Vera Sedika

The woman came into fame after featuring in the popular video by the best Kenyan group p unit. She has since gotten a lot of attention from the public and continues to do more other projects. The lady continues to grow daily and is getting a lot of interview invitation to the various radio and television stations. Her popularity is also making a lot of musicians want to include her in their videos.

Ngina Kenyatta

She is the daughter of the current president of Kenya Hon.Uhuru Kenyatta.The lady came into fame during the day her father was declared the winner of the elections carried out in March. She has since been seen to support a lot of charity activities making her to be admired by many as showing good example to the public.

Brenda Wairimu

The lady is a famous actor in the television programme called mali.She is liked by many Kenyans by the way she uses her acting talents to teach the society about various issues affecting them. Brenda loves Eminem and is looking forward to improve her acting talent into even more higher levels out of the country. She as involved in a private relationship with the famous musician Juliana a move that drew a lot of public interest

Caroline Mutoko

She is loved by many Kenyans. The lady is a radio presenter and her show hosted by kiss is one of the most listened shows in the country. Confidence is one virtue liked by many people and the lady shows a lot of it. Caroline believes in herself and does not allow anyone to downgrade and bring her down. She continues to be the favorite female radio presenter in the country. A good interactive skill makes her able to get along with people from different backgrounds.

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Currently a popular gospel artiste, the singer is attracting a lot of Kenyans by the situations that surround her life. She has since left the secular world d of music to join the gospel field after her marriage with the famous dj Mo her  hit mateke continues to get massive airplay making her to be more popular.

 

 

Serious matter should be kept in mind and in consideration is the rate at which traditional cultures and languages of the Kenyan people are fading away slowly as time goes by. It will reach a point in people’s lives where one wouldn’t even remember to say a word or even a sentence in traditional language if we don’t consider this matter.

Day by day the young are introduced to foreign languages first like English and others to French and German compared to the old days where the first language one knew was their own traditional languages. Currently people are adapting to western cultures and forgetting, leaving behind what people term as “the mother language”.

During the late 19’s schools used to teach mother languages up to a certain leave of education making sure that at least each and every child knows his or her own mother language first. Due to the adaptation of the western system of living by most Kenyans, this has led to most parents and guardians teaching their sons and daughters English as their first language

It is such a disappointment that traditional cultures and languages are being thrown away like that. Schools also have now stopped teaching traditional languages and opted for English and Kiswahili others to an extend of introducing other foreign languages like French. Currently one can be able to get a survey or statistics about how many young people know their mother language. Traditions are about respecting and valuing them to a greater extend.

Traditional languages are currently going to become extinct. Looking at the situation after about 50-100 years from now only a few or even none would be remembering his or her own “mother language”.

As Kenyans we should consider keeping our cultures and languages still intact among us as much as we are adapting to the changes in this world. It’s something that is of great value to all of us. Let’s not make it historic but rather let traditional cultures and languages be part of us throughout our lives from generation to generation.

Slang is an informal language that is more common in speech than in writing and is typically restricted to a particular context or age group. In Kenya, the most commonly used slang in Kenya is called sheng. Just like any other slang, sheng is mostly used by the youth and children. This article will focus on the most common sheng words being used in Kenya.

SASA is one of the most commonly used sheng words. It is used as a form of greeting to someone else. The word has a similar application as the phrases how are you in English. The pronunciation is borrowed from the spelling. Another commonly used word is MADHA. This word is used to refer to someone’s mother. Its pronunciation is borrowed from the English word mother. The word can directly substitute the word mother in a statement.

SONKO is another very familiar word in the mouths of Kenyan youths, children and a few older people. It is a name that is used to refer to a rich person. The word borrows its pronunciation from its spelling and can substitute the word rich in any statement. Another word that goes hand in hand with SONKO is CHAPAA. This word carries an equivalent meaning of the English word cash or money. Therefore, in Kenya, you are regarded a SONKO if you have lots of CHAPAA.

BUDA is the name used to refer to someone’s dad. The pronunciation is borrowed from the spelling of the word and can be used anywhere in a statement where the word dad is used. Therefore, in Kenya BUDA and MADHA carry an equivalent meaning of the words dad and mom. Dame is the name given to a woman who holds the rank of Knight Commander but in Kenya, DAME is the name used to describe a female lady who is unmarried. It is also used to refer to someone’s girlfriend.

The Sheng slang has in its vocabulary hundreds of other words. This article focuses on just but a few common ones.

