12 | National News Monday September 26, 2016 | DAILY NATION

Transition > He didn’t believe Indians would leave the country en masse after independence BRIEFLY KISII Free fistula screening, Singh: The warrior who fought surgeries for women Women in Kisii, Kilifi, Nairobi and Machakos counties will receive free fistula screening and surgery battles for the good of cricket over the next one year. The Safari- com Foundation has organised free medical camps to help tackle the Jasmer BY CYPRIAN FERNANDES The years condition. The first camp is ongo- [email protected] ing at Kisii Teaching and Referral Singh was Hospital and has seen more than enya finally said “kwaheri” THE EVOLUTION OF 1,000 women from Western Kenya the head to Bwana Cricket on Fri- KENYA’S CRICKET get screened and receive doctors’ of the Kday. Jasmer Singh Grewal 1963: When the England consultation. In Nairobi, the camp was 85 when he took his final bow cricket team captain brought will be held at Kenyatta National team that on Wednesday. an MCC side to Nairobi Hospital. I met Jasmer around 1960 dur- — Angela Oketch The year Jasmer Singh beat world ing an Asians Vs Europeans match 1968: Grewal ‘Melee’ left the civil at Nairobi Sports Club. greats like service to set up Drum Pub- I had just joined the Nation and lications. GARISSA Bangladesh, was covering the match as my first Zimbabwe, assignment. As I went around 1996: When Kenya beat Cartel issuing birth, death introducing myself to a group, I the West Indies during the Sri Lanka stretched my hand to greet Jasmer Cricket World Cup tourna- certificates uncovered (many months later he told me his ment in India. Police in Garissa have uncovered and the friends called him Melee). 2003: When Kenya became an illegal death and birth registra- West Indies He did not say anything but ap- the first associate nation to tion syndicate and arrested three peared to be suppressing a growl. reach the WC semi finals. people, including officials from the He was there to cover the match registration office. Terming the ar- for the East African Standard. It rest a major breakthrough, Garissa was not long before the growl My name was police boss Aron Moriase said an changed to a smile and he was forwarded to eh investigation had been going on answering the million questions I for some time. Mr Moriase said the had about cricket and the match. Kenya Cricket birth certificates were used to ac- Melee was my first journalistic Association to train quire identity cards for non-Kenyans cricket teacher. with MCC coach which are subsequently used in the I was never to forget that growl Willie Watson for a application a passports posing a se- because I would hear it often as he possible spot in the curity threat. stood his ground against a foe in a — Abdimalik Hajir debate. It was usually about sports Kenya schools team” FILE | NATION and mostly sport politics. Melee Norman Da Costa Sports Personality of the Year hall of famer Jasmer Singh Grewal with rarely gave an inch. After all, he MOMBASA was a Sikh and history records Safaricom’s Rita Okuthe on January 16, 2015, at the SOYA gala, KICC. Sikhs as a warrior race. Filmmakers warned not He fought battles for the good know.” “Do what?” I asked. However, it was in 2003 in name was forwarded to the Kenya of cricketers and the game, hockey “Become a test cricket nation,” South Africa when Kenya stunned Cricket Association to train with to use minors in porn and hockey players and especially, he replied with a little growl. the world by becoming the first MCC coach Willie Watson for a The Kenya Film Classification about Sikhs, Sikhism and Sikhs “With four Sikhs, two Goans, and only associate nation to reach possible spot in the Kenya schools Board (KFCB) has warned of an in sport. two Patels and a Muslim?” I the semi-finals of the Cricket team. I didn’t make it but I won’t emerging trend where business peo- Melee attended two temples: asked cheekily. After all, it was World Cup, beating test nations forget Jasmer because that day at ple in the entertainment industry The Sikh Gurdwara and Sikh 1963 and murmurs of an Asian Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Sri the Sikh Union was the start of a are recruiting underage models who Union Club on Forest Road. exodus had begun. Lanka in the process. long and sometimes rocky friend- end up being exploited in some vil- Friends would tease him that he “There will always be Asians in There were hundreds of awards ship that lasted until 1976 when las and apartments in Coast. KFCB was at the clubhouse eight days a Kenya. And can you imagine how but two stick out: Life member- I left for Toronto. regional coordinator