New Kenyan Blog Link At Kenya Stockholm Blogroll
Onyango Oloo Returns to a Passionate Pursuit Aaahh….
It is with a sigh of relief, sense of accomplishment and feeling of contentment that I joyfully revert to the spicy world of political blogging after a twelve month hiatus punctuated by a transcontinental hop, skip and jump from a frigid, sprawling Northern metropolis (Montreal) to a sweltering overgrown Southern urban village (Nairobi). Read on…
Okoth Osewe
Gerald Mutinda Coming To Stockholm
Mr. Gerald Mutinda, the Coordinator of CeedCO, one of the biggest projects driven by “Cooperation without Boarders” in Kenya within the Farmers cooperative movement, will be coming to Stockholm.
He will be available for different activities from 27th September to 9th October. During this period, he will talk about Kenya, the project he works with and why he is engaged in the project.
Mr. Mutinda is scheduled to speak at Zita in Stockholm on how big business/market expansion influences small farmers in Africa especially Kenya. The topic for discussion will therefore lean more on organizations and big companies.
There is a proposal from Kenya Social Forum In Sweden (Kesofo) that Mr. Mutinda should meet Kenyans on 3rd October for a discussion about his work and how the Kenyan community can contribute in developing the Cooperative movement in Kenya. Further information will be communicated as it becomes available.
Okoth Osewe
makosewe@gmail.com
Ambassador Kinyanjui Blocked Oslo Press Conference On Kiboi’s Death
The Kenyan Ambassador to Scandinavia H.E Mr. Daniel Mukiri Kinyanjui blocked a Press conference that was supposed to be held in Oslo last week and which was supposed to address the circumstances under which Mr. James Kiboi, a Kenyan diplomat, died. Mr. Kiboi perished in a house inferno on the morning of Sunday September 10th. The Press conference was supposed to be held by Mr. Sam Korir, a Kenyan in Oslo together with other people who had been in Mr. Kiboi’s company since he arrived in Oslo on Thursday September 7th.
“Both the Kenyan Ambassador Mr. Kinyanjui and the Norwegian police told me not to go ahead with the Press conference because of police investigations”, Mr. Korir told Kenya Stockholm Blog on telephone.
The Kenyan said that Mr. Kiboi died in the middle of a long standing conflict between him and a group of people in Oslo. He said that the situation was so serious that the Kenyan community in Oslo had planned to travel to Stockholm for a meeting with the Ambassador on August 25th 2006 to resolve the conflict. The meeting never materialized because, according to Mr. Korir, the Ambassador refused to mediate arguing that the conflict was not based on an official matter concerning the Kenyan government.
Different sources that have spoken to KSB have confirmed the line that Mr. Kiboi’s death is linked to a “conflict”. People in the know about the real circumstances are divided on the question of releasing information.
According to one group, there is a danger in releasing the details because since there is a general consensus that a crime might have been involved, releasing details might lead to prosecutions which might land the culprits in jail for life. This group also argues that the details could be so painful especially to Kiboi’s family and that it is better to leave the late diplomat rest in peace instead of burdening the family with unwanted and negative details.
According to another group, the truth should be told so that those who might have been involved in any criminal activity can be brought to face justice. This group’s position is that the truth should form part of the healing process of Kiboi’s family.
In a brief communication transmitted by Mr. Korir, the Kenyan said that as a top diplomat, Kiboi should have been careful when it came to dealing with people whose backgrounds he did not know especially during late hours in the night. The communication said that on several occasions when he was in Oslo, Mr. Kiboi failed to heed advise on his personal security.
Okoth Osewe
makosewe@gmail.com
Grace Wangui Attacks Kenya Embassy On MPs Visit
Grace Wangui, a vocal Kenyan resident in Stockholm, has attacked the Kenyan Embassy for failing to invite all Kenyans to a recent meeting with a Kenyan Cabinet minister and members of a Kenyan delegation that had come to Sweden to attend a one week seminar on Water. The delegation included Kenya’s Minister of Water and Irrigation Mr. Mutua Katuku.
Wangui told Kenya Stockholm Blog that there was no need in organizing the meeting at Sheraton Hotel which, she argued was expensive.
“Kenyans normally hire places like Norsborg musikhuset where the delegation could have met Kenyans say on a Sunday afternoon to discuss issues about Kenya”, she said.
She pointed out that it was wrong for the MPs to meet only a handful of Kenyans when there was possibility of meeting everybody.
“I single out the Ambassador Mr. Daniel Kinyanjui for attack because he could have made sure that the delegation met all Kenyans when they were in Sweden”, she said.
“I wonder who the Kenya Embassy is working for or who the Ambassador is representing here”, she said.
When reminded that the meeting was a dinner party and that the Embassy couldn’t afford to finance the event if all Kenyans were invited, Wangui said: “This isn’t Kenya where people are dying of hunger. Here, people have food”.
Wangui said that the Ambassador was in Sweden to protect the interest of Kenyans and to serve the Kenyan community. This, she said, includes informing all Kenyans whenever MPs or other dignitaries come to Sweden. She said that the delegation was not on a private visit and that if they were on a private visit, then they should have paid for their own tickets instead of wasting tax payer’s money.
She said that the fact that the meeting had taken place while some Kenyans had been excluded was a big shame to both the delegation and the Kenyan embassy in Stockholm.
