The Bahatian

Left to right, Susan Kihika, Tabitha Karanja Keroche, and Liza Chelule Looking at the unfolding political theater especially in Nakuru County as the 2027 General Election race takes shape, one thing is clear; the talks of sending the so called Nakuru Girls home is premature. Nakuru Girls currently comprises of governor Susan Kihika, senator Tabitha Karanja Keroche, woman representative Liza Chelule  and legislators Irene Njoki Mrembo of Bahati, Charity Kathambi Chepkwony of Njoro, Martha Wangari of Gilgil and Jayne Kihara of Naivasha constituencies respectively. With the exception of senator Keroche, all other Nakuru Girls will be fighting hard to protect their seats. Ms Keroche has indicated she's going for the gubernatorial seat, and is ready to dethrone the incumbent with whom they've been pitted in internecine political exchanges. Some of these exchanges have degenerated to personal name calling, with other allegations seeing the governor rushing to courts filin...

After years of thumbing chalk, the celebrated teacher, Mr Gateru, retired. He retired in a ceremony of a kind, for he was more than an educator, but served in many leadership roles in the local community, and far. His impact was felt, and regaled by the many of the pupils he moulded and who today are scattered both locally and abroad.  He is celebrated more than a hero. It was while giving his retirement speech that he assured the community and the teaching fraternity that he wasn't going to retire to a life of penury or fade into oblivion but that his leadership was to be felt in a different way. He was going to contest in the upcoming elections for a parliamentary seat. "It's time to widen the scope of my leadership to represent you in a different capacity than in locally limited roles," he hinted as everyone cheered and clapped happily. The news of his political interest was received by the wannabe and seasoned politicians alike, and especially the incu...

Growing up, if there were those in society I revered, then it could be the men and women of collar. Those were days of mainstream churches before mushrooming of kiosk like churches that are more of personal enterprises than spiritual nourishment centers.  Back in the day, the men of collar were more visible than female clergy, and they led very simplistic if not humble lives. They could walk or cycle distances just for the passion of the gospel. Unlike their contemporaries today who drives fuel guzzlers, or can't do a kilometer long walk. The old generation of clergy was classic of sorts, their down to earth living is what would be associated with poverty. The misconception then was serving a calling meant forsaking everything to do with material wealth for the illusion of heavenly riches. If you then noticed their children, you'd mostly likely revere them the way you did their fathers. The notion here is their children were grounded in high moral upbringing livi...

Have you listened to a motivational speaker and kept on nodding in agreement as false hope was being sold to you? How did you feel when your eyes opened to the reality and that hope fizzled out quickly? Have you attended those so called seminars or listened to drivels of one passing as a financial expert telling you of ways you can make that financial breakthrough in a short time and be financially independent? Well, many have paid 'facilitation' fee to realize they gullibly bought false hopes. Take my recent example, for instance. Someone broached to me this idea of making it big in poultry rearing with little startup capital. The idea sounded so good, but the skeptical me refused to buy it. I'm the kind that loves to ask the hard questions. First, let me walk you down that idea. All it needed was Sh2000 as startup capital. With this I was to buy day old layer chicks each at Sh100. That's 20 layers in total. And as they came of age, I'd be assured of th...

When I met Gikara, a time he wanted to share some insights with me, after many of his attempts to reach Wamakothi, who by this time had blocked him, he told me something startling. Wamigunda and Wamakothi were not the only ones who overnight had changed and developed a hostile attitude towards him, but some of his other known friends. Each time he reached out for help, some immediately began to give him unsolicited investment advice he never asked for. How do you tell a hungry man to invest in a food business with zero capital injection and stock to start with in order to fend for himself? In some instances, he'd tell them to cut their crap and answer either yes or no to his request, not make him look like a pitiable beggar that first had to be humiliated before given that soft loan he was looking for. He told me a truth many don't know. Not everyone is cut for business. Not everyone is cut for employment. He had tried business as a side hustle while still employed ...

If there is anything that gives the current crop of political leaders in office the Achilles heel, then its the Gen Z youths. Note how they mobilize, online and organically on the ground. No mobilization funds spent the way the old guard of leaders are accustomed to. No hired buses to ferry them to meeting points, unless where it becomes necessary to crowd fund for out of town rendezvous points. The "Tuko Kadi" slogan that surfaced the other day caught the politicians off guard, with even the State House digital strategist, Denis Itumbi, chancing on it and trying to steal the narrative and twist it to mean Kenyans "Wako Kadi" with president Ruto by trying to highlight Ruto's development record, but Kenyans, as usual, landed on him and politicians aligned to the government using the slogan by telling them they lacked creativity and were trying to hijack a movement that's not theirs. Tuko Kadi aims to mobilize young voters to register in numbers, a...

