In its brief history, independent Kenya has gone through many trying and painful times. Some were brief and intense – such as the deaths of Tom Joseph Mboya, Josiah Mwangi Kariuki, Robert John Ouko and the 1982 attempted military coup. Others were protracted and attritionary – such as the Shifta War in what was called the North Eastern Province. But the post-election violence of 2007/2008 stands out as the event that came closest to tipping the country over into full-scale civil war. It was the greatest threat to Kenya as a unified and secure state. But even after averting the collapse of the state, the thoughtless and cavalier actions of the power elite and their cheer squads continue to confound.
The following ten articles attempt to capture that naked moment – the painful absurdities, the desperate prayers, the heartbreaking disappointments, and the stubborn persistence of hope. They represent a cry from the soul, a desperate, tearful plea for respect and honour in this land of beauty and awe.
- Home
- Books
- Articles
- 67. WSR’s Historic Win – A tentative reflection by a war-room participant
- 66. A better Kenya for all is possible (Original 1st Draft)*
- 65. A modest proposal
- 64. How did Kenya get into this political mess?
- 63. Why Trump-ism is a necessary tonic
- 62. The Tripartite Free Trade Area: The End of Babel?
- 61. Is the Garissa-type Massacre the New Normal?
- 60. Violence is useful – or is it?
- 59. Our Obsession with Niccolo
- 58. Terrorism is Not the Bigger Danger
- 57. 2015 is Predictably Unpredictable
- 56. Of Size and Real Power
- 55. The ICC Judges made a sensible climb-down; they could do more!
- 54. The Angels of Westgate
- 53. The ICC is Interrogating a Syndrome
- 52. It is High Noon for Hypocrisy at the ICC
- 51. Uhuru’s EAC Leadership Opportunity
- 50. The labour pains of change
- 49. Stop excuses and start building Africa
- 48. The Great Illusion
- 47. Corruption stories are a cure for irrational exuberance
- 46.Kenya’s deficit is not fiscal, it is moral
- 45. No tantrums – This is geopolitics!
- 44.William Ruto Vs Quantum Physics
- 43.Dangerous Inequality and Marginalization
- 42. Africa should look beyond Obama’s visit
- 41.Mandela: The Long Goodbye
- 40.Caught between Boardroom-smart and Street-smart
- 39. Time for Africa to practice strategic humility
- 38. President Uhuru Should Consider ‘Breaking Some Eggs’
- 37. Which Path for Kenya in the Next 50 years?
- 36. In governance, statecraft is stagecraft
- 35. Justice is blind, but it is not deaf!
- 34. MPs Greed & Citizen Apathy: Quite Typical!
- 33. Mutula Kilonzo: A reflection on life
- 32. The “Fly in the Soup” Branding Challenge
- 31. Performance and Integrity Expectations
- 30. The Window of Opportunity
- 29. Of ICC, a foreign dance and domestic ennui
- 28. Challenges beyond the Court Ruling
- 27. Raila’s Inner Dialogue
- 26. Uhuru’s Inauguration Address
- 25. Challenges Facing The New President
- 24. History In A Parallel Universe
- 23. The (needless) panic scenarios
- 22. The Dilemma of Decisions and Consequences
- 21. Cats-and-Dogs-Top-Job-Debate
- 20. The March to March Madness
- 19. How bad is a UhuRuto win?
- 18. Of Bulletproof Vests and Mindsets
- 17. Of Pots, Politics and Paradox
- 16. Of heartbeats, sneezes and the stars
- 15. Musalia, the alphabet and the mirror
- 14. Two Variables and a Prayer
- 13. Pride and Power
- 12. March 4 Matters More Than Doomsday
- 11. Four Metaphors and a Wish
- 10. We know so much yet so little
- 09. Please Give Kenya Airways a break
- 08. Integrity vs Impunity: It Is a Non-contest
- 08. East Africa: The Arc of Perception is Bending
- 07. Reasons for Ethnic Syndication
- 06. Is the MRC Phenomenon a Farce or a Tragedy?
- 05. Thirty Years of Experimentation
- 04. A Scenario From the Abyss
- 03. Kenya’s oscillating pendulums
- 02. It is the bubble, stupid
- 1. Kenya’s political landscape is an oratory desert
- Poems & Others…
- 1. Now I Know Where I Am Going
- 2. Invalid. Null. Void (01.09.2017)
- 3. Our Heart’s Calling
- 4. Jacob and Rachel
- 5. When I die…
- 6. Bee Cee
- 7. Have you wondered why …
- 8. Strange Dinners
- 9. Sounds of Silence
- 10. She spoke of pangs of pain – for her baby
- 11. Sosio’s dawn
- 12. Different Types of Forever
- 13. A True Friend Is…
- 14. Creepy creeping creeper
- 15. The African Hut
- 16. Beauty – What is it?
- 17. Question!
- 18. The heart sings… for Rosa Parks
- 19. Life’s Journey
- 20. Mar-i-Age: The painfool truth
- 21. Mar-i-Age: Revisited
- 22. Dreams…
- 23. Silence!
- 24. Can you tell who I am?
- 25. Himpatience – A lesson
- 26. Thus said distant morrow
- 27. We rise and fall – Not!
- 28. Tamed by the whirlwind
- 29. Fly away, my children, fly
- 30. Today…
- 31. Sir, I spy your thoughts
- 32. Tou Emeet
- 33. Now I know where I am going. Seriously!
- 34. Soar into lofty loneliness
- 35. Kora
- 36. Raindrop
- 37. Ego
- 38. Sin
- 39. Future
- 40. Dunces
- 41. Mirror
- 42. Violence
- 43. Interlude
- 44. Tele
- 45. Mountains
- 46. Prison
- 47.Violence II
- 48. Grandmother
- 49. Mum
- 50. Thoughts
- 51. Death – what is it?
- 52. Death – what is it again?
- 53. Death – what is it, one last time?
- 54. Do not be Crowned in Terror
- 55. You Came to Where you Have Been
- 56. Overheard
- 57. Now that we are here, come, let us talk…
- 58. Fragments united
- 59. 2020 and ?
- 60. The Corona Chronicles
- 61. This Travelers Palm
- 62. The Anatomy of Political Madness
- 63. Standstill…
- 64. Music…
- 65. Lame Loyalty
- 66. We exist because we did not and will not.
- 67. It is you – again!?
- 68. It is true …but what if?
- 69. The Journey
- Tweetflections
- Humans: Past, Present, Future:
- Certainty and uncertainty
- Contingent forces
- The paradox of life…
- Unknown unknowns
- It is true…
- Life is a library…
- Three levels of mystery
- Connectedness
- Of freedom and fools
- Of leaders and fools
- Violence
- Wisdom
- The search continues…
- Interest and happiness
- New Years!
- Of human distances…and design
- Of eternity and illusions
- Brexit
- Of humans and deep time
- Success
- Humans and learning
- Galaxies and Us
- Disequilibrium is good?
- Human equilibrium
- Identity-revisited
- Life
- Heroines and Heroes
- Kenyan Polity
- Africa
- On Writing
- On the Donald (Trump)
- On the Future
- Humans: Past, Present, Future:
- Gallery
- About Kap Kirwok
- Contact Kap