Okoth Osewe
makosewe@gmail.com
Clay Onyango Had A Plan With The Late Diplomat Kiboi
The last time I met Mr. James Kiboi was at Njoro’s place. We really spent some good time laughing and joking. One of the discussions we had was my so called mission to start a Foundation whereby Kenyans in Sweden could contribute 100 kr each month.
The population of Kenyans in Sweden being 3000, we could save up to 300.000 kr every month and 3.6 million kr every year. With this money, I suggested that we could open an account in both Kenya and Sweden with the help of the Embassy to avoid any misunderstandings as is normally the case with money issues.
The main idea was that with this money, we could buy some land in Kenya and build apartments with a swimming pool. Within ten years, we would have built 3000 apartments for each Kenyan in Sweden. Mr. Kiboi thought it was a very good idea and suggested that he would be number one on the list. He even suggested that he had 70 acres of land in Kenya and that he would give us 20 acres to build the apartments.
Before his death, we were to meet and continue with our discussion but unfortunately we lost him. Myself and my family will really miss Mr. Kiboi but I will still continue with my mission to have these apartments built even with 100 Kenyans only. May God bless his soul.
Clay Onyango
Great Relief As Juliet Funds Are Accounted For
At a Juliet committee crisis meeting charged with tension and free flow of adrenalin, the Ksh 300.000 that a large section of the Juliet committee members feared missing was eventually accounted for. At the meeting held at Kulturhuset on Friday 15th September, a fire-breathing Treasurer, Mr. Silas Njuguna, charged that he was shocked to read at the Kenya Stockholm Blog that he had disappeared and that cash was missing.
“People have been calling me all day asking me why I have stolen money”, he told the meeting. According to Mr. Njuguna, he sent his apologies through a Committee member and stated that since he was working on Wednesday evening, he couldn’t attend the meeting. “I could not respond to phone calls either because at my work place, we are not allowed to answer phone calls”, he said. Apparently, Mr. Njuguna’s apologies never reached the Wednesday committee meeting due to some inexplicable reasons. Mr. Mwaura claimed that he did not receive the message about the Wednesday meeting.
Because members arrived at the meeting with flaring tempers, almost trembling with rage, those present voted that the meeting be Chaired by a neutral person and not Mr. Daniel Mwaura, Juliet committee Chairperson who had also been accused of having been at large. Monica Bryan, a close friend of Juliet, was voted as the meeting’s Chairlady. This move ended an intensive shouting match that dominated the tone during the opening minutes.
After a hot argument and brief exchanges, an agenda was agreed upon and the meeting quickly moved to the question of accountability. The Treasurer said that money had already been sent to Juliet’s mother as had been agreed at an earlier meeting while he also said that Fidelia AB, the company that transported Juliet’s body to Kenya, had also been paid.
According to documents produced by the Treasurer, 277.732 Kenyan shillings was sent to Juliet’s mother Mrs Agnes M. Kikanga Kavinga through Western Union while Fidelia AB was paid 17.800,50 Kr. Cash that was paid to Fidelia was a special discount rate and not the normal Fidelia price. A document that was faxed from Nairobi to the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm dated September 15th 2006 and signed on behalf of Juliet’s mother, Agnes, indicated that she received Ksh 277,732.
When asked why he did not update other Committee members that money had been sent, Mr. Njuguna said that he did not believe that such an update was important. The meeting recognized the fact that there appeared to have been a serious communication breakdown between the Treasurer, the Chairperson and seven other Committee members which included the Secretary.
Committee members who were not in the know like Mr. Gerry Midenyo, Pastor Beatrice Kamau, Sera Nielsen and others defended the move by seven Committee members to go public to the effect that the Committee was in the dark regarding the funds. The big fear was that it was raw cash that was physically in the custody of an individual and, according to Pastor Beatrice, the Committee had to raise the alarm because the funds involved were raised by Kenyans and friends.
Another issue that was tackled was the fate of cash that was raised by the Juliet Foundation and which was part of the Juliet contribution. A bank statement that was produced by Heidi, the key contact of the foundation, indicated that cash that was withdrawn from the Foundation and sent to Juliet’s mother amounted to 6.816 Kr. Throughout the life of the Juliet committee, there has been deep suspicion between the Committee and the Juliet Foundation especially on the question of money the Foundation was raising.
When the Juliet Committee was set up last month at Tensta, a secret deal was made between all Committee members from Kenya that the Heidi Foundation would be kept out of Committee affairs but that communication with Heidi would be maintained in order to keep a tab on what the Foundation was doing. An attempt on 1st September by Heidi to bank cash that was raised by Kenyans and friends in her Foundation account was blocked by the Treasurer Mr. Njuguna at Alby because of the “Tensta declaration”. Anger mounted among Committee members that Pastor Antonio Helena (who is close to Heidi) had told Stockholm city newspaper that he would bury Juliet at a Church in Stockholm.
When the Chairman, the Treasurer and a Committee member began mobilizing the Foundation members to attend Committee meetings to help influence decisions through voting, a deep rift emerged in the Committee. This rift is what fuelled suspicions that the three Committee members who appeared to have been working with Heidi after betraying the “Tensta declaration” might have been up to something fishy with money. When the three Committee members failed to attend the Wednesday committee meeting, an alarm was sounded.
Concerned Kenyans who attended the Friday meeting like Mr. Clay Onyango, Mr. Milton Obote, Karim Abdul and Ms Lillian Mbova said that it was in order for a section of the Committee that was raising questions to look at the documents to ascertain what had happened to the money. Mr. Clay, who runs a Western Union branch in Stockholm, verified to the meeting through a phone call that the transaction as reflected on the Western Union receipt was legitimate.
