Kenya Tag Archive

The Savage Mutilation of Piah Njoki, and her Incredible Spirit

At daybreak on November 4th, 1983, a scream cut through the serenity of Kiaga Village in Kirinyaga. The single scream quickly became cries for help, then wailing of what now sounded like a large group of people. What sounded like the cries of pain of a dying woman would lead residents of the small village …

The Brutal Unsolved Murder of Lucy Kabura

The hot and humid coastal air constricted into the Tangana Lodge’s dimly lit and badly ventilated rooms . The fragrance of purchased romance reigned over the humid evening air in the house of decadence. As the night came to a climax, the sounds of illicit sex, the loud banging on the walls, the rehearsed screams, …

When the Mau Mau Used a Biological Weapon

Sometime in late 1952, a series of mysterious deaths occurred at a mission station in Kikuyu, Kenya. First, the victims, a herd of cows, developed large swellings near the forelegs. The swelling then spread over the course of several days, across the chest and abdomen. Then one after the other, the steeds fell and died.

In McMillan’s Underbelly: The Quest for Kenya’s History

This piece was originally published on the Medium Blog here.  I hadn’t planned to spend my entire afternoon like this. At least not at first. I was in town, with a few hours to kill and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them. I always know, but I never get round to …

To be Kenyan

They came out in droves. From every corner of their little sandy town, they all came. Old men with shukas wrapped lazily around their waists. Middle-aged women with hardy hands. Children with mucus loosely hanging from their nostrils.

Why Newspapers Have to Register at the GPO

The registration is a remnant of a time when there were preferential postal rates on newspapers as long as they were in a newspaper wrapper and registered with the GPO as a newspaper. It actually precedes the Kenyan state and survives today as a relic of her colonial history

7 Greatest Art Heists in Kenya’s History

From a sadistic point of view, a culture’s art comes of age when it is worth stealing. Some pilfer, some plunder, others loot, and yet others pluck artifacts from graves. 

7 Most Destructive Fire Disasters in Kenya’s History

Fire disasters in Kenya are part of our history of corruption and lethargy towards progressive measures to protect human life and property. Some now seem like jokes, with the same causes as previous ones, and often in quick succession. Each fire leaves a burn in the memories of those it maims, and guts through the hearts of those who have to watch their loved ones being sorted from among the smoldering cinders. For others it is a loss of limb, loved ones, and property.

The Evolution of Kenyan Comedy: Why aren’t we Laughing?

A few years ago, I sat in a university auditorium during an inaugural TEDx event. One of the presentations was by Ayeyaa, the comedian who carries a signature briefcase and wears a newsboy’s cap.