Karibu Magazine (Kings Edition) 2023

KINGS EDITION 

23TH JUNE 2023 

KARIBU 

KENYANS IN THE UK MAGAZINE 

OUT OF TE BOX 

SECRETS FOR 

MUMS 

JOY AOKO 

A SHOW OF UNITY AMONG 

KENYANS ABROAD 

JACK OF ALL TRADES 

MASTER OF NONE 

Editorial Feature 

MYA CHEMONGES 

TEACHING OUR CHILDREN TO BE 

HONEST WITH THEIR EMOTIONS 

ESTHER 

MWANGI 

(SWEDEN) 

INSIDE 

YOUTH FEATURE 

WELFARE FEATURE 

POLITICAL FEATURE 

CREATIVE WOMEN ABROAD 

COMMUNITY FEATURE 

AND MORE... 

DIASPORA 

COUNTY48 

BERNARD KAVYU 

PH OTOS 

ONLINE 

EDITIONS 

Dressed by: 

@elegance_fashion_kenya 

Photo credit: @veejaystudios 

@jony_hairdesigner

Dear reader 

EDITORIAL 

What do we say, or where do we start? With the journey of 2022 being a failure? Actually not. Let’s call it 

a journey of setbacks and learning. At the start of 2022, the organising team visited Kenya on business 

regarding the Kenya and Friends in the Park event. Despite their very best efforts things simply did not 

add up. But perhaps the biggest blow came with the event itself, Kenya and Friends in the Park. No matter 

what we did, there was roadblock after roadblock. Visas for the exhibitors from Kenya were delayed and 

some were even denied - something that has never happened before. Then the Kenya and Friends in the 

Park event inevitably took a downhill turn. Despite every angle we tried to tackle, we lost money over this 

event. But thankfully, there was a silver lining in all this. Despite the chaos and all the setbacks, we organised, 

managed and executed the long-awaited Lynn Ngugi UK Tour, which in itself became a resounding success 

even though there were still lots of ups and downs along the way. The bottom line is that Lynn Ngugi was 

coming to the UK for a specific purpose and reason, and both were met exceedingly. In retrospect, we are 

hopeful that the park event this year will be a much better reflection of what was missed last year, and that 

whatever we regard as ‘back to normal’ is what we expect to experience from start to finish. 

Earlier this year, Dr Alfred Mutua (Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs) travelled to London 

to meet with various representatives of the Kenya Diaspora Leadership, at the Kenya High Commission in 

London. The aim was to discuss various issues, key among the main topics being: 

1. Employment of 20,000 Kenyan nurses in the UK 

2. Importance of diaspora support for trade and investment in Kenya, encouraging Kenyans abroad 

to invest back home. 

3. Mobile Consular Services are to be mobilised outside of London to other key cities 

like Manchester and Glasgow, therefore making it easier for Kenyans to access 

GOK services. 

4. Equipping parents in the diaspora to teach their children Kenyan languages and 

promote the learning of Swahili. 

5. The Diaspora ministry is set to launch its website, which will offer over 4,000 

government services to Kenyans abroad. 

6. Supporting agriculture through water harvesting, with support from the Kenya 

diaspora community. 

7. Providing insurance to help families transport their loved ones back to Kenya 

for burial. 

The proposed initiatives and ideas aim to strengthen ties between Kenyans abroad 

and their country of origin. In the view of many diasporans, the Kenya Government 

has plenty of good ideas and initiatives, but unfortunately, they are mostly just on 

paper. In practice, or when it comes to real implementation and practicals, we might 

as well be waiting for a lifetime. But again, it is only fair that the diaspora community 

gives the new government the benefit of the doubt since they only recently won the 

general elections. Of most concern for many, though, is the question of our diasporan 

brothers and sisters in Saudi Arabia, especially those in jail - but that’s a story for 

another day. Meanwhile, we were able to give Dr Alfred Mutua our annual magazine 

karibu magazine, he was well impressed with the excellent job we are doing. Many 

thanks and congratulations to our staff writer Baraza J Namunyu for making this 

happen. 

