Munene, the journey...

"You speak very good English, where did you learn?" a person I just met asks. "In Kenya, in school…" I calmly reply. "Wow! You speak English in Kenya?" He continues. "Oh yes, we do …" The conversation goes into how we do (not) live with lions as pets and how I don’t run like "all" other Kenyans they've seen on TV. If you are wondering, this is an actual conversation I have had with persons I have met here in the US. This is not to say every conversation I have had goes this way. On the contrary, in the greater Washington metropolitan area where I live, this is the exception. Any time I have to field questions about Kenya, however, I feel as if the responsibility to represent Kenya and communicate its brand is upon my shoulders. This is despite not getting any training on this aspect of my travel experience. Some other well-meaning people have said, once hearing I am from Kenya, that they visited Uganda, Rwanda, Bots...

President-Elect Trump successfully ran under the banner of making America first, reducing foreign 'interference' and trying new ways to work with partners on the international scene to solve some intractable challenges. The first tenet, in my opinion, is something that should interest African nations, because of the collective acknowledged viewpoint of making Africa work for Africans. Looking back at the powers that scrambled for Africa more than 125 years ago to present day, we see challenges that have been brought about by the fact that Africa still remains a playground for western powers. The Democratic Republic of Congo fails to move forward due to the strong interests that keep fueling violence in order to continue the parasitic extraction of the vast resources with little benefit to the people of Congo. The CFA countries of Central and West Africa still depend on precolonial arrangements with France to manage their monetary policies, stealing the initiative fro...

We have been lying to ourselves that our leadership is the problem. No, it's not. The problem is with us, Kenyans. We are in fact the core of the problem. Why? We already know why. We refuse to take responsibility for ourselves, for our families, for our communities and for our nation. And so the country has gone to the dogs (the dogs are doing much better by the way). We want to change the world, we want to change our country, yet we cannot even change ourselves. And, therefore, we remain where we are. In fact, we are where we want to be. We cannot truly want one thing and get its opposite, the universe does not work like that. We love wallowing in our own filth, like pigs wallowing in a mire. And yet we complain about leadership or a lack thereof. We wait on a few people to do the work and lead us, but they are busy enriching themselves on our taxes. And no, the so called charity organizations are not in the work of charity, they are in business, just like everyone else. ...

He walked to the podium and stared at what we could only guess was his speech. He cleared his throat noisily and looked at the sea of expectant faces. He looked down again and began. "I don’t know what to say, I am not a great speaker, nor do I know any poems that would entertain you, nor do words come smoothly out of my mouth, for I am a stutterer. Last night, as I contemplated what I would say, I asked the Lord what He would have me say. After four hours, I was convinced that the Lord did not want me to speak on this podium today, for He remained silent. And so this morning, I called the Provost and told her to choose someone else to give the commencement speech on behalf of our class, she refused. She did not give any reason, even though I told her I had no written speech, nor did I have organized thoughts from which to draw a message. She remained adamant. So, here we are." He motioned at the building and entire congregation. Everyone was silent, no one breathing. Thi...

How do myths and unsupported beliefs begin? Well, I don't know. But I will take a wild guess. Chance and coincidences. Among the Meru people, if you are walking on a road and see a black animal cross ahead of you, you need to turn back and use another route. Or if it's raining and you go out in red clothing, you will be struck by lightning. Oh yes, go back now before you die So, how did my community come up with these superstitions? I don't know. I have a hunch. One day, someone walked out in red clothes during a thunderstorm and they were struck by lightning. The following day, someone else wanted to go out. The village elders warned him not to go out in red attire during a thunderstorm. Well, he did not listen, and unfortunately, was also struck by lightning. And thus grew the superstition. This is the same with most of our beliefs. They make sense to us because we have believed them for so long. Some seem natural. We have always known them. Our parents always s...

Chair: Order! Let's have some order in here! (looking around ) Do we have all the parties in here? ( his assistant looks around, counts the faces, and nods ). Alright, let's get on with it, what are the matters at hand? ( A hand at the far edge of the room shoots up, it's a young man who has been quiet all along) Young man: Mr. Chairman sir, may I... Chair: Please tell us your name, where you come from and why it is you have called for this meeting. Young man: Thank you sir. My name is Ezekiel, and I am a resident of this town. I would like to express my interest in buying a car from your dealership. Chair: ( leaning back in his chair ) Ok, go on... Ezekiel: I have seen a certain model of a car being driven in town and I'm considering buying it from your dealership. However, I am not certain it is the right car for me... Chair: Why not? Ezekiel: Well, for one, I do not know how it drives. I have spoken to three different drivers, and they give contradicti...

I am among those who were shocked when on November 9, I woke up to the news that the unlikeliest of presidential candidates had clinched the American presidency. I could not wrap my head around a Trump win, because it had been so unlikely! Where did it all come from? Should we blame so-called populism? O yes! Impossible it was! Trump had to surmount a 99% chance that Clinton was going to win. She had led the polls all along, and there was no chance for an upset. All polls except two or three had predicted a landslide win for Clinton. All the TV stations all talked about a Clinton presidency, as if the election was a forgone conclusion. But Trump won, and resoundingly so. Or as others have said, Clinton lost; well, semantics. We are in a transition period. Suffice it to say that it's an interesting one. However, since that fateful Wednesday, garbage has been picked up at my house, tap water still runs, and there's still power in the socket. Whilst this may seem obvious, it...