masika

Sunday, 15 April 2012

HEADLINE WRITING

HEADLINE WRITING

A reader often decides whether to read a story based on what the headline says. A headline tempts the reader to dig into the story. To do this, you, as a headline writer, must have a sense of what will attract the reader. You must have abroad vocabulary and enough versatility to say the same thing several ways to make sure the headline will fit the space allotted for it on the page.

HEADLINE EVOLUTION

The first newspaper headlines were nothing more than labels. A large capital letter, called an “initial letter,” may have been used to set off the first paragraph of each story. Sometimes the front-page headlines were one-line labels showing the origin of the news (England, France, Spain).

HEADLINE FUNCTIONS

The modem trend in headlines is toward simplicity. Most newspapers now use heads that say what has to be said in a minimum of words. A good headline conveys the news in a story and the significance and meaning behind the story. It never implies more — and should not say too much less — than what actually appears in the story. It does not contain misleading suggestions and it does not leave false impressions. An easy way to remember the functions of the headline is through the acronym HEADS:

H - Heralds the days news; tells what is of importance.

E - Entices the reader with essential or interesting facts.

A - Advertises the most important story by size or placement on the page (the most important stories are displayed at the top of the page).

D - Dresses up a page with typography; helps male design attractive.

S - Summarizes the story with a super lead,tells what the story is all about.

HEADLINE STYLES

For style variation, your headlines can beset in all-caps, caps and lowercase or downstyle. These methods are covered in the following text.

ALL-CAPS HEADS -The all-capital letter headline style is almost extinct. All-caps heads, while they are easier to write than others, are the most difficult to read. To test this premise, read the following paragraph: AS THIS PARAGRAPH DEMONSTRATES, THE ALL-CAPITAL SETTING IS NEITHER EFFICIENT FOR THE READER, NOR PLEASING TO THE EYE. WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST USED TO HAVE KEY GRAPHS IN HIS EDITORIALS SET ALL-CAPS. I N S T E A D O F M A K I N G T H E P O I NT EMPHATICALLY, AS HE INTENDED, SUCH SETTING ACTUALLY CUT DOWN THE READERSHIP AND ITS IMPACT. Even the most patient, attentive and skilled reader will be blinded by the onslaught of all those capital letters.

CAPS AND LOWERCASE HEADS-A widely used headline style is the uppercase and lowercase head In this headline style, all words, other than articles, conjunctions, and prepositions of fewer than four (and sometimes five) letters, are set with the first letter in caps and the others in lowercase.

DOWN-STYLE HEADS The down-style head usage has increased in popularity in recent years. In down-style heads, the first letter of the first word— and the first letter of any proper noun — is set as a cap, and all other letters are lowercase. Down-style is presented in the way persons are taught to read and write. The style is visually attractive and enhances the readability of the line. By design, it lacks the numerous capital letters in a headline which serve as 'eye-stoppers'.

Read on HEADLINE forms: banner,sideheads,standing heads,flush left headline etc

Writing Headlines

Headline writing requires skill and concentration. Your headline must give the essence of the story. While explaining the story accurately, your headline also must fit into a limited space.

Some copy editors approach headline writing by looking for a key word or two that expresses the high point of the story. Then they add other words until they have a headline.

Other copy editors begin by forming a sentence that contains the essential elements of the story. Then they edit out excess words (adverbs, adjectives, articles, and so forth) and minor details until all that is left is a well-tailored headline that tells the story essentials.

Headlines are written in telegraphic English, a term coined because they closely resemble the wording found inmost telegrams. While the consideration in telegrams is mostly monetary, the economical consideration of headlines is space. Therefore, headlines usually contain — as the “bare bones” of language — a subject and verb.

A straight news headline is written for a straight news story and a feature headline for a feature story. If the story is a colorful account of some event or trip, the headline should be colorful. If the story is a romantic or dramatic account of an event, the headline should follow form. If it is a human interest story with an element of pathos, the headline should not be humorous. If the story is humorous, the headline should not be pathetic. In the following text, we will cover some of the general principles of headline construction practiced by most copy editors.

USE OF VERBS

The key to good headline writing is the use, whenever possible, of strong action verbs. Headline writers use verbs in what is sometimes called the “historical present” tense — meaning they use the present tense verb to describe action that has already happened. Primarily, this tense is used to convey a sense of immediacy, in the same way many people normally speak in the present tense to describe exciting experiences to friends. Present tense verbs contain fewer letters than do their past tense forms. Verbs may be omitted when implied.

Action verbs are still best for capturing a reader’s attention. The verbs is and are are frequently understood. It is not necessary to use them except for clarity. The infinitive “to be” is also awkward in headlines and you should avoid using it.

