After what has felt like a long, long, very long 3 months without writing anything, I finally have the time, clarity and feel of Dostoevsky back from exile to attempt to clear one very nagging question in my mind. One that’s been lingering for the past 12 plus months.

It’s been reported that the third wave of the Covid-19 virus is ravaging countries across the globe. An increase in the number of cases coupled with an increase of the number of deaths. New strains (B.1.1.7 from the UK & B.1.351 from South Africa) are said to spread twice as fast…

19th November. International Men’s Day they call it. Or is it world toilet day? As the Guardian newspaper put it, is it one for the lads or one for the lavs? Frankly this pisses me the hell off. Could they not have found another day? Not to knock of the importance of proper sanitation as more than 2+ billion people around the world don’t have access to proper toilets. But isn’t the reason we allocate days to be able to tackle issues wholly? With one voice? These two together makes no sense. …

CRISIS OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Crisis: the word alone commands attention like no other, for what is a crisis but a moment of breakdown of set rules and regulations and when everything is called into question. And that is what this year has been. A crisis of human rights.

This year has been rocked by tragedy after another starting with the coronavirus (the second wave in most countries is hitting its peak, so I hope you are protecting yourself in every way you can) and we’ve resigned to mark these events as another weird mind boggling day in the calendar of 2020. Basic rights and…

WOMEN AND SECURITY OF TENURE

As a major factor of production, the importance of land cannot be overstated. Steps have been taken to improve its productivity and access but security of tenure remains an issue, particularly in developing countries. Security of tenure has become hard to attain for certain groups such as women, children, the youth and minority communities around the globe and for this article, I would like us to zero in on the African continent.

Research has shown that a majority of wealth in Africa is generated through land but only about 10% is owned by women. Quite a huge disparity considering that…

RIGHTS OF THE POOR

I choose to start this article by posing a question to you. Who fights for the poor?

All around the world the story has been the same. Poor people cannot get access to essentials, basic items they need to survive and even a system put in place to protect them is usually the first to deny them their basic human rights. I’ll narrow this down to the experiences I’ve seen in my country, Kenya, during the corona virus outbreak.

At the heart of the pandemic, the president addressed the nation and announced that there would be cessation of movement to…

With the daylight murder of George Floyd on the 26th of May 28, 2020, by the police, in the USA, the world was forced through an all familiar face of police brutality. Cases of such brutality have risen over the years begging the question “will this ever end?” Across the pond in Africa, such cases are a familiar sighting with people living in fear of the police where more and more people keep dying at the hands of police. …

A few days ago, on a bright windy morning, I was interrupted by screams while having my breakfast. So I decided to check what was wrong. We live in a close knit neighborhood where everyone knows everyone and before I put my hand to the gate lock, I heard two kids talking, one telling the other “Ni yule mzee wa pale juu amejinyonga” (Swahili for the man from the lane above us hang himself). This kids couldn’t have been more than 10 years old and they spoke of suicide so calmly. This wasn’t the first case in this area. …