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TimesLIVE
5 days ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Kenyan author who reckoned with colonial legacy, dies at 87
Celebrated Kenyan novelist and playwright Ngugi wa Thiong'o, whose sharp criticisms of post-independence elites led to his jailing and two decade in exile, has died at the age of 87, Kenya's president said. Shaped by an adolescence where he witnessed the armed Mau Mau struggle for independence from Britain, Thiong'o took aim in his writings at colonial rule and the Kenyan elites who inherited many of its privileges. He was arrested in December 1977 and detained for a year without charge in a maximum security prison after peasants and workers performed his play Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want). Angered by the play's criticism of inequalities in Kenyan society, the authorities sent three truckloads of police to raze the theatre, Thiong'o later said. He went into exile in 1982 after he said he learnt of plans by president Daniel arap Moi's security services to arrest and kill him. He went on to become a professor of English and comparative literature at the University of California-Irvine. Thiong'o ended his exile in 2004 after Moi left office after more than two decades in power marked by widespread arrests, killings and torture of political opponents. Kenya's President William Ruto paid tribute to Thiong'o after his death in the US after reports of a struggle with ill health in recent years. 'The towering giant of Kenyan letters has put down his pen for the final time,' Ruto said on his X account. 'Always courageous, he made an indelible impact on how we think about our independence, social justice and the uses and abuses of political and economic power.' Though Thiong'o said on returning to Kenya in 2004 that he bore no grudge against Moi, he told Reuters in an interview three years later that Kenyans should not forget the abuses of the era. 'The consequences of 22 years of dictatorship are going to be with us for a long time and I don't like to see us returning to that time,' he said. Thiong'o's best-known works included his debut novel Weep Not Child, which chronicled the Mau Mau struggle, and Devil on the Cross, which he wrote on toilet paper while in prison. In the 1980s, he abandoned English to write in his mother tongue Gikuyu, saying he was bidding farewell to the imported language of Kenya's former colonial master.
Daily Maverick
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Kenyan author who reckoned with colonial legacy, dies at 87
Thiong'o, who took aim at colonial rule and Kenyan elites, spent years in jail and exile after being threatened. He was hailed as a 'towering giant of Kenyan letters'. Celebrated Kenyan novelist and playwright Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, whose sharp criticisms of post-independence elites led to his jailing and two decades in exile, has died at 87, Kenya's president said. Shaped by an adolescence where he witnessed the armed Mau Mau struggle for independence from Britain, Thiong'o took aim in his writings at colonial rule and the Kenyan elites who inherited many of its privileges. He was arrested in December 1977 and detained for a year without charge in a maximum security prison after peasants and workers performed his play, Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want). Angered by the play's criticism of inequalities in Kenyan society, the authorities sent three truckloads of police to raze the theatre, Thiong'o later said. He went into exile in 1982 after he said he had learnt of plans by President Daniel arap Moi's security services to arrest and kill him. He became a professor of English and comparative literature at the University of California-Irvine. 'Indelible impact' Thiong'o ended his exile in 2004 after Moi left office, after more than two decades in power marked by widespread arrests, killings and torture of political opponents. Kenya's President William Ruto paid tribute to Thiong'o after his death in the US, following reports of a struggle with ill health in recent years. 'The towering giant of Kenyan letters has put down his pen for the final time,' Ruto said on his X account. 'Always courageous, he made an indelible impact on how we think about our independence, social justice as well as the uses and abuses of political and economic power.' Although Thiong'o said upon returning to Kenya in 2004 that he bore no grudge against Moi, he told Reuters in an interview three years later that Kenyans should not forget the abuses of the era. 'The consequences of 22 years of dictatorship are going to be with us for a long time and I don't like to see us returning to that period,' he said. Thiong'o's best-known works included his debut novel Weep Not, Child, which chronicled the Mau Mau struggle, and Devil on the Cross, which he wrote on toilet paper while in prison. In the 1980s, he abandoned English to write in his mother tongue, Gikuyu, saying he was bidding farewell to the imported language of Kenya's former colonial master. DM
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
President's son implicated in safari murder of British woman