The meeting resolved that since all issues had been resolved at the meeting, the Committee would be dissolved at an internal Party whose date will be announced later.
Okoth Osewe
makosewe@gmail.com
Unanswered Questions On Kiboi Death
Mr. James Kiboi, a Kenyan diplomat who died in Oslo in a house inferno on Sunday September 10th was probably one of the most progressive diplomat to have been posted at the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm in recent times. Those who met Mr. Kiboi in life will probably attest to the fact that he might have had a special mission to redeem the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm and to bring the mission closer to the Kenyan community in Scandinavia. Kiboi’s life ended abruptly but the circumstances under which he died needs to be questioned. Although Kenyans and friends are meeting at Kiboi’s residence almost on a daily basis, critical questions related to Kiboi’s death are not being taken up on a serious scale. As an investigation report is awaited, Kenya Stockholm Blog (KSB) believes that certain questions need to be asked publicly.
For example, Mr. Kiboi was reportedly on an official mission in Oslo. A diplomat especially of Mr. Kiboi’s stature should have been putting up in a hotel possibly in Oslo. According to investigations by Kenya Stockholm Blog (KSB), the villa in which Mr. Kiboi was burnt beyond recognition belonged to a Kenyan woman called Mary who hailed from Nyahururu in Kenya. A reliable source has disclosed that Mary was residing in the villa together with her two children and paying rent. KSB has also established that Mary is one of the women who got very severe burns during the fire and the latest information is that she has been flown to a special hospital in Norway for severely burnt people. The question which has to be asked is: How did Mr. Kiboi end up spending the night in a villa belonging to a Kenyan woman when he was on official duty and therefore was supposed to have been spending the night in a hotel? In other words, was Mr. Kiboi lured to the villa by some unidentified people or was it a fatal detour from official routine?
KSB has established that Mr. Kiboi was last seen at Masawa Bar which belonged to an Eritrean national. There are certain realities which might be negative on the circumstances surrounding Mr. Kiboi’s death but since KSB has established that they are true, they need to be brought up for purposes of completing the picture. The late diplomat was in the company of three women. Mary, the villa owner, was in the company of Mr. Kiboi together with another woman who has since been identified as Naomi from Kiambu district in Kenya. The question which needs to be asked is: Who were these women, were they known to Kiboi’s family or how did Kiboi end up in their company at the villa? Could they have been used by a third party without their knowledge in a conspiracy that might have ended up in Kiboi losing his life or are we dealing with a normal fire tragedy?
A bigger issue is that about ten people survived the fire including women and two small children. KSB has learnt that from Masawa bar, the group that was around Mr. Kiboi went to the villa to continue “partying”. What this means is that at the time of the fire, anybody who had been consuming alcohol the whole night must have been properly inebriated. The fire broke out at around 8.00 on Sunday September 10th. The rational assumption which could be made is that anybody who had been drinking the whole night is likely to have been asleep at the time of the fire. The question is: How did everybody survive the fire except Kiboi? Kiboi is known by friends who have been close to him as a person who has a powerful capacity to maintain control even in a serious state of inebriation. How comes that on the fateful Sunday, he was the only one who could not manage to run for deer life when even little children managed to escape?
It has been established by KSB that there was pandemonium as the villa was being filled with smoke. There was noise and that it is this noise that awakened some people who were in the house, enabling them to escape from the fire. The question is: How did everybody discover that the house was on fire thereby managing to escape except Mr. Kiboi who is known to be as fit as a fiddle, fast and spontaneous?
When a fire breaks out, it normally takes time before the fire engulfs a building depending on the cause of fire. One thing is certain. Smoke must have filled the villa as the fire spread. Every rational person knows that smoke has a chocking effect regardless of whether or not one is drunk. This effect alone could be enough to awaken a person from a drunken stupor. The question is: How comes that Mr. Kiboi simply swallowed the smoke without his body responding in a way that could awaken him to run for his life. Is it possible that Mr. Kiboi just lay there on his bed to be consumed by fire without making a single move or was Mr. Kiboi already dead at the time of the fire?
In any modern house in Europe or the United States, there are gadgets called smoke detectors or “fire alarm”. They normally go off during the first stages when smoke begins to develop. In Sweden, an alarm could go off when you are grilling meat in your oven. The villa where Kiboi perished was made of wood, a good media for fire. This means that according to European Housing standards, the villa should have had a good fire alarm. Anybody who has tested a fire alarm of European standards knows that it makes a near deafening noise that is likely to be detected by at least one person especially in a situation where ten people are asleep. The question is: Was there a fire alarm in the villa? If yes, did it go off? If yes, was it detected by anybody? If yes, was there an effort to alert others in the villa? If yes, how come only Kiboi got stuck in the house? If the answers to the key questions here are “no”, then what really did happen?
The fire that engulfed the villa must have spread very quickly. People who were in the house got severe burns as they fled the fire. The impression a critical mind gets is that the speed at which the fire spread could mean that an inflammable substance might have been at play. The question is: Was the rapid spread of fire facilitated by an inflammable substance? The answer could be yes or no. Assuming that it is yes, could there have been a human element which followed Mr. Kiboi to the villa with murder as an agenda or did Kiboi die in a pure fire accident in an isolated villa in Oslo?
