A friend has told me a chilling story. She took a mat at Prestige Ngong’ Rd towards dagoretti on Saturday evening at about 7pm.

At the Naivasha Road junction a group of young men stood up and said, “si mnajua vile kunaendaga? Hakuna haja tuumizane. Toeni sadaka.”🧵 They walked down the aisle collecting phones and wallets, leaving things they didnt need, like my friend’s grocery bag. When they were done, they stopped the matatu at a bus stop, ushered everyone out, and drove off.

I have just had an illuminating conversation with tourism expert and researcher, Mike Riungu about the impact of tourism decline on the environment, youth, women and livelihoods. It's armageddon. #Thread This are @googleearth images of the wider Malindi in 1995, 2003, 2017 and 2022. In 1995 when tourism was thriving, it was lush and green. As tourism declined and people went from town to rural, they cut trees & sold charcoal to survive. #environment

A good man died 2 weeks ago. He prepared himself meticulously to leave his family cared for then he took a lot of sleeping pills and slept the deep sleep. In his note, he said that he had felt invisible for too long and he chose to be invisible. #Thread Reflecting on his life, we know him to have been a good man - took care of his family (nuclear and extended). He was a responsible man. Led his organisation to greatness and he really served this country. By all accounts, he was a pillar of society.

I have many friends that work as adjuct lecturers in private universities in Kenya. The things that they seem to see and experience with students put a rather dull tint to the future professionals in our midst. Here are some of the stories I have heard #Thread In a private uni in 2019, a student hit a lecturer so hard that the man fell & bumped his head against the wall, needing 2 stitches. Why? The student missed 7 classes & a quiz and therefore would not pass.

The lecturer was treated at the uni’s expense. Student graduated.

In the course of living my life, I am usually preoccupied with key life questions that guide my thinking, work and impact. This one is a #Thread listing the issues/ questions that I am considering. I share them in no particular order. 1. I am pondering what it would take for government to be truly controlled by the people and how governance can be less elitist. Most people in the world do not have a clue of how and why decisions that impact them are made by politicians (who often have very low expertise)

Today, I've seen an article in @StandardKenya that says that @MatiangiFred will have powers to snoop on Kenyans' phones if he suspects them to "work for foreign powers" without a warrant if the #StatuteLaw2020 pass.

I'm reading the bill myself & found interesting things
(Thread) To read the #StatuteLaw2020 effectively, I have @kenyalaw open so that I can read the laws that are being amended. I highly recommend that you take time and do this also. NOTE: I'm not a lawyer, so I likely have gaps in my knowledge but I hope #KOT lawyers like @Olez will help.

I had the good fortune to fly Business Class for a portion of my trip today & then I went back to economy. I generally don't fly business 'cause my account balance scoffs at the idea & I recognise the privilege of flying about anyway. I noticed some things I share in this #Thread There are some #HumanRights paralells that can be drawn from my experience today. To be on the same page, #HumanRights advocates fight for dignity of everyone, regardless of their social status. That we all should live with basic comfort (not luxury). So. My flight observations:

I have used @SafaricomPLC's #Fuliza in the past few weeks to learn it. Its a saviour when you are in a jam - at the supermarket when you're short, when you need to send mum something and your MPESA is dry, when fuel is running out and the month is at the corner... What you cannot do with #Fuliza: buy credit, pay KAPS parking (*486*1#) or use any of the short codes, pay your Mshwari loan... (essentially you cannot pay for any of the @SafaricomPLC services)...

Yesterday I went to Naivas and when I finished and needed to pay for parking, 😳

Today, I spoke to a policeman who is also a farmer in Busia (where his family lives). He took some time to educate me about the challenges that we have for #food4Kenya and agriculture. These are some of the things that he told me. He told me that he has in store 200 bags of maize that he is unable to sell because @NCPB_KE is taking too little maize at bad prices. "They want to take my maize at Sh2300, which is just my cost of production. How is that business? How do I pay back the loan I took" #Food4Kenya

I had a very interesting conversation with a gentleman who I have known to be very active in church. Lately, he is disillusioned. He told me a simple christian principle is 'when in doubt don't do it.' Now. Lately church has taken very dubious money for Harrambees to build churches. "Ask any Christian around you," he said, "we would be happy to pray fervently under a tree until we can build the church with clean money. Why would church especially the 'old' ones take that money?

Yesterday, at @naivas_kenya I figured out how easy it is for bad people to get a hold of personal details. Its scary. I actually practically picked someone's identity and got to know a hell of a lot about them - all within 10 minutes! Let me tell you how... I was standing next to this lady at @naivas_kenya ion Westlands. She had to give out her number to the cashier... "0722... 000... 000" (not exactly obviously). It was an easy number to remember so I memorised it and typed it into my Truecaller and voila! I know her name & email!