The day I got seduced by a gay cop

My husstles in the great city of Nairobi otherwise known as Nairobbery have led  me to so many encounters. I always say, were it not for my Mum's prayers I would have been long dead.
I always was a hawker. Even before coming to the great city in the sun. When I was still walking for miles to sell products that would give me 80 shillings profit back then in Nakuru.
On this day I was selling knife sets. I was working for a merchandising company and was supposed to sell each set at 499 Kes and make a 10 percent commission.
Business was hard and the products weren't moving. It must have been January. This particular day I chose to work the Thika road territory. I went from shop to shop telling that colorful story.
''Am from a wholesale company and today we are doing a promotion and everything is half price..... blah blah blah''
Just after Utalii college, there is the Nairobi Traffic headquarters. I decided to pitch to the cops, afterall they work with the traffic department and are famed to have lots of cash. I went straight to a bunch of officers sitting outside the main office. I introduced myself and paraded my products which were in a bag. They seemed interested and two of them in fact reached out for their wallets and paid cash for a set of knives each. I became motivated and insisted on the others to buy too.
One of them a tall dark guy with smiling face asked me if I would care to accompany me to his house so that he could get the cash to buy. I agreed and followed him towards the officers staff quarters.
He was very friendly and immediately we stroke a conversion.
When we got to the house he offered me a glass of juice and asked me to feel at home. Since it was very hot outside and it was already passed lunch hour I agreed knowing that he would offer me some food. Sure enough Mr friendly offered me some nyama choma that he had fished from the fridge and warmed in the microwave.
We ate quietly as I anticipated him buying like three sets of knives because of how he kept good things about them.
One thing was off though, Mr friendly sat too close to me for comfort. I kept moving but eveytime
I would feel him close to me again. Also his hand would always find its way in the most peculiar of place, like my upper legs and buttocks.....
At first I innocently thought this was accidental, but then the frequency increased and I thought what kind of man is this......eeeeew!
By now it was almost six thirty in the evening and and dusk was fast approaching. By now the red lights in my head were furiously flashing and I was no longer interested in the knife sets sale.
Then Mr friendly made the weirdest of proposals. ''Since its getting late why dont you spend the night here and go tomorrow?''
NO! I blurted out. I have to report to the office and handover the remaining products, otherwise I will be fined''
At that moment, my heart was racing so fast I thought it was going to pop out of its cage. Knowing that this man was an officer I was positive he had a firearm somewhere. I pictured vividly him raping me at gunpoint. I made a silent prayer and asked God to deliver me from the hand of the devil....

To be continued.....

My first day in Nairoberry

I first landed in Nairobi some twenty years or so ago. Came to look for opportunity, money,mula! Like many young people I didn’t know what I wanted and just dived head first to the hustle and bustle of the city. Back then things were not as advanced as they are today. There were no mobile phones, no social media

As usual as a new comer to the city I had to beg for a place to stay before I got a job. My friend Gab, who worked for a big multi-national company and lived in Dandora would come in handy for this.

I called Gab through his office landline and told him to expect me in the evening hours around four to five pm.

At around 2pm I told my mum that it was time for me to go to Nairobi. In her characteristic style, she proceeded to sit me down and give me one of her long talks. An advice here, a blessing there and eventually prayed for me. By the time she was done it was it was 6pm and darkness was fast approaching. I quickly bade her goodbye and rushed to the town Centre where I was to pick a Molo line matatu to Nairobi. As fate would have it the Matatu I picked took almost an hour to fill up. Finally at around 8pm we took off on our journey to the city.

The journey from Nakuru to Nairobi usually takes about two hours to two and a half hours. This one took about one hour extra. I arrived in the big city around thirty minutes to midnight and headed straight to the Kenya Bus Services stage to board a Dandora phase four bus . At that hour, there was no much traffic. I arrived at Gab’s place in thirty minutes…. And then the drama began.

When I got to the gate of course

at that wee hour of the night it was locked. The guard(Soldier) came to attend to me when I knocked. I told him I was Gab’s visitor and could he please open for me.

‘Sorry man, Gab moved to phase 5 a month ago’ he answered. I asked if he knew the exact plot and house number and could he please direct me. He shook his head, sadly. I paused for a minute my mind racing very fast.

‘Could you at least let me in the compound so that I could spend the night in the verandah away from danger’ I posed.

‘Boss! I hardly know you, why would I do that’?! He barked back at me.

It was then that I knew my world had collapsed. I wished for the ground to open up and swallow me alive. I politely thanked him and started my journey towards nowhere. As I made my way between the maze of residential buildings, I remembered that there was a certain cousin of mine who used to live in Dandora phase four.I could however not remember the exact place for the simple reason that I didn’t visit him much.

I told myself there there were two things that were likely to happen to me at that ungodly hour. I could either meet with thugs or policemen. I didn’t like either of them.

Dandora phase four is a vast estate and one good thing about it is that its dotted with clubs and night clubs(Good for the purpose of safety)

For the patrons with cars, security was offered mostly by maasai guards. They patrolled armed with bows and arrows and lit small fires to keep warm in the cold nights.