You are in that social media group and you see a spike of posts where the demise of someone is being announced. Whereas its not uncommon to use social media platforms to convey such messages to the public, there's this common trend of total strangers unknown to the bereaved families being the heralds or bearers of sad news without the affected families approval. We live in era of instant communication, and such posts, when reshared, amplifies the message to a wide audience such that close family members of the deceased, who may be living far, gets to know firsthand of it before calling home to confirm same. That said, funerals in Kenya seems important during electioneering time or premature campaigns where incumbents and aspirants alike uses them to drum support or market their candidacies. Think of that free organic crowd of mourners. No funds spent in mobilization. No logistics headache. No invite of sorts. Just gatecrashing with pomp, with a mounted loudspeaker in fu...

He was a jovial man, generous to a fault. He had worked with a big organization for years, until one day when his troubles began. One morning, as usual, he drove to the workplace. If something was wrong, like an ominous hanging cloud, he should have read it from the security guard's face as he raised the barricade bar to allow him to pass through. As he walked into his office, where he held the level of a senior officer but not the superior one rank, he could feel a kind of change in the atmosphere. Silent stares from staff. Was something wrong? He was about to find out. He settled in his swivel chair behind the mahogany desk. There was a letter waiting for him at the desk. He read it three times in total disbelief. His heart racing. Face pale. Breath almost suspended. He had been fired! No warning. Not that notice giving him like a month or two weeks notice of intention to terminate his terms of employment. No usual counselling that employees were put through when the ...

Living with any form of disability can be challenging. Think of being the subject of ridicule or kind of offensive gestures made to mimick sign language to the extent of developing low self-esteem and leading an introverted life in name of avoiding public or mingling with crowds. More, it humiliates when others think you're object of empathy and sympathy like you can't function like a normal human being, and you're treated like a lesser human being. I've been there.   I suffers from hearing loss, which was gradual especially when I was a child. Back then, I could sit even on the back of class but by the time I was in the equivalent of grade six under CBC currently, the loss was that severe that not even hearing aids would remedy the situation, given my ears produces very thick wax that blocks audio canals of a hearing device.   Having attended normal day primary and secondary schools, I was like any "normal" person in society but though I never hea...

The other day, a Nakuru based entrepreneur in hospitality sector was lamenting on a social media platform how business wasn't picking up despite investing massively on it, with a bank loan in tune of a million and accrued interest yet to be paid, and contemplated ending her life. Kenyans, in their uncharacteristic true self, rallied online and organically met at her facility in name of supporting the business and giving her the needed moral support, with reports some travelled all the way from Nairobi just to have a plate of food.   Hers is not an isolated example as businesses are struggling with notices of vacant spaces for rent plastered on doors where once thriving businesses used to operate at, but have since closed shop. Here's the reason why businesses are struggling or closing shop. No money in circulation There's little money circulating in the economy that many Kenyans don't have any disposable income to spend. It has nothing to do with holiday fes...

In the previous post, we looked at the prospects of the next Nakuru county governor being a female, and odds are high. Either the incumbent will be reelected or be replaced with the current senator in the 2027 ballot.   Still on the so called Nakuru Girls, at the constituency level, we've four female MPs elected in the four of the eleven consistencies that forms the Nakuru county. There are Irene Njoki of Bahati constituency, Charity Kathambi of Njoro constituency, Jayne Kihara of Naivasha constituency and Martha Wangari of Gilgil constituency. When you rope in the governor, woman representative and the senator, its clear women are breaking barriers in politics, and we're not speaking about using the gender card to ascend to political offices.    Looking at my home constituency of Bahati, there are possibilities the incumbent, Irene Njoki, will be replaced by a woman. One such is an aspirant by name of Mary Justus Mannabay, and who is giving the incumbent head...

In 2022 General Election, Nakuru county made a first in politics when it voted an all female ensemble of a trio compromising the governor, senator and woman representative. Some constituencies had female legislators and members of county assemblies. This led to coinage of the moniker Nakuru Girls to describe the rise of females in politics.   Interesting, despite the all female brigade in high echelon of the county's politics, many felt it wasn't enough to meet the two thirds gender rule prescribed in the constitution as the bicameral parliament had a high male representation, same with counties, where in the 47 counties in the geographical Kenya, there are majority male county bosses than there are females.   Of interest, since the coming of devolution, Nakuru county had produced one term governors. All have been elected on the political wave of the day. The current governor, Susan Kihika, is gearing to break the jink of the one term governor as she eyes her secon...

As Kenya's 2027 politics take shape, the race for Bahati constituency member of parliament seat in Nakuru county is attracting several candidates. Among the notable ones is Mary Justus Mannabay, who's seen as a great threat to the incumbent MP, Irene Njoki Mrembo. This writer sat down for an interview with her recently. She expressed that Bahati constituency had what it takes to be at par with Kiharu constituency but poor leadership is to blame. Here's part of the interview in question and answer format. Q : Going by the Bahati electorate sentiments that the quartet of the so called Nakuru Girls, that's the governor, senator, women representative, and the MP, should go home and male leadership return with exception of women representative position, what's your take? A : I believe not everyone subscribes to such archaic reasoning that a woman in leadership is a failure or cannot deliver. Leadership is not defined by gender. We have politicians and leaders. When peopl...

