Chasing Umra: The Governor Lamu Almost Had
I remember where I was on the day that the results of the Lamu Gubernatorial race were announced. Saturday 13 August 2022. I sat on the living room rug of my childhood home in Mombasa watching the votes get counted on a TV that never saw darkness until the final votes were tallied and the winners announced. Issa Timamy had secured 33% of the votes in Lamu, with Fahim Twaha not trailing too far behind with 30%.
How Not To Bungle Your 2023
At the beginning of 2021, I was determined to change my habits and emulate that of a Fortune 500 company CEO who is up by 4:00 am taking his morning jog, and who will be seated at his desk by 6:30 am, ready to embark on the day’s business. I used a good chunk of […]
Rest Is How You’ll Survive 2023
The headaches came and went like the current melancholic Nairobi weather. At first, Mara Moja pain pills did the trick and allowed me to work peacefully with ‘Time Flies’ by Burna Boy acting as a soundtrack to my creativity. But as time progressed, my body needed something stronger. That was how my addiction to Tramadol, […]
Missing Yassin Moyo. The Boy Kenya Mustn’t Forget
The courtroom was empty. Gleaming wood-panelled walls, a black leather seat on the bench and a door leading to the judge’s chamber stared back at me. I stepped out to check if I was in the right courtroom; the second one after the Constitutional Registry on the first floor of the imposing Milimani Law Courts […]
John Sibi-Okumu
“Should I be gnashing and grinding my teeth for lack of recognition for my contribution to journalism as a presenter and columnist? And to film, as an actor?”
Loss And Hope, A January Story
Whenever I think about January, I see it as a blank canvas. It’s a fresh start, and whether intentionally or inadvertently, we make resolutions, jot down those S.M.A.R.T goals, or like me, make a vision board that captures our dreams and ideas for the year ahead. There’s people who do none of these, but find […]
How Inflation Has Affected Brand Loyalty
A running joke in Kenya today is that if you have a one thousand shilling note you should not bother picking up a shopping cart, what you can afford can fit snugly in your hands. Fun as it is to crack such jokes, this is a painful reality and an education on how inflation has […]
Travelling Down West, A Busia Odyssey
I have never been claustrophobic. But in the swell of humans and their earthly chattels on this morning bus, I felt anxiety rise inside my chest. Then I remembered. I was going home. For buses, as with pubs and shoes, you will know how your journey will be the second you board. On this particular […]
Norma Swenson
“Even women with access to resources are becoming increasingly critical of the quality of the health and medical care they receive. Both quality of healthcare and outcomes are getting worse.”
The Politics of Sports TV Rights
It is easier for me to strike a football conversation with a total stranger across a bar table than with my next door neighbour, with whom I haven’t had more than monosyllabic guttural acknowledgment whenever we happen to see each other, which is rare. A bar conversation finds common ground quickly even as we support […]
