Diary of a Mjengo girl

 The rainy season is here. That means little to no overtime so people might as well use this time to fix their personal issues. And by personal issues I mean relationships. Latifa, the HR assistant featured in We Will Heal in Heaven: A Luopean tale , has been happy for a while. Not with the Kenyan man, though. The consultants' side acquired a new environmentalist a few months ago after his predecessor was caught in a diesel theft scandal- story for another day. The new guy, Mtokambali, which translates to someone who has come from afar, has indeed come from far. Literally. He comes from a rich family in Kilimanjaro. Ask me how I know? Everyone knows. Latifa cis a blabbermouth. Probably why she doesn't stay long in intimate relationships, right? When they started the 'talking stage', the entire site knew every little detail about the dates and any other info he disclosed. Including the fact that he had been 'connected' to this project by one local politician-his ...

While Kenyans mark Utamaduni day today, (previously Moi Day), the world celebrates the World Mental health day. While for some it is nothing but a notion that they cannot relate with, for others it is a big deal.  You think a family member is being too dramatic every time he gets emotional when you talk about his mother who has been dead for the past five years so you avoid them. You think a friend is just jealous of you because you got a job before she did so you ghost her for two years straight while stalking her on social media. You think your roommate is weird and overly dramatic because every time you get to the hostel from class she is crying. You think suicide is just a trending topic on twitter until it creeps into your backyard and takes one of your closest friends or family. For a long time, Africans have always whispered when talking about suicide. Some even never talk about it. For some, the reason their children took their lives was because they had been 'bewitched by ...

So the human resource assistant lady, Latifa was invited for lunch by the new Kenyan highways' engineer at site. He is soft spoken and the real definition of a gentleman. Or so, ladies think. Being a Kenyan myself, I am not buying that. He is a brother from the lakeside and I know how those can be. I have actually loved and been loved by such like characters and let me tell you Maina , I still fall for the lies. We shall rest in heaven😂. Anyway, a week after the  JaKisumo joined the company, ladies used to flock his office to 'say hallo' and 'welcome' him to the 255. I know Kenyan women don't give such kind of attention to men they are interested in, and even if they do, it is somewhat suddle. In swahili nation however, the women are naturally welcoming and have good manners- instilled from a very young age. Some of which has rubbed on me. Read the word 'some' in bold so we don't get mixed up when I return. Anyway, on the day that Latifa got asked ...

Wamaku's wife left two weeks ago to her home in Tanga. This was after a physical exchange with one of the foreman's many girlfriends. I use the phrase 'physical exchange' to make it appear two sided but really, the wife gave the girlfriend a beating of a lifetime. It was like using her as an example. That whoever messes with her man would get a share of that. But do Tanzanian women scare easily? No. One of the foreman's city girlfriends heard of the incident- you know how fast word spreads in the 255. She called the man who used it as an opportunity to get pity and convince her to come over to Morogoro and see him. Getting laid would be the icing on the cake. Plus, now that the troublesome wife was not any close, chances of drama were very minimal. She promised to visit him the following week. Afterall, he was to hire her a car. A daladala wasn't an option for this kind of woman- classy, rich-sh and a social-media addict who had somehow convinced her 1000 follo...

Njoroge's son had an accident today. One that could have turned fatal had he not had the helmet on. He fell from the crane's boom that had a fault. One thing that is for sure is there is a thin line between life and death. Two years ago, I lost a very close friend to an accident so I know the seriousness of accidents and near misses especially in construction.  According to data from the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH),237 accidents were recorded in a 4-year period,32of which were fatalities. This data analysis was done in a new study on the safety of construction sites in Nairobi published in the American Journal of Construction and Building materials. Many other studies have been conducted and the facts are relatively similar. Here is my two cents: 1. Wear appropriate PPE whenever you can and adhere to the safety guidelines provided in the toolbox talks and on the site signages. The directorate of occupational safety and health has a reason why they are ...

Finding a good job is a dream for every graduate in Kenya today. However, the shortage of jobs today has made most young people opt for alternative means of survival. While some opt to start small business as they look for jobs, most youths settle for any job opportunity that comes their way even if it means doing casual jobs. Kenya’s unemployment rate is 7.4%, according to the   2015/2016 Labour Force Basic Report  done by the  Kenya Bureau of Statistics.  The basic salary for an entry level job in Kenya is about Kshs 30000. In some cases, the amount is lower while in others the amount is slightly higher. An  article featured on the Daily Nation in 2017  highlights the frustrations that the youth are undergoing because of lack of jobs. Here is a breakdown for someone earning Kshs 30,000 living in Nairobi, Kenya. Let’s call him Njoroge. Njoroge has a wife who is just a  housewife . She too is a graduate who is still looking for a job. Njoroge live...

Losing a mother hurts no matter the age a person is. Ask any motherless kid or adult they will tell you. And unfortunately the phrase "time heals" isn't as practical as it is supposed to be. There are days when the grief is small, sometimes medium and sometimes it hurts to the core. The concept of time is sometimes applicable in terms of the intensity of the feelings but basically, there are no rules in this grief thing. For my case, everything I was afraid of when I was growing up, came to pass in July 2016 when I lost the psychology professor. More than six years down the line and the pain is as fresh as it was the day I saw her lying lifeless at St Luke’s. I still yearn for her voice, her smell, the sound of her laughter and the food she cooked. I talk about her to anyone and everyone who cares to listen or ask, not because I am stuck or because I haven’t moved on but because I am hers and she is mine. And no amount of time will ever change that fact. New comers in the...

Every parent dreams for their children to study medicine, pharmacy or law or something corporate-ish . I guess this is the construct of the out dated mindset that declared these careers prestigious. Most parents will have satisfaction seeing their children being called doctors and lawyers even if they tarmac for four years or more. This mindset unfortunately has blinded our teachers in schools today. From the instep as a form one student, all the ‘gallant’ teachers tell students is to study and become doctors, pharmacist and lawyers. Most of them, not all. The bitter truth is, not all students are meant to be, like to be or even dream to be these titles. With the fast-changing world of economics, information and technology, a child could be anything and be successful. Again, success is idiosyncratic. Parents and teachers should understand that the old guard world view is not the millennial’s or generation Z’s view of life. A quick survey with our Kenyan institutions of higher education...

My landlord rears chicken and ducks. The ducks are a bit laid back than the ones I know from back home. One of my mama's friends keeps them as security because they bite people. Literally. So when I first moved here, I was so scared I could sneak in and out like a thief so as not to startle the ducks with the fear that they too, were biters. A few months down the line, we came to know each other, understand each other and I even apologized for my underlying presumption of duck nature. I have even named the male one Joey Tribbiani like the one from friends and two of the female ones Suzan and Yasmine. The rest of them we don't 'talk' as much. Now, the ducks and the chicken have been living in harmony for the time I have known them. The rooster however has a habit of a typical Kenyan married man, leaving home early and coming back late at night, probably drunk. We cross paths by the river when I am headed to the campsite at quarter to 7am EAT. I have never had the courag...