It is intriguing to learn that there are people who survived the fire without burns whatsoever. Were these people also asleep or how exactly did they manage to survive a fire unscathed? It is pointless to ignore the fact that some Kenyan women might have been involved with Kiboi in ways that cannot, at this time, be verified. Kiboi was a man of the people and the fact that he was with some women on a drinking table does not mean that he was involved in a romantic way. Any romantic link could be painful to Kiboi’s family especially his wife and at a time of mourning. However, to ignore this fact is also to ignore reality. Could it be that the case involved some jealous forces which might have decided to “fix” Kiboi out of some romantic jealousy or should Kenyans be made to believe that the fire which killed Kiboi was an accident which will never be understood?
Official police investigations is not yet out and the investigations might come up with a totally different explanation. KSB has had tremendous difficulties in the process of digging out the details as to what might have happened. The main obstacle is that there appears to be a conspiracy of silence around Kiboi’s death especially on the real circumstances of the fire. In fact, the lid that has been placed on the Kiboi issue is so tight that there is fear that even the Norwegian police might not be able to get to the bottom of the matter. From a technical point of view, it should be possible for police to establish the cause of the fire. But if survivors conspire to with-hold the truth about other circumstances, the truth on the real cause of Kiboi’s death might not come out. The question is: Why are survivors or those in the know not saying much? Is there something they are hiding or are they still too traumatized to speak? The questions above should continue to concern all those who knew and loved Mr. Kiboi. Like anybody else, KSB will continue to await the police investigation and report on any new detail that comes up.
Okoth Osewe
makosewe@gmail.com
Ole Ng’ais J. Saidimu Remembers Ole Kiboi
Sweden September 14th 2006.
To Kiboi’s and Catherine’s Families and all Friends of Hon. J. N. Kiboi, Ole Ng’ais Jeff Saidimu Sara Nalotuesha Dylan Memusi, fellow Kenyans and other friends of Ole Kiboi’s family.
I am hereby sending our condolences to the family and friends of the deceased brother of ours Hon. Ole Kiboi James. Hon. Kiboi was reported to have died in a fire accident in Oslo, Norway the morning of Sunday 10th September 2006. The shocking reality about the death of Mr. Kiboi is still difficult to swallow. Kenyan brothers and sisters here in Sweden have been gathering at Ole Kiboi’s home to support his family to go through this sorrowful and painful moment. Kiboi’s wife, son and daughter are all fine and strong. They have been left with no choice but to fight the pain of loosing a good father, husband and a very generous man. We all share in the pain and pray to the living God to give strength to the family, friends and all who care during this time of shock and sorrow.
James was a very close friend, fellow countryman and tribesman who showed many different perspectives of life. We all enjoyed his presence and wise way of being with people. He was a true Kenyan servant. Due to Kiboi’s way of interacting with Kenyans, many of us in Sweden enjoyed his company. Together with his loving colleagues at the Kenyan Embassy, James always revealed a sense of high quality character, simplicity and professionalism. He was a man with both feet on the ground. Kiboi was a very ambitious individual with charisma and thought for future development. He shared very intelligent ideas for the good of developing our society.
We will, with outermost respect for James, continue his good work and finish what he started. I am personally disappointed and terribly sad that he has been taken away from me and from all of us at a very early stage. Personally, it was a blessing to receive Ole Kiboi from Kenya after having been in Sweden for a long time as a lone Maasai man, although interacting with my fellow Kenyans.
He brought me a joyful moment and freedom of speaking my own mother tongue in a foreign country. Language is one’s identity, culture and comfort. My friends would switch to their mother tongue living me uncertain and getting sad that I didn’t have anybody whom I could speak Kimaasai with.
Things changed all over sudden when, by sheer coincidence, two black men – James and another fellow Kenyan called Mohammed – appeared just close to the subway at Fruängen during one evening. My wife, Nalotuesha Sara (a Maasai name meaning “The one Who came with rain”) and Anne a Swedish friend of ours, were returning home after having missed a south African theatre session at Fruängen. We were late with two minutes.
I saw two black men standing, one of them pointing at me and tending to explain something to the other one. Mohammed joyfully jumped and hugged me, saying that I will never be alone again!! Eero!! Salimia Maasai mwenzako!! Sasa unaweza kuongea kimaasai!!. (Eero!! Say high to your fellow Maasai. Now, you can speak Maasai language). From that time onwards, I have known James Kiboi, respected him and loved him as my fellow countryman and a true brother.
Myself, like many others, are devastated by the early departure of James. We are all left with so many unanswered questions. Why, why why and why this early when he was just at the state of prime productivity? He will for sure live to be remembered and loved even in his physical absence. I pray to God to protect his family for him and give his wife strength to bring up his little loving children. His legacy leaves on!!! may his soul rest in peace.
To Ole Kiboi’s Family;May God Bless and grant you His peace during this time. God put you there for a reason. God does not do mistakes. He only does his job for the good of us all. Every step brings us closer to eternity. None can be retraced. At the end, when your last step has been taken away, your story will be complete. Those you leave behind will remember portions of your life as they, not you, choose to recall.
Love.
By MaasaiWarrior, Ole Ng’ais J. Saidimu.
Tension As Ksh 300.000 Juliet Cash Goes Missing
There is tension because Juliet committee members do not know what has happened to money that was raised by Kenyans and friends to transport the body of the late Juliet Kavinga to Kenya. Both the Treasurer Mr. Silas Njuguna and the Chairperson Mr. Daniel Mwaura failed to turn up at a crisis meeting that was called today by the Committee at Kulturhuset in Stockholm. The meeting was supposed to evaluate Committee work, inspect accounts and set a date for the dissolution of the Committee.
