CHRISTMAS
‘Mary did you know that your baby boy…’ ‘Jingle bells Jingle bells Jingle all the way…’ ‘Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad…’ It’s that time of the year folks we’ve all been waiting for. We humans get a time to celebrate while our fellow animals feast on the massive remains not…
HEY BROTHER
Family is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love my dad. A doctor: one of the best they say. In fact, he once made headlines for his magnanimity with his patients, an act that earned us a visit by the most beautiful news reporter. I appeared in the news and this…
Ifikie Wazazi
‘Teach me how to dance… Teach me… Teach me how to dance,’ Kevo was hypnotized. He had always believed himself to be an Odi but watching the petite damsels twerk to hip hop made him regret that if only for an instant. Well, I can call it that now but to them it was just…
Demoncracy
I REFUSE TO SIT HERE DOING NOTHING. James chuckled. He had chosen this specific bench because of that piece of writing. He had been feeling lifeless for some time now. In fact, he had felt lifeless ever since the suspension. What had he done wrong? Absolutely nothing! He had firmly believed that the end justifies…
Dame in Distress
‘Maybe he likes the back shot,’ Linda thought. She repositioned herself on the king sized bed so that she knelt and supported herself forward with the palm of her hands. She pushed her tongue out and rocked back and forth as if she was practicing for what was to come. She thought of how bitchy…
202Done
The weekend. Putting a timestamp to before the pandemic, this probably shouted with all sorts of capitals and exclamations. The energy radiated the Friday prior was unprecedented as plans set in motion on who would foot the weekend’s bill through a subtle game of rock paper scissors. I had lost twice in a row now…
If I Got Choked and Died
As I sit here eating raw indomie, I can’t help but think of how much I’ve missed you. I’m crying too, not because of you, but because I put too much chilli on the raw noodles. It’s been a minute since I put something to paper, or rather, typed something out. Today is the day…
ROAD TRIP
I love waking up early, but not because I’m that focused but because I love seeing the sun begin its journey. I wake up everyday same time pull my rocking chair and sit facing the window. The beauty in it I cannot explain. How the sun illuminates the sky with its ebony- sometimes pink, red…
What If
What if life was endless?Wil you yearn for another after death?What if there was no light at the end of the tunnel?Will you keep walking in darkness?And what if darkness decided to face light?Watch as the sun approaches to start a fight.So what if second chances didn’t exist?Will forgiveness be a miracle to be performed?Answer…
Dear Sister
To Sally, Hi sis. I miss you, we all do. For some reason all the letters I write you always get sent back. I think its because I have been writing the address on the envelopes in small letters. This time I will be sure to use very large capital letters- TO SALLY IN THE…
Majuto
There is a saying in Nairobi…’Hii ni town!’ It has been used to justify all sorts of misdeeds and irregularities. It has also been used to validate exaggerations as well as make the insane seem normal. This was the same phrase Njenga had in mind as he pushed against the crowd of people rushing in…
I Wish…
Ndinda I furiously rummage through my purse looking for the 600 bob I found in the pocket of my dirty jeans. Pocket one– crusty handkerchief. Pocket two– expired lipstick. Pocket three- sheets of paper as old as great grandma Mambio. I curse. Panic starts creeping in as the super market cashier in front of me…
To My Future Wife
To my future wife… Hello, I guess it’ll be befitting to start with an introduction. Congratulations, We’re married. Isn’t that befitting my love? Anyway, let’s downsize this to a bite size concoction, Unlike the chunk you choked me with on our nuptial celebration. The name’s Kelvin, Man so hot they had to rename the Celsius.…
TAKE ME HOME
The drums of war start way long before the actual war. The owl hoots, people get into petty misunderstandings which escalate into a mere slap and the rest is left for the survivors to tell. This is inherently characteristic to interpersonal relationships. What about the wars that we fight inside, the intrapersonal: are we oblivious…
Eternal Love
Lips first, then tongue interlockYou are the charm of my luckcome down let’s have a danceMy Medusa, you froze me with your glance You are my addiction and elixirMy universe and my foreverWhat a blissful feeling is it to hold your handAnd the sweetness of your lips, no one can understand We shall build our…
I Smile
I find myself smiling. Alone. A lot. When I’m walking behind a couple whose hands swing so close to each other; some swings make their hands touch and other swings just – ammm swing by. My smile broadens especially when the hands touch then each holds the other. The holding of hands. So intimate yet…
I Did It!
