HE HAS MY HEART

He is my best friend in the whole wide world.He listens to me.He doesn't laugh at me when I tell him of my dreams, my cares or my troubles.He does not judge or ask spitefully why I made a mistake.He understands me and never makes me feel I'm a lesser person because he believes in me probably much more than I believe in myself.
He is my best friend in the whole wide world.He carries me everyday, in his arms,sometimes under his wing.I feel safe, I am content, I am joyful in his presence.He makes me glad,happy than I have ever been.He reminds me that I am his own,everyday.He even has my name tattooed on his palms,I mean, what more could a girl want?
He is my best friend in the whole wide world.He never shouts at me.Its always a gentle whisper.A still, small voice, if you may.He wakes me up every morning with a light brush on my cheek , just at the right time so I do not get late for work or school.He makes sure my stomach is full and that my bed is warm every night.He even makes sure I am able to sleep.He is such a gentleman.
He is my best friend in the whole wide world.When I'm sad and I want to cry, he doesn't tell me to grow some.He lets me cry, always offering a tissue.He reminds me that he takes care of me and is with me always.He has promised me so much and I know he will fulfill ALL of them.He tells me I am perfect just the way I am and that he loves me no matter what.He chose ME out of all the people.Me with all my imperfections!!I am his cherished personal treasure.
Jesus is my best friend in the whole wide world.Do you know how awesome that is?

OF SATURDAY NIGHTS...EVE OF SUNDAY'S JOURNEY

Its been a while since I posted anything here.Did you miss me? 'Coz I did miss you.There, there...I am here now, everything is going to be okay.:-)
I am in a very good mood today.Its been a while since I felt this way.There is so much love and laughter in my life despite me being extremely broke.I have been job hunting.That has not gone so well but hope is one thing not so easy to kill.It's not been easy but I am hopeful.
I also had exams, two long grueling weeks of cramming, cramming and for those I couldn't cram,Google (ha ha...don't quote me).I am glad that is over now.I only got one more semester to go.I AM EXCITEED! Can't wait to finish undergrad and move on to the next phase of my life.For most of my class mates, it will probably be getting married and getting babies.Not for me, though. Been there,done that.I digress.
I leave for home tomorrow,to see my babies.And my family,my grandpa and grams, especially.And my funny little cousins.Home is Kitale and no I am not Luhya.Not that it matters,but when I tell someone that I come from Kitale,they immediately ask if  I am Luhya.So I thought I would clear the air about that.
Anyway, I will not be able to post while there so don't miss me too much.I will surely be back.Stay safe, be good and Keep hope alive.You'll always be criticized, so do what you feel to be right.

Love always.
Me.

NOT AGAIN!!

We woke up this morning to the sad news of the fresh killings in Lamu.The attacks are the proverbial rubbing of salt on to a fresh wound, because just four days ago, a hotel and two houses were burnt in Manda Island.A day before that, gunmen raided a village in Pandanguo, killed 11 people and robbed police of six guns.

According to reports, the attackers killed two policemen after they stopped the Lamu bound bus.They also sprayed the Tahmeed coach with bullets,thereby injuring a number of the passengers.

 I am tempted to ask is what camps were destroyed when the Kenya Defense Forces said they destroyed all the camps used by the militia?Where did these 'heavily armed' attackers come from? Where is the President in all these seeing as he is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.He has been awfully quiet and I know that I do not speak for myself when I say that I am almost giving up on him.

 It is said that the cause of these killings is land because Jomo Kenyatta settled 

Kikuyus on the most fertile land.Others say that these attacks are political.I do not know what to believe anymore.

 The government that is supposed to protect the people is quiet.The individuals in charge are sleeping on the job. 

We are told that we as Kenyans need to protect ourselves.I ask myself how this is possible.They even tell me that security starts with me, yet even the police with AK 47s are being killed.

This kind of reminds me of the text in Psalms that says, 'If the Lord does not watch over a city,the watchman stays awake in vain'. So far, it is better to leave such things to God.

"O" SERIES CONTINUES

This is for all of you literature heads.Our very own Okwiri Oduor has won the 2014 Caine Prize for African Writing.This is for her short story,My Father's Head.She started publishing with Kwani?Amka, African writing online among others.
In her winning story, Okwiri talks about how she dealt with her father's death, how she mourned him.Its a nice piece with the themes of memory, loss and loneliness.
I recommend this for all of you.
She continues the o series of Obama,Odinga, Oliech and most recently Origi.