‘Eroo’!! I said when I came face to face with two of them

Supa!! They answered back.

‘’Mimi iko shida’’

I proceeded to explain to them my predicament and asked if I could spend the night under their protection.

Hapo hakuna shida, iko ngapi? (No problem, show us the color of your mula!)

Between me and bankruptcy I only had fifty shillings. I offered them the crumpled note from my back pocket.

They happily accepted. I can confidently say that my first job in Nairobi was as a maasai night guard.

The night was very cold, and even with the small fire it was almost impossible to keep warm.

As they kept patrolling they told me that I could enter one of the vehicles although not for a long time as the owners may return anytime.  I thanked him and made my way to the car. It was an old Chevrolet  pick up. As I opened, I noticed that someone else was already there. A lady in her mid twenties smiled at me as I sat down.

As we began talking I found out that she had traveled all the way from western Kenya in search of a job as a house-girl. Apparently when she arrived her contact person was not at the agreed place. She too had been saved by the Masai guards from possible danger.

The car was a bit warmer but heavily infested by mosquitoes. No amount of spatting and swashing would scare away these tormentors. Being very tired I tried to curl myself into a sleeping position. This didn’t help much as I only dozed off in five to ten minutes intervals.

The girl too was having a hard time to sleep. I passed a glance at her and she looked down shyly. I told myself that this was neither the place nor the time to unleash the ufisi in me.

At around 3 am we heard a knock on the car window! Ero! Amka mwenyewe nakuja!(Hey! Wake up, the owner of the car is coming!) We hurriedly came out of the car and went to the fire place.

We spent the last two hours of the long night at the fireplace. I was happy because if it was not for these two Masai

guards I would either have spent the night in a cell or a hospital with injuries.

At the stroke of five in the morning, I bade my hosts and my new found lady friend goodbye. At that time people had already began on the day’s businesses. I was able to trace Gab’s new house before he went to work.

Gab welcomed me with a hot cup of coffee and some mandazis and a hot bath.

That friends was how Nairobi welcomed me. Watch out for my next blog to read how the job market welcomed me.

Fear not

When everything goes at a supersonic speed and life is getting harder and harder. Challenges that confront us every day. Fear engulfs us and paralyses us. We are like an animal in the middle of the road at night, an on coming vehicle fast approaching.
Many people claim that the phrase 'do not be afraid' appears 365 times in the bible. This makes a fear not for every waking day.
So why do people fear? what do people fear? Most people have what is called the fear of the unknown.People are worried and overwhelmed by a deep fear. A fear that they cannot put a finger to.
The bible tells us to fear not, for He who created us is with us. In the darkest hour, when we fill as if we are alone, God is there with us to comfort us.
Fear of the unknown is called xenophobia. This is a fear of anything that is beyond ones comfort zone. People naturally tend to oppose change. Whenever change comes they recoil into their cocoons.
What do people fear most? I quote Maryanne Williamson who very accurately spelled out what our deepest fears are. She said and i quote “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
 Today purpose to FEAR NOT!!

There is a light at the end of the tunnel

Friday 10th April 2015.......

Sombre moods, desperation, frustrations. What are we going to do? our enemies surround us from all the corners. They are armed to the teeth, baying for our blood. Their weapons look more sophisticated than ours, they sound so too. What shall we do? Shall we chicken out? Shall we surrender? Should we?
The good book tells us in psalms 124:2 "Had it not been the LORD who was on our side When men rose up against us, Then they would have swallowed us alive, When their anger was kindled against us; Then the waters would have engulfed us, The stream would have swept over our soul;
I rejoice in knowing that there is a way out, a light at the end of the tunnel. This may just be the kind of message that a mother who heard her daughter been shot over the phone needs to hear. The enemy has not worn, the enemy is a coward. To that mother I say, look at Mathew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Though the night seems dark, day break is coming. Weeping may endure for a night but great rejoicing awaits us in the morning. Some trust in horses and yet others trust in their chariots, but we shall trust in the name of our God.
It is Friday..... fondly referred to as furahi day or TGIF. Spare a thought for our dear departed. Spread the gospel of hash tag 147 not just a number. Relieve the horrible last moments of young ladies and gentlemen. Who died horrible terrified deaths from terrorists guns. After that just know that our dawn is coming. There is a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Let peace prevail.

The Chief of Ngunyumu and the sputum fiasco

April 9th 2015.....

