NOBEL PEACE PRIZE COMES HOME: AFRICA

It probably is not fair to say the Nobel Peace Prize comes home, back to Africa. But the 2011 women winners being announced just a day before Prof. Wangari Maathai, Kenya's and Africa's first female recipient of the coveted award, is accorded a state funeral, calls for a special exemption.

I also deliberately choose to overlook the fact that the Nobel honour was split between two daughters of Africa, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and peace activist and fellow countrywoman Leymah Gbowee, with Tawakkul Karman of Yemen.

I believe it is a befitting sendoff to Prof. Maathai, to not only have the efforts of women recognized but that they also come from the African continent.

Maathai's legacy will of course endure perhaps to the ends of times, and her place in global history is assured. But the fact that there are more women in her mould only makes the world a better place.

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, after all has at the moment the exclusive honour of being Africa's first female Head of State and becoming a Nobel laureate just goes to confirm her leadership and visionary qualities.

That selfish shout-out for the African continent aside, it goes without saying that it also took great courage for Yemen's Tawakkul to head the Women Journalist Without Chains and lead her country's push for women's rights and democracy.

Here's is a toast then to all the joint winners of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.

PROF. WANGARI MAATHAI: THE SPIRIT LIVES ON

The world is mourning the passing of a modern day Kenyan legend, a champion of environmental conservation and fierce fighter for social justice. And even these words cannot begin to describe Prof. Wangari Maathai.

My first personal encounter with her was in 1997, while working for a local NGO, when I was tasked with monitoring her then campaigns for Kenya's presidential elections, as well as the Tetu parliamentary seat, which she both lost.

But despite such setbacks on the political sphere, her trail-blazing global fame soared, buoyed by her zeal for matters environmental. This was to culminate in her clinching the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.

Prof. Maathai continued to scoop accolade after international accolade. I vividly recall attending one of the occasions to bestow her in absentia with an honour in Cape Town South Africa, and the awe that struck me, when she expressed her gratitude via a recorded video link, to clapping invited guests in a foreign country.

As her television reporter, I did interview her a number of times, the last of which was at the sidelines of an African Union conference in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Her clarity of thought, when discussing pertinent issues was amazing and her steadfast focus on protecting mother nature was always a joy to highlight.

Farewell Prof. Wangari Maathai. The world is so much greener because of you and your spirit, legacy and inspiration will endure till the ends of time.