There's that empty chair in many homes this season. Chairs in which many a Christmas chapati was savoured. Chairs from which laughter emanated. Chairs in which stories were told, drinks were had, cakes was shared, memories were made. Chairs from which phone calls were made, and those really bad WhatsApp forwards were shared oh-so-regularly - you know exactly the ones I’m talking about, don't you?

It feels as fresh as it may be far away, stinging as raw as though it’s still new.

This space... Let me share my thoughts, all of which revolve around one word: DIGNITY.

This is the definition of dignity, per Google: "The state or quality of being worthy of honour or respect."

(I'm going to use Kenyanese aplenty in this thread.)

twitter.com/i/spaces/1ZkJz… Now me, the Jesus I know is a Jesus that was a firm advocate for treating people with dignity.

This is why he noticed and defended people who were constantly taken advantage of. That's the Jesus me I know.

The latest episode of #LegallyClueless is probably the most candid I've ever been in front of a camera - and the fact that in the final version of the video, they chose to allow even the uncomfortable pauses to percolate, as well as my (rather visible 😅) thought process... [🪡] [🪡] ...to thread through the different bits in this story... This feels as much a letter to my future self as it is me sharing parts of myself that I otherwise keep very guarded.

The #GenerationEqualityForum is happening right now, and since the last conversation I had with @OfficialJMbugua, @kalekyemumo, @equalitynow, and @better4kenya on @CapitalFMKenya, I've been struggling with the term "ally".

#GenerationEquality #YourVoiceMatters #ActForEqual The context: Sometime during the conversation, @OfficialJMbugua referred to me as an ally in the path towards gender equality, and I felt a little unsettled. I'll explain why in a bit, but it certainly wasn't the first time.

#ActForEqual

Come. Come. Closer. We need to talk for a moment.

"At least..."

Beloveds, we need to retire this phrase from our lexicon. Kwanza sisi Wakenya.

"At least you have a job..."
"At least una mshahara..."
"At least una bwana/bibi..."
"At least alikuja..."

Bare minimum tu. At what point did we agree to give into bare minimum so consistently and absolutely? When? Why?

So, about this #MoreThanBodies conversation happening on the TL right now: I’d like to talk a slightly different bend to it.

Stay with me for a moment. [This is unfiltered, typing as the thoughts come along.] It’s very easy to downplay or outright ignore how much upbringing influences our choices as adults. I’d mentioned this at some point before: I genuinely believe we underestimate how powerful the element of nurture is in influencing and moulding human behaviour.

I hate that 1824 clip. Hate it. I've been struggling to figure out why all day, and it's just hit me. And with this dawning realisation, it transformed into a melange of pity and revulsion. PART 1: THE PITY.

We're about to go into the 3rd month since the first confirmed covid-19 case in Kenya. Almost immediately, the self-isolation and WFH advisories came into play.

It's a scary time. And I don't think I'm alone in that sentiment. Not by a long shot.

[This will be one of my more stream-of-consciousness threads, so stay with me.] I've lived off my writing in one form or the other for a majority of my adult existence. My second love, photography, last year became just as important to my livelihood as my writing. My rent, my food, my health... All tied to these two loves of mine.

Wah. House hunting in Nairobi is an extreme sport. The number of fake property advertisements out here... If you're not keen, it's very easy to be scammed. I've seen pictures of the exact same house, but billed as three different locations: Garden Estate, Lavington and Lower Kabete.

I find christianity today rather problematic. Binyavanga passed on. The reaction was immediate and brutal. Somehow, there was this idea that he deserved to die - in fact, being on Twitter that day would leave you with the distinct impression that the man was a cruel and vile human deserving of only the worst of fates.

The video of the tuktuk guy hurling rocks at police officers is hilarious. Truly, it is.

Then I gave it a bit of thought, and it became a lot darker.

Last week, I talked to my mutura guy. He's generally a very jovial soul. But he was slightly frustrated that day. "Kanjo walikuwa wanashika bike zote. Hata hawakuwa wanataka kusikia. Kuna mama fulani alijaribu kuwaomba at least achukue stock yake kabla waende na bike. Imagine walienda na stock yake ya hiyo siku. Na hata haikuwa boda."

I've said a couple of these things before, and I'll say them again.

1. Suicide is not selfish.
We need to understand something: By the time a person makes the conscious decision to take their own life, they have thought it through time and again. By the time a person makes that decision, and plans it, and goes through with it, they've likely convinced themselves that the very kids, family, and friends you're talking about may be better off without them.

We often think about abuse in intimate relationships, but what about abuse in workplace/working relationships? Do we recognise that as an actual thing that happens, or do we write it off as "just work"? We've all have a friend who's been through it:
A boss who shouts at them.
A boss who constantly accuses them of mistakes they had nothing to do with.
Who constantly shifts the goalposts, making up rules & requirements that even they do not follow.