Blog posts
31
Aug
‘MUMBI AND THE FULL NINE’-A REVIEW BY AUTHOR CIKU KIMANI
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Drum Major
In 2022, Gilbert Mwangi published NOBODY'S DARLING, a historical fiction of Muthoni Nyanji...
24
Mar
WHO IS GĨKŨYŨ? (AGĨKŨYŨ CREATION MYTH EXPLAINED)
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The first man, according to the Agĩkũyũ creation myth, was called Gĩkũyũ. The name rises f...
11
Mar
THE FULL NINE: WHAT’S IN A BOOK TITLE?
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“Whats ‘Full Nine’?” One reader asked when I launched the book 'Mũmbi and the Full Nine' l...
11
Mar
AFRICAN HEROINES VS FAIRY TALES: MEET MŨMBI AND THE FULL NINE
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When we were young, they taught us about Cinderella—the hapless girl who flees as the bell...
11
Mar
MUMBI AND THE FULL NINE
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Finally,the fire returns!
When the world was still soft with dawn, Mwene Nyaga, the...
02
Feb
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
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February is Black History Month.
It’s not just another hashtag, or calendar event. It’s...
18
Dec
THE FORESTS ARE TURNING BLUE: THŨNGŨYA BLOOMS AGAIN
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“In the forest of Upper Kikuyu in the Aberdare range there grows a small tree called Thong...
07
Dec
SEVEN TRAVEL TRENDS THAT WILL DEFINE 2026
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Data from the world's leading hotel groups, travel firms and trend forecasters suggests th...
20
Nov
DIGITAL ‘GUKAS’ FIGHT IT OUT ON FACEBOOK
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I dunno who opened a Facebook account for Gicheru, our breeder-cum-herbalist in the villag...
20
Nov
BASIR
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Basir.A place I can’t visit anymore. But a photograph, like this one I took ten years ago,...
05
Nov
LESSONS FROM A CON MAN
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In my short life under the sun, I have seen a lot. This happened back in the early 2000s. ...
28
Oct
OUR BOYS NOW CONSULT CHATGPT BEFORE FACING THE ‘CUT’
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The closure of schools in Murima signals the beginning of the intitation season for the yo...
26
Oct
THE NUN’S SECRET DUET
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It’s was the late 1950s.The Catholic Diocese of Murang’a had just completed building Kiang...
23
Oct
CHILDREN OF THE FOREST
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When the Mau Mau war ended, there was a flurry of literature:recollections of a burning ti...
22
Oct
RAILA AND THE MAKING OF A MODERN MYTH
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When the remains of Raila Amolo Odinga arrived from India yesterday, the city broke into h...
26
Sep
WHEN A FRIEND DEPARTS, HE TAKES A PIECE OF YOUR WORLD
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There was always something about Francis, one of the boys I met when I joined high school....
19
Sep
LATEST FAD IN KENYA WILL MAKE YOU SNEEZE
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At any given moment, there’s always a fad sweeping across this Jamhuri, some new miracle p...
18
Sep
THE YEAR OF THE COUGAR?
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Of late, there has been an explosion of older women getting hitched to young studs. I do n...
22
Aug
DEAD OR ALIVE
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Gicheru and Uncle may be agemates, but they are as different as water and oil. You’d expec...
21
Aug
REMEMBERING TO REMEMBER: THE SACRED DUTY OF MEMORY
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I was delighted to read in the Daily Nation of 16th August 2025 that the family of the lat...
18
Aug
CULTURE IS,NOT WAS
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Lately, there has been a vibrant revival of Agikuyu-themed festivals:gatherings that pulse...
15
Aug
WHERE THE CAMEL BELLS STILL RING
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This week, six years ago, I took my last rickety flight out of Wajir aboard one of those b...
14
Aug
BIZARRELY DELICIOUS:QUIRKY FOOD NAMES FROM CENTRAL KENYA
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Murima folks aren’t known for their culinary prowess. We are the national laughing stock i...