DECKS

Make each deck (not necessarily each line) a complete construction. Write the headline so it will stand alone and make sense, especially when you use it as the main deck. Consider the following example:

Poor: Decade of off-duty study

earns law degree to mayor

Better: Mayor earns law degree

after decade of off-duty study

BE POSITIVE

Another custom most headline writers observe is phrasing headlines in a positive, rather than in a negative manner. This is based on the principle that a newspaper is supposed to tell readers what did happen, not what did not happen. When writing about a family that escapes injury when their car overturns and bums on a highway, a novice headline writer would probably write the following: No one hurt in car fire Given the same story, a good headline writer composes the following headline: family escapes flaming death

BE SPECIFIC

As with all forms of newswriting, the use of specifics is better than generalities. Note the following headline: Auto crash proves fatal This headline does not contain nearly as much information as the headline that follows: two die as car hits tree

OPINIONS

Headlines on stories dealing with opinion should show the source of that opinion. If a story is attributed to a secondhand source, this should be reflected in the headline. Consider the following examples: ’Courts too lenient’ claims Lucy Kibaki.

THE FIVE Ws

A good headline generally has the who and the what of the story in the first line, with the following lines explaining the how and why, if necessary. People expect newspaper stories to concern events that have occurred since the previous edition was published. Therefore, the when can usually be omitted. If an event is yet to happen, however, warn the reader by the inclusion of the when through the use of the future tense or a specific day or date. The where in a headline on a local story is generally omitted. Readers expect their newspapers to print local stories and will assume a story is local unless the dateline or headline specifies otherwise.

REPEATS

You should avoid repeating words in the same headline deck. eg.Former Raila aide journalist returns to Railas office as public communications officer.

SHORT SYNONYMS

Use short, vigorous words. Headline writers usually have a vocabulary all their own. They learn to think in terms of short synonyms for longer expressions when writing headlines. Many copy-editing texts contain lists of short synonyms for headline use. Note the following examples: l

Named for appointed or elected l Set for arrange or schedule

Win for victory

Ex for former

Job for appointment or position

OK for accept, approve or adopt

Try for attempt

Hike for raise or increase

Tell for reveal or inform

don for professor

VP/Veep for vice president

envoy for ambassador..(add more on this list from your analysis of the two dailies-nation&Standard)

ABBREVIATIONS

You should use commonly known and accepted abbreviations when they are appropriate.

LINE BALANCE

Try to balance headlines typographically. Consider the following examples:

Unbalanced: I have only one wife,my dear

lucy:Kibaki

Balanced: I have only one wife,

my dear lucy:Kibaki

PUNCTUATION

Newspaper editors generally adhere to the following style for headlines: l Use single quotation marks instead of double.

BROADCAST WRITING

BROADCAST WRITING

Concise You have a concise copy when all unnecessary words have been trimmed away and only those words essential to convey your thoughts remain. It cannot be overemphasized that broadcast writing is writing for the ear. Listeners do not have the opportunity of “rehearing” your copy, so your sentences should be direct and crystal clear. If your copy is long and involved, you put a strain on the listener and hinder comprehension. Your obligation is to put information into meaningful terms that the “average audience” will understand, and more important, want to hear.

Complete For the broadcast story to be complete, you must include in it at least four of print journalism’s five “Ws.” Obviously, you will normally state what happened in your lead sentence. Then you will tell to whom it happened, when it happened and where it happened. Why and how generally are not critical, although to be complete, some stories will require this information.

Conversational Like good conversation, broadcast writing is informal and free-flowing. Write the way you talk. Let the story tell itself. This may sound easy, but it will take some effort in the beginning. A common pitfall is to write a story as it may have been required for an English composition or a print journalism assignment. Broadcast copy is read aloud by the announcer. It is not read by the listener. The twofold objective of the conversational tone is that first, it allows the announcer to pick up the drift of the story and second, it makes the copy sound “right” to the audience. A good broadcast writer “listens” to the story being written. When you have finished writing your copy, take it out of the printer and read it aloud to make sure it sounds conversational. Make sure there are no hard-to-pronounce words or combinations of words that are awkward to the ear. Rid your copy of words that might be unfamiliar to your listeners.

Current If your story is not current, you do not have “hard” news. News of a perishable nature is usually hard news. If you have a story of immediate news value, you should expedite its completion and delivery to the media. By the same token, if there are new facts or circumstances relevant to your initial release, an update of the initial story should be provided (and marked as an update). This will help ensure currency. It is also helpful if the new or changed elements of the story are identified to reduce possible confusion with information in the original release. You will feel the pressure of meeting deadlines, but remember your credibility is on the line.

Correct The hallmark of journalism as a writing art — either print or broadcast — is the accurate presentation of facts. Your finished product must correspond accurately with the facts of the story. In the field you will follow every possible lead to get the facts as well as report them.

COPY FORMAT

Radio writing is different from newspaper writing, because the most common newspaper lead is the summary lead. For radio copy to include the who, what, where, when, why and how in the lead would be too cumbersome. There is no time for nonessential details in radio news items. For the most part, news stories run from 20 to 30 seconds. Spot announcements run from 10 to 60 seconds, and features may run for two or three minutes, depending on the topic.

