Four-wheel drive enthusiasts are gunning their engines in preparation for a race through the Kenyan bush beginning on June 1 and known as the Rhino Charge. But the event is not only about bush-bashing and aims to raise funds for the Aberdare Conservation Area in central Kenya, home to several thousand elephants, buffalo, leopard, forest hogs, and one of the last remaining strongholds of the black rhino, poached mercilessly for its horn in the 1980s. The Aberdare mountain range is also home to more than a million farmers who use its rich soils and rainfall to grow 70 percent of Kenya's coffee and 30 percent of its tea. Rhino Charge set out to raise money to build a 200-mile, game-proof fence around the entire Aberdare Conservation Area, intended to keep poachers out and animals, who were threatening crops close by, in.

The International Monetary Fund wants public officials tried for corruption in Kenya suspended from duty. The Fund's representative, Samuel Itam, said such a move would demonstrate that the government was serious about eradicating the vice.
"Corruption leads to misallocation of resources, poor economic performance and aggravation of poverty," he said.

There are 1.9 million child labourers in Kenya, a government report says. Of these, 15,000 work in risky and hazardous conditions such as mining, quarrying, building and construction, fishing, commercial agriculture and road and transport work. The report, launched in Nairobi by Planning Minister Adhu Awiti, says close to four out of every 10 child labourers work more than the standard 40-hour week. Children in domestic service routinely work more than 41 hours per week.

Six NGOs on 23rd May appealed to President Moi not to give assent to the controversial media law. The Kenya Human Rights Commission, Shelter Forum, Kituo cha Sheria, Intermediate Technology Development Group, Basic Rights Campaign and Chemi Chemi ya Ukweli said they had publications on community development which they would find difficult publishing should the new law be approved.

Six NGOs yesterday appealed to President Moi not to give assent to the controversial media law. The Kenya Human Rights Commission, Shelter Forum, Kituo cha
Sheria, Intermediate Technology Development Group, Basic Rights Campaign
and Chemi Chemi ya Ukweli said they had publications on community
development which they would find difficult publishing should the new law be approved.

Six NGOs yesterday appealed to President Moi not to give assent to the controversial media law. The Kenya Human Rights Commission, Shelter Forum, Kituo cha
Sheria, Intermediate Technology Development Group, Basic Rights Campaign
and Chemi Chemi ya Ukweli said they had publications on community
development which they would find difficult publishing should the new law be approved.

Our current knowledge about risk factors for poor birth outcomes is based almost exclusively on hospital data. How relevant are these findings in developing countries where most babies are born at home? A study by the UK University of Southampton examines factors linked to premature births, underweight babies and Caesarean section deliveries in Kenya.

Kenyan universities will hold an inaugural fair to discuss their relevance and the cost of higher education. The fair, organised by the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) slated for Kenyatta International Conference Centre between May 23 May 25, will involve 15 universities.

At least 8,000 people have been made homeless and thousands of acres of grazing land flooded by torrential rains lashing Tana River district.

Human Rights Watch on 11th May condemned Kenya's parliament for passing a new law aimed at government control of newspapers. The new law imposes exorbitant publishing fees that could handicap newspapers economically and silence new voices. Human Rights Watch urged President Daniel arap Moi not to sign the law into effect.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has expressed its concern about a bill adopted by Kenyan MPs on 8 May 2002 and called on the head of State to ask the government to drop the bill, saying it was repressive and a "clear threat" to media diversity in Kenya. "It naturally discriminates in favour of richer newspapers and introduces an ambiance of intimidation at all levels of production," said RSF secretary-general Robert Ménard in a letter to President Daniel arap Moi.

Improvement of key Kenyan roads stopped abruptly or never even began as a result of multimillion shilling corrupt deals involving World Bank official Gutam Sengupta, a top Kenyan civil servant and a string of international contractors.

The first reaction upon hearing about the topic of battered men, for many people, is that of incredulity. Author David Gross writes, "Battered husbands are a topic for jokes - such as the cartoon image of a woman chasing her husband with a rolling-pin."

The Kenya Urban Transport Infrastructure Project director has been for allegedly receiving 8m shilling [equivalent to about 103,000 US dollars] bribe from World Bank officials in Washington DC. His arrest comes in the wake of the return of a team of local investigators from the US, where they had been to investigate the bribery claims.

Members of the controversial Tent of the Living God sect have denied claims that they planned to circumcise women by force. They termed the allegations as malicious.

The International Federation of Journalists, the world's largest journalist's group, and the Eastern Africa Journalist Association (EAJA) have expressed their strong concern regarding the adoption of a media regulation that has been passed in Kenya. "This law is repressive regulation that is potentially seriously damaging to press freedom," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary.

Hopes that President Moi would block a controversial law restricting media freedom were dashed on 13th May when he declared his firm support for it. The President said he would assent to the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendment) Bill to curb what he termed as "irresponsible journalism".

Floods and landslides triggered by weeks of heavy rains across Kenya have killed at least 20 people and affected over 120,000, many of whom have been forced to flee their homes. One of the worst-hit areas was Migori District, southwestern Kenya, where some 13,000 people had been displaced due to swelling of the nearby Migori and Kuja rivers, humanitarian sources told IRIN on Wednesday. "If it continues raining we could see another 20,000 people forced to leave their homes in Migori," sources said.