Daystar University Athi River campus main gate – Photo, Emmanuel Laguma
The University Management together with the Machakos County Government has organized a Covid-19 vaccination exercise that will take place on Friday at the Athi River campus.
The exercise will run from 11am and priority will be given to staff above 50 years of age. However, others interested in receiving the vaccine are welcome to do so, regardless of their age.
“Let me remind all of us that this is voluntary as earlier stated by our VC when he took his vaccination a while back, and our government as well” said HR Manager, Pius Muia, in an email to Daystar staff.
Those willing to be vaccinated, including students, have been requested to register with the HR via email.
The Vice Chancellor Prof Laban Ayiro, had previously encouraged members of the Daystar community to get vaccinated, shortly after receiving his jab on March 23.
“Let us prop our bodies’ defense mechanism and immunity by taking the COVID-19 vaccine shot, even as we pray to God to build a hedge around our community, nation and the world at large,” said Prof. Ayiro.
Newly elected DUSA Chair Marco Laboso and Deputy Chair Monicah Gitau – Photo/Team Forward
Marco Laboso has won the Daystar University Students Association (DUSA) elections as the Chair or President, with Monicah Gitau as his deputy.
The two candidates won after receiving 33 out of the 35 electoral college votes that were casted by the congress members. Only one member did not vote.
“I just want to thank everyone for the support. It has been a tough journey and I thank God too. I am ready to serve Daystarians and work diligently,” said Mr. Laboso.
He further stated that he is ready to work with his opponent Ian Agina, to “push the student’s agenda forward”.
The elections were conducted online today from 10am to 1pm and the process was shared on Zoom for interested parties to observe. The results were released hours later by the Electoral Commission of Daystar (ECD) who congratulated all successful candidates.
Other winners of the council include Campus Governors Walter Nalwa (Athi River) and Brian “Zaza” Achoka (V.Road), Paul Caleb (Msando) as Secretary General, and Wambui Njoroge, who took up the highly contested treasurer seat.
The International Students Association of Daystar University (ISADU) chair, was taken by Flavian Ndikumasaba, who will represent all the international students of Daystar in the council.
Campus Governor Athi River, Walter Nalwa says his first order of business will be to put the main campus “in order”.
“As at now, we want to make sure that all the promises we made to the students, administration, support staff and to everyone in the Daystar community is well catered for,” said Mr. Nalwa, “We will keep championing for 100% service delivery to students.”
Ian Agina, opponent of Mr. Laboso, has accepted the results of today’s elections and congratulated the winners.
“The congress men and women have chosen our leaders and I am fully confident that they picked whom they found fit for each position,” said Mr. Agina.
“Mine is to congratulate them and wish them well in their term of service.”
DUSA aspirants pose for a photo with ECD officials
Election of the congress members, despite many challenges, was successfully held on Friday to Saturday, and winners were declared on Sunday.
Their first order of business as the newly elected congress, will be to elect the Daystar University Students Association (DUSA) council, and this will take place on Tuesday from 10am-1pm.
Each school in the university has entrusted the congress members to represent their interests, and this plays a big role for the members in choosing the right people to take up positions in the council.
These positions include the DUSA Chair and Deputy Chair, Secretary General, Treasurer, the Campus secretaries and the International Student’s representative/ISADU Chair.
Even before the election of the congress, students had several times urged aspiring candidates to act with diligence, and avoid being swayed by the different camps, once they win the election.
This message has been further emphasized by the students after the Electoral Commission of Daystar (ECD) announced the winners of the congress.
“It is an opportunity that you’ve been trusted with by the students and not an opportunity for you to be compromised to vote for specific rogue candidates who have appetite for power and no interests to serve the students of Daystar,” said Evans Owino, Class Representative for the School of Law, while addressing elected congress members in various campaign groups on WhatsApp.
Mr. Owino went ahead to urge all congressmen to “act independently” and elect the best leaders for Daystar. This is just but a representation of what all students expect from the congress members.
