Letstoriesunfold ™

The patient monitor showed Ambrose pulse and vitals as he slowly gained consciousness bit by bit. He sensed that there seemed to be somebody in the room with him because he sensed movement and someone speaking but he could not comprehend what the person was saying. He tried to find out who it was, by turning his neck to check but it was futile attempt plus the pain that accompanied the effort was too much even for the heavy pain killers that were continuously being infused in his body by a drip.  His mind raced, various thoughts rushed to him at once. As much as he could, as much as he tried, he could not block out those thoughts.  Where was he?  Did his wife hire someone to finish him off quietly? Had he been fired from his job? Had news had reached the HR?  Was she gloating over his misfortune.  What the hell had happened?  It all came flooding back to him gradually at first then it greatly intensified. From the HR's smirks to the house girls tears all th...

Letstoriesunfold is a place  where tales,  Kenyan or of the whole world, dance and dazzle.  Close your eyes and imagine, sun-drenched streets buzzing with laughter, vibrant stories swirling all around like dust devils, and everyday moments morphing into something spectacular!  That's the world of Letstoriesunfold, a platform where narratives unfold like tapestries woven with laughter, wit, and a sprinkle of East African spice.  You may be wondering, what makes Letstoriesunfold so captivating? Buckle up, story seeker, because we're about to dive into its enchanting charm: A feast for the senses. Letstoriesunfold isn't just about words; it's a sensory smorgasbord. Vivid descriptions paint pictures of sun-kissed landscapes, the aroma of mandazi wafting from the screen, and the rhythmic pulse of Swahili slang dancing on your tongue. From the ordinary to extraordinary Step aside, superheroes! Here, the magic lies in the mundane. A boda boda driver becomes a knig...

To avoid attracting unnecessary attention, Chairman asked his house girl to accompany him to the car. The HR lady loudly reminded him that the medical cover did not include abortion.  Chairman replied,  “you are childless,  because your womb is a morgue,  but, I can donate some kids” Tears flooded the HR's eyes as she walked away. Chairman disappeared with his young distressed wife. They went to see a doctor at Marie Stopes to establish the cause if missing periods.  Afterwards, she was shuttled to Busia to wait for matters to calm down. Now he went home to face Nduta and several prayer warriors who had come cleanse the matrimonial home.  They welcomed him with a round of prayer against evil spirits of admiring anything that walks in a skirt. The final demand startled him completely. Hands akimbo she demanded a gift, something that moves zero to 100 very fast. Nduta was tired of walking. Her weight made breathing a real struggle. Chairman had a solution, w...

His office phone and mobile rang almost simultaneously from security guards. He decided to pick up the mobile call first.  “Boss,  bibi yako alikuja na wamama kumi,  wakaingia kwa..."  The call dropped. The office line rang again. “Kuna mgeni anasema ni bibi yako,”  Makori at the gate said.  The chairman  needed clarification. He told Makori, the guard he never got along with, “tell her to call me,”  The house girl called. She had been chased from home by the evil woman and a battalion of women in choir uniform. She was also worried that she couldn't locate her periods either. The Lady HR was in cahoots with guards to gather intel on who came late and who left early, to reward them accordingly. Makori, her chief snitch, reported about the distressed wife of the Man of God, Ambrose.  Excited about potential breaking news, she rushed to receive her.  Ambrose called the home guard first to get the full incident.  “Bibi yako,  amek...

Food inspires stories. Good food however  create great stories that transcend millennia. Guys, where do you think the term, kula story came from? Anyway, where was I, aaah yes, we were talking about food.  Picture yourself navigating through the labyrinth. In the alleyways and side streets of Nairobi or any other place, in particular, you may think of, it could be in Kenya, somewhere in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North or South America, the aroma of fresh and expertly prepared dishes wafting through the air, beckoning you like a siren's song.  I was at this interaction at  Baraza Media , a very dope, and serene space to be at I can tell you, There was an activity going on there that I  attended and was very much engaged in. Paul Otieno, also known as Pau Shinski, someone proficient in what he does was sharing a few valuable insights on how to navigate the industry, and practical tips on how to showcase your creative work to potential clients and mone...

