10 things that have happened since C-zars went missing ten years ago
Exactly 10 years today, Friday October 13, 2006, then fast-rising musician C-zars left his Bamburi home for an afternoon walk. He has not been seen since.
Those who are superstitions considered 13 unlucky number which portends tenfold bad luck if it falls on a Friday.
At the time of his disappearance, the 17- year old Amka Ukatike hit maker’s music career was not only at its peak having bagged several awards including the Chaguo la Teeniez Awards and Pure Fresh Oxygen Talent Search.
It is therefore sad that Kenya was robbed of such a talent so soon and in such mysterious circumstances. But 10 years is a long time.
So, here are some of the things that have happened around the world since he was last seen:
1. US elects its first black president, Kenya changes presidents and Mandela is no more
Voters in the United States elected the first black president, Barak Obama, in 2008. His two, four-year-term is ending this November. Back at home, Kenya transitioned from Mwai Kibaki to Uhuru Kenyatta as in 2013. Mr Kenyatta is on his fourth year of the first term. In December 2013, the world lost a peace icon with the death of former South Africa president and anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela.
2. WhatsApp, iPhone, tablets are introduced
In 2007, iPhone was introduced to the world by Apple and in 2013 they went ahead and introduced the first tablet, the iPad. In 2008 Android released the first consumer product that utilized its operating system, the HTC Dream. Google maps were also introduced in 2009. Other social media platforms like WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram and Telegram have since been launched and racked up hundreds of millions – some billions – of users.
3. Kenya gets its first superhighway
Started in 2008, it was a surreal moment in when Thika Superhighway was unveiled in 2012. The 27-kilometre road was upgraded at a cost of Sh32 billion.
4. Lupita Nyong’o wins an Oscar
Little known Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o is cast as Patsey in a Hollywood movie 12 Years a Slave for which she ends up taking home an Oscar in 2013. She is the first Kenyan to win an Academy Award. The year 2012 was also a great year for Kenya after Nairobi Half Life, a Kenyan drama film directed by David “Tosh” Gitonga, was selected as the Kenyan entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards.
5. M-Pesa launched, becomes a household name in Kenya
Safaricom introduced a mobile phone-based money transfer, financing and micro-financing service back in 2007. It has since expanded to Afghanistan, South Africa, India and in 2014 to Romania and in 2015 to Albania. M-Pesa allows users to deposit, withdraw, transfer money and pay for goods and services Lipa na M-pesa easily with a mobile device. Trillions of shillings are transacted on M-Pesa in Kenya alone each year.
6. RIP Chaguo la Teeniez
Who can forget the popular Fanta Chaguo la Teeniez which propelled C-zars to fame after winning numerous awards before he disappeared? The award has not been held again since 2012, with Groove Awards being the flavor of the month.
7. TVs became digital
In 2015, Kenya transitioned from a largely free-to-air TV into a pay-to-watch regime when analogue signals were switched off. The digital migration marked a major shift in the terrain because viewers would have to pay monthly for TV news and programming unlike before, unless they acquire the free-to-air set top boxes, which then carry the channels that do not charge. The days of mchele TVs are long gone.
8. Kenya gets socialites
A word that very few people knew about back 2006 has become so popular in Kenya for the wrong reasons. Women going naked and posting their nudes online for fame and money. As defined a spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings.
9. Arsenal has not won the EPL since
The last time Arsenal won the English Premiere League was in 2003–04 without losing a single match. At the time C-zars songs were still playing in the clubs and radio stations in Kenya. During the 2015-2016 World Rugby Sevens Series Kenya recorded its first tournament win after beating Fiji at the 2016 Singapore Sevens.
10. Kenya gets new constitution
Kenya’s new constitution was promulgated on August 27, 2010. The constitution was presented to the Attorney General on April 7, 2010, and officially published on May 6, 2010, and was subjected to a referendum on August 4, 2010. The new Constitution was approved by 67 per cent of Kenyan voters.
