The ghosts of Lawi
-1- OLD SOULS I always knew it would be a girl for a first born I would name her Audrey Meaning strength and influence and grace To have a daughter and be her friend, the way my...
Depth over distance
Some of the best stories ever written begin with so there is this girl, right and this one is one of those She moved into our neighborhood when I was in Class 7 She was my...
Bad Manners
It has been over two decades since I saw Zahra I cannot even remember her face now because my memory is a dot If we met on the street, and we most likely have, we’d pass each...
I have agreed
There will always come a time in the life of a Luo man when he must go to another man’s home to ask for that man’s daughter in marriage It really does not matter how woke one...
For Akello
Like Kisumu rain, I can hear them coming from far Starts with a hum, then the noise intensifies It gets louder and louder as they approach And even long after they are gone, I can...
Lillyanne wa Pau
I have been seeing audition calls for Twaweza Live Kisumu Tour on Facebook, that event that musical Safaricom is touring across the country And I am still jealous Because a few...
Pulling out
I sat cross-legged on the floor under the dangling naked light bulb; three tests arranged in front of me like obedient children at school assembly We’d had an argument about how...
Going to cook
Everyone else seemed cool with the idea except me I could not understand it No I refused to understand it Up until the morning of the ceremony, I had not even packed yet It was...
Arkangel
When you were younger you wanted nine kids You had even named them all You were going to have five boys and four girls, and they all had very grand names One of your sons was...
Jagged Fragments of a Father
The first time I met my father, I was a boy of twelve going thirteen The year is 2005, and I am walking from the classes towards the gate after a long day of seemingly unending...
Who are you to tell?
When you sit next to a rapist, something inside your body screams in fear, but you’re not sure if you should be scared in the first place Sure, you’re a woman, and his...
This is how it ends; Lizzie Mghanga
This is how it should have ended, with you listening to my squeaky nine year old voice asking you to stop You unknowingly taught that young girl a trick she would find useful in...
