Category: Opinion

Bridget Shighadi’s loud silence over Nick Mutuma’s abuse allegations is troubling

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Nick Mutuma has been in the news this past month for two things. The first and precursor to the second one was the news that his new movie, Sincerely Daisy would be the 3rd Kenyan movie broadcast on Netflix.

While the news might have been a great win for many, there are those who saw it as an opportunity to dredge up Nick’s past.

The actor had previously been accused of sexual abuse by one lady in 2017-a story that threatened to derail his career. The issue seemed to die down after Nick claimed that he had settled the affair with the accuser.

But it seems that this skeleton will not rest as this new achievement was met with derision and opposition by some in the film industry.

It even led to the trending hashtag #BoycottNickMutuma with some influential media personalities like Patricia Kihoro coming out to say that she will no longer work with him.

Nick Mutuma’s film “Sincerely Daisy” 3rd Kenyan film to premiere on Netflix

Via Twitter, Patricia said she supported calls to boycott the actor and music producer Jaaz Odongo, who was also accused of sexual assault.

“I will not work with him(Nick), or any other abuser, and will not amplify projects that he or any other abuser is involved in, whether or not I am a part of it.”

According to the singer-cum- actress, she got the conviction to take the stand after having a conversation with Nick,

Nick himself issued a statement after the hashtag trended saying that the allegations have affected his family and continue to affect those in his personal and professional life.

However, the statement did not directly address specific claims that were made by the alleged victims.

In the statement, he also pointed out that he didn’t want his silence over the matter to be misinterpreted as guilt or complacency.

What is interesting for me is that his partner and mother of his only kid, actress Bridget Shighadi has been largely silent over the allegations. She has not spoken about the topic or defended her man’s name in public.

One of the only statements that look like a subtle acknowledgment of her man’s predicament was a note she wrote in Swahili on her Instagram page. Her caption read;

Binadamu ni wale wale, wakiona nyota yako imeanza kungaa kuzidi yao ndio watajaribu kuizima, hawaelewi kuwa hizi baraka zote Mungu ndio anapeana. 🕊(Human beings are the same everywhere. When they see your star shining more than yours, they try to dim it. They don’t understand that all these blessings are from God).

While I am not privy to the intimate on-goings in the couple’s life, her lack of direct support for her man is not a good look.


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Sorry Dua, he was mine first 🙃 (Girls with their daddies 🙄) Happy birthday baby @nickmutuma ❀

A post shared by Bridget Shighadi (@bridgetshighadi) on

Even after Dj Mo’s alleged cheating scandal the past month, Size 8 closed ranks with her husband and has publicly supported him.

The same can be said for Terrence Creative after his cheating scandal last year. His wife Milly Chebby took a public stand supporting her man despite all the bad press they were getting.

My question is simple? Why is Bridget so silent about the accusations that are being waged on the father of her only child?

Why isn’t she at the front of the line speaking about her man’s character attributes and disputing all the previous allegations?

Her silence in his time of need (when he needed his partner’s support above all else) is a crimson flag for me. I could go further into the conversation but I will leave it at that for now…

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Lizzo is doing great damage to women with her ideas about being fat

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Lizzo is one of the most powerful female entertainers in the world. Not only is her music well-known and celebrated but that she had become a heroine for many in the body positivity movement.

Her goal is to empower women of all sizes and has been one of the biggest spokespeople for the movement. But it seems that the “Truth Hurts” singer has a different take on the movement than previously thought.

Speaking recently with Vogue for their October cover story, Lizzo said that “body positivity” doesn’t go far enough to “normalize” all bodies, and she wants to keep working to make sure the world is as inclusive as possible, and that means prioritizing those left out. She explained:

“What I don’t like is how the people that this term was created for are not benefiting from it. Girls with back fat, girls with bellies that hang, girls with thighs that aren’t separated, that overlap. Girls with stretch marks. You know, girls who are in the 18-plus club. They need to be benefiting from
the mainstream effect of body positivity now. But with everything that goes mainstream, it gets changed. It gets—you know, it gets made acceptable.”

The artist is also trying to move past that label and on to the true normalization of all bodies. “I think it’s lazy for me to just say I’m body positive at this point. It’s easy. I would like to be body normative. I want to normalize my body
being fat is normal. I think now, I owe it to the people who started this to not just stop here.
We have to make people uncomfortable again so that we can continue to change. Change is always uncomfortable, right?”

Has the body positivity movement helped or hurt women over the years

Her statements above feel good but they are potentially dangerous to a generation of girls and ladies who take what they hear from their idols as gospel truth.

The simple truth is this, fat shouldn’t be normal. The science on this is very clear. According to //www.niddk.nih.gov/, health problems linked to being overweight and obese are:

  • type 2 diabetes
  • high blood pressure
  • heart disease and strokes
  • certain types of cancer
  • sleep apnea
  • osteoarthritis
  • fatty liver disease
  • kidney disease
  • pregnancy problems, such as high blood sugar during pregnancy, high blood pressure, and increased risk for cesarean delivery (C-section)

These are just some of the medical issues that come with being overweight. Biological facts aren’t about ideology and feeling, they are about cold-hard science. And it has spoken.

What Lizzo is doing is a disservice to her fans and is fuelling an obesity crisis that kills more people than Covid-19 is. Obesity rates have nearly tripled since 1975 and have increased almost five times in children and adolescents, affecting people of all ages.

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B’lizzo is back bby

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Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with at least 2.8 million people dying each year as a result of being overweight or obese.