Both the Chairman and the Treasurer skipped the meeting without sending apologies. At the meeting, the Treasurer failed to answer several phone calls from different Committee members who wanted a report on the status of accounts and to establish whether cash had been sent to Juliet’s mother in Kenya.
The situation was aggravated by the fact that both the Treasurer, the Chairman and a Committee member are known to have joined hands last week with members of a dubious Foundation that the Committee believes, is trying to profiteer from Juliet’s name. Heidi, the contact person of the Foundation, has failed on several occasions to produce bank statements showing the amount in the Foundation while some Committee members now believe that Committee members working with the Foundation might have been compromised. Heidi jumped out of the Committee a week after it was formed after she was put under pressure by Committee members who wanted her to stop seeking publicity for the Foundation using Juliet’s name because nobody knew what she was doing.
At a Committee meeting held on Monday September 11th, it was agreed that cash would be sent to Juliet’s mother in Kenya through Western Union. An agenda in today’s meeting was a review of a decision that Ksh 210.000 that remained after expenses of transport of Juliet’s body were sorted out be deposited in an account held by Juliet’s mother in Kenya instead of being sent by Western Union. The view of certain Committee members was that the amount was too huge and that sending it by Western Union carried security problems especially in Kenya where crime is rife.
Another issue is that at today’s meeting, Committee members who were opposed to cash being sent in total for security reasons were supposed to wash their hands of responsibility in case the money precipitated a crisis or a tragedy in Juliet’s family. The camp that wanted all the amount sent said that they “did not care” about whatever happened.
A Committee member reported that both the Chairman and the Treasurer had been contemplating depositing the money with the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm for Juliet’s mother to collect it through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a move that had not been sanctioned by the Committee.
At today’s meeting that was attended by seven Committee members, the Committee was also supposed to present a bill of 180.000 kr to the Treasurer who was supposed to sort out the bill with the company that transported Juliet’s body to Kenya. This has not been done. A Kenyan lady who helped bankroll a party to raise funds for Juliet has also not been paid her cash. The Committee resolved that they will continue searching for the Treasurer and if he is not traced by Friday morning, it will be assumed that he has gone underground and police will be alerted.
A crisis meeting has once again been called on Friday Sept 15th at 17.00 hrs where the Treasurer is expected to explain the whereabouts of cash, produce all receipts and account for all cash collected. The Committee resolved that if the Treasurer failed to do so, he would be sued by the Committee while the Kenyan community and friends would be updated about the situation by the Committee.
Members present resolved that the Committee would not be dissolved until all issues are sorted out and a comprehensive report made to the Kenyan community and friends who donated generously for Juliet’s body to be transported to Kenya. It was also resolved that the Committee would close down the dubious Foundation that was collecting money in the name of Juliet because the Foundation was unaccountable.
Those who attended the meeting were: Pastor Beatrice Kamau, Serah Nielsen, Margaret Njemia, Claes Danielson, Gerry Changa Midenyo, Karim Abdul (Sandy), Monica Bryant, Celestine Gichana Davidsson, and Nils Lindbeth Bryant.
Okoth Osewe
makosewe@gmail.com
Late Mr. Kiboi Was Last Seen At Masawa Bar In Oslo
According to information that has been gathered by Kenya Stockholm Blog, Mr. James Kiboi, the Kenyan diplomat who perished in a house inferno last Sunday, was last seen at “Masawa” bar in Oslo in the company of a group of Africans. The bar is owned by an Eritrean national and is popular with Africans in Oslo.
Mr. Kiboi was wearing a hip-hop like jeans trouser, baggy shirt and a red cap similar to the “Odinga cap”. The late diplomat left the pub very late before retiring at the ill-fated villa which caught fire last Sunday morning. It is still not clear what caused the fire which reduced the villa to ashes.
Mr. Kiboi left Stockholm on Thursday September 7th through Arlanda International Airport. He was driven to the airport by a Kenyan national resident in Stockholm.
There were about ten people in the villa where Mr. Kiboi died while the source which spoke to Kenya Stockholm Blog said that the occupants of the villa at the time of the fire were mainly Africans. Two of the occupants are still in hospital after suffering severe burns while others were treated and discharged. A 30 year old woman is among those who escaped with serious burns.
The crowd that was in the villa comprised both men and women who are reported to have been in the company of Mr. Kiboi earlier at Masawa. The source disclosed that at the table where Mr. Kiboi was sitting at Masawa, there were at least three ladies, all from Central province in Kenya.
The group that was with Mr. Kiboi appeared to have been people he knew well. It could not be confirmed whether all of them were Kenyans. The source said that it was not the first time that Mr. Kiboi was in Oslo with the same acquaintances. The source added that there was nothing suspicious between Mr. Kiboi and his friends and that he appeared to have been having a good time.
Asked why only Mr. Kiboi did not survive the fire, the source said that he might have been too intoxicated, adding that the diplomat might have gone to bed only a few hours before the fire broke out. Kenya Stockholm Blog has established that there was pandemonium in the villa after it was filled with smoke a few minutes after the fire broke out.
Mr. George Kinywa, the first secretary at the Embassy, left for Oslo on Monday to get in contact with the Norwegian authorities to try and establish what might have happened. Kenyans in Stockholm have not yet come to terms with Mr. Kiboi’s demise.