The new system of electoral college votes took many students by surprise, and did not sit well with most, as they still prefer voting for their leaders themselves.
“I feel like it’s not fair. We should have been allowed to vote for our leaders because they won’t lead the conference only but the people,” said a concerned student who opted for anonymity.
The duty of the congress therefore becomes heavier as all eyes are on them and any form of dishonesty will surely not be tolerated.
The elections for this semester are a milestone for the university being the first election in four years, and also, the first ever election under the phase of the new dawn. Moreover, it will be the first election in Daystar that will use the electoral colleges system.
It is therefore crucial to begin on a strong and positive note, and not one that will later compromise students of Daystar.
Members of congress should acknowledge the trust and power bestowed on to them by students, and vote wisely for their leaders, since they are not voting for themselves, but are voting on behalf of the entire school.
Residents lining up to fetch water in jerrycans – Photo/Dan Adudah
Desh Care International (DCI), a student-led organization, on Saturday provided free and fresh water to locals living around Daystar University.
The organization pitched a Clean Water truck in the areas of Kwa Wanubi, Sokoni and Pioneer, where people were invited to fetch water from 10am to 4pm.
“You find around Daystar, people are really struggling to access water so, we saw it would be really nice for us to team up and contribute among ourselves to give water to the community,” said Dennis Mavia, CEO and Founder of DCI.
Over 500 people from the community turned up to fetch the clean water.
DCI is a charitable foundation that provides basic needs and sanitary towels to less fortunate kids in the slums.
Formed in 2020, the organization’s management mainly consists of Daystar students who came together to help address issues of poverty, lack of clean water, education and sanitary towels.
Members of DCI holding up their organization’s poster on April 3 – Photo- Dennis Mavia
Moreover, they educate the public on importance of hygiene and ways of ensuring food security, as well as empower young girls.
“We have a team of coordinators and contact tracing agents who go to the slums and carefully look for those girls who are really in need and cannot provide for themselves. We then take their names and provide sanitary towels to them on a monthly basis,” said Mr. Mavia.
The organization currently provides sanitary towels to 300 girls every month.
In matters of education, DCI contacts families that cannot afford school fees and helps to enroll their children into good schools.
Since its founding, the organization has helped over 1000 girls in Kibera and are hoping to reach out to and help more than a million girls in all slums.
Derek Chauvin (right) and his defense attorney Eric Nelson – USA Today
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s trial for the murder of George Floyd began on Monday. The incident which occurred in May 2020 sparked widespread protests against police brutality and racism as the white police officer was caught on video holding his knee against the neck of the black victim.
Chauvin is now facing charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter all for which he has pleaded not guilty.
Just prior to the beginning of the trial, Floyd’s family, their lawyer, Benjamin Crump, and the Reverend Al Sharpton took a knee outside a county government center for eight minutes and forty-six seconds. This was the estimated amount of time that Chauvin had knelt on Floyd’s neck and has now come to symbolize the latter’s death.
During opening statements, the prosecutor, Jerry Black well, played a video recorded by a bystander showing Chauvin kneeling on Floyd while restraining him and stating that it was “a homicide”.
“On May 25th of 2020, Mr. Derek Chauvin betrayed this badge when he used excessive and unreasonable force upon the body of Mr. George Floyd,” said Blackwell.
Floyd family attorney Ben Crump (center), Reverend Al Sharpton (third from right) and members of George Floyd’s family take the knee outside the courthouse on the first day of the trial -Craig Lassig
Countering the claim that Chauvin directly caused Floyd’s death, Derek Chauvin’s Defense attorney Eric Nelson stated that Floyd’s death was caused by a cardiac arrhythmia which was caused by a number of factors.
These included the use of drugs, Floyd’s pre-existing coronary disease and adrenaline which all “acted to further compromise an already compromised heart”. Nelson also told the jury that the use of force while not attractive, was a necessary component of policing.
