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Lamu famine a sign of coming food crisis
(8. May 2008) - It was heartbreaking to watch news
footage of the Boni community in Lamu District whose lives have been
ravaged by famine. It is hard to believe Kenya, a regional economic
giant, has so many starving people.
Villagers warned on seeds, says official
N.B.
Neither the Kenyan Government nor the Press have realized that "BONI"
is a derogatory term - the real name of the people affected is AWEER.
(30 April 2008, EA STANDARD) - THE Ministry of Agriculture
has defended its position on the supply of preserved sorghum seeds
that Lamu residents turned into a meal. Following a severe famine
that has gripped the district, 350 villagers in Kanga Division were
taken ill after eating the seeds that were in packets that had
warning labels.
UN
General Assembly backs indigenous peoples' rights
(September 13, 2007) UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The UN General Assembly on
Thursday adopted a non-binding declaration upholding the human, land and
resources rights of the world's 370 million indigenous people, brushing off
opposition from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. The vote
in the assembly was 143 in favor and four against. Eleven countries, including
Russia and Colombia, abstained. The declaration, capping more than 20 years of
debate at the United Nations, also recognizes the right of indigenous peoples
to self-determination and sets global human rights standards for them.
The 'lost tribes' and the bliss of innocence
The Standard newspaper, Society Magazine, KENYA
(29.04.2007) The "Boni" are not the "Boni" - and the Aweer (the real name of the "Boni") are not a lost tribe ! Newspapers always get things wrong! Why? For them we are just something exotic to report on.
- Elder in Milimani - ...
Canada's
'alternative Nobel' winners call for water rights, global justice
(07.12.2005) STOCKHOLM,
Sweden (CP) - Two Canadian recipients of this year's Right Livelihood Awards,
also known as the "alternative Nobels," on Tuesday said
privatization of fresh water resources represents a threat to human rights.
SMILE,
WOMAN OF AFRICA, SMILE!
A. N. Kithaka - This week holds two important events for African women. The
25th of November marks the start of the 16 Days of Gender Activism
Against Violence, an international campaign meant to raise awareness
about gender violence, strengthen the work of local organisations and
demonstrate the solidarity of women around the world. Incorporating the
International Day Against Violence Against Women (November 25th) and
International Human Rights Day (December 10), the goal of the campaign is
to link violence against women to the fact that it is a human rights
violation. November 25 is also especially important for African women,
as it is the day that the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa
comes into force.
Forests
paying the price for biofuels
(22 November 2005) THE drive for "green energy" in the developed
world is having the perverse effect of encouraging the destruction of tropical
rainforests.
Why
this bout of generosity rings false
(20.11.2005) Kenya's successive
presidents are a study in comparative generosity. Daniel arap Moi's looked
inborn. But in Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo Freire warns us against
"the false generosity of the oppressor".
Kenya
and her Constitution, the story so far…
1963 - Independence - Kenya adopts her first constitution ; 1964-9 - 1st Phase
of Amendment Process - Highlights ....
Maathai
Warns State On Forest Settlements
(09.11.2005) Environment Assistant minister Prof Wangari Maathai has called on
the Government to stop settling people in forests.
ORION
- Magazine November/December 2005
MARK DOWIE - "Conservation Refugees" - When protecting nature means
kicking people out ...
ENVIRONMENT-KENYA:
Sustainability Collides With Poverty
(04.11.2005) MT KENYA, Nov 4 (IPS) - Visitors to
Mbeere district in Kenya’s Central Province can hardly miss them: bags of
charcoal laid on either side of the road. Those who sell the bags are far less
visible, however. They hide in the surrounding dense vegetation, only
appearing to make hurried sales.
Diversity
vital to our knowledge
(01.11.2005) By Diona Fay Howard - "Hello
class, welcome to intellectual heritage 51. Can anyone tell me what
intellectual heritage means?" says a Temple professor at the beginning of
each semester. A bold student ready to earn an A for the course eagerly
answers, "It means the legacy of great thinkers and ideas in this
world."
Land
for loyalty?
(31 October 2005) Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has allocated thousands of
title deeds for land in a move his opponents say is an attempt to “bribe”
voters to support a controversial draft constitution in a November 21
referendum.
DISPOSSESSING
AFRICA'S WEALTH
(Patrick Bond - Oct. 2005) Exactly how much wealth does Africa lose every year?
Third World repayments of $340 billion each year flow northwards to
service a $2.2 trillion debt, more than five times the G8's development
aid budget, notes Patrick Bond. In addition Africa’s citizens
experience depletion of assets like forests and mineral resources, and
suffer the impact of pollution as a result of mining. In this context,
Bond argues that those who claim international integration can enrich
Africa are wrong.
The
beehive factor in Kenya's politics
(29.10.2005) Not too long ago, I had
the difficult task of explaining to a group of foreigners a small news item
appearing in one of the local newspapers.
Report:
Why Kenya is a failed state
(02.10.2005) Despite all appearances to the contrary, a report by a US
research organisation has classed Kenya as being among the world's failed
states.
