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 How Elizabeth Kangethe beat racism to win seat in UK
By Joseph Ngugi in London
Monday, 17th May 2010
Elizabeth Wanjiru Kang’ethe, the councillor of Parsloe Ward, Barking and Dagenham in London. Picture: Courtesy From a ‘toddler choir’ leader, to primary school teacher, then head teacher, and now politician, Elizabeth Wanjiru Kang’ethe, the councillor of Parsloe Ward, Barking and Dagenham in London, has a tale to tell about her route to stardom.
Perhaps, the simplest description of her life is that of a born-leader. Kang’ethe announced her arrival in limelight at age nine when she ‘won’ a privilege to share soda with former President Jomo Kenyatta. She was leading a pupils’ mass choir that performed for the late President at his Gatundu home.
She was barely visible from the second row so she was perched on a stool to lead a song with her high-pitched voice. This amused Kenyatta and a host of dignitaries and in appreciation, the former President requested for a session with the brave all-smiling but shy girl. They shared soda together, attracting lots of admiration from fellow pupils and her teachers.
Councillor Kang’ethe says it is then she realised she was different from her peers. She set her goals to fame and never looked back, she adds.
Male dominated
She says her determination, focus and go-getter attitude saw her rise from a teacher to a headmistress of Githunguri Township Primary, and later a politician at the UK. She defied what she describes as intimidation from competitive male domineered world around her.
She cites her father Richard Kang’ethe as her source of inspiration. The father was the first black person in Kenya to feature in a film, which was aimed at encouraging Kenyans to join formal education in 1948. The film was titled Kang’ethe Thoma (Kang’ethe please go to school). Her father and other pioneer educationists are remembered for forming the Young Men’s Christian Associations (YMCA) and several mobile health clinics in their area.
Councillor Kang’ethe says her father and mother, who were primary school teachers and community leaders in Githunguri, are her role models.
She also believes her fear of God and willingness to integrate and share with the less privileged in the community, a virtue she learnt as a young girl guide in the scouting movement, has kept her at the limelight.
After her high school education at St Ann’s Lioki School in Kiambaa (1980s), she volunteered as a community worker in Turkana District for six months to learn the community’s culture, language and challenges.
“Having been brought up in a well-up family, I had a chance to learn what poverty is,” she told this writer with a grin in her face.
She trained as a teacher at Machakos Teachers College in 1984 before going to Canada for a one-year exchange programme up to 1986. On return to Kenya she was made deputy head for the Githunguri Township Primary before becoming head after the demise of Violet Kinyanjui.
Besides being a leader, she also worked for the defunct Electoral Commission of Kenya as returning officer during general elections and by-elections.
“Following my interaction with powerful politicians in the constituency and beyond, I got the taste of what it means to be a political leader. I even thought of resigning as a teacher to contest for the Githunguri parliamentary seat but my family and friends advised otherwise,” recalls Councillor Kang’ethe.
Her popularity
However, she later resigned and flew to the UK for various advanced teacher-training courses. She worked as a part-time supply teacher in 40 schools in East London before she acquired the Qualified Teachers Status (QTS). She also held other volunteer positions in the UK, which popularised her in the community.
She says, when she got employed at Mawney Primary School, she was the only black teacher in the exclusive white borough of Havering. “Many people never thought I would stay in this particular school for a week but I stayed for eight years,” she adds.
When she joined the school, it had less than 10 black pupils but now the population has risen tremendously.
She says the predominantly white community, especially the pupils, was friendly and receptive to her. She later became a popular teacher in the community, confirming her leadership qualities.
Councillor Kang’ethe extended her engagements with the scout movement to the UK, which boosted her integration with the community. It is here she was introduced to the Labour Party Action team and began doing voluntary work for the party. She was assigned to shadow an elderly civic leader as a research assistant. Her job included preparing constituents’ cases to be forwarded to area MP Mrs Margaret Hodge.
The party caucus later appointed her the area deputy chair of Labour in her ward and was later nominated to replace incumbent civic leader who was dropped for alleged inactivity.
