Profile 2: Soi, the accent-conscious man

Sam Soi is a fourth year student in Moi University’s main campus. He is a younger brother to Anne Soi Mwendia, a popular Kenyan presenter currently working for BBC Africa.

Sam Soi, a media student

As a media student, Sam knows that a day will come when he, like his sister, will probably be expected to in front of a camera or sit behind a microphone and talk to the world.

Like any other wise person, he believes in early preparations as an important tool for one’s success. This explains why he is always under pressure to adopt a better accent than his indigenous one. Since his first year of study in the School of Information Sciences, Sam has been struggling to synchronize his voice in a bid to ‘speak like a European’. Has he succeeded?

Four years down the line, the aspiring presenter is still struggling. In fact, the struggle seems to get tougher with time. Whenever he speaks, during a class presentation for instance, Sam usually begins well, with a real English accent within the first two or three sentences. However, his perceived ‘wonderful’ accent disappears in the subsequent sentences, slowly fading into his original Kalenjin one.

Rumors have it that his sister Anne secured him internship at K24 Television Station during the last 9-months long holiday, a chance the boy allegedly declined for no good reason. Could it be due to lack of confidence? Perhaps he thought that his adoptive accent was still not near perfection.

Time is running fast. With only a few months to graduation, Sam is apparently in dilemma. What will happen if, after studies, he secures employment at a time when he is yet to perfect his preferred style of talking? And maybe that time he will also have forgotten his old accent. How then will he speak?

Profile 1: A passive but harsh H.O.D

For a long time I only heard about her, but now I know her. I know who she really is. Dr. Emily Kogos is (said to be) the Head of Department, Publishing and Media Studies in the School of Information Sciences where I pursue my degree. From papers and people's mouths, she is indeed an H.O.H, but practically she is just another annoying woman.

Kogos is (one of) the most unfriendly lecturers on earth, I understand. With the position she apparently occupies, the Doctor of something assumes authority more than the president of a country. This is, in most cases, what one should expect from a woman in a top position. I guess the administration of Moi University main campus was under divine inspiration when it denied her the opportunity of succeeding Prof. Japheth Otike as the new dean of our school. Otherwise most of us would be expelled for such reasons as coughing in class or owning mobile phones.

On Friday 8th August, I was in the publishing lab for a noble task with other media students including those from other schools. On such days, we usually compile news stories for the whole week, record and edit them into one piece called 'Michipuko ya habari' which then runs on the Moi University Radio as from 5pm the same day.

It happened that the H.O.D had, earlier that week, 'bounced' a class and therefore wanted a make-up that day. With the help of one Okumu Mala, she identified our venue and termed it 'free' despite all what we were doing with the microphone, mixer, computers and ours voices. Like John the Baptist, Okumu was sent to prepare the way for the coming messiah and he really achieved his mission. In the middle of a recording, the now-passive class rep. quickly switched off all the equipment with authority from the woman who arrived half an hour later.

We had to migrate to the studio and take advantage of the off-air instances of an on-going program to complete our production. Before the class kicked off, the messenger of doom, Mr. Okumu came to the studio and gave us the final regulation.

"Ok, the class is about to begin and so you will not be allowed to pass by. You will remain here until 5pm when the class ends." He said.

That was too much for me and I chose to leave immediately.

Agak has also once fallen victim of the H.O.D's tough regulations. He had invited a guest for one of his Monday shows in the studio. Unfortunately, he found the woman lecturing in the publishing lab and, despite all his muscles, his guest and him were prevented from accessing the studio because they would interrupt the class.

Whether you want to enter or leave the studio and you find the 'almighty' in the lab, you will have to wait for whatever number of hours the class will take before doing so because you will interrupt her session, I do not know how. Does she really understand the importance of practical experience in one’s area of specialization if she can literally make it difficult for student journalism to access the studio just because she is lecturing at the entrance?

Humility is not purchased madam. As a woman, an H.O.D for that matter, being friendly to your subjects is valuable and is sufficient to make them value you in return. There is no point of sometimes locking yourself in your office and instructing the secretaries to say, “She is not in” to any guest she perceives to be less serious as was done to me last semester.

As the principal of my department, you are obviously responsible for the poor services I receive from other staff members and the general underperformance of my/your department. I have been in this university for years but I only saw you once in my life – last Friday.

Where have you been and how were you able to supervise the departmental operations? Where were you when my lecturer, Mr. Mbengei, was acting on your behalf? Where had you gone when my class harassed some lecturers last year due to a delayed academic trip, results and other poor services? You have been passive in your duties all those years so why  be so harsh? Could it be because you missed the chance of becoming the dean? But you went for an interview and failed so you can wait for three years and try again madam.

Thank you

Dondoo za spoti- 15/8/2014

Gor Mahia yaaga mashindano

Klabu ya Gor Mahia iliyowakilisha Kenya katika michuano ya CECAFA Kagame Cup nchini Rwanda ilibanduliwa mapema baada ya kulazimishwa sare ya mabao 2-2 na APR siku ya Jumamosi. Gor ilihitajika kushinda mechi hiyo ili kufufua matumaini ya kusalia katika mashindano hayo baada ya kupoteza mechi mbili za kwanza katika hatua ya makundi.

