STREET LIFE

Street life

Walking briskly towards the place I normally board a matatu (public transport means) to take me to school from Nairobi City, I felt a hand tag on my shoulder. In a split second as I turned to meet the owner of the hand, assuming it was a long lost friend or a stranger alerting me on something…I came face to face with a huge dirty hand holding human excrement!!!

Various times I had encountered people who had passed through such an ordeal. What happens is that the street urchin will ask for some money in which (s) he will smear you with the body waste if you do not heed to their demands. I froze. But only for a short while as my mind raced between asking for the spirit of Usain Bolt to come over me and make a dash from the scene, or turning violent and hitting the dude. In the end I faced him and asked why he needed the 20 shillings he was asking for.

Anyway, we reached a mutual agreement but I was not overly angry, albeit shaken. As I proceeded on, I had deep thoughts about people living on the street. A repeat of the same came flooding into my mind today as I saw some young children snuggling on cartons along a side walk as the cold July chill bit hard. These two children who looked barely in their early teens made me take a hard long look at the comforts we take for granted many a times. As I did so, three individuals I know surfaced in my thoughts.

Sam* used to be the most likable kid you’d ever come across as we were young growing up in Dandora. He never seemed to trouble anyone or have a problem with the rest of us. Only difference was that he was a street child. Later on did I learn that they used to be wealthy until his mum passed on and he refused to live with a step mother for reasons best known to him. When we were young, we’d play with him and he was generous in giving my childhood buddies ‘chombo’ (nice stuff that he would get at the dumping site in Dando). It was not until I enquired of his whereabouts that I was saddened to hear that he still loiters around yet he is a man now, a victim of circumstances.

Kevin* was huge. Even as a young lad, you’d see he had the build of a heavy weight. No one really knew where he’d come from, but most people were kind to him for he had no home. I remember vividly my mum giving him soap to shower and some food to eat. He was introverted but kind to strangers. I recall one day he came back badly wounded from a gang fight and the people around raised some cash for his treatment. It was then he confessed to having no family. He still is on the streets, probably he has no better choice.


Brian* was both cheeky and funny. He had this ‘Martin Lawrence’ look. I remember as kids, we’d just look at him and laugh as if being tickled. And he was full of zest and energy. His annoyance was he was very loud and seemed to care for none other but himself. Like Sam, he was said to come from a wealthy home. He simply loved the streets for the sheer pleasure of the madness associated with it. Sometimes, his relatives would get him but he was always back with more vigour. It was a vicious cycle really. I do not know his whereabouts; the street simply gave him an unbridled thrill.

Huyo jamaa sio mwizi

Next time my dear reader that you encounter an unpleasant interaction with especially street kids, take a moment to reflect on their human side and instead of cursing and sneering, it might just be more worthwhile to reflect that it could have been you. I remain Njabia the 3^rd, till next time, CIAO!

(* Not their real names)

OF NYERI MEN, I INCLUDED

''...ITS ME AGAINST THE MAN...''

Before beginning writing this post, I had a meeting with myself. You see, as a man from Nyeri, though with Kiambu paternity, so much ridicule I risk facing by declaring I am a ‘Nyerian’ too. If you still do not know why, I suggest you acquaint yourself better with Kenyan news for the past few months.

You see, this particular region from whence our country’s president hails from has faced a substantial number of domestic violence cases that are unique; the beatings and abuse is meted on the men. Now, stereotyping is practised the whole world over and the common one is Nyeri women are tough while their male counterparts are timid. And that is indeed false.

I remember being told during my initiation that real men never hit a woman. Upon enquiry, I was told that only cowards do so. I guess a man should take such good care of his lady, such that no chance for a fight would come up. And thinking about it more, it does make a huge amount of sense though it may not do so to many men especially those from our lovely continent; Africa.

It is a well known fact that traditionally, not just in Africa but even in ancient civilizations, the man had some specific and exclusive roles to carry out. As a Christian, my supreme authority is the Bible and it mirrors really well in Ephesians 5:25 ‘…Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…’ Personally, I take the word ‘Love’ as more of a verb and less of a noun! It’s about action and Love manifests itself more with what we do than what we say. Words are important too!

I have a hypothesis that might not be completely factual but which holds much water. Not so long ago, boys were cherished by communities more. They got the best education and jobs and later in their homes, had the liberty to mistreat the women. This because livelihoods depended on them.  Fast forward and after the empowerment of the ‘girl child’, we have homes that truly lack a leader.

This is a socio-religious problem that needs addressing soon. The previous verse in the above quoted scripture declares ‘…Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything…’. Before the ladies stone me, this is what I honestly believe; Men should take responsibility, take care of their homes by especially loving their wives to the point they’d be willing to die for them. As of women, even if you earn ten times more than your man, give him the respect he deserves just as God would like you to.

