The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will provide an opportunity to elevate China's role in fostering international solidarity, peace, and the green transition, a Kenyan scholar has said.

Cavince Adhere, a scholar of international relations with a focus on China-Africa relations said the sporting jamboree, whose preparations have gone overdrive will also showcase the Asian nation's soft power, ecological civilization model, and its sterling performance in the COVID-19 battle.

"By hosting the Olympics, Beijing is demonstrating its international cooperation resolve, putting forward some of the best infrastructure aimed at strengthening the spirit and outcomes of the games," Adhere remarked in a commentary published by Daily Nation, a Kenya-based newspaper on Wednesday.

While noting that Olympic Games have fostered unity and human ingenuity, Adhere said the 2022 edition in Beijing will raise the bar higher in advancing humanity's collective good.

He lauded China for the meticulous preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics, adding that staging them against a backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic disruptions over the past two years will be a major feat.

Adhere noted that Beijing has come up with a solid plan to enhance the safety of international athletes. He commended China's decision to offer COVID-19 vaccines to participants at Beijing Winter Olympics besides promoting regular screening and other pandemic control measures.

"China's enviable track record in containing the spread of COVID-19 pandemic therefore makes Beijing one of the most qualified nations to stage the Olympic Games at this time," said Adhere.

He observed that for the first time in the history of the Olympics, the 2022 edition will be powered by green energy, hence marking a significant milestone in blending sports and climate action.

The expert stressed that Olympic Games have always served to bridge cultural, political and ideological divides adding that the Beijing edition will test China's resolve to rally nations toward unity as opposed to division.

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will take place between February 4 and 20, followed by the Winter Paralympics from March 4 to 13. Xinhua

Hakuzimana Abdoul Rashid and his lawyer Felix Rudakemwa. Photo via The Chronicles

Hakuzimana Abdoul Rashid, the political figure arrested three weeks ago accused of negating 1994 genocide against Tutsi in YouTube videos, appeared this Wednesday for his second bail hearing.

In the last hearing, Hakizinana said he had no lawyer. The session was move to today.

At Wednesday’s hearing, with attorney Felix Rudakemwa, who is Dr Leon Mugesera’s lawyer, Hakizimana informed the Nyarugenge primary court that it should rule on his illegal detention before bail hearings begin.

Prosecution is charging him with denying the genocide, negating the genocide, spreading ethnic divisions and spreading rumours. Prosecution says all these cases were committed in YouTube videos where he appeared being interviewed.

However, given space to speak, Hakizinana and his lawyer said the investigating prosecutor who interviewed him, tortured him psychologically. The investigator is said to have wondered whether Hakizinana didn’t learn from his previous 8-year jail term.

The investigator reportedly let it be known to Hakizinana that he would ensure he went to jail for a longtime by bundling together as many cases as possible.

Hakizinana told court that the investigating prosecutor instead of doing his job by conducting interview and writing down what was said, he was threatening the suspect.

It is the reason the prosecution dossier before court has no responses from the suspect Hakizinana. The suspect’s forms are empty.

However, when asked to speak, the prosecution said Hakizinana’s responses are not in the file because he refused to speak as he was before investigators.

Prosecution claims that Hakizinana, in the cited YouTube videos, repeatedly said: ‘those who are not commemorated should also be accorded commemoration’.

By this, according to prosecution, Hakizinana is suggesting there was a double genocide in Rwanda.

This charge has become common in many cases involving politicians and journalists.

The judge said he will make a ruling on November 22. - Kerry Jabo, The Chronicles

 By FLEVIAN MUTIE

Creativity and innovation are the key cornerstones of growth and sustainability in any business. Business owners keep inventing new techniques and technology to try and do things differently, so as to evade competition and remain outstanding.

Kenyans, especially in Kiambu have been left with mixed feelings, others with mouths wide open, wondering whether to embrace an entrepreneur’s technology or run for their dear lives. This was recently after a young innovative barber Julius Mwangi reinvented his barbershop business and took it to a higher level.

Julius decided instead of using the normal clippers or shavers to cut hair, he would use an axe instead. Mwangi says this was March last year, after the deadly COVID-19 pandemic left not just his business, but more others, with only a few clients or with none at all, risking closure and failure.

Julius, speaking to IEA Media, says when he saw that his business would sink, he began a door-to-door campaign for haircut- services but the fear displayed by most of his clients’ was a greater risk, with most suite premises not befitting of his operations.

“I was not even welcome in some homesteads, as some of these clients would always mistake me for a trespasser.”  “I launched the door- to- door campaign because of some demand, where some of my clients, decrying COVID-19 pandemic would ask me to go to visit their houses and offer my services from there, so I just resolved to give more comfort to them, in order to retain them.” he says.

I have quite an ardent experience as I have been a barber since 2014. I began using an axe to shave hair at Kings barbershop. Like other hairstylists, I strived out of curiosity to set my business apart from the competition in town and invented an axe which came after seeing a man shave with an axe.

Curiosity is the trick which pulls most clients to me, while fear drives the rest away, but with time, my customers always overcome their fears.” He says, adding that it is out of his unique thought he provides for his family and meets other basic needs.  

 “Offering door to door services fetched better for me but I still pushed to retain my shop. That’s how the demand for flexibility came, and I resolved to have a mobile barber shop, where I invented the van and joined hands with my colleague to run a mobile hair salon. Sometimes I could land on more potential clients who never complained of the cost even when I hiked it a little bit, to foot the cost of transport among other inconveniences.

“I landed on referrals from Nairobi’s rich suburbs like Karen and Lavington who also introduced me to others, and that is how I ended up implementing my idea of a van for business- a mobile barber shop, and inside is also a provision for a salon, it’s not a luxury as some would think.” Mwangi narrates. 

He adds that every business has its challenges where for him people would think ill of a youngster wielding- axes in a van since he had not marketed and established himself therefore spreading fear within communities which was a risk.

“The mistake that most entrepreneurs make is that they focus on the problems and the challenges they face. Some are driven by fear, fear of collapse, competition amongst many other factors they encounter. This should not make them shun and desist from pursuing their dreams or making innovations.  They should not procrastinate because time waits for no one.

IEA randomly speaks to Mwangi’s clients, and one David Masika says he fears for his dear life.  “I have had the ever bone chilling shave of my life, and my thought is never again can I risk, as the barber may be having a bad day, and that’s how death happens.” says Masika.  

James Maina says he would never entrust anyone with an axe over his head with the current rate of depression rate in Kenya.   “As for me, I can only take selfies with the axe but not dare the shave.” He adds.  John Muthama, a Kiambu resident told IEA Media that from experience, a shave from an axe is way more- smoother than using the shaving machine itself.

“ I found it cool, but the thought that an axe is being used on my head sends shivers down my spine.” He says