Sadly, this year, we lost one of our own, from the diaspora. Joy Achieng Aoko was 

only 22 when a very unfortunate, violent and needless attack in Tirana, Albania, left 

her comatose for weeks. This eventually led to her demise, despite being airlifted 

back home and being treated at a specialist Teaching and Referral National Hospital 

courtesy of the State. Our deepest condolences continue to go towards Joy’s family 

and may she continue to rest in perfect peace. We are hopeful that under the ongoing 

bilateral investigations between the governments of Albania and Kenya, the crimes 

committed against Joy will not go unpunished ad that justice will prevail for all who 

seek it on Joy’s behalf. 

It Can Only Be God.

CONTENTS 

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EDITORIAL TEAM 

Editor in Chief/publisher: 

Lydia Olet. 

Tel: +447853207075 

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Editor: 

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Sub editor: 

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Tel: +44 7446 082958 

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Writer: 

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Our Vision 

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6 

6TH KINGS EDITION | JUNE 2023

6TH KINGS EDITION | JUNE 2023 7

Kenya High Commission 

Know Your Ambassador 

His Excellency 

Mr Manoah Esipisu 

Kenya’s High Commissioner 

to the UK 

By the Karibu Magazine Team 

The Kenya High Commission 

in London was established 

in 1963 to pursue Kenya’s 

national 

interest in the United 

Kingdom. The diplomatic 

mission in London is also 

accredited to the 

International Maritime 

Organization and the 

Commonwealth of Nations. 

Kenya and the UK enjoy 

cordial relations, and the 

mission’s mandate is to forge 

closer relations between 

the people of Kenya and the 

people of the United Kingdom 

in pursuit of deeper bilateral 

and multilateral 

cooperation in trade and 

investments, culture, science 

and technology as well as 

other fields for mutual benefit. 

Location 

45 Portland Pl, Marylebone, 

London W1B 1AS 

Phone: 020 7636 2371 

Passport & ID Opening Times 

Monday - Friday 

09:30 - 12:30 

(Appointment only) 

Chancery Opening Times: 

Monday - Friday 

09:00 - 13:00 

14:00 - 17:00 

General Enquiries 

info@kenyahighcom.org.uk 

Phone: 020 7636 2371 

Consular Enquiries 

Email: immigration@ 

kenyahighcom.org.uk 

Phone: 020 7636 2371 

8 


In November 2018, Kenya’s 

High Commissioner His 

Excellency Mr Manoah Esipisu 

arrived in London with his 

wife Ms Waithiegeni Kanguru- 

Esipisu. He was already wellacquainted 

with the capital. 

Previous to his appointment, 

Mr Esipisu had travelled to 

the UK with his family on 

various occasions over the 

years. Mr Esipisu was born in 

rural Kenya. He loved telling 

stories growing up as a child, 

and this passion inevitably led 

him to a career in journalism. 

Mr Esipisu studied Literature 

and Political Science at the 

University of Nairobi, followed 

by a graduate journalism programme. 

He started his professional 

journey at Thomson 

Reuters after university. When 

he left Reuters, Mr Esipisu 

became the Spokesperson 

for the Commonwealth 

Secretariat, interacting with 

leaders and global issues of 

the day. Mr Esisipisu’s position 

as public affairs adviser 

to the President of the African 

Development Bank acted as 

a stepping stone towards a 

full diplomatic career. As a 

former spokesperson at the 

Commonwealth Secretariat, 

Mr Esipisu’s experience in 

securing and enhancing 

Kenya’s interests abroad has 

helped him in his current role 

as Kenyan High Commissioner 

to the UK. 

HE Mr Esipisu’s wife, Lynne 

Janis Waithiegeni Kanguru- 

Esipisu, is an avid entrepreneur 

among many other 

talents. A Bachelor of Arts (BA) 

graduate from the University 

of Nairobi, she also holds a 

SASETTA-recognised national 

paralegal certification from 

the Republic of South Africa. 