The son of the former Kenyan president has been implicated in the murder of a young British woman in newly unearthed evidence. Julie Ward was butchered in the Maasai Mara game reserve in September 1988 aged 28. Most of her body was burned, but part of her left leg, pieces of her jaw and her skull were found intact. Whilst officials initially tried to suggest that she had died by suicide, been eaten by animals or even struck by lightning, it quickly became clear she had been murdered. She became a cause célèbre as her millionaire father relentlessly pursued her killers, but the exact circumstances of Julie's death have never been solved. Now, for the first time, her family has revealed evidence in the case that shows the Metropolitan Police spoke to a witness in 2011 who offered a major breakthrough. The witness gave an account of events that puts Jonathan Moi, son of Daniel Arap Moi, the former Kenyan president, in the frame for the murder. This newly unearthed statement represented a significant advance in the murder investigation and reignited the Ward family's hopes that Julie's killer might face justice. They have spent more than three decades trying to solve Julie's murder, and say that this is the strongest evidence yet that puts Mr Moi in the area where the crime was committed at the time. However, in a move that has been heavily criticised by the family, the Met kept the statement hidden without fully investigating the claims. The Ward family believes that this is because of a cover-up orchestrated by the Foreign Office (FCDO) and involving the Met, to preserve good relations with Kenya. At the time of Julie's death, Kenya was one of Britain's key defence allies in Africa. Whilst a cover-up by Britain has never been established, The Telegraph can disclose that the evidence was kept out of the public domain, with documents stating the key witness statements were reserved strictly for the use of British police. This was because of the potential risk of reprisals if the contents were 'divulged to the wrong person or at the wrong time'. As a result, it remained under lock and key in a London police facility and was only shared with the Wards after Mr Moi's death from pancreatic cancer in 2019. The witness statement was made by a former official at a safari camp in the Masai Mara where Julie was found dead. The witness said that Mr Moi stayed with them at around the time Julie was missing, contradicting his previous evidence to police that he had been nowhere near the scene of the crime. The family are making the revelation public now because they have tried and failed to bring a complaint against the Metropolitan Police for its alleged failures. Julie's brother Bob Ward told The Telegraph it is 'unthinkable that those statements with such vital information have been locked away in a safe in Lewisham for all of these years', and that the chance to achieve justice for Julie may now have been missed. According to the testimony from the camp official, Mr Moi and a small party contacted the camp to make a booking in September 1988, around the time that Julie first went missing. The group allegedly arrived late one evening and left unexpectedly the next morning in a way that 'did not make sense' to the camp worker. The disclosure is significant because Mr Moi had previously denied rumours of his involvement in Julie's murder, or being anywhere near the area. He told Kenyan police in 1997 that he had been at one of his farms, more than 150 miles away from the Masai Mara, 'throughout' that September when Julie died. He also said that he had 'never been at the Masai Mara game reserve'. The Ward family has long suspected that Mr Moi was involved in Julie's death, but before the camp official's statement it was only based on rumour and evidence from someone who was himself an admitted killer. Former Detective Chief Superintendent Phil Adams, whose operation in Kenya obtained the statement, said the camp official's account was 'finally something tangible and factual which put Mr Moi in the vicinity of Julie's murder, and supported a theory that he and his cronies were responsible'. He added that his personal view 'is that Jonathan Moi did go out that night… and he's taken advantage of her [Julie]. I think he's either responsible for her death or, having taken advantage of her, he's got people to dispose of the body'. The Met confirmed in a recent letter to the Ward family that in 2018, when the most recent investigation into Julie's murder was made 'inactive', Mr Moi was the 'one remaining person of interest'. By that point, the Met had been in possession of the camp official's statement for seven years. The Ward family did not obtain the statement until 2020, and they have now shared it with the Telegraph. But the Wards claim that too little was done to interrogate the information in the statement whilst Mr Moi was still alive. Mr Adams told the Telegraph that they were unable to investigate as normal, because they had told the witness they would not pass the information to the Kenyan police – but at the same time, the terms of the Met's engagement in Kenya meant that the Kenyan police had to approve all their plans. '[We said] we'll keep it under lock and key there until you are comfortable with us using it openly in an investigation, and that's how I left it when I retired,' Mr Adams said. He added that his officers wanted to obtain a DNA sample from Mr Moi to compare against evidence, but that in the end, they did not make the request to the Kenyan police because they feared they would have to explain why and that this would expose their informant. Mr Adams was not in a position to disclose the statements after his retirement, but it is believed that the Met did not share them with the Kenyan Police. Julie Ward's murder was one of the most notorious unsolved mysteries of the late eighties, comparable to the disappearance of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh in terms of the way it captured the public imagination. That was largely down to John Ward, Julie's father, who spent more than £2m of the fortune he amassed as a hotelier trying to bring her killers to justice. In his search for answers, he exposed a litany of failures by authorities in Kenya, who initially appeared reluctant to acknowledge there had been a murder at all. The first pathologist to inspect Julie's remains said in his draft report that her bones were 'clean cut', implying that she had been cut with an implement. However, Kenya's most senior pathologist, Dr Jason Kaviti, altered the document before it could be given to the Ward family so that it said her bones were cracked and torn. This suggested wild animals were to blame instead. The amendment made Mr Ward suspicious, and – with his trust in the authorities shaken - he took it upon himself to investigate his