Why You Shouldn't Care About Joho's Grade

Folks are cyber bullying the President of Kenya and the Governor of Mombasa over school papers. I know for some it's such a fun moment and this is the moment they've been waiting for and there's really no big deal about it. No comment on that. I'll just say what I think about the whole issue not because spending time and energy that would have been used to perform more meaningful tasks to mock a President and a Governor is a classic case of misplaced priorities, lack of wisdom or both, but simply because I come from a different school of thought. I'm no better than you but I could be a little bit more bitter than you.

If you're like me, a quick analysis of the political scene in Kenya will lead you to comfortably conclude that, quite frankly, it is a political sin. The terms politics, political governance, political leader or leadership are originally used to describe the systems, men and women who are rich in wisdom, selfless and sacrificially serve the public while upholding national values with integrity, honesty, accountability and so on as their backbone. In Kenya, most political aspirants are usually successful people who supposedly seek to harvest from their 'hard work' or position themselves at a place where the government will give back to them. It's a moment of rest, the pinnacle of success, ultimate goal in the quest for self actualization. So hey, certificate or not, truth is these men were doing fine before they got to into politics. Maybe you should get to the level they were before they became democratically elected leaders then you can go on trolling.

Luhya Spokesman Dream

It all happened when I was watching the evening news. Out of the blue, my 'chicken friends' were planning to make a big announcement. This was pretty new, interesting and fishy at the same time. You see, I've heard of a Village Elder, an Area Chief, a National Assembly mheshimiwa (Parliamentarian) who is sometimes mockingly referred to as a 'pig', a County Assembly mheshimiwa (Member of County Assembly) who is occasionally given the title 'panya' (rat). Speaking of 'panya', how about 'kung fu panya'?... Hehehe, okay. I've even heard of gods who must be crazy! But spokesman? Never ever. 

Mixed feelings 

One side of me felt that it was a great idea for such a time as this as the sentiments of the not-so-outspoken and less fortunate will finally be aired out by this outspoken, compassionate, caring and more fortunate fellow blablabla... They'd have an advocate, a voice, an authority - in this man. Behold, the community is not divided after all. They have a common purpose and they got their backs. They speak one language, move in one direction, have one of their own they can take pride in.

The other side of me felt that this was a retrogressive idea that will direct us to tribal thinking and give us the 'my tribe is better than yours, so what' mentality. I was afraid that the spokesman would dictate or control the power that lies within the people. My worry was that the luhya people would enslave themselves in the mob-psychology-like, self-seeking, egocentric rationale that 'we will vote for candidate x because that's who, we, as members of this community, have decided to vote for! And there's nothing you can do about it!' 'We have a luhya Spokesman, but is there loo ya spokesman?' I thought. Moving on, I was concerned that whoever was behind this idea may have had the intention of 'unifying' or 'classifying' 'the luhya vote' and sell it to tribal-minded presidential candidates. My point is, I personally don't mind if all communities have spokespeople so long as the members of that community understand that their spokesman needs not dictate the political direction they wish to take. Every luhya (read Kenyan) has an individual right, as a Kenyan citizen, to vote for whoever they like. And they will live happily ever after. 

Credits: Photo by Isaac Waale of Nation Media Group

Broken English - Five words we easily mispronounce or misuse

Words can't come back once they leave through our mouths. It's impossible. They have the ability to inspire or demotivate, strengthen or weaken, breathe life or drain life out of a person. For this reason, it would only be fair to show a little bit of respect in our dealings with words by using and pronouncing them the correct way. I found some words/expressions that have fallen victim of our unending disregard of their worth.

welcome v/s welcomed

Let it be known today that we don't say 'You are welcomed' but 'You are welcome'. The word 'welcome' is an adjective without the suffix -ed. The moment it reads 'welcomed' it's a verb.

Adjective:

You are welcome.

 

Verb:

We welcomed the guests into the house.

decision 

Most people put a 'z' sound immediately after the 'de...' to make it sound 'diZHishon'

/dɪˈsɪʒn/ is the correct pronunciation. 

advise/advice

This is a big one usually in writing. People put advise in the place of advice for the simple reason that they cannot tell which between the two is the verb or the noun. Just know that the one with an 'S' is a verb and you're good to go.