This was awarded by the 

South African Law School in 

July 2017. Mrs Esipisu is the 

founder and director of The 

Grateful Women’s Company 

Ltd, a social enterprise based 

in London. She is also an 

LLM Graduate (Master of 

Laws - International Dispute 

Resolution) at the University 

of London. This adds to 

Waithengeni’s repertoire of 

skills including being a seasoned 

communicator with 

vast experience liaising with 

government departments, 

coordinating public affairs, 

advising and mediating. She 

is also a specialist in dispute 

resolution, paralegal and 

public-private partnerships, 

public affairs and executive 

assistance. 

A key function of Mr Esipisu 

as the President of Kenya’s 

Spokesperson is to ensure 

effective communication 

and clarity of the President’s 

message and to promote 

service and delivery to the 

Kenyan diaspora communities 

across the UK and their 

interests through Kenyan 

diplomacy. Mr Esipisu believes 

in the importance of Kenyan- 

British relations, which rests 

not only on trade but also on 

the engagement between its 

people. Many Kenyans visit 

the UK for business, pleasure 

and education, probably more 

than any other country in 

Europe. British troops train 

in Kenya, and the UK works 

together with the Kenyan government 

to keep Kenya and 

the region safe. Free and fair 

international trade is an issue 

that the High Commissioner 

believes also to be important, 

and one that embodies a 

shared commitment of both 

nations. Kenya and the UK 

have engaged for over six 

decades and essentially, are 

‘tied by the hip’ with shared 

values and principles. Mr 

Esipisu has a strong reputation 

as a formidable mentor 

for journalists. He is in fact 

personally accredited with the 

training of some of today’s 

best-known business journalists 

in Kenya. Aside from 

his work responsibilities, Mr 

Esipisu is a keen writer and 

he also loves to travel. As a 

trailblazer in reporting governance 

and economic injustice, 

is also a co-author of the 

book, Eyes Of Democracy: 

The Media in Elections. He 

has also spoken at dozens of 

Kenyan events around the 

world on African development 

issues. Clearly, Mr Esipisu is 

a truly global diplomat – in 

every sense of the word. 

HE Manoah Esipisu presents credentials 

to Queen Elizabeth II 

Image: Courtesy 

Mr Esipisu’s wife, Waithiegeni 

Kanguru-Esipisu received by 

Queen Elizabeth II 


HE Manoah Esipisu Image: 

Courtesy 

Champion of the Diaspora Youth: 

HE Manoah Esipisu with Nancy 

Masila, founder of the Jasiri 

Network UK. 



Celebrating The Youth League. Young Kenyans flourishing in 

the UK in academia, tech, entertainment, media. 

Na Balozi wa Kenya, Uingereza katika shughuli ya MTM 

awards kuadhimisha siku ya kimataifa ya Kiswahili 

Today The Queen 

received His 

Excellency Mr. 

Manoah Esipisu, 

High Commissioner 

for the Republic of 

Kenya in London. 

An Audience is 

a one-to-one 

meeting with 

The Queen which 

occur regularly 

throughout Her 

Majesty’s working 

week. 

[Photo: The Royal 

Family tweetmily 

Supporting Diaspora investment in Kenyan housing market. Attended launch of Diaspora Housing Management 

Limited fronted by real estate businesswoman Ms. Mary Njonjo who showcased emerging opportunities back home 

10 

6TH KINGS Random EDITION events | on JUNE Twitter: 2023 Photo Credits: Amb. Manoah Esipisu EBS (@MEsipisu)

With and Commonwealth and African colleagues at Number 10 Downing Street in London 

when we attended His Majesty King Charles III’s first #TroopingtheColour as Sovereign. 

Esipisu eyes economic diplomacy in UK assignment 

[Photo: Standard] 

Meetig with HE Amb. Fahad bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah of 

the State of Qatar 

Visited the Gurudwara Sahib in the Midlands City of 

Birmingham, where he engaged in fruitful discussions with 

the Patron and Chair of Nishkam Group of Organisations, 

Bhai Sahib, Prof Mohinder Singh OBE 

Random events on Twitter: 

Photo Credits: Amb. 

Manoah Esipisu EBS (@ 

MEsipisu) 

11

«YOUTH 

FEATURE» 

JOEL M. 