These are realities I hope Lizzo would be cognisant of when she shares her all bodies are normal spiel but sadly she never will.

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The simple reason Mama Diamond should stop her beef with Hamisa Mobetto

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

It is no secret that Diamond Platnumz’s mother Sandra Kassim and his 2nd baby mama Hamisa Mobetto don’t see eye to eye.

The beef is entirely one-sided according to multiple sources with Sandra never showing the mother of one of her grandchildren any love in the media, unlike Diamond’s other baby mamas Tanasha and Zari.

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MADALE……🏡

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Hamisa says she was accused of inviting media people to the hospital so they could take videos of Diamond’s mum when she gave birth to Dylan, a thing she says she did not do.

The last time we had an issue. Ilikua baada mimi niliita wanahabari. Ikasemekana kuwa mimi niliita waandishi wa habari waje kumchukua video na pictures. I have said this many times. There is no mother who has just come out from giving birth who immediately thinks of calling the media. I didn’t know they were coming until they did. Diamond wasn’t able to come and I didn’t expect his mom to come herself.

She went on to explain that she has tried severally to get to talking with Diamond’s mum but she ignores her. Hamisa added that during Mama Diamond’s birthday, she sent her a message to celebrate her but she did not reply yet she read the message.

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Na Baba zangu..❀

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But Mama Diamond ain’t having any of that and recently sent a subtle dig at the socialite who started dating her son after meeting on the set of his song, “Salome”.

She has now claimed that Hamisa is forcing herself into her family, writing, “Ukoo wetu unatutosha jamani! Mtu analazimisha ukoo vipi? Ebu nisaidieni kisheria ukoo unalazimishiwa?”

Mama Diamond has in the past accused Hamisa to have trapped Diamond leading to their break up with Zari. Hamisa was also accused of seeking witchdoctor services in order to secure herself a place in Diamond’s marriage.

Hamisa Mobetto: A case study of women being their worst own enemies

Now that we have the history out of the way, let’s proceed. While Mama Diamond might have a legitimate beef with Hamisa, I believe that the way she is going about it is wrong-She will hurt any type of future relationship that she can/will have with Dylan.

Why? Even if Sandra might hate Hamisa like Satans breathes, her “daughter-in-law” still has her grandson Dylan, Diamond’s second-born son.

While it might be an inconvenient and disturbing fact for her, that doesn’t change the facts on the ground. Dylan will always be Diamond’s son and that will never ever change. A DNA test even proved this.

Another thing-Diamond is an adult male who made the decision to sleep with Hamisa multiple times-so many in fact that she got 3 miscarriages during their time together!

Dylan wasn’t an oops baby. And while Sandra might want to blame Hamisa for the pregnancy and the eventual demise of his marriage with Zari, this doesn’t change the fact that no one forced her son to stick his nether regions into Hamisa.

Some friendly advice, Mama Diamond it doesn’t mean that we can’t get along with people we don’t like. Get along with Hamisa for the sake of your son Diamond and to a lesser extent his son, Dylan.

But what do I know?

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Maina was wrong, Oparanya was right in showing off his two wives

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya yesterday shocked some when he attended Mashujaa celebrations in Kisii county with both his wives in tow.

We Kenyans who have the attention span of a well-fed lion jumped on the issue. Our very own Maina Kageni spoke on the issue and was unhappy with what Oparanya had done.

Wycliffe Oparanya
Wycliffe Oparanya

Maina felt that it was disrespectful to his first wife for him to do as such, saying,

To me, the lack of respect is what’s bothering me Maina began his rant as he also took aim at men with multiple wives. What is the Governor teaching the youth? I don’t want to be disrespectful, first of all, he kosead his first wife, you cannot go to a wedding with two women. I don’t care who you are, it’s disrespectful.

While Maina might have felt as such, many Kenyans were more pragmatic about it saying that as long as the man had the money to do so and the wives were willing participants, they didn’t have an issue.

Marry first before you start talking about other people’s marriages – Angry man tells Maina

And while I agree with the majority of Kenyans, I do so for two different reasons. They are;

-Polygamy is legal in Kenya-In 2014, Uhuru Kenyatta signed the law that brought civil law, where a man was only allowed one wife, into line with customary law, where some cultures allow multiple partners.

The law also stipulates that a wife is entitled to an equal share of whatever the couple acquired during their marriage. While it is difficult to determine what each wife should get at least the law will cover them in some way, something Oparanya’s wives are guaranteed under the law.

Wycliffe Oparanya
Wycliffe Oparanya

Why is this good? Many women normally get kids with men as side-chicks and aren’t entitled to some form of inheritance when the shared man dies-Off course some caveats apply.

-Secondly, having a man in the home has been shown to positively impact the development of children. A lot of issues with kids today stem from daddy issues (father abandonment, father absence) and science has shown the importance of a father in a child’s life.

That Oparanya is willing to publicly show his two wives off shows that his kids are a priority to him. He isn’t ashamed and is claiming them (wives) and their kids when he is still alive. That pride and ownership is not something that should be understated as it helps the psyche of the children involved.

-Lastly, Oparanya does what many men don’t. Publicly claim and show off his wives preventing any crazy scenario in the future where unknown clandes and kids come from the woodwork once he dies.

 

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Hamisa Mobetto: A case study of women being their worst own enemies

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Hamisa Mobetto unpacked a lot recently when she was interviewed by Wasafi media. The mother of two had a lot to speak about but the vignette that stood out for most was her revelation of the trials she had faced having a baby while dating Diamond Platnumz.

