At a well attended colorful lunching ceremony of the “Grains of sand” at Berean book store in Atlanta, the first few hundred copies of the book sold like a master piece, an indication of a good start for the book that is in its climb onto bestseller lists.

This has put Dr. Karanja, (already a celebrity among the Kenyan community in Diaspora) in the club of scholars referred to in journalistic circles as the “men of the pen”. For those who know or would like to know, publishers and especially in United States are known to reject good manuscripts sometimes on very negligible grounds. They will accept others with considerable corrections if they choose to. But believe it or not, one thing they will not do is, publish material that is either defective, unpolished or lack substance.

We all start with energy, determination and focus but somewhere down the line, the principle of last in first out catches up with us and once focus is out, the vision becomes blurred and the journey seems longer than expected.

Grains of Sand scored the highest in these areas when the Mall Publishing Company of Highland Park, Illinois, readily accepted the manuscript of the book and straight away committed themselves into publishing the book and the first two thousand copies are already in circulation. The book is an inspiring story of long journey of an immigrant, who defied all odds through racial prejudice, selected mistreatment and rejection to become president of one of the America’s fastest growing universities. His is a living parable of obedience and faithfulness, courage, determination and focus. Lack of these will lead you to the opposite direction. “Any one can become anything, depends on the direction you take” says Dr. Karanja.

The story in this book is meticulously told and documented to generate new ideas and reinvigorate old ones so as to ensure that the ones that you choose are the ones you develop to something, regardless of the circumstances. We all start with energy, determination and focus but somewhere down the line, the principle of last in first out catches up with us and once focus is out, the vision becomes blurred and the journey seems longer than expected. Careers are long and unpredictable. More often than not they are rarely linear. They zing and sang, stop and start again and sometimes they take unexpected twists and turns but when focus and hard work is given prominence, success is ensured. “Grains of Sand” is a must-read piece for every one who wants to become something.

BOOK RELEASE

Speaking during the launch, the Kenyan ambassador to the US commended the Kenyans for the exemplary effort. Mr Peter NRO Ogego urged other cities to emulate their compatriots in Atlanta. “As your ambassador I must say that I am proud to be associated with this venture and I urge Kenyans in other US cities with similar capacities to borrow a leaf from you”, he told an attentive crowd of about eight hundred invitees. Mr Ogego praised the community leadership in the region and singled out the head of the Center, Dr. George Gitonga Gitahi, terming him “a visionary leader worth emulating”.

However good some of these leaders think they are, let them not destroy the country in their quest for leadership. History will not judge them very kindly.

On his part, Kenya’s ambassador to the United Nations Mr Zack Muburi-Muita said the show of solidarity exhibited by the Kenyan community in the area was very encouraging. “You are leading by example. This  is classic example of what unity of purpose can do. It is a noble act which will go down in history as one of the best projects to be undertaken by the Kenyans in the diaspora,” he said.

 Mr Muita stressed the need for patriotism saying those playing destructive politics will be judged very harshly by history. Said he; “However good some of these leaders think they are, let them not destroy the country in their quest for leadership. History will not judge them very kindly.” The diplomat was cheered wildly when he used the analogy of a car and likened the leaders to drivers fighting for a chance to steer it away from an unsafe zone, only for one of them to puncture the tires. “If you immobilize the car in your insatiable quest, how do you and your colleagues even move from where you are?” he posed, much to the amusement of those present.

And speaking to the press soon after the launch, Dr. Gitahi said that it has taken the community over eight years to realize the dream of a Kenyan Center. He said that although the property, which also includes an adjacent chapel christened Kenyan American Community Church (KACC), is valued at US $ 2.7 million, it was offered to the Kenyans for only $ 2 million. “Besides being a place for spiritual nourishment, this Center will serve other very vital community purposes and I would like to point out that the church is interdenominational and therefore very inclusive,” he told BMJ Muriithi, an Atlanta based photojournalist who works for a US Newspaper. “We intend to eventually put up a complex which will  become a full Resource Center, further diversifying our scope of operation,” he added.

Earlier, those present were treated to authentic Kenyan music and mashairi (poems) which were performed by the members of Kenyan American Community Church.
The colorful ceremony was also graced by the president of Beulah Heights University Dr. Benson Karanja as well as the spouses of the two Kenyan envoys, Mrs Rose Ogego and Mrs Margaret Muita respectively.   