The jury has now heard testimony from eleven witnesses as of the third day of the case.
911 dispatcher Jena Lee Scurry testified on Monday and said how she watched the surveillance footage of the officers restraining George Floyd. She noted that the officers had held him down for so long that she asked someone “if the screens were frozen”. Following an instinct that something was not right, she said she called the sergeant.
Donald Williams, an MMA fighter who testified on Tuesday, said that he witnessed Chauvin holding Floyd in a “blood choke”. He admitted to calling 911 after Floyd was taken away on an ambulance.
“I did call the police on the police,” he said. “I believe I had witnessed a murder.”
“The man stopped breathing. He wasn’t resisting arrest or nothing. He was already in handcuffs. They pretty much just killed that dude — I don’t even know if he’s dead for sure, but he was not responsive when the ambulance just came and got him,” Williams said on the audio of the call which was played in the courtroom.
On the same day, Daniella Frazier, who recorded the video of Floyd’s arrest that went viral, also testified.
“I heard George Floyd saying ‘I can’t breathe. Please, get off of me. I can’t breathe.’ He cried for his mom. He was in pain,” she said. “It seemed like he knew, it seemed like he knew it was over for him. He was terrified. He was suffering. This was a cry for help, definitely.”
On Wednesday, the court heard testimony from Christopher Martin, the Cup Food Cashier who had served Floyd on the day of the incident. Martin testified that he noticed the $20 bill that Floyd paid with was fake but he still accepted it. He said that Floyd seemed high and therefore was not aware that the bill was fake.
“I thought I’d be doing him a favour,” said Martin.
He went on to recount how his manager asked him and another employee to follow Floyd and ask him to come back inside to discuss the situation. When Floyd refused, a coworker called 911.
On the fourth day of the trial, George Floyd’s girlfriend, Courtney Ross, testified of their shared issues with opioids sparing no details. She even recounted past overdose episodes.
“We both tried really hard to break that addiction many times,” she said but added that she believes addiction to be a lifelong struggle.
Ross said that they both became addicted to opioids after suffering from chronic back pain.
In this image from video, witness Courtney Ross answers questions as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides Thursday, April 1, 2021, in the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, Minn. Chauvin is charged in the May 25, 2020 death of George Floyd – Court TV via AP, Pool
Although seemingly helpful to Chauvin’s case, airing Floyd’s drug struggle was apparently a legal maneuver by prosecutors according to former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance.
“They’re educating the jury about the fact even if the drugs in George Floyd’s system contributed in some way to his death, that importantly he was brought back in earlier overdose situations with medical treatment which wasn’t provided here.” Said Vance following Ross’ testimony.
The trial is set to run for about four weeks with the case being made up of 12 jurors. For their safety, the jurors’ faces will not be revealed on camera and they will not be referred to by name despite the trial being recorded and broadcast. The only information available about the members of the jury is that they are diverse in age and ethnicity.
According to the Star-Tribune, the jury includes “a multi-race woman in her 20s, a multi-race woman in her 40s, two Black men in their 30s, a Black man in his 40s, a Black woman in her 60s, four white women in their 50s, a white woman in her 40s, a white woman in her 20s, a white man in his 30s and two white men in their 20s.”
ECD Officials- Peter Sidika, Vice Chair Elizabeth Waudo and CEO Michael Mwanza.
The congress elections for hostel representatives have been rescheduled to April 2, to pave way for the schools’ congress elections which take place today.
Through a communication sent by Vice Chair Eizabeth Waudo to the respective aspirants, the electoral commission states that this will prevent students from getting registered twice- voting twice in the process.
“Residence will be on Friday to avoid people voting twice. For example, I’m in school of communication and I stay in DUPA, the link allows you to vote once and just for your school,” reads the message.
According to the message, only students registered in the on-campus hostels shall participate in these elections.
The message was not well received by some the aspirants, who have called out the commission for its incompetence in how it’s conducting the elections.
