Kenya ICC Hague Ruling( Download )on 2008 PEV Suspects Case

You can now download the complete version of rulings delivered by the Pretrial Chamber Court II of the International Criminal Court (ICC) case  on the SITUATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA

IN THE CASE OF THE PROSECUTOR V. WILLIAM SAMOEI RUTO, HENRY

KIPRONO KOSGEY AND JOSHUA ARAP SANG  and SITUATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF KENYAIN THE CASE OF THE PROSECUTOR V. FRANCIS KIRIMI MUTHAURA,UHURU MUIGAI KENYATTA AND MOHAMMED HUSSEIN ALI

Please note that the ICC website has been down since Monday 23 January 2012 when the above two rulings were delivered and read in open Court by Justice Ekaterina Trendafilova. Hence we thank MarsGroupKenya for availing a copy of the text for your online consumption.

International Criminal Court (ICC) Website is Down

With so many people in Kenya now anticipation the ruling of the International Criminal Court  set to be delivered today 23 January 2012  regarding  the Kenya Post Election Violence case of 2008 involving six prominent personalities ; it is instructive to note that the servers of the ICC are down and that one cannot actually access the website.

I have just tried to open the site but i am being met with an error message..."The Server is Too Busy " and "Service Unavailable" .It is interesting to note that this according to my experience has never happened before despite there having been several international high profile cases at the Hague .The Kenyan situation is generating massive interest internationally perhaps due to the fact that two of the persons in the Ocampo suspects list have declared their interest in running for the Presidency in Kenya after the term of the current President expires (2012-13).In my fair opinion the ICC servers should be capable of handling such traffic as it is a Court of International repute.It reflects badly if the Court servers can actually be brought to a standstill due to a single case before its chambers...what a shame!

Kenya Defense Forces and Al Shabaab Twitter Wars

Here is a reprint of an article i have written on GlobalVoices Online regarding propaganda and social media wars between Kenya's Armed Defense Forces(KDF) and Al Shabaab especially with reference to a recent Twitter spat that resulted in a retraction by the Kenya Military official spokes person Major E Chepchirchir.

Kenya's military incursion into Somalia against the militant group Al Shabaab dubbed "Operation Linda Nchi" (Swahili for "Operation Defend the Country") has turned into Twitter war. This came after the official military spokesperson Major E ChirChir going by the Twitter handle  @MajorEChirchir posted old photos claiming that a Kenyan Al Shabaab recruit had been stoned to death recently by the group members because of "a difference of opinion". Image of the now deleted tweet can be seen at this here

It later became apparent that the photos were actually taken by a Somalian journalist in 2009 and does not even feature a Kenyan Al Shabab recruit. The Kenyan military spokesperson has displayed a sense of responsibility by acknowledging responsibility and stating in one tweet:

@MajorEChirchir: #PicturePosting I take responsibility for posting an old photo, but execution did happen on Tuesday. Friday execution likely.

Reacting to @MajorEChirchir's tweets, @SelfMadeAbdi asks:

"@SelfMadeAbdi: Are we suppose to believe u now?"

@Dannmanufc writes:

" @Dannmanufc: loosing trust of your updates"

@kithembe says:

"@kithembe: @MajorEChirchir  #PicturePosting  it is sad but stop posting old pictures."

His post has raised furor online with a number of Twitter users venting their anger, distrust and opinions on the issue under the hashtag #PicturePosting. Tweep @mamayaimani writes:

@mamayaimani:
"@MajorEChirchir  #PicturePosting  You do realise what his does to your credibility, don't you? You see what it does for the other side?"

Twitter user @geoffreyork blasts @MajorEChirchir by revealing:

" @geoffreyork: Here are the 2009 photos from a British newspaper: http://bit.ly/yDYRn4 Compare them to Major C's tweeted photos. Identical. "

The Harakat Al-Shabaab Al Mujahideen Twitter page, @HMSpress, took a few quips at the Kenya Defence Forces stating:

"@HMSpress: For those interested: the incident took place in 2009, the man wasn’t #Kenyan, it wasn’t in Kismayo, and it wasn’t HSM http://www.dhanbaal.com/main/index.php?module=News&func=display&sid=272

@HMSpress: They seem unsophisticated, even in their propaganda campaign. A simple Google search would have saved them such an embarrassment

Kenyans and other interested persons responded to the whole fiasco and here is a sample of their tweets:

Tech Blogger @RobertAlai comments:

@RobertAlai: @MajorEChirchir we are waiting for your answers. You tried to fool us. We need reality not faked scenes

Okwaroh states:

@Okwaroh: @MajorEChirchir and to what extent should we tolerate your 'omissions'. This raises loads of questions about the credibility of your WORD

Responding to the misleading photos, one Kenyan Twitter user, @Jkisioh, coins a new terms “Twicide” and asks:

@JKisioh: Has @MajorEChirchir committed twicide?

