Perhaps one of the most overlooked privileges is not wealth itself, but having enough margin in your life to respond to reality. Over the last few years, we have become fluent in the language of privilege, speaking easily about financial privilege, pretty privilege, racial privilege, passport privilege, educational privilege and social privilege, and in doing so we have become increasingly aware that people do not all start from the same place and that some doors open more easily for some than for others. Yet there is one form of privilege that seems to receive far less attention, and that is the privilege of being able to do something with the information you have, not simply knowing, but acting, because the truth is that information alone changes very little. We like to imagine that if people only knew better, they would do better, and entire industries are built around this assumption, from self-help books and documentaries to podcasts, awareness campaigns, public health initiative...
What does it do to the soul when you lose money you didn’t even have to a lie you desperately wanted to believe?
Most Kenyans know someone who has been scammed. A fake job abroad. A non-existent tender. A rogue Sacco. A phony pastor. A “friend” who knew just the right words. Some lose KES 2,000 . Some lose KES 2 million . But all of them lose something far deeper than money — they lose a part of themselves. Let’s talk about what happens when you’re the one who got played. Who Gets Targeted? Scammers don’t just pick anyone. They pick: The hustler who’s tired. Someone trying everything and just looking for a break. The helper. That kind-hearted parent, uncle, or older sibling who wants to help others get ahead. The unemployed graduate. Smart, skilled, and desperate for dignity. The dreamer. Someone who has waited too long for life to make sense and now just wants to feel something move . The overachiever under pressure. That person who can’t afford to “fail” in the eyes of family and society. Scammers are trained psychologists. They look for soft spots — then sell the fant...