Speaking in an interview with Wasafi TV Hamisa confessed that she had suffered three miscarriages before giving birth to her son, Dylan.

“If there’s someone who was 100 percent sure that Dylan was his kid, it was Diamond. I suffered three miscarriages before I gave birth to Dylan. During the pregnancy, we were together until the day I went to give birth.”

While I am happy for Hamisa and Diamond that they were able to finally get a child from their apparently short liaison, I still think the whole affair stinks to high heaven.

My issue

What get’s me is that Miss Mobetto was perfectly OK to date a man that she knew was already dating another woman. At the time of her affair with Diamond, the singer had already had a child with Zari Hassan his first baby mama.

Not only that, his second-born Nillan with Zari would be born a few months before Dylan was born. Tiffah, Diamond’s eldest daughter was born in August 2014, while Nillan was born in December 2016, with Dylan being born in August 2017.

Tanasha’s latest confession proves Diamond can’t have a long-term relationship (opinion)

This means that Diamond was seeing (sleeping with) Miss Mobetto for some time and not as a fling like we were made to understand. The rumours we had had at the time about the affair was that they met on the set of Diamond’s song, “Salome” where Miss Mobetto was the video vixen.

The joke doing the rounds since then was that Diamond would get kids on the first try because his pull-out game was as weak as Genghis Khan’s. But now that story can be put in the trash-bag as Hamisa revealed that she had 3 miscarriages before she got Dylan.

That tells me that the two had had a long-term situationship-one that can successfully fit in 4 pregnancies(I am not a doctor but the period must not be less than 6-8 months).

According to data; women who know they’re pregnant, about 10 to 15 in 100 pregnancies (10 to 15 per cent) end in miscarriage.

Most miscarriages happen in the first trimester before the 12th week of pregnancy. Miscarriage in the second trimester (between 13 and 19 weeks) happens in 1 to 5 in 100 (1 to 5 per cent) pregnancies.

Women are their worst own enemies

This brings me to my point; Miss Mobetto knew that the singer was in a long-term relationship with Zari but that didn’t stop her from still giving away the guava to him.

That Zari was pregnant with Nillan while Hamisa was sleeping with Diamond didn’t matter one bit to her. In fact, she slept with a married man so much so that she had multiple miscarriages during that time.

Dylan was not an oops baby but borne out of premeditated desire. She knew what she was doing with a married man and didn’t care what would happen when the world(Zari) found out. In Miss Mobetto’s world, it was (Me, Myself and I).

Zari would later on dump Diamond in early 2018, attributing his philandering to her decision. Many of her fans blamed Hamisa for the break-down of the relationship, something I didn’t quite understand then as I blamed Diamond solely for not keeping his zip up.

But with this new info, I see Hamisa in an entirely different light, that of women being their worst on enemies.

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Shakila vs Willy Paul-Whose side of the story makes more sense?

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Willy Paul and Shakila are the trending topic in entertainment news at the moment.

The reason is the conflicting stories that both have been giving about whether Shakila broke into Willy Paul’s house earlier in the week.

Willy has maintained that the socialite came to his house unannounced under false pretenses while Shakila said that she was played by the singer.

The back and forth is turning nasty as Willy decided to respond to Shakila’s claims that he had played her. He posted a series of chat screenshots yesterday that completely put Shakila’s claims to task.

Willy’s case

In them Willy claims that he didn’t know who gave her his number before she started calling him on WhatsApp before recently making direct calls to him.

She isn’t even in my class like Zari – Ringtone dismisses socialite Shakila (exclusive)

Willy Paul’s side of the story
“She keeps sending and unsending DMs, even asking me to go Live with her and break Xtian’s record. Huyu si ni wazimu?” bashed Willy Paul.

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Morning

A post shared by W.I.L.L.Y.P.O.Z.Z.E (@willy.paul.msafi) on

He questioned her visit to his premises, claiming she had been told by a mutual friend that he has been looking for her only to find out she was lying.

The artiste was also offended that she had claimed she was freed on bail but that he was the one who dropped the charges after she pleaded with him.

“Naskia akisema alitoka na bail, does she even know what bail is? Or maybe she meant alitoka na belly, because that is the only thing she can afford,” Willy Paul fired back.

Why his defense makes more sense than Shakila’s

Shakila has claimed that Willy played her by inviting her to his place and then setting her up with the police. First off, the socialite has a track record that calls into question whatever she says.

She was found lying about the men she had slept with on Xtian Dela’s IG live show. Xtian even had to apologise to some of those men for the claims she had made.

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Hapo vipi?

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Secondly, Willy is a man who keeps his dalliances with his women on the down-low. The man has made it an art-form to keep his private life hidden from the public.

For him to go to the police/media about the socialite tells me that this interaction most likely wasn’t of his own doing. Shakila is kryptonite at the moment for any serious male celeb who entertains her. Especially for someone like Willy who came up in the gospel fraternity.

Lastly, where is Shakila’s evidence? Willy has produced his receipts in spades. Where is Shakila’s evidence to prove her case?

But I could be wrong.

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Why are female celebs like Betty Bayo advising Size 8 to stay married to Dj Mo?

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Size 8 and Dj Mo will probably look back on the first week of October 2020 as the year that either broke/made their marriage.

As many of you are well-aware of, allegations cropped up of Dj Mo cheating on Size 8 with a certain socialite. The fall-out has been terrible for the Dj with Kenyans who called him out for the alleged infidelity.

And what about Size 8 herself? How has she taken the news? The mother of two has said that she would fight for her marriage and attributed the devil to be the one causing the issues at the moment in her marriage.