Mr Njaga has announced his intention to be a champion of the masses. By this, he intends to be elected a mheshimiwa in a top echelon position in Nakuru County. He's hardly a name that registers beyond his village and the dynamics of national politics are sheer fatigue to him. For those not averse who the man is, here's his brief. Mr Njaga was once a lowly paid primary school teacher. Those with long memory recalls the lean days he peddled his black mamba bicycle to a rundown government school ten kilometres away from his home. He was dreaded for his temper and famous for whipping ihii into 'civilized gentlemen' long before they faced the knife. Story had it the man disappeared from school for two years only to reemerge later with a headmaster's title. It was to emerge he had gone back to college to further the little training he had. From there, his fortunes changed for good. He started living large than the teacher's payslip could accord. He constructed a magni...

There was drama in a Nakuru County village last evening when an incident defying logic forced police officers on patrol to speed off in panic only to end up in a ditch before abandoning their Toyota Land Cruiser and taking off into a maize plantation.  It all began when a drunkard was staggering home way past 12a.m when the urge for a long call saw him walking to the local public cemetery to relieve self. Unbeknown to him, a couple was having a steamy coital session in the overgrown graveyard and the drunkard was startled to soberity by the pleasurable noises he mistook as from nocturnal ghosts in love making. To confirm his suspicions, his hazy eyes saw two human looking forms atop a grave in a gland-to-gland combat as a sliver of a moon peeked over the eastern horizon providing weak light. The drunkard, seeing surreal silhouettes of ghosts, sprinted off like a cheetah after a prey and it happened two police officers on patrol saw a form either from ethereal or corporeal world floatin...

There are those people with that "I know better than follow your stup!d instructions" mentality, but regrets almost immediately when the instruction or advice given, no matter how innocuous or unwise it may look at face value, tends to have great repercussions. Take the instance of the author of this book (pictured), a strong headed former military intelligence officer, thought he knew better than his superiors. The first instance was during the six month training in Baringo county shortly after enlisting with the military. Baringo is snake infested, and one of instructions in the training camp was to hang bags on walls or trees as snakes would crawl into them when kept at ground level looking for a warm place to curl in. The ever rebellious man who had been expelled from two schools for leading strikes, went against the instructions one night and used his bag as a pillow, such that a huge snake steals into the tent, goes over his body and into the bag. The scream he gave out...

  During interviews, there's usually that landmine question the interviewing panel may try to trap the prospective new hire with like disclosing what the latter was earning in the previous place of employ. Given that similar organizations may not have same salary scales for employees in same job description, this can put the prospective hire in an awkward position.   Career experts advices against disclosing to your prospective employer what your previous one was paying for the same job description. This is to ensure youre not taken advantage of and end up underselling your worth.   The common strategy employed is a starting pay package proposal which may not be attractive and way below what the previous job was paying. If the likely hire feels the pay is not that motivating, the panel will keep on pressing the interviewee to disclose what the former employer was paying.   To put the interviewing panel off, the interviewee should play hard ball, and if the proposed starting salary ...

There are situations that brings out the true character of people towards you. Take the example where you're bone dry broke or have that sudden life transformation. Let's look at both situations.   Got fired or lost that job? Got into that financial crisis or found yourself in that sad situation like an emergency and everything to your last coin was spent and you're what financially many will term you as "hana mbele wala nyuma" (hopeless)? Maybe you're several months without pay as attested by county workers or employees in other industries?  Have you tried reaching out to those in your social circle like close friends or family members and what were the reactions after you explained your situation? There are those who'll be empathetic and sympathetic with you and lend a hand. Others will milk capital of your situation and posit a not good image of you to all and sundry.   It's when you've hit rock bottom that you see the attitude of people towards...

  That the boy child goes through a lot is not in contention. It too doesn't surprise to see none other than the same gender bringing their fellow one down while lifting the profile of the girl child.   Sample the following where two job seekers, a male and a female, posted in a social media platform looking for prospective employers and giving a bit of their career backgrounds. Though each poster made own post in same platform within a day of each, the comments section is what left many asking questions, especially on the post made by the male poster.   Both posters, it seemed, were recent statistics of the growing numbers being rendered jobless when organizations are downscaling, relocating or closing shop for good owing the current policies in place, especially taxations and high cost of doing business.   For the lady, there were many willing to employ her, including givings business ideas and tips on how to get started as she goes about waiting for that vacant po...

  the backyard Sometimes we tend to become lethargic when we feel satisfied even for a minor accomplishment. Two years back, when I realized I was putting on weight, I embarked on rigorous exercises including long walks, cycling and hiking the back hills. I quickly lost the accumulated weight in a short time. See: https://paulkariuki.blogspot.com/2019/07/and-long-walk-made-difference.html   Not very long in a social joint, while following an English Premier League match, a friend happened to drop by during the interval and we had a bit of catching up. Then he made some remarks to the effect that I was ‘feeding well’ as I seemed to be in a kind of ‘good health.’