Gor Mahia ilicheza mechi yake ya mwisho jana jioni dhidi ya Telecom ya Djibout, mechi ambayo matokeo yake hayangeathiri popote kwani timu zote mbili tayari zilikuwa zimepoteza nafasi ya kufuzu kwa hatua ya muondoano.

Gor ilifedheheka kwa kushika mkia katika kundi B baada ya kuvuna alama mbili tu ndani ya mechi nne. Inatarajiwa kurejea nyumbani hii leo ili iendeleze kibarua cha kutetea taji ya ligi kuu ya Premier nchini, dhidi ya SoNy Sugar siku ya Jumapili.

Manchester United yaanza kwa kichapo

Vigogo wa Wingereza Manchester United walianza msimu mpya wa ligi kuu ya Premier nchini humo kwa mshangao baada ya kuchapwa mabao 2-1 na Swansea City uwanjani kwao Old Trafford siku ya Jumamosi.

Chini ya mkufunzi mpya Louis van Gaal, United waliingia uwanjani wakiwa na matumaini makubwa hasa baada ya kushinda mechi zao zote sita za matayarisho ya msimu dhidi ya La Galaxy, AS Roma, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Liverpool na Valencia katika usanjari huo.

Hata hivyo dau lilianza kwenda mrama wakati raia wa Korea Sung-Yueng Ki alipoiweka Swansea kifua mbele mnamo dakika ya 28 ya mchezo. Muda mfupi baada ya mapumziko, nahodha mpya wa Mancheter United Wayne Rooney alisawazishwa kwa bao la mtindo wa pindu kabla Gylfi Sigurdsson kuipa Swansea bao la ushindi, dakika 18 kabla mechi kutamatika. Hiyo ilikuwa mara ya kwanza United kupoteza mechi ya ufunguzi wa msimu wakiwa nyumbani tangu mwaka wa 1972.

Kwa upande wao Arsenal waliponyoka na ushindi wa mabao 2-1 dhidi ya Crystal Palace nyumbani kwao Emirates, kwa hisani ya mabao ya Laurent Koscielny na Aaron Ramsey waliyoyafunga katika muda wa ziada wa kipindi cha kwanza na cha pili mtawalia.

Kwengineko chipukizi wa Wingereza Raheem Sterling na Daniel Sturridge walisaidia Liverpool kuandikisha ushindi wa mabao 2-1 dhidi ya Southampton jana jioni, kabla Manchester City kuilaza Newcastle kwa mabao 2-0 kupitia mickwaju ya David Silva na Sergio Aguero.

Hivi leo Chelsea watakuwa ugenini dhidi ya timu iliyopandishwa daraja msimu-jana Burnley katika mechi iliyoratibiwa kuanza saa nne kamili usiku.

Je, wajua?

Toni Kroos ameshinda makombe 4 katika mechi 10 za mwisho alizoshiriki!

Tarehe	Kombe	Timu
11/5/2014	Bundesliga	Bayern
17/5/2014	DFB Pokal	Bayern (dhidi ya Borussia Dortmund)
13/7/2014	Kombe la dunia	Ujerumani (dhidi ya Argentina)
12/8/2014	UEFA Super Cup	Real Madrid (dhidi ya Sevilla)

Aspirants turn to God ahead of MUSO elections

Over 50 candidates for the forth-coming Moi University student elections attended yesterday's Christian Union service in a bid to seek God's anointing as the voting day approaches.

 

MUSO aspirants in front of the church

The men and women, whose common desire is to become directors of different docket in the 28th Students Governing Council, put aside their differences in religious ideologies and occupied most of the front seats in LH 1 on Sunday morning as they sought God's inspiration as part of their strategies to win an election. Accompanied by some members of the Student Electoral Commission, they were presented before the congregation in a short session after the church announcements.

Before being prayed for, the aspirants were reminded that by choosing to attend a service, they had declared to believing in God and must therefore act like believers throughout the on-going campaign period. On a lighter note, they are - for instance - not expected to buy alcohol for supporters because it goes against Christian teachings.

Due to the large number of aspirants present, none of them was given a chance to speak to the church; instead they were all allowed to speak to God for some minutes through prayers. However, the SEC chairman, Mr. Jeff Kenyatta, was later invited to address the church. With his well-rehearsed poetic language, the 'man of God' appeared to move the congregation in a way that the day's preacher never did.

On behalf of the SEC, Kenyatta made a vow in the presence of the lord, that his commission's commitment is to oversee the most successful and corruption-free election on Friday.

"I want to assure everyone before the feet of Jesus that this coming election will be credible, fair and transparent; that the will of the people will prevail," he said.

Kenyatta also reminded the candidates that despite their huge number, there will only be a few winners after the exercise and the rest will be required to concede defeat.

"There are many aspirants before us but only 11 will be chosen. Last time I had a dream of serving as the MUSO chair, but I never was. So in as much as [some of] you may not make it to be the next directors, God has a plan for you all."

or the forth-coming Moi University student elections attended yesterday's Christian Union service in a bid to seek God's anointing as the voting day approaches.