Story by TIM KAMUZU BANDA

Even from the very beginning, Esther Nabaasa Muguzi came across as no ordinary hopeful.�

Esther Nabaasa from Uganda celebrates her Sh5 million-worth victory.�Photos/CHARLES KAMAU

While most hopefuls in talent searches insist that they are just there to try their luck, Esther said from the very beginning that she was there to win and nothing less would do for her.

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�If I did not think that I had what it takes, then I would not have entered the competition. I knew that I had a chance,� she says confidently.

On Sunday night, that confidence paid off for the 21-year-old Ugandan when she was declared the winner of the second edition of the Tusker Project Fame talent search.

Voters from East Africa overwhelmingly handed the Makerere University student the ultimate prize ahead of Kenyans Victor Asava, Wendy Kimani and David Ogolla in the grand finale that was aired live on national TV from the Tusker Project Fame Academy.

It was a culmination of the three months long search that saw over 10,000 hopefuls being auditioned across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania before a handful entered the Academy.

For her triumph, the Ugandan not only joins the exclusive club of millionaires, having bagged Sh5m, but also wins for herself a recording contract with Gallo Records of South Africa � the biggest recording label in the continent.

�I am happy to have won, very happy, but now it is time to go to the studio and realise a dream that I have always had,� Esther said at Nation Centre on Monday.

While Esther�s talent and confidence are unquestionable, her win still surprised many as she was barely in the limelight during the show.

The reality TV format that the search took means that the public gets to see every move of each of the contestants in the house.

In most reality TV shows, winners are barely chosen for their talent, but for their intrigues in the house and TPF II just almost went down that road.

The talking point since the show started airing on TV has been about Hemedi Suleiman � from Tanzania � who flirted with almost every woman in the Academy. In fact, that is thought to be the reason why he survived elimination until the last weekend.

Those sideshows took the limelight from Esther, who many people will be surprised to know, was never up for the numerous probations that led to the eliminations. She is the only contestant to have never been on probation.

�I went to the academy to learn and I learnt a lot from the trainers and also had time to write a number of songs,� Says Esther who lives in Kampala

The limelight

Esther�s vocal abilities actually came to the limelight in the last fortnight when the focus shifted to the few remaining contestants and at a time when the judges pushed them to show East Africa that they can actually sing.

Her performance of, especially, Colours of the Wind, by Vannessa Williams at the grand finale, was faultless.

A last born in a family of five, Esther says that she plans to seek advice on how to invest a huge chunk of the Sh5 million.

She wants to pay for herself to study a course in sound engineering as she is not intending to go back to Makerere University where she was a Second Year telecommunication student prior to auditioning for TPF.

However, she says that the most important thing to her right now is to get to the studio.

�I am armed with the songs which I wrote in the house and my album should not take longer than two months before release,� she promises.

One of the reasons why Valerie Kimani, who won the inaugural TPF, was not an instant hit is because she took over six months to release her album Baisikeli.

When the album was finally out, Valerie had veered off from pop music, and instead recorded Afro-fusion or world music.

That cast a shadow on TPF ability to produce great recording and performing artistes. Esther is aware that she has to do more to change that perception.

The right person

�I admire Valerie but if anyone does not think that she can sing, then all I can tell them is to wait until they hear my music because I am out to prove that the right person won,� affirms Esther who stands tall at 5�7.

Esther, who describes her style of music Afro-pop, says East Africa should prepare to have the first truly East African international artiste in her.

While she says her music will target the international market, she insists that it will leave no doubt that she is from East Africa.

Home country

As music fans prepare to welcome their newest millionaire and celebrity, Esther is fully aware that she will have to please her home country first and compete with the likes of Jose Chameleon, Bebe Cool and Bobi Wine � the biggest names on the Ugandan music scene.

East African Breweries Limited sponsored TPF to the tune of Sh350 million, and the search began at a time when the country was still fresh from post-election violence.

�We want to use art to heal the country, and we are confident that this show will re-unify Kenyans,� EABL�s Patricia Ithau said at the launch of the talent search.

