Rutonomics 101: Why opening our borders is an idea whose time has come
Ruto declared Kenya a visa-free zone for all the peoples of the world who may wish to reconnect with the land where humans traces their roots.
By Peter Kimani 3 months ago
Rutonomics 101: Why opening our borders is an idea whose time has come
Tanzania's quest for new names for old places, and untapping 'arrested' development
Songwe was, until seven years ago, part of Mbeya and Mbeya was the headquarters of districts that now make up Songwe. Where is the difference?
By Peter Kimani 3 months ago
Tanzania's quest for new names for old places, and untapping 'arrested' development
Venturing Tanzania's land of brave, home of the Maji Maji war
Kinjeketile produced a concoction that he said would transform German bullets into water. And many of his followers believed it, and the resistance flourished for two years.
By Peter Kimani 3 months ago
Venturing Tanzania's land of brave, home of the Maji Maji war
Diligent acts from these Kenyans making a huge difference, even in their small ways
I was pleasantly surprised to find the Officer in Charge of Land Fraud at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, some chap called Kimutai, still signing documents close to 6pm.
By Peter Kimani 3 months ago
Diligent acts from these Kenyans making a huge difference, even in their small ways
Lost and found: A tale of torn boxers, leaking roofs and overzealous taxmen at the airport
Nairobi traffic jam is horrendous when it rains, and it must be particularly bad at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport where roofs have been leaking, while power is intermittent
By Peter Kimani 4 months ago
Lost and found: A tale of torn boxers, leaking roofs and overzealous taxmen at the airport
Nearly 50 years in the making, now Dodoma finally coming of age
When one is in Tanzania, the wheels of life grind excruciatingly slowly. Dodoma was designated as the national capital in 1974 and it's still in the making, nearly half a century on.
By Peter Kimani 4 months ago
Nearly 50 years in the making, now Dodoma finally coming of age
Presidential decree allowing logging was to pave way for the planting of seedlings
The loggers are simply cutting trees to pave the way for the new seedlings.
By Peter Kimani 4 months ago
Presidential decree allowing logging was to pave way for the planting of seedlings
Premium
Ugandan men and the folly of asking questions whose truthful answer they can't stand
Mid this year, a married woman, in the heat of an argument, let it slip that her husband was not the father of some of her six children. She later apologised and said she had said in jest.
By Peter Kimani 4 months ago
Ugandan men and the folly of asking questions whose truthful answer they can't stand
Journey from source of the Nile to the enchanting vistas on foot of Mt Elgon
Uganda, a land of beauty, superstition, and illegality.
By Peter Kimani 4 months ago
Journey from source of the Nile to the enchanting vistas on foot of Mt Elgon
Two visions of Uganda frame a future blighted by unmet past promise
Is there anything going right in Uganda?
By Peter Kimani 4 months ago
Two visions of Uganda frame a future blighted by unmet past promise
Premium
Why Kenyan men are working hard to an early grave, so women will outlive them
What does culture mean to men? Probably eating and drinking their fill with regularity, growing beer bellies and nursing hangover through weekends.
By Peter Kimani 4 months ago
Why Kenyan men are working hard to an  early grave, so women will outlive them
Premium
State of our nation: Now we have hit rock bottom only place left to go is up
As for farmers who have been planting in anticipation of the El-Nino rains, word on the street is that it was a hoax intended to access public funds under false pretenses.
By Peter Kimani 4 months ago
State of our nation: Now we have hit rock bottom only place left to go is up
Premium
Biotech firms: Why Kenyans risk weeping with one eye while the other tightly shut
Folks, listen and listen good; when these chaps are done with us, we shall weep with one eye, and the other tightly shut.
By Peter Kimani 5 months ago
Biotech firms: Why Kenyans risk weeping with one eye while the other tightly shut
Darkness at noon as my leading light has now dimmed forever
Baaba was a slight man with a soft voice and, for the most part, treated everyone softly, rarely raising his voice even when most upset.
By Peter Kimani 5 months ago
Darkness at noon as my leading light has now dimmed forever
Prezzo 'Ruro' gains ideological clarity with American-flavoured 'pan-Africanism'
Of course, the US masquerades as the world policeman and Joe Biden specifically singled out "President Ruro" for praise at the recent US Security Council in New York.