BMJ Muriithi is a photojournalist and a student of Communication and International Relations at Atlanta Metro College. He can be reached via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

These thoughts are focused on Mr.Raila Odinga, one of the aspiring candidates for Kenya’s number one job – President and Commander of Armed Forces of Kenya in the Dec. 2007 polls. In the early 2000s as a proponent of political change I had gotten convinced that Raila is a man with a bright political future. Having staked his neck alongside other young Turks for Kenya’s second liberation I admired his courage and style of pulling people together. I was sure that one day his very star would shine like that of the late Tom Mboya or J.M. Kariuki in the early days of independence. However – all this has changed after learning of Raila’s self confession of 1982 coup involvement. My hopes and those of many who shared the same ideals on Raila were all crashed on learning this damning confession. It does not matter whether the Honorable “People’s President” was found guilty or not. This confession raises serious concerns on Raila’s INGENUITY in seeking the Presidency and also confirms the fears many Kenyans have that if entrusted with such a post of immense power – he would likely get corrupted and return Kenya into the old days of darkness. What innocent reason would one have to partake in an act that will overthrow a people’s government when an election was a year away (1983). Why not wait and run for the top job as a civilian like everyone else.

Is Raila trustworthy to handle the powers and the challenges of the Presidency, one that is above law, one that commands all the armed forces of the land? Will the spirit or the ambition that led Raila to get “involved” in the 1982 coup resurface once in power and decide to indefinitely remain a Kenya’s President for Life?

It matters not where Raila hails from, such a confession casts serious credibility questions. How would Raila deal with his critics, especially those who detained him during Kenyatta and Moi era? How would he deal with the renegade soldiers who tried to overthrow Kenya’s duly elected government in 1982 if they are still alive? Are there some that are still his friends and is there any intelligence to suggest that in deed Raila will not be sympathetic to such people. Or even would his government have a place for such minds? If yes, are we not exposing Kenya to a risk of military take over should the current military leaders be replaced by such elements that were sympathetic to the 1982 coup?

These credibility questions might not bother a few but believe or not they will cost Raila the Presidency. Kenyans are not eager to vote in a man whose name has been associated with treasonable offenses whether found guilty or not - 45 years of political peace is not an easy achievement gamble with.

Raila’s credibility is heavily dented by this claim and within his camp this has caused untold nightmares. Many Kenyans felt betrayed to know that the person they had seen as a champion of change and whom they had come to respect was actually involved in one way or another in a coup that left many innocent Kenyans dead. The actions of the coup left many parents devastated for life. The coup changed the leadership style of former President Moi to the detriment of many Kenyans. To many people this attempted coup contributed to the alienation of many innocent people from the government. This coup hardened Moi and his cronies to a level whereby Kenya’s welfare was secondary to their stay in power. In essence the 24 years of degenerative politics and torture would be laid squarely on Raila and those who planned and participated in the 1982.The welfare of Kenya is larger than that of the individual and issues touching on Raila – it would be wise to rethink casting a vote in his favor.

It there boils down to this question; Is Raila trustworthy to handle the powers and the challenges of the Presidency, one that is above law, one that commands all the armed forces of the land? Will the spirit or the ambition that led Raila to get “involved” in the 1982 coup resurface once in power and decide to indefinitely remain a Kenya’s President for Life?

This excerpt is just an opinion! For comments/concerns/questions you may send an email to: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Suspected Somali pirates attacked an Italian-owned cargo ship on Monday as it headed for Kenya's Mombasa port through one of the world's most dangerous waterways, a regional maritime group said. Andrew Mwangura, director of Mombasa-based East African Seafarers Assistance Programme, said the large MV Jolly T was attacked by gunmen believed to be pirates off the shore of Somalia after bringing general cargo through the Suez canal.

It was unclear if the ship had been captured or escaped. "These must be Somali pirates. We don't know how many crew are on board," Mwangura told Reuters, saying the sketchy information came from shipping sources in the region.

"At the moment, we are trying to find out if it is being held captive anywhere, so that we can monitor its position."

Since Somalia collapsed into anarchy in 1991, pirates have taken advantage of the power vacuum and chaos on shore to hijack ships and demand ransoms with relative impunity. A brief lull during last year's six-month Islamist rule of south Somalia -- which deterred the pirates -- ended earlier this year. Since then a spate of attacks have followed.

The pirates generally use speedboats for early morning attacks, and sometimes justify their actions as defending Somali waters against illegal fishing vessels and toxic dumping. Mwangura said some of the cargo on the Italian ship was headed for an "important diplomatic mission" in Nairobi. "But we don't know which one and whether this was known by the attackers," he said. "The report of the attack only reached us this morning.

Last week, pirates left a Japanese chemical tanker they had been holding since October after U.S. Navy ships cornered them off north Somalia and helped negotiate an end to the standoff.