at the Solna district court.
Attempts by Prosecutor Tora Holst to keep the suspect locked up until trial or release failed when the court refused to recognize the 34 year old as a “suspect with probable cause” of having committed the murder. According to the Judges, there was insufficient evidence to hold the suspect indefinitely. Instead, he was sent to remand for a maximum of one week with the possibility that the Prosecution could re-apply to the court for the suspect to be tried later.
The Prosecution confirmed that the suspect had a romantic relationship with Juliet, had a history of conviction for violent crimes while he had a record of assaulting a woman. The court is awaiting result for a DNA test to establish weather the suspect is the father of the baby Juliet was carrying. The suspect, who was arrested following tips by Juliets’s friends, is represented by Mr. Peter Althin
According to friends interviewed by Kenya Stockholm Blog, the man had a relationship with Juliet at the time she got pregnant. Juliet was a professional hair braider and when she disappeared last summer, her customers believed that she might have given birth and retreated to live a quiet family life as she continued to “make papers” for permanent residence in Sweden.
Juliet was first “discovered” in Stockholm by Mr. Clay Onyango (the propriator of Recemarknardcenter) who found her homeless at Fittja Beach in 2002. Clay’s family later accommodated her for six months before she was introduced to a Kenyan lady who employed her at her hair salon in Södertälje. After she moved from Clay’s home to take up her new job, she still had a housing problem.
A Kenyan computer expert who learnt about her housing glitch invited her to occupy a room at Skågos after he found an alternative accommodation. The house was being rented by a Ugandan lady called Rachiel. Juliet then moved in to share the room with Winnie, the sister of Francis Mwongo, a former Kenya Embassy official who was recalled.
From Södertälje, Juliet expanded her work area to cover a Salon in the center of Stockholm city. She also began building a personal Network of customers mainly from Kenya who had recognized her amazing talent in hair-braiding. She operated by braiding hair at the houses of her customers to generate income for her survival.
“She was extraordinary, affordable and very secretive”, a former customer told Kenya Stockholm Blog. This customer was among the first to call police to help with identification when news spread that the body of an African had been recovered floating on water.
“The police told me that the body was too mutilated to be identified. They also said that there is a total of seven Africans who are listed as missing in Sweden and that they could not tell whether the body which had been recovered belonged to one of them”, she said. The lady added that one of these missing Africans is a friend called “Susan”.
As Juliet’s Network of customers expanded, she joined a Church in Stockholm where she helped set up a choir group that mainly sung African songs. Through her newly found friends, Juliet engaged in several activities and when the group went on a boat trip to Helsinki, Finland, Juliet met a Swedish man whom she fell in love with and in December 2004 she became pregnant. It is at this point that the situation began to change.
According to Heidi, a close friend who interacted with her at the Church and who spoke to Aftonbladet Newspaper, Juliet became very worried after she became pregnant.
“I am very worried about a man I am in contact with”, she told Heidi without going into details. Heidi told the paper that Juliet was worried because she wasn’t sure whether she would be able to visit a pre-natal clinic in Sweden with her status as an illegal immigrant while she was also apprehensive about her imminent delivery because she believed that she would be thrown out of Sweden if she visited a hospital.
Jenipher Ruzingera, one of Juliet’s customers from Uganda who later became very close to her told Kenya Stockholm Blog that Juliet did not want to tell friends that her boyfriend was harassing her after she refused to accept an abortion.
According to Jenipher, Juliet’s boyfriend informed her (Juliet) that he was not ready to accept economic responsibility for the baby. Jenipher said that, the boyfriend apparently believed that Juliet had tricked him into making her pregnant so that she could be able to settle in Sweden.
“She was very disappointed when her boyfriend rejected her pregnancy and as time went by, she did not know what to do”, she said.
In the summer of last year, Juliet called her friends at the church and booked a meeting saying that she had something interesting she wanted to tell. She never turned up at the appointment and it is during this period that she also disappeared.