daughter's murder. He was relentless, and over the following years and decades, he helped to ensure that there was a second inquest in Suffolk, and investigations by four different police forces. There were also two murder trials of three different people, including the then head warden at the Masai Mara game reserve, but all the suspects were acquitted. In 2004, the government that succeeded president Moi admitted that there was a potential cover-up. The new justice minister, Kiraitu Murungi, said that Mr Ward's investigations did not get an 'adequate response from the Kenyan authorities at the time', and that there 'appears to be some prima facie evidence of deliberate obstruction' by some officials. What has perhaps been more surprising is the battles that the Ward family have faced with authorities in Britain. In the days after Julie's death, John Ward was invited to a meeting with two men at the British High Commission. One of the men attempted to persuade him that Julie had been struck by lightning and eaten by hyenas. It later emerged that this man was an MI6 informant and the other man an MI6 agent. Some time later, in 1990, Scotland Yard officers were brought in to look at Julie's death. Their enquiries led to the arrest of two rangers who stood trial for murder in 1992 but were acquitted. The Ward family now believes that the Met deliberately bungled their investigations in the 90s in an attempt 'to pervert the course of justice'. The relatives have spent the last two years pursuing a formal complaint against the Met Police in the hope that they would persuade the force to acknowledge its failures and reopen parts of the investigation. In a letter handed to the police and seen by The Telegraph, they said: 'Justice has not been served to the Ward family, let alone Julie. Our family have been seriously let down by the Metropolitan Police force of past years. 'We believe, due to the actions of the Metropolitan Police Service officers, a murderer remained free until his dying day and justice was not served for Julie or the Ward family. This is unacceptable to us.' The Wards added: 'We strongly believe these actions were orders or instructions from higher up the chain of command, namely the FCDO.' The Metropolitan Police have declined to reinvestigate the Wards' allegations that its officers participated in a cover-up, saying that they have previously been cleared and that its resources should be used elsewhere. A Met spokesman told The Telegraph that it had suspended the investigation in 2018 because it had exhausted all lines of enquiry. 'This decision was not taken lightly and our thoughts remain with Julie's family, who were updated accordingly. 'We have been clear that detectives would consider any new information provided to them to determine whether it represented a new and significant line of enquiry.' A Government spokesman expressed sympathy for the Ward family and said that they 'deeply regret' the fact that nobody has been brought to justice in the case. 'The Foreign Office has always absolutely refuted any allegations of a cover-up in this historic case,' they added. As part of their complaint, the Wards handed over a dossier of evidence of what they perceive as multiple failures over the years to probe Julie's death properly. They strongly criticised former Detective Chief Superintendent Ken Thompson for his failure to visit the site of Julie's remains during a four-day scoping exercise in Kenya in 1990. Mr Thompson said in his report that he had been unable to go because of ground conditions. They also questioned why Mr Thompson directed Kenyan police to Julie's jeep, without ensuring a forensic examination himself, and believe that he did so in the knowledge that it might hold valuable evidence. When other Met officers went to Kenya later that year, the jeep had been dismantled and potential forensic evidence lost. Mr Thompson has since died, but at an inquest in 2004, he strongly defended the robustness of his work. The Wards also criticised the detectives who took over from Mr Thompson, citing a 2004 independent investigation by Lincolnshire Police. It said 'the New Scotland Yard investigation into the murder of Julie Ward was poorly led, under-resourced and incompetent', that 'significant lines of enquiry were ignored' and 'forensic opportunities were missed'. Despite these criticisms, the independent investigation found there was 'insufficient evidence to support the allegation of a cover-up'. Former Detective Chief Superintendent Graham Searle, who was the senior investigating officer on the ground in 1990, told the Telegraph: 'Under the circumstances, we did the very best job we possibly could. And I stress that under the circumstances. It wasn't the easiest place to work.' His deputy, David Shipperlee, added that allegations of a Met cover-up were 'utter nonsense' and that he doesn't believe the investigation was 'incompetent'. The independent investigation was not able to get to the bottom of another disturbing finding: that a witness statement made by John Ward was altered to water down his criticism of the Kenyan authorities. The Wards believe it was done at the behest of the FCDO to preserve good relationships with the Kenyans. At the time of Julie's death, Margaret Thatcher's Britain donated considerable sums of foreign aid to Kenya. Kenya also hosted - and continues to host - a huge training ground used to train British Army personnel. The British Army Training Unit Kenya, 200 miles north of Nairobi, is large enough to train whole battalions and was used to ready personnel for the Falklands War. The Wards believe that it would have been profoundly damaging to Britain's relationship with Kenya if the son of its president had been implicated in Julie's murder. They also firmly believe that Jonathan Moi was directly or indirectly responsible for her death, although this remains unproven. In their complaint to the Met, they have accused the force of making deliberate mistakes because it suited Britain 'to help a