How To Handle Office Fights.

We all know better than to fight in the office, right? wrong

I witnessed an incident at the Nyayo Stadium roundabout today that amused me. It involved three traffic cops doing something that they really should not be doing. No, they were not taking bribes. They were actually – well – they looked like they were fighting.. There were two male officers and one female. The female wore a white shirt and a navy skirt, with a luminous yellow traffic jacket. One of the males wore the standard blue police uniform, while the second wore a brown khaki set, which I suppose means he was a senior officer.

So it surprised me when the woman started yelling at him and throwing arms in the air. Granted the man was yelling too, but I certainly would not talk to my boss that way – not if I wanted him to remain my boss. The third officer was pretending not to notice, and went on directing traffic, even as the ‘brown’ officer implored him to interfere.

I was sitting in a matatu at the time, so I have no idea what they were arguing about, but the senior officer kept pointing one way while yelling, and the woman was yelling right back, pointing the other way. I guess they disagreed on traffic directions, pun intended.

In the end, the lady went into a corner, pouting and trying to commit murder with her eyes. The senior officer planted himself in the middle of the road to stop the cars moving, and started talking on his cell phone. The third officer just went about his business like nothing was happening, though I could swear there was a smirk on his face.

Looking at the scene, I filled in the gaps for myself. The female officer, who was much slimmer than both men, had a sour look on her face. She probably felt she was being victimized for her gender. The senior officer, possibly did consider the woman’s gender. I don’t think he was belittling her womanhood, but it’s quite possible that when she made whatever mistake incurred his wrath, he was thinking ‘Typical! Just like a woman.’ The third officer was smart enough to keep mum.

When you get into an argument at work, it’s important to note a few things. One, people come with their own sets of issues, stereotypes, prejudices … and mood swings. Your boss may think you are inappropriate for your job because of your tribe, race, style, weight, or hairdo. Think of the NBA. If Shaquille O’neal messed up a slam dunk, we would assume he was just unlucky. But if Mugsy Bogues had missed a shot, we would blame it on his height. At 5 foot 3, he was the shortest player in NBA history.

So, three lessons: one, when you’re at work, keep in mind the judgements that others make, and try not to prove them right. Two, if your colleagues get into a fight, don’t take sides. Stand outside the war zone and work like nothing is happening. And three, never, ever, ever fight in front of the clients.

Remember to take it outside – or in the case of traffic officers at a roundabout, take it inside.

By Crystal Ading.

Types Of Kenyan Interviewers You Will Likely Meet.

Interviewing for a job comes with several question marks. What do I wear? How should I answer this question? How long will this take? A good job seeker prepares. Take your suit to the dry cleaners. Think about your answers. Arrive for the interview in plenty of time.

But the one factor that. can throw everything off is the type of interviewer you get. When you sit down at that table, the interviewer’s line of questioning and attitude will change what you say and how.

To give you a little extra help, here is a list of 10 types of interviewers you might encounter and how to deal with them.

1. Your best friend
What to expect: Too much of everything. You walk in the door and the handshake is a little too enthusiastic. The smile is too wide. The conversation is too personal. It’s all just too much. This interviewer treats you like a best friend, which is nice, but this style is unnerving because you want to be relaxed without forgetting that you are still on an interview.
What to do: Take this approach as a cue that you can be a little less rigid in the interview because the best friend doesn’t want an uptight employee. Just remind yourself that the interviewer can be more casual than you because he isn’t the one interviewing for the job. Show the interviewer that you’re relaxed, but stay professional and don’t act like you’re actually good friends — stories about wild parties and your personal life don’t belong in the conversation.

2. The interrogator
What to expect: Question after question after question. The interrogator doesn’t come to the interview ready for conversation. He has a list of questions to fire off and you had better be ready to answer them. Don’t expect to receive a lot of helpful feedback to gauge how you’re doing. Just expect more questions.

What to do: Watch episodes of “Law & Order” to prepare. You’re going to feel defensive the entire time and might walk away from the interview feeling as if you did something wrong. Once you realize that your interviewer is going to lambaste you with questions, just focus on answering them and don’t obsess over reading his reaction. You can try to initiate conversation with a few of your answers, but don’t be surprised if those efforts fail. This interviewer wants to hear your answers and see how you handle yourself, so staying calm is the best approach you can take.

