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Making The Right Career Choice: All You Need To Know

by Maureen Mwangi
written by Maureen Mwangi

Making a right career choice has remained a challenge among many people. Or is it?

Over a long period of time, people have found themselves in a predicament of having to choose what they are passionate about.

Well, many if not all have heard of such cases or experienced at one point but the big question still remains, what is the cause of all these?

Choosing a career can be hard especially when you have a wide range of choices that you are interested in.

Wrong career choices

In most cases, people have found themselves in wrong careers, but how does this just happen? Well, most people choose careers basing on different aspects. Some pursue careers as a result of influence from their parents, guardians or friends and there is also another category that choose courses because of the name and a group that choose courses basing on their gender.

During our early years in school, we dreamt of becoming big tittles in the society but we happen to change our mindsets as we step to the next ladder.

Uncertainty in careers choices

Uncertainty in careers choices does not only affect high school graduates but also college students who ran for courses they did not have passion in, that is why we hear most university graduates saying at the end of their course that “I have finished my parents course”.

Farida Abdallah a youth coordinator at SOS Children’s Village ,states that she has taken the initiative of supporting young people attend national career programs to ensure that youths understand what the career selection process is all about.

She also gives one on one mentorship on career guidance and have access to labor information of current employer needs to be able to meet marketable courses with accordance to an individuals interests.

“I help high school youths in subject selection with the choice of specialization based on individual abilities, talents and skills,” she said.

Career path should be a personal choice basing on one’s goals and passion. According to Anam Javed a student of Fashion Design at Asian Institute of fashion design, her career choice was greatly influenced by self-awareness and diverse experiences. She states that passion has always driven her to achieve all her
goals.

“Career is the most important path and you should be the decision- maker, because when you stop making decisions for yourself people try to take control,” said Javed.

Anam acknowledges the fact that gender has been a hindrance for many young girls to pursue their dream courses in East Asian countries where women are merely given a chance to go to school. She expresses her happiness as her parents helped her make a bold move.

“Fashion designing is a male dominated field but women in Pakistan have earned their names. I am willing to be a top-notch designer renowned across the globe,” she said.

Parents have a great influence on child’s behavior or attitude towards a certain course. In most cases ,parents wants their kids to pursue courses that they feel that their child deserves instead of exploring where their potential and passion lies .

This will give parents swift time in mentoring their child into the right courses.

Ann Njeru a mother of two, says that she never had anyone to guide her on what course to pursue which gave her a hard time before joining college and that challenged her to take her children through mentorship programs whether online or physical to ensure her children are satisfied with the courses they select as they transit to college.

In Africa, many communities have been so stereotypical about girls and young women acquiring education or becoming leaders.

African traditions that hinder women from achieving their goals should be sensitized on the importance of
education for girls.

The unquenchable desire for women to acquire education has been spearheaded by great women lead organizations such as the UN women to at least ensure that gender equality is achieved in all fields.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics fields (STEM) are courses that have always been pursued by the male gender but with the empowerment women have also been able to pursue these fields.

It’s now clear that women have similar ambitions as men do but many women lack motivation to pursue
their dream careers.

I have seen many graduates working in fields they never trained for, this should act as a challenge for parents, teachers or lay leaders to empower children to follow their passion at an early age.

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Lifestyle

International Women’s Day: What Kenyans Should Celebrate So Far

by Maureen Mwangi
written by Maureen Mwangi

International women’s day celebrated every March 8th of every year, is earmarked to celebrate
women’s achievements in social, economic, cultural political developments and challenges that
women are undergoing.

Gender Equity

According to research done by UN women, no country has achieved gender equality.

Looking at decades back, women were viewed as housewives and their duty was to fulfil duties
around that concept.

Currently, the view of women as housewives has reduced due to emerging developments in the women empowerment sector that we all need to embrace.

