In his personal projects, Osborne Macharia tells stories and sees beauty where most wouldn’t. With Mengo, his latest project, he reimagines a minority group in the most badass of ways.
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Category Archives: Features
How the Monkey Did It
Last week, a monkey switched off Kenya’s entire national grid for three hours. The problem wasn’t that nothing worked; it was that everything worked too well. Continue reading…
The Cities of War
In two and half decades, Dadaab and Kakuma have become cities of war. The ones you can never leave. Continue reading…
The Complex Legacy of Lucy Kibaki
The last time Lucy Kibaki appeared in public, she danced to Emmy Kosgei’s Taunet Nelel. Continue reading…
The Politics of Ivory and Fire
Eleven pyres of ivory stand in neat formation in the Nairobi National Park. It is the blueprint for a show to end all shows. But does it work? Is it worth it? Continue reading…
At Garissa University, the Covenant was Broken
I spent two nights at Garissa University College, in the dorm where the massacre happened. Continue reading…
Why Kenyan Banks Fail
In the last 32 years, almost all bank failures in Kenya have been of Kenyan-owned banks. Here is why they failed. Continue reading…
The Space Center Kenya Doesn’t Own
There’s a space center in Kenya, the Luigi Broglio Space Center, but it’s owned by Italy. This is the story of how it came to be. Continue reading…
The Ageless Defiance of Muthoni Nyanjiru
94 years since Muthoni Nyanjiru tapped into her badass and paid the ultimate price, her name remains synonymous with one of the greatest acts of courage in Kenyan history. Continue reading…
The Evolution of Rupu
The one thing Sospeter likes more than anything else is a good deal. Continue reading…
The Sack of Imperial Bank: Part 3
Even a man of Abdulmalek’s genius couldn’t rely simply on luck not to get caught. So he created his own luck. Continue reading…
The Sack of Imperial Bank: Part 2
The heavyset man with a round face and a graying moustache fidgeted in his seat. An email notification unnerved him.
He smiled. Continue reading…
The Sack of Imperial Bank
The first time Abdulmalek JanMohammed ever robbed Imperial Bank, he had a gun to his head. Three short years later, he became the robber, carrying out a heist so elaborate its web is still being untangled, five months after his death.
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Betty Tett and the Hitman
The anatomy of a murder conspiracy Continue reading…