The Kenyan military spokesperson may have thought that the tweet would be easily consumed by unsuspecting netizens and believed as gospel truth. The veracity of his statements are not only being put to test by the Al Shabaab and its sympathizers but also by Kenyan citizens as "Tweet war" and social media warfare continue.

The Kenyan capital, Nairobi, saw two deadly grenade attack incidents linked to Al Shabaab last year: one at a popular entertainment club and the other at a crowded bus stop in downtown Nairobi.

Emirates unveils global sales to tackle competition

Customers will now save up to 25 percent on round-trip airfares to destinations across the Emirates network as the airline works to beat global competition

DUBAI – January 4, 2011 – Emirates, one of the world’s fastest-growing international airlines, is celebrating the New Year by offering exceptional discounts on airfares to more than 100 cities, when bookings are made before January 9 2012 for travels between January 22 and June 30 2012.

Emirates customers will now be able to save up to 25 percent off all published First Class, Business Class and Economy Class fares departing between, when travelling round-trip to any destination on Emirates’ extensive global network.

A return Economy Class Business and First Class tickets from Nairobi to Dubai now costs USD428, USD1131, USD2418, respectively. A roundtrip economy ticket from Nairobi now start from USD625 to Istanbul, USD423 to Bahrain, USD591 to Male, USD884 to Houston, USD1006 to Sao Paulo, USD650 to Manila, USD476 to Cochin, USD666 to Bangkok, USD884 to Guangzhou and 770 London.

Speaking in Nairobi when he unveiled the new fares Emirates Regional Manager for East Africa Essa Sulaiman Ahmad said:

“For the first time in Emirates’ history, we are welcoming in the New Year by offering unprecedented savings to our customers. With up to 25 per cent off Economy Class, Business Class and First Class airfares to every destination on our international network, there has never been a better time to experience the award-winning product and on-board service which has made Emirates Airline of the Year in 2011.”

He continued: “Whether your New Year’s resolution is to spend more time with family and friends, visit a dream destination or follow your favourite sports team at a far-flung tournament, our global sale is designed to ensure that Emirates customers enjoy the perfect start to 2012.”

Renowned for its excellence in service and innovation, both on board and on the ground, Emirates holds an array of prestigious awards, including Air Transport World’s 2011 “Airline of the Year” award and the Skytrax World Airline Award for “World's Best Airline Inflight Entertainment,” for the seventh year in a row.

“Our clients can now book online at www.emirates.com and discover gourmet multi-course meals, complimentary wines, dedicated children’s menus and activities, and ice, Emirates’ award winning entertainment system offering more than 1,200 channels of on-demand entertainment at every seat,” added Mr Ahmad.

For more information on Emirates, including how to book and a complete list of terms and conditions, contact your travel agent or visit: www.emirates.com.

Why I Love German Cars !!!!

Audi R8 Spyder

Hi, readers its a new Year 2012 and this is my first post ,hoping all you are well and wishing you the best in this year 2012.Somehow, having driven down from Mombasa couldn't help but let my first post be about something that i found impressive: German Cars! Yes the likes of Mercedes Benz, Audi, Volkswagen and BMW.Interestingly almost all this cars are available at German car hire companies (if you are at holiday in Germany you might find that link to be pretty useful).

Truly beautiful cars with sterling performance,agility and stability.I clearly have a myriad of reasons to love German cars and its my hope to ride one pretty soon! This cars can clearly outrun other European or Japanese models on the market especially on the rough and rugged roads here !

According to the website IseeCars.com the following cars hit the best10 German cars in the year 2011:

• Audi A5
• BMW X5
• BMW 3 series convertible
• Mercedes Benz E Series( E350) Luxury Sedan 
• 2011 Mini Cooper Clubman
• Porsche Boxster 2dr Roadster
• Porsche Cayenne AWD 4dr Man
• Volkswagen Golf 2dr HB Auto
• Volkswagen Gti  2dr HB DSG
• Volkswagen Jetta 4dr Auto Sedan

 Again most of these vehicles have received a 5 star rating  for safety  from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an agency of the U.S. government that monitors data and usage of vehicle and their performances.

As you zoom in this year 2012 and see things speed up...please ensure that you keep it safe and enjoy your ride in life !