At the time Mr. Kiboi was in Oslo, Professor Wangari Mathaai, a Kenyan MP and former Nobel Peace Prize winner, was in Oslo for official functions. It could not be established whether Mr. Kiboi’s presence in Oslo was linked to Professor Mathaai’s activities in the Norwegian capital.
A staff member at the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm told Kenya Stockholm Blog that only Ambassador Daniel Mukiri Kinyanjui could comment on the Kiboi issue. The Ambassador was out of office.
Okoth Osewe
makosewe@gmail.com
Juliet’s Body Leaves For Kenya
The body of the late Juliet Kavinga, a 35 year old Kenyan woman who was murdered by a Swede in May last year, left for Kenya today Tuesday 12th September. The final journey was facilitated by a fundraising held on Friday, September 1st and which was organized by the Juliet Committee in Stockholm.
At the fund raising, 37.000 kr was raised while during a memorial service held for Juliet at St Klara church last Friday, another 8.000 kr was raised. The International Red Cross donated an extra 1.500 while St Klara church chipped in with 1.000 kr. Together with the latest amount that has been collected by the Juliet Committee, the total and final amount that was raised for Juliet stands at approximately 48.000 kr.
The cost of transporting the body by Fidelia AB is 18.000 kr and this leaves a balance of about 30.000 kr that will be sent to the family in Kenya.
A serious debate has been raging within the Juliet Committee as to how the balance of 30.000 kr should reach Juliet’s family in Kenya. According to a section of the Committee, the whole amount, which totals to about 300.000 Kenyan shillings should be sent to the mother at once via Western Union while according to another camp, Ksh 80.000 should be sent to the family immediately to take care of funeral expenses then the remaining Ksh 210.000 be sent in bits of Ksh 10.000 to the mother for the next 21 months.
The argument by the “send the whole amount” camp is that the Committee needs to wash its hands especially on the money issue by sending the whole amount at once. They argue that regardless of the capacity of the mother to handle a large amount of money, the Committee should not with-hold money to be paid in bits in the future and that whatever happens after the money is sent should not be the business of the Committee. According to this camp, the Committee should send the Ksh 210.000 via Western Union to the mother then forget about what happens next.
On the other hand, the “send the money in bits” camp argue that since Committee members are not familiar with Juliet’s family, there was a huge risk that the huge amount of money might create a conflict within the family before or after Juliet’s burial with unforeseen consequences. The “send the money in bits” camp think that after the funeral, money should be sent monthly to Juliet’s mother through an account opened by her in Kenya. This camp argue that the Committee needs to put the long term economic assistance of Juliet’s family into consideration using the extra money that had been raised by Kenyans and friends.
When the issue was brought to vote, the “send the whole amount” camp won and currently, the Treasurer is in the process of finalizing accounts so that cash can be sent to Juiet’s mother through Western Union. The two camps represented two opinions which had been expressed by Kenyans and friends who contributed towards the Juliet kitty.
Okoth Osewe
makosewe@gmail.com
Late Mr. Kiboi Died In House Inferno
Mr. James Kiboi, a Kenya Embassy official in Stockholm, died in a house inferno at Store Brevik in Vesteby commune in Oslo, Norway. Alarm about the fire that erupted in a villa at Ringveien street was sounded at 07.58 yesterday, Sunday September 10th but by the time the fire brigade arrived at the scene, the villa was already burnt down to ashes.
According to Aftenposten (Sept 11), a leading Norwegian newspaper, “The fire brigade had no chance of saving the house which burnt down to ashes”. Attempts to contain the fire continued for several hours before smoke divers managed to get into the burning house where they found a dead person believed to have been Mr. Kiboi. The body could not immediately be identified. Swedish police visited Kiboi’s residence yesterday evening in a move to try and confirm his identity.
Aftonposten wrote that at least 6 people managed to get out of the burning villa including a 30 year old woman who suffered serious burns. according to the paper, it is not clear how many people were in the villa at the time of the tragedy. The paper added that owners of the house were away at the time of the fire but had hired it out.
Norwegian police refused to comment about investigations into the fire or what might have caused it. They referred Kenya Stockholm Blog to Anna Len Somsten, the Press secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When reached on her mobile, Anna Len said that she was on her way to board a plane and could not comment over the issue. An official at the Ministry however said that initial reports indicated that people who were in the house were alseep at the time of the fire.
Mr. Kiboi was well liked by the Kenyan community in Stockholm and his unexpected demise is a big blow to both the Kenyan Embassy and the community as a whole. Although he has been in Stockholm for barely a year, he had established deep roots within the community and mingled freely with people. He was seen as an agent of change at the Embassy and made every effort to bring the institution closer to the Kenyan community.
The late Kiboi was last seen in public on Friday 1st September at a fund raising to help transport the body of the late Juliet Kavinga to Kenya. At the function, the diplomat represented the Embassy and handed over 6.000 kr that had been contributed by Embassy staff. At a time when Juliet’s body has not yet let left for Kenya, the death of Mr. Kiboi amounts to a double tragedy for the Kenyan community in Stockholm.
Okoth Osewe
makosewe@gmail.com
Breaking News: Mr. James Kiboi, Kenya Embassy Official, Is Dead
Mr. James Kiboi, an official at the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm is dead. According to information gathered by Kenya Stockholm blog, Mr. Kiboi died in an “accident” in Oslo, Norway where he was on official duty. Circumstances behind the accident are not yet clear. An Embassy official has confirmed that Mr. Kiboi was killed in an “accident” although he refused to elaborate. When asked whether it was a road accident, he said that “the fact is that Mr. Kiboi is dead although circumstances may vary depending on the source”.