By Peter Kimani 5 months ago
Prezzo 'Ruro' gains ideological clarity with American-flavoured 'pan-Africanism'
Premium
An unlikely alliance of teammates brings Afcon to East Africa, let 'sarakasi' begin!
Let's wait for the sarakasi that's sure to unfold, on and off the pitch. First off, there is the little matter of money which each of the three countries is supposed to contribute to the common kitty.
By Peter Kimani 5 months ago
An unlikely alliance of teammates brings Afcon to East Africa, let 'sarakasi' begin!
A lukewarm shower on the slopes of Mt Kenya, then a theatrical treat
The past should not deny a future that belongs to the young, she philosophizes, pointing to Augustus's other son Samora born and raised abroad.
By Peter Kimani 5 months ago
A lukewarm shower on the slopes of Mt Kenya, then a theatrical treat
The miseducation of teachers promoting apemanship of 'British' accents in our land
When the rest of the world is plotting to get to the moon, or invent contraptions that can run on water and air, why are our teachers teaching nonsense to the young ones?
By Peter Kimani 5 months ago
The miseducation of teachers promoting apemanship of 'British' accents in our land
Premium
Equitable dressing for bankers could revamp sector in hard times
Folks at Equity Bank have unveiled a dress code for their staff to project a "professional, put-together look." I don't know what that means, but it is a huge transformation.
By Peter Kimani 6 months ago
Equitable dressing for bankers could revamp sector in hard times
Miracle worker at City Hall makes Sh600 million fortune from modest salary of Sh55,000
The City Hall employee having a modest income of Sh55,000 has reportedly amassed a fortune of Sh600 million in a couple of years.
By Peter Kimani 6 months ago
Miracle worker at City Hall makes Sh600 million fortune from modest salary of Sh55,000
Riggy smells the coffee in South America, with Alfie Mutua on hand to receive him
I know we have diplomatic relations with Colombia, and yes, it requires one whole day of travel from Nairobi to Bogota, but a VIP of Riggy G's calibre must be received appropriately.
By Peter Kimani 6 months ago
Riggy smells the coffee in South America, with Alfie Mutua on hand to receive him
Premium
Riggy G finally gets a 'handshake' with Baba but doesn't hurl anything on his head
Riggy G is an interesting man, he put a whistle in his mouth and blew at the top of his lungs that he would not greet "that man," whose proper name is Raila Odinga aka Baba.
By Peter Kimani 6 months ago
Riggy G finally gets a 'handshake' with Baba but doesn't hurl anything on his head
Pres Bongo is freed from house arrest to seek medical treatment abroad
Junta's have displayed their human side by releasing Bongo from house arrest who was preceded by his father, Omar Bongo, capping the Bongos' domination of the nation's politics at 56 years.
By Peter Kimani 6 months ago
Pres Bongo is freed from house arrest to seek medical treatment abroad
The Nairobi declaration spotlights art of naivete in defining Africa future
This has been such a strange week, when Prezzo Bill Ruto drove himself to work in a small, electric car, while his able Deputy Rigathi Gachagua aka Riggy G decided to take a walk.
By Peter Kimani 6 months ago
The Nairobi declaration spotlights art of naivete in defining Africa future
Premium
Why sugar barons take pride of place in Ruto's heavenly vision of earth
I'm repeating his exact words because of the precise way in which they were delivered. Prezzo Ruto knows the precise problem that besets the nation and its solution.
By Peter Kimani 6 months ago
Why sugar barons take pride of place in Ruto's heavenly vision of earth
Premium
Tears for Jozi, the city of gold, and the reckoning that we are doing just fine
But let's focus on the positive and say how wonderful it is to be back home, and how delighted I was to escape the blackout at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by a whisker.
By Peter Kimani 6 months ago
Tears for Jozi, the city of gold, and the reckoning that we are doing just fine
Met folks have mastered the art of conveying the expected in a most unexpected manner
Folks at Met long mastered the art of obfuscation so that we're not even remotely aware what to expect. And we're happy to receive whatever nature unleashes on us.