While many Kenyans have asked her to move on from the marriage, some fellow female celebs have had some interesting takes on what the couple is going through.

Size 8, don’t leave Dj Mo even if he allegedly cheated on you! (opinion)

Most times when men cheat on their wives, the female battalion normally come out in droves to call out the man’s behaviour, while also telling the woman who has been cheated on to leave the bum (my words).

Media personality Ciku Muiruri had a very sympathetic viewpoint when speaking about Dj Mo’s alleged cheating scandal.

She noted that sometimes men cheat and their reason for cheating has nothing to do with their partners. Muiruri argued that men have been wired differently and sometimes they just do things because they believe they can get away with it.

“Your hubby cheats for a myriad of reasons and sometimes they have nothing to do with you. Home life is great; I think I’ll cheat. Interchangeable with home life is bad; I think I’ll cheat. It’s Tuesday, I think I’ll cheat. I’m wearing blue today; I think I’ll cheat. It’s 7 pm; I think I’ll cheat. I had a burger for lunch; I think I’ll cheat. Guys are wired differently,” reads part of Ciuku Muiruri’s post.

Another female celeb Betty Bayo also advised Size 8 to stay in the marriage, opining that cheating should never be a reason for a marriage to break up. In the two posts, I have not seen any castigation of Dj Mo’s alleged behaviour, who is the villain in the story.

Why is that? I have a possible answer to that and I may be wrong.

I think that both Betty and Ciku through the years have seen how hard it is to take care of a child as they are both mothers.

They might have realised that having a man who is present at home who will provide and protect for the kids is much better than not having him there.

We have an unfortunate situation in Kenya (dare I say worldwide) where at times men who have separated from their wives stop being as supportive of them and as a result their kids suffer-Out of sight, out of mind as the old saying goes.

If even a wealthy celeb like Zari can complain about the lack of support from her baby daddy Diamond, what about celebs with less. Taking care of kids is the hardest undertaking in a marriage.

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Size 8, don’t leave Dj Mo even if he allegedly cheated on you! (opinion)

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Size 8 and Dj Mo are probably facing the toughest moment in their married lives, I would wager much worse than the time they miscarried in late 2018.

Of course, for those of you who might be living under a rock, the issue at hand is the salacious allegations that are facing Dj Mo.

A woman named Margaret Wanyama claimed that she and the Crossover101 host had an affair. Her evidence was screenshots of messages the two had exchanged in the past. Some of the messages show the Dj in his birthday suit as he and the socialite exchanged nVdes and dirty talk.

The scandal caught many by surprise as the Dj has maintained a squeaky clean image over the years, although rumours had started popping up the last couple of months over his alleged philandering.

The demure response by the Dj to the allegations might point to the fact that they might be true. And if they are? What next for Size 8?

Interspersed within numerous messages of support for the entertainer on her Instagram page, are calls from fans for the mother of two to move on.

While that might sound smart and judicious, I would advocate for a different course of action, one that is highly controversial and unpalatable for many of you.

But hear me out…

Size 8 should stick with her man. My reasons are below:

-For her children. While Dj Mo might be an alleged philanderer, the man loves his children and tries to be involved in his kid’s lives. Kids do better in a two-parent home according to many studies.

-For her own sake-Moving on as a single mother of two is a tall task. Just ask Maureen Waititu and Betty Bayo. Many prospective husbands will frown on dating a woman who already has kids (baggage in crude language).

-Cheating is a nothing burger-In many African cultures, cheating wasn’t reason enough for a woman to leave her man. Why? The metric that was used for men then was simple?

Was he providing and protecting for his kith and kin? Yes. Was he meeting her s3xual needs? Yes. Was he physically abusing within measure? (this was the past, I will remind you) No. Then what was the problem?

Why DJ Mo will survive the cheating scandal that has rocked his marriage?

She should just tell the Dj to keep his magic stick wrapped and his alleged philandering on the down-low from now on.

-Money-The couple will make more money as the power-couple that they are at the moment than when they are apart. Her staying will cover him and keep the gravy train coming.

My reasons aside, Size 8 will ultimately have to make the choice of whether to stay or leave. And it will come down to the simple calculus-Can she live with this man in the same house as husband and wife anymore?

But what do I know?

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Jacque Maribe’s admission about Eric Omondi calls into question why she got a kid with him

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Jacque Maribe recently had a deep interview with True Love magazine. She revealed some intimate information about her relationship with Eric Omondi.

She said that they had had a great relationship with each other for 5 years before they made the decision to start dating.

Jacque admitted that she got pregnant shortly after she began dating Eric but was unsure about what he would do/say.

“By the time we realized that we were expecting, I was very excited. I really wanted a baby and had gone through all the motions of trying to get one. I was at a space where this was what I wanted and was genuinely actively working towards it.”

According to Maribe, at the time Eric had been juggling his career and women – something Maribe was not ready to put up with. That wouldn’t be the worst of her troubles with the father of her son, Zahari.

Eric would later deny that he was the father of her child after one of his friends blurted it out after much speculation about the identity.

While many might empathise with Jacque here on this terrible situation she faced with Eric, I don’t. Why? Simple. She chose the father of her child.

The two had known each other for more than 5 years, plenty of time to vet a potential husband and father of your children.

Most men would sleep with anything ( a sad admission I must admit as a man) and the decision on which man’s seed will propagate (under normal circumstances) is left on the woman.

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Bwana CHAIRMAN.