Swedish police are already at Mr. Kiboi’s residence in Stockholm to verify his identity. The whole family and the Kenyan community are in a state of deep shock and sorrow. Majority of Kenya Embassy staff and a group of Kenyans are currently at Mr. Kiboi’s residence to console the family following the tragedy. Mr. Kiboi was posted to the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm about a year ago. He has been very social and open with the Kenyan community in Stockholm. Staff of Kenya Stockholm Blog sends deep condolences to Mr. Kiboi’s family. Further information will be released as it becomes available.
Okoth Osewe
makosewe@gmail.com
Emotional Farewell In Stockholm For Murdered Juliet Kavinga
Deep sorrow dominated the mood at the memorial service of the late Juliet Kavinga, a 35 year old Kenyan who was murdered in Sweden by her Swedish boyfriend in May last year. The service was held on Friday September 12 at St Klara church in Stockholm. Juliet’s body was found last month floating on Lake Mälaren in the outskirts of Stockholm.
Over 200 grim faced Kenyans, friends and sympathizers listened attentively as Pastor Beatrice Kamau, Pastor Overa Sjöberg and Pastor Karl Erick Sjöberg led the mourners through the evening’s program.
Anna, a close friend of Juliet who was in contact with her two weeks before she disappeared, moved the mourners as she talked about her knowledge and experiences with Juliet. Anna had just returned from her native country of Liberia where she had gone to meet her biological father for the first time when she met Juliet who had also just come to Sweden.
Being an African, Juliet helped her to understand her African roots while she also helped Juliet understand the new Swedish society she had come into.
“Juliet had the lust to help other people. She took her time before she trusted someone”, she told the mourners.
“I used to refer to Juliet as a chameleon because of her situation which she could not clarify to anybody she met”, she said.
Anna, who looked composed, calm and collected, said that Juliet was cleaver in many ways. “She was good at singing and dancing. She was good at hand crafts and making greeting cards”, she said adding that she could not understand how someone could murder such a kind person.
“Because I have three boys, we talked much about child upbringing. She knew that she would soon be a mother. I never doubted for even a second that she could take good care of my children”, she said.
Anna said that Juliet talked much about her family in Kenya. “She had a lot of respect for her mother and did everything to try and help her”, she told the mourners. Anna described Juliet as her family member who celebrated Christmas and other holidays with the family. She disclosed that Juliet , who had no residence status in Sweden, lived a very stressful life.
“I hope that Juliet is fine where she is. Juliet, I love you and you will always be in my heart”, she said. She appealed to anybody who has information that could further nail Juliet’s killer to contact police. A 34 year old Swedish national is facing trial for the murder.
The memorial service was organized by the “Juliet Committee in Stockholm”, and was also addressed by Mr. Daniel Mwaura, the Committee’s Chairperson, Mr. George Kinywa, the First secretary at the Kenyan Embassy in Stockholm and Mr. Joe Frans an African MP sitting in Swedish Parliament.
Mr. Mwaura said that the Kenyan community was in deep sorrow following the murder of Juliet and hoped that justice would be done to ensure that the culprits were brought to justice. He said that he dreamed of a world where no one was illegal
Mr. Joe Frans said that it was unfortunate that there are people who continued to live as “illegals” in Sweden. The MP concluded his address by reading a poem to the mourners.
The program was packed and included a choir session by Nakupenda choir which was started by Juliet together with Heidi, Winnie and Pastor Antonio Helena. The group could not finish singing their first song because they burst into tears after being overcome by emotion. They were quietly led away from the stage but returned a few minutes later after they recomposed themselves. Members of the Swahili congregation also entertained the mourners who were mainly dressed in black.
Serah Nielsen and her daughter, Monica Masson, sang songs in Kikamba language which was also Juliet’s mother tongue.
As the Program entered its final stages, mourners lined up to walk past Juliet’s casket which was draped in a white cloth. Juliet’s picture stood on top of the casket in a gold coated frame. Mourners took turns to bow briefly before the casket to pay their last respects and to place flowers then walked back to their seats.
The day’s collection yielded 8.339 kr bringing the total amount of cash so far collected by Kenyans and friends after Juliet’s death to over 45.000 Kr (almost half a million Kenyan shillings)
After the service, Marcus Ericksson and Lars Gåre from Fidelia AB, the company transporting Juliet’s body to Kenya, lifted the light-brown casket meticulously from its silver-coated metallic platform and wheeled it with consummate professionalism along the red-carpeted aisle out of the church. The body was then loaded into a posh black herse which then rolled away slowly out of sight, leaving behind Kenyans and friends exchanging bits of conversations as others dispersed in different directions.
Juliet’s body leaves for Kenya on Tuesday morning and lands in Nairobi on Wednesday evening at 6.15 Kenyan time. Many Kenyans and sympathizers who were interviewed by Kenya Stockholm blog thanked the Juliet Committee for a work well done. The Committee was set up two weeks ago by the Kenya Social Forum in Sweden (Kesofo) and given the mandate to collect enough funds to transport Juliet’s body to Kenya and to organize a Memorial service for her.