“They’re not competent because they sent this communication last night, yet we were prepared for the elections today…They had also informed us that we shall be voted for by residence assistants but have now changed this too,” decried Eunice Siameto, an aspirant for the position.
Involvement Newspaper has reached out to the commission, who have yet to respond to the allegations raised against it.
The other aspirants for the position include Juliet Muturi, John Mathu and Sharon Mwaura.
Elsewhere, the schools’ elections will proceed as planned, with results being expected to start flowing in later in the day. Students have been requested to activate their Emails for the purposes of accessing the voting link, with voting scheduled to run from 8:00AM till 9PM.
“Kindly note that with an inactive E-mail, you’ll not be able to access the link to vote. This is a matter of URGENCY for you to be able to practise your democratic right,” read a statement from the commission.
In honor of Women’s History Month, the Involvement Newspaper will be featuring African Women Leaders, heroes and activists in a bid to remember their contributions towards a better Africa.
By: Baraka Mboya
ceasermboya@gmail.co
Thumbnail Photo Courtesy of deezer.com
As I sat into the night, tension rising due to late assignments and a feature due, the night was a bumpy ride. The whispers of a lazed worker soothed into my ears, till I read the feature again Miriam Makeba. Pata pata clicked and immediately the night took a turn. As a sign that this was indeed a baptized night, while I was speed reading her briefly, my eyes widened as I saw Album of the year 1965, winner. My heart raced and not a second later, I put my earphones on, turned the lights off, sank into the masterpiece “An Evening with Belafonte. ”
Miriam Makeba in studio. Photo courtesy of time.com
Zinzile Miriam Makeba was born on 4th March 1932 in Prospect Township, Johannesburg. Her mother, a Spiritual Healer and often housemaid, was widowed when Miriam was only 5. This forced her to work as a maid at a young age. As a young girl, she realized music was in her and this gave her comfort in the poverty-stricken area. She later joined a choir and soon started showcasing her talents with local bands, achieving success in her cousin’s band; the Cuban Brothers. It was not until she joined the Manhattan Brothers in 1954, that she found a stable reputation. She toured Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Congo till 1957. After this, Makeba sang for an all-women group, the Skylarks. Makeba’s appearances in Come back Africa (1957) and King Kong (1959) solidified her career in the music industry both locally and internationally.
From this point on, her career skyrocketed. She moved to New York in 1959, later resigning herself to exile. (It was during her exile where she met with musician Henry Belafonte, who was a force in her music career). In 1964, she got married to her King Kong co-star, Hugh Masekela. In 1966, she won at the Grammys for An Evening with Belafonte. She was the first black woman to have a top ten worldwide hit with Pata Pata. She got remarried in 1968 to militant African American Civil Rights activist Stokely Carmichael but due to embarrassment from the US government, she moved to Guinea. They later separated in 1978.
Miriam Makeba performing. Photo Courtesy of thenationalnews.com
She mostly toured Europe, South America, and Africa in the ’70s and ’80s. During these years she addressed the United Nations General Assembly twice, speaking out against apartheid. In 1986, she was awarded the Dag Hammarskjold Peace Prize from the Diplomatic Academy for Peace. In her biography, the 1080s were a difficult time for her, as she separated from her husband and her daughter Bongi who died under tragic circumstances. She also struggled with alcohol and cervical cancer. In 1987, she joined American folk singer Paul Simmon for a very successful Graceland tour in newly independent Zimbabwe. After Graceland, Miriam was in great demand and went on to perform for heads of state and the Pope. After 31 years in exile, she returned to South Africa and became a goodwill ambassador for South Africa to the United Nations.