Sleep escaped me at 2 am. I have been having this stubborn cough that refuses to go and attacks me always at night or early mornings. I remembered the story of the chief of Ngunyumu and a spitum  collection exercise that went horribly bad.
Chief Runyenjenjes was a man obsessed with cleanliness. He wanted everything to be spotless. Even in his house everything had just to be right. No dusty seats and everything was where it was supposed to be. Whenever guests visited his house, his wife would come out with a polythene bag and ask them to deposit their shoes and socks inside it. The guests would then proceed into the house barefoot. Meanwhile the domestic servant would be ordered to clean the guests shoes thoroughly.
The chief wanted his chiefdom to be the cleanest. But still there were things that were done that did not please him. One of them was the habit of spitting saliva and sputum anywhere the villagers wished. The chief racked his brains for a solution to this problem for days on end. One night he experienced a eureka moment. Yes!!!! he shouted as he lay in his bed with his wife. What is it? asked her wife. The chief explained to the wife that he had finally come up with a solution for the problem that had stalked him for almost a month.
The following day he called for a meeting for all the residents of his village. They came from all corners of the village to listen to their leader, chief Runyenjenjes. The chief ordered for a large tank to be erected at the middle of the market. The tank was to be constructed with stones and cemented, yes a septic tank. All the villagers were awed at the brilliance of their leader and anticipated a relief to their water woes. The tank took a whole month to construct, and the chief called yet another meeting to explain to the villagers the purpose of the gigantic tank.
The chief smiling from ear to ear announced that the new project was to solve the problem of people spitting saliva and sputum all over the chiefdom. Any person found spitting saliva or sputum anywhere else apart from the designated tank would be put into prison. Chief Runyenjenjes ordered the law enforcers to make sure that his order is adhered to.
It takes time to kill a habit and of cause several errant villagers were caught on the wrong side of the law. But for the majority of the villagers the law was followed to the tee. Soon, the tank in the great village of Ngunyumu was almost filling up to the brim with saliva and spitum.
To celebrate the auspicious occasion of cleanliness in the chiefdom, the chief called yet another mammoth meeting. In this meeting the chief himself would demonstrate his involvement in the whole exercise by depositing his  sputum into the tank to indicate closure. So the chief cleared his throat and searched for some good quality sputum. grrrrrghhhhh....... ptuuuuuh he spat! But the sputum did not completely come off so he thought he would take it back in so that he could spit it out properly. When he tried taking it back in, it collected all the sputum and saliva that had been collected for the last one month. The chief sucked the whole project inside his stomach! The wife could not believe what she was seeing. The villagers fleed from the tank fearing that the chief would explode. Many women fell sick at the sight of Chief runyenjenjes taking in all the saliva he had ordered to be collected. The chief's stomach got so huge and he died.

Chief Runyenjenjes is fictional
Ngunyumu is also fictional

Please, if you ever felt like spitting saliva or sputum when in the middle of town, don't. The spirit of chief Runyenjenjes of the Ngunyumu Chiefdom might posses you.

Unleash the giant within you

Many of us walk through life everyday in a dejected, negative and defeated mindset. Some people have already given up and are just waiting for death to come and take them away. Growing upThe first two choruses in Mariah Carey's song hero inspir ed me every time I heard them.
There is a hero, if you look inside your heart. You dont have to be afraid of what you are.There is an answer, if you look into your soul, you dont have to fear what your are. And the hero comes along, the hero within you, with a strength to carry on. Then you cast your fears aside, and at that very moment you know you can survive. So whenever you feel as if if hope is gone, look inside of you and be strong.
Everything that you need in this life is inside you. God did not create failures. He put talents that will catapult us to greater heights and cause us to mingle with kings. Proverbs 18:16 a man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.
We run around, bound by the captivity of our negativity. This is a prison, only that it is not walled. The walls are invisible, they are in our minds. We need to free ourselves from negative attitudes and embrace thoughts that will awaken the sleeping giants within ourselves. It is said that the richest places on earth are the cemeteries. Therein lies dreams from people who died without achieving them. Best sellers that were never penned down. Great companies that were never opened, songs never written. The famous author George Bernard Shaw wrote; Some people see things as they are and say 'why'?  I dream of  things that never were and say 'why not'? Today I purpose not to put aside this task. I shall not procrastinate anymore. I shall arise and break the chains of bondage and captivity of negativity. I chose today to live right and not to allow stress to eat me up slowly from within. I purpose to release and unleash the giant that has been sleeping inside of me.

Do not be anxious

Anxiety is one of the human emotions that can lead to psychological problems including depression. As I face the day this beautiful Tuesday morning. I realize how often anxiety catches up with me, especially on a new week. The week being new presents a hosts of challenges. Clients to meet, deadlines to be met, targets to be reached. Office set up also provides its own sets of challenges which can  lead to anxiety. There is that odd person that you are not really getting along with.
The bible is very clear on how it addresses anxiety issues. Philippians 4:6 tells us. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Often we worry about things that are beyond us. Worry and anxiety are very close cousins. These two are not good for a persons well being and personal growth.
The bible again addresses the issue of fear in Luke 12:22 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life ? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 
I was just thinking as I start the fresh week about some of the things that makes us anxious;
We worry a lot about our jobs, families and businesses. What will happen if i lose my job today? will I be able to pay my rent? will my children complete their education? How will I retire? will i be able to pay for my medical bills? What will I eat? 
God says to us that He owns all the gold and all the silver, and a cattle in a thousand hills.
This week as you face the myriad of challenges; just remember that God has you covered. You are His child and He knows you better than you know yourself.