THE BEGINNING The lead sentence must gain the attention of the listeners and orient them on the facts that will follow in the body of the story. When you begin a story with a person’s name or a number, you risk the possibility of that information escaping your listener. Unless you are striving for special effect, avoid names and numbers at the start. Do not use an “unknown” name at the beginning.

. NAMES AND TITLES In the case of names and titles being used together, titles should precede names. It should be “Nairobi Mayor Godffrey Majiwa — not “Godffrey Majiwa , Nairobi Mayor .” Alert your listener as to whom you are about to name by prefixing the name with the person’s title. You should refer to government officeholders by title or as “mister.” For example, you would use “President Kibaki” or “Mr. Kibaki”; “Mr. Musyoka” or “Vice President Musyoka”; “Hon. Rutto” or “Mr. Rutto.” If a difficult name is unessential, use only the person’s title, such as “The Ambassador from Nigeria . ..”

INITIALS Generally, it is better to omit the middle initial of a person’s name unless it is a well-known part of the person’s name, such John F. Kennedy. The other exception to this rule is when the nature of the story requires further clarification, such as in births or deaths.

WORDS In broadcast writing, you must be aware of certain categories of words that are potential trouble areas. These categories are explained in the following text.

Contractions In day-to-day conversations, contractions are used rather liberally. Therefore, you should consider using contractions whenever possible because they add to the “conversationality” of your broadcast copy. A definite exception to this rule is the “it will” contraction “it’ll,” which is awkward when you are trying to read it into a microphone. Additionally, a contraction should not be used when you are intending to stress a particular word or phrase.

Not Avoid the use of the word not in your copy. “Not” can be dropped out of your copy inadvertently and leave“ listeners wondering whether they heard “not.” Note the following examples:

Examples:

AVOID USE

DISHONEST NOT HONEST

INNOCENT NOT GUILTY

FORGOT DID NOT REMEMBER

IGNORED DID NOT PAY ATTENTION

UNABLE NOT ABLE

Pronouns There is a danger in using personal pronouns in broadcast copy. When you use “he,” “she” or “they,” make certain there can be no doubt in the listener’s mind to whom you are referring. The ear cannot go back and pick up the identification. Repeat the noun if there may be any question as to whom you are referring.

Alliterations Beware of alliterations. When you compose a sentence consisting of several words beginning with the same vowels or consonants, you have an alliteration,

The challenge of writing for broadcast:

potentially passive audience

Need to be interesting, (entertaining?)

summarizing is critical, no time for long explanations
(which means you have to really know what you're talking about)

one chance to communicate, then it's gone

immediacy is a major advantage (over print)

Differences between print and broadcast journalism:

writing for the ear not the eye

language of the written word differs from the language of the spoken word

shorter leads

often broadcast leads don't contain the 5 W's
(usually 1 or 2)

time vs. space (length)

the ear tires before the eye

chronology is critical

Things to be aware of:

Know your audience: helps determine the style of presentation, what you have to say, and
why you are saying it though it is mass communication, you are writing for one person

Accuracy: gets to the issue of journalistic integrity and credibility bias verify and substantiate

Attribution: who takes responsibility for what is said? whose opinion or analysis is reflected?
separating news fact from commentary/opinion look for ways to shorten the attribution attribute at the start rather than at the end

Quoting the source: direct or indirect use indirect unless direct adds emphasis or impact

Other Attribution Words: "said" "told" "reported" all neutral words

Verb tense: present tense gives immediacy and impact

Active vs. Passive voice: active is more lively, subject of a verb is the doer of the action, who do you want emphasis on?

Word usage: simple rather than complex concrete rather than abstract active rather than passive concise rather than wordy

Grammar: conventional rules don't always apply! commas are important. key - listen, and read aloud copy after you've written it. does it make sense? is it concise? is it accurate?

(Scholars, these are the ‘mechanics’ of writing the copy)

Broadcast Writing Guidelines:

1. Use 8 and 1/2 x 11 paper.

2. Double space.

3. Use only one side of the paper.

4. Use 1 inch margins.

5. Put slug in upper left corner of the page (single spaced).

Length of story

6. Start story four lines below the slug.

7. Use commas and ellipses to indicate pauses. Breathe!

8. Use ### at the end of the story.

9. If a story continues onto a second page, break the story at a natural pause point.

10. Start each new story on a new page.

11. Underline key words that may be difficult to pronounce. Know who you are writing for.

12. Include phonetic spelling for difficult to pronounce words. The phonetics should be inside parentheses immediately following the word. Capitalize any syllable that needs emphasis.

13. Spell out abbreviations the first time (condense if possible). Abbreviate rarely.

14. Treat numbers properly. Make the abstract concrete.

Spell out numbers one to nine.

Use numerals for 10 - 999.