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API.SOURCE.NATION.KE

Rwanda tribunal, Kenya in row over Kabuga

Story by JILLO KADIDA

A war of words has broken out between the Kenya Government and the international tribunal investigating the whereabouts of wanted Rwandan fugitive Felicien Kabuga.

The tribunal, in a strongly worded letter, told the Government that the recent step to freeze proceedings from a house belonging to Mr Kabuga was too little and coming too late.

The letter also accuses the Kenya Government of doing nothing on several assets, companies and bank accounts identified by a joint task force as being associated with the fugitive.

Attorney-General Amos Wako has responded to the tribunal saying the allegations contained in a letter by the tribunal�s chief of prosecution Richard Karegyesa are unwarranted. Mr Wako�s letter is copied to the President of the tribunal and the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon.

According to Mr Wako, the freezing of Mr Kabuga�s property is a significant achievement for which the government deserves credit.

And regarding the claims that the Government has failed to do anything to arrest Mr Kabuga, the AG said, nothing can be further from the truth.

He says the Kenya Police have always acted swiftly on any leads received from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) or other foreign investigative agencies.

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api.source.nation.ke

Just how clear can Ruto or Ngilu be on the issue of amnesty or realese of the arrested youths. Is Kibaki and PNU really listening or if they are listening will they act before it is too late.
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Last week at Laboso’s funeral, Ruto did not mince his words. In his own words Ruto said ” it was unacceptable that the leaders of the Grand Coalition were being driven around in GK-plated vehicles as the youths who forced on the country the National Peace Accord languished in the cells”. He further went on to state “We must accommodate those boys because we are the reason they are in custody”. As if that is not enough Ngilu in the same funeral confirmed Ruto’s sentiments by saying and I quote “If the youths will remain in jail then those generals (leaders) who called for mass action must also face the law”
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Just who are the generals these two are referring to. I will be damned if I believe for a second that they are talking about PNU officials like Martha. In these statements both Ngilu and Ruto were referring to ODM generals. They were simply telling Kibaki, Karua and Co that the mass action for which the youths were arrested were ordered by the ODM generals and those generals were very much ready to be arrested for those crimes if the crimes were actually committed. Ngilu and Ruto are stating as clearly as can be said that the governmnet should release the youths and arrest all the ODM ministers including Raila Odinga, William Ruto, Musalya Mudavadi and the rest of them. In other words they are daring the Kibaki government to arrest them and stop scape goating through the arrest of the youths. These leaders are comming out to show their disgust with the coalition and are already willing to sacrifice themselves for the shake of their supporters. For them the coalition is a shell without a yolk. It is a joke. There is no honor in it, there is no integrity in it, there is no trueth in it, there is no genuineness and they are now willing to break it apart because the youths issue has become the final straw. They are as clear as clear can be. “No release of the youths no coalition”.
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Unforturenately these youths they are talking about nolonger exist. According to�the police, they have dissappered in the thin air and I believe majority of Kenyans and ODM MPS know where they are. To be precise, these guys are dead and cannot be accounted for by the government. ODM and PNU MPs already know this.�The youths will never�be released because their bodies were dumped somewhere in the forests of�Mt. Kenya and other isolated parks. To make it worse, they were killed by the state machinery.� So what exactly will ODM do if no youths surface? What will they do if indeed a genocide was committed?
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The only choice is for PNU to come clean. But is PNU going to come clean on this so that they can be forgiven. No oh! No. According to Martha Karua’s statement “”The leaders who are pushing for it (amnesty) fear that if the suspects are brought before court, they will be mentioned”. What is this lady talking about. The police have said the youths�are neither here nor their and Ruto and Ngilu�have already dared her to arrest them. In a criminal case such as this, the person who is wrongfully arrested should be released when the real person who committed the offence has confessed. Ngilu and Ruto�have confessed on behalf of their party. What else is Martha looking for? It is simply trime Martha does his/her job. Rlease the youths or dare arrest the ODM pentagon. PNU is once again behaving like a hen with its head in the sand. They still think that the power is with Kibaki, Martha Karua and the GEMA or�MEGA elites. The power is with the people. The people want their brothers home and they want those who ordered for the demonstrations like Odinga, Ruto, Ngilu, Balala, Muslya to bring their boys home or get out of the way.�But if their brothers are indeed dead, they want Kibaki, Martha Karua, Michuki, Saitoti and others to look� them in the eye and ask for forgiveness. Not withstanding, they also know who brought up this mess. It is those who stole the election. They are the Karuas, the Kibakis, the Kavuitus and the Kalonzos and they are the ones who should have in jail or dead. Not the youths.

