Life

A while back as I was walking with a group of friends along Kenyatta Avenue at the intersection to Kimathi Street, I stopped my friends and told them to check something out. It was not the occasional police chasing gangs. It was not a politicians passing by whom at times make people stop in their tracks to admire them for their capacity to build the nation, rather it was something substantial, something that more often we take for granted and never take a moment to think over. I had stopped at a newspaper vendor. Yes, he had lined all kinds of newspapers, journals, tabloids, magazines and anything that people look to buy. As I talked to the vendor on the latest news in the country, my friends were surprised that I was going to the depth of asking vendor what certain writers had penned for the day. They were amused that instead of buying a newspaper that says it’s the leading in the country, I was looking to see what the people who make it so had penned on that day. ...

If you have watched the thriller ‘Bodyguard from Beijing’, there is a story that is introduced as the movie develops by Jet Li. He narrates about a young boy named Yang. Yang knew he was one of his master's favorite students. Every time he did wrong, he would say ‘I am sorry’ and his Kung fu teacher would overlook his mistake. One fateful day, however, Yang was playing with his friends and he accidentally set his Master's house on fire. He ran out to save his life and when he was far enough, he started looking for his master. But it was too late. His master had been engulfed by the terrible fire... He could not say am sorry. He wanted to utter that mono-syllable word ‘Sorry’ but he could not. So tell me, what would you  say if the words were stripped from your lips, from your mind, and you don’t have that opportunity to regret? Many are the times we make mistakes. Yes it is human enough to be at fault. But do you keep repeating the same mistake just because y...

If you have read the story of how Stanford University started, then you would agree with me that it is such an inspiration to so many. The Stanfords, Jane and Leland lost their only child to typhoid at the age of 15. The couple had every right and every reason to turn their backs against the world at that time, but instead, they channelled their grief and their pain into an act of grace. Within a year of their son's death, they had made the founding grant for Stanford University, pledging to do for other people's children what they were not able to do for their own boy. The Stanfords had suffered the worst thing any mom and dad can ever endure, yet they understood that helping others is the way we help ourselves. And this wisdom is increasingly supported by scientific and sociological research. It is no longer just woo-woo soft-skills talk. There is actually a helper's high, a spiritual surge you gain from serving others. I have come to learn that if you wan...

We may term him as the new kid on the block. Maybe he is not kidding when it comes to outwitting politicians who are seasoned. Just as his  name 'Mbuvi' could be loosely translated to mean the one who tenders softly, perhaps the people of Makadara now have a soft solution to problems they only know too well. I do not know Mike. Not to be left behind in knowing the person everybody is talking, or the talk everybody is having about the man, I have been reading his page on this site. I would want to believe this is his official page. Granted it is, then the people of Makadara are really a gifted lot. They know a lot about democracy. Oh Dennis Ole Itumbi would remind me her tht democracy can only be about numbers when punctuated with fairness! Well I would want to believe the people of Makadara had a good reason for electing their favoured son, whose wallets can open up more than manna can from heaven. But my question is, who is this Honourable member of parliament?...

The mid terms elections in America have presented a wide range of lessons to people across the world. The defeat of the Democrats by the Grand Old Party in the House of Representatives and a slight drop in the Senate stronghold is a teller to the fact that people never learn and the only thing we learn is how to never learn.  Nancy Pelosi will have to step down as the House `speaker to be replaced by John Boehner. A number of key senators and governors crucial to president Obama governance and potential 2012 re-election bid have been shown the door. This comes with the full knowledge by the voters that  for eight years America saw a decline in its status as the leader in every sphere of the world under George Bush. The economy went into a recession, which resulted in millions, losing their jobs and the Housing market going into the rot. You would all remember in February 2007, when  the son of a Kenyan decided to declare his candidature at a well-attended r...