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Quick Reads

7 ‘Lost’ African Countries

In the last fifty years alone, the independence of the Republic of Ambazonia has been declared thrice. The fight to get it recognised is still ongoing.

Listicles • Quick Reads|

Who is this man and why is he smiling?

It seems like an easy question to answer, but it isn’t.

Quick Reads|

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 …

Features • Quick Reads|

Monica Njeri’s Killer Killed Again

In August 1980, Kenya arrested a US sailor for the murder of Monica Njeri in a drunken brawl. 32 years later, he killed three more women.

Profiles • Quick Reads|

The South African Cop Who Robbed Banks during His Lunch Break

A tall man wearing a fake wig and a beard parked his hired car and walked towards the bank. He pushed through the door and walked in, right past the guard and towards one of the cashiers. It was a cold mid-morning in Durban, and the bank was not yet as busy as it would …

Features • Quick Reads|

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.

Quick Reads|

How Kenya Almost Exported 300 Wild Animals to Thailand

In 2005, Kenya tried to export 300 wild animals to Thailand to a zoo that, apparently, was planning to turn them into exotic cuisine. It did not go well, obviously, and there was even a fist fight in a TV studio about the whole thing.

Quick Reads|

How a Patch of the Kenyan Wild Ended up in Philippines

Sometime between May 1976 and February 1977, 102 wild animals were herded into large wooden crates at an undisclosed location in Kenya. The crates were then bundled onto the overnight cargo train to Mombasa, setting in motion a series of events that should never have happened.

Features • Quick Reads|