“Dr. Martins was in her office that afternoon when Steve went in for his appointment. An hour went by and they were still in there. I got tired of sitting by and the mental health magazines in the waiting area were just not doing it for me. I reached for the door to try and…
Octob-her
Her gaze faded into a distance, lost in a story she had but not hers to tell. The clouds grew heavy like the resentment in her heart and the winds whispered aspirations the world had for her but blew them away before they could settle like a gruesome tease. A constant push and pull that…
BREAST CANCER
WHAT IS BREAST CANCER? Submitted by Samuel Ndiema. Fact Checked by Dr. Kimani M (UON). Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers. Around one in nine women develop breast cancer at some stage in their life. In Kenya the prevalence rate is 40.3 per 100,000 women. Simply put, one out of every two…
Burudika na Fanta
I felt like the president walking with my ADC behind me. No, this was more of a prisoner being escorted to his cell by a guard. Yeah, that sounded more like it. It’s funny how our own word of mouth can hold them ransom. As we got near the administration block, I slowed down. Stanley’s…
THANK YOU
My fever stated risingI could breath comfortably no moreI started coughing dangerouslyI could no longer taste or smellI appeared bluish and paleI was literally dyingBut you took me in fastThank you medic At the ICU I was losing itBuried in massive machinesAll I could see was angelic figuresWalking back and forthMy lungs were impoverishedYour diagnosis…
Cheater
Mbio za sakafuni huishia ukingoni.-Swahili proverb ‘Do you like it?’ Tr. Samson asked. He had handed me a drawing by his toddler daughter. It was a rough one but criticizing it was out of the question. Being allowed to stand idly in the staffroom was already a privilege. I couldn’t abuse it by really telling…
When I Find Her
I have this thing where I shut my best friend and a few of my closest friends off from my love life. Part of me really wants to tell someone about it all, but a greater part of me likes things as they are. Honestly, I kind of enjoy the looks on their faces whenever…
Katerina
Look how you’re making my ice cream melt with your hotness. Hotness? Heat. Heat sounds better. Look how you’re making my ice cream melt with your heat you hot human. Katerina. I have come to take some Wings at Chicken Inn as I come up with my new Story with Saruuussshhhh. It has been a…
Face-off
‘Hey kid! Hey Kid!’ The sound was faint. Maybe it wasn’t; I mean, the ringing sound in my ears couldn’t let me listen properly. I had never experienced a hangover before but if this was it then never again. I try to open my eyes. My right eye seems to be squashed. It’s not batting…
Knots
Kantae is a Maasai boy. Kantae can tie a tie. If Kantae can tie a tie why can’t I tie a tie like Kantae?-Basic African tongue twister ‘What are you waiting for? Go on. Tie your shoelaces!’ The inspector was starting to get annoyed. If this wasn’t the highest form of defiance, then what was?…
Set A Thief
Every saint has a past; every sinner has a future-Oscar Wilde If we were having coffee right now I would tell you about my grandfather. He was one of a kind. Sad to say, he wasn’t always there in my life. Actually he got in quite late. My earliest recollection with him actually happened on…
SECOND CHANCE
‘My name is Joker, I am a hitman. I am paid handsomely by the movers and shakers of this country to assassinate their enemies. Do you know what happens when you meet a hungry animal?’ ‘It will eat you’ ‘Why do you sound so terrified! You are right and you know what? My uncle used…
WARAKA
When two soulmates meet and mate, an avatar is born and that’s one step closer to the source, closer to the creator. –Guruji’s father, Sacred games 2 Dear Beloved, I remember seeing you for the first time. Rihanna came to mind. As sure as night follows day, her beauty pales in comparison to yours. Yet…
KID
I kid you not it’s easy to die once you know what you’re dying for and Aunty did know why she was dying. I stand up and take a few steps back. I’ve done it. I’ve slayed the dragon. I am now free. But no! Not just yet. I have to clean up the scene…
SMART CHOKORA IV
I never thought going back home would be so scary. In the eyes of many I was invincible, unshakeable and I felt so too but now I felt insecure. Afraid of the future, reality and of how events will conform after knowing the truth about my family. I inserted the key in the ignition space…
SMART CHOKORA III
I’ve never really taken time to admire my bedroom. Yeah…Patel bought me a decent home if you are wondering. I lay in bed staring at the beautiful floral designs on the ceiling and the glamorous lights. I kept imagining how skillful and determined this guy was. Speaking of determination, I realized that this was the…