3. The one who has better things to do
What to expect: An interviewer checking her e-mail, looking at you but not paying any attention to what you say. Some people are forced to participate in the interview process even if they have no interest in doing it, so don’t take it personally.

What to do: Answer the questions and be friendly. Try to hold conversations with this distracted interviewer and hope you can win her over — hey, it can’t hurt to have someone who likes you. But this interviewer either made up her mind before she walked into the room or doesn’t intend to give much feedback about you, so do your best but don’t take her disinterest personally.

4. The inappropriate one
What to expect: Cold sweats because you don’t know what to do or say. Every once in awhile you will encounter an interviewer who doesn’t understand limits. You might hear an inappropriate joke, a personal story that should be reserved for a therapist or a question that delves too deeply into your life. This interviewer probably isn’t trying to be inappropriate; he just has no concept of boundaries.

What to do: Stay in your comfort zone. Just because this interviewer is ready to cry on your shoulder, don’t feel pressured into doing the same. Answer what you want to answer and try to steer the conversation back to pertinent topics, such as the job requirements or your qualifications. The interviewer probably won’t realize how off track he is and will follow your lead. Of course, if you think the questions cross a line, then you want to get out of there ASAP.

5. The rule follower
What to expect: Every interviewing tip you’ve ever been told. Just like some students never imagine skipping a day of school or not doing homework, some interviewers can’t imagine going outside of traditional business interviewing protocol. Boring questions and a stoic demeanor are this interviewer’s best friend.

What to do: Be the best interviewee you can be. Do you know what your biggest weakness is? Do you know how to give the perfect handshake? Do you plan on wearing a conservative shirt under your jacket? You had better, because these by-the-book practices will earn you high marks.

6. The joker
What to expect: A comedy routine. Some interviewers have such a good sense of humor that they can’t shut it off even when they need to. You’ll answer a question and you’ll receive a sarcastic comment or a funny aside. This approach isn’t inherently bad, but it can confuse you because you’re not sure if the interview has even begun.

What to do: After a few minutes, you’ll realize that your interviewer is a joker. If this personality bugs you, you probably won’t like working for the company. If it doesn’t bother you too much, then try to play along. Joke back and show that you have a personality. For some interviewers, your résumé proved your qualification; the interview is their chance to see if you fit in with the gang.

7. The weirdo
What to expect: Strange behavior. We all know odd people, but we often forget that these odd people hold day jobs. And some of them are bosses or hiring managers who conduct interviews. Therefore we shouldn’t be surprised when we’re interviewed by a peculiar person who has photo’s of thier favorite politician hanging in her office or who asks, “Who is your favorite politician in our colaition government?”

What to do: Just go with it. Unless the weird factor transitions into creepy or offensive, you should just answer the questions and ignore oddities. If the questions and rapport are professional, but the interviewer is working on her origami, stay focused on the interview. She probably has no idea she’s doing anything strange and is paying attention to you.

8. The no-nonsense one
What to expect: Tough love. This interviewer doesn’t believe in sparing your feelings. He’s honest and will waste neither his nor your time.

What to do: Brace yourself. This interviewer will say that he’s not sure you’re qualified or that he fears you won’t fit in with everyone. Prove him wrong with evidence that you are perfect for the job. He won’t respect someone who cowers, so be just as firm with him.

9. The blank slate
What to expect: No feedback. The blank slate is an interviewer whose face remains unchanged for the duration of the meeting. You won’t see any hint that the interview is going well – or badly.

What to do: Don’t try to break the interviewer’s façade. If you spend the interview looking for clues that you said the right or wrong thing, you’ll be miserable. Answer the questions, be yourself and stay composed. Your instinct will be to think that you’re bombing, but you never know with the blank slate, so don’t let yourself analyze the situation too much.

10. The mafia
What to expect: An intimidating group. Every group interview is an ordeal. The interviewers might be lovely, horrible or a mix, but you still have several sets of eyes staring at you.

What to do: Try to relax. That seems like impossible advice, but it’s the best approach. When you have multiple interviewers, you will see several types of interviewers, so you can’t try to please everyone. Try to be yourself and find the interviewers that seem the most responsive to you. When you see someone nodding in agreement or maintaining eye contact, you’ll feel more at ease and the nerves will begin to disappear..