When the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm was contacted by Kenya Stockholm Blog about the case, an official at the reception said that Mr. George Kinywa, the First secretary who was authorized to comment on the case, was out of office. Swedish police have appealed for anybody with information about Juliet’s last moments to call police hot line at: 08-4013333.
Okoth Osewe
makosewe@gmail.com
Kenya Youth Party Was A Smashing Success
For the first time in more than a year, Kenyan children in Stockholm met and played at Alby – thanks to the initiative of Catherine Maundu, Winnie, Caroline Irungu and others. There were over 20 children brought by parents to have fun. Activities were random with ideas on what could be done coming directly from parents. Music sessions, dance sessions and a rap competition were some of the major attractions which were concluded with presents to winners. Outdoor activities also kept the children on motion.
For a start, the event was good although there are areas which will definitely have to be improved in the future. The 20 or so children who were present were few compared to the number of children Kenyans have fathered in Stockholm. At the 2002 Nyama choma Festival, a record 49 children attended leading to a shortage of presents which had been bought by organizers who anticipated about 35 children.
It was clear from the beginning that the sequence of events needs to be outlined in the future so that as children arrive, they are absorbed into activity immediately. Enough notice needs to be given for parents to plan because there are parents who had engagements they couldn’t cancel to bring their children at the Party. The notice for the children’s party was less than a week.
Even Kenyans who are well known to be good in organizing and playing with children like Mr. Laban Mberi and Mr. Joseph Munene could not postpone urgent appointments in order to help with activities. Despite the little misses, the event was good, children played and parents went home happy, hoping for another Party to keep the kids busy.
The youth party was a smashing success. The dance floor was so packed that there was not enough room to shake a leg. Youth DJs – Irungu and Percy – kept the young revelers on their toes up to 1.00 when the adults began to zoom in to conclude the event. The youth party attracted guests from almost all races and as the crowd on the dance floor built up, it became clear that the party was more international than Kenyan. In fact, this mix-up reflected the international nature of contacts of Kenyan youth in Stockholm. At 20 kr, the entrance fee was the lowest ever charged at a Kenyan party in Stockholm.
From the sample of music played by DJs and from past observations, it appears that Kenyan youth do not like typical Kenyan music. The DJs mainly concentrated on western numbers although rap and hip dominated the scene. There was no “manyake” kind of music and nobody seem to complain. This is in sharp contrast to the taste of elderly Kenyans who normally begin to harass DJs who fail to prioritize Kenyan music, lingala, ndombolo et al.
Okoth Osewe
makosewe@gmail.com
Pregnant Kenyan Lady Found Dead In Stockholm
A 35 year old Kenyan lady who was six months pregnant has been found dead in Ekero area, south of Stockholm. According to police, the lady’s body was found floating on water near Lilehovs bridge by a private person who alerted police. The lady had been listed by police as “missing” for the last one year.
A young Swedish man has been arrested and is helping police with investigations. Police is holding the identity of the lady until the next of keen are informed. She was identified through finger printing.
According to information obtained by Kenya-Stockholm blog, the lady, who hails from Ukambani in Kenya, was “very secretive” while she did not have a residence permit to live in Sweden.
Although Kenya-Stockholm blog has confirmed that the lady hails from Kenya, police is simply saying that “she is not Swedish”. Police have also refused to say whether the suspect in custody had any romantic relationship with the lady.
A Kenyan national who is familiar with the diseased and who disclosed her name to Kenya Stockholm blog said that when he was last in contact with the lady before she disappeared last year, she sounded worried.
“It looked like she had tricked her Swedish boyfriend into making her pregnant so that she could get papers to stay in Sweden”, he told Kenya Stockholm blog.
According to this Kenyan who refused to be identified, the lady apparently refused to conduct an abortion at the request of her boyfriend because she believed that once the child was born, she would be allowed to stay in Sweden regardless of the state of her relationship with her man.
There is very little information about the real circumstances behind the lady’s murder but the source told Kenya Stockholm blog that the late Kenyan used to work part time at a hair salon owned by a Kenyan woman in Stockholm’s central business district.