By Peter Kimani 6 months ago
Met folks have mastered the art of conveying the expected in a most unexpected manner
Premium
A Cabinet shuffle is in the offing, and this is more than just 'hearsay' from corridors of power
A Cabinet shuffle could be in the offing. Reason? Prezzo Bill Ruto is incensed that most, if not all members of his Cabinet, are incompetent.
By Peter Kimani 6 months ago
A Cabinet shuffle is in the offing, and this is more than just 'hearsay' from corridors of power
Why the dogs of Jo'burg bark at night and step out to play during day
The term "poor" does not define the status of the dogs: they are well cared for, including comfy sleeping bags where they snuggle.
By Peter Kimani 6 months ago
Why the dogs of Jo'burg bark at night and step out to play during day
Kenya's 'arrested' development ends as traffic police ordered back to station
Unsurprisingly, the "fees" collected at police checkpoints run into millions each day, as matatus are assigned a daily rate to guarantee them a safe passage in and out of town.
By Peter Kimani 6 months ago
Kenya's 'arrested' development ends as traffic police ordered back to station
Plumbing career careens out of control and leads to sudden evacuation
Even the most skilled plumbers cannot get to close to the mess; they use an assemblage of pipes to prod and probe from afar and do so with multiple layers of protective gear.
By Peter Kimani 7 months ago
Plumbing career careens out of control and leads to sudden evacuation
Baba speaks out of turn in his threat to drive Meg Whitman out of town
Baba being Baba can say anything and nothing much will happen to him. That's the sort of power that makes others cower in their boots.
By Peter Kimani 7 months ago
Baba speaks out of turn in his threat to drive Meg Whitman out of town
Starting new life as a Joburg plumber and other short stories
South Africa is in the thick of winter; well, that's an exaggeration, the sun still shines through, though it does get frosty sometimes, as on that first night of arrival.
By Peter Kimani 7 months ago
Starting new life as a Joburg plumber and other short stories
After Riggy G's banquet at Sagana, it's time to extend generosity to folks banging sufurias
I don't know if locals were asked to nominate a day that would work for them, or if Riggy G simply arrived in town and announced he was throwing a bash for whomsoever was available.
By Peter Kimani 7 months ago
After Riggy G's banquet at Sagana, it's time to extend generosity to folks banging sufurias
Uasin Gishu scam proves ours is a land of limitless possibilities to steal and look good
It is not clear why parents thought it prudent to sell their land or houses or take up loans to send their children to little-known colleges in Finland to succumb to bouts of racism
By Peter Kimani 7 months ago
Uasin Gishu scam proves ours is a land of limitless possibilities to steal and look good
Premium
After gun scare, Prezzo UK offers scribes meat without meat wrappers
"It's hard to believe he was the President of Kenya for ten years," said the youngest political analyst in town, who also happens to be the oldest man in our household.
By Peter Kimani 7 months ago
After gun scare, Prezzo UK offers scribes meat without meat wrappers
Premium
After spurning Mama Samia Suluhu Hassan, we deserve more than just a tongue-lashing
I have no way of knowing if Baba and Prezzo Ruto did mend their relations, but they ran in different directions and went head-to-head in the last General Election.
By Peter Kimani 7 months ago
After spurning Mama Samia Suluhu Hassan, we deserve more than just a tongue-lashing
Pauline Njoroge writes what she likes and you can't do anything about it
People who smoke bangi don't always remember to tidy up their hair the way Njoroge does. So, those hellbent on tarnishing her reputation should find more intelligent ways of doing it.
By Peter Kimani 7 months ago
Pauline Njoroge writes what she likes and you can't do anything about it
Premium
Non-carcinogenic metals to restore the vandalised Nairobi Expressway
The reason for my optimism is the Nairobi Expressway, which was vandalised in last week's anti-government protests, has been restored at supersonic speed.
By Peter Kimani 7 months ago
Non-carcinogenic metals to restore the vandalised Nairobi Expressway
Young revolutionaries are gearing up for 'maandamano,' but for private reasons
"When is the next maandamano?" the youngest man in my household posed on Monday. His elder brother said it was slated for Wednesday.
By Peter Kimani 7 months ago
Young revolutionaries are gearing up for 'maandamano,' but for private reasons