01
Aug
HOW TO DATE A LOADED KIKUYU MUBABA
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Once in a while, I receive letters from readers that range from the curious to the downrig...
07
Jul
THE ICONIC ‘TOYOTA STOUT’ PICKUP
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Great moments in history are captured in iconic photos. The good thing about a photo is th...
05
Jun
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MAPEMA NDIO BEST...
Second term is here with us-and so is the school tours season.
...
05
Jun
NGUGI WA THIONG’O- A MEMORIAM
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I was introduced to the wonderful world of Ngũgĩ’ wa Thiong’o when I was a scrawny Standar...
25
May
DANIEL KAMAU,THE MAN WHO BROUGHT BENGA BEAT TO KIKUYU POPULAR MUSIC
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Before there was Samidoh , HSC , before mugithi,there was Daniel Kamau Mwai.Affectionately...
08
Feb
MAGICAL MURANG’A: DARE THE ABERDARES HIKE
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Back in 1884, a wide-eyed British explorer named Joseph Thompson left England, dreaming of...
04
Feb
‘RATISH’: THE AMBER REVOLUTION BREWING TROUBLE FOR BREWERS
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Mũratina, the golden nectar of the House of Mũmbi is slowly staging a grand comeback. If I...
02
Feb
‘MY PEOPLE’ POEM THE KIKUYU VERSION
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If there is a poem that every Black child must learn by heart,then its 'My People' by the ...
30
Jan
KIBAKI’S MASTERCLASS IN CUTTING THROUGH NON-ISSUES
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Once upon a time, during President Kibaki’s administration, the Secretary to the Cabinet d...
29
Jan
THE BROKEN POT
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Mũmbi collected a dollop of clay from the riverside and conjured a beautiful earthen pot t...
26
Jan
MAGICAL MURANG’A: MURANG’A GORGES
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Heading to Sagana from Murang’a town? There’s a little detour waiting to sprinkle some mag...
14
Jan
WHEN THE WILD ROSES BLOOM: THE MYSTICAL CLOCK OF “THŨNGŨYA” PLANT
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Among the Agĩkũyũ people, the passage of time wasn’t marked by mere calendar years dictate...
11
Jan
NEW TERM,FRESH EDUCATIONAL TOUR SITES
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Howdy everyone,
The first term is here, and so is school tours season. At Drum Major To...
09
Jan
MEASLES, MARX, AND STINKY STATE GOONS
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Around January 1999, I developed a strange sickness that wouldn’t respond to any antidote ...
07
Jan
ABERDARES BONGO ECO LODGE-WHERE ‘AWESOME’ RESIDES
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Awe is described as the sensation of being in the presence of something enormous that is b...
03
Jan
LIFE IS A WHEEL THAT ALWAYS ROLLS ON
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One of the oldest traditions amongst many ancient communities is that time will stop at th...
31
Dec
APPRECIATION POST
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Thank you all for the support in 2024.All year,you were the wind beneath our wings.
May...
30
Dec
MAGICAL MURANG’A: ABERDARES BONGO ECO LODGE
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Tucked deep within the lush Gatare Forest, in the heart of the Aberdares ecosystem, lies A...
29
Dec
FIVE FINGER LICKING DISHES OF THE AGIKUYU PEOPLE
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The common joke on the Agikuyu people is that we can’t cook. A lie perpetuated so many tim...
19
Dec
FART DOCTORS
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FART DOCTORS
Gĩcherũ, our village’s undisputed breeder is lounging by the banks of Boyo r...
19
Dec
FIVE ITEMS THAT SCREAM “WE ARE FROM THE CITY!”
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Gone are the days when city folks wowed villagers with shiny gadgets and fancy phones. The...
18
Dec
MAGICAL MURANG’A: DEEP VALLEY LODGE
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Did you know that in 1902, a group of Consolata Fathers were headed to Ethiopia for evange...
17
Dec
“VY,YOUR HONOUR?”
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My 8-to-5 job sometimes tosses me into the hallowed corridors of justice—not as a legal mi...
