TAKE 5: DJ Moz

1. Tell us a little about Changamkia Vote Yako. Why is it important to vote, and why is your target university students?

This campaign’s aim is to encourage young people to take part in the governance of our country by specifically casting their vote in this year’s election. We have our eye on first-time voters, those between 18-25 years. We are telling them that voting is their right; that this is the only way provided for in the constitution to bring about the change they desire in the governance of our country.

Young people can put a stop to the ills plaguing Kenya and change the direction we’re headed by voting, by voting in capable leaders. Why university students? Because they have the capacity to influence their peers to take action during this election period and not be used by politicians to cause chaos.

2. Why do you think majority of Kenyans are apathetic towards taking part in the electoral process?

Helplessness. They have no voice, it is almost as if no one cares about them and the difficulties they are going through. They view politicians as people who cannot be trusted, after selfish gain, so why bother to vote? That said, we have to keep pushing on, keep hope alive because positive change will come someday.

3. You are voting, how will you decide who gets your vote?

I am looking for a visionary, someone who has displayed selfless character, who is not given to dishonest gain and is God-fearing - I am certainly not describing a politician here…

4. What are you, and as part of the Kubamba family, planning for your next initiative?

Changamka is a big initiative for us, and I am glad for the partners that have come on board to enable us engage the young people in governance and encourage the rest to vote. This initiative will go beyond August 8. We, for instance, intend to continue motivating young people to take active interest in how the affairs of their Counties are run long after the elections.

This support, coupled with our ability to reach a wide audience thanks to Kubamba Radio, (91.6FM) we will achieve much more. Alongside this, we are working on a new project, KOTU, Kulture Of The Unashamed.

Unashamed of living right and doing the right thing, Unashamed of loving thy neighbour as you love yourself, Unashamed about Jesus. We are also scaling up our engagement with high school and university students over the next few years.

5. What would you say has changed about you the most in the last five years?

Well, I guess I have lost more hair since I shaved of my dreadlocks... I have also been blessed with three children - two girls and a boy. I would also say I have become wiser, thanks to engaging with young people over many years. I definitely have a lot more responsibility, managing a media house and an outreach outfit that engages over 200,000 students in high schools and universities.

_______

Hotspot

Tree Planting

Have you done your good deed for the month? This event, planned by Mti-Honey (an environmental initiative of the, Because You Said So team, is the plan you need to earn a few brownie points with Mother Nature. On July 15, at Joy Divine Children’s Home in Isinya, those that care about the environment will plant trees that will be of great benefit to future generations for years to come. For Sh1,500 you will have bought yourself seedlings and the lunch you will need after a worthwhile day’s work. Donations of clothes and dry foodstuff are welcome.

****** 

Blog review

www.throthelens.tumblr.com 

This guy says he started taking pictures because he had a good camera phone, and then discovered that he actually liked it, and so kept doing it. So many good stories start like that, no? On his Tumblr blog, he posts pictures that are an exploration of beauty, sometimes simplicity, sometimes symmetry – all in aesthetic display, with words written below them that point even further to the intricacies of the mind behind it.

“We kissed each other until we were too tired to keep going. I could still feel her holding back. It was my penance for what I had done to her. All I could do was hope the walls would fall and that I could have all of her again, but I was always leaving and she was tired of watching me walk away,” he writes.