KILLER WIVES OF KABETE

Men from Central Kenya have been warned not to marry women from Kabete. This is because they are considered to be husband killers.These women are very beautiful but aunties and grandparents are usually very unwilling to accompany men for ruracio when they go to seek these women's hand in marriage.As most of us have been told, Kabete has the highest number of widows per square kilometer.
Women from Kabete are also aggressive business ladies and go-getters, a quality most men admire in women but these same men are too afraid of them.Last month, a business tycoon was killed in Kabete. His wife, who was arrested but later released, was said to have worked together with her relatives to hack his body into pieces and later dumped those pieces on the road.
Of course this is a stereotype,but it is so strong that men cannot dare marry these women from Kabete for fear of being cursed by their folks.We do not know why these women kill their husbands.We can only wonder if this stereotype is true.

HE HE HE...

I am no fashion guru but i know how to avoid common fashion mistakes..I was told am too backward because of my bushy eyebrows.I thought of it that night but chose to not take the advise to shave off my eyebrows.I love them.I like to think that they are what define my face.I am totally against shaven eyebrows.There's the good shaving and the bad,ugly shaving.The kind that makes you look like a chicken with no feathers.I hope by now you know what I am speaking about.I have a problem with people who shave off all their eyebrows only to draw it back with an eye pencil.
Or those who put make up on their faces only to end up looking like those puppets from Sesame Street.(remember that cartoon?) Yes, people will stare but it won't be because of admiration.They will be wondering why you cannot log on to YouTube and learn how to apply makeup well from the hundreds of Makeup tutorials available there.
Call me a hater,but I know you have met at least two ladies today whose faces looked like they were coming from Paint-balling, and you were disgusted.Or you felt sorry for her, wondering whether she had a mirror or at least friends.
Si kwa ubaya.

ILLEGAL AND UNSAFE ABORTIONS

In Kenya, unsafe abortion is still the leading cause of death to women.Abortion is a very controversial matter as there are mixed feelings about it.Some people say it should be legalized, others think that it's a sin and should not be given time of day.Most abortions result from unplanned pregnancies because  70% of those who seek abortion services were not using contraceptives prior to becoming pregnant.
Women who have abortions are diverse,educated and uneducated,Muslim and Christians,married and unmarried, old and young.
There are very few hospitals that offer abortion services and  even then they are extremely expensive and the average girl can not afford to get an abortion in a legalized clinic.that is the reason why most girls would rather go to quacks to have that abortion done.These quacks use unsafe methods such as traditional herbs,an overdose of anti-malarial drugs or inserting sharp objects.
The persistence of unsafe abortion is a serious threat to the sexual and reproductive health and rights guaranteed to Kenyan women and men under the constitution enacted in 2010. Evidence from this  study should bring public dialogue and strengthen advocacy for safe abortion in Kenya, as well as delivery of safe services, within the law and in accordance with the constitution.Also, improved access to comprehensive abortion care, including counseling and effective contraceptive access and use, will both save women’s lives and reduce costs to Kenya’s already bad healthcare system.

"THE LORD SPOKE TO ME IN A DREAM"

Its two days to sabasaba, i hear that CORD has booked Uhuru park for their Rally and that security has been beefed up ahead of that day.15000  police will be ready to secure the Sabasaba rallies all over the country. They have been divided and they will man different parts of the city center and some of them will be in the slums just in case violence breaks out.I can't wait to see how the day will turn out.
Tension is high in many parts of the country,with many residents  fleeing their homes for fear of violence.This day is an anniversary to mark the day, in 1990 when politicians gathered at Uhuru park to ask for the return of multipartism in Kenya.
Religious leaders have spoken out and called for national prayers saying we have to turn back to God as our country has gone to the dogs and its only Him who can save us.The self proclaimed prophet of God, prophet Owuor, has claimed that the Lord has spoken to him through a dream in which he saw youths running for their lives on Sabasaba.He has asked Kenyans to repent before that day.This man has been named prophet of doom by many who do not believe him.I will keep my opinion about him to myself lest I be termed an atheist.
It's only two days away.I will be patient to see if his prophecy comes to pass this time.

SABA SABA???!

The cost of living is going up by leaps and bounds, and the gap between the rich and poor keeps widening. At the same time, negative ethnicity has been corroding our soul as a nation. All these have been there since independence. All these except the terrorist attacks that are so common we are not stunned by them anymore. We as a country are in deep trouble. Insecurity is at its highest. Terrorists are having a ball while the only thing our commander in chief seems to be doing is making advertisements asking them to ‘run and hide’.