In Kenya, we have seen efforts in achieving women inclusivity through the implementation of the two
_thirds gender rule as per article 177 of the Kenyan constitution, Inclusion of 47 county women
Representatives, paid maternity leave in most companies and women representation in different
sectors of the economy.

The Kenyan government is working effortlessly to achieve gender equality by creating programs such as Uwezo fund, Enterprise fund, and end of Female Genital mutilation.

Gender equality cannot be achieved if the government, institutions, Faith based organizations and companies don’t address on equitable access of resources.

Discrimination

We’re all looking forward to a generation where all voices will be listened to without discrimination(discrimination against race, ethnicity, language, health status, economic,
physical and social weakness), stereotypes, stigma and violence.

Violence Against Women

End of all forms violence against women is the desire of every girl or woman growing up in a very harsh and
stereophonic society.

All genders can deliver the same talent and skills , there is no gender superior than the
other.

Equal Career Opportunities

We have currently seen women greatly taking lead in STEM fields and careers, spaces that the society has always branded them as one Gender course, men.

According to Phumzile Mlambo,the executive director for UN women pointed out that women need to be represented in all their diversities, abilities and across all cultural ,social, economic and political solutions.

International Organizations that have taken lead to empower women are but not limited to United Nations, Ananke Magazine, connected women in Pakistan , Pakistan women in computing e.t.c they have taken the Frontline to empower young girls and women.

Most countries have also set aside positions in for women representation in parliament.

Access To Sanitary Towels

Just in November 2020,the Scottish government was celebrated by the world for implementing free and universal access of period products.

Scotland became the 1st country in the world to move into that direction.

The implementation of free period products has helped to tackle period poverty in Scotland and has also encouraged women to bleed with pride.

If this move is implemented in Kenya ,am certain that it will increase the rate of girls attending classes in schools and boost their confidence in public speaking.

Let’s try to break barriers and embrace gender equality in order to empower women from all spheres of the earth and achieve gender equality.

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Lifestyle

Covid-19 And The Mental Health

by Maureen Mwangi
written by Maureen Mwangi

Mental health is a major concern that  should be taken seriously and  discussed by experts to help victims trying to deal with mental illnesses as a result of  covid-19.

 Following the outbreak of the global Covid-19 pandemic , many cases of mental instability are being reported by pyschiatrics all over the world .

The numbers of people being affected by the pandemic is increasing daily .The current number of people affected by the virus is 17,727,75 ,according to the results of worldometers .

Recently the  UN secretary General Antonio Guteress expressed his grief concerning mental health  “unless we act now to address the mental health needs associated with the pandemic,there will be enormous long term consequences for families,communities and societies”.

This means that almost every sector of the economy worldwide  has been affected in one way or another, reducing the number of business activities carried out per day.

The disease brought about heavy precautions such as reduced or no movement  at all in many parts of the world that have made so many people lose their jobs hence so many families are really struggling to put food on their table or they don’t find something to feed their families.

According to President Uhuru Kenyatta, development of any nation  is wholly dependent on the wellness of its people.

Many people are struggling to deal with stress and depression as they try to cope with the economic instability in their regions.

Cases are being reported in the media of how people are dying by suicide and homicides. This shows that there is need on giving people knowledge on how to control their mental health .

Creating awareness will reduce the hopeless state that many citizens are going through.

Research shows  that mental health has led to family break ups and divorce hence many children ending up to be homeless , family violence as many children are being sexually and  physically  harassed by their parents, stigmatization of patients testing positive of corona virus and recently pregnancy cases have increased as teenage girls claim to indulge into sexual behaviors due to hard economic times.

The health experts are calling on all religious leaders,family members and the media to help in giving people the right knowledge about mental illness.

It is the duty of everyone to help in improving the state of mental Health in our various nations.

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Sports

Man City’s £41M Ake Bid Accepted

by Maureen Mwangi
written by Maureen Mwangi

AFC Bournemouth have accepted Man City’s bid for Nathan Ake.

Talks between the clubs over the Netherlands centre-back had begun before the end of the Premier League season, but confirmation of Bournemouth’s relegation to the Championship opened a move for the defender.