Another Kenyan who helped accommodate the diseased at Skågos, Stockholm, in 2002 said that he was introduced to the lady by a friend who first employed her at a hair salon in Södertälje in the outskirts of Stockholm city.
“By then, I was renting a room from a Ugandan woman and just before I moved, I learnt that the lady had a housing problem”, he said.
“I left her the room and she continued staying there with another lady who was related to Mr. Francis Mwongo”, he added. Mr. Mwongo is a former Kenya Embassy official who was recalled after his tour of duty ended. The Kenyan said that the diseased was very polite although she looked depressed.
According to Expressen, an evening newspaper which carried the story on their 4th August edition, the suspect being held by police has denied any involvement in the murder while he has also refused to talk to police until he consults with his lawyer Mr. Peter Althin. News about the murder has shocked Kenyans in Stockholm.
Okoth Osewe
makosewe@gmail.com
Kenya Childen’s Party Pics – December 2005
This was December 2005. The youth later invaded the Children’s Party! Click on the pictures for a larger image.
Kenya Children’s Party Planned at Alby
Catherine Maundu (also known as Cathy) and Winnie have scheduled a “Talent show” for both Kenyan children and Kenyan youth at Albyskolan in Stockholm on Saturday August 5th. According to Cathy, they are organizing the event in order to entertain Kenyan children and youth who have not had anything major organized for them since the beginning of the year.
The children’s show will run from 14.00-20.00 before the event opens for the youth between 20.30-1.00. After the youth show, the stage will be set for an all night Kenyan party with IDs on the door to prevent under 18s from attending the party. Entrance will be 20 kr throughout the night while no alcoholic drinks will be served during the under 18 “Talent shows”. Cathy has encouraged parents to bring their children to the show.
The last time a children’s party was organized in Stockholm was on December 25th last year when Kenyan children surprised the audience at Norsborg Musikhuset with delicate dance moves that beat the imagination. The best dancers were later given presents by the Kenyan Ambassador to Scandinavia H.E. Mr. Daniel Mukiri Kinyanjui.
The Alby children’s Party comes at a time when the just registered Kenya Social Forum in Sweden is also planning a series of activities for Kenyan children before the end of summer holidays.
Okoth Osewe
Kenya Social Forum In Sweden Registered
The newly formed Kenya Social Forum in Sweden (KESOFO) has now been registered. According to Ms Winnie Njoki Mukaru, the Forum’s Chairlady, the registration papers have already been received from the Swedish Tax office.
A Kesofo Committee meeting that was held late last week decided that following the registration, the Forum will open a Bank account immediately so that recruitment of members into the Forum can begin. The Committee also decided that Kesofo would organize children’s activities before the end of the summer.
The setting up of the Forum brings to an end a state of disorganization of the Kenyan community in Sweden after the Kenya United Welfare Association (KUWA) entered into a crisis about three years ago.
KESOFO has already made its debut on the Kenya social scene by successfully organizing the Annual Kenya Nyama Choma Festival which was held on 1st July.
Committee members are holding positions on an interim capacity pending elections by the end of the year and after the Committee has built a stable ground upon which the Forum can operate.
The Committee has already taken contacts with the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm which has also recognized the Forum as a legitimate Kenyan organization the Institution can deal with on matters pertaining to Kenyans in Sweden.
“The Embassy has been unable to link up with Kenyans in Sweden because there has been no organization”, said H.E. Mr. Daniel Mukiri Kinyanjui, the Kenyan Ambassador to Scandinavia when he met Kesofo leaders last month.
The Ambassador said that since he assumed office after Narc took power, he has been inviting Kenyans to Kenyan functions on the basis of personal contacts and the Makozewe SMS Network which is well known by Kenyans in Stockholm.
Kesofo is already planning to set up a web site which the Forum expects to use to spread information about its structure, organization and program.
The Forum has set up more than 10 sub-committees to deal with different issues touching on the youth, children, women, men, entertainment, politics, religion, parenthood among others.
Okoth Osewe
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