political ally hide a murderer'. The first time Mr Ward heard Jonathan Moi's name in connection with Julie's death was soon after her body was found, when a clothes seller in the Masai Mara pressed a note into Mr Ward's hand. It bore the words: 'The man you are looking for is Jonathan Moi Toroitich' [his Kenyan name]. Some years later, he heard Mr Moi's name again from a man called Valentine Uhuru Kodipo, who secured asylum in Denmark on the basis that he had been part of a paramilitary unit. He alleged he had witnessed several atrocities, including Julie being tortured and bludgeoned to death with a club. Mr Kodipo claimed Mr Moi was present, along with two other senior political figures in Kenya: Nicholas Biwott, a former cabinet minister, and Noah Arap Too, who was director of the then criminal investigation department. Mr Arap Too has previously said he was in London at the critical time. All three men are now dead, as is Mr Kodipo. Mr Kodipo's testimony emerged in 1993, and his asylum claim was approved, suggesting that at least some of his outlandish claims may have been seen as credible in some quarters. However, questions have been raised about the reliability of his evidence, including by a member of the unit who said there was no record of Mr Kodipo. Mr Ward also believed he caught him in a lie and at one point dismissed him as a 'fantasist' whose story was 'nothing more than a brilliantly constructed pack of lies'. Jonathan Moi responded to Mr Kodipo's testimony with a statement claiming that he was not in the Masai Mara at the time of Julie's death. 'Throughout the months of September 1988, I was at my farm in Eldama Ravine [more than 150 miles north of the Masai Mara]. I have a farm at Narok [a town relatively close to the Masai Mara], and on that alleged date of September 6, I was at my farm in Eldama Ravine. I would also state that I have never been at the Masai Mara Game Reserve, but at my farm in Narok,' he said. He added that he had 'nothing to do with…the disappearance of the late Julie Ward.' The newly emerged witness statement from the former camp official offered a potential way to disprove Mr Moi's alibi. In a handwritten statement, the former camp official claimed that they had personally greeted Mr Moi when they arrived at around 10pm shortly after September 11 1988. Julie's remains were found on September 13, a week after she first disappeared. A post-mortem has suggested that she spent most of this missing week alive. Mr Moi's party allegedly left the next morning and never returned, which the camp official found 'unusual', the witness statement shows. One member of the party allegedly came back with an explanation a day or two later, claiming that they had got lost on their way to visit another one of Mr Moi's farms far away – but the former camp worker said they found this reason 'very odd'. '[I] could not understand why they would have gone to [that farm] as it was on completely the opposite side of the Mara to our camp. It did not make sense for them to have booked our site,' the witness said. Another source linked to the same camp also gave a statement, which can only be disclosed now, and provided letters from the first camp official, which corroborate some of the minor details. For the Wards, these newly emerged documents shed some light on what may have happened to Julie. But the family is also frustrated that they have faced such a battle to get this far – and that the man they believe is responsible for her death will never face justice. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. 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Hindustan Times
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Samantha Ruth Prabhu in simple white suit, pearl necklace and minimal makeup looks glitzy without being over the top
May 07, 2025 11:41 AM IST Samantha Ruth Prabhu's elegant ivory kurta and pants set is just what festive occasions in summer call for. The actor on May 6 stepped out in an ethnic outfit that is perfect for pre-wedding functions and other festivities, when you don't want to deck up in a lehenga. Her overall look is beautiful but not OTT (over the top). Also read | Samantha Ruth Prabhu serves major face card goals in dreamy all-blue ensemble. See pics If you like minimalism, Samantha Ruth Prabhu's white suit look is perfect for upcoming festivities. (X/ Actresswoods) A kurta set like Samantha Ruth Prabhu's is the epitome of versatility. It is easy to dress up or down depending on the event you are attending. The actor wore a House of Masaba outfit with ornate embroidery and paired it with whimsical pearl jewellery for a dreamy vibe. The straight kurta with a V neckline comes with flared sleeves and is embellished with a beautiful patchwork of crochet borders. It is teamed with a pair of matching straight pants with a crochet border at the side seam and an organza dupatta adorned with a beautiful patchwork of crochet borders and tassels. Samantha paired her outfit with a necklace from the brand Moi. It features an elegant line of South Sea pearls with a natural diamond-studded closure, and an emerald at its heart and pearls on either side. How much does this look cost and how to copy it? The outfit designed by Masaba Gupta sells for ₹ 32,000 on the designer brand's website, while the necklace is priced at ₹ 194,361 on Moi's website. A staple in most ethnic wear wardrobes, white suits are all about maximum impact with minimum effort. Like Samantha, pair your white suit with minimal accessories to let the outfit speak for itself. Opt for intricate embroidery or embellishments to add visual interest. To try something a little different from the actor's look, add a vibrant dupatta or scarf in a bright colour to create a statement piece. Catch every big hit, every wicket with Crick-it, a one stop destination for Live Scores, Match Stats, Quizzes, Polls & much more. Explore now!. Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Taylor Swift, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs.