Tudor

Sorry guys, I know /chuda/ has been with us for a long time. We've grown up hearing people call it that way but the dictionaries differ.

Correct pronunciation is /too-der/ or /tyoo-der/ 

Catwalk

This is a really big one. I feel like fainting each time I hear someone use this word as a verb. We don't 'catwalk' we simply walk on the catwalk/runway. 

That's all for today.

The retreat that was (PHOTOS)

Just arrived at the retreat venue

Yes this is me...

Me again...

And again...

And again...

They say when the future is too bright, you may need a pair of shades...

Yeaaaaaaaaa!

Sometimes ladies make me blush :)

A man's gotta cook

Army look...lion feeling

The Sanctity of Life

At the beginning of life, we hope for longevity. At the end, we notice its brevity. For some reason, we never get satisfied with the time of life we live on earth. At least that's the general feeling of the bereaved. Anyway, what is long life with no relevance to the society? And is life really short or does death catch us by surprise? 

I'd be easily convinced if I was told that there isn't a single key task in the late Nelson Mandela's to-do list that hasn't been performed. He lived his life to the maximum. He left a legacy that everyone wants to emulate. I pray that the same becomes of me and you. That our lives may not be a matter of inhaling and exhaling but of resourcefulness and giving back to the community. 

Life is a drama, a movie and you're the main actor. Unfortunately for you, there's no rehearsal, so you've got to do your best right from the start. Fortunately enough, you can make mistakes and start all over again, not from the top, but from where you went wrong. 

Each new day is a new opportunity. A new chance to prove to yourself and to the world that you've got what it takes to do what your heart desires. To be who you want to be. To defy the odds and change the course of your life. Like the sun, even though you go down and it looks like you're no more, wake up the next day and brighten up the world.

Men of the cloth, where be your clothes???

Many stories have been told of several not-so-good escapades of ordained pastors who choose to act as ordinary figures in the society and lay pastors who opt to lay low. Now, I cannot speculate, I am not sure if it's true or not. It's a rumor I've heard from anonymous sources just like you. I didn't mean to go Ole Lenku, but I hope you got my point. By all means this post serves;

• not to judge the clergy but to condemn a shameful vice
• not to suggest that I am in any possible way perfect
• not to indicate that Christianity is a questionable faith (judge not a religion by the actions of its followers but by the rules in its holy book)

Decay kwenye beat
A rumor is told of a  pastor's Prado with a johnny walker bumper sticker- now that's swag gone wrong. That guy right there is busy preaching water and drinking wine. In fact, he has a box of bottles of Red wine from France in the backseat. As he's driving Mary- the sassy worship leader off to dine, the woofers in the 4 by 4 are coughing "Una maswali mingi kwani we ni..." SMH, indeed there's decay kwenye beat (no offence to the asusu hit-maker). 

Takes off his clothes
Everyone is busy pointing a finger on this supposed example- the public figure, the moral figure. He's not doing much to defend himself anyway, he's busy bowing down to his not so upright desires and choosing to sit on his principles instead of standing ​on them. Truly it's so sad as the man of the cloth goes ahead and takes off his clothes.

In his arms

For the rest of my life,
In his arms is where I long to be,
As a father holds his baby,
In his arms he will hold me,
As a bird cautiously covers its eggs,
In his arms he will protect me,
As a mother pacifies a child with a lullaby,
In his arms he will give me peace,
In his arms I will close my eyes,
And I will forget about everything. Forever.

On his shoulder I shall lay,
His heartbeat I shall feel,
As it pounds against my chest,
And vibrates through my body,
Resonating with my soul,
It's the only noise I hear,
The silent noise,
The calmness of his love,
I long to be in his arms.
 

The freshness of his presence,
The richness of his grace,
The abundance of his peace,
I long to be in his arms.

There's no turmoil, worry or disruption, in his arms
When the storm comes,
He will lift his right arm,
And he will hold me with the other,
For even before I was born, he was my father.
 

In his arms I will forget my fears,
I will forget my failures, my regrets and past mistakes,
It's a new beginning, a fresh start.
I won't need my achievements, accomplishments, victories or my strengths,
For being in His arms is my success.

"The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." Deuteronomy 33:27