Music in Kenya has been one of the influential instrument that most people use to express their feeling and the experience they are going through in their lives. Music has been composed and recorded by many people and from diverse environments and background. Music are of different types depending on the message behind it. Therefore, due to technological advancement people are now able to access music from the web and download them to their local devices for listening in their day-to-day operations. The major sites that offer the download option of the songs are;

Waptrick is one of the best sites in Kenya which support the free download of music, video and games in Kenya. It ensure that the users can search for any music they want and download it. They sort music according to country or the genre for easier search.

Free music archive is owned by group of people and radio stations and labels to serve as curators for the music in the archive. It has a library of free, legal audio music. This site also provides the opportunity to donate directly to compensate the participating artistes.

Dogmazic is yet another free music download manager but it is based in France. It maintains a database of around 50,000 items. It ensures that the artistes and the users can be able to find the music they want and download it for free.

Internet Archive Audio is a site which aims at collecting and making available snapshots of internet content in form of music to the people worldwide. The audio collection that include audio books, news broadcasts and old radio shows as well as music. The music collection is over 50,000 recordings all available for free download. They also present the users with live concerts recording of the most famous artistes.

Jamendo boasts a collection of 390,000 free and legal tracks. This makes it one of the largest compendium of free and legal music available in the internet. There are a variety of ways in which the users can browse for songs in Jamendo.

YouTube is a popular site which the users can watch for music online as well as download the music which is favorite to the user. However, to download music from YouTube, you need to have a software known as the YTD (YouTube downloader). This software present the user with the ability to download any content from YouTube. You just paste the URL of the content you want to download to the YTD and the click on the download button at the bottom of the YTD window.

Recently, the Viva world cup commenced and this is one of the best moments for those who enjoy football. However, the football fans through enjoying their great moments watching football, can actually earn some money through various sites which provide for online betting on football matches and if the bet is right, they earn money. There are various sites which support this services and they are fully registered and genuine and in Kenya, the most common are SportPesa and Elitebet.

SportPesa is the earliest to be established and have ensured that their customers have earned money by being fans to football and betting for the different matches. They offer both local and international platforms for sport betting. The customers can bet from anywhere before the matches and instantly win after the final whistle of the match they had bet for. This site through their services have come up with another favourable service of betting where the customers can place a bet using their mobile phones through SMS.

Therefore for the use of the betting services and win, registration is required for every member. Registration process is easy and involve the customer sending a text message from their phones with the word “ACCEPT” to the number 79079 after of course reading SportPesa terms and conditions. The customers after a short while will receive a confirmation message providing them with their username, PIN and their particular mobile operator paybill number which would be used later in the betting process for topping up of the SportPesa account.

After registration, using the username and password provided through the confirmation message, the customers need to deposit funds to their SportPesa account to enable them to place a bet. To deposit money in the SportPesa account is easy and done by using the customers’ mobile operator. For Safaricom customers, they deposit their money using the Paybill number 955100 and account number sportpesa, for Airtel they can deposit through business number sportpesa and account number football, for orange subscribers, they deposit through Business number 079079 and Account number sportpesa while for YU their Business number is 107079 and the Account number is sportpesa. The amount deposit through the paybill details will automatically be credited and a confirmation SMS will be sent to the customers indicating the amount deposited.

After the depositing of money to the SportPesa account, the customers are ready to bet and the lowest amount that they can bet is Ksh 100 and every match viable for betting has a quoted game ID with three different possibility to bet, the win, draw and lose. To place a bet through the SMS, the customers send an SMS with the game ID, the prediction and the amount they are placing a bet on the game all of which should be separated with a hash sign (#) to 79079. For instance “8962#2#100” The bet is termed ready for the go only after a confirmation SMS of the acceptance of the bet is sent back to the customers. The win will therefore be calculated by multiplying the amount bet with the odd placed per game prediction.

Since the main aim of the bet is to earn cash for the predictions made, the customers will therefore need to withdraw their cash from the SportPesa account for use. To withdraw the amount of money the customers want to withdraw through SMS, they need to send a text message with the words “W#1000#1234” where W mean withdraw, 1000 is the amount needed for withdraw and 1234 is the customers PIN received upon registration. This amount that the customer withdrew would be sent to the mobile operator account as well as a confirmation SMS to the effect of the withdrawal.

 

 

The luhya community has been the dominant tribe in the western parts of the country. It is believed to be the second largest after the Agikuyu community. The life of luhyas is characterized by a series of events that make the community to be unique among various tribes found in the country. Circumcision in the tradition of lughyas continues to be a must rite of passage through which one is considered to be a grown up and full member of the society. The process involves a series of events before actual circumcision takes place.