Esther Arunga tendered her resignation from KTN last week

FORMER TV presenter Esther Arunga, who resigned from KTN in a hufflast month, is now living in The Finger of God Church in Runda withmusician Hellon and several members of his congregation.

She has broken off her engagement and cancelled her wedding due tothe wishes of a “spiritual leader from the US” who sends theminstructions.

Tusker Project Fame teacher and jazzmusician pastor Joseph Nimroo Hellon has denied claims that he runs acultist church that has entrapped Esther. What started with a court case in Kibera where Hellon was prosecutedfor sending an abusive message to a member of his church has sparked aseries of controversial events, including claims that he has targetedseveral media personalities for recruitment to his church.

Police launched investigations after her parents filed a complaint,but police sources yesterday said it was difficult to prove that thechurch was a cult.

“We could not prove that the girl (Esther) had been kidnapped or was being held against her will,” the CID officer said.

Yesterday Hellon said that all the charges against him are false and malicious.

“A couple of guys in my church started a hate campaign against meafter they left and now because their spiritual beliefs were contraryto what the church believes in, they have even started their ownchurch,” he said. “The CID investigations against me have beencompleted and they found out that it was a case of slander and it hasbeen withdrawn.”


The saxophonist who talked to The Star yesterday evening said he hadbeen unavailable to answer questions because on Thursday evening,police confiscated his phone and computers for investigation.


“Now that they do not have a case against me or the church, they returned everything to me and withdrew it.”

The Finger of God church is known for its middle class followers.The church services are usually held at conference centres in the city.


Hellon said that he has been housing the TV personality for a year now.

He accused his personal assistant for hacking into his email and using the information to slander him.

“I know about those emails, they are with my lawyers now,” he said.

In one of the said emails Hellon is promised Sh100,000 to buy landto build the church by a US based televangelist if he follows a set ofrules.

The rules demanded that Nigerian musician Quincy Timberlake be madean apostle in the church. In addition Hellon was to record a number oftracks with Timberlake him and make sure they get a lot of mediaattention.


Other conditions include Hellon throwing out some members of hischurch from his Runda residence especially those opposed to Quincy andto “never readmit the disfellowshiped apostles.”

Sources said it was after this that problems started brewing in the church.

Some members like Esther Arunga’s then fiance Wilson Malaba and event Guru Kevin Ombajo were thrown out.


Things took a turn for the worse when the ‘US tel-evangelist’prophesied that Quincy is the right husband for the news anchor. CIDofficers investigating the case said they established that E¬ther andQuincy are lovers.

An inside source claims, “Esther’s impending nuptials to Wilson havebeen put on hold till the whole drama dies down. No final decision canbe made because she is not herself and the decisions she is making areout of fear.”

On February 11, the police visited the Runda residence looking forthe anchor after the family members expressed concern for her safetyand well-being.

The following day, in a chat with the televangelist on gmail, Esther admitted that she has disowned her family.


“That is not true,” Hellon said. “Yesterday Esther met with themother and had lunch. The reason why the parents are upset is becausethe whole family is Adventist while she has gone to join an apostolicchurch.”


As for the churches spiritual practices Hellon said, “There isnothing clandestine, we do everything other churches do, we read thebible and follow it, partake of Holy Communion and baptize.”

Tusker Project Fame winner Alpha Rwirangira also attended the churchservices in the months that he was in Kenya after his big win.

In an interview with The Star from his home in Rwanda, he was askedif he left because of the churches spiritual practices he said, “Thatis true, what I saw is true that is why I left.”

Another former TPF contestant Patricia Kihoro denied been part ofthe mentorship programme at Hellon’s Runda residence where a number ofwomen are housed. “No I had no idea there was something like that.


Kilimani police advised Esther’s family to seek remedy from thecourts as they investigate other criminal claims leveled against Quincyand Hellon.

The police say the lady is above 18 years and her case doesn’twarrant offenses like kidnapping or abduction since the family wasaware of her decision to quit her employment and move into the Rundahouse.


The saxophonist’s final words were, “I’m an upright man and I won’tstand for anything unbiblical. I’m not afraid to stand before a cameraand say it.”

Hellon is set to appear at the Kibera court on February 26 for fixing of a hearing date on the abusive text message


By Grace Kerongo. The Star.