  If someone  happened to ask you,  what do you think made us evolve?  Some would say the environment, having a long-term memory, curiosity to innovate you know making fire clothes, weapons, becoming better at being predators, and less of prey, while some would say they don't know, and I would not blame them.  If the same question were to be asked to me,  I would say competition.  They say that comparison is the thief of contentment, and I would have no disagreement about that, but they are forgetting something. Competition is the jet fuel of every breakthrough, development, evolution, growth, and headway ever witnessed in the history of mankind.   It is what has made us evolve, and continue to evolve more.  Just think about it.   What makes us tick, is what causes the split into two or more sides. It is what makes the saying, iron sharpens iron.  For example, take a game like football, competition  is what makes the game ...

To be completely honest, for a while, I had been hit with a bit of creative block, plus, I did not want to force any whack stories on you. You deserve the very best, and I know, you are all waiting for  LIVING A DOUBLE LIFE  continuation.  It will be dropping soon, that's guaranteed.   Yesterday, I was with someone's daughter, a very petite and beautiful specimen, together with some people  somewhere on Riverside drive. They were all sharing their highlights for this specific year, and I was left there dazed, wondering,  “Kwani,  nimekuwa nikifanya nini hii mwaka?”  If you are not careful, you might start feeling sorry for yourself, and the sneaky bastard called depression might start creeping up to you unknowingly. As time went on, one by one we started telling stories. Amazing ones, where you could sniff out different experiences from each tale.  Listening to all beautiful stories as a storyteller was a thrilling experience. When it always ...

One day I was sitting in a room with my then two friends, and I remember we were puffing on Manchester cigarettes one after the other talking about life.  As I drew my hands into a box sachet to pull another cigar out , my friend, Max, looked at me and asked me a question that made me look into my life. He asked,  "Val, why do you live a double life?"  And before I could even think of an answer, my other friend Zue said,  "Sai unavuta kuvuta,  the next minute billboards ziko all over Nairobi  zikiread  (niko smoke free)  na picha yako apo"  I looked at them with guilt then uttered some gibberish words  "me siishi double life.”  I immediately took my bag said goodbye to them, and left. As I was walking to the house I had rented not so far from school, I got myself into an inner talk and asked myself so many questions like  How did I get here?  What led me to being in a situation where there are many images that I portray t...

This week we are heading into a day that we are celebrating our heroes, there are a couple of people that I view as my heroes.  You should know by now, that each single one of you who enjoys reading fascinating stories on Letstoriesunfold, my bro, Davie Karr, and my other bro, who goes by Ragz, are on the list no doubt.  The two heroes I want to highlight today are Dedan Kimathi and Mr Daniel Wambua Ndambuki, better known as Churchill. Dedan Kimathi was a badass, who was very tactical in warfare.  One quote that he said is  “It is better to die on your feet than to  live on your knees.” Moving on to the next hero. What inspired me about Churchill, is that he saw that he could not make people laugh all by himself or for a long, so he put together a team of people who could enable him to spread laughs and cheer.  Letstoriesunfold borrows a leaf from him, and at various intervals, you have seen and will continue to see stories from different people on this pla...

I have told lots of stories, and I have heard lot's of stories over the years, but none could prepare me for this story I am about to tell you.  First I'll have to ask you,  which is most bizarre job or contact,  you have ever done, for money? To most people, I am the guy who has been in some crazy hustles, but compared to my guy, Kinyanjui, that is just a tiny handful of some sand to a whole beach. I don't think there's a hustle in this world that Kinyanjui hasn't been to.  If it isn't washing old people's bums, he's out there brokering property, trading stocks, professional mourner, eating contests, extras in Kenyan movies, in corporate tenders, let me pause it at that because the list is quite endless. We were chilling one lovely Saturday, as you well might know Saturday is for the boys. Banters against who's team was thrashed and is likely to be thrashed on the weekend, then the conversation shifted to crazy shit people have done, guess who was a...