Decision is made

A boy or a young man that believes in himself and wants to be circumcised makes the first decision that he is ready for the operation. It is during this period that several consultations will be made with the elders of the particular clan to make sure that the decision reached upon is proven to be right.

Visit to the Uncle

The boys will then visit the uncle in a way that he is expected to show some level of appreciation mostly a cow or any reasonable gift that they can get at the particular time. The visit is meant also to offer the boy/boys some degree of advice and encouragement about the adulthood life and what the society expects from them. The process will then follow the procedure of next step when the boy/boys are sent back home.

Home Ceremony

Upon reaching home, the homestead will be filled with a lot of celebrations during which there will be there a lot of celebrations and dancing. Many things take place during the night and the candidates are continually prepared and encouraged to continue being strong in readiness for the tough task ahead. During the night, songs will be sang and people will be waiting for the morning to arrive for the operation to be done.

Circumcision

The morning starts by the candidates being taken to the river to be washed. It is believed that water makes the skin numb and reduces the pain during the process. The candidates will be applied some mud and taken back to the home stead to face the knife. Cowardice is hugely condemned and those that cry or show fear are whipped by the crowd. The stable ones are highly rewarded. Training follows where the candidates will be assigned some people to look after them.

This discussion focuses on why Investigative journalism has been regarded as one of the most challenging and yet rewarding branches of media. It’s going to look at challenges including; capacity, legal regime, ethics, economies, witness protection and the rewarding part that includes it contributing to an open and accountable society, contributing to good governance, promoting speech and democracy and personal improvement.

Investigative journalism refers to the indepth, long term research and reporting of new information that an individual or organization wants to keep secret (North more)

An investigative journalist is a man or woman whose profession is to discover the truth, identify what is relevant and report it in whichever media available.

The challenges facing investigative journalism range from; Capacity-this type of work requires a lot of funding because it is resource intensive but you find that in Kenya, few media houses are willing to finance a journalist to carry out the simplest of stories where as in the developed world, journalists can even make up to three air trips in a week or more in a week while following a story and its all on the media house.

North more identifies three basic elements of journalism; it’s the work of a reporter and not the report.  T his is because the work put in the process of trying to find out the truth is what will bring out the truth and not the report.

The subject of the story involves something of reasonable importance to the audience

Someone somewhere is attempting to hide information from the public.

Secondly, the legal regime that includes laws, constitution, and statutes e.t.c is very prohibiting. just the other day, Kenya was grappling with a new law trying to gag the media and also wanted to give the minister for information power to raid media houses. It also refuses to register journalists as professionals or recognize their union. it also uses libel laws to victimize journalists.

There is also the case of ethics-media ethics in Kenya am sad to report is very low and you will find a journalist forfeiting a good investigative story if the culprit promises to pay more than the employer. Some even use it to blackmail the culprit

Beating deadlines is another stiff challenge facing investigative journalists because sometimes the employer feels that the story is taking too long and due to these pressures, sometimes they are forced to abandon it sometimes while so close to seeing the light of day.

Due to a poor economy, media houses don’t employ enough personnel so there is little or no specialization at all this means that a journalist carrying out an investigative story is supposed to carry out some other duties in the newsroom. Still under the economic strains, media houses can’t acquire tools that can help a journalist operate smoothly an efficiently.

Lack of witness protection policy in the country makes it harder for journalists to access information. They are forced to hide the faces of the witnesses which make the story incredible.

There is also the case of vested interest. A journalist can’t carry out an incriminating story on one of the advertisers with the media company or one of the shareholders. This is because they don’t want to loose the revenue they get from these companies.

The official secrets act also puts a lid on the abilities of the investigative journalist. Some of this information is important to the nation but once it becomes an official secret its regarded as a threat to national security and any journalists who gets hands on to it risks imprisonment.

Nature and importance of the story is another challenge. A story might be seem important to the journalist but might turn out to be irrelevant to the greater population.

Credibility of the media house and the reporter can also affect how the masses take up an investigative story. if it’s biased in it’s ordinary stories, even if it carries a fair story, it will be seen as witch hunting.

Lastly on the challenges, known investigative journalists loose their private life. They are viewed differently and people don’t act normally around them and start looking for hidden cameras. They also lack protection and are even attacked and their equipment destroyed as was the case with Betty Ndindi and Clifford Derrick who has since been exiled

On the other hand, investigative journalism can be very rewarding; to the journalism, the media house and to the society at large.

To the journalist, after doing this for some time, he/she improves his skill and know and can identify good stories with ease and carry them out diligently.

Some good investigative stories are recognized by international bodies and journalists are rewarded heavily, some of the rewards trickling down to the media house and the nation/country gets some credit too.