£41m fee for Ake would be a club-record sale for Bournemouth.

Ake joined Bournemouth from Chelsea for a club-record fee of £20m in 2017 where he made 121 appearances and scored 11 goals in all competitions for the Cherries.

He has also been Stamford Bridge through a buy-back clause but Chelsea still have 72 hours to match or improve on Manchester City’s offer, but it is understood Frank Lampard is not interested in re-signing him.

City have been linked with several centre-backs since the departure of Vincent Kompany at the end of the 2018-19 season.

They missed out to rivals United on Harry Maguire last summer and have consistently been linked with Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly.

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Politics

Ruto Sends a Moving Late Night Message to Prominent PS Thrown Into Mourning

by Maureen Mwangi
written by Maureen Mwangi

Deputy President William Ruto on Monday mid-night sent his condolences message to the family of the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Environment and Forestry Chris Kiptoo following the passing on of his father, John Kiptoo Chebotibin.

In his condolences message, the DP heaped praised on the departed old man saying he was full of humility and with a hard-working personality.

“We are saddened by the death of John Kiptoo Chebotibin, father to Dr Chris Kiptoo, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

“Mzee Chebotibin was humble, hardworking and with a warm personality; he was a selfless, dedicated and prolific leader who worked for the greater good of the community.

“May God give the family and friends strength and courage to bear this immense sorrow. Rest In Peace,” tweeted DP Ruto.

The condolences message from the DP came several hours after President Uhuru Kenyatta had sent his regrets on Mzee Kiptoo’s death.

President Uhuru eulogised Mzee Chebotibin as a respected leader whose wisdom steered his service delivery during his tenure as a police officer.

“We remember Mzee Chebotibin as a wise and respected senior citizen who served our country with distinction as a Police Officer before retiring to become a successful cereal and dairy farmer,” the President eulogised.

Mzee Chebotibin passed away on Friday at a Nairobi hospital while undergoing medication.

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Crime & Investigations

DCI Sleuths Gun Down the mastermind in Last Year’s Nairobi West ATM Heist

by Maureen Mwangi
written by Maureen Mwangi

Wycliff Vincent Oduor, the mastermind in last year’s Nairobi West ATM heist was on Tuesday March 24 gunned down by detectives from Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

This followed a fierce shootout between a three-man gang of robbery with violence suspects, and detectives responding to a distress call from the public at Kayole Junction in Nairobi.

Armed with pistols and riding on a motorbike, the three started robbing members of public at the said location, a scene which attracted the attention of a team of Kayole detectives on patrol.

The gang defied orders to surrender, engaging the officers in a fire exchange which left the said suspect down.

The other two escaped on the motorbike but are being pursued.

During the incident, a Pistol and a kitchen knife were recovered from the slain suspect.

Wycliff Oduor aka ‘Vinii’ has been out on a Ksh. 500,000 Bond after his arraignment following the Heist.

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LifestyleOthers

What Must be Done to Actualize Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want

by Maureen Mwangi
written by Maureen Mwangi

After the colonization of Africa by the white man Africans started struggling to attain  self Independence by the help of freedom fighters .Pan Africanism was everyday dream and vision.

The rule of the white man was accompanied by many problems and difficulties such as slavery,forced labour,high taxation and death of some African leaders .

This  difficulties made Africans to unite for a common goal, decolonization of Africa for over 50 years.
It is the desire of every African that he /she lives in a Continent where peace , security  and harmony are key factors.

This key factors will ensure that Africans interact freely socially ,politically and economically .A continent where   human rights are respected and Justice is observed.

Both men and women should have an equal say ,no gender should be superior to the other.A continent where children ,youth, women  , people living with disabilities and the elderly  are taken good care of.

Corruption and misuse of public funds are  among the major  vices Hindering development in many parts of Africa. In other words, ways should be embraced to eliminate these vices to enhance development .

