Nairobi, 22 October – The United Nations in Kenya, on the occasion of UN Day on 24 October, has decided to award the 2007 "UN in Kenya Person of the Year" to Mr. Abbas Gullet, Secretary General of Kenya Red Cross Society.

Speaking for the UN agencies based in the country, the United Nations Resident Coordinator Elizabeth Lwanga said: "Today the United Nations family in Kenya recognizes Abbas Gullet for his important contributions in making the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) the first place the Government of Kenya and locally based humanitarian organizations look to for leadership in times of national emergencies.

Ms. Lwanga added that “it is also our judgment that Mr. Gullet’s many years of professional and personal sacrifice exhibits a character of extraordinary accomplishment, integrity and courage – and one determined to relieve human suffering and misery in his country.

Abbas Gullet’s timely interventions and leadership has made the KRCS the leading National humanitarian organization in the country, recognized across the world as one of the best performing National Red Cross Societies, and an example of what local relief groups can achieve.

Under his leadership, the KRCS has experienced phenomenal growth. With regional warehouses around the country, offices linked by radio, telephone and Internet, the KRCS today has the capacity to handle 120,000 people in situations requiring humanitarian intervention. Its annual budget has grown from Ksh338 million in 2005 to Ksh1.4 billion in 2006. Its asset value has grown by an exponential 400 per cent after the construction of a multi-million shilling complex consisting of a four-star hotel with health club and conference facilities as well as an office block

After taking a leave of absence from the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) in Geneva, Mr. Gullet took the helms of the organization for the first time in 2001. He came to an institution that had lost its compass in the field of emergency relief. Within 9 months, he had fixed the management and financial problems and finalized a 5 year HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan. By the time he returned to Geneva, Mr. Gullet had revived donor confidence, programmes were well funded, a professional staff was in place and the KRC had Kshs.15million in the kitty.

Despite being the first African to rise to be Deputy Secretary-General of IFRC, Mr. Gullet resigned his position and returned to Kenya in 2004 where he was promptly elected Treasurer of the Kenya Red Cross Society. His sights were on more than just Kenya. With like-minded colleagues, Mr. Gullet began to organize African Red Cross and Red Crescent societies to be responsible for their own development. The vehicle that they used to institute change was the New Partnership for Africa Red Cross Societies (NEPARC), of which he was the founding director.

In each of their countries, Mr. Gullet and his colleagues adopted third party audits to enable them to know what impact they were having on the ground; worked to raise resources locally; and put in place mechanisms to ensure transparency, ethics and integrity were a part of every decision-making.

The following year, Mr. Gullet was asked to return to the Secretary-General’s post at the Kenya Red Cross Society.

After he was notified of the award by the UN, Mr. Gullet said: “I am indeed honoured to be selected for this auspicious commendation on behalf of thousands of dedicated and selfless volunteers who have given their lives to serve humanity.” He added that the award was “a reflection of years of alleviating human suffering among millions of Kenyans”.

Abbas Gullet will be honoured at a special ceremony at 11:00 AM, on Wednesday 24 October at the United Nations Complex, Gigiri.

This is the sixth time the UN Family in Kenya has collectively honoured an individual as part of its celebrations of UN Day, which is held every year on 24 October. “The United Nations in Kenya Person of the Year” is chosen based on their personal commitment towards achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
This year's runner-up is Josephine Mumo Nzioka, the driving force behind the Stara Rescue Centre and School in Nairobi’s sprawling Kibera slum. Together with three like-minded friends in a women’s group, she contributed 100 shillings a week of her hard-earned money to care for the six orphaned children. News of the Stara Group’s helping hand for the orphans spread in Kibera, and soon there were 45 children asking for food.

In 2000, faced with these growing needs, Josephine secured some funding and put up a simple wood and iron building. Thus was born a rescue centre for orphaned and vulnerable children; aiming to provide them with food and education as well as life skills and counseling. By 2004, the Stara Centre was catering for 220 children.