To cut the long story short, and I am serious about this, I would not harshly condemn a scorned woman if she rained blows on  her man if he’s  drunk and there is no food on the table and school fees for the children! Maybe even hand her a rungu, but definitely not a machete!!!

Lovely weekend to you amazing reader. I remain, Njabia the 3^rd.

G.H.E.T.T.O

These streets remind me of quick sand,

When you are on it, you keep going down…

And there’s no one to hold on to

And there’s no one to pull you out…

So you keep on falling, no one can hear you callin

So you end up self-destructing…

Getting Higher Education To Teach Others

The above six lines of Akon’s famous song ‘Ghetto’ literally sum up what I wanna write about. Since I first heard the song eight years ago, the lines remain true and etched onto my mind and engraved onto my heart. They put into perspective all my thoughts concerning where I grew up in.

You see, I am from the ghetto. Born and raised up in Dandora or Dee or Dandoch or Dandarra; whichever way you christen it, that was my home, still is and will ever be close to my heart. Initially meant to be an estate for middle-income earners with decent concrete houses and amenities that would offer comfort to the residents…Dee turned out into another ‘ghetto in Eastlando’ with a surplus population and alterations to the initial development plans.

But if I had a chance to have been born elsewhere, I would frankly and adamantly refuse for till now, I believe that growing up in such a place as Dee is a ‘blessing in disguise’ and the sad bit is that it can equally be destructive, just as Akon’s last line portrays.

In equal measure, I have seen people from the hood grasp the opportunities hat come across their way and live fulfilling lives. Sad bit is most of the young people will develop a rebellious, victim or content attitude with life in the ghetto. They are not to sorely blame.

I think society needs to refrain from making it seem like a person’s worth is related to what economic bracket they lie within. All of us are equal and the sooner we acknowledge that, the easier it will be to do away with snobbery, rebelliousness, inferiority and superiority complex all exhibited by especially young people on whichever side of the economic divide.

Till next time, I will sing along with Shaggy and Joe in their 2002 hit song…’Ghetto Child’. And maybe whistle along to ''Dandora L.O.V.E, ndani ya Hip-hop city...''. because that is what I am; just a  ghetto child who sees beyond the heap of trash in Dee.

Be blessed you wonderful reader. I remain Njabia the 3rd

FOUR TEAMS...ONE FAN (Part 2)

ARSENAL...KENYA...GERMANY...REAL MADRID

21st May, 2005. The day brought with it two immortal memories, the wedding of my friends Caro and Joshu and the F.A Final pitying Manchester United and Arsenal. The game was broadcast live on K.B.C and we were crowded with friends watching the exciting game that ended goalless, even after extra time. The penalty shoot-out was nerve wrecking. Five men from either side were to decide which team I would be a supporter of; though I already had a soft spot for the team in red and white.

All but one scored, a Man-U player called Paul Scholes a.k.a ‘Ginger Prince’ due to his gold hair. He had his kick punched away by the ‘Crazy German’ as he used to be called in Jens Lehmann, Arsenal’s goalkeeper. I was in love and now had the privilege of identifying myself as an Arsenal fan. The bond remains, just grows with each passing game. Arsenal till I die. Period.

But there are other three teams I love you know?

113 in the current FIFA World rankings, mostly terrible but with genuine talent here and there and the occasional win, like the 4-0 over Comoros or the famous 9-0 win over Djibouti that happened over ten years ago! I love the Harambee Star’s, Kenya’s national team due to the fact I am Kenyan and still hope we make it to the World Cup 2014 in Brazil and hopefully win in the final against the hosts. Amen.

La Liga, the Spanish league had me a Barcelona fan since ’02 for the wrong reason until last year when I realized their pretty football, hauls of trophies and rich tradition loses its worth due to the team’s unethical practices such as player diving, player tapping and when they finally lured Super Cesc, Arsenal’s captain and cheated their way to the Champions league did I know I have to jump ship. Still in the honeymoon stage with Real Madrid but liking every single bit and memorable gamesJ

Anytime I play FIFA on play station, I choose Germany for an international game. Reason? I honestly think they are the best in World football but that’s not why I like them. Being with Germans as friends and colleagues was a factor and I took time during the last World Cup in South Africa to finally choose a team to support on the global stage…well, till Kenya wins the World Cup anyway! And it had to be Germany, brilliant skills, awesome talent and they play a style I like…technischen Fußball !

Thanks for reading you wonderful people. I remain, Njabia the 3^rd.

FOUR TEAMS, ONE FAN...(Part 1)

I love football. It was not always like that. The first time our family owned a television set was way back in 1998, the year France hosted and won the World cup. I was around a decade old but my least concern was football. I remember not leaving our house entirely due to the T.V, watching shows as boring as ‘Good Morning Kenya’ and ‘Dunia Wiki Hii’ with my small sister and as the two suggest, K.B.C was the only station we had access to!