Use the words for thousands, millions, billions etc.

Round off large numbers unless specific numbers are significant.

Spell out dollars, cents, and percent with reference to numbers.

15. Use st, rd, th and nd after dates, addresses and numbers to be read as ordinals.

16. When using age, use a combination of years and "year old."

Ex. 21-year-old

17. In general, don't begin a story with a number or name.

18. Indirect quotes are usually preferred to direct quotes.

19. Titles precede names.

20. Use present tense as often as possible.

21. Localize/personalize when possible.

22. Avoid overusing "today," "tonight" etc. However, these phrases are preferable to am or pm.

23. Avoid overusing "you" and "your"

THE LAW AND WRITING

There are two kinds of libel — obvious libel and libel by inference (hidden libel), refereed to in law as libel per se and libel per quod, respectively. Do not let yourself become confused by the Latin terms.

LIBEL PER SE The more obvious of the two, libel per se, means “by itself” or “on the face of it.” The reader or viewer does not have to interpret or study in order to understand the libel per se because it is obvious or evident. Libel per se is the more serious of the two types, and persons libeled in this manner do not have to prove that they suffered damage to their reputations, monetary loss or other injury. Libel per se can support a lawsuit in itself. There are probably thousands of words, phrases and statements in the English language that are libelous in themselves. Some of them are of a political nature, others refer to race or religion and still others involve specific professions and occupations. Others (and this is no doubt the largest group) affect the honesty, integrity or morals of anyone to whom they are applied. Here are just a few examples of words and phrases you should not use in reference to individuals or groups: c

Professionals.

Lawyer: shyster, ambulance chaser, crafty, unprincipled, and slick

Business person: swindler, racketeer, double-dealer, cheat, and phony.

Politician: liar, grafter, perjurer, seller of influence, pocketer of public finds, and criminal’s partner.

Doctor: quack abortionist, faker, and incompetent. Also, never use such words as crooked and criminal to descibe people or their behavior.

Affiliations. Red, Communist, Nazi, a member of the Ku Klux Klan, atheist, nudist and socialist (sometimes).

Honesty and Morals. Unreliable, a credit risk, hypocrite, adulterer, unchaste, prostitute, drunkard, conspirator, mistress and thief.. Over a period of years the meaning of a word or phrase can shift gradually until it is no longer libelous in itself or libelous at all. The reverse also is true. A word or phrase harmless a few years ago maybe libelous in itself today. A word that has almost entirely lost a previous libelous per se meaning is “alcoholic.” A few years ago the word was synonymous with “drunkard,” but today it refers to an illness — alcoholism. Words of this type, however, should still be used with caution.

LIBEL PER QUOD The second type of libel is committed by inference and is more “hidden.” Its legal term, libel per quod, means “because of circumstance” or “by means of circumstance.” In libel per quod, the statements, words or phrases involved maybe harmless in themselves, but become libelous because of attached circumstances. Usually, such circumstances are unforeseen by the publisher, who can claim that the questionable material was published in good faith and without malice. However, good faith is not a complete defense. Here is a classic example of libel by circumstance: A news story reported an athlete’s spectacular feats on the tennis court the previous Saturday. In fact, the tennis match was on Friday, not Saturday; a simple error. However, the story was libelous per quod because the athlete in question belonged to a religion that observes Saturday as the Sabbath — a day of quiet and meditation. The story, as it was printed, defamed the athlete as not being a devout member of his church. Libel per quod is the most common of all libels. Very few publishers intentionally undertake the risk involved in printing material that is obviously libelous. However, libel per quod often occurs because of errors or negligence.

LIBEL AND THE LAW

There are two types of legal action that can result from publication of libelous material: civil action and criminal action.

CIVIL LIBEL ACTION Civil libel action results when one person sues another in court because of alleged defamation. This defamation, again, need not be to the’ individual’s character or reputation. It can be to a person’s business, occupation or property. Civil libel also can be committed against a legal “person” composed of more than one individual. In this regard, a corporation, a partnership or any other association of individuals can be defamed. General Motors could sue an individual for defaming its products or business practices. Also, an individual could sue General Motors. . Civil libel suits are always between persons, whether the “person” is an individual, an association of individuals or an artificial being, such as a corporation. A sum of money is the usual compensation awarded by civil courts for damages. Money awarded in libel cases is intended to compensate the injured party for mental or physical suffering and for actual financial loss and to punish the individual or individuals who committed the libel.

CRIMINAL LIBEL ACTION Criminal libel action is less common than civil libel action, but it is much more serious. Criminal libel is a crime and can be prosecuted in the courts like any other crime. In criminal libel the state ‘is the accuser and the punisher. Persons convicted of criminal libel can be fined, imprisoned or both, depending on the gravity of the offense. Any libel that tends to disturb public peace and order can be a criminal offense. For instance, if a popular public figure were to be libeled to the extent that riots resulted, the libel would be of a criminal nature. Obscene libel can be a criminal offense because it is considered to have an ill effect on public morals. One of the most grave types of criminal libel is seditious libel — that which defames an established government, or one of its agents, in an attempt to thwart or overthrow it.