CBC
11-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
London doulas worry tighter hospital visitor rules could shut them out of patient care
A recent policy change at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) to curb the rapid spread of measles has some London doulas worried about the emotional and physical impact it could have on her clients. Facing a surge in measles cases among mostly unvaccinated London-area residents, the hospital announced tightened visitor rules Friday for Children's Hospital, where measles exposures have been reported in recent weeks, and Women's Care Program, where its birthing centre is located. For now, those coming to LHSC to give birth can have only one care partner present for appointments and during labour and delivery, meaning patients can't have both a doula and spouse with them. The person must also provide proof of measles immunity, or wear an N95 mask. Brianna Bond relies on her doula for emotional and physical support, she said. The London, Ont., mother of three is set to give birth to her fourth child at Victoria Hospital this week, and has a Monday due date. Of her children, two were born with the help of doulas during the COVID-19 pandemic — one in May 2020, the other in October 2021. Tightened visitor restrictions at the start of the pandemic meant her doula couldn't be there in 2020, an experience that was isolating and full of uncertainty. Her doula was present the following year, "which was amazing," Bond said. "Everything is so different with each child, you can't possibly know everything, but these doulas do," she told CBC News on Monday. "They're able to debrief with you afterwards. Trauma and PTSD after you've had a baby, until you've been through it, you really don't realize that's a thing." According to data from Statistics Canada, nearly one in four mothers experience postpartum depression or an anxiety disorder in the months after birth. "They're not there to drink a coffee and watch you have a baby ... I think that the hospital needs to be reminded of that." A new tool for soon-to-be mothers launched this week. It's called Toi, Moi, Bébé — You, Me, Baby. It offers online videos and resources for mothers experiencing sadness or depression. We speak with Millie Tresierra, the co-founder and executive director of the Family Care Collective, about the reality of postpartum depression for new mothers. After CBC News contacted LHSC about the new policy, a spokesperson later clarified that patients who feel they require more than one person can speak to their care team about a potential exemption. The co-owner of Bond's doula agency, Sarah Hutchison, said she was disappointed by LHSC's revised visitor policy, and had lingering questions about the exemption carve-out. "I have two clients who could go into labour today, they're already overdue. Are they supposed to get an exemption from their midwife? Is that a piece of paper we show once we're in the hospital room?" said Hutchison of Dynamic Doulas of London. "In general, this feels like an overreaction. I don't feel like the numbers support this kind of response." Measles cases have spiked in recent months across southwestern Ontario, with Grand Erie Public Health and Southwestern Public Health reporting several hundred in the last several months, most involving unvaccinated minors. On Monday, the Middlesex-London Health Unit reported a lab-confirmed case involving a man in his 30s — the first in its jurisdiction since March 2024. When clients hire doulas, they want advocacy, education, and emotional and physical support, Hutchison said. A doula supports clients before, during and shortly after giving birth. They're not health-care professionals who deliver babies, and don't have access to medical records or equipment. Although certified with different organizations, doulas aren't overseen by a regulating body. "We understand exercising due caution, but this is a big deal for clients who have hired us for one of the most vulnerable times in their life," she said. She says studies have found doulas can reduce a patient's chances of needing a C-section or instrumental delivery, like vacuum or forceps deliveries, and mitigate the physical and psychological impacts of birth trauma. Since 2010, Canada has seen the highest rates of maternal trauma during forceps and vacuum deliveries compared to other high-income nations, a 2023 McMaster University analysis found.
