Hilton slums near Gioto dumpsite in London Ward, Nakuru County, on June 18, 2025. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard] Last week, I accompanied a friend and his family on one of their philanthropic visits to a school tucked deep in Rhoda slum, Nakuru. What I witnessed was not just poverty—it was a heartbreaking culture of deprivation embedded in every crevice of that community. Poverty there does not hide. It walks openly, confidently—almost as if it has taken permanent residence. The Gilani family, well-known for their quiet but impactful acts of kindness, has for years been donating school uniforms to needy children. On…
Author: By Mutahi Mureithi
An helicopter keeping surveillance during Saba Saba protest in Kitengela on July 7th 2025. (Collins Oduor, Standard) Have you noticed there are perhaps more helicopters plying our skies than 2NK matatus to Nanyuki? The preferred mode of transport today – by our politicians especially – is up in the sky, where they do not have to interact with hoi polloi, who will still wake up at the crack of dawn to vote for them. Helicopters, once reserved for emergency evacuations and military operations are now the preferred toys of the political elite. It’s no longer surprising to spot a chopper or two landing…
Police Officers engage protestors in Kisii town on 25/6/2025 during the 1st anniversary of Gen Z killings. (Sammy Omingo, Standard) There’s a certain group I am a member of that in the recent past, had the misfortune of having at least five of us break a limb from various accidents. One, an avid biker, was involved in an accident on the highway; two in a freak accident at home; one while playing tennis and the last one, a car accident. For a small group, the numbers are statistically significant. Yet, we expect these numbers to go up in coming months…
Street families are a common sight in many cities and towns in Kenya. You will find them in dark alleys rummaging for food and scrap in bins all over the place. Nakuru City is no different and their numbers are high but the puzzling thing is the families here generally look generally healthy. I was seated somewhere the other day when a young rascal walked in with his bottle of glue stuck up his nose. But what caught my eye were his unusually rosy cheeks. He looks like he has not missed a meal in the recent past. On inquiring, I was told that…
Protestors in the streets of Nairobi after fierce confrontation with the police during the June 25 protests. [Edward Kiplimo, Standard] In the fog of war, it is easy to lose sight of the repercussions of one of the oldest ways of settling real or imagined scores. The actual suffering is not that of the people in power nor even the actual combatants – after all, the latter signed up for it. It is the so-called common people, those who have nothing to do with the war and who would rather live in peace. That is why when I saw what…
Mr Erastus Ethekon when he appeared before the selection panel in Nairobi on March 25, 2025. [Collins Oduor, Standard] Some things can only happen in Kenya. And even when they do, the initial reaction is usually one of disbelief: this cannot be happening, you tell yourself. It can’t be real. But as surely as the sun rises, your bad dreams turn into an inescapable reality that you must live with. I was watching a clip of the gentleman nominated as the IEBC chairman during his parliamentary confirmation proceedings (for that’s what they are), and I couldn’t help but admire the brazen…
Solar Panels seen on rooftop at Two Rivers Mall. January 24, 2023. [File, Standard] I have a soft spot for the environment. Nothing beats a walk in the forest where the only sounds are those of birds, crickets and the occasional wild animal, though this last sound usually makes my adrenaline kick in ready for instant flight. With a love of environment comes the love of nature. And that’s why matters climate change means a lot to me and indeed should for everyone who cares about the future. Climate change is the defining challenge of our time. With rising global temperatures, erratic weather patterns, and frequent…
President William Ruto (center) Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua (right) and Opposition Leader Raila Odinga flanked by several leaders from kenya kwanza and Azimio after the signing of IEBC Bill that was developed from NADCO report into law on July 9 2024. [File, Standard] For the record, I have nothing against politicians. There are a few good ones – really few, perhaps three or four in Kenya – but the average politician is nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing and in most instances, they don’t even bother to hide their identity. I have been studying the current political realignments and the swiftness with which allegiances change. One day, this particular politician is on…
US President Donald Trump. [AFP] We live in a truly global village. What happens in some remote part of the world will impact on a whole swathe of land on the other side. It is the so-called butterfly effect. It is said when a butterfly flaps its wings somewhere in a remote pacific island, the effect might mutate into a tsunami on some other shores on the west coast of America. Or put in another way, when America – or more recently China – sneezes, the world catches pneumonia. I look at what’s happening at the global stage and there…
President William Ruto arrived in Rome, Italy, and received by Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetangula to join other world leaders and Catholic faithful in the funeral of Pope Francis. [Picture By PSCU] There is this gentleman from Vietnam who’s caused quite a ruckus online with his assessment of Africa and Kenya in particular. In a short write up titled “Why Asia builds and Africa waits” he lays out what is essentially the problem with Africa: governance, lack of vision and self-interest. Following a meeting he had with President William Ruto and CS Musalia Mudavadi, this gentleman called Doanh…
President William Ruto, Energy CS Opiyo Wandayi (left) and the PS Alex Wachira look at mini grid presentation ahead of the contract signing for Improved Access to Electricity through Mini-Grid and Stand-Alone Solar Systems under the Kenya Off-Grid Solar Access Project in Nairobi County. [PCS] I have been musing about government contracts and need for accountability on providing key details about them. We need a clear report of the contract amounts, bidding process, criteria for choosing the winner and a detailed footnote on how much government functionaries have been given under the table. That is true accountability and is the only way…
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua,during an interview with KTN at his Karen Residence on April 7, 2025. [Benard Orwongo,Standard] When a Chinese intones ‘may you live in interesting times’, they are not wishing you a future full of happiness, success and jollity: it is actually a curse. Here in Kenya, we are indeed living in interesting times, the Chinese version that is. The last couple of weeks have been nothing short of drama at the national and international stage, both literally and figuratively. A friend reckoned that the things happening here can only take place, well, here in Kenya, though the good ol’ United States of America is giving us competition,…