The numbers of children grew dramatically to 530 in no small part due to the Stara Centre joining the UN World Food Programme’s school feeding programme

In noting the Award’s relevance to the MDGs, Ms. Lwanga said that the UN was also paying tribute to “the many men and women who work tirelessly in their various fields towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in the country. We need role models such as Mr. Gullet to help us focus on why achieving the MDGs is so important: it is because it will mean improvements in the daily lives of millions on Kenyans and people around the globe.

The MDGs are a set of achievable development targets, which all Member States of the United Nations have pledged to meet by 2015. One of the eight goals is to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women. Last year, the UN in Kenya honoured women's rights campaigner and activist Hon. Njoki Ndungu as the 2006 "UN in Kenya Person of the Year".



For more information please contact:

Eric Falt, Director or Nasser Ega-Musa, Deputy Director
United Nations Information Centre, Nairobi Tel: 254 020 624560
Tel: 254 020 623292 Email: Nasser.ega-musa@unon.org
Fax: 254 020 624349
Email: eric.falt@unep.org

When young people have just graduated from high school having been in a boarding, they come to the outside world with utmost expectations like enrolling in a University to further their education so as to get employed of course in a prestigious company or organization, probably an international organization.

A lot is put at hand, but the fears of not realizing all this is never vague on their minds until the days, weeks and months pass by after they acquire their certificates. Then they realize that all is not on a silver platter.

During this time, while trying to secure employment there may be a lot of idleness observed and exposure to risks in situations like unwanted behaviors in the community, exposure to HIV/Aids, unwanted pregnancies and STD’s.

It is this focus relating to HIV/AIDS that became my concern as I saw my fellow colleagues losing hope in all after learning of their HIV+ status. Passionately through the information I gained on matters relating to the fight and stigma towards HIV/AIDs, I managed to bring together young people both infected and affected with HIV/AIDS to be empowered and to be able to reach out to their fellow youth.

The motive was to create a forum where youth infected and affected by HIV/AIDS could come together and freely share their problems with their fellow youths in a friendly and conducive atmosphere devoid of any stigma, discrimination and rejection.

The Mission is to empower youths in the fight against HIV and AIDS by involving them actively and directly, through the advocacy of positive behavior change among them, at the same time building their capacity economically through the creation of sustainable income generating activities with the aim of eradicating poverty.

This initiative has given me a lot of satisfaction and more of a reason to wake up in the morning meeting young people and listening to them outsourcing for resources in terms of trainings, internships, access to loans and more so building their capacity and skills to improve my community. Currently with a record of 60 empowered young people, I am very much encouraged to do more as we all know the struggle continues.

My fellow youth what about you? Let us know and how we can help

WE DO NOT WORSHIP RAILA BUT WE LIKE HIS RESUME!- Do I support Raila?-YES- Am I a Luo?-YES- Is Raila a visionary leader?-YES- Is Raila a god?-NO- Are there many supporting Raila just because he is a Luo?-YES- Are there many against Raila just because he is a Luo?-YES- Is Raila the answer to all the Kenyan Problems?-NO- Can Raila help lead Kenya towards justice and prosperity for all?-YES- Is Raila better than Kibaki?-YET TO BE DETERMINED (but, I believe so?)-

Is Raila better than Moi?-YES-anybody is better than Moi, even Kalembe Ndile is better than Moi!!!- Has Raila proven himself as a freedom fighter, astute politician,and a capable leader, qualified to lead Kenya?-ABSOLUTELY YES Although some of the questions and answers above may seem silly and pedestrian, they are meant to show that some of us are objective supporters of a Raila presidency!

We are not just some dogged loyalists driven by irrational euphoria galvanized in inveterate tribalism! NO! You must understand that some of us are the same patriotic Kenyans who survived Moi and feverishly supported Kibaki in the last elections. So, we are not just some ignorant worshipers kneeling relentlessly at the Raila shrine. We have valid reasons-motivated by patriotism, Kenyan pride and dear love for country.