By Dr. Barack Abonyo

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african press international – api

Amnesty: Police speak

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Following the unending row over amnesty for suspects of post election violence, police now say the youths are not in their hands but in the jurisdiction of the courts and prisons.

Police also admitted for the first time that many of the youths thought to have been arrested were missing.

This emerged on Monday as police said they are taking charge to establish the exact status of the problem that is now developing into a security threat and political crisis. Police Spokesman Eric Kiraithe said no youths were in police custody and those in question were either in remand, jailed or missing.

Kiraithe said a special police team will be set up to sift through the maze of post-election crimes and report back to headquarters with exact figures and status of suspects from the affected regions.

But Kiraithe added that police were not concerned with the debate on amnesty, but just wanted to establish the facts.

When contacted last night, ODM leaders said the onus was on the police to tell Kenyans how many youths were arrested. They said they would continue calling for their release.

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Poor English skills plague politicians, and their listeners

Some top Norwegian politicians speak such poor English that they risk losing influence as they stumble through prepared speeches or try to express themselves to foreigners, claims a professor at the University of Oslo. He thinks it’s downright embarrassing.

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is clearly more comfortable speaking his native Norwegian than he is speaking English. PHOTO: AFTENPOSTEN TV Erik Solheim, shown here with Sudan’s foreign minister last week, is among those needing to polish their English skills, according to a Norwegian professor. PHOTO: HEIKO JUNGE/SCANPIX Former Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik’s “day book” flub is a classic example of politicians’ halting English. PHOTO: STEIN J BJ�RGE

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Bernt Hagtvedt, a professor of political science at the University of Oslo, is tired of listening to Norwegian politicians speak broken English when addressing foreign audiences.

Hagtvedt is convinced that their lack of English proficiency damages Norway’s effectiveness in putting forth its positions on important international issues.

“When their grammar, nuances and vocabulary are so deficient that it adversely affects understanding, we have a problem,” Hagtvedt told NRK on its national morning radio broadcast.

He claimed that even though children in Norway are taught English in the schools, it’s “a problem that many Norwegians think they are fluent in English,” when they’re not.

“We speak a simple English, with 700-800 words we know,” Hagtvedt said. “And we don’t even try to pronounce them correctly.”

He called Norwegians’ lack of English proficiency “an illustration of a general laziness in Norway. We’re not concerned with standards, and have no interest in striving for anything beyond what we already know.”

Asked whether he gets embarrassed when he hears Norwegian politicians speak, he responded with an immediate “Yes!”

Hagtvedt said it’s “abundantly clear that we must improve knowledge of English in the schools. And we should expect that broadcasters, politicians and other top government officials work on their English.”

Some have. Many, including former cabinet minister Anne Enger Lahnstein when she was in office, have attended language schools in England. And several politicians over the years have exhibited an impressive command of English (former foreign aid minister Hilde Frafjord Johnsen comes to mind) and several other languages as well. Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr St�re, for example, can move seemingly effortlessly from Norwegian to English to French.

Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik was thoroughly embarrassed after he spoke of writing in his “day book” (a literal translation of the Norwegian word for diary, dagbok) after meeting former US President Bill Clinton.

“It’s clear that language is power,” said Hagtvedt. “My simple point is, �work on it!�”

To listen to some Norwegian politicians’ broken English, go to NRK, scroll down the page and click on the links for:

Torbj�rn Berntsen, when he was Minister for the Environment:
Helen Bj�rn�y, a later minister speaking on the Kyoto Agreement;
Former Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, speaking during a trip to Washington DC:
Former Prime Minister K�re Willoch;
Current Cabinet Minister Erik Solheim, a former UN Envoy
and current Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg.