As a leader in an area where some people had a passion for racism, Councillor Kang’ethe’s reign as both teacher and a politician has not been easy. Many conservative whites thought she had come to take up their jobs.
The worst of opposition, however, came from the black community. Even a fellow Kenyan, a very popular community website, once told her: “Riganiiruo ni unene ucio ureyethithia. Kwanyu ni wahuranagira gutuika headman nigwo urehe kumenya gwaku guku (forget ever becoming a councillor here when you have never even been a village headman at your home (Kenya)”
Her only disadvantage, as the friends told her, was that she was black and a single mother but she never bowed to the discouragements.
World order leadership
“Now these are the same people calling me with congratulatory messages. I thank God I did not listen to them,” she says.
She now says her vision is to offer the locals quality non-racial leadership, which they demanded when they rejected racist BNP candidates in the just concluded UK General Election. She says the new world order in leadership got a new meaning when Barack Obama was elected President of America, a move that reverberated hope and trust between races all over the world.
Asked whether she ever plans to return and join Kenyan politics, Kang’ethe says it all depends on her success in London on one hand and her Githunguri people’s wish. “For now, I am in Britain for further education in pragmatic and selfless politics. I might return to serve Kenya even in a senior position if my electorate in London will release me,” she says during this interview.
The Standard Media
Miss Elizabeth Kangethe wins a council seat in London
Miss Elizabeth Kangethe wins a council seat in London Miss Elizabeth Kangethe a teacher in London has won a council seat in London and is now a councillor of Parsloe Ward in Barking and Dagenham. This is the area where the BNP Party has been campaigning to take up the seat for the area MP as well as council seats. The counting was done throughout the night as BNP Party disputed every counted result. The counting for the area MP was completed at 6.00 a.m. on Friday morning and the council seats counting was abandoned for the team to rest and then resumed at 1.00 p.m. The result was announced at 3.30 p.m. where Misss Elizabeth Wanjiru Kangethe was declared a winner among other councillors in Parsloe Ward. Councillor Kangethe was escorted to the returning officer by a team of Labour Party where she signed for the seat before being congratulated by the returning officer. Kenyans waiting for the result outside the hall celebrated with Kenyans as the results were announced. The Labour Party Labour Party surprised everyone when they took the MP seat and all the council seats including the 12 BNP previous held by BNP. After winning the seat Councillor Elizabeth Wanjiru had this to say: "I thank the Almighty God for giving me this opportunity to serve the people of this area. I would also like to thank the Kenyan community and entire community in my area who have really supported me during this campaigning period. I would not forget the area MP- Margaret Hodge who has been very supportive as well as the Labour Party campaign team. May God richly bless you all. Lastly I cannot forget to thank Mr. Seed who has stood with me since day one." Councillor Kangethe concluded. You can congratulate her on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 07958612632.
Miss Elizabeth Wanjiru Kangethe being escorted to the returning officer by the Labour Party official and on right being congratulated by the returning officer and signing for the council seat.
"Atî Wakangethe nîatuîka Councillor kûu London, nîwega mûno tuone kamwe gagûtwara tûrîa tûngî rûî. Mwîre next time athie gîtî kîa MP" ("I hear Elizabeth Kangethe has become a councillor in London - that is good at least to have someone to show others where the drinking river is located. Tell her next time to go for the MP sea") - A 74-year-old Kenyan lady living in Nortingham
The newly elected MP for Barking and Dagenham Margaret Hodge congratulating Councillor Wanjiru Kangethe (left) after she was declared the winner of the council seat and on right Councillor Kangethe being congratulate by Ms Lucy Ng'ang'a (third from left) who has has been Councillor Kangethe's bag carrier from day one and she explains the job continues as well as Mr. Seed and Margaret Hodge congratulated her.
