AFRICAN STARS PAY TRIBUTE TO PAPA WEMBA

AFRICAN STARS PAY TRIBUTE TO PAPA WEMBA

BY JEFFERSON KIPKEMOI.

African stars including Cameroonian soccer star Samuel Eto’o have joined the rest of Africa and the World in eulogizing Congolese Musician Papa Wemba who passed on while performing on Saturday (23^rd April 2016) night in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

“I'm all the more affected by this sad event as I'm a big fan of Congolese music. Papa Wemba so loved his music that he left while performing.” Read part of Eto’o’s statement on his facebook tribute to the maverick African musician who liked being called the “singer”.

"I would like people to say just 'singer'. Because that's what I am. A singer. Full stop." A statement on his 1995 album Emotion read.

The musician whose real name is Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba has been described using several adverbs such as rebellious, prolific, a style icon, notorious and innovative.

He is one of the pioneers of modern Congolese soukous music. Born in 1949 and passed on at the age of 66 years began his singing career in religious choirs. In the 1970s and 1980s, he made soukous the most popular sound across Africa, and attracted international music figures like Peter Gabriel.

While working with bands including Zaiko Langa Langa, Isifi and Viva La Musica, he produced several hits like L'Esclave and Le Voyageur.

His artistic prowess did not stop with music but also in acting which saw him appearing in two feature films, Life Is Beautiful (1987) and Wild Games (1997).

He was also a style icon, and became a force in a movement called the Sapeurs, which led to young men copying him and dressing on designer clothes.

Papa Wemba’s desire to help others from humble background got him in trouble when he allegedly came up with ways of taking a number of Congolese nationals to Europe to look for better livelihoods. In 2004, he was convicted of people-smuggling in France and spent three months in prison. It is alleged that he took illegal immigrants who posed as members of his band to Europe.

For his trouble a Belgian court convicted him of the same crime in 2012, handing down a fine of 22,000 euros (£17,143; $24,690; Sh.2, 518, 380) and a suspended prison sentence of 15 months.

Others who paid tribute to Papa Wemba are Angelique Kidjo who said this about him on BBC’s news hour program, “His whole attitude about dressing well was part of the narrative that we Africans have been denied our humanity for so long. People have always had stereotypes about us, and he was saying dressing well is not just a matter of money, not just something for Westerners, but that we Africans also have elegance. It was all about defining ourselves and refusing to be stripped of our humanity.”

“Africa has lost another worthy son in the shape of Papa Wemba. It's a painful beginning to 2016.” Musician Manu Dibango said.

Another musician Koffi Olomide said, “It’s a catastrophe. Congolese music has been decimated, it's been blown apart. I don't know what to say.”

Papa Wemba will be remembered for taking Soukous style of music a blend of Cuban, Latin American and traditional African sounds to the rest of the world as well as making Kinshasa the music capital of Africa.

COURT IN BOMET ALLOWS COUNTY GOVERNMENT TO CONTINUE DUMPING AT SITE

COURT ALLOWS COUNTY GOVERNMENT TO CONTINUE DUMPING AT SITE

BY JEFFERSON KIPKEMOI.

A High court in Bomet has granted an application by the county government of Bomet to continue using the land that had been allocated for the proposed constituent college of Moi University in Bomet town as a waste dumpsite until the matter is heard and settled.

While granting the ruling Justice Martin Muya, said that the matter be heard inter parties on May 23^rd at 11 am.

The application was filed by lawyers Daniel Chege and Cosmas Koech representing the county government Bomet.

Governor Isaac Ruto had moved to court to seek orders stopping Moi University from constructing its constituent college at the land that was allocated to the institution by the national government.

While requesting for the status quo on the land to remain as the matter was being addressed by representatives of Bomet county government and Moi University, lawyer Chege told the court that the site was being used as a dumping site for the town residents waste and that the county had no other alternative land for the purpose.

Advocate Z.Yegon representing Moi University told the court that he could not establish whether the land allocated to the institution became a dumpsite recently or it had been used for the purpose many years ago.

Bomet county leaders including senator Prof. Wilfred Lesan, Sotik MP and deputy speaker of the national Assembly Dr. Joyce Laboso and Bomet Central MP Mr. Ronald Tonui were in court when the ruling was made.

The three leaders appealed to the Governor to withdraw the case and allow the construction of the University to go on and avoid losing Sh. 400 million that had already been set aside for the construction of the institution in the last and the current financial years.

"The money that was allocated for the construction of the University is likely to be returned to the treasury if the matter surrounding the land continue to raise controversy and delays." Mr. Tonui said.

Lawyer Mr. Nelson Mutai who represented the interests of area MPs and other interested parties made an application to have the group enjoined in the case and was granted by Judge Muya.

After the ruling was made, some Bomet county residents opposed to the ruling went to the streets of Bomet to demonstrate against the move and expressed that setting up a University was more beneficial than the parcel of land being utilized for dumping waste.

Longisa ward representative Stephen Chang’morik asked Members of the National Assembly from Bomet to respect the rule of law and let the court decide on the verdict of the parcel of land.