DEFENSES AGAINST LIBEL ACTION

An individual, a newspaper or other news organization is not without some degree of protection when being sued for libel. In the following text, we cover some of the partial and complete defense strategies that might lessen the damages assessed against a defendant in a libel suit.

Partial Defenses

INNOCENT MISTAKE/ACCIDENT- The first mitigating factor to consider is innocent mistake, or accident. Almost self-explanatory, it means that a defendant can be excused partially if it can be proved the libelous material was published unintentionally or without the publisher realizing it was defamatory. The “innocent mistake” law does not remove liability, but it may reduce it.

RETRACTION, APOLOGY OR CORREC- TION- A retraction, apology or correction, usually printed with the same prominence as the original libelous material, will sometimes satisfy a person who claims to have been libeled. Nevertheless, the libeled party still retains the right to bring suit. Although retractions, apologies and corrections are three separate (partial) defenses, they are related and often overlap. A retraction is often accompanied by a correction when it is employed, and both, almost always, are accompanied by an apology. One disadvantage of a retraction, or apology, is that it puts the original defamatory remark before the public eye again, although hopefully, in a much nicer form.

REPETITION- The defense of repetition can be used when a newspaper uses a libelous story that has been printed elsewhere, in a wire service article for example. In a number of recent court decisions, newspapers were not held responsible for libels committed by wire services, since it was recognized that editors could not possibly check out every story received from those sources.

LACK OF MALICE-In the lack of malice defense, punitive damages are usually not awarded if the publisher can demonstrate good faith and justifiable ends.

SELF-DEFENSE/REPLY- A self-defense or reply defense can sometimes be successful if the publisher can show that the libel was a response to a previous attack made by the person claiming libel.

UNCONTRADICTED RUMOR - The uncontradicted rumor defense can sometimes serve to lessen the damages that could be awarded in a libel case if the publisher can show that the libel was merely a published version of widely circulated rumors that the plaintiff had made no effort to deny.

USE OF AUTHORITY- In employing the use of authority defense, a publisher would try to show that the libel originated from a source that could reasonably be expected to be accurate. A successful presentation of this defense, while not exonerating the publisher, could serve to lessen the damages awarded.

PRIOR BAD REPUTATION.— A prior bad reputation defense might prove useful to a publisher accused of libel if it could be shown that the plaintiff already had an unsavory standing in the community and the defamatory statement caused very little additional injury. Keep in mind that these partial defenses are just that — partial. They may lessen punitive damages, or in some cases eliminate them, but they do not excuse the libel charge.

Complete Defenses

TRUTH-Truth is the best complete defense against libel action. the facts published must be provably true. If the law requires “truth without malice,” the defendant also must prove good intentions. Malice, however, as judged by the courts today, does not mean only “intent to harm.” The consensus appears to be that “truth without malice” must be “truth for a good reason.” The good reason is usually judged by determining if the material presented is in the best interest or concern of the public. For example, a newspaper prints a story about a man running for a high public office and states that the candidate has served a prison term for embezzlement. The statement is true, and the newspaper’s reason for printing it is the belief in the public’s right to know, or the “public good.” The candidate’s history, in this instance, would give reasonable doubt of his qualifications for public office. If, however, the same statement had been made about a private citizen who was in no way connected with the public welfare, there would have been no “good reason” for publishing that information.

FAIR COMMENT AND CRITICISM.— A publisher can claim the fair comment and criticism defense in many instances. The courts are often lenient when fair comment or criticism is made of a political organization or any powerful corporation; in reviews of television programs, movies, plays and books; or in articles dealing with officials or agencies of the government. It has been established that one of the chief functions of the news media is to serve as a critic of the wielders of public or private power. The courts reason that this function should not be arbitrarily suppressed. Many newspapers engage in “crusades” against a dishonest or bungling government or other criminal activities. As long as a newspaper approaches such a “crusade” in a responsible manner, it is well within its rights. Every year Pulitzer Prizes are given to individual reporters for either having exposed private or public abuses of power, and in some cases, having caused their confections.

PRIVILEGE-Privilege, as a defense against libel, deals with legislative and judicial operations. There are two kinds of privilege. One is “absolute privilege”; the other is “qualified privilege.”

Absolute Privilege- Absolute privilege protects those directly involved in judicial proceedings (judges, attorneys and witnesses) and legislative matters (eg. The President & parliament ).

Absolute privilege does not apply to the news media.

Qualified Privilege-Qualified privilege does apply to the news media and affords them qualified, or conditional, protection in reporting public and official proceedings. The conditions for this protection are that a story must be characterized as follows: 1. Fair, accurate and complete 2. Without malice 3. Published for justifiable ends. The one limitation of qualified privilege is that a story must not include any obscenity.