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api.source.aftenposteneng

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The world is apparently experiencing skyrocketing food prices occasioned by rising fuel costs and distorted agriculture policies driven by powerful and rich nations. Third world countries especially those in Africa are finding themselves in a compounded problem which they may not have immediate ability to sort out. The skyrocketing world oil prices is making availability and production of food crops for food a waking nightmare.

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The world is simply torn between satisfying a global economy which is gluttonly guzzling enormous amount of energy especially from oil and the need to protect the global population from hunger. It is evident that alternative sources of fuel has to be explored otherwise the global economies will continue to be vulnerable and susceptible to manipulations of prices and the likelihood of oil scarcity in future. The likelihood of oil prices rising to outrageous levels is not longer �a far-fetched cry.

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The demand for oil plus the global economy-politics around the resource has forced a re-think in the Western hemisphere on the alternatives to crude oil for provision of the critical energy to the economies of the world. Already Brazil has lead the way in exploitation of crops in production of alternative oil. The US is increasingly using corn �in production of fuel. This is a factor in exacerbating the global food crisis whereby it is increasingly becoming clear that the re-think on crude oil and the search for alternatives has forced the competition for food �crops between machines energy and human food. �On the other hand large swathes of land is put under cultivation for crops meant for fuel production denying food production the necessary space. This is a red flag!

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In addition poor agricultural policies adopted by the developed world where outrageous subsidies have made agricultural produce from third world penetration into those markets impossible has greatly meant that third world had to re-think �against food production as a commodity for export. Coupled with the many political disorganization and confused policies in third world countries it has meant that third world is unable to produce food even to feed itself let alone for the consumption by the rest.

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The world has no choice but to look for alternative source of fuel to avoid the so many risks surrounding reliance on crude oil such as exhaustion and the numerous political and security risks associated with its many source areas such as in middle-East. Already even the gulf regions have started diversifying investments using the fortunes made in oil such that they are a major force in the world of Wealth funds. But all this should not be at the expense of food. Already it is clear that very many poor people in the globe are starving due to mistakes which are not of their making but for governmental and corporations weaknesses to foresee the calamity they have been busy creating.

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But there are still plants �like jatropha which can do very well especially in third world countries like in Africa and Asia which can produce reasonable amount of fuel to warrant research and huge investments in this. But this still should not be at the expense of food production. If warning signs like these are ignored added to the effects of environmental degradation clearly the world is sitting on a time bomb. We are busy starving humanity for no good reason at all. We can produce sufficient alternative fuels to address the risks associated with oil and still improve on agriculture policies to curtail the eminent global suffering as a result of lack of food. Food insecurity in the world is likely to be a major source of instability especially in third world countries more so those in �Africa .There is need for a strong intelligent redress before it is too late.

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Harrison� Mwirigi� Ikunda,

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Nairobi.

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Kenya.

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By Fred Obera

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�Africa is hurt factors unique to other continent and place in the world, distance from viable markets and especially in terms of trade, Senator Barack Obama is a where about this� says a Kenyan living at the backyard of Obama�s ancestral village in Alego Siaya, where his father use to herd goats.

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Barack Obama is our beacon of hope, his quest for US presidency is �timely and symbolic to both Kenya and the entire continent, we identify with him so easily as a new African- American man in� the land of hope, with all the opportunity for African, US and the world, we�re aware that he knows that Africa is gradually shrinking from prominence on the world stage, he knows some of the biggest issues plaguing Africa, for centuries now is the ethnic conflict and conflict between many groups living within the borders of the dual monarchy (African Countries), democratization, accountability and transparency, all are expected to be addressed during his tenure. �

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Obama�s presidency is welcomed with more enthusiastic and overwhelming audacity of hope, his presidency as most opinion analysts says will do little nil, to instill in Africans, the capacity for better leadership choice. But there will be a plenty of hope. Since the senator infuse hope and ambition. But even he, must be wary of perceived as righteous or condescending.

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The African-American prodigal son with Kenyan roots Senator Barack Obama will severely constrained within this context, if he manages to clinch the presidential quest.

