Waaringa

We all know that one person,who is gifted,fantastic at something but they don't see it.And regardless of what we say,their negative perception of self always trumps  any affirmations we make. I feel we Kenyans are like that.We have outsiders telling us we have a beautiful,safe country,that we are one of the world's  best investment destinations,that Nairobi is one of Africa's best cities and yet we are busy trending 2years of helplessness and Kidero drums. Over the years,Western media has been accused of negative publicity about Africa,of which Kenya is no exception.And we Kenyans, have decided to build on that  platform.The Garissa Attack photos,the stripping women videos,,the traffic terrorist attack warnings spread like bushfire.We eagerly retweet ,share and forward these images and messages. I read yesterday of the impending collapse of the tourism industry.We mostly blame the  government and yet I wonder if we also didn't play a significant role.Our newly ...

There was a contest last month: How can the World Bank help#End poverty in Kenya? We're inviting Kenyan citizens between the ages of 18-35 to answer this question. This is what I wrote: As early as 1965, the Government of Kenya recognized poverty as one of the major constraints of human development. Today, 49  years  later, the poverty levels are higher, not lesser despite numerous interventions by Government of Kenya and non-governmental  institutions. I strongly believe for us to win the fight against poverty, Kenyans must first learn to think for themselves. From birth, majority of Kenyans are socialised to obey, follow instructions and not to question. Growing up, the model child is the one who obeys her parents, guardians and elders. In school ,she is taught to listen to the teachers, without  questioning and cram the textbooks in order to pass exams. The same cycle happens in institutions of higher learning, she learns in order to pass exams. At t...

I ran into a colleague from Kabete yesterday and he was wailing at the fact that Waititu won the nominations in Kabete last week. He &his male agemates were blaming women for it. At the heart of the anti-Waititu sentiments was the fact that he's not from Kabete.He was popularly called 'muki' literal meaning One who comes.An outsider. A wife is also  commonly referred  to as 'muki'. The theory then is the women voted for Waititu in solidarity,that they are outsiders and they shouldn't be dismissed on account of not being Kabete natives. It's probable some voters used that reasoning to tick the box next to Waititu's name. It however,doesn't  sufficiently explain 14,696 out of 22,248 valid votes cast. Personally,I thought it was an easy way out-blaming the women.The good old Adam syndrome. Here's why I think he won: i)Good campaign-I  live near  Wangige Shopping Centre and used to hear his caravan shouting 'baba yao 'till ar...

You learn something everyday. I was sitting across a group of men in the bar the other day who were discussing their mutual friend who became a grandfather before he became a father. Huh? I was puzzled as well. This guy,married a single mother and she didn't bear him any children. He adopted her daughter and she named her son after him. I learnt a new term.or rather a new application of a familiar term.Buy one get one free. That's when you marry a woman a single woman. You get her and the child/ren for free. BOGOF,anyone?

This morning,as my class 3 daughter was getting ready for school,she recounted a conversation she had yesterday with her classmate Amy. The gist of it was how they hated Luos and ultimately Raila. And it broke my heart. Then made me feel guilty. Amongst the many voices she's been hearing about being Kenyan,  Kikuyu,Kamba or Luo,mine isn't the one that stands out.

I lost my nephew last week. One of the things I noticed is what people say-to console you. Some of them,no matter how well intentioned they are,had me cringing. Here's some of them. i)It's God's will-when I'm in pain,and I've being taught that God is a loving Father,who loves me, I don't want to hear that He wants me  hurting ii)God has a reason-well,I can't see it right now so don't mention it. All I want is raise my voice at Him and question.Don't take that away from me iii)You'll get another child.Really??????This is the most insensitive of them all. Let me mourn. iv)Give it time.Don't even go there As I said earlier,these statements and many others are coming from a good place,a place where someone wants to encourage. Here's what you can say instead i)Pole ii)You're in my prayers and /or thoughts iii)Hugs,if we have that kind of relationship.

Earlier this year,I read Amin  Maloouf's Identity.It's a very compelling and informative read. He says one identifies with the identity that's most threatened.And that explains why I've been feeling more Kikuyu than usual. I needed to take a step back and remind myself that I'm also other persons-mother, daughter,sister,friend,Christian,Kenyan,African,employer,employee,activist and  this helped ground me. To take off the Kikuyu coloured lenses. I love being Kikuyu(don't know any different really)the language,culture(the little that's left of it),history but I will not allow it to define me.