Morning Glory
La Reine in The Driver's Seat
Earlier that cold October morning when I sat in my home office and began writing a few paragraphs of ‘Green Decisions,’ a book that am writing, it occurred to me that based on the confidence that I had seen rippling through La Reine’s eyes as she drove, time was ripe…
Kenya's Search for Water
If you live in Nairobi or any other urban center in the country and are able to access water through the taps of your house, you are among the lucky fifty percent urban residents with piped water in their houses. According to the World Bank, barely half of Kenya's urban…
Better, Safer and Cheaper Housing for Nairobi Residents
Have you ever held a honeycomb in your hands? If not, try and do so one day and you will catch a glimpse of Nairobi’s concrete tenements that are known in Nairobi simply as ‘flats.’ They dot the eastern part of Nairobi and host hundreds of thousands of people.
Nairobi's Leaking Roofs
It started with a drop of water that landed on top of the white headscarf of her head when she was cooking sukuma wiki (kales) on her rusty, green stove. She didn’t feel that drop. But when several drops landed in her plate ten minutes later as she was eating,…
East Pokot's Flood of Tears
Wrinkles. They were folded all over her face and breasts. Her chest was bare and she didn't care. No one cared. Dangling around her neck was a set of nearly two dozen necklaces that were enjoined together. The bead necklaces, which were black, green, red and blue covered her entire…
When I Fled from Terror
My thigh was shaking as I pressed the accelerator. Truth be told, I was very, very scared. Next to me in the co-driver seat of The Growler, as my friends refer to my Subaru Forester, was Mutua a young Red Cross volunteer who was also fleeing from Lamu. Flee. I…
More Great Stories
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Running in Nairobi with Lamu on my Mind
That day, Monday 15th June started off in the middle of the night, like all other days. After jumping out of bed, flicking on my laptop and brushing my teeth, I sank into my maroon chair and relaxed for a few seconds. I thought about the maroon chair I was… in Morning Glory -
A Roaring River, Rustling Leaves and Singing Birds
When the Growler rumbled into Karura Forest that morning of Monday 28th July 2020, the sun was still hiding beneath the eastern horizon. My car’s flashlights were piercing the semi-darkness as I drove slowly along the earthen road that snakes into the forest. I parked at a new spot that… in Morning Glory -
Amplifying Wangari Maathai’s Voice for a Better Africa
I last met Wangari Maathai on the evening of July 26 2010 during the screening of her autobiographical movie, ‘Taking Root, the Vision of Wangari Maathai.’ The screening was at the Alliance Francaise auditorium. We watched as the film vindicated Martin Luther King Jnr’s words that ‘The arc of the… in Morning Glory -
6.24 Mins Per Kilometer
I am feeling sickish. Its the 1.23 AM Sunday. 17th May. I have just woken up and my body doesn’t feel quite right. Will I be able to run today? Will my feet be able to slam into the ground for the 11,400 steps it usually takes me to run… in Morning Glory -
Love in the Time of Corona - Baby Raúl
Take a glance at this photo. You will notice that baby Raúl’s left hand is grabbing the white plastic frame of a plastic groceries holder. Now look at the photo more carefully. You will notice that he has his eyes set on something. Probably the onion that is visible in… in Love -
Will I Break the Morning Run Record?
It’s 3.32AM and am wondering if, when I leave for my morning run in an hour’s time at 4.30 AM, I will manage to break my current record of 5:46 minutes per kilometer, for the 12k distance. Am hoping I will, because I tend to break these records on Mondays.… in Morning Glory -
Nairobi's Leaking Roofs
It started with a drop of water that landed on top of the white headscarf of her head when she was cooking sukuma wiki (kales) on her rusty, green stove. She didn’t feel that drop. But when several drops landed in her plate ten minutes later as she was eating,… in Morning Glory -
Lamu Island's Yellow House
The rotting dhania, coriander, sat gloomily on top of the small fridge. It had been a sweet green color just days back in Mombasa when we bought it at Nakumatt, City Mall. But that was then. Now, thanks to a dead fridge when I arrived back in Lamu from Mombasa,… in Lamu -
Whooooa! That Sweet Feeling
At exactly 6.37 AM on July 7th 2020, I jumped onto Moja my beloved Bike, waved bye to The Growler, my equally beloved Subaru Forrester, car and started cycling. A minute later, I remembered that I hadn’t tucked in my sports pants, so I alighted and tucked them into my… in Morning Glory -
Her Chicken Gave Her Strength to Fly
The petite bird, a cinnamon-chested bee-eater, had remained perched on the Elgon Teak tree’s lower branch. It had been there for days. Not normal for a bird. Because birds belong to the sky. God gave them wings to soar high, in the company of a sweet breeze that belongs only… in Morning Glory