JOY, JOY, JOY EVERYWHERE
Other Labour candidate in Barking and Dagenham could not hide theri joy Source-Misterseed
The Nigerian Email Spam Scam
Three Kenyan-born women participating in UK Elections remain confident
By Derek Otieno
A school teacher, a community activist and a career councillor form the trio of Kenyan-born women in contention for civic seat at the UK Elections. As the leading party leaders, Labour’s Gordon Brown, Conservatives’ David Cameron and Liberal Democrats’ Nick Clegg led their activists in a last minute dash fanning their campaigns to directions in the UK, the three would-be councillors maintained their hopes at better proceeds during the elections, said to be the closest in UK’s history in a generation. The nation-wide dash for votes was kicked into touch Tuesday evening when the three leaders departed from their campaign headquarters in London to make last minute calls in key constituency and strongholds in an election that main opposition Conservatives remain in pole position to recapture the big prize. The last minute hustling and canvassing went a gear up when the danger of a hung parliament seemed imminent in the UK for the first time in the UK since 1974 and the prospect of Gordon Brown departing 10 Downing Street turning into a distant reality. Until last week, Brown’s party Labour, who have been in power for the last 13 years, harboured the hopes of a fight-back, but things changed after the last televised debate in Birmingham and the unusual backing of the UK media of Tories. Most newspapers and media organisations in the country have declared their open support for the Tories, some that have not backed any party for the last 20 years. However, with a few thousand votes spread across the UK, the Kenyan community, traditionally supporting Labour, are also in the mix of things. Save for the comical support of the British National Party (BNP) by a religious leader two weeks ago, the others making headlines within the community are Julliet Makhapila in the Islington, Elizabeth Kangethe in Essex and Marianne Alapini in Colville. Makhapila, a first-time contestant for Liberal Democrats in the North London ward of Tollington, took time off her busy programme at the weekend to recharge and declared yesterday that she has come back in a very strong way and will be canvassing through to election time. “I have had to do a lot of work in the last three weeks and I stayed away from the campaign rounds to allow for strategising. I am confident that with the support that I have received in the last few days, I will scrape through. “I have done a lot of work in the last few days and I have spent so much time in the evening meeting the local community and talking about the Liberal Democrats’ policies and I am sure that everything has run well for us,” said the first time candidate. Across the city in London, Labour’s Marianne Alapini has a reason to smile, being in a safe seat that she held until the dissolution of parliament. Alapini is a battle-hardened war-horse, having been involved in a fight for yet another safe Labour parliamentary seat, which many people believed she was robbed in 2009. Pitting her in the fight for the representation of the Erith and Thamesmead seat, she was involved in a bitter fight, losing out to Oxford University graduate 22-year old Georgia Gould. Gould is well-connected in the Labour circles with some of the party’s top command supporting her bid. Alapini simply did not have a chance. Daughter of Tony Blair’s pollster Lord Gould, George faced off any contention mounted as her family linkages, including her mum, sister Baroness McDonagh, spinmaster Alastair Campbell, Lord Mandelson and Tony Blair coming out to support her bid and direct nomination for the seat left for the women candidates. Miss Gould is even tipped for a senior Labour Party position in the future, something that local political analysts say is emphasised by the decision to throw her to big-party politics at such a tender age. In Essex, Swahili teacher Elizabeth Kangethe will be fighting off the sudden rise of far-right British National Party in an area of London that has some of the biggest immigrant population in the UK. Kangethe has been a Labour supporter since 2005 and is vying for the Parsoles Ward where all hope will be on the support for the ruling party. While the three have every reason to fight for the elective posts, it is worth noting all will depend in the last-minute push by the party leaders in one of the most bruising elections in the UK, where the Conservative party has led for the last three years since Prime Minister Brown took over the running of the country from Tony Blair. Source-kenyalondonnews
Uniquely Kenyan
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Kenyan 18 Year Old Electronics GENIUS
Morris Mbetsa, an 18 year old self-taught inventor with no formal electronics training from the coastal tourist town of Mombasa on the Indian Ocean in Kenya has invented the "Block & Track", a mobile phone-based anti-theft device and vehicle tracking system.
