Live Live Live Live Live Live Live Live Live Live Published Date: 2025-11-03 00:00:00 Author: By Caleb Atemi Source: The Standard
Author: By Caleb Atemi
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga funeral. [Photo/File] I had an eerie feeling as the evening set in. Inexplicable fear gripped me making my stomach queasy. A cold chill surged through my body as I walked around the office checking on the doors and locks to ensure my colleagues had secured every station. I stood at the window overlooking the lake and watched the sun; in its golden majesty take its bow. I had an uneasy feeling and my heart had been beating unusually fast. I couldn’t concentrate on the feature I was writing. Then, the phone on my desk startled me. It…
Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga and his brother Raila Odinga at a past event. [File, Standard] It was swift, fast and furious. It was like a scene from a thriller movie happening rapidly before my eyes. My driver applied emergency brakes to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of us. Young, muscular and agile men in black jumped from speeding cars and pounced on armed policemen. Within seconds, six policemen were on the ground crying for mercy. Bullets in their G3 rifles had been ejected by the security men of opposition leader Raila Amollo Odinga. The weapons were thrown into a…
Late Raila Odinga joined with Muslim faithful at the annual Mombasa Governor’s Eid Baraza at Treasury Square, Mombasa.[FILE,Standard] My mind swirled and my head reeled. Tears welled in my eyes as I listened to him. I looked at him repulsively as he spoke. Quietly, fury and rage were building up inside me. My chest heaved, and soon, my legs were shaking as I struggled to maintain calmness. “I am really sorry you were summarily dismissed. I had no say in the matter. Mine was to sign the letter once the board approved your sacking” his words jumped out of his…
The late Controversial Aids researcher Prof Arthur Obel during the interview at his Loresho home in 2019. [File, Standard] Tears rolled down her cheeks as she struggled to swallow the dark, greenish concoction. Her breathing was hard and unsteady. I held her thin trembling hands while gently placing her head on my lap to ease the process of feeding her on the liquid as instructed by the physician. She couldn’t walk. Her legs had grown extremely weak and her whole body was covered in blisters. Her eyes, which had sunk deep into the sockets of her emaciated face, suddenly broke into a glint of…
President William Ruto and former Cabinet minister Dalmas Otieno in Homa Bay town, in October 2022. [File, Standard] He smiled. It was a shy, sly smile. I looked up at his towering figure as I smiled back. He stretched out his hand and held me by the shoulder. We walked across the car park to some isolated spot under a tree. /* Container styling */ .fade-out-overlay { position: absolute; top: -80px; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 60px; z-index: 1; background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0), rgba(255, 255, 255, 1)); } .paywall-container { position: relative; max-width: 100%; margin: 0 auto;…
President William Ruto and former Cabinet minister Dalmas Otieno in Homa Bay town, in October 2022. [File, Standard] He smiled. It was a shy, sly smile. I looked up at his towering figure as I smiled back. He stretched out his hand and held me by the shoulder. We walked across the car park to some isolated spot under a tree. /* Container styling */ .fade-out-overlay { position: absolute; top: -80px; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 60px; z-index: 1; background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0), rgba(255, 255, 255, 1)); } .paywall-container { position: relative; max-width: 100%; margin: 0 auto;…
A section of Nyanza women leaders led by former Karachuonyo mp Phoebe Asiyo addresses the press in Kisumu on September 2nd 2022. They discredited the advisory issued by the US embassy saying Kisumu is safe. (FILE/Standard) The punch landed on my jaw, sending me reeling on the hard surface. I struggled to stand up but was met with a flurry of kicks and lashes. With my face pinned down, I stayed glued to the burning ground inside the prison yard. Blood gushed down my nose and my cracked lips as the tall, muscular warden stomped on my shoulder. There was an eerie silence.…
Novelist Ngugi Wa Thiongó after he was released from detention. [Courtesy] In September 2023 I had occasion to read for the umpteenth time Ngugi wa Thiongo’s memoir: Detained: A Writers Prison Diary. I was serving a 10-year prison sentence for a crime I knew nothing about; a crime I never committed. I clung to the promise of God that the appeal I had filed at the High Court Milimani would restore my freedom. My prayers were answered — I was released on appeal. .fade-out-overlay{position:absolute;top:-80px;left:0;width:100%;height:60px;z-index:1;background:linear-gradient(to bottom,rgba(255,255,255,0),rgba(255,255,255,1))}.paywall-container{position:relative;max-width:100%;margin:0 auto;padding:25px;border:1px solid #e0e0e0;border-radius:8px;box-shadow:0 2px 10px rgba(0,0,0,.1);background-color:#fff}.paywall-container h2{text-align:center}.paywall-container a{text-decoration:none!important}.paywall-header{font-size:24px;font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:15px;color:#333;text-align:center}.price-highlight{font-size:20px;font-weight:bold;color:#d40511;margin:15px 0;text-align:center}.price-highlight .original-price{text-decoration:line-through;color:#777;margin-right:0}.divider{border-top:1px solid #e0e0e0;margin:20px 0}.subscribe-button{display:block;width:100%;padding:12px;background-color:#d40511;color:#fff;border:none;border-radius:4px;font-size:25px;font-weight:bold;cursor:pointer;margin-bottom:20px;transition:background-color .3s;text-decoration:none}.subscribe-button:hover{background-color:#b0030e;text-decoration:none}.features-list{margin:20px 0;padding-left:20px;list-style:none}.features-list li{margin-bottom:10px;list-style-type:none;position:relative;padding-left:25px;list-style-type:none!important}.features-list li:before{content:”✓”;color:#d40511;position:absolute;left:0;font-weight:bold}.existing-subscriber{text-align:center;color:#555;font-size:14px}.existing-subscriber…