Palaver

President Barack Obama should be very careful about which state he steps into considering the number of nutcases willing to send him back to Hawaii. First there were some fellows wondering whether Obama was really Christian and even whether he was American at all. The came Mr Herman Cain who says God looked far and wide and settled on him as the next occupant of the Oval Office. And now some fellow from Idaho called Oscar Ortega-Hernandez fired shots at the White House in an attempt to assassinate President Obama, who he terms "the anti-Christ". Mr Ortega-Hernandez claims to be the "modern-day Jesus Christ."

So Kenya has bought 347,768 tonnes of oil products through a spot tender for delivery between next month and February,, a Reuters report says. It speaks of 82,786 tonnes of gasoline and 167,932 tonnes of gasoil from Addax Kenya, Gulf Energy and Gapco. The gasoline comes at $20.85 a tonne above Middle East quotes. Now, for 20 marks, like all good students of math, how much do you think the fuel will retail at from the fuel pump in January and February?

Remember Mr Saif al-Islam? Could Muammar Gaddafi’s belligerent son be the same bearded, scruffy chap captured aboard two 4x4 vehicles deep in the Sahara Desert with a compass pointing to Niger exactly one month after his father met an indignified and violent end? Does Saif remember ordering the killing of unarmed protesters last spring? Wonder how long he will play deaf.

Two trains, including one weighing almost one tonne, were stolen from a miniature train park in Switzerland. A statement indicated that its employees are "very affected by the theft" and appeals for anyone with information to contact police. There is no value in this information since we cannot contact the slick thieves and ask them to steal the bulldozer used to demolish homes in Syokimau or even the City Council of Nairobi rickety mini-prisons used to fleece wananchi along city streets and Mombasa Road.

And finally…

Today is the shortest day and longest night of the year. And since it is also International World TV Day, watch KTN and let’s compare notes tommmmorrrow!