Okoth Osewe
makosewe@gmail.com
Martin Ngatia Criticises Narc-Kenya MP’s Secret Night Meeting In Stockholm
A group of Kenyan women MPs from the Kikuyu ethnic group aligned to the Narc-Kenya Party have detoured from a seminar they were attending to spread tribalism in Stockholm at night. Led by Beth Mugo, Assistant Minister of Education and Interim Chairperson of Narc-Kenya, the MPs have secretly abandoned their colleagues at a hotel in Stockholm and teamed up with a tiny group of Kikuyu chauvinists at an apartment in Alby in what sources have said, is a move to secretly set up Narc-Kenya Branch in Stockholm.
While it is democratic for any group of people to meet and discuss political issues at any environment in Stockholm with anybody, the strange aspect of the meeting is that only Kikuyu opportunists have been invited. The fact that it is taking place at night in a private flat means that it is closed to the Kenyan public although the agenda is to set up the branch of a Party which could be interesting to any Kenyan regardless of their ethnic origin.
According to Mr. Martin Ngatia, Chairperson of the Kenya Scandinavia Democratic Movement (KESDEMO), the secret meeting by the MPs amounts to promoting tribalism and Narc’s dirty politics of darkness and death in Stockholm. Mr. Ngatia told Kenya Stockholm Blog that the group of opportunists and sycophants meeting secretly at night are non ideological and also politically blind otherwise they wouldn’t accept to attend a meeting of that description.
“There is no Kenyan in his or her right senses that can team up to form or join a party called Narc-Kenya in Stockholm because the party is not going anywhere. Kenyans rejected Narc-Kenya politicians during the referendum and this is what will happen at the next elections”, Mr. Ngatia told Kenya Stockholm Blog wondering why people were hiding in order to join a losing party.
He said that the MPs at the meeting might not have been informed by their host that the politics of divide and rule does not exist in Stockholm where Kenyans continue to engage in activities jointly regardless of their ethnic origin. He cited the recent harambee to raise funds for Juliet Kavinga’s body to be transported to Kenya saying that Kenyans of all ethnic groups teamed up to raise 37.000 kr as Kenyans.
News about the secret meeting has created anger and discontent among Kenyans in Stockholm who have accused Narc-Kenya MPs of being cheap, ethnic and dirty.
“Kenyans in Stockholm are not idiots or backward and the MPs should understand that they can only buy boot-lickers here” he said. Other MPs who are part of the Seminar entourage but not aligned to Narc-Kenya have also been kept out of the meeting.
Mr. Ngatia said that Kenya does not belong to Kikuyus and reminded opportunists behind the meeting that when Mutua Katuku (the Minister for Water) came to Stockholm recently to recruit for Narc-Kenya and spread politics of darkness, he was told the truth and he had to shut up before leaving Stockholm.
“We will continue to speak up whether it is Katuku, Beth Mugo or Kibaki behind attempts to spread tribalism in Stockholm”, Mr. Ngatia said.
The KESDEMO leader said that there is no ethnic group that can seize power in Kenya independently while he also said that it is not possible for Kibaki to fool Kenyans all the time because Kenyans are politically mature and nobody can fool them any longer the way Kenyatta and former President Daniel arap Moi managed to divide Kenyan people in the 70s and 80s in order to rule them.
“Today, Kenyans have educated their sons and daughters who are even ready to shed blood to defend the democratic gains of past struggles” said Mr. Ngatia. He added that Kenyans are tired of Kikuyu chauvinism which, he said, will continue to be resisted by Kenyans who want real change in our country.
Mr. Ngatia challenged the Narc government to register ODM-Kenya instead of dragging its feet because it is afraid of losing power. He said that Kenyans are not primitive and that they can read into almost any situation. “People who are busy organizing secret meetings in Stockholm with Kenyan MPs are living in the past”, he said.
He pointed out that opportunists behind the meeting excluded other vocal Kenyans because their ambition is to boot-lick Kikuyu ruling class looting the Kenyan economy, failed to fight corruption and failed to democratize the country. “It is unfortunate that despite some Kenyans having lived in a democratic country such as Sweden for more than a decade, they have not broken from their ethnic cocoons or learnt anything that could help in fighting tribalism”, he said.
He advised Kenyans to shun reactionary elements within the community who were bent on promoting tribalism among Kenyans resident in Sweden at a time when our countrymen are in a deep struggle for a society where everybody can live together as equal human beings regardless of their ethnic origin.
“Tribalism is not the answer to the problems in Kenya and to import tribalism in Stockholm through MPs sitting in the government is sad and unfortunate”, he said.
He said that those who accepted to attend the meeting knowing its agenda and knowing that some Kenyans had been excluded were all enemies of Kenya who should be shunned, ignored, exposed, resisted, avoided and told off at every opportunity.
“Kenyans are now very conscious people and here in Stockholm, KESDEMO will continue to oppose the politics of tribalism and ethnic marginalization whenever it surfaces”, said Mr, Ngatia.
Although the meeting was supposed to be secret, Mr. Ngatia said that there will be nothing secret in Stockholm as long as it is political because majority of Kenyans in Stockholm have learnt the politics of openness and deliberation.
“We have been living here for more than 20 years and it will not be possible for MPs to come from Kenya and organize secret meetings without our knowledge”, Mr. Ngatia told Kenya Stockholm Blog.
“We want a government that will fight for the interest of Kenyans and facilitate the sharing of the national cake equally among all Kenyans regardless of their ethnic origin”, he concluded.
Okoth Osewe
makosewe@gmail.com
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