Good educated leaders  with integrity should be elected  to avoid extravagant and careless leadership.

Transparency in leadership ,good governance and democracy should be enhanced so that citizens can understand why somethings are being done in a particular way.

Good and affordable learning institutions should be established with good learning equipment that are required to make education successful and beneficial to everyone ,good housing system to avoid overpopulation in some areas and good ways of waste disposal.

Education to all africans will reduce the high illiteracy rate  in the continent and ignorance . Education equips people with different skills ,these skills in return help people in serving different sectors of the economy.

These institutions will also help students from different parts of the continent to interact freely without fear and share different ideas that will gear to development  of the education sector.  

An intra-trade should  introduced  where Africans exchange goods to improve the economic status of Africa .A central bank to be introduced  with a common currency to enhance development in every part of Africa.

Waste products to be recycled into  useful non pollutant products to avoid pollution of the environment.

Infrastructure  should be improved to ensure that  all economic and social activities are conducted in each part of Africa successfully.

Network connectivity should also be enhanced in the rural areas to ensure  information reaches all sectors of the continent not only in the urban areas. 

Every employer to ensure that there is good working conditions  for their employees.Good working conditions includes ,  the environment  the employee is working from, if it is suitable for the employee to work From there , reasonable salary or a wage  ,reasonable time with accordance to the amount of work being done  and security to enhanced in that area of work .

Health services is another concern  to be taken seriously.Drugs for HIV and Aids should be available in every hospital   and supplied from time to time to ensure that there is no shortage.

People suffering from HIV virus to be educated on self acceptance to avoid suicide cases. They should also be educated on the consequences of not using the drugs and to be encouraged regularly to be able feel accepted in the community.

In case of any case of a person discriminating a person living with HIV and Aids  they should be punished to avoid stigmatization  and to act as a lesson to those who are also thinking or trying to mistreat HIV patients.

Emerging diseases should be responded to quickly to ensure that we don’t lose a large  population of people.Health services should be made cheap and affordable for every citizen.

Africa should also be a Continent where citizens have freedom of speech   without fear or torture.Every citizen should have a right to contribute to public matters affecting the continent.

A forum  to be established to ensure that there is progress in Africa and to ensure that there is justice. Evaluation of progress in Africa should be conducted at least once per year.

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Latest News

Who’s This Saint Valentine? The Little-known Surprising Facts About Valentine’s Day

by Maureen Mwangi
written by Maureen Mwangi

Valentine’s Day, or is it Men’s Conference? Yes! February 14 is just around the corner, and you all know it is Valentine’s Day.

But what is it all about? Love is one of the most precious things to have in life. Love is epidemic, delightful and hurts at times.

To many, Valentine’s day symbolizes love peace and unity among lovers. But is it the case?

Different people consider celebrating this day in different ways.some choose to give their loved ones flowers, jewelries ,chocolates,cards with strong and appealing  love messages, romantic dates and many other things associated with love.

Expression of love is unique to every individual.

The history of Valentine’s Day–and the story of its patron saint–is shrouded in mystery.

We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition.

But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men.

Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret.

When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Still others insist that it was Saint Valentine of Terni, a bishop, who was the true namesake of the holiday. He, too, was beheaded by Claudius II outside Rome.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured.

According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement.

Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today.

The nature of Valentine’s varies from one lover to the other. Valentine’s day is a good day for lovers to spend time together.

Someone’s Company is very important for lovers. How will you spend your Valentine’s day ?

It is during this festival that people send love messages to their loved ones to express their feelings towards them.

Some even send video or audio clips with love content .it is also a nice day for one to propose to their loved ones. Whether young or old ,the joy of celebrating love is all the same.

During this day,people dress presentably and romantically to please their loved ones.

The red Color commonly used during this festival is believed to be a symbol love.

Most  classic hotels and pubs are normally booked during this festival. 

These days Valentine’s day has been extended to parents , close friends,siblings or anyone close .

