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 It had been a long day, I was scrolling through social media, and I happened to see someone share a screenshot of their Uber driver, who had texted them like this, and I quote  “niko kwa nguruwe  (a place where pork is cooked and eaten),  a few minutes please, I finish eating.” Ilinikumbusha time fulani nilikuwa nimetoka shoot, late in the wee hours of the night with some other people and we had requested an Uber. There were four of us, all tired, but chatting away as we piled into the Uber. We’d wrapped up the shoot, and everyone was just ready to go home.  After we had gone some distance, he casually asked as he pulled up to a petrol station that was just up ahead,  “Kuna mtu yuko na mia saba,  niweke mafuta,  tutasort na price ya trip?” As the rest of us paused for a second, and then he added while an attended came over to the driver's side of the window to inquire,  “Ikiwa mingi nitakutumia balance.” At first, no one said anything. Two p...

  Something didn’t feel right. Her phone, her bag, her watch, everything was gone. Panic started to rise in her chest, but she fought it down. She needed to think. Her mind raced back to the night before. Selene.  The drinks.  That feeling of being watched.  The realization hit her hard, like a cold wave. She hadn’t just been out, she had been out with friends, or people she thought were her friends. She had been drugged, and the person who had put her in this situation was none other than Selene herself.  A sickening thought crept in.  Why,  why would Selene do this?  Alvina’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Her heart skipped. She wasn’t alone. Her first instinct was to hide, but there was nowhere to go. Her only option was to face whatever was coming.  The door creaked open slowly, and a man appeared in the doorway. He did not look bothered at all, it was as though it was just another ordinary day. His eyes scanned ...

  Alvina had always been the curious,  free-spirited type.  She loved meeting new people, getting out of her comfort zone, and exploring what Nairobi had to offer. So when her neighbor, Selene, invited her out for a fun night of bowling and drinks with some of her friends, Alvina didn’t think twice. It was a Friday evening, and the atmosphere at the bowling alley was lively, with music thumping through the speakers and people laughing and enjoying their games. Alvina was welcomed with warm smiles and a round of drinks. Selene, always the gracious host, led her to a group of friends sitting at a nearby table. “Alvina, meet the crew,”  Selene introduced her to the group, as they all exchanged greetings. There was Kendi, the quiet one with a contagious laugh, and Naomi, who had an easy, confident energy about her. But then there was Mercy—Selene’s close friend—whose smile never quite reached her eyes. As the night unfolded, Alvina noticed a pattern. Every time she spoke...

        I always tell my Gs, time and time again, to be careful, hawanisiki kabsaa, wanaona ni kama mimi ni matako yao, nilipigwa heartbreak ya kimataifa, or worse, ni kama nachukia wanawake.  Otis, with his heart set on a future bright and unmarred by past shadows, was on the cusp of a new dawn. His wedding to Julia was mere days away, scheduled for a radiant Sunday where love was supposed to renew itself in the eyes of God and man.  Preparations were in full swing, or at least, they would have been.  Instead, Julia, the bride-to-be, had her heart, mind and soul  elsewhere.  She chose adventure over duty, opting for a road trip and camping escapade with her friends, leaving Otis to navigate the chaotic waters of wedding planning alone. The absence of his partner in these crucial moments was felt like a void, but Otis held onto the belief that love was about understanding and patience. However, patience was tested when, in a twist of modern-...

For the previous story,  click here. Mapenz 1   Cleaned up real nice,  wacha tu!  Ungeniona ningekukunywa like those thirsty people kwa Ads za Sprite, au kama vampire, wenye sisi huona kwa movies, that is if, wewe ni dame.  Nikapiga perfume yangu vizuri, when you smell nice, confidence hukuwa mia kwa mia. Mimi huyo, najisikia, ego iko overflowing, naenda hadi stage, nipande mat, niingie tao.  Nikiwa kwa njia naona venye siku itakuwa tu vibes on vibes with someone's daughter. On the previous day, tulikuwa tume elewana tunapatana saa nne. Nilikuwa hapo by 9, hapo I&M towers. An understocked tuskys, not far away from my position, nikapatana na madam anauza maua akasema  “si ushukurie mpens hisi mauwa,  atazipenda” Nikasema why not? Mimi bazenga niko hapo na maua waiting for the princess Hadija. So ikafika 10 nikasema wacha ningoje kidogo, 11 ikafika nikiwa nimesimama hapo kama mti, najiconsole tu, anakuja, ni jam imemchelewisha. Hapo naona most ...