But then the World Cup began and it was time to leave the house…that is how much I hated football. Fast forward and Japan with South Korea are the World Cup hosts in 2002. Three factors got me hooked to the beautiful game; a certain Brazilian with a unique hairstyle called Ronaldo, Kilosh, a neighbor who used to pin all the football pictures from the dailies in a blank book and my school mates who already were in tune with the English Premier League.

If it was not for my strict mum, I would also have gotten the ‘Ronaldo’ hair style like almost all boys my age. He really was the best footballer of his generation and his record speaks for itself. Period. I always wanted to be opposites with Kilosh and so when he started fancying Real-Madrid, I decided to be a Barcelona fan. But the biggest influence was listening to my classmates discuss, argue and boast of teams like man-U and Arsenal. That made me curious for I wanted to be part of the ‘pundits’.

For the next three years, I faced a football ‘identity crisis’ when I knew not where to pledge my allegiance to. The aforementioned Kilosh tried all tact to convert me into a Man-United fan but I was not convinced and so when Arsenal booked an F.A Cup final with them on 21st May 2005, I decided that was the D-day. I was finally gonna choose which among the two English soccer giants to pledge my allegiance to…

Wonderful people, have a great weekend. Till next time, I remain Njabia the 3^rd.

SANE POLITICS (Part 2)

Together, we can fly the flag high once more...

Déjà vu. That is exactly the feeling that filled me when during the funeral of a fallen statesman, our former head of state declared, rather subtly of his desire that we elect the son of our first president into the highest office of the land. A decade earlier, such an event had occurred with very little success when Moi had endorsed Uhuru to inherit him as Kenya’s president.

As we well know, our current and outgoing president was catapulted into the helm with popularity across the land and the endorsement of many leaders who rode along the ‘Rainbow’ wave and occupied senior positions in the coalition government that was formed. Since that ’02 election, it has been a decade of political betrayals, bickering and ‘break ups’ if such an expression exists. On a positive note, we’ve experienced increased freedom of expression, reduced bureaucracy in government operations and as data reflects, but not in everyday situations, economic growth.

The ugliest blot and one that will remain etched on our minds is of course the unprecedented chaos, violence and bloodshed that we experienced across the land after the 2007 General Elections.

As we stand now, the boat that is Kenya is now rocked by waves that are growing in intensity as we countdown to the election that’s just around the corner. I think that as a nation, we’ve run around the same circle like a headless chicken for far too long and it’s time we seized the moment and altered the status quo.

I am not a radical asking that we storm the streets and make our voices be heard, neither am I going to watch the unfolding of events without having my voice being heard. I love my country too much and it pains me, as it should to you that years have passed with the political elite fattening their payslip as our fellow people wallow in I.DP camps. I am not asking that you vote for a particular candidate neither, no, not at all.

All I ask is that you take time. Reflect. Then, decide. Do some soul searching and ask yourself what role you can play, either small; such as refusing to carry out that corrupt deal or in a big way; like letting those close to you know that tribalism is a Goliath that can only be felled by those courageous enough to face it. The destiny of Kenya lies in your hand; will you seize the moment or let it slip away …one more time?

God bless Kenya, as He blesses you wonderful reader. I remain Njabia the 3^rd.

SANE POLITICS (Part 1)

Kenya is me & you!

At the beginning of the year, CNN or The Time Magazine, I do not recall which one really christened this year 2012 as “The Year of Elections”. This is because 59 national elections worldwide are to be held, that is like a 3^rd of the world electing new or maintaining the status quo of their ruling class. A substantial number of them have taken place already with the Western African state of Senegal in turmoil over the result.

As a Kenyan, the political arena in my beloved country borders on both the ridiculous and maybe revolutionary. This year should be an election year but then again, it may well not be. According to our new constitution, August should be when we go to the polls yet many people still seem to favour elections in December. Funny enough, the courts ruled that we may have to wait until March next year!

Inasmuch as we are faced with uncertainty on when we get to elect our nation’s leaders, one thing that ought to remain clear is that we detest from the ignorant and Neanderthal attitudes and actions that saw us butcher one another and fragment according to ethnic lines. Much has been said and documented but it would be a shame if as a nation we fail to learn from the past.

Growing up in Nairobi, our cosmopolitan capital city made me see friends as they were, not from what tribe they belonged, and we never even teased each other along the same attribute. Hoping that a country of 40 million people exhibit such traits may be wishful thinking but it does begin with me and you. Because that is what Kenya is.

As I wind up on this first part I leave you with a quote from Theodore Roosevelt, “Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children's children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”

Have a lovely weekend you wonderful people, I remain, Njabia the 3^rd.