Violent crime is more common, my friend Freda was robbed in broad daylight at the Odeon bus stop and two weeks ago a couple was carjacked at gunpoint in a traffic jam. Our security organs are too busy looking at which lady cops are in short skirts to have time to gather intelligence. As a result, people are dying left right and center.To make matters worse, corruption is at its highest. The ‘lords’ of corruption are the ones calling the shots in the country.

The opposition is demanding national dialogue and ‘mobilization of the masses’. They think it’s the only solution for our national problems. I hear Raila Odinga has declared the seventh of July, known to all, as Saba Saba a national holiday. He has asked Kenyans not go to work on that day. The government, until now, has refused to dialogue with the opposition. It’s only five days to ‘SABA SABA’ .I am anxious, to say the least, about what will happen on that day. I am waiting to see what happens on that day. Because really isn’t much I can do as I am just a common mwananchi so I will buy a big packet of Wow Wow* and follow the news from my Twitter.

*Wow Wow is the brightly coloured snack found at the bottom shelf of the popcorn aisle in the supermarket.Its heaven sent for us who are not fascinated by popcorn.

HARAKA HARAKA HAINA BARAKA

In the traditional African society, marriage was a communal ceremony. When you got married to someone, you got married to their whole clan. One could not marry without the approval of parents and the entire community. Both families learned about each other before a deal was struck on how to formalize the union. This fact alone made divorces and separations rare occurrences.

Fast forward to the modern world. All the cultural requirements have been swept under the carpet. Wedding and divorcing among the youth is as easy as breathing in or out. In his song, It’s Not Easy, Lucky Dube shows that the biggest effort made nowadays by couples is to call home and casually tell their parents that they are wedding. After falling victim to the trap of rushed marriages, people often regret when their partner starts revealing their true colors. Some men are swept off by a lady’s good looks and they end up getting married. In the long run, they realize that behind the beauty lies the true colors that will destroy the relationship.

Ladies are perhaps the ones who are most blinded as most of them marry for the wrong reasons. A lady might get married to someone because of his looks and because he is financially stable or that he treats her like a princess. They do not remember that passion and looks fade away. Many young women today say that they want to get married to old, ailing but financially stable men who will soon die and leave them all the inheritance. Money is what counts these days; gone are the days when people got married without thinking of their spouses ‘size of pocket’.

Marriage can be a source of happiness or sadness depending on how you view it. These days, people wish it was a contract that had an expiry date to relieve someone out of the problems associated with married life.

My two pence worth is that money and/or looks should never be given the first priority while choosing a marriage mate. After all, success in relationships consists not only in finding the right mate but by being the right mate yourself. Take your time, enjoy your youth. Waiting never hurt anyone; instead it builds your knowledge and simply gives you the time you need to be truly ready to take any serious step, such as this, in life.

I speak from experience.

CAN WE REALLY TRUST THE MEDIA?

Many Kenyans doubt what they read and hear in the news.When asked how much confidence and trust in the accuracy and fairness of the news reports of our local newspapers, TV and radio ,your guess is as good as mine to what people said.
Many journalists and the media houses they work for have expressed a commitment to producing accurate and informative reports.There is still a reason for concern though.Consider the following factors.
Media Owners
A small but very powerful number of corporations own the mainstream media.These main media houses are the agenda setters.They influence which stories get covered, how they are covered and to what extent they are covered.Take the Mpeketoni killings for example, the media prominently covered it for a week after which it was all toned down so Kenyans could forget.
Most of our media houses are for profit purposes only and major decisions made are motivated by financial gain.Stories that may interfere with the organizations' profit most likely will go unreported.For instance, a story about Safaricom's illegal dealings will not be reported for fear of losing advertisement revenue.
 Government
Journalists get most of their contacts and sources from government officials.Most of what we watch on NTV, Citizen or KTN is politics and affairs of the government.A media house can not risk reporting negatives about the governnment as they fear being victimized or having their licence revoked.
Dishonesty
Not all reporters are honest.Most of them fabricate stories.Take the example of the NTV reporter who made up the Campus Diva story.He did such a shoddy job that even amateurs were complaining.Photos can also be manipulated to deceive the public.Photo-altering technology such as Photoshop have made it practically impossible to detect manipulations.
Assumptions
Accurate reporting is often not easy.What seems to be a fact today may be a lie tomorrow because of technological advances.Once we all thought that the earth was at the center of the solar system but we now know that the earth moves around the sun.
Competition
In the past KBC was the only TV station one could watch but as TV stations multiplied, the amount of time viewers spent watching just one station dropped.To keep the numbers of viewers up, stations are compelled to offer unique programs.Prime time TV news has become a fashion show where the female anchors dress up in really tight clothes and put on lots of makeup to keep the viewers tuned.

