Cockroaches driving me crazy
I never imagined I would ever complain of cockroaches in my house, more so in a national newspaper, but the time has come when I can no longer keep quiet about this matter.
By Joseph Maina 7 years ago
Cockroaches driving me crazy
'Funny' accidents in our homes
Accidents happen in our homes every day and some of them can make you laughing. I hate to talk about a topic as scary and depressing as accidents, but some bizarre events have been witnessed in my household recently.
By Joseph Maina 7 years ago
'Funny' accidents in our homes
Manners maketh a man
Manners, as the adage goes, maketh a man. A person lacking in good manners is grossly disadvantaged in society.
By Joseph Maina 7 years ago
Manners maketh a man
Weddings are nowadays costly
“I have attended numerous wedding ceremonies in this church,” he went on. “I can tell you some of these people really struggle to put up their weddings!”
By Joseph Maina 7 years ago
Weddings are nowadays costly
Men are visual creatures
As a family man, it has never been my wish to ogle women, but there are times, however, when my eyes involuntarily go “window shopping”, if you know what I mean.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
Men are visual creatures
Kenyans are shameless copycats
Kenyans have aped western lifestyles almost to a point of no return.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
Kenyans are shameless copycats
Nairobians do not know the city
It is now close to two decades since I settled in Nairobi, the green city in the sun. It has been a tumultuous ride, and it gives me tremendous pride to identify myself as a Nairobian.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
Nairobians do not know the city
Should corruption be legalised?
Well, there are many corrupt yet successful people among us, and very few of these people ever get punished. This has led me to think of some positive benefits of corruption.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
Should corruption be legalised?
When a boy meets a girl
My son Russell, now aged 16, has fallen in love with a girl named Maureen who transferred to his school at the beginning of the year.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
When a boy meets a girl
Parenting skills have diminished
As I drove home from work last Thursday, I came across a small assembly made up of my neighbours at my gate.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
Parenting skills have diminished
Local languages are Greek to the youth
While children in some households are encouraged to learn their native tongues and take pride in mastering them, some parents actively distance their children from this important aspect of culture.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
Local languages are Greek to the youth
Do you really know your neighbour?
How well do you know your neighbours? Well, I have been asking myself this question for several weeks now, after I caught some of my neighbours engaging in questionable acts in questionable places.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
Do you really know your neighbour?
Ignorant people know everything
Most of us prefer to read or hear what we want, and any information that goes contrary to our wishes is often taken with a pinch of salt or dismissed outright.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
Ignorant people know everything
Respect other people’s jobs
Kenyan parents have for many years encouraged their children to aim for white-collar jobs, drawing from the opinion which holds that such jobs provide a sure guarantee to riches, prestige and easy living later on in life.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
Respect other people’s jobs
Day my prodigal son returned
I believe you know the story of the Biblical prodigal son who left home and went off to the Koinange Street of Jerusalem, taking with him a substantial load of his father’s wealth.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
Day my prodigal son returned
Phone books hide many secrets
Apparently, most Kenyans do not write people’s real names in their phone books, and prefer to use fancy pseudonyms and wild nicknames instead, claiming they are easy to remember.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
Phone books hide many secrets
Avoiding wars at home quite costly
Have you noticed that many Nairobi men nowadays head straight to pubs after work where they spend an inordinately long time that should ideally be spent with family?
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
Avoiding wars at home quite costly
Looking alike can cause trouble
It is common to find members of a family who look alike. There are children who look like their parents, siblings who look alike resemble their parents, siblings who look like and even cousins who look like twins.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
Looking alike can cause trouble
Ordinary items seem strange to city children
It always thrills me to go with my children to the rural areas.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
Ordinary items seem strange to city children
When our jobs are a secret
It has occurred to me that some parents find it difficult to tell their children exactly what they do for a living.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
When our jobs are a secret
Some questions make visitors rather uneasy
As parents, Mama Jimmy and I want our children to be well-behaved people, and among our key areas of interest is the treatment of guests.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
Some questions make visitors rather uneasy
Fashion must have limits
Sunday started off on a lively note for the man who brings home the unga. I woke up at the crack of dawn, had a shower, shaved and jumped into a clean suit in readiness for church.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
Fashion must have limits
Education not the only path to success
I am now convinced beyond reasonable doubt, fellow countrymen, that education is not the only route to success in life as is said.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
Education not the only path to success
Obama is on the lips of all
For many Kenyans, United States President Barack Obama’s much-awaited visit would easily rank among the most memorable events in recent times.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
Obama is on the lips of all
Bad singers are in many homes
My children are ardent music fans. They sing along to popular hits, Sunday school rhymes, advertisement jingles, Christmas Carols and numerous other tunes.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
Bad singers are in many homes
No more alcohol in my house
My humble contribution to the rat race leaves me extremely tired and spent, and I see no harm drowning my stress in a bottle of barley, while watching a game of football on TV after a hard day’s work.
By Joseph Maina 8 years ago
No more alcohol in my house