HALALA VIRGINIA CHAPTER

FREE MEDICAL CAMP IN WESTERN KENYA SPONSORED BY HALALA USA

^{Halala Virginia
is a chapter of Halala USA established in 2005 with an aim to unite Luhyias Living}
^{in the state and join hands with Halala USA to develop and
implement projects that can benefit people of wetern Kenya.}
^{In 2006 Virginia hosted the third Halala conference and has been involved in recruiting new
members to the organization.}
^{Virginia
is also known to be the}
^{place
where Halala USA constitution was born.}
^{Virginia
looks at initiating projects that can Educate foreign-born Luhyas about the land of their ancestry, culture, and}
^heritage.
^MEMBERSHIP
^{Members will comprise of all Luhyias from Western Kenya by}
^{birth, marriage, or adoption.}
^{Any person considered eligible for membership
and desiring to become a}
^{member
of Halala shall become a member upon payment of a subscription as}
^{determined by the AGM.}
^{ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP:}
^{Shall be awarded to persons outside}
^{the circle of eligibility who:}
^{Have demonstrated their love and support for the goals and objectives of Halala.}
^{1. Were born in Western Kenya.}
^{2. Sponsored by an active Halala member
or chapter.}
^LANGUAGE.
^{English and Swahili}

^{Halala USA takes innovative healthcare plan to Western Kenya}

^{Halala
members in US met in Towson, Maryland the last weekend of August to collectively endorse the implementation of a mobile clinic
in Western Kenya.
They all came from as far as Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Virginia, Pennsylvania
and Kansas City. Their hosts Maryland Chapter through their chairlady Pracksidies Ilamaha who proudly embraced the mobile
clinic by saying that it is a blessing and many lives will be saved warmly welcomed the group. In his opening remarks the
president of Halala Mr. Pius Mwemba Thanked the hosts for providing a forum to discuss issues that affect the luhya community.}

^{The President also called upon all luhya in the USA and around the world to affiliate themselves
with Halala and support the mobile clinic project for the region. "People are dying in our villages from diseases that
are preventable and curable. We need to have better health care services for healthier and more productive lives. Lets stand
up and support our mobile clinic," he said}

^{Busia, Bungoma, Vihiga, Kakamega
to get free clinics}

^{Halala plans to run four free medical clinics in Busia, Bungoma, Vihiga and Kakamega
in the month of December to assist in the project development. The assessment will be test to see and hear from the beneficiaries.
Alongside the clinics, students who have excelled in mathematics and science subjects in the region from poor families are
encouraged to submit their requests to Halala officials who will be onsite then. Nurses and Doctors within those centers are
requested to volunteer their services during this trial. The Kakamega conference is scheduled for the 20th of December while
the clinics may run on 18th and 19th respectively at different locations. The President applauded the move taken by Dr. Isaac
Thikhutsu who traveled all the way from Kenya and Charles Wambulwa (M.D) from Pennsylvania for their move to assist the Halala
Clinic that is going to benefit the Luhya Community in Western Kenya. Kenyans have welcomed the idea of togetherness and are
already forming Halala chapters in Nairobi and Kakamega the president said.}

^{From Kansas}

^{Prof. Fanson Kidwaro a member of a newly founded
Halala Chapter in Kansas State was one of our motivational speakers for the day. Prof. Kidwaro brought the message of unity
and emphasized on the need to remain Halala in order to help rebuild our region.
The occasion also remembered the late
Barnabas Ochunyi who was until his death was the secretary of Halala Virginia Chapter. In her remarks to the conference the
chairlady of Halala Virginia chapter Selina Amakabane described him as a young man who died in the line of duty trying to
unit his people at the age of 21. She invited all to attend his memorial service scheduled for October 24th in Virginia. Mr.
Henry Nabutete the Patron of Halala USA and also the chairman of Halala New Jersey Chapter was proud of the progress Halala
has made since its establishment. Its time to start implementing our objectives with the once we have on board the rest will
join us later. Chini Ya Mti DJs played music for the occasion while Mrs Jakie Odanga from Massachusetts presented the luhya
cultural music.}

MEMBER HALALA USA

^{A Kenyan couple found dead in their apartment in Dallas - US}

^{By: KLN and Agencies

A Kenyan who has been named as Justice Mbaka and
his wife were found dead in their northeast Dallas apartment in what the police say is a likely murder- suicide. The late
is the Son of Andrew Mbaka Omwega of office of the president.}

^{Dallas
police say it appears the husband, 23, shot his wife, 20, before dousing their apartment with gasoline and turning the gun
on himself. Their names are being withheld pending notification of their next of kin.}

^{“This
morning neighbors woke up to a strong smell of gas in the area,” said Senior Cpl. Kevin Janse, a police spokesman. “They
weren’t sure where it was coming from.”}

^{The neighbors called
the fire-rescue workers, who came out to the apartments in the 11600 block of Audelia Road. Eventually, a maintenance man
realized the smell was coming from the couple’s apartment, police said. Authorities discovered the bodies about 9:30
a.m.}

^{Last week saw a rise in number of Deaths amongst the Diaspora
Kenyans, A Steven Maina who was murdered in New Zealand, Gardson Mainge Kamau found dead in}^{Plano Texas}^{, and now this couple. A sad week for the diaspora.}

^{“We’re not sure of his rationale or his motive for dousing the apartment with gasoline,”
Janse said, “if he was intending to light it or what he was planning on doing.”}

^{Had the gasoline been set on fire, it could have taken many lives, Janse said. “It possibly could
have sent the whole complex up.”}

^{Police believe the shootings
may have occurred about midnight.}

^{“Apparently some of the neighbors
actually heard two gunshots around midnight,” Janse said.}

^{“They
didn’t call 911 or take any action at that time.”}

^{Police
were called to the apartments in May, when the wife reported she and her husband got into a scuffle over his cellphone use.
The husband and wife, who, according to county records, were married last year, declined to pursue any charges against each
other.}

^{“From what the neighbors have been saying, and the maintenance
and the management, there was possibly some family problems going on, and that’s what may have led to this,” Janse
said. “But detectives are still trying to notify next of kin to get an exact idea of what was going on in the family.”}

^{Source: Dallas Morning Tribunal.}

^{Luhya song 'Vamuvamba' takes America by storm}

^{By our reporter, Sept
16 2009
An old Luhya Christian tune known as "Vamuvamba" has become an international sensation. First
brought to prominence by the Muungano Choir under Boniface Mganga, the little known lyric has hit the airwaves in the Unites
States. Since last year, at least four choirs have sung this tune at Easter Time. They include the University of Utah Choir,
Cedar Park High School Band in Texas, Lowell High School Chamber Choir in Massachussetts and Augustana Lutheran Church in
Denver, Colorado. Here we have compiled three videos from Youtube for you to judge which rendition comes closer to the real
thing as you know or remember it.}

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