All these aside, we have to give them the benefit of the doubt.Journalists are also human and they make mistakes.A misspelled word, a misplaced comma or an error in grammar can also distort the meaning of a sentence.Facts are not always carefully checked, especially when a journalist is struggling to meet a deadline.
Have a journalistic day, won't you?

THIS APPLIES TO YOU...YES YOU!

This is not an original  post.I do not usually do this, but this was too juicy to enjoy alone.Even the Good Old Book says that stolen bread is sweeter, or something like that.I am going to share this because it affects most of us college students, and those who are soon going to graduate.When I think graduation, I think big black gate opening to usher us to the harsh outside world where opportunities are, seemingly, only available to those with serious connections.This post changed how I thought.So here goes...

       "A few weeks ago I ranted on twitter about how young Kenyans just out of college seeking jobs, or those still in college seeking internships have no clue how to relate professionally. Some responses were angry ones from possible campus students, or just people who have a strong opinion about everything, without critically looking at the issue at hand. (and they're many of these types on twitter)

Anyway, last week, I set up a meeting between a young person that's very close to my heart and a friend of mine who runs a top ICT company. It wasn't a job interview, but just a sit down chat so my young friend would get to know what happens in the business, as well as to network and hopefully make a good impression to a possible employer.

He had all his papers in order, and dressed well for the meeting, but against my advise, went along with a friend. (who proceeded to ask the secretary if they have openings in another department.)

After his meeting, I asked him to write a letter of gratitude to the MD: and this is what he wrote:

Subject: Appriciation
Hi,
I would like to thank you, for having a meeting with me.
Incase of any opening i could qualify for, i would appriciate if you kept me in mind.
Thanks.

He copied me in on the letter (please note; I have not altered anything). Take a look at the spelling mistakes and the careless casual attitude it carries.

He does not address the MD by name, and does not sign off with his.

In my opinion it was a hurriedly written letter by someone who's not really interested in a job.

When I rant, I mean well.

I hope that these young people can polish up their images.

I'm also ashamed of our institutions of higher learning, who are in charge of preparing these young people for the real world, and are currently doing NOTHING about it.

Countless times, I get emails from young people seeking internships and job opportunities, and they're very few that impress.

Several of them start with " Hi" some go the extra mile and say "Hey babes". ( listen, we're not friends just because we've tweeted each other. 'Sasa Mrembo" and "Cheers" is not how you ask for a job, I will never take you seriously, and most likely, no one else will.

So Dear young people, as I said on twitter last week, SMS speak is for your room-mate.

"w8 4 ur assist" will not earn you a place on my or anyone else's priority list.

English is the language spoken in the real world, and with that, polish up your presentation, you can never have a second chance at first impressions."

You can read more of these pieces at  http://missterryannechebet.blogspot.nl

I REGRET TO INFORM YOU

Hello good people. I trust you are well. I am too. I woke up this morning, checked my Facebook and Twitter as usual and found the picture (above) doing the rounds. Do you remember that chilling feeling, that feeling of fear you felt when you were little and you saw a doctor with a needle ready to give you the dreaded injection when you were sick? That is exactly how I felt; only this time it was worse.

It pains me to see so may hate messages around the internet. Anytime someone starts a conversation, politics finds its way in somehow .People start getting defensive and you start hearing things such as “you kikuyus” or “hawa wajaluo”. I know that everyone is entitled to freedom of association and that we all have a right to be affiliated to say, a political party or a religion. But should these be the lines upon which we are divided? We are all Kenyans and our beauty is in our diversity. My blood ad your blood are the same. You are my brother, I am your sister.

We are swayed too easily by our political affiliations. These politicians are all the same. They light the fire,add more kuni then fly out when things in Kenya become too hot .It is you and I who will burn, it is you and I that will be IDPs ,it is you and I who will have nothing to eat because food will be extremely expensive. They lie to us that we are one. We are not on the same page, heck, not even in the same book. The only thing we have in common is our national ID.