She later released her last album Homecoming and embarked on her tour in 1998. She also got a Presidential Award in 1999 after which she announced her retirement in 2005 although she continued to perform for smaller audiences. Makeba also continued with her humanitarian work through her Zenzile Miriam Makeba Foundation, including the Miriam Makeba Rehabilitation Center for abused drugs. She also supported campaigns against drug abuse and HIV/ AIDS awareness. In 2008 at the age of 76, Makeba died of a heart attack, 30 minutes after a 30-minute performance. She will never be forgotten for the music she produced to tell the stories of what happened during apartheid.
(I highly recommend giving Miriam Makeba a listen. You will know why.)
“Daniel… Daniel!! You need to wake up and make breakfast. It’s ten o’clock.” Dad shouted as he knocked on my door.
*Rolls over and checks the time on my phone* “Dammit it’s ten… What is wrong with you man? You have an appointment at 10:30 and, certainly, you won’t make it.”
“Good job Daniel, “I muttered rather resigned.
I sat there contemplating whether to get out of bed or go back to sleep. Finally, I threw back the covers and stood slouched beside the bed. “Looking hot as always,” I retorted rather sarcastically as I shuffled past the mirror and yawned my way downstairs to the kitchen to make a much-needed breakfast. Super emphasis on MUCH NEEDED HERE!!
This is how most of my days go… They are normally between “Why do I have no control of my life?” to “I would love to have kids who are like me because I’m awesome.”
And so after giving you a little preview of how my mornings do go, I will get to the main story.
”How does one become a butterfly?” Pooh asked pensively
“You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar,” Piglet replied.
“You mean to die?” asked Pooh.
“Yes and no,” he answered.
“What looks like you will die, but what if you will live on.”
A.A. Milne.
Butterflies are very beautiful insects… I have one in my room called Brownie (I just came up with that) and she visits once in a while. However, what draws my attention and in a way makes me relate to Butterflies is how they love to fly. They enjoy the freedom and being able to “Adventure” if I may say… They are so graceful and majestic which makes watching them quite enjoyable. I enjoy freedom! I don’t like being confined. I love to spread my “wings” and fly… It gets my creative side kicking and makes me feel alive.
What new adventures have you had in 2021? Let me rephrase that… “What have you done that is not part of your normal daily routine?” Are you experimenting? You only live once they say. Well, you only die once as well. I urge you who is reading this to kindly go out there (Observe COVID protocols of course) and make the rest of your year count. If you’ve been doing new stuff good for you!! If not “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?”
Enjoy a good read, go to a jazz concert, run a marathon. Be random and enjoy every day like it will be your last. “Have fun and live a little. Because you know what? People are dying for you to live every day!! Because when you know your life is in danger, that’s when you start appreciating it. Then you discover you have cancer or other terminal illnesses you start living each day like it means something.” – Anonymous
I choose to live by this and hope you will do so as well… It will be difficult at first due to the various responsibilities we all have but with time it will be much easier. You can start by going bowling with your friends once a week and different things will come along. Have fun and invest in yourself. Be a butterfly!!
Crazy how time flies huh? The year is flying quite fast.
Lately, I have found myself watching Tom and Jerry a lot (I always watch it I’m just trying to cover up). How I love this Cartoon! It always cracks me up so much. I remember how I would wait for it to be aired on cartoon network each day from 4:15. The highlight of my day.
Now, hold on, I know what you are thinking, “Seriously dude aren’t you too old to watch cartoons?” The answer to that is NO!!
1) Cartoons are very entertaining (I highly recommend them).
2) Tom and Jerry not only entertain me but teaches me a lot about life and especially friendship.
Don’t you just love how Tom is always trying to hunt Jerry down? However, when Tom is sick who will be there to take care of him? You guessed right, it’s Jerry!
So here is what I pick from it…
Never give up – Each time Tom always tries to catch Jerry and most of the time he fails. However, this doesn’t deter Tom as he is always quick to strategize and try again. Never give up! You will fall severally but always strategize and get back out there.
Tom & Jerry always fight but when times get tough they help each other out – We will always fight with the ones we love all the time but what matters is providing emotional security to them when times get tough. Do you offer a shoulder to lean on?