Bonventure week and never missed an occa- strong the team will be if it has ship of Marylebone Cricket I admired what he accom- Kioko said well-known modelling sion, a match or club meeting. trained Kenyans.” Club and International Cricket plished. He was the field hockey agencies recruit minors from poor He played top grade cricket I agreed with him that if Afri- Council’s Lifetime Recognition writer for the East African Stand- families promising them training along with some hockey for cans took up the sport, it would award for services as a player ard when only a select few of our to act in major movies only for the most of his “young life”. He was, bring a new dimension to the and administrator. people were given an opportunity children to end up acting in pornog- in fact, a serial sportsman, but game in Kenya. Hadn’t the West He must have reserved his to write for the paper. raphy films in the gated villas. there was always time for family, Indies shown what great cricket greatest pride when Kenyan He then got himself on the — Winnie Atieno work, friends and journalism. black players could play? players became household names. Voice of Kenya as a fill-in for Melee left the civil service in “When will you start?” I Some of these include Thomas a sports talk show on Sunday 1968 to set up South Africa-based asked. Odoyo, Steve Tikolo, Kennedy morning. EMBU Drum Publications in Nairobi. By “Soon,” he said. “But don’t tell Otieno and David Obuya. We may have had our differ- COMMENTS the time he left in 1992, circu- anyone I said so.” In the end, Melee died of a ences in hockey involving Goans Njue celebrates three Go to this link lation of Drum had shot up to Not many people saw that vi- broken heart after Kenya’s cricket and Sikhs but I respected him. We decades as a bishop to join the 120,000 from 12,000. sion. I doubt if there was a happier deteriorated. always had a few jugs of beer and debate and to It was in 1963 that MJK Smith, person in the world when Kenya Former Nation sports editor I will raise one for my friend. Rest see views from the England cricket captain, began playing in cricket’s great- Norman Da Costa writes: “My in peace Melee.” other readers: brought an MCC side to Nairobi. est arenas and even beat the West first encounter with Jasmer Singh www.nation.co.ke As we sat watching, Melee turned Indies in India in 1996 with Melee was in 1963 when, in my final year Mr Fernandes is a former Nation and said: “We can do this, you as team manager. at Dr Ribeiro’s Goan School, my chief reporter Women leaders take anti-FGM war to the counties John Cardinal Njue (above) yester- BY HENRY NYARORA Woman representatives sociation (Kewopa) to fight the provincial administrators to as- day celebrated 30 years as a bishop AND ELGAR MACHUKA Alice Chae (Nyamira), Fathia outdated practice. sist the government to stamp with a call for unity and an end to Mahbub (Mandera), Mary Dr Chebet (left) set the out the vice. tribalism. He said Kenya was at a Some women members of Otara (Kisii), Reginalda ball rolling, saying the law Ms Ong’era asked the very delicate point as elections ap- Parliament have proposed the Wanyonyi (Bungoma), Dr was not effective as initially national and county govern- proach and that there was a need amendment of the Anti-Female Susan Chebet (Elgeyo-Mar- anticipated. ments to introduce FGM for tolerance and love for one an- Genital Mutilation Act in a bid akwet) and Beatrice Nyagah “We will revisit the law to sessions in midwifery train- other. The cardinal, who hails from to have more punitive laws on (Tharaka-Nithi), as well as establish its weaknesses and ing curriculums. Embu County, spoke at St Paul female circumcision culprits. Nominated Senator Janet why it has failed to eradicate The leaders said they would Makima Catholic Parish during the The legislators from the Na- Ong’era, spoke in Nyamira 26 Counties FGM in the country,” said Dr visit 26 hot-spot counties, with 30th Embu diocesan celebrations. tional Assembly and the Senate Town, where they took the that women Chebet. the next seminar in Mandera He said it was the responsibility of said the anti-FGM laws had anti-FGM campaign. legislators say they will Ms Chae lamented that the after Nyamira and Kisii. every Kenyan to seek peace. Cardi- failed to stop the vice among The women leaders have visit in their campaign traditional ritual was flourish- nal Njue called on leaders to stop communities that subject girls come together under the Kenya against FGM ing despite being outlawed. Additional reporting by Ruth dividing Kenyans on tribal lines. to the “cut”. Women Parliamentarians As- She asked village elders and Mbula — Charles Wanyoro