I was chilling, reading up on an article where a popular retail chain with branches all over the country, was almost closing shop due to in-house wrangles by the family.  Another retail chain also found itself in the same predicament some time back so it got me thinking,  Why do family businesses  collapse  or  go broke? There are a number of different reasons that came up that I thought could be why family-owned businesses often find themselves collapsing an d going bankrupt.  Some of the most common causes include; Poor succession planning When a family business does not have a clear and well-defined succession plan, it can lead to conflict and confusion when the current owner retires or dies. This can lead to poor decision-making and a decline in the business's performance. Lack of professional management Family businesses often rely on family members to manage the business, even if they do not have the necessary skills or experience.  This can lead...

  The first illegal business I remember that I took part in was back in Nursery School. You could be there wondering,  “Ndugu  kwani, you didn't go  to a play group?”  Yes, ours was a nursery school then next it's pre unit, then you would proceed to class one, I hear now things have changed, they are calling it play group or whatever. We used to take uji at 10AM on the dot as a snack, or diluted Quencher when and if parents paid school fees. Now, my mother, God bless her, had prepared for me chips. She packed for me a good sized portion  because she knew I had a massive appetite plus you know it was chips back then. She packed to eat with the juice because it was juice day. Those boys and girls in my class started feeling kíwaru (jealous) because I had on me something yummy and precious. On my side, I was there happy, on top of the world shumekiaring them. Shumekiaring is present continuous for shumekia. Shumekia is just that. It will not be of any benefi...

 It was late in the evening. The sun has set couple of hours ago, and the sky was dark. You know it's  one of the nights the moon is afraid to show it's face, maybe it has glanced upon the future, and seen it can't bear to witness what is about to unravel. Simiyu's wife Lucy, is lying prostrate on the ground while Simiyu, her husband standing in front of her. Lucy is crying, you would to if you would be in her shoes, while Simiyu's face remains expressionless, devoid of emotion.  Let's rewind it  just a bit  so you can all connect the dots. Continued from Simiyu Part one Jioni ikafika, siku haikuwa na kasheshe ama ngori mingi. After kumalizia shughuli kadhaa, nikavutia Simiyu nijue anatokea saa ngapi ndio tuongee, nijue ni ngori gani ilinifanya anivutie at the break of dawn. Venye nilivutia Simiyu, nikimsho tupatane pahali kwa wazee tukunywe kikombe, perhaps ya supu.  Simiyu akanisho Zi, nivuke kwake, hapa sasa nikaanza kutense mambo haiko fiti.  Mimi ...

  Mr. Gakuha always got into class before me after lunch once. Nothing new. That guy kept time, He was never a minute late. Like all humans who are bound by their habits, Mr. Gakuha was no exception. He used to sit on a student's desk at the farthest corner of the class, closely watching guys and girls who used to enter the class one by one like during the time of Safina.   The Safina of Noah,  not this one of Jimmy Wanjigi . I used to feel like Tripple H after eating a plate of rice and beans. For those who have no idea who Triple H is, I feel sorry for you, I really do. you missed out when WWE was WWE Now back to what I was saying. So I walked in with my shirt's buttons opened up to my múkonyo. Múkonyo is a belly button.  I think as a language, Kikuyu needs to change because it doesn't sound like the name of something on a human body.  That shirt was not tucked in and my tie was tied around my head like I was Tarzan. Isitoshe, I had a bottle of water in my rig...

In the words of Kamande wa Kioi, before you die, you see many things. It doesn't sound wise when you say it in English. The queen's language waters it down very much. Try saying it in Kikuyu. Sagely!  Now, in 2015, Ochi and I were roommates in Kariobangi South by circumstance. I was fresh from campus and jobless and he was starting a business in Nairobi. So, naturally, we were broke, you see how it was by circumstance, don't you?  We got a bedsitter hapo tu Kwa Mbao. Kwa Mbao is a stage in Kariobangi South, it has the best Mutura East in of Eastlands. Hayaa, Ochi, one Sato told me that he had been invited for a bash in Kahawa West. We decided to go. You know what is written, that where two or three are gathered, there is a fellowship and at times a swallowship. That day, we knew we wouldn't cook. We got to the bash. Kumbe it wasn't bash bash. It was bash of gùchogia mwana. Look for a Kikuyu for that translation. Haya, we were ushered in and offered seats. Mimi, with...