Despite the overwhelming tribal influence, which stifles and precludes progressive national politics in Kenya, some of us appreciate Raila Odinga because we have the ability to separate the patriot from the politician-it is not that difficult! Firstly, most Kenyans know what the man has been through. Raila has been fighting for better governance, political suffrage, and justice for all Kenyans before it was fashionable to do so!

The man lost many years in detention while the rest of us sat by and allowed Moi and his cronies to cast him as a radical determined to ruin Kenya. As Raila languished in jail, most ofus, including some of the current politicians, continued to support Moi who did everything in his power to tribalize, impoverish, plunder,and corrupt our dear country. Secondly, Kibaki would never have been president if it wasn't for Raila!

It was Raila who destroyed Moi's dreams of a Uhuru Kenyatta presidency in the last elections. Whereas the other politicians remained in total disarray as Moi impetuously imposed Uhuru on the people, Raila took charge. Raila formed a rebellious coalition within KANU and delivered a severe blow to Moi. Moreover, he handed the Kenyan presidency to Kibaki on a silver platter. He crisscrossed the country popularizing and campaigning for Kibaki. Even in Central Province, Kikuyu men and women were singing Raila praises to the effect of *"Raila ni Jamba!"-*Raila is a warrior!

Let's not forget that Luos, Kambas, Kalenjins, Luhyas, and many others voted for Kibaki because of Raila. It was their belief in Raila-the man, the patriot,the freedom fighter, the visionary, which gave value to a Kibaki presidency. Thirdly, there is no doubt that the present Kenyan constitution is lacking! It is foolish to assume that any country can deliver to the citizenry when the supreme law of the land is flawed and ineffective.Progressive minded Kenyan's appreciate this simple fact. They proved it when they sided with Raila and the Orange swallowed the Banana by refusing to support a constitution that gave too much power to the executive branch. Kenyans wanted the Bomas Draft, which was drafted by Kenyans for Kenyans. Once again, Raila Odinga stood on the right side of the issue with the common man/woman.

Mwai Kibaki, on the other hand, is just an OKAY president! I say this because Moi was so terrible that by default Kibaki, or anybody elsefor that matter, was destined to fair much better. However, Kibaki isnot a great leader. A good economic manager he may be but atransformational leader he is not. Sure, the Kenya's GDP growth hadrisen but so has inflation.

The Nairobi Stock Exchange has delivered higher returns but many Kenyans continue to be marginalized as the country quickly evolves into a plutocracy where most of the national wealth is controlled by a chosen few-namely the Mount Kenya Mafia! The trickle down effects of Kenya's growing economy are debatable but there is no denying that the best economic opportunities have been allocated to specific sons of Mumbi.

What's more infuriating is Kibaki's new-found love for Moi! One of Kibaki's leading priorities should have been to recover what Moi and his cronies stole from Kenya. To turn a blind eye to Moi's plunder is to debase the dignity of every Kenyan man and woman. A gruesome crime was perpetrated on the Kenyan people. Large amounts of money were stolen, public institutions bled to death, and many sentenced to crippling poverty under Moi's government. During Moi's twenty four year rule, Kenya experienced a devastation that is tantamount to economic genocide.

Kibaki knows this-explains why his government had commissioned an investigation whose results they now refuse to acknowledge or act upon. Wake up Kibaki? Moi is a spent cartridge!!!Not to mention that John Githongo-a true patriot- is still hiding in exile for exposing government corruption at its worst! SHAME! SHAME!SHAME! It is pure hog-wash to argue that Moi must be respected and left-alone to enjoy his ill-gotten wealth for the sake of national unity! Whose unity? And who are the beneficiaries of this unity?

