I was recently shocked to learn that a friend’s daughter had been beaten black and blue by her teachers in a secondary school for being found in possession of a love letter to a boyfriend! How have things changed so drastically in our schools, where an innocent act of letter writing has been criminalised? I read the letter. The imagery was vivid, the command of language superb. As a teacher of English, I would score it ninety-eight per cent. What, then, is not happening in our schools? As a student at Chavakali High School in the 1980s, I witnessed the…
Author: By Prof Egara Kabaji
Students on their way home after the Ministry of education closed schools to pave way for the 2022 general elections. Nairobi. Aug 5, 2022. [Jonah Onyango, Standard] One of the wisest decisions I made in recent years was to go back to school and earn a Master’s degree in Business Administration (Strategic Management option). Not because I thought I would discover some groundbreaking economic theory. No. It achieved something subtler, yet more lasting: it sparked a deeper desire in me to understand economics, financial systems, wealth creation, and financial literacy. Since then, I have read hundreds of books on these…
A group of artists rehearse in a makeshift theatre at Lake View Estate in Nakuru, keeping the spirit of performance alive. Despite being listed among UNESCO’s Creative Cities, Nakuru lacks a single functioning cinema hall, and the iconic Nakuru Players Theatre remains closed due to management challenges. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard] What is ailing the creative industry in Kenya? This is the question I had to confront last weekend while facilitating a writers’ training. The training was held at a deeply symbolic site, the 7th August Memorial Park in Nairobi. It was organised by the Writers Guild of Kenya. We gathered…
One of the most enduring stories I read as a youngster, which has remained etched in my mind, is Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving. I still remember the vivid picture it painted in my imagination of a man who, tired of the world, wanders into the mountains, drinks a mysterious potion, and falls asleep for twenty years. When he finally wakes up, he finds that everything has changed. The American Revolution has taken place. The world has moved on without him. I have often returned to this story, but lately, I find that it no longer belongs in the…
Renowned author Prof Ngugi wa Thiong’o arrived and addressed Kenyan readers druing the launch of his book Kenda Muiyuru by the East frica Educational Publishers at the Kenya National Theatre. [FILE] Why is Kenya, a small country, so well known across the globe? Is it because of our world-class runners who dominate marathons and bring gold home? Yes. Is it because we share a lineage with Barack Obama, the first black president of the United States? Certainly. But beyond athletics and politics, Kenya gifted the world something even more enduring: Ngugi wa Thiong’o. Beyond doubt, Ngugi is not just a writer. He is, in many ways, a literary…