Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Judicial Services Commission- Questions

I live in the quite dramatic country called Kenya. Inhabited by 35 million, only a few political players call the shots and everyone else seems to be invisible in Kenya.

Mrs. Gladys Boss Shollei, a former university lecturer, then Editor, Kenya Law, Deputy CEO at IEBC and formerly, Chief Registrar, the Judiciary has been what it seems unceremoniously sacked at the Judiciary.

The truth is i have not insider information from the judiciary apart from the newspaper "He said, She said". 

My questions for Kenyans is;
1. Don't we have anything better in this country that works or why are we fixated with a few people.

2. As we are fixated with these few people, a lot of them are making money with serious investments, huge ranches, good government deals etc. I wish i could have time to do my own " Who owns Kenya?"

3. Is this fixation, a smokescreen. That Kenyans may never move beyond fixating on these few political players and focus on improving their lives?.

4. Don't we ever learn?

Filed under Stupidity

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Ode to My Beloved-


I wrote this when i lost my auntie in 2010. I miss her terribly.

t is the end of the beginning of a beautiful story that would bring even the most genius storyteller into shame. As I sit here, not knowing what to do, scribbling furiously with my keyboard well, I refuse to go for a meeting to discuss your untimely demise for now, I don't know what to do. Yet I know, honestly, I do not have the strength to deal with everyday issues especially such as this one. But for sure, it will never be easy, not now, not ever.

I remember the day I met you. It was a sunny day, my great grandmother's funeral. It was your sense of style that struck me and I was barely 12 years. I thought you looked great, I didn't even know we were going in the same direction! Later I was to meet this lady my uncle was enamored with. I watched you two from a distance, sitting on the same mat, eating from the same plate and who would have thought one day I would be as wretched and grief stricken to watch you leave this earth without as much as a goodbye. Few years later, we had you in the family and even the success card you sent me in standard eight is somewhere in my box, the one I keep all the old letters.


We grew to love you, for you were giving without compromise and yet we all knew how strong you were. You took all of us like your own. You were like a second mum, we sat I talked, you listened, you gave me feedback. Even the way we got stuck during the post election violence when we didn't have fuel! Yet you gave my uncle life, you gave him babies and most of all you loved him in a way no one else could. I understand his pain now. Some people are just rare and maybe that's why God wanted you for himself. Gosh, the way you always brought samosas and gifts for my brother's birthday.
Now most I think of is your son, that whom you died for so that he may live. What a great sacrifice! I know he will never be grateful; it will be always a painful thing to him. A child left at its infantry with no mother and yet it is the greatest sacrifice that of love, the ability to give up your life for someone else, no one else could do that. Yet that heroic act is what we mourn today. We mourn all the young life you had, the beauty, your true spirit, the hope and the undying love you had for all of us.

Your laughter, wisdom is all etched in my mind today and thereafter. 

Tuesday, October 01, 2013

Do you know your tenant? 2 simple ways to find out.


One of the worst rumours (or is it confirmed?) during the Westgate terror attack was that the terrorists might have been tenants of the Westgate Mall.

Some of us actually let out our premises to strangers without having any identity of the person/company renting the premises and as it has been shown this can be disastrous. It does not need to be a thorough review but using this 2 Government tools can save you a lot of headache later.

1. PIN Checker- Unless you are minor, it is a requirement to have a Personal Identification Number in Kenya. The PIN system at KRA is linked to the department of immigration. Using this link, you can check the validity of a PIN 

2. National ID - Given at 18 years of age, this is the document that is given as a form of identity in Kenya. One trick you can use is check the age of the person and usually, another person of the same age would have the same ID number (especially the first 2 digits of the ID are similar .

If someone insists that they are using a waiting car, you can check the status of the ID with a waiting number here or simply go to Immigration and confirm http://www.identity.go.ke/index.php/check-id-status

3. What about foreigners?
Well, they should have a passport, work permit/visa allowing them to stay in the country for a specific period of time and as a pre-caution do a google search/image search just to make sure they are not wanted criminals.

One thing i known about the majority of many Kenyans, they do a lot of things "chini ya maji" as we are inherently good people but well times are changing, kaa chonjo!Obviously, report any dubious person to the police.