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What then are likely to be the impression and implications of both Kenya and Africa? Are African�s expectations on an Obama�s presidency a foregone conclusion? Are they misplaced? African�s have always appreciated the magnitude help they�ve ever received from the superpower (US), especially war on terrorism, global threats to human being especially to Africa which is still behind in technology, funds for conflict resolutions, poverty eradication and HIV/Aids pandemic fight, but besides that there are numerous issues which the superpower leaderships hadn�t solve for Africa! After the independence, Africa was left with pathetic leadership structure which has remained ever since autocratic, dictatorial, and perhaps misrules regimes which has thwarted African economy to generate poverty; this could be headache to Obama.

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Another nightmare to senator, might be the too much African�s problems which seem too numerous to count, too overwhelming to catalogue. The AIDS pandemic victimizes the sub-Saharan, even has high birth rates burden societies already unable to educate and absorb their youth. Poverty remains a scourge, and wars between ethnic groups seem emblematic of Africa�s capacity for tolerance. Besieged by problems, Africa is often dismissed as continent of hopeless or consigned to a future as ward of the international aid community. This has always remain the greatest challenge, and the Obama�s presidency might be expected to face the real challenge of development or economic empowerment which will �go hand in hand with improvement of the already existing institutions and technology to lift the lives in the abject poverty. Despite the aid and other assistances, poverty and corruption still continue unabated in the African institutions and during the senator�s visit in Kenya two years back, he thoroughly dwelt on corruption which he elaborated as the destruction of the African developments. In his oratory speech he reiterated that it will not be easy to eliminate corruption in a day or in a year, but everything must be done to ensure that Kenya (Africa) does not sink further into abyss of corruption, bad governance and bad leadership.

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The expansion of the African economy is another objective. Through introduction of free international trade without any barriers in both the US and Europe will encourage traders and farmers in Africa to overproduce, and for this to be achieved, we must end programs that specifically subsidizes exports. For Africans, however, these changes are very cosmetic, if they cannot be eliminated African will still remain poor, since others reap our market, yet we don�t reap theirs, Obama is expected to address this if God help him clinch the power of the US heart.

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Nevertheless, ever since, Africans are trying to make the ends meet the means, to make the best out of a bad situation. In some parts of Africa, farmers and traders are trying to expand their capacity and production, with the hope that if the US and Europe did somehow curtail their produce, they might reap the already existing gap. In Congo which is a source of hope and possibilities; surrounded with honeyed natural resources like cobalt, diamond, gold, forest, good rainfall etc, has been ever toned with ethnic cleansing, civil war against neighboring countries, bad governance you name them. With its untapped market the world leaders have tend to forget it, as their merciless investors reap the countries resources, through exploiting the indigenous.

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Paradoxically, what�s happening in Africa underlines the moral of the African saying that �when a king fats, the soldiers tighten their bottoms, and smiles while thanking the king for having passed away a good breath�. �The large multilateral farms uniformly bypass Africa when doling out investment and jobs, yet Africans remains the world�s largest productive and untapped market � and its greatest source of cheap labour�. Some after benefiting from the African resources abandon and leave the country in civil wars.

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This are the voices African people are prepared to raise if Obama wins the US presidency. Time is short and whatever happens will be a surprise. My happiness will be if his policy during his tenure will tackle reform agenda in Africa institutions especially change of the British rule of law which most Africans have stuck with for instances the Kenyan constitution stalemates. But still in my view any compliant change he�ll bring to Africa will open the way to further changes and will be welcomed with both hands.

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Most welcome of all, however, would be for Africans to rise to the occasion and engineer a managed change themselves, starting with the presidents themselves, to nature African solutions rather than waiting to be directed. I�m disgusted with Robert Mugabe, that man is insane.�

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Most importantly, Barack Obama has already accumulated more fame in Africa. Millions of people in Africa, Asia (Japan, Korea) and around the world are captivated by his life and his achievements. Obama�s speeches are inspiring so many because he following the footsteps of the likes of JF. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela etc, he want to practice on the change we can believe in, that is why he has ever insisted on that principle, he want a change he want to see in the world and his message is none other than his life itself. He is an honest seeker of truth, a fearless defender of the weak and uncompromising practitioner of non-violence. A believer in a democratic institution and a believer that, every life has equal. That is the man the world wants to be in the US White House.

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ends.

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