Other than that, legislative and judicial proceedings may be reported in their entirety, regardless of the truth or falseness of what is said. The legal theory supporting this license holds that the public interest in public matters should be served, even at the expense of individual defamation. Remember, however, that this privilege does not cover the reporting of conventions of private organizations, such as political parties, labor unions and churches.

LACK OF PUBLICATION- Lack of publication as a complete defense is more likely to be used in a libel case involving some form of personal communication that may or may not have been seen by a single third party.

Monday, 5 March 2012

The pain of a broken marriage breaks the heart.

By: Timothy Makokha

31 year old man from Misanga village Bungoma County shocks residents by rejecting the mother of his child in an awful way. Barasa Okumu had become a public nuisance, after rejecting the woman with whom he has a child.

Where diplomacy fails, force must be applied. Talking to him did not make an impact, until his father resorted to beating him in an attempt to put sense into his head. Last week on Monday, his father with a walking stick beat him seriously as he was in the bathroom, taking advantage of the event as he knew his son could run away naked.

Maria his wife tried all means to please him in vain as this man could not see sense in whatever advice people were giving him. His in-laws tried their level best to make this marriage work without any success.

He could masturbate in the presence of the wife. ‘When I sleep on his bed he moves to sleep on the cold floor in the sitting room and masturbate from there’ Maria said while tears were rolling down her cheeks.

The clan officials together with elders of the village held several meetings in attempts to advise him but the advice fell on deaf ears.

On Tuesday this week he was taken to the chief’s Barasa but the 31 year old man remained adamant. ‘Young man, all women are just the same, accept the wife and marry another one of your choice in future to add on this one’, said one of the elders. The woman agreed to this proposal but Okumu still refused.

‘Before sleeping, he normally takes a photo of a girl he claims to love, sleep on it and make movements dramatizing a sexual act with the photo’, Maria explained to the elders. He continued with this act until he made a hole in the photo. This made it easy for him as he could now insert his reproductive organ through the hole in the photo and sleep with the photo on the organ as he masturbate throughout the night.

All this did not scare Maria as she was determined to stay, to linger and love. Sometimes last month, he moved from his house and rented a room a few meters away from his home. Maria was not moved by this act as she decided to stay in the house alone with the baby.

Later, wanyonyi his eldest brother coaxed him to return home. He then returned but became so cruel and unapproachable to his wife. Two days ago, Maria decided to pack and leave with her baby after realizing Okumu is not ready to have her for a wife.

John Michuki send to rest with due respect he deserves

John Michuki send to rest with due respect he deserves

By: Timothy Makokha

Funeral service for the late Kangema MP, john Michuki takes place at the General Kago Stadium. Funeral service was attended by former president Moi, president Kibaki, VP Kalonzo , PM Raila Odinga, deputy PMs , speaker of national assembly, cabinet ministers, most of the MP’s, other senior government officials and the general public.

The funeral Service was led by Bishop Peter Kairu of Murang’a Diocese, the host diocese of the Catholic Church assisted by other senior priests. The presence of other senior church leaders from other denominations was recognized.

The eulogy was read both in vernacular (Gikuyu) and in English. The Gikuyu version was read by Mr. E.K Gathuri and the English version of the same eulogy was read by prof. Paul Kanyari.

The late was born on 31^st Dec 1932 from the 41^st wife of a father who had 43 wives. Michuki died rich after starting as a tailor and dropping out of school at one point in life.

Bishop peter kairu gave a touching sermon. ‘If you are strong you live for 70 years but we thank god Michuki had bonus of 10 years’ he said. His central theme of the sermon was that we should love our God, neighbors and our country. He also urged politicians to unite Kenyans and avoid hate speech.

Security measures were put in place as more security officers were present. Police officers were in large numbers at his Kangema home and in the stadium.

Rev. Wabukala says the late was a friend of Christians, and added that death brings about change. He therefore likened the late Michuki to a catalyst for positive change to the remaining generation.

The host Bishop Peter Kairu was given chance to introduce present priests and other members of the clergy present at the funeral. The bishop quoted one of the saints who said that ‘I do very small things in a very big way’ and brought the quote to context. He first appreciated the presence of all present members of the clergy. The Eldoret diocese Bishop Cornelius Korir expressed his solidarity to the bereaved family of Michuki.

Deputy pm Uhuru Kenyatta, enjoyed the privilege of welcoming senior government officials. When deputy pm Musalia Mudavadi was given chance to speak, he only made a few remarks and then proceeded to introduce ministers present.

Speaker for our national assembly, Kenneth Marende says Michuki is worth to be emulated, since he was such a loyalist to the government. Former president Moi takes the late minister for a perfectionist, who was dedicated to serve the country at various levels. He said he had worked closer with the late who was more of a personal friend. ‘Nothing passes without somebody endorsing’, says moi. The retired president added that real solace comes from God.