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A woman decides the man who will get to pass his genes. She can either not sleep with a man or abort the child if she doesn’t want the child.

In Jacque’s case, she knew what she was getting into when she started dating and sleeping with Eric-It didn’t come as a shock when he acted out who he was. A man who still wasn’t ready to be a father at that time, although that publicly changed last year (lucky for Jacque)

While I might sound harsh on Jacque my reason is simple-Women should choose their husbands and fathers to their kids with wisdom-Men who will not only participate in bedroom gymnastics but also provide, protect and stick around afterwards.

And why does this matter? Don’t deprive your child of a father because you chose poorly for a mate-A deadbeat who only knows how to pump and dump.

 

But what do I know?

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Dangerous and exciting! Xtian Dela and Edgar Obare’s brand of Instagram journalism

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Edgar Obare and Xtian Dela have become household names this year. The reason is the expose’s they have done on various celebs that have gotten tongues wagging furiously.

The two use their popular Instagram pages where they air many celeb’s dirty linen. Their “Instagram journalism” is the new fad in Kenyan media following trends that have been happening abroad.

The controversial celebs use their Instastories to deliver the tea (gossip and hot takes) on various celebs.

Edgar was the first to get into many celebs bad books when he exposed the likes of Terrence Creative, Huddah Monroe and Alex Mwakideu in the beginning of 2020.

His infamy with many celebs reached its zenith when he exposed Natalie Tewa, and was charged with unlawfully publishing private and personal details from the passport.

According to his charge sheet, “On diverse dates between July 9 and July 13, 2020, at an unknown place, within the Republic of Kenya, using your social media accounts, domain name www.bnn.ke and verified Instagram account @edgarobare, unlawfully disclosed to your online followers, personal data to wit visa belonging to one Natalie Wanjiru Githinji without her consent.”

Since then, Edgar has become more subdued with his page rarely having any more revelations about big-time celebs with the chastened Obare exposing bad habits by Kenyans but without exposing the names of those accused.

But it seems that Xtian Dela has taken the torch from his good friend Egdar and last week caused a hullabaloo when he interviewed socialite Shakila.

The conversation caused a lot of trouble for him as Shakila claimed that she had slept with various Kenyan celebs at great cost. One man she mentioned was Kenyan footballer Victor Wanyama, who she claimed had paid her Sh.250k to sleep with her.

Wanyama was quick to respond to the allegation and said that he had launched legal proceedings against the blogger. Through a statement shared via Twitter, Wanyama denied ever meeting Xtian and Shakila, terming the claims in the video as ‘defamatory’ and a ‘fabrication’.

What does Kenyan law say? The Law of Defamation in Kenya states;

“[a]ny person who, by print, writing, painting or effigy, or by any means otherwise than solely by gestures, spoken words or other sounds, unlawfully publishes any defamatory matter concerning another person, with intent to defame that other person, is guilty of the misdemeanour termed libel.”

I am not a lawyer but I have been properly advised on how to run a story by the company lawyers. Two aspects that have stood out to me were;

-The standard of proof/evidence presented in a story should be meet a certain threshold.

-A fair opportunity to reply to inaccuracies must be given when reasonably called for.

While Edgar and Xtian try to meet the first standard (even vaguely) a lot of the time, I find that the second aspect is normally not done.

KTN journalist Ben Kitili even highlighted the problems he sees with the way Obare operates writing,

In conclusion

While Edgar and Xtian’s brand of journalism get’s the heart racing, it is not only dangerous for the person being “exposed” but for the exposer himself, something that Edgar and Xtian (if Wanyama actually sues) are already seeing.

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Will Anita Nderu coming out as LQBTQ member help the movement?

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Anita Nderu took Twitter and Kenyans by storm yesterday when she came out to reveal that she was a member of the LGBTQ movement.

Her short and succinct Twitter message read, “I hope my kids never have to go through what I have gone through for being LGBTQ+ đŸłïžâ€đŸŒˆâ€ïž”.

Anita’s public dalliance with the LGBTQ movement started a few months ago when she hosted two members of the LGBTQ community and the comments were not so kind.

Anita Nderu comes out clean that she is a member of LGBTQ community

In response to the backlash, she told Massawe Jappani that she wouldn’t apologise for hosting members of the LGBTQ community on her cooking show, ‘The overdressed cook’.

Anita said she that she respected people’s opinions but that she will not apologise. At the time of the interview, Anita said that she wasn’t willing to comment on whether she was a member of the community. “When I’m ready to share, I will.”

But it seems like that time has come and her announcement has made it loud and clear. The former the Trend singer is done hiding and is ready to leave her truth with the public knowing (and good for her!).

My question is whether her decision helps the cause of the movement in Kenya. I don’t think it will and for a simple reason, Kenyans have a lot of issues that take priority than the s3xual orientation of an individual.

Things like food, corruption, Covid-19 are more pressing matters than LQBTQ issues. If one looks at countries that have allowed LGBTQ rights, they all have one thing in common, they are all very advanced-2nd world and above status.

According to Maslow’s hierarchy needs (food, shelter, clothing) are at the bottom, and then the wants come at the top. How are Kenyans going to engage on the LGBTQ topic when they are still struggling to pay rent or take their kids to school.

Even our own president sees it as a non-issue. Check out his response below on the issue;

What her coming out will do in the long-term is that it will give her a boost in publicity and not much else. But what do I know?

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The mega influence that Diamond has had on Tanasha’s career (opinion)

Posted on by Geoffrey Mbuthia

Tanasha Donna recently spoke to a local publication about her relationship with Diamond Platnumz. The mother of one made a claim that furrowed some brows  -that the Tanzanian legend hadn’t been key in her getting popular.

