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Breaking News: Terrorists threatened to bomb Nairobi-bound Delta aircraft
By BMJ Muriithi in Atlanta, KEN has authoritatively confirmed that the cancellation of Delta's inaugural flight from Atlanta to Nairobi, Tuesday, was due to a terrorist threat. A statement from the office of US Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano, says that she personally called the chief executive of the world’s largest airline and informed him of a possible attack on the aircraft using Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) by terrorists armed with shoulder-launched missiles. The US government had earlier said that the last minute cancellation of the much publicized Delta flight was due to security concerns in and around Kenya's capital, Nairobi. The Statement further states that the US government is still reviewing the situation. "We are assessing a credible threat to civil aviation in East Africa. At this time, the current threat is too significant to permit these flights". On Tueday, a statement faxed to our newroom by Delta Airlines said that the details given for the cancellation were scanty. "We were not given any further details but we would like to assure the passengers to Nairobi that alternative arrangements are being made to enable them travel via Amsterdam on KLM Airline", said Frank Wrenn, Delta's assistant Publicity Manager. And speaking from Washington DC, Kenya's ambassador to the United States, Peter Ogego, said he was equally surprised by the last minute cancellation. "Our Transport Minister, Hon. Chirau Ali Mwakwere and I were at the airport ready to board the aircraft when we received the news of the change. The new development has come as a surprise to us, but we are closely monitoring the situation", he told KEN by phone shortly before he and Mr Mwakwere boarded a KLM flight to Kenya via Amsterdam. The inaugural flight was scheduled to leave Atlanta at 4.20pm (EST) on Tuesday and touch down Wednesday at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at 12.30pm Kenyan time. The indefinite postponement comes in the wake of the much publicized admonishments by the Obama administration that it will not be business as usual if President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga of Kenya fail to effectively steer the grand coalition into which they entered after the disputed presidential elections of 2007. It also comes against a backdrop of increasing militia activities in Somalia, a development that the US government has been watching keenly. The inaugural flight had been postponed several times since last year, but according to a statement posted on the website of the Kenyan Embassy in the US, the department of Homeland security had cleared it in April. The US ambassador to Kenya, Michael Raenneberger, has since been summoned by Kenyan government officials to explain the cancellation. Kenya's Foreign Affairs minister, Moses Wetang'ula, was quoted as saying that the action by the US government was contemptuous and unacceptable. "They can surely do better than that. Friends do not communicate through website postings", he said. It is clear that due to the speed and urgency with which this action was taken, the US government did not have ample time to brief its ambassador in Nairobi. He was caught unaware and hence was at pains to explain the cancellation. Observers believe that the prospect of direct flights from US to Kenya would have great economic impact on the East African nation, whose tourism sector is reeling from the effects of post-election violence and destruction. Others view it as a golden opportunity to strengthen and fully tap into the potential of AGOA trade agreement between the two nations. This is the first time the Department of Homeland Security has intervened to stop international service by a Commercial U.S. carrier. Delta would have been the first U.S. airline to serve Nairobi in 21 years. The last American Airline to fly directly to Nairobi was Panam, which terminated its flights in 1988. Kenya’s government issued a statement Tuesday saying security at Nairobi’s airport is “excellent,” adding that “the reasons for the postponement by Delta are still not clear". And in a written statement, Mr Raenneberger said that the US government will continue to work with the government of Kenya and Delta to enable service from Atlanta to Nairobi to begin as soon as possible. TSA also denied approval for Delta’s planned new route from New York to Monrovia, Liberia, saying the airport doesn’t meet international security standards. But even with the new development, most Kenyans who spoke to KEN were furious over the manner in which the cancellation was done. Kenya's ambassador to the United Nations, Zachary Dominic Muburi-Muita termed the action "untenable". "Even the manner in which this communication was done is suspect and smacks of lack of diplomatic etiquett", said Mr Muita in a phone interview with KEN on Wednesday. In Atlanta, the feeling was mutual. "I can't believe that the US can treat us with so much disrespect. Must the government officials humiliate us like this? They should have communicated the new development to their Kenyan counterparts before going public", said Dr Robert Ndonga, an Atlanta-based Kenyan whose wife was scheduled to take the maiden flight to Nairobi. EDITOR'S NOTE: KEN was the first Newspaper to carry this story when it broke on Tuesday. Other Newsrooms, including the Voice of America, called the Newspaper and interviewed this reporter before carrying their edition of this developing story.
