And the Pixelotto winner is ... sadly not moi. But we are happy for the online lottery winner who was finally chosen a few days ago, and he/she is none other than K. Moguche of Kenya! --

Kenya has been in the news lately for being the ancestral homeland of Senator Barack Obama, a U.S. presidential aspirant, and then there's the current political crisis -- including ethnic violence -- bedeviling the country. This time, it's a more fortunate development.

However it is precisely because of these things that a cloud of doubt has loomed over the authenticity of the lottery. Some lottery participants have questioned the transparency of the draw. Kenya is too convenient and too much of a coincidence they say. Why no photo of the winner? Why is his or her identity such a mystery? Why the secrecy of the lottery proceedings? Why no third party to oversee the draw? These and other questions are being raised.

Regarding the identity of the winner, it is understandable that he or she may have requested to keep his identity a secret -- imagine the instant relatives running after you, not to mention the government who will want to tax you (am not saying that this is wrong ), or heaven forbid the criminal elements who might want to steal your money. (Yup, I've fantasized about these morbid happenings in case I won --- now I'm glad I didn't hehe. )

At any rate, hope Alex Tew finds a way to clear things up. It's his credibility at stake. If not his millions -- some have even thought of filing a class suit against him. Sour graping? Well, not really. It is precisely because of the possibility of the public being taken for a ride that each country has its own contest laws. Hoping that Alex will come forward with the lottery details soon -- as of this writing, there's no word about the contest winner on Alex's blog yet -- so that all these speculations will be put to rest.