I am 7 years old and at night I pull my net down and around my bed. My parents are very strict about this, malaria is real. I do not do it well but I am not worried because my father will be by later to fix it. I get under the covers with a heavy collection of children’s Bible …
I had never been there before. The one time I ventured to go to the recreational center in school it was with a friend. I had just seen Instagram photos of people who worked out and my goodness they looked good. So I thought, we have a gym here in school, why not check it out? Nyiri wanted to be …
I have a bad habit of starting new projects every time I get high on feelings and decide that I need a creative outlet. I never finish them. In fact sometimes, I only get the first bit done. The first article, the first rant, the first poem, the first story. I don’t know what keeps me from going on, developing …
Last Sunday, in church, we sang the national anthem at the end of the sermon. The pastor had just delivered this beautiful message about how Kenya belongs to God; how no matter what valleys we have gone through, God is the one who has lifted us up out of them. It was a message of love, peace and unity and …
I remember being 13 years old, in Class Seven and in boarding school for the first time. I remember retiring at night to my metal bed in Mississippi Dorm and laughing with my cube mates till House Mother stalked in, annoyed and yelling, with a kitambaa tied around her head. I remember Emma, the lovely, lively girl I shared the …
We are all going to die someday. It is 8 pm and I stare at nothing in particular. I am on my bed, going over the events of the day, and my train of thought has its last stop here: we are all going to die someday. I was to meet Chirie at about 10 am. I hadn’t seen her …
I couldn’t help but stare at him. My phone was in my right hand, the screen displaying my chat list on Whatsapp. I mindlessly scrolled up and down, trying to look occupied. It was a lousy attempt at being covert about my staring- tact has never been my most admirable quality- and it wouldn’t take long for anybody who might …
For the earlier parts of my life I had two identities, two names. The first was ‘Mish’, which is what my family called me. It was…familiar. My parents called me this. My siblings called me this. A large number of our numerous relatives called me this. Every house help that we had called me this. Mish was a girl. An …
Sometimes the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak-so weak. Intentions will be the death of me. The constant planning will drive me insane, I tell you. What is it about me –I’m desperate to know- that makes me so good at meaning to do things, charting courses, mapping the way, but never taking that first step that is …