The Kenyan singer, who was a radio personality and model before she met Diamond, clarified that he hadn’t helped boost her brand but that was not to give him all the credit as the masses had earlier presumed.

According to the 25-year old lass, whether her baby daddy was going to be in her life or not, she still had a vision and dream for the future.

Plus, she was already well connected with artistes both locally and globally to even rely on Diamond’s networks.

Diamond has contributed to boosting my numbers in a short period of time most definitely for the fact that I was dating him. But whether he was in the picture or not, my focus was there from a very long time ago, I knew what my destiny was, I knew what I wanted to achieve. I was already very well connected in the industry.

While Tanasha does have a point, I don’t think the “Gere” singer realises just how much influence Chibu has had on her career.

I think she has in fact underestimated his huuuge influence! Let me explain. All the women that Diamond has had kids with have exploded in publicity after a short period of time, with their brands growing exponentially after the serial philanderer was linked with them.

Tanasha addresses alleged beef with Zari Hassan (video)

Zari and Hamisa are well-known examples. Zari Hassan is one of the most influential people online with over 8 million followers on Instagram.

Hamisa isn’t doing too bad herself, with the mother of two having 6.8 million followers. Thing is Hamisa like Zari was a former video vixen who made it big after Diamond set his eyes on her. Now she is a bonafide celebrity.

Tanasha’s story is no different. Before she met Diamond in late 2018, her stock was middling with her Instagram numbers hovering at the 200k mark.

Now two years later, Tanasha is on her way to becoming the most followed Instagrammer in Kenya, even over the multi-talented Eric Omondi who has been holding that record for a while. And Instagram=clout=money.

Guess what they say about kings is true. Only kings make queens and Diamond’s kingship is proven in the careers of his baby mamas.

But what do I know?

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Greatest African guitarists of all time

Posted on by john arum

There is no continent in the world that has contributed so much to music and creativity than Africa. Africans have traditionally been known to have created wonderful rhythms and all modern forms of music like blues, rock, jazz, r&b, soul and disco lead back to this wonderful continent.

The American blues was known to have originated from the African slaves working on the vast plantations. For them, music was an escape mode from the tyranny of slavery. Even though African string instruments included traditional kora, the guitar came from the Western world only much later. Although there are many famous African guitar players in the West like BB King, Jimi Hendrix and Chuck Berry, not many people are aware of guitar players from the continent of Africa.

Here are a few guitarists from Africa you should be aware of. Check them out.

Ali Farka Toure

One of the most famous African guitarists of all time, Ali Farka TourĂ© came from Mali and enthralled audiences around the world. He was known to mix traditional African music with the blues and more contemporary guitar style. He’s collaborated with big names like Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder, counts Martin Scorcese as a fan and has won a couple of Grammys.

He died in 2006 leaving behind a great legacy although in 2012 Mali was taken over by extremists who banned everything from his music to simple pleasures like online gambling. People who played something as harmless as blackjack which is not just gambling but a game of skill were put in prison. Thankfully, that ended in 2016.

Diblo Dibala

Guitar
GuitarGuitar, 

Diblo Dibala is a Congolese musician who was often called Machine Gun because he was incredibly fast on the guitar. He is a soukous musician which is a dance genre that originated in Congo. His style of music became very popular in France in the 80s where he formed a band called Loketo.

Diblo still plays his trademark music in a band called Matchatcha so don’t miss it if you ever get an opportunity.

Etran Finatawa

Etran Finatawa is a band from Niger. The members come from a nomadic tribe and their style of music is popularly known as desert blues. Their harmonies have a very traditional dance vibe to them making them a very popular band in the international festival circuit. Their skills have found listeners across the world including the USA as one can tell from this NYT article.

Franco Luambo Makiadi

One of the forerunners in the African guitar scene, Franco Luambo Makiadi was an influential musician of his time. He started playing guitar from the age of seven on his homemade guitar and it is said that he used to play at his mother’s bread stall to attract customers. He was known for mixing Cuban and Congolese styles of music through his band OK Jazz. He died in 1989 leaving behind a wonderful catalogue of soukous and rumba music.

The world of African music is vast and deep and it will serve you well to start digging in to discover some real treasures. The above mentioned names will be a great way to begin.

What is considered a taboo among Kisii community

Posted on by Delyne Momanyi

There are some acts considered to be a taboo among the kisii community. They are as follows;

Circumcised boys going to master bedroom

They believe that once a boy is circumcised, they should not go to their parents bedroom and even their sister’s bedroom.

This shows that once the act is done the boys are mature enough and so they should respect some areas to visit.

At this point the boys are expected to behave in a more mature way and expect their young ones to respect them.

Girls wearing trousers 

This is considered to be disrespectful if girls wear trousers, more so those tight ones that shows off their curves. The Kisii man is not supposed to see how blessed you are.

Bizzare African traditions that will leave you in shock -Photos

Mothers should not dine in their daughters houses

It is a taboo for mother to enter especially her married daughters house. She also shouldn’t eat chicken at her daughters house as it makes one to be seen as corrupt.

Also going to her daughters house is considered to be a sign of disrespect to their daughters and thus like seeing their daughter’s nakedness.

Fathers too are not expected to set their feet in their married sons houses as it is considered as going to bed with their daughters in-law.

Check out Tyler Perry’s stunning Ethiopian baby mama Bekele – Photos

Visiting mother in-laws all the time

Once a young man marries he is not allowed to be frequently visiting his mother in-law all the time as it is considered to be a sign of disrespect to the family.