GPS to Financial Freedom-Part 2
A Son who Helped Bring Mom’s Dream to Live
Mama Robi, a mother of eight could not stand the thought that the children from her Wanyororo village in Nakuru were not attending school. She had been denied education past the third grade due to the fact that her father had three wives and he was not able to educate all of them. Her dream was to help the children that were wandering in her village without supervision because they could not afford to go to school. One day she gathered the children and told them, “You will go school.” With permission from the parents, Mama Robi began teaching the children in a wooden structure that had once been used as a sawmill. Her dreams hit some obstacles when the children did not return after the first term (semester). The ministry of education denied her authorization to put up a school terming her too old to teach and deeming the land too small. Meanwhile her fourth born, Gideon Robi was in the United States studying at Beulah Heights Bible College. During one of his regular visits back home to see his mother, he learnt of his mother’s dream of starting a school and how it did not take off. Gideon asked her to gather together the village children and the one teacher she had and he shot a video. When he returned to the United States, he shared this video with then pastor of Mountain Park United Methodist Church in Lilburn, Georgia, Dr. Ferrell Drummond and the rest was history. Later, Mama Robi visited The United States to see her family, and during the service at Mountain Park United Methodist, Dr. Drummond recalled the video that Gideon had shot in Kenya. The Congregation was moved by what they saw and they instantly raised $1,000.00. Mama Robi went home to Kenya with the money determined to start the school, for a second chance had been granted. Her dream blossomed with 13 children and 2 teachers and in honor of the gift she named the school Mountain Park Academy. Having seen what she had done, Gideon and Dr. Ferrell continued to spark interest through sponsorship programs for the children. Before long, the first mission trip was organized in May of 2000. Since then, there has been a team going to Mountain Park Academy for a mission trip every summer. These groups have been providing medical care and supplies, books for the library; they also conduct vacation bible school as well as help in the construction process. In 2005, a new building with eight classrooms, a library and an administration block was built on the same hill that Mama Robi had once been discouraged about due to her old age. God provided in a mighty way through partners based in the U.S and before long the once a dream project started to take shape and blossomed into a full fledged school. With a simple philosophy such as “Love the children, feed the children, teach the children”, Mountain Park Academy has now developed into a state of the art learning center in the middle of a village in Nakuru and not to mention a feeding program for the 500 plus children that now attend the school. The blessing has spread beyond the school walls and the surrounding community does not drink from the same water as their livestock. A new well has been dug courtesy of sponsors and donors through the Kenya Project based in Atlanta. In 2007 the 12 stones dinning hall was built to help accommodate the growing number of children. Most of the children that currently attend the school are either orphans or come from very needy families. Gideon Robi helped found Kenyan project based in Atlanta and has been working with Mountain Park Academy by sending resources in the form of teaching materials, teachers to conduct seminars for the staff as well as financial aid. He now works full time with the project that is run by a board to help raise funds and organize mission trips every year. The school has become a beehive of activities as mission groups on different missions assemble there every couple of months. In 2009, over 500 pairs of shoes were purchased for the students with donations from sponsors, friends and the incredible fundraising efforts of Hugh Chapman. Talk of making an impact. Gideon Robi who is a trained pastor has helped bring his mother’s dream to intuition and acknowledges God’s hand in this ministry. Thanks to Mountain Park Methodist Church, Gideon Robi and Mama Robi, Wanyororo village will never be the same again. Gideon heard his mother’s cry and saw her passion and made it his mission and it eventually became a reality.Videos
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