Prime Minister Hon Raila Odinga, remembers the late Michuki as a governor KCB, where he served the public so well and assisted him personally. The PM added that they have been together in various political parties for example Ford Kenya in the year 1992. His reforms in the matatu sector are to be remembered for a lifetime. The deceased as well performed exemplary in the environment ministry.

President Kibaki says each family member to work for his family, and his nation. He also appreciated the widow, Josephine Michuki for her support to her late husband. ‘Each person to have a purpose in life’, says president. We need to learn from the late Michuki, let us love each other as Kenyans and share in sorrow and happiness. This brings me to what one of the speakers said; the height of a tree is measured when it has fallen.

EDUCATION MINISTER HON SAM ONGERI RELEASES LAST YEAR’S KCSE RESULTS.

By: Timothy Makokha

The occasion was graced by the education minister, assistant ministers in education ministry, and KNEC officials. In attendance were senior TSC officials, KLB officials among other civil servants.

KNEC secretary Paul Wasanga said so far 3.7 million candidates have been examined since the beginning of KCSE , this year’s number being 413, 177 candidates. He also said that last year was the first time KNEC partnered with Kenya anticorruption in supervising of exams to ensure transparency.

The KNEC secretary warned Kenyans from using revision past papers and marking schemes from unauthorized dealers and added that for this reason KNEC has published pamphlets on past exams for revision purposes to ensure integrity of exams is upheld. He further expressed his disappointment with the fact that mobile phones were still witnessed in exam rooms

The minister of education hon. Sam ongeri mentioned that the 2011 candidates are the first group of candidates since the launching of free secondary education was started in Kenya in the year 2008. This free day school education has enabled many to be re-admitted in schools after a massive drop out. The program was geared towards achieving educational millennium development goals.

Hon ongeri urged Kenyans to say positive things about our nation. ‘Say positive things about our nation’, he continued ‘we are being recognized elsewhere rather than our home’.

The minister urged school managers to consider available facilities before registering candidates for exams. ‘Sitting for computer exams in cyber cafes is not a good show’, he said.

He also encouraged KCPE candidates to choose national schools since better performing school were upgraded to be national. The promoting of such schools to national status has enabled counties to enjoy benefits of national schools unlike in the past when schools of such magnitude were scarce.

The minister noted that both boys and girls candidature increased drastically last year although the number of boys is greater than the number of girls. All counties recorded a higher number of boys except for Kerinyaga County where the number of girls was greater than that of boys. He then called upon stakeholders to address gender issues especially where the disparity is too high.

General trend reveals that this year’s results are much better than last year’s. Improved subjects include mathematics, physics, biology, Kiswahili and other 11 optional subjects. English was poorly performed. The minister blamed sheng’/slang usage among students that has caused poor performance in English. The minister associated the improvement in mathematics with the research about poor performance of the subject that was done in 2009 and results tabled by the education PS prof. Ole Kyiapi.

The minister as well urged the director quality assurance to look in the matter of laboratory equipment in high schools to avoid cases of candidates using korobois for chemistry practical. The need for quality early childhood education was highlighted by the minister who also urged teacher training colleges and universities to put more emphasis on humanities. Teacher training colleges were also urged to equip teachers with quality language (English/Swahili) in order for the teachers to deliver the same in class to learners.

Setting the university entry at C+ and above has increased university enrolment. The minister urged the government and stake holders to invest more in middle level colleges to cater for those candidates who miss university entry.

Concerning exam irregularity, the education minister condemned, parents, teachers, university students who had colluded with candidates to cheat in exams. ‘Chewing and swallowing prepared notes is even harmful to candidates’, he said. No exam irregularities were reported in Nyeri, Turkana, Taita Taveta, Nyandarua, Nyamira, West Pokot, and Machakos counties. In overall 154 exam centers were noted with cheating. Lastly, the education minister condemned cheating in exams and requested KNEC officials to liaise with the education PS and investigate all cheating cases.

ROAD ACCIDENT VICTIMS

ROAD ACCIDENT VICTIMS

By: Timothy Makokha and Mishi Ziro

17 pupils are undergoing treatment at the Elgon view hospital in Bungoma town following the accident that occurred yesterday evening along the chwele-Bungoma road. Due to a shortage of medical facilities some 9 victims were taken to saint Mary’s hospital Mumias and 4 were taken to Lugulu mission hospital.

2 of the accident victims who were badly injured were rushed to Aga Khan Hospital Kisumu for special attention.

Some of the victims at the Elgon view hospital were diagnosed with serious injuries where e a boy pelvic injuries and unable to pass urine who was being assisted mechanically with tubes to urinate. Others suffered head injuries.

Rita Mukhongo, a hospital attendant at Elgon view said that only 2 pupils died on sport on reaching the hospital while one died on their way to Bungoma district hospital.