You will find these days people want to spend Valentine’s day with their parents maybe after not having seen them for some time.

Different people have a different understanding of Valentine’s day. Some see it as day sharing love ,some see it as day for prosperity in their businesses as people will tend to buy so many gifts and items during this day.

For those who see it as day to promote their businesses they use different means to advertise their goods such as newspapers,social media and the likes.

Valentine’s day has different understanding ,it all depends with your own understanding to every individual and the reason why you celebrate that day is well known to you.

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Latest News

How to have the best Christmas ever

by Maureen Mwangi
written by Maureen Mwangi

Christmas is around the corner and you can tell that through the offers that the big retail shops are offering on goods and services and the new kind of fashion in cities.

Many people have different understanding of Christmas ,some see it as a religious festival and so they spend their Christmas Eve in church singing Christmas carols hymns and songs and watching nativity plays in church while some see it as a family reunion event because this is the time they get to see each other and celebrate together after a long period of different events .

People get excited during Christmas because they get to be off duties ,while others are so excited because they’re going to spend whatever they have been saving for this big Event during this period.

Different communities in different countries have different ways of celebrating Christmas.The way people will be celebrating Christmas in Congo is so different from Nigeria and Haiti.It is during Christmas that people prepare better meals than the usual ones.some prepare their traditional meals while others prepare the modern meals that they don’t usually afford to cook every other day.

People buy artificial Christmas trees and decorate them with paper chains,balloons,paper flowers,paper laterns .There is also making of Christmas cards to give to the loved ones.People save money so that they can travel to different countries or big cities in their country and buy new outfits for this big Event.

After Christmas day we have the boxing day where people open their presents though this day is not common to all countries in the world.

We all love celebrating but what of that child sitting in the streets of Nairobi, Mississippi,Acra and Arusha,that child suffering in the cancer ward,that orphan being mistreated by her step parents,that prisoner languishing in jail?How can we make them feel accepted in the society and impact something bin their lives?

When you are celebrating remember of the vulnerable in the society and try to make a smile of their faces don’t celebrate Christmas alone show love to your neighbors.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.

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Politics

African Politics: We are the reason behind our suffering

by Maureen Mwangi
written by Maureen Mwangi

A saying was once said ,”Politics is dirty game” and there is no one who can oppose or debate about this  saying, especially in African nations.

African leaders are so greedy and selfish , they just want to rule  the country and exert so much pressure on it’s citizens.

Look at the like of the late president of zimbabwe ,Mugabe ,who ruled  the country as if he was a dictator.

He made the lives of the citizens so hard and miserable because he didn’t want anyone else to rule the country until he was removed forcely from power by military.

Politicians before they get to power ,they convince citizens of how they’re going to improve the economy ,improve the social well being of the people build hospitals e.t.c and so many other empty promises  to lure the minds of the citizens to vote for them ,but when they get to power they forget about all this and start working on how they will grab land , misuse public funds,  and secure a good  position in the next general elections.

Africa cannot develop if their leaders cannot unite ,Africa has so many resources which it can use to compete with other European countries in terms of economy , but with the kind of leader we have who only think about self gain instead of service to the nation ,we can’t develop.

Kenya produces very good coffee which sent to USA as a raw material and comes back to Kenya fives times expensive more than it was exported.

Angola has oil which is supposed to benefits it’s citizens of which it doesn’t. We ,Africans, are suffering economic crisis  because of the leaders we elect.

This means that the blame is on us ,we are the reason why we’re suffering,if we choose good leaders then,there will be no tribal clashes , boarder disputes ,  ,terrorism , corruption cases e.t.c.

African leaders are rushing to borrow loans from China ,world bank and other European nations not because the continent is poor but because they have failed to utilise their resources .

I wish we had many and more Africans leaders like Nelson Mandela who was very concerned with uniting people from different races(white and black),he had no greed for power and he was always ready to serve his people.

Every African should think before electing any leader let us not be lured by their empty promises ,let us be moved by their good actions 

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