 Raila toilet talk diminishes own stature Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s toilet story has not only stunned many but served to undermine the personality of a man who, only a year ago, was regarded as an alternative to President Mwai Kibaki. Speaking at the coastal city of Mombasa, Raila told a public gathering that he had been allocated a smaller toilet than what the President would have been given. Raila was visibly angry at the absence of the Coast Provincial Commissioner at the launch of the National Oceans and Fisheries Policy. HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!!!!!
 Sometimes God breaks our spirit to save our soul.
Sometimes He breaks our heart to make us whole. Sometimes God allows pain so we can be stronger. Sometimes God sends us failure so we can be humble. Sometimes God allows illness so we can take better care of ourselves. Sometimes God takes everything away from us so we can learn the value of everything He gave us. Have a wonderful EASTER Celebrations…
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WHO IS MY WIFE AMONG THE TWO?
  You would think they are twins. The husband of one of them was caught by surprise when the other entered a ceremonial venue. "Oh, my, how come my wife is here without telling me" the husband asked. He had to call his wife to come and see her photocopy. Mrs. Jane Somba (right) and Caroline Kungu (left) looks alike. The husband of Jane (centre) Mr. Steve Somba had this to say jokingly: "Who is my wife now, I think I am a man of two wives, let us go home." The ladies met again on Sunday 25th January, 2009 at CCBC Swahili Church in Barking, London. They sat next to each other and everyone was convinced that they are twins. They don't know each other before nor are they relatives. Jane's email -
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and Caroline email is
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.
Source-Misterseed
Armed police officers keep the public at bay at Nairobi's Kencom bus station on Wednesday after a police officer and a suspected criminal were shot dead.
County police fatally shoot robbery suspect after foot chase in Essex
"Somebody told me that the Robbery suspect is a Kenyan. If true, then we are getting wrong publicity"-Violet Nyaga
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By Brent Jones | This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it January 1, 2009
 A Baltimore County police officer fatally shot a robbery suspect Wednesday morning after this Rite Aid pharmacy at 140 Back River Neck Road in Essex was held up, authorities said. (Baltimore Sun photo by Lloyd Fox / December 31, 2008)
Baltimore County police fatally shot a robbery suspect yesterday morning in Essex after the man led officers on a foot chase in a residential neighborhood, authorities said.
The unidentified man died after he was taken to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, police spokesman Bill Toohey said. Police say the incident unfolded about 8 a.m. when the man held up a Rite Aid pharmacy at 140 Back River Neck Road. Toohey said the man followed employees into the store as it was opening and demanded money. During the robbery, an employee fled and called 911, police said. Officers arrived and chased the suspect about two blocks to the 1500 block of Williams Ave., where a confrontation between the armed man and officers occurred, Toohey said. The man was shot in a backyard of a two-story brick rowhouse. Billy Bishop, a resident of the house, said he heard the gunfire.
Bishop said he was in an upstairs room with his family when he heard two gunshots. He said he ran over to a window and could see the man's body and the officer standing over him. Bishop said he then went outside to see what was happening. "There was blood all over the place," he said. "They tried to give the guy CPR and took him away in an ambulance. They yelled at me to go in. I got yelled at like four times." Tia Alexander, who lives two doors from the crime scene, said she was lying in bed when she heard a commotion and an officer yelling into a walkie-talkie. She awakened her husband, who went to the window and saw the officer shoot the victim, Alexander said. He was taken to police headquarters to give a statement. Alexander said she heard the officer yell "shots fired" over his police radio just before the shooting. Police did not release the identification of the officer. A weapon was recovered from the suspect, police said. Yesterday's incident was the second police-involved shooting in that neighborhood in two years. In January 2007, police fatally shot a man off Back River Neck Road after he led them on a chase, crashed his car and shot at pursuing officers. Sun reporter Richard Irwin contributed to this article. By Brent Jones | This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ******************************************
A Kenyan dead in hands of Police
 A Kenyan has passed away in Maryland, USA. The late Fidel Saiteu Gikori. Fidel met his death on New Year's eve December 31, 2008 at around 8am in Essex, Maryland, USA under unclear circumstances in the hands of Baltimore Police. Family and Friends are meeting daily at his mother's, Margaret Gathoni Capen-Maggie house. Address: 34 West Orange Ct, Parkville, Md 21234. Prayers and worship will be at 7.00 p.m. daily. Contribution to assist with the funeral arrangements can be made through Fidel's bank account with Bank of America in the following account: Bank name: Bank of America, Account name: Magaret Capen, Routing number 052001633 and Account number 44601374747. Viewing and Service to be held on Friday January 9th (tentative date). Fund-raising will be held on Saturday January 10th from 4pm to 8 pm (venue to be announced). Burial will be held in Baltimore Maryland at Dulaney Valley Gardens (time of service and program to be announced). Please contact the following people if you have any questions. Martin Mwangi (Committee Chairman): 443-465-5732, Allan Kiguru (Committee Vice Chairman): 443 804 5907 or Michael Ngugi (Committee Support): 443-935-1142.
