A phone call came in the middle of a virtual meeting. It was Julius, a loyal client who had permanently relocated to Thika. When I saw his name flashing on the screen, I remembered he had earlier sent me a message asking to book an appointment for a haircut. I had been too busy to reply. Since I could not take the call, I asked him to send a text instead. Julius was already on his way and wanted to know the exact time I was opening the shop. He hoped to be the first client. “I’ll be there around…
Author: By Ted Malanda
US President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on September 19, 2025. [AFP] Africans rode into independence weighed down by unrealistic promise and expectations. Freedom fighters crawled out of forests bubbling with excitement. The war was over. Invitations to dine in the sprawling bungalows the colonizer had left in a huff awaited. They were eager to reclaim ancestral lands, paddle around in the white man’s pool, float in his bathtub and wench in the white man’s king-size bed – clean linen, fluffy pillows and all. .fade-out-overlay {…
Prophet Victor Kanyari and his late wife Betty Bayo. [Courtesy, Standard] Prophet Victor Kanyari could not stay married to the vivacious gospel singer, Betty Bayo (may her soul rest in eternal peace) resulting in their children calling two men “father”. Kanyari may not be your conventional clergyman, but his divorce signaled the challenges plaguing the institution of marriage. If a union sealed with the holy spirit can be ripped apart, what about the thousands consummated in parking lots and held together by the flimsy band-aid of lust? .fade-out-overlay { position: absolute; top: -80px; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 60px;…
Physical checkup for potential KDF candidates at Migori sports ground in 2018. (File, Standard) This week, Kenyans on social media laughed themselves senseless, amused that the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) kicked out 1,500 recruits from army training school for walking into a military establishment with traces of marijuana in their veins. The army, they giggled, would quickly run out of recruits to train if they insisted on enlisting only marijuana-free lads because, hey, weed smoking is now more widespread than religion among Kenyan youths. .fade-out-overlay { position: absolute; top: -80px; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 60px; z-index: 1; background: linear-gradient(to…
When burglars broke into a Tecno Maafcom mobile shop located at Nuric building in Kitengela town. [File, Standard] We all know the rage and sense of loss that engulfs those who find their homes sacked by burglars. Even thieves, ironically, have been known to bristle with fury when they, too, fall victim. The loss lingers for years, such that dying people gasp for breath, enraged at departing the world without kicking the scoundrel who stole their beloved blanket 75 years ago. Still, I have always beheld the burglar with detached respect. Burglary demands a remarkable level of research, organisation, teamwork,…
The once-delicious ‘kienyeji’ chicken has become long on the beak and short on muscle .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, 0.1); background-color: #ffffff; } .paywall-header { font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 15px; color: #333333; text-align: center; } .price-highlight { font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; color: #d40511; margin: 15px 0; text-align: center; } .subscribe-button-green { width: 70%; padding:…
H.E President William Ruto during the Police Constable pass out parade in Kiganjo,Nyeri County. [Hiram Omondi/PPS] If founding President Jomo Kenyatta woke up from the dead and heard that John Harun Mwau single-handedly stopped a police recruitment drive as the government merely coiled tail and watched, he would summon certain people to Gatundu and whip them a good one. How? With one signature, Mwau, a former inspector of police, put a spanner in the works for hundreds of thousands of young men and women who are dying to become cops. I have heard rumours that some were already armed…
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s body arrive at Nyayo National Stadium for State Funeral Service on October 17, 2025.[Boniface Okendo, Standard] If President William Ruto were to posthumously bestow the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya (CGH) upon Raila Odinga, on December 12, 2025, the 61st celebration of Jamhuri, it would be a befitting honour for Kenya’s fallen son and illustrious champion of the second liberation. The CGH, Kenya’s highest-ranked civilian honour traditionally preserved for sitting and former heads of state and other luminaries, is awarded to individuals who display “exemplary qualities, heroism, patriotism, or outstanding leadership.” Nothing describes…
Mourners throng JKIA, Nairobi, to receive the body of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, on October 16, 2025. [Collins Oduor, Standard] ter In decreeing that he be buried within 72 hours of his death, Raila Odinga, the East German-trained mechanical engineer, must have imagined his final journey with the engineer’s mindset: systematic, structured, precise. .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…