Unless the situation is unavoidable like funerals or sickness.

Check out more:

 

African games developers to watch out for

Posted on by john arum

With the obvious barriers to internet access and even an occasional blackout holding African game developers back, a new generation of entrepreneurs emerges, founding their own game development companies, and making it their mission to meet the demand to see African-centric titles and characters appear on the worldwide gaming scene.

Here are some of the best African firms out there, working on everything from augmented reality (AR) projects to mobile button bashers.

Playstation Controller
Playstation Controller

Augmented Reality Gaming Comes to Africa

Until now AR and VR games were a staple of huge tech and gaming giants from the US, Europe, and Asia, who have long been developing the games and headsets needed to make them happen, with everything from VR casinos to Pokémon Go coming from their intricate developmental pipelines.

However, when it comes to augmented reality gaming in Africa it is the Kenyan based gaming firm Internet of Elephants that leads the way, recently garnering worldwide media interest from their new game Wildeverse, which takes players into the habitats of wild animals regardless if they’re walking in their backyards or just playing at home. The game was fine-tuned by the team in the jungles of Borneo and Congo, where the developers learned all they could about the animals and habitats they wished to portray in the game.

Mobile Gaming Makes Sense for Africa

With very few of the continent’s inhabitants having access to computer terminals or steady internet connections, it makes sense that the future of gaming in Africa is likely to take place on mobile devices. It is therefore not a surprise that some of the most innovative African gaming companies are focusing their attention on the mobile sector.

Leti Arts is one of these companies, which originated in Ghana but ultimately settled in Kenya. Their flagship titles include Africa’s Legends and Reawakening, both of which draw heavily from various blends of African folklore and legend to create unique gaming experiences. This makes a welcome change from bungled appropriation leaning attempts by foreign gaming companies who tend to resort to boring stereotypes when creating Africa-themed games and characters.

For Francophone gamers, there’s a company doing similar things in Cameroon. Kiro’o Games’ main title is Aurion: The Legacy of the Kori-Odan, which looks to African cultural heritage for inspiration.

Meanwhile, many African mobile gaming companies are finding new ways to monetize their often free-to-install gaming apps. One example of this is a Nigerian company Gamsole who has partnered with Diamond Bank, that wishes to educate and engage potential new clients, knowing full well that games are a perfect vehicle for customer satisfaction. This is a trend that will no doubt grow this decade, with developers likely wishing to diversify their offerings to markets where there’s a lot of money to spend. Who knows, the next time you go to top up your phone credit or even use your Oddschecker mobile casino bonus you may find yourself coming face to face with an African-made mobile game.

Games Keyboard
Games Keyboard

African Games Demanding Space on Major Platforms

Another promising advance for budding African developers is that some have already begun to make inroads into the world’s biggest gaming platforms. This has been evidenced by South African company Nyamakop featuring their wonderful game Semblance on non-other than the Nintendo Switch, allowing gamers all over the globe to play a game whose roots are firmly planted in African soil.

Another example of this is Tunisia’s DigitalMania, one of the continent’s most experienced game design houses, who have racked up a whole backlist of games that are consistently played by millions of users on platforms as huge as Facebook, Google Play and the Apple Store.

By the time gaming producers in Europe, Asia, and the US wake up to the potential of gaming in Africa they may find they’re too late because the homegrown talent in this field is only set to grow. We’ll still have to wait for a couple of years to see if these seeds will bring fruit, but the potential is hard to ignore.

Dating single moms: how to choose a present for her children

Posted on by john arum

A number of gentlemen have been there and for sure, dating a single mom is not a straight-forward task. Well, partly because our society still believes in unnecessary myths and prejudices. In addition, a woman with children is usually quite busy and doesn’t have much time for dates.

Her children are a priority and after her children, she will be able to spend time with you. It also becomes trickier during holidays and celebrations because you’re likely to have to buy gifts for her children as well.

Here are gift ideas for your girlfriend that she may use together with her children

1. Bouquet

Many times men buy beautiful bouquets for their girlfriends. These go well with a box of sweets or chocolates. If you found her from a dating site, you probably got her flowers on date one. A friend of mine got his current girl from Russian brides (because he heard the one guarantee that with Russian girls, boredom is a thing of he past …story for another day) but hey, most girls love flowers. Given that single moms are usually very caring of their children, you could go further by doing a hand-made bouquet of fruits. Do your homework though! Make sure that her children have no allergies to the flowers.

2. Domestic appliances

Who said that domestic appliances are not romantic? Women with children are always happy to receive some appliances to help around the house and save time. Not only will these make her happy but it’s a creative way to you show your care about helping her find time for a date with you.

3. Couple clothes

This is if you’re getting serious with her. They tend to be very interesting gifts for women with children and give a purpose of intent to spend the future with her. In this case, you buy matching clothes for her children as well. This could be as simple as his and hers t-shirts with similar styles and a clever message together with those that go with her children. It could be your name, her name and their names.

Again, this is only for those who are getting serious.

On another note however, it is not always appropriate to buy presents for all her family. You might want to consider jewelry.

It is clear that if you know her children, you can’t ignore their birthdays and other holidays. What to present to them?

1. From 1 to 3 years old

Children from 1 to 3 years old will enjoy fascinating books, rocking chairs and wheelchairs, musical, interactive, and educational toys. Don’t buy anything too complicated or very expensive. Children at this age, pretty often, tend to break toys and tear apart books.