Blind girl with an amazing voice
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BATTLE OF ALL BATTLES-BUFFALOS ATTACK LIONS GANGLAND STYLE!!!
Kenyan man accused of shaking infant
May 22, 2008
 Creighton, Mo. A man is accused of shaking his infant daughter so hard that she suffered fractures, brain injuries and retinal hemorrhaging.
Brian Kariuki, 20, was arraigned today in Harrisonville on a charge of first-degree assault causing serious physical injury.
Officials at Children’s Mercy Hospital notified authorities after treating the 3-month old girl for seizures. According to court documents, Kariuki told investigators that he shook the baby to get her to go to sleep.
According to doctors at Children's Mercy Hospital, the baby has fractures to her ankles and ribs, traumatic brain injury and extensive retinal hemorrhaging.
"We let this boy into our house and never dreamed this would happen," Barbara Sites, the baby's grandmother, said.
Sites said her daughter's boyfriend seemed like a loving and doting father to the couple's baby girl. She let the couple move into her home.
"I was amazed as young as he was he doted on her. He was good to her," Sites said.
Brian J. Kariuki, 20, was charged Wednesday with first-degree assault.
According to court documents, Kariuki first told investigators the baby fell off the couch, but when questioned further he said the baby wouldn't stop crying because of an earache. Kariuki said he started rocking the baby and the harder he would shake her, the more she seemed to settle down.
Sites said she heard her granddaughter screaming. She found Kariuki sleeping and the baby was having seizures. Sites and her daughter rushed the baby to the hospital.
Kariuki is in police custody. The baby remains hospitalized.
Sources-
Kwanini unaangusha kibeti,wewe bure kabisa
Mama Ngina-'Ai muthee!'
 Photo/PHOEBE OKALL Public health minister picks her hand bag quickly when it fell down along parliament road as they were leaving the late President Jomo Kenyatta's mausoleum yesterday.This was after laying wreaths to commemorate the 30th anniversary.
Three hurt as fight breaks out at church
Three hurt as fight breaks out at church
09/15/08
one of the Faithful delivering missiles(stones) for the 'good fight'
 Three worshippers sustained serious injuries after a fight broke out at a Church in Kiambu district’s Limuru area Sunday.
The clash pitted faithful of Murengeti PCEA Church against a group from the nearby Ngarariga parish.
The confrontation, in which the faithful pelted stones at each other, was occasioned by the posting of a new pastor and excommunication of two church elders.
One group supports the move while the other opposes it, saying it was done in disregard of the Church’s doctrine.
Armed Administration Police officers rushed to the church compound and separated the combatants.
Unlike other Sundays, no services were conducted as a result of the chaos.
The group from Murengeti closed the gate to the church to deny the other group entry.
Fighting broke out when the Ngarariga faction tried to force its way in.
Mr Njiriri Mukoma and Mr Thiru Kariuki suffered head injuries from flying stones. An elder, Mr Peter Ndung’u, was hurt when his arm was pierced by a sharp object.
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