No one person is bigger or more important than the whole citizenry, not even Moi. It is wrong, immoral, unjust, and myopic for Kibaki to relent on this fight.For him to embrace Moi is to validate thievery and plunder. And we wonder why certain elements within the society are so eager to grab an AK47 to rob and kill the rest of us silly! How can they refrain from using a Kalashnikov to facilitate their ominous acts when the leader of the nation is allowing the greatest kind of injustice to go unpunished? HOW? The facts are simple and naked! Raila has a long history of being right.

He suffered for justice, he defeated Moi, he made Kibaki president, and he supports the right constitution for Kenya. Some ofyou may ask-and how does this make the size of my ugali bigger today?The answer is simple. It doesn't. But what I know is that of all the current leaders, only Raila has the tools and skills needed to unite Kenyans across tribal barriers. The man understands what Kenya is suffering from. He understands that many Kenyans lack a national identity, thus, default to tribe. He understands why many Kenyans have embraced a defeatist attitude that allows them to wallow in the"comfort" of mediocrity and low expectations.

He understands that Kenyans have zilch faith or trust in their elected officials. Whereas many are recommending Panadol to cure brain tumor he is urging for the right remedy-radical surgery. What we need in Kenya is the Raila Answer- a new and progressive national mind-set. If you listen to Raila speak and read his writings you must discover that his rhetoric is not based on populist propaganda. His vision for Kenya is founded on a profound wisdom that advocates for national pride and love for country.

I dare say that when you are completely proud to be a Kenyan and you are willing to fight for liberty, uphold justice for all and create prosperity for all Kenyans, then and only then will your ugali get bigger. Since Raila has been right many times before, if anything, let's give him a chance to prove himself as the next president of Kenya!!! George Kyalo Mutua -- Your faith will take you where your feet cannot.

Africa’s young people will be the driving force behind economic prosperity in future decades, but only if policies and programs are in place to enhance their opportunities and encourage smaller families. A cycle of positive outcomes can result from having a larger, better- educated workforce with fewer children to support— children who will in turn be more educated and employable, provided that institutions are strengthened and viable economic policies are in place. This policy brief outlines the opportunities and risks that can result from the large numbers of youth growing up in sub-Saharan Africa today.

As a young personwho has been involved in lots of youth mainstraeming work and yet enough has not been done i think some peopel especially the aged think we are a risk at their job s but for our economy to grow i think we are more than an opportunity for our Governments and people.

Stand Up Against Poverty 2007 finally arrived and across the globe people stood up and spoke out against poverty. At the current count more than twenty-three million people participated and numbers are still rolling in.

This is the twentieth International Day of the Eradication of Poverty, and today we not only reflect upon the worldwide concern of extreme poverty, but we also stand up and with one voice speak out against it.

“Tens of millions of people are making their voices heard by standing up against poverty -- at sports and cultural events, in universities and schools,” the Secretary-General said in his statement today at the Stand Up event at UN Headquarters. “They are calling for the actions of citizens to be matched by the actions of Governments, in developing and developed countries alike, in support of the Millennium Development Goals.”

In Nairobi, Stand Up received strong support not just from UNON where 410 staff members, led by the UNEP Executive Director, Mr. Achim Steiner, stood up to be counted, but also from the Media. Some television stations interrupted their regular broadcast to show events and read the Stand Up Pledge.

Events at the Nairobi slum of Korogocho attracted more than 7,000 people. One hundred and thirty schools in the towns of Eldoret, Bungoma, Nakuru, Molo and the city of Nairobi combined to gather over 150,000 students for their Stand Up moment.

Over 1,000 people were in attendance in Kisumu which is recognized as a Millennium City. This event was the main focus of national attention and headlined by the Kisumu Mayor; Permanent Secretary - Ministry of Planning and National Development, UN Resident Coordinator Ms. Elizabeth Lwanga, and Mr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem, Deputy Director, UN Millennium Campaign.

Finally, a human chain from Lamu Island to Shela village (approximately 2 miles from Lamu) at last count consisted of 4,505 people.