To the larger community, it enhances good governance and freed speech-giving the common man a voice and demanding accountability from our leaders.

Investigative journalism also sensitizes the public on things going on around them that they would otherwise never know i.e. the case of rogue tracker.

Contributes to an open and accountable society. This is because there will always be that feeling that someone is watching and that is the role of the media.

Most, if not all of Kenyan musicians have not declared their worth. The only way to find out how much they have is going through MCSK ( Music Copyright Societies of Kenya) archives. We can now comfortably list down the top 10 wealthiest musicians in Kenya.

 Jaguar

Jaguar is among the finest artists in Kenya. He has been in the Kenyan industry since its infancy. He is an entrepreneur with a taxi firm, security company, auto garage and real estate. Jaguar recently received the MCSK award where he bagged millions from the event, Air Jaguar is Jaguar’s plane, which appeared in his hit music, Kipepeo. Jaguar also owns posh car brands like Bentley, Lexus, Range Rover and Mercedes Benz E240.Among his songs are Kigeugeu, Kipepeo, Matapeli and Kioo.

Nonini

Nonini is a co-pioneer of Africanised Hip Hop, Genge. He works foe One FM as a Breakfast presenter. Famously referred to as The Godfather of Genge, he runs three studios that enjoy massive airplay locally, which made him the highest paid artist in 2012 by MCSK. Nonini launched a foundation, Colour kwa Face Foundation to fight for the rights of people living with albinism.

Wyre

Wyre, known by the name Lovechild, is arguably the greatest artist in Kenya’s showbiz. He uniquely fuses reggae and RkB, creating massive hits. His song Nakupenda Pia, featuring Alaine is a big hit in Kenya. Wyre includes choreographed dances in his music and when performing. His wealth mainly comes from live performances, royalties and album sales.

Nameless

Nameless is inreal sense, not name less. He was born David Mathenge. He first made his appearance into the music showbiz in 1999 during Capital FM’s search for a star. He is one of the most played Kenyan artists, according to statistics. Some of the tracks that Nameless has released during his career include Boomba Train, Megarider, Sinzia, Salary, Juju, African beauty and I’m coming home. Nameless has bagged many awards such as Kisima Music Awards in 2004,MTV Africa Music Awards in 2009,Channel O Music Video Awards in 2007 and Pearl of Africa Music Awards in 2006.

Habida

Habida is a talented musician and also a model. She has worked with Kiko Romeo. She majored in drama at Lewisham College, London and later music at Kennesaw State University in Atlanta. On her return home, she worked with Robert Kimanzi aka RKay a renowned producer, and succeeded in flooding radio and television stations with the single, Sunshine alongside Nameless. She has won awards like the Best Video Award at the East African CHAT Awards, 2010.

 

Television is Kenya’s first hand source of entertainment that appeals to everyone due to its special characteristics like affordability and wide scope of programs that are most likely to appeal to someone if not everyone. With a number of TV stations now broadcast in Kenya it is important to note that Kenyans are fond of specific programs aired on the local channels and even though it may be hard to watch everything the ideal Kenyan would by all means make up time to watch his or her most favorite program. Truth be told as Kenyans continue enjoying the world cup which is a form of seasonal event there are those who are highly disappointed to have missed out on watching their favorite programs that have been cut short due to the world cup and some of this most adored television programs are the following.

Soap opera

Soap operas have grown popular in the Kenyan entertainment industry over the years which have since led to the program being adopted on all local channels. Even though they are said to be appealing only to ladies men have also joined the band wagon of this Mexican, Brazilian, Philippian and South African imports whose main theme is about love relationships and money. The theme for these soap operas is always similar but even so it is impossible to convince someone to avoid watching the next soap after one is concluded. We do love the Alejandro entertainment very much.

Afro cinema

This is another name for the crazy Nigerian and Ghanaian movies which are loved and hated by many in equal measure and preferred by a variety of viewers. Afro cinema broadcast starts mostly in the morning on most TV channels and may go on up to four o’clock if not interrupted by a live event. The popularity of this station is evident by the way Kenya has adopted the Nigerian accent mostly in comedy like Dr. Ofweneke the Kenyan comedian and the use of words such as Oga. Themes for this program range from which craft, prostitution, wife inheritance, and cultism, child labor and native leadership which has since highlighted the true symbol of the African society.

