Profiles

Have You Ever Been to a Private Hospital?

Everything bad about the global finance system has been happening in Nairobi, and you've been paying for it with your money, and lives.

Nicholas Biwott Was Not A Good Man

In life he fought harder than anyone else to wipe out the fact that he was not a good man. That his legacy was already stained and broken. In death, he must not be allowed to continue doing that. Or perhaps he should get exactly what he wanted in life, to be forgotten.

The Assassination of Chief Waruhiu

At quarter to 1 on 7th October 1952, Senior Chief Waruhiu Kung'u was shot and killed. This is the story of the two men who hanged for it.

Death of a Mercenary: The Pilot Who Almost Brought Down A Government

In the span of three months, two men (a Kenyan pilot and a Seychellois politician) at the center of a bizarre mercenary plot to overthrow the government of Seychelles in 1981 have died.

The Rebirth of Them Mushrooms

When I ask John about the legacy of the 40-year-old band, he is at first hesitant. It hits me midway through his answer that to him, music is still an incomplete journey, perhaps too soon to even consider talking about legacy.

The Double Life of Nicodemus Arudhi

For more than two decades, Nicodemus Arudhi was one of Kenya's most prolific football players. He was also a convicted criminal, and a wanted man.

The Gangland Life of Ibrahim Akasha

The godfather of Kenya's first true crime family, the Akasha Clan, was a grandfatherly charming chain smoker. He died nearly 17 years ago in Amsterdam, a fugitive from the law and deadweight to his business partners.

The Kenyan Spy Who Wrote A Book

In what is only the second book by a former Kenyan spy, Bart Kibati writes about the intrigues within Kenya and the Secret Branch during his 27 years there. Its an incomplete historical record even of the man, but its still an important read.

Fidel Castro and the African Dream

In December 1961, a ship flying the Cuban flag docked in Morocco. Over the next three decades, Cuba under Fidel Castro would become a major player in several revolutionary conflicts in Africa, especially in the liberation of Southern Africa.