Modern Opinion

Is this the end of Christianity? Is Christianity on its death bed or are we close to the prophesied Biblical end? I am not sure which question answers which. However, both still remain. Let’s try and see whether we can get answers. Now, you may be wondering, “what is the genesis of such questions?” Well, I am sure you are no stranger to the times we currently live in. Our leaders are becoming more corrupt and insensible by the day. Some even dancing while we suffer their failures. Renown and accomplished professors have become common thieves – looting university coffers dry. Policemen are now armed robbers by night, and businessmen these days sell air in broad daylight. Fortunately for them, they too are ‘Christians’ and we will all meet in church on Sunday. The one day of the week where all is forgiven and forgotten. The one day where the pastor turns the pulpit into a sanctification platform for thieves and murderers. Just so we are on the same page, our pastor ...

Girls with different abilities go through a lot growing up It is double the challenge to grow up as a girl with different abilities. First, there is the issue of patriarchy, where girls are to be but submissive objects. Nevertheless, I do appreciate the fact that there are now various programmes for the girl-child’s empowerment. However, as Chinua Achebe once said, “When a culture gathers enough strength to go on for centuries, you don't just turn it off in one day.” It is this same culture that also subjects us to ridicule when we ‘fail’ to meet its standards. “By this time, you should be married and with kids,” they always say. Ironically, we are always forcefully hidden from society. Now then, will my soulmate come from the books I read? And if Tinder does work, will we get married without ever meeting? We are viewed as weaklings and are forced to stay silent Secondly, as a girl with different abilities, not only are you seen as a ‘burden’ but also as ...

The society should not view us as a burden Children with different abilities bear weights that they should not have to. One unacquainted journalist recently asked me during an interview, “were you, or are you a burden to your parents?” In the interest of self-control, suitable replies to the overly insensitive question raced through my mind. “Why don’t you ask my parents!”, I thought to myself. The more I thought of what to answer the more painful it became. It then dawned on me that this was actually the reality of children with different abilities. We are viewed as a burden to society, throughout the course of our lives. There I was, all grown up, comfortably capable of checking myself into such interviews, a graduate nonetheless, and yet, the same prejudice still plagued me. Tears flowed as I attempted to answer her question. I recently visited a well-known children’s home that has hosted children with different abilities for decades. They were in the process o...

Running errands is hard enough, why carry bags? It is hard to run errands and carry bags around at the same time. It is even worse when the errands are spread across different town segments. Not to mention jostling with others just like you. Sometimes we get so caught up moving through errands, we end up misplacing a bag or two. Then there is also the risk of getting robbed. The time has come for a break! I recently stumbled on an App called ‘ Weka Luggage ’ on Google’s play store. It allows you to store your things at a place of your choice and pick them up later.  It is like leaving your bags from other errands at the supermarket entrance, without having to go into the supermarket. Only this time, you do not necessarily have to look for the supermarket. Being a sucker for new apps, I was forced to do some more digging on ‘ Weka Luggage ’. It is then that I stumbled upon what I think is a very enterprising business model. Most of us know ‘someone’ from ...

A girl can say no. A girl can say no. Whether to gifts or advances from suitors. She has every right to do so. To be killed for exercising that right is detrimental to the societal gains made since independence. Likewise, a boy can try and fail. If he fails, he must do so with honour and dignity. Sadly, we have been waking up to one case after the other, of brutally murdered women. The common culprit: an estranged ‘lover’. Perhaps of more concern, millennials seem to be the most affected. A few days ago, a young doctor was killed. Her apparent crime: saying no to a man. A man who had allegedly given her all manner of gifts and incentives to say yes. The same man suspected of killing her. Worse still, bloggers went on to post unverified claims. That she was killed because she infected the man. Even if it is indeed true, it is a very foolish way of looking at things. HIV/AIDS is not a new topic. Particularly, here in Kenya. It has even been declared as a national di...

When will tomorrow ever come? I f we are the leaders of tomorrow, when will tomorrow come? In the 80’s and 90’s, our parents told us that we indeed were and we believed them. We studied and prepared hard. Fast forward to 2019, we are still the leaders of tomorrow. Are we not growing? Could 2019 be a code name for 1980? For some strange reason, we cannot seem to get jobs. When we do, we never get promoted. It is true experience is required. However, it must be acquired. It can not really be bought. This then begs the question; how do we acquire it from outside? Dear parents, tell us. Internships are also no longer free. My undergraduate classes were filled with Generation X (Gen X) managers and senior officers. After years of ‘on the job training’, they were then pursuing their first degrees. Why can we not be given the same level of trust? After all, we already even have the degrees. Worse still, at home here in Kenya, every job application requires original certificat...

President Uhuru Kenyatta and Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga We need a new set of celebrities in Kenya. Politicians alone are not enough. Yes, there are actors and singers who we ‘all’ know. However, do we accord them the same attention that we do politicians? I am not saying that politicians are bad. Nevertheless, the same may not be said for all of them – a topic for another day. I once saw a video of the child who could recite the names of all the 47 Kenyan governors at the time. It was very impressive given her age. Though it got me wondering: how is it that they are so famous, enough to be known even by a toddler? It is then that I stumbled on a rather unfortunate realization. Every time we watch television or listen to our radios, it is politicians that dominate the headlines. This is the same case with newspapers. When was the last time your favourite musician appeared on the first page of your newspaper? or even as the first news item on television? Mass media ...