They Just Need One Thousand Dollars to Stop the Smoke
If you are twenty-five years old and below, then John Kioli was already striving to make this world a greener place when you were still a child. For almost two decades, he has been the CEO of Green Africa Foundation, an organization that is on the frontlines of ensuring that Kenya adapts to a changing climate.
Step Aside James Bond, Meet Green Bonds
Before I say anything else, let me just look into your eyes and tell you this, “green bonds can bring taps to your villages or bring water back into your taps. Stay with me for ten minutes as I explain to you how.”
***
The Green Billions Haven't Reached Kenya's Wasini Island
If you visit the three-roomed, brick-walled house of forty-year old Muhammadi Musa, you will escape the island humidity thanks its cool grass-thatched roof. But you will not be able to escape the rolling waves of giggles from Nasra, his three-year old daughter. She is the last of his six children and has sparkling brown eyes that you will want to paint even if you are not an artist.
I Went Ahead and Got Married
In the middle of those dreams you never want to wake up from was a grab on my waist and a gentle yet firm pull towards a warm surface which I later came to realize was a human body leading to my immediate awakening.
Seven Reasons Why You Should Spend Your Next Birthday at Karura Forest
11AM, River Road Nairobi. It’s your birthday. Racing towards you is a rusty handcart, popularly known as mkokoteni. You barely manage to sidestep it as it whizzes a mere inch from your scared legs. You catch a glimpse of Bob Marley’s face emblazoned on its left side.
Meet the Nyama Choma that is Made from a Test Tube
He has been selling meat in Tena Estate since I was in my late teens and donning a Tupac-like bandana. His corner butchery has ample space and a compound where two cars can easily park (three if one of them is a Vitz).
Meet Bamboo, Africa's Green Gold
Apart from the gentle whisper of the bamboo trees, silence enveloped the bamboo forest in Dawuro, a region in Southwest Ethiopia. These trees stood alert like a vast green army of soldiers. Their smooth green bark glistened in the soft sunrise hues that were painting the bamboo forest with shimmering colors.
Shit Just Got Real
This was my first time to vote. I had very good reasons for giving it a “NO” and I believed with every inch of my being that my vote would tilt the scale and we would emerge as winners.
Two Suspects Arraigned in Court for Illegal Possession of Leopard Skins
Wonders will never cease. Unfortunately, the last week of November 2017 brought a tragic wonder to the Kibera Law Courts in Nairobi.Two elderly men were arraigned before a Kibera court for being in illegal possession of two leopard skins with a street value of Ksh. 200, 000 ($2,000) each.
AfDB Launches Youth Advisory Group to Create 25 Million Jobs
The Jobs for Youth in Africa initiative aims at creating 25 million jobs and impacting 50 million youth over the next ten years by equipping them with the right skills to get decent and meaningful jobs
The Awesome Hills of Sagalla
‘Sagalla is Kenya’s garden of Eden,’ says Godrick Mwachofi, Sagalla Health Centre’s public health officer of. As he talks on cheerfully, I throw covert glances towards my left.
Zambezi's Wonder Fish
When you finally see it, you will wonder what all the fuss was about. It will be small, barely bigger than one of your nails.
How Elephants and Communities Can Take Care of Each Other
Imagine if President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Ali Bongo of Gabon, Ian Khama of Botswana and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda formed a club known as the ‘People Club.’
Organic Dollars are Knocking on Your Door
Here is a shocking truth – One metric tonne of urea costs about US$ 90 in Europe, US$ 500 in Western Kenya and US$ 700 in Malawi. These are not my words. They are on page 260 of the first ever report on the status of the World’s Soil Resources.
Meet Kapenta, the Alien Saviour
Maria Mutola’s short ponytail was still, her head bent low as she waited for the big race to commence. It was in the finals of the 800 metres at the Barcelona ’92 Olympics Games. Although she was only nineteen years old, Mozambique’s Olympic hopes rested on her young shoulders.
The Africa I see - Mwalimu Nyerere
‘The history of the world is but a biography of great men.’ These words were uttered by Thomas Carlyle, the nineteenth century Scottish historian. Going by these words, the history of East Africa in particular and Africa as a whole is, to a huge extent, a biography of great leaders like Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, Tanzania’s first president.
My First Time
The day had finally arrived. The moment was upon me when my first time would soon be behind me.
Namibia's Whistling Dolphins
Imagine if you had no name that was unique to you. How would your friends and family refer to you? What if all of us had no names? Life would definitely be complicated and chaotic! Nature has spared dolphins from such chaos by giving each dolphin a unique whistle that it can be identified by.
Pemba's Delicious Peace
I arrived at Pemba, the peaceful port city of Mozambique at the same time that the sun was sliding beneath the western horizon.
Planting a Forest
A quarter a century ago, I gazed indifferently at an African Teak tree seedling that my father had just planted about twenty metres on the right hand side of our rural house.
Remembering Africa
Marianne’s home in Odense was the scene of nostalgic chatter and banter from a group of ten friends. Five of them had participated in a Kenya work camp only two months earlier: Marianne, Karsten, Helga, Ingrid and Annika. The other five were listening open-mouthed as intriguing tales from Africa flowed forth.
Riding on the Gentle Ripples of Life
Life. What makes it great and what makes it suck? Why do we do so much to keep it and equally much to lose it? We spend a fortune to remain alive through a cocktail of curative and preventive measures and spend a fortune to chase away that very health through our lifestyles.
Rowing Away from Poverty
Tete Mozambique – Pedro’s tiny boat dugout looks like a brown ant against the expansive blue backdrop of the lower Zambezi River. He is twenty years old and although his hair is black, fluffy and plenty, the weary lines around his brown eyes make him look like he was born in 1976 and not 1996.
Rwanda's Struggle for a Better Future
‘The international community failed Rwanda and that must leave us always with a sense of bitter regret.’ These were the words of the then United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan in 2004 during a genocide memorial conference.
South Africa's Wind Energy Stepping Forward
Wind is playing a critical role in South Africa’s energy needs. Cookhouse wind farm which was built over a period of eleven months is already pumping 138MW of clean energy into the national grid.
South Sudan's Papyrus Guardians
Tears flowed freely when then South Sudan leader John Garang’s plane crashed on July 30th 2005 and killed him together with several others on board. Many knew him as the father of South Sudan, as a rebel leader turned statesman who waged both war and peace.
Tanga's Tantalizing Islands
Close your eyes. Wait! Before you do so, imagine a place where you can see waves but can’t hear them. They are so silent.
Tears of an Angel
After what she had been through, she never thought that a day would come when her heart would smile. But that day came one cold morning in the midst of groans and heavy breathing.
The Beach of Joy
I stood quietly in the soft grass on the edge of the beach and watched quietly as the sun crept along the blue waters of the Indian Ocean. Blue was everywhere. Above was the soft blue of the sky.
The Electrical Fish of Zambezi
Kalene hills, Zambia - Thunder and beauty. These are the two words that come to mind when the Zambezi River begins its epic journey in the bosoms of Zambia’s Kalene hills. Although the thunder of Victoria Falls is still silent at the source of the river, the beauty is just as loud.
