Essays, Gender, Politics, Socio-cultural

The F-word: The Place of Feminism In Contemporary Kenya

Brenda Wambui

This is a transcript of a talk I gave at the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA) on the topic “The F-Word”: What is the Place of Feminism in Contemporary Kenya?

“Patriarchy, in many ways, is the primary form of oppression. Its victims comprise half of the world (there are 102 men for every 100 women on the planet) and it transcends all other forms of discrimination – be it on race, religion, education, social class or sexuality. It is pervasive – transcending time, all social strata and affecting all societies. It is the most universal form of oppression.”

All … Read More

Africa, Economy, Essays, Politics, Socio-cultural

The Babylon System

Brenda Wambui

We refuse to be what you wanted us to be

We are what we are

That’s the way it’s going to be.

You don’t know

You can’t educate I for no equal opportunity:

Talking ’bout my freedom, people freedom and liberty

Yeah, we’ve been trodding on the winepress much too long

Rebel, rebel!

Yes, we’ve been trodding on the winepress much too long:

Rebel, rebel!

Babylon system is the vampire,

Sucking’ the children day by day,

Me say de Babylon system is the vampire, falling empire,

Sucking’ the blood of the sufferers,

Building church and university,

Deceiving the people continually,… Read More

Arts, Essays, governance, Socio-cultural

On Censorship

Brenda Wambui

Ezekiel Mutua’s recent attempt at seeking relevance involved an attempt at regulating social media. Something that social media sites like Twitter and Facebook themselves struggle with, he believes he can do with ease. The Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) CEO wants to stop people from people from using fake names on social media, saying:

To deal with the spectre of fake news, we are proposing a law that will bar people from using fake or pseudo names. If you are not into any mischief why do you want to have a fake facebook account? If you must give your true … Read More

Essays, governance, Socio-cultural

The Art of the Con

Brenda Wambui

Like many other Kenyans, I find myself constantly wondering about the hold our political class has on us, and why they continue to hoodwink and oppress us with impunity and consistency. We have analyzed our systems, institutions and approach to governance for close to four years on this website – yet somehow I still find myself coming back to this.

I was walking in downtown Nairobi this past week, and saw a game of karata (three card monte) near a bus stop. The game usually works like this: you are probably walking by when you see a man being told … Read More

Essays, governance, Politics, Socio-cultural

On Resistance

Brenda Wambui

On March 7th, Uhuru Kenyatta pulled his worst bad faith move yet. After the government and the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) failed to reach an agreement on a return-to-work formula to end the seemingly never-ending doctors’ strike, he took his best offer off the table, stopped negotiations, and instead threatened doctors to go back to work or risk disciplinary action for not attending to patients. He also threatened to deregister the KMPDU. Like clockwork, the media reported gross misrepresentations of KMPDU’s position, no doubt intended to make the doctors seem unreasonable, like they were … Read More

Essays, governance, Socio-cultural

First, Do No Harm

Brenda Wambui

Though widely thought to be taken from the Hippocratic Oath, the phrase as we know it does not appear in the historic document. The Oath instead says “I will utterly reject harm and mischief.” However, this phrase remains a key guideline for medical professionals – when faced with a problem, it is better to do nothing than to cause more harm than good. When acting, or failing to act, we must consider the possible harm of our actions or lack thereof. We must weigh the inherent costs against the benefits, of which many times we are not certain.

This principle … Read More

Education, Essays, Socio-cultural

What About The Children?

Brenda Wambui

I remember sitting my Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams vividly, mostly because it was a period I wanted to be over and done with as fast as possible. My first paper was English (Paper 1), and my exams went on for almost three weeks. I sat my final paper, Business Studies (Paper 2) on a midweek morning in mid-November, after which I debated on whether to promptly go and start an academic bonfire, or just pick up my things in peace and wait to be taken home. I went with the latter. What followed was a tense two … Read More

Africa, Essays, Socio-cultural

To Africanize, Decolonize Or Both?

Brenda Wambui

This conversation on what it means to be African has been happening since the days of the independence struggles in many African countries, and has been a major part of African post-colonial discourse. The conversation has mostly focused on knowledge, since knowledge is the beginning of identity formation, with some commentators saying that we need to Africanize, others saying that we need to decolonize, and many saying that we need to do both.

In the words of Tebello Letsekha:

[Africanization] is a learning process and a way of life for Africans. It involves incorporating, adapting and integrating other cultures … Read More

Economy, Essays, Politics, Security, Socio-cultural

The Rise and Rise of Nationalism

Brenda Wambui

Depending on your school of thought, you may believe that globalization has its roots in the modern era due to international commodity trade, which experienced an uptick in the 1750s. Or, like Adam Smith, you may attach huge significance to Vasco Da Gama’s and Christopher Colombus’ campaigns around the world in the 1490s, and even claim that this truly set off globalization. If you’re Thomas Friedman, you may believe in three waves of globalization: Globalization 1 (1492 to 1800, a la Adam Smith), Globalization 2 (1800 – 2000, a la O’Rourke and Williamson), and Globalization 3 (2000 … Read More

Africa, Essays, governance, Politics, Socio-cultural

Dear Uhuru Kenyatta

Brenda Wambui

I hope this finds you in good health. It has been a while since I addressed you directly, but I have been busy with work, and life, you know how these things are.

I saw you in the news recently, looking visibly frustrated and complaining about corruption, as you like to do. I must say, you have really nailed the act. Well done. The delivery was quite sympathetic, and for a moment there, I almost fell for it. Allow me to quote you for reference.

“As president, if there is one issue that has frustrated me, it is … Read More