Yanga in Tough Contest Against Congolese Giant

The Young Africans will have a tough task when they face visiting TP Mazembe in Dar Dar es Salaam.

T.P. MAZEMBE

Kenya: Wedding Bells are Ringing for Mombasa's Biggest Crocodile

Wedding bells are ringing in Mombasa. In a few short months, all roads will be leading to Mamba Village to witness as Big Daddy and his two brides tie the knot.

But before that, he will take a shot at a world record when, in September, a team from the Guinness Book of Records arrives in Mombasa to measure his vital statistics.

Big Daddy is not just another crocodile — and he has not always been a darling.

He was first put in captivity in 1986 after mauling five people in River Tana. And he was so mean that when he arrived at his new home, he quickly gobbled not one, not two but 10 of his friends. His appetite led Mamba Village managers to put him in solitary confinement.

Big Daddy, believed to be over 100 years old, got a reprieve a few years ago when two female crocodiles — Sasha and Salma — were introduce in his corner of the pool.

He welcomed them with open claws, and they have been living happily since. He even changed his behaviour, allowing one or the other of the two to enjoy a bite from his share of meat at feeding times every Friday.

DECEMBER WEDDING

And this, dear reader, is why come December, he will be wedded to Sasha and Salma.

"We expect that the event will attract thousands of tourists who will come to witness the rare occasion," said Mr Paul Mutua, the product manager at Mamba Village.

Already, he and his team are in talks with the Kenya Tourism Board and other players in the sector to see how the event can be used to promote tourism.

"We are still discussing on how we will put a "king's crown" on his head and veils for the brides. When it comes to "kiss the bride", there is also an elaborate plan for that," said Mr Mutua.

Before that, they have invited the Guinness Book of World Records team in September to establish the weight and length of the crocodile, with a view of listing it in the book of records as one of the largest in the world.

Crocodiles can grow to over five  metres long, live for up to hundreds of years and weigh upwards of a tonne.

The longest crocodile in the world as recorded in the Guinness Book of World  Records lives in a zoo in Australia. It measures 5.5 metres, weighs 1,300 kilos and is said to be 110 year.

BIG DADDY EATS 60KG PER MEAL

When he was captured from River Tana in 1986, Big Daddy is said to have been around 80 years old.

Big Daddy is said to have weighed over one tonne and measures over five metres long  10 years ago.

Crocodiles can grow to over five metres in length, chalk up hundreds of years and pile up to one tonne in weight. Their canine teeth can be up to four inches long.

The largest crocodile in the world as recorded in the Guinness Book of World  Records is in a zoo in Australia. It measures 5.5 metres, weighs 1,300 kilos and is over 110 years old.

At Mamba Village, Mombasa, Big Daddy feeds only once in a week, consuming more than 60 kilos of meat – or two goats — per meal.

Michelle Obama and Daughters to Stop Over in Liberia On June 27

Michelle Obama and her daughters Sasha and Malia Obama are leaving dad behind, this summer, and heading overseas.

The First Lady and her teenagers - along with Grandmother Marian Robinson - will travel to Liberia, Morocco and Spain at the end of June and into early July as part of the Let Girls Learn initiative, the White House said in a press release, Wednesday.

Throughout the trip - which includes stops in Monrovia, Marrakech and Madrid - Obama will speak to young girls about the importance of education and staying in school.

First stopping in Liberia on June 27, Obama will visit a Peace Corps Training facility where young women are participating in a Girls Leading Our World camp.

U.S. First Lady to Visit Liberia, Morocco

Michelle Obama - joined by daughters Malia and Sasha - will make stops at the Peace Corps' training facility outside Monrovia and then Marrakech, Morocco.

Mozambique Debt More Than Reported

The country's actual total debt will be significantly more than present estimates of U.S $12 Billion according to a recent study.

Uganda: My Life As a Sex Worker and Why I Quit

"Last year, I lost my best friend to HIV/ Aids. She had acquired the virus while working as a sex worker in Juba. She was one of the girls that I had started working with and she always looked out for me, telling me of profitable places that I too, could go and earn more money.

Upon her death, I realised that prostitution is no easy feat and everything we do has consequences. It was so hurtful that I was not able to attend her burial. I do not want my face to be seen lest people will harshly judge me on the streets because of my past.

Bridget (not real name) was born on December 10, 1983 in Masindi. She is a second born in her family. She did not progress in education and dropped out of school while in Senior Four in Gulu District where she was studying.

Taking a different path

I lost my mother and was later taken to live with my father. Since I had not grown up with him, it was difficult for me to adjust. I later returned to my aunt's place (my mother's sister). The conditions were not favourable. I was staying with my stepmother and she hardly cared for me. However, she cared for her children and I always felt neglected but could not confide in my father about what I was going through.

While in Gulu, my path started changing. I was misled by friends, who pushed me into leaving home. They also taught me how to sell myself. I later decided to leave home and fend for myself.

My father wanted me to study but I did not inform him of my decision to leave school. I escaped from school and my family never heard from me ever again.