            The sun was freaking hot and the sun had no issues baking y'all, ndio at least muive. I remember November December 2018 vividly, like it was yesterday. It was so freaking hot that ungejimwagilia maji kwa mgongo ingelia kama venye maji kwa sufuria moto hulia, shwaaaaa.  Anyway, I know the devil is next to you whispering in a smooth convincing tone, “enda swimming sahii,  kuna joto” Before you go, chill and lemme tell you about my first ever swimming expedition. Growing up, I was learning about useless stuff like insect anatomy and how the international space station works. So I missed out on childhood happiness like duff mpararo (I have only one experience) and bike races.  Back then I was 20 and somewhere in Machakos county with my gang, a place where there is a wide river that crosses our location. My whole gang is aware that I do not know the skill of fish. After all, fish do not know how to walk  (nisiskie mtu akitaja vill...

You may or may not believe it, but I used to work in one of the big bus companies for long distance travel in Kenya as a conductor. The two drivers I used to work with, one was called Nduki Moto Makopolo and the other driver was Kata Funua Macharia and our route was from Meru to Mombasa and vice versa. It was a day like any other, but on this particular day, we bought our daily dose of mgox (mgox is what we used to call Mogoka) from the wrong guy. Huyu alikuwa anakaa elchapo flani sababu he would tell us tunaweza hata nusa hio mgox na stimu zitapanda.  I assumed that perhaps, it was the normal salesman hype lakini  WUEH! By 1900 hrs tulikuwa Embu. After kuchukua abiria wa Embu, safari ikaanza fiti, tukasema sherehe ianze. Our cockpit was one of its kind, sema kaportable mid speaker with bass abilities, madere wanaelewa. We switched off the passenger’s speakers and the one that was left was our “mziki” speaker. Nduki Moto had this flash disk that had everything hadi national an...

           Kuna hizi silhouettes za a popular figure zimekuwa zikinimaliza ajab, plus story ya Baltazar Engonga ikatokea, that legend, singlehandedly putting his country on the map. The last time I heard anything concerning that country was many years ago, when I was in primary. Kidogo nisahau kuwawekea story mfurahie.  Anyway, nilikuwa nimejipata nimepitia thread ya “in my prime” kwa social media, sikumbuki kama ni TikTok ama Twitter, a few days prior ndio nikakumbuka hii story, after kushangazwa na revelations za watu, particularly, what people's daughters did in their prime. I had an ordeal in the hands of my own mother twenty-five years ago that I have failed to forget. Back in the day kuna wale wazee walikua wakizunguka vitongoji duni wakinunua "chupa na debe" n old stainless steel sufurias. The pioneers of Mari kwa Mari, or old skull Mari kwa Mari.  (For context and for those who don't know,  Mari kwa Mari  are people who go aroun...

Denno felt his blood pressure spike. He didn’t even bother responding. He jumped up, grabbed his jacket, and bolted out the door.  When he got to the club, his heart was racing, not from the sprint, but from the anger simmering within. He spotted them immediately—Stacy, looking too comfortable, laughing at something this guy had said. Denno could feel his fists clenching.  He took a deep breath, trying to calm down, then marched straight up to them. “Stacy!”  he called, his voice louder than intended. She looked up, eyes wide with shock.  “Denno!  What are you doing here?” “I should be the one asking you that.  Busy at work,  sio?”  he spat, glaring at the guy beside her, now looking more amused than concerned. “Relax, bro,”  the guy said, raising his hands.  “We’re just having a good time.” “A good time?  Dude! This is my girlfriend!”  Denno fumed. “Denno, calm down,”  Stacy said, standing up.  “This is just a collea...

Denno was having one of those days where everything just seemed to flow.   He had hit the “Send” button on his final proposal a few days back and leaned back in his chair, stretching and yawning. He had just received an email confirmation that his proposal had been accepted.  He couldn't believe it, he had just landed a big online gig that promised good money and a steady workflow for the next three months.  As a freelancer, this was the equivalent of hitting a jackpot in his world.  “Babe!  Guess what!”   he shouted towards the kitchen, where Stacy, his girlfriend, was busy preparing breakfast. “What's up?”   Stacy replied, glancing at him with a smile that could melt an ice cap. She was dressed in her corporate attire—a crisp white shirt and a pencil skirt—ready to head to her office job. “I just secured that big contract I was telling you about!  We’re eating good,  for the next three months!”  Denno grinned, showing his exciteme...

This is a continuation from  Hawker Jameni III            Why would they place such important things so distant from one another? I wondered. I ran up the next flight of stairs, knocking down a couple of mannequins. After asking yet another attendant, she pointed to the changing booths at the far end of the floor.  I limped into the changing room and shut the door. I quickly chucked the shorts and stretched one rubber band, slid one foot into it and rolled it up to my thigh. I then tucked my homo erectus and held it against one thigh with the band.  The bands were quite small and tight, the poor quality has a low elasticity so I added another one and walked out, like a normal human being – relieved- albeit with a slight limp. The bands were a little tight and uncomfortable but they were better than a dangling deek in public. I was so relieved that as I walked down the stairs, I confidently saluted an attendant who was redressing the mannequin...