Size does not matter – Jerry always uses his mind to beat Tom. It does not matter how small or voiceless you might think you are. All that matters is how you think and what you believe you are capable of doing. SIZE DOES NOT MATTER!
Confidence is important – I love how Jerry always walks out of his house without caring where Tom is with the main objective being getting cheese from the fridge. If we could have this confidence in our lives we could be far. Don’t worry about others or what might go wrong. Be confident that you will succeed and you too will get your “cheese”
Prof during the video shoot for Neno Litasimama. PHOTO| Lewis Mutua
“Nashangaa na dunia, watu wengi wako mbio kutafuta vya dunia…” True to these words, the human race has been awfully blinded by the pleasures of the world so much so that respect and regard for human dignity have been thrown to the dogs. Our utterances, actions and lifestyle are fueled by personal desires, we no longer live to the glory of God but ourselves. We have entirely lost the values and ethics that differentiate us from animals and not even the loud undertones of the Golden Rule mean anything to us. Nonetheless, the lyrics that follow that powerful opening line bring out a perfect recipe for our own introspection.
Yet even before we are done with the self-examination, in his own words prof reminds us that “Liko wazi lango la mwokozi…lango la wokovu.” And just how lucky can we be that God’s unending love has His door always open for us whenever we turn back to Him! Professor John Mugubi, the Dean School of Creative arts, Film and Media Studies, Kenyatta University, has embarked on a journey to remind us this. He seems to have seized the perfect time to pass through the door and discover the other side to profess the gospel lyrically. In his young age, having achieved all that accords him the status of a professor, he outrightly made a decision to defy the odds, go beyond the confines of his title and start another journey. A journey in to the world of prophetic music.
Yet it is not just the words from his songs that are compelling. The ease and simplicity with which he plays around with his wide vocal range and synchronizes the lyrics into the beats is just, for lack of a better word, amazing. And that’s not just it! As a creative, prof has mastered the art of poetic exploration, and skillfully infuses poetic language and literary elements in to his music like a pinch of salt. Not too much, yet just the right portion to make the music lyrically delicious. Following the opening line of his latest single release Neno Litasimama, prof goes on “…mungu hawampi sikio, mambo yanapo badilika, ndipo wanapo kumbuka kwamba yeye bwana mungu, yake tu ndo yadumu”
If the truth conveyed in these words does not tick your soul, then wait till you interact with the emotions. The attachment he devotes to the lyrics does nothing else but to help add more eloquence to the already strong messages without much effort. Whether watching the videos or just listening to the audio, you will see, hear and feel him communicate to the deepest part of your soul. Interestingly though, with his social and friendly character, unless you find him in his musical spaces, you would never imagine him on the microphone.
Coming from a strong religious background, Prof’s spiritual engagements landed him to the back bench of the church’s choir as a deep-toned bass vocalist. For years on end, he has not only been a devoted Christian but an ardent choir member. However, his quest for academic excellence could not permit him to explore his musical side, and it is until he felt he has got to the peak of his scholarly journey, that he decided it was time to spread wings further in a different direction.
Prof. John Mugubi, Dean School of Creative arts, Film and Media Studies, KU
Luckily for him, at the moment he has nothing much to lose by serving his heavenly master in the best way he can. In any case, he is one of the few professors who have attained the peak of Maslow’s Hierarch of human needs, the Self Actualization. And from the look of things, he is definitely enjoying the ride. “It feels nice and satisfying to know that I am fulfilling God’s expectations of me despite the professional life, and it becomes even more interesting to know that many people did not see this coming.” His music is available on YouTube.
It is close to impossible to ignore prof’s music and if by any chance you are bold enough to, then you are definitely not going to ignore the reality of the words in the music. Each one of us has a responsibility to God, and that responsibility is fulfilled by our service to humanity. And just like prof, we ought to recognize our talents and make use of them to fulfil this responsibility our social, political or academic status notwithstanding.