Churchill live

This is by far one of the best comedy shows in East Africa aired on Nation Television every Sunday evening and is cast live at the celebrated carnivore grounds on Thursdays. This involves a group of comedians hosted by Churchill whose real name is Daniel Ndambuki who brings together budding talent in comedy who include the likes of Erick Omondi, Sleepy David, Fred Omondi, Chipukeezy Vinny just to mention but a few of the well-endowed talent who offer rib cracking comedy on Sunday evening hence it’s impossible to miss this once in a week chance to smile.

Wedding show

As the name suggests this is a show that broadcasts past wedding ceremonies of Kenyan couples and has become popular on TV due to the urge by people to watch this life commemorating and interesting events where young couples can pick a lesson from them or adopt a specific style. This show is a highlight of the fast growing Kenyan entertainment industry with a future where good things are bound.

In Kenya, every weekend hosts innumerable events in Nairobi and in other towns in Kenya. From the capital city of Kenya to other major towns, Kenya is usually abuzz with activities during weekends. One might miss out on great experiences by being misinformed or having no information at all about events in Kenya. However various websites in Kenya have made it easier for people to plan on which events to attend in various towns in Kenya. These events are not only for fun but also to network and create exposure of talent. Some of the major events in Kenya include Safaricom Live, Fashion week event, music awards events, among many others listed in various Kenyan events websites. Most people attend these events in Kenya which suit their interests and business fields to meet various business contacts and to advertise products and services in Kenya. Whatever your reason, there are certain sites that can relay information about major events and dates in Kenya, making your search easier.

Events254.co.ke

Events254.co.ke website in Kenya is the most informative website and it has a variety of listings. Events254.co.ke uploads events about fashion, art, conferences, concerts, parties expos and festivals in Kenya. Events254.co.ke is a great guide for both tourists and locals in Kenya. The event calendar of Events254.co.ke is full of amazing events in Kenya that have been researched on by a team of experts. The events website in Kenya has a place where the user can upload an event. One simply sends a poster and a description of the event details in Kenya and waits for an email. The team of experts decides on whether to list the event in Kenya of discard it. The Events254.co.ke website is on www.events254.co.ke

Kenyabuzz.com

Kenyabuzz.com is an equally informative website in Kenya that uploads great events going down in Kenya and their respective venues. This Kenyabuzz.com site in Kenya is sure to give you all the events profile. Kenyabuzz.com also releases information on movies and what is showing in the major cinema houses on big-screen in Kenya. This Kenyabuzz.com website has various categories. Kenyabuzz.com website in Kenya has a ‘what is on’ section which informs of the latest events in Kenya. Kenyabuzz.com also has a lifestyle section that has news. Kenyabuzz.com website also has a business directory and a ‘buy and sell’ section in Kenya. Kenyabuzz.com also has galleries on past events in Kenya and newsletters. It is a great website with the theme colours red and black making it enjoyable to skim through it and can be accessed through www.kenyabuzz.com 

`Nairobi Now` website and `Top Events Kenya` websites in Kenya

Nairobi now website and top events kenya website are two sites in Kenya that are hosted by wordpress. WordPress in Kenya keeps us abreast with information on the various events in Nairobi and beyond that are happening and it has a section where one can submit an event. www.topeventskenya.wordpress.com and www.nairobinow.wordpress.com are the top events website in Kenya. The Nairobi Now website and Top Events Kenya are very informative websites about events in Kenya.

Thewineandfoodreview.blogspot.com

Thewineandfoodreview.blogspot.com website is a great blog that is a breath of fresh air and, It is centered on events relating to food and wine in Kenya. Thewineandfoodreview.blogspot.com blog has a category of events where it informs of upcoming events on wine and food industry. Thewineandfoodreview.blogspot.com has great photos and great reviews of past and to be events in Kenya. You can access the events website via www.thewineandfoodreview.blogspot.com

Facebook & twitter as events websites in Kenya

Facebook and Twitter are social networking sites in Kenya that are ideal for event sharing because they have the company that is hosting the event to upload more about the event and venue of the event in Kenya. The events uploaded via facebook and twitter in Kenya have a discussion board for the people who plan to attend to discuss. Friends can also invite each other and decide on how they will attend. People in a certain network in Kenya also get events related to them. For example people who have liked fashion pages in Kenya on facebook are more likely to get invited to fashion events being held in any part of Kenya. Facebook and twitter websites are www.faceboo.com and www.twitter.com respectively.

People also get wind of the news from word of mouth on such events as political rallies in Kenya. Some events in Kenya are exclusive and invite only such as the Red Carpet Event in Kenya. Other events in Kenya are simply not advertised. However, these are the most common avenues to getting information about events coming up in Kenya. With these event websites in Kenya, you will be getting an event calendar in Kenya and marking the dates.