It was my desire for nicer things that drove me into prostitution and I started the trade in 2007. I stopped studying because I was constantly admiring what other children had that I did not. The death of my mother also left me frustrated. There was a certain bar in Gulu where I made friends with the girls who were working there while engaging in prostitution. They advised me to work with them and when I requested for the job, I was hired. At the end of the month, my monthly salary was low and my friends recommended I try prostitution alongside my allowance.

On my first night as a prostitute, I earned Shs20, 000 and I was amazed. It was quick money and this would vary daily. When I noticed how fast I was earning, I kept engaging in the act.

However, during the first year as a prostitute, I got pregnant. I was lucky because the man who impregnated me did not deny or evade responsibility. He took charge and promised to take care of me. I did not show him that I continued selling my body. I thought to myself that since I would be delivering soon, I needed the money and the urge for more money kept me working on the street despite the fact that I was pregnant.

Reforming

When I lost my friend to HIV last year, I decided to quit. By then, we were both prostitutes in Gulu but later progressed. She was the first to explore new places.

She came back and informed me of how Juba was a great place to work since they were paying in dollars and at the time, the dollar rate was high. This meant earning more and I decided to try working in Juba. In 2013, I went and started working in Juba and returned last year. I worked in Busia, Gulu, Juba and Ntinda.

In Juba, the people there are hard-hearted. It was not easy. However, the pay was good. A client would give me about 200 pounds (South Sudan currency) and at the time, a pound was equivalent to Shs700 thus in a night, I would earn Shs140,000 from just one client.

My friend fell sick and decided to leave Juba. I stayed. I was later informed that she had passed on in August. When I returned, I decided to go for a blood test and discovered that I was positive. I was heartbroken and devastated. I never imagined that I would ever get infected with HIV through prostitution. My late friend passed on with no children but my situation was different. I later reformed and decided to quit prostitution so that I could dedicate myself and create a better environment for my children.

Secondly, since men pay us, one can mistreat and manhandle you because they feel the more they have sex with you, they are fully utilising the money you received from them.

My entire time as a prostitute, I cannot boldly say that I acquired something sensible from the trade. I only reaped diseases.

When I left prostitution, I immediately looked for a job. I became very busy and hardly had any time for anything else. I was working till late and only returning home too exhausted to think of sleeping with men. Each time I look at my children, I am convinced that I need to do an honest job and look after them. I now have a job and earn Shs150,000 monthly with a transport allowance of Shs5000.

During my process of recovering, I was introduced to a lady called Gloria Akech, the public relations officer who helps women like I reform fully. She took me to Alma family Centre located in Bugolobi. The centre has offered me counselling and I am currently being trained and helped to lead a new life while helping other women embrace change.

Words of wisdom

To all the young girls and women out there, please be content with what you have. I was driven by my desire to be like others and made the wrong choices. Appreciate and love what you have, always work hard for what you have. Sacrificing your life for earthly goods is not worth the risk. To the prostitutes, I appeal to you to reform and stop selling yourselves such that together, we can help the younger ones not to make the same mistakes.

Uganda: Students Strike Over Mini-Skirt Ban

More than 1,300 students of Aduku Secondary School, Apac District, have been sent home following a violent strike which resulted into the destruction of school property worth about Shs100 million.

School authorities said the last Saturday night strike was sparked off by a ban on wearing of mini-skirts and tight trousers.

Last week, the school administration confiscated all mini-skirts and tight trousers, a move which reportedly annoyed the students. Aduku SS is an Anglican-founded mixed O and A-level boarding school.

Before the strike, the students had also claimed that they were not comfortable with having porridge for breakfast early in the morning at 6am, the time when they should still be enjoying their sleep.

The headmaster, Mr Patrick Okwir Angulo, said last term, they issued a circular to all parents warning that mini-skirts and tight trousers would not be allowed in school. This was after it was realised that girls cut their long skirts and saw them into mini-skirts. Boys were also reducing the sise of their normal trousers making them tight.

"During the opening of this term, teachers were deployed at the school gate to check the kind of uniforms students had come with," Mr Okwir told Daily Monitor in a telephone interview on Sunday evening.

Mini-skirts and tight trousers were confiscated and cut into pieces. But those that could be resized were kept in the school store and will be given back to the owners at the end of the term.

The headmaster said that was a way of instilling discipline in the students and added that the wearing of non uniforms at school has been banned.

The culprits

But a group of about 10 students from Senior Three allegedly mobilised and spearheaded the strike last Saturday. They reportedly pulled down a wall fence measuring 307 metres, which they say limited their movement outside the school.

"They also tried to push down the wall fence from the girls' wing, but the girls never came out to join them in the strike," Mr Okwir said.

He said the students broke into the computer laboratory and destroyed all the computers by pouring sewerage on them. The protesters also broke all the window panes.

The district police commander, Mr Alfonse Ojangole, and the district education officer, Mr Billy Okunyu, visited the school on Sunday and talked to the students before they were all sent home for 10 days.

This newspaper understands that there will be a joint Parents Teachers' Association (PTA) and Board of Governor meeting on Wednesday to agree on a way forward.

The strike

A group of about 10 students from Senior Three allegedly mobilised and spearheaded the strike on Saturday. They reportedly pulled down a wall fence measuring 307 metres, which they say limited their movement outside the school.