New
Land Mapping System to Give People Greater Say
(September 23, 2005) Kenya will soon have an electronic land adjudication
system if the Government adopts recommendations by an international conference.
Lobbies
want House to hold fresh talks on proposed law
(17.09.2005) Three lobby groups want Parliament to reconvene and
examine afresh the contentious clauses in the proposed Constitution.
Graft
has gone up, say Kenyans
(17.09.2005) Ninety four per cent of
Kenyans think corruption has increased since Narc came to power in 2003, says
a report.
Encounter
With the Forgotten Forest Tribe of North Eastern
(September 12, 2005) Asked to comment
on the forthcoming November 21 referendum on the Wako draft the Aweer
community headman, Sani Hamesa, said: "We would like to vote for Moi's
party but what will happen to Kibaki whose term has not yet expired. Will he
hand over the presidency?"
Minority
Rights Activists Reject Kenya's Proposed Constitution
(09 September 2005) listen to interview
with Korrir Singoei (MP3 Audio - 2,15 MB) In Kenya, a group representing
the interests of minorities and indigenous peoples has come out against the
draft constitution – which will be accepted or rejected by voters on
November 21st.
Expert
wants communities involved in land mapping
(September 8, 2005) Local communities should be allowed to participate in land
demarcation to avert conflicts, a workshop heard yesterday.
Radical
proposals on land ownership
(September 4, 2005) By John Kamau - The problem of landlessness is worse than
many Kenyans think - something that will complicate the implementation of the
Wako Draft Constitution.
CHALLENGES
OF DOMESTICATION: THE PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEOPLE’S
RIGHTS ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN AFRICA (Sept. 2005) Once 15 African
countries have ratified The Protocol To The African Charter On Human and
Peoples' Rights On The Rights of Women in Africa, its provisions will have to
be included in country-level legislation. This is the next challenge facing
the Solidarity for African Women’s Rights Campaign, says Sarah Mukasa, who
assesses some of the potential stumbling blocks inherent in the domestication
process. “It is imperative that strategies adopted for this campaign take
into account these factors and prepare for the resistances that will surely
come,” she warns.
Sport
hunting will transform the north
(10.08.2005) If you have travelled by bus from Mombasa to Lamu, one of
the sights that may have startled you as you traversed Tana River District, is
that of passengers alighting at some point and walking off into one of the
most desolate landscapes in the country.
Families
protest relocation
(June 16, 2005) A row has erupted over the relocation of 247 families from the
Tana River Primate National Reserve.
BIANCA
JAGGER BACKS NEW CAMPAIGN FOR WORLD'S TRIBES
'Alternative Nobel Prize' meeting, Salzburg, 13 June 2005 - Bianca Jagger has
backed a new campaign for the world's governments to sign up to the main
international law protecting tribal people.
FINANCING
GLOBAL FOREST DESTRUCTION
Excerpts from W R M B U L L E T I N 95 - June 2005 - New policies, old
problems. Ever since the 1970s, the World Bank has struggled to define an
approach to forests, which reconciles its expressed commitment to poverty
alleviation with its model of promoting 'development' through top-down growth
and commercialisation.
Poverty
is a major obstacle to indigenous rights
PARTICIPANTS IN INDIGENOUS FORUM HIGHLIGHT DISASTROUS EFFECTS OF POVERTY,
CONFLICTS, LACK OF ACCESS TO HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION (2005-05-25) CL - As the
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues continued its fourth session today,
participants highlighted the disastrous effects of poverty, ongoing conflicts
and lack of access to education on the achievement of full human rights, and
stressed the urgent need to complete the draft declaration on indigenous
rights.
Indigenous
people resist DNA-project
Genographic research as neo-colonial attitude (28.04.2005) The ambitious DNA
profiling "Genographic project" which seeks to retrace the path of
human settlement on Earth has been encountering resistance among indigenous
people. After a boycott-appeal by the US-American Indigenous Peoples Council
on Biocolonialism, now some Maori and African First Nations have also
announced concerns over the project .
Lobby
group takes minister to task on land scandals
(12.03.2005) Lands minister Amos Kimunya was yesterday asked to use the
law to resolve land issues in various parts of the country, especially along
the Coast, instead of task forces and law reviews.
Land
policy long overdue
(12.03.2005) The
National Land Policy Formulation Process Steering Committee will
start collecting views from the public in Mombasa next week. Its
mandate is to collate public impressions to help the Government to
formulate a sustainable national land policy.
Scholars
unearth Britain’s dirty war against Mau Mau
(February 26, 2005) Studies by two
Western historians show colonial Britain used mass detention
without trial, sadistic violence and bent justice far more than
previously believed to suppress the revolt.
LSK:
Kenyans must call for action against corrupt officials
(04 Feb 2005) The Law Society of Kenya yesterday asked Kenyans to
stand up and demand that the Government takes action against
corrupt ministers and public servants.
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