Christine kundu, a class six pupil at Mungeti primary is one of the victims at the Elgon view hospital whose right leg was cut off because it was badly injured.

It was learned later that the accident was caused by a lorry driver who was overspeeding, escaping danger after causing around chwele and was escaping towards Bungoma town when he ran into a group of pupils who were celebrating their victory after emerging winners during ball games that were held yesterday at kimukungi primary.

According to the games teacher of Mungeti primary, Mr. Nicholas Simiyu wekesa, pupils were celebrating on their way home in the evening after winning the game when they were ran over by the canter from behind. Six pupils died on spot.

Daniel Wangila is a life member of Red Cross Bungoma branch, who participated actively in assisting the accident victims. ‘I didn’t sleep the whole night as I was doing my best in rescuing the injured’ said Wangila.

Dr. Amin, the Elgon view hospital director called upon the affected parents, teachers, and the community at large to calm down and accept the tragedy. ‘Pupils in the affected schools, teachers, parents and the whole community need to be counseled for them to calm down and accept this bitter tragedy’, said Dr. Amin.

Red Cross coordinator Bungoma branch Ms. Valentine Mutaki, said that there is no need for panic as arrangements are being made by Red Cross in liaison with AMREF pay hospital bills for the accident victims.

DEO Bungoma south, Mr. Japheth shitubi called for an emergency meeting with Red Cross officials, head teachers for mungeti , marakaru ACK, and kakichuma primary schools in his office in Bungoma town. In the meeting there were councilor Majimbo, Nalianya Francis the divisional education officer and Dr. Wekesa. They deliberated on the matter concerning the accident and advised the head teachers to hold parents meetings in their schools today at 2pm.

The meetings were meant to console the parents and counsel affected pupils who lost their dear friends. They were to use the meeting for counting pupils to tell how many are missing and request parents to assist in identifying bodies of victims who were destroyed beyond recognition. A team of psychologists from Red Cross Eldoret branch will also address the meeting.

Area mp for Sirisia constituency, hon. Wetangula is to visit the scene of accident and proceed to address meetings in the affected schools today in the afternoon.

A total of 35 pupils were injured with four that were badly injured being taken to Nairobi hospital for special spinal code treatment. Dorcas nalianya and Maxwell waswa were to be transferred from elgon view while Elizabeth kunania and purity makokha are to be moved from st mary’s mumias hospital all of them to Nairobi hospital.

Only one pupil from kakichuma primary was injured in the accident. Pupils who perished from mungeti primary were 9 including the following; Tyson Wanjala std 8,Michael Simiyu std 8,Sharon Wamalwa std 5, Brian Wamalwa std 6, Cidy Mukasiali std 6, Patrick Wafula, Centrine Nalianya, and Anne wekesa.

35 year old Edwin Namusasi Wafula appears before the Bungoma law courts to answer charges concerning the marakaru accident

35 year old Edwin Namusasi Wafula appears before the Bungoma law courts to answer charges concerning the marakaru accident

By: Timothy Makokha and Mishi Ziro

Court one of the Bungoma law courts full to capacity as people come to witness the case involving Edwin Namusasi Wafula who is the lorry driver of registration number KAW286P that caused an accident at Marakaru on 2/3/2012. Six pupils died on spot, three died on reaching hospital, another one died yesterday while the injured are still receiving treatment in various hospitals.

Anxiety mounts as complainants, and concerned community members wait for judgement of the accused driver today at the Bungoma law courts. Edwin Namusasi Wafula, who is the accused, appeared before court for the crimes he committed.

Chief magistrate hon. Nyarima, momentarily suspended Wafula’s case for 15 minutes as he sought for a full report about the names of those involved in the accident. The magistrate wanted the court prosecutor to name all victims of the accident as required by the law before making the ruling.

At this point only 10 charges had been mentioned against him while other charges were still under investigation by the Bungoma police OCPD. The first nine were charges of murder while the tenth is about breaking of traffic rules.

Silence that gnaws prevailed as each present person in the court was expecting the court to proceed after an extended break that stretched beyond the expected time framework. Parents of the accused were in such a melancholic mood as people within the crowd were pointing accusing fingers in their direction while whispering in low tones.

Wafula was recalled a few minutes later but the files concerning his case were not yet ready leading to another 20 minutes break as files were being sought and consultations made.

As Wafula appeared for the third time before the magistrate hon. Nyarima Walter , he accepted all the charges that so far were labeled against him. Just before a ruling was made, the Bungoma court prosecutor Mr. Oyoo requested the chief magistrate to defer the case for two weeks as per the request by the police OCPD. This was meant to give the police enough time to look into the matter.

According to the police report, facts of the case are not ready as deaths are many and several victims are still in the ICU. The number of the dead had also changed increasing from 9 to 10.

The accused leaded guilty of the charges that had been mentioned already but the chief magistrate said the case is to be heard on 19/3/2012 in the same court.