Before you think of fighting your  neighbor in the name of defending the Railas and Uhurus, remember that day when your child became sick in the middle of the night and it’s your kikuyu neighbor who took you to hospital in his car yet mwezi ilikua kwa kona.Remember that day when your mother in law was around and your salt was finished and you borrowed your Luo neighbor because MIL would say you are irresponsible? That my friends is the reality of the matter. The only connection we have with these tribal kingpins is that we make them richer by buying that pouch of Brookside milk when we are too broke to afford lunch  or that gas cylinder that we use to cook.

This all sounds too far-fetched, huh?Let me give you an example you can identify with.Remember yesterday when it rained in Nairobi and how the fares were arbitrarily hiked?As you were boarding that matatu the conductor most probably called you, kairetu, nyarwa or baba or for our brothers it was modo wakwa,wuodwa or tata.I am pretty sure that even though you were from the same tribe, you paid just as much as those from the other tribes.

I was thinking about this the other day and I realized that I have very few friends from my tribe.My closest girlfriends are Chelagat, Kwambai, Wanjiru ,Ilagosa, Wangeci ,Onono, Zawadi,Amwayi,Lugalia,Murumba.My male friends are Mbago,Kiprop,Luseno,Njenga,Nyambane,Otieno,Angwenyi.The list is endless,but I hope you get the picture.These people are the world to me,  if we were to turn against each other,I don’t think that even a whiff of my scent would remain.

Wakenya tuchanuke. Tupendane na tuishi kwa umoja,amani na upendo.Sisi ndio wenye nchi.We should protect each other from these vultures ,who shake hands and smile at each other when they meet then send GSU troops to maim and kill us when we are fighting each other to defend them.Our country’s economy  is in the worst state ever, let us work hard to better ourselves.I regret to inform you that no matter your tribe, we are all in the same boat.We either struggle to stay afloat or prepare to perish when it sinks.This is my two cents worth.

IT IS MY CHOICE.IT IS YOUR CHOICE. TUCHANUKE.

 Enjoy the video from the link below. It sums up all I have said in a beautiful melody.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKqozV66zoA

MIGHT PAULA KAHUMBU BE THE MODERN DAY WANGARI MAATHAI?

I sit scrolling my twitter timeline and I come across tweets from political and opinion leaders.The tweets get me thinking about what it means to have leaders, and i use this term loosely, who actually put the interests of the public first.
Immediately,my doors of my memory bank open and I remember the late Professor Wangari Maathai(God rest her soul).She once told her fellow members of Parliament that she was ready to surrender her parliamentary seat to safeguard Kenyan forests. And safeguard she did, to the point where she shed her blood in the Karura Forest in 1999, leading a group of concerned citizens into a confrontation with thugs hired by developers who were trying to grab the forest.
The late Wangari Maathai worked so hard to ensure that the policies(formulated by parliament)regarding the environment where natural resources are used to meet the needs of the present and future generations.She showed us that the government's interests and the wider public interests are not always as aligned as they are supposed to be .
Its up to people of good will to take up public interest issues that are dear to them and ensure that the government respects the wishes of those who put them in office.We have a shortage of such people,but there is one lady who sticks out like a sore thumb(in a good way of course).
Paula Kahumbu is her name.She is the Executive Director of the Kenya Land Conservation Trust and WildlifeDirect, and chairman of the Friends of Nairobi National Park.Kahumbu is well known in Kenya for her infectious passion for conservation and animals. She believes in the development of Kenya, but not at the cost of the environment. She is currently spearheading a campaign to ensure that the developments in infrastructure in Nairobi do not compromise the wildlife of Nairobi National Park, which would destroy one of Nairobi’s most important assets. Her conviction is that the park is integral to the value of the city, and she has persuaded many organizations, including KWS, International Livestock Research Institute, African Wildlife Foundation, the Wildlife Foundation, African Conservation Centre, The Friends of Nairobi National Park, The Kenya Land Conservation Trust, WildlifeDirect, private land owners and many others, to conduct an ecosystem-wide wildlife census that will help guide the decisions taken by the Ministry of Transport regarding the controversial Greater Southern Bypass.
She started her amazing work in the late 1980s and she continues to spearhead important movements where she was able to discover the disturbing trend of wildlife losses, and that vultures and lions were being poisoned by communities who live close to national parks.
You can read more about her good works on her website http://paulakahumbu.com/, but let me just say that I think she is an extra ordinary lady and that I wish her the very best in her various endeavours.