2. From 3 to 6 years old

The best things that you can buy for children from 3 to 6 years old are educational sets, children’s pianos, guitars and other things. For example, children who like to pain will appreciate paintings and drawing boards. Here, still, it is better not to buy too expensive things, because pretty soon those will become boring for children.

3. From 6 to 11 years old

This is when everything gets way more interesting. Now, you can present them board games, game consoles, radio-controlled models, and other potentially interesting things for you. Furthermore, you can share your hobby with her children to improve your relationship. You may also consider buying rollers, skates, bicycles, and so on.

4. Teenagers

It is pretty hard to find a good present for teens because too many things depend on your relationship with them and their mother. Usually, teens are way more demanding, and before buying a gift for them, you definitely should consult with their mother. Generally, boys from 11 to 17 years old will like gyro scooters, smartphones, fitness bracelets, gaming keyboards, mouses, gamepads, or headphones. Girls of the same age will enjoy fashion jewelry, an MP3 player, cosmetics, beautiful teddy bears, stylish headphones, smartphone cases, cool backpacks, external batteries (power banks), or flash drives.

Music can have a major effect on our mood

Posted on by john arum

Music is a big part of most people’s lives. It can often provide the soundtrack to whatever we’re doing, whether it’s working up a sweat in the gym, concentrating on some work, or celebrating with friends.

While we often choose the music to match our mood, scientists have been trying to understand whether music can actually have an influence on our moods and emotions. Specifically, researchers have been hoping to find ways to use music to improve the moods of patients.

Just like how we know colours can affect our mood, scientists are fairly confident there is a link, but it’s proving more difficult to understand exactly how it works. For example, research conducted by Durham University and the University of JyvĂ€skylĂ€ found that listening to sad music can provide both positive and negative emotions with listeners.

Other research has found that upbeat music can bring more positive emotion to people, but sad music may help people who are going through personal loss.

Some research has suggested that music can have an influence on your heart rate, although claims that it heart “synchronises to the beat” are unlikely to be true. However, some research has suggested that people that sing together synchronise their breathing.

Music is thought to stimulate the fight or flight response in the brain, helping recovery from psychological stress.

In the absence of concrete conclusions from research, it’s probably best to assume that the best approach for controlling moods through music is best done in accordance with the preference of each individual.

The almost endless variety of music means that we have access to songs for every occasion. Music that we listen to while we’re getting ready for a party may be different to the songs we put on when trying to concentrate.

Getting in the Zone

Outside of a clinical environment, using music to control our mood is commonplace. You’ll find offices around the world filled with workers who sit listening to music through their headphones. While university libraries are also packed with students hunched over textbooks and laptops, using music to help their concentration.

Music can have such an effect on our mood, it’s also often used by athletes to help them get focused ahead of a competition. Formula 1 drivers are regularly seen listening to music through headphones before getting into their car for a race. Similarly, poker players often use music to help them focus during games. However, in both cases the choice of music will vary depending on personal preference, and it often is a reflection of their own personality with some choosing fast up beat songs and others preferring more classical, calming tunes.

We miss concerts
We miss concerts

Destressing

Friday and Saturday nights usually see hoards of people descend on pubs, bars, and clubs, all looking to have a good time with friends and destress after a busy week of work. Music plays a big part of this, with DJs usually given the job of setting the tone for the establishment.

Some research has suggested that the loud music of these venues encourages customers to drink more, and therefore spend more.

Just listening to music, regardless of the environment can have similar effects. This can be because of the upbeat nature of the song or because it can bring back memories of a happy moment in your life.

Going further, research by Mark Reybrouck, Piotr Podlipniak, and David Welch in Frontiers in Psychology has hypothesised that listening to loud music can activate an “oceanic feeling”, a term used to describe a feeling of being “limitless”. Their research found that music, when played loudly, appeared to activate primitive reactions in the brain.

Final Thoughts

While scientists clearly have much more work to do, they have demonstrated that our moods can be affected by the music we listen to. There have been several contradictory findings about the type of music that is best for improving the mood, so it perhaps may simply be down to personal preference.

It’s clear from the fact that so many people find that music helps them concentrate, get into the zone or feel better that it is an effective tool for boosting our mood.

Opinion: All Kenyan businesses should to now process KRA payments online

Posted on by john arum

We used to love queuing and doing things last minute. Not any more. New habits are with us!

Haven’t we learned a lot? At least I can speak for my circle of friends and I suspect the same for most Kenyans. Indeed, comfort is a killer.

Staying indoors has taught us to take advantage of what we’ve got in our hands. Got Internet? Then your business should process KRA payments online and waste no time. Read that again!

Why? Simply because you can. I highly suspect we won’t be visiting the tax centres anytime soon.

Actually, Standard Chartered Bank has made it easier for businesses so that we won’t have to ‘pet the peeves’. Standard Chartered Bank is directly integrated with KRA and this makes KRA submission real time. This, through the Straight2Bank online platform. It’s an online banking platform designed for all your business transactional needs.

All you have to do is set up KRA once and you wont have to memorize the account again.

You can pay your Excise, Service and Direct taxes online. Your account is automatically debited and you receive an acknowledgement immediately.

Besides that, you can stay safe and work from home with more features such as simple payroll processing, simple FOREX transactions, simple bulk payments, reports and alerts and it’s all secure.

Why don’t you try it for your business? You want to meet your legal obligations, don’t you?

To learn more, visit https://www.sc.com/ke/business-channels/straight2bank/

Process KRA Payments online
Process KRA Payments online