16
Dec
MAGICAL MURANG’A: 1.ABERDARES COTTAGES AND FISHING LODGE
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Tucked away near the majestic Aberdares Ranges, a hidden gem awaits — Aberdares Cottages &...
16
Dec
FIVE REASONS WHY SAMIDOH’S ‘TOXIC LOVE IS A CERTIFIED BANGER
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Samidoh , HSC has done it again! His latest track ‘Toxic Love’ dropped five days ago and h...
16
Dec
Magical Murang’a
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Are you one of those people who believe that Murang’a has no hotels worth talking about? T...
27
Nov
RIGGY G AND UNCLE: A SHOWDOWN
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Riggy G landed in my home county last weekend, visiting one of our legendary crooners and ...
24
Nov
IF JESUS CAME TO KENYA TODAY,HE WOULD CRACK WHIPS
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The founders of most religions were born rebels. Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad—all cut from ...
14
Nov
WACU AND THE SPEAKING SKULLS
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Wacũ, returning from a distant stream, walked down a ferny path, a gourd strapped to her b...
10
Nov
MY ‘MULTINATIONAL’ CAR THAT WONT RETIRE SOON
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The jalopy I drive is a relic that deserves retirement – maybe as a jiko at Kariokor, re-i...
04
Nov
THE AGIKUYU NUMBER SYSTEM
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THE AGIKUYU NUMBER SYSTEM
Alot has been written about the Gikuyu language. But little eff...
31
Oct
WHO TAUGHT US TO HATE ANCESTORS?
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Today,31st October, is All Saints Eve or Halloween in Western world. It’s a day before the...
31
Oct
SONS FORGED OF FIRE
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The nine young men who married Gikuyus nine daughters have always intrigued me.But what in...
30
Oct
NYA-MBURA
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It had not rained in the last njahi season. It had also not rained in the ongoing mwere se...
29
Oct
THE DIALECTS OF GIKUYU LANGUAGE
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Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o has long advocated for Africans to write in their native langu...
29
Oct
MAGICAL MURANG’A: MWISHO WA RAHA
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You haven’t lived if you have never been to Mwisho wa Raha in Murang’a County. Located in ...
29
Oct
THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS: A CRITICAL REVIEW
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John Boyne’s novel ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ was first published in 2006 adapted in...
23
Oct
HOW MASHUJAA DAY IS THE TIPPING POINT OF THE YEAR
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There is something about Mashujaa Day that makes it special-the tipping point of the year....
20
Oct
WAR OF WORDS: HOW THE MAU MAU INSURGENCY SHAPED THE GĨKŨYŨ LANGUAGE
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Wars change people,cultures and even languages.How did the Mau Mau war impact on the Gikuyu language? Read on to find out.
15
Oct
WE DON’T HAVE TO LOSE MEN EVERY TEA BONUS SEASON
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Tea bonus payout is around the corner, and so are the usual mishaps that go with the seaso...
09
Oct
THE THREE OXEN: A FOLKTALE FOR THE SEASON
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Folktales may seem whimsical, painted with the innocence of childhood, and laced with the ...
08
Oct
THE FIRST IMPEACHMENT WAS SPARKED BY BARE DANCING
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Impeachment is in the air and everyone in Kenya is holding their breath. I have no clue ho...
07
Oct
THE CAVE YOU FEAR TO ENTER…
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It's a brand new month of October-howdy everyone? In two months time,the world will be si...
02
Oct
COUNCOURS 2024 IN PHOTOS
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Missed the 2024 Concours d’Elegance? Worry not.We’ve have all the fabulous photos from this stellar event.Watch this space.
02
Oct
SNAPSHOTS OF DECEIT:HOW PHOTOS LIE TO US
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Anytime Kamaley my cousin takes a photo, he makes sure that it tells a different story fro...
23
Sep
SOMETHING NEW,SOMETHING DIFFERENT
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The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall ap...
23
Sep
EIGHT PROVEN STRATEGIES TO HELP MEN COPE WITH STRESS
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How do men cope with stress differently from women? What are the appropriate stress coping mechanisms for men? Read on to find out.