New position
‘Do you know that I can still swallow like this?’ I tease Boaz. ‘Shut up, dumbass. Now, apologize!’ I could feel his heavy breathing. He, too, was afraid of letting me go. I had fallen many times but it was as clear as day that this would be the last one. ‘Naah, I think I’m…
Beautifully Broken Momma
Drawn by sapienceA unique definition of sexy,The curves internalFlaws relatableAttractions peculiar Only she can explainThe hotness below the freezing pointThe chill above the boiling pointThe world she createsShe lives here- sexy in her own definition It was an illusionA spark for the momentAn existence just for todayJust like it came, it vanishedWe were left with…
DARE
2020 has brought with it many surprises but the one that particularly gave me a throwback was the death of famed author and media personality Ken Walibora. This, of course, could have been because one of his books was a set book during my tenure in high school but I also tend to think that…
SMART CHOKORA II
I opened my eyes, looked back and Patel was on the car door. He got in so excited and told me to drive as fast I could thinking I was his driver. As I drove, Patel narrated to me how he had enjoyed his night. He said that that was the night of all nights…
SMART CHOKORA
A man is never born successful, successful people are made but as for me I will say that people make themselves successful. It doesn’t matter how; the end justifies the means. With that thought in mind, I decide to go out to hunt for success. But before I get out of my car, I look…
On Menstrual Health and COVID-19
BY WINNIE CHEMTAI In this time and age, and with the strides made in the various fields of knowledge and technology, one would easily assume that matters concerning menstrual health hygiene are now a walk in the park for all the concerned. This is not the case. For many women and girls, meeting their monthly…
HATMA
He stopped prematurely, or so I thought. Normally, this was the time. The time when his hands would be empty except for one of the two misters. There were also times when a mister wasn’t in his hands but tucked well under his armpit. His face was solemn, as always, when we got to this…
My First Time
Even as I write this today, almost nine months later, I can vividly remember how nervous I was. I could feel my anxiety slowly building up. I was trembling more than usual. My palms were extra sweaty. They are always sweaty for some reason, and cold too. Even on hot days. Even when I’m wearing…
Anna 💐Bella 🧸
Hello everybody, Today’s article of the day is by Wangui Nyambura of the Wangui’sWordart blog page. Amazing piece, emotional. Enjoy! 5 minute read
Dear Crush,
Don’t have time to read? Listen to the story from here. Hey. Probably I should have done this a couple of years ago. 11 to be precise. 2009- When I cared less about people’s opinions and shame was nothing but a passing cloud. That time when none of us had been through the fire of…
She Said No, But There was More…
A sequel to the story “Shoot your Shot!” Your arrival today caught me unawares. You should have rung to say you were coming. Maybe then I could have changed into something else girly. These may be my favorite pajamas but now looking at the creases and the missing button, I don’t feel so good about…
Atonement.
PART 3 …continued I could not take in more of what Father was saying. I regretted even asking him to narrate the story in the first place. He disgusted me. The world could definitely do without people like him. People who realize the vulnerability of the human will and take advantage of the weak. Why…
Reverse Confessions…
Continued… A FEW YEARS EARLIER: “Father,” “Yes my dear,” “Before my confession what is it that I should say?” I stammered. “In the name of the Father…,”he started and I rushed to catch up with him in perhaps the most powerful signing in the world of faith. “How long has it been since your last…
Shoot your shot! Shoot your shot!
Dedication to the purest souls I know. Happy Birthday… I remembered the jaws of everyone present in the auditorium dropped in sheer disbelief. Had our ears heard well? Hands of the few were cupped at their mouths. Even the deejay had stopped the music. No. It couldn’t be. I guess the king of FIFA was…
Man of the Glock!
“Man of the cloak! Meet the man with Glock! You’re going to pay for what you’ve done. You pig! Filthy Pig!” The hypocrite was sweating profusely. Maybe I didn’t even have to blow his brains out. He’d probably drown in a pool of his own sweat and fake tears. Maybe also urine? Had he shit…
Manenoz 