If a child grows up to be kind, healthy, responsible, self-sufficient, and decent—but not wealthy—has the sacrifice failed? Most people would instinctively say no. Yet many families behave as though the answer is yes. Not openly, of course. No parent sits their child down and says, "I didn't raise you to be happy. I raised you to be rich." But expectations have a way of revealing themselves. In comparisons with more successful relatives. In questions about promotions, land, and home ownership. In the disappointment that hangs in the air when a child is doing well enough to survive but not well enough to transform the family's fortunes. And perhaps nowhere is this tension more visible than in Kenya, where sacrifice is often treated as the highest form of love. Parents sacrifice for their children. Older siblings sacrifice for younger siblings. Entire generations sacrifice in the hope that the next one will live better. But what happens when sacrifice quietly becomes an...
Work. Kazi. The thing we all claim to do but somehow spend most of the day avoiding. If you walk into any Kenyan office, small business, or even a big corporation, you’ll notice something interesting—most people are present, but how many are actually working? Let’s take a brutally honest look at how work currently happens in Kenya and what it should actually look like. 1. The Employee Perspective: When ‘Work’ Means Social Media Breaks The typical Kenyan employee clocks in at 8:00 AM, but let’s be honest, they actually start working at 10:00 AM. Why? Because the first two hours are dedicated to checking WhatsApp statuses, scrolling through TikTok, and catching up on celebrity gossip. If you’re at the reception of a solar company, you should be learning about solar trends, improving your Excel skills, or understanding customer service best practices—not watching a cooking tutorial when your job has nothing to do with food! What Work Should Look Like: Use slow hours to upskill—learn a n...