BARAZA 

“A Bright 

Future in 

Sound 

Engineering” 

“He is born and bred in the 

UK Diaspora and he calls 

Liverpool his home - for 

now. Ultimately, he identifies 

himself as unashamedly 

Kenyan - true to the 

bone 100%. This is Joel 

Muliro Baraza - or Just 

Joel. He lives in Liverpool 

city with his parents, 

his equally talented twin 

sister Joy Namikoye, and 

his colourful little sister 

Faith Nelima. Both Joel 

and Joy are extremely 

gifted musicians, dancers 

and actors, each with 

their own style of music. 

Joel leans more towards 

Christian rap while Joy 

leans more towards 

Christian hip-hop. Joel 

lives a very vibrant and 

colourful life, and there is a 

certain vibe to his gait that 

makes people take notice. 

Joel lights up the 

room whenever he walks in. 

When Joel is in the hood, 

everybody will know it.” 

“Joel loves his music and 

his dance. He lives like 

he was born for dancing. 

Dancing is the air he 

breathes every morning 

and every evening. But 

Joel is also a prolific 

songwriter. His music is 

trending widely on Spotify 

and SoundCloud. The powerful 

Christian message 

behind his music has 

earned Joel thousands of 

followers and fans from all 

over the world. 

This year Joel is sitting 

for his 2023 GCSE exams. 

During the day Joel is 

hard at work with schoolwork; 

in the evenings he 

revises to address any 

learning gaps. His focus 

is to pass his exams with 

flying colours and leave 

school with a minim Grade 

of 7 on all his GCSE papers. 

Joel is a proud student of 

the St Margaret Academy 

in Aigburth, South 

Liverpool. At the weekends 

Joel is busy working 

on the next song or 

editing a track that needs 

doing before he drops it to 

his universe of fans. Using 

his own initiative, Joel has 

built networks with established 

artists, something 

he began to do intensively 

during the covid years.” 

“Joel is a born-again 

Christian who takes his 

faith very seriously. In fact, 

he guards it with a passion 

and has no qualms defending 

it vigorously against 

anyone, at any time. Jesus 

is his friend, and you 

better just accept that. 

12 


‘The trick is to take each day at a time 

and to choose your battles wisely”. 

At his local Salvation Army 

church in Liverpool Walton, 

Joel is part of the media 

team where he serves as 

a sound technician. This 

ties in very neatly with 

his dream and ambition 

to become a sound engineer 

for his future career. 

Joel also plays the tuba at 

the YP band in his church. 

Ocassionnaly, when given 

an opportunity Joel will 

present a song alongside 

his sister Joy, an extremely 

talented actress, singer and 

self-taught guitarist. Both 

Joel and Joy are big fans of 

the legendary Lynn Ngugi 

- not because of her fame, 

but because of her character. 

For Joel, Lynn Ngugi 

exemplifies the self-discipline 

and focus any serious 

Black artist should have 

- whether in the performing 

arts or general entertainment 

industry. It matters 

who you lean from, and it 

matters who you associate 

with. 

Like most teenagers, Joel’s 

childhood journey has 

not always been smooth. 

From the age of 10, Joel 

has seen his share of ups 

and downs in life. He 

has struggled with severe 

peer pressure and has even 

questioned his faith on 

numerous occasions. But 

Joel also comes from a 

very supportive family 

where he has learned 

to overcome the internal 

battles he faces occasionally. 

The trick is to take each 

day at a time and to choose 

your battles wisely. Not 

every battle is yours to fight, 

because you only live once. 

In 2019, when Joel lost his 

grandmother, Major Mary 

Birengo (a retired officer of 

The Salvation Army), it really 

broke his heart. Joel loved 

his grandma very much, 

and her death taught him 

the realities of life - that 

nothing on this earth is 

permanent. Not even the 

people we love most. From 

that point onwards, Joel’s 

faith became more resolute, 

and his music moved 

up another level. Today Joel 

wants the world to know 

that only Jesus is Lord and 

that there is always hope 

despite all the difficulties 

we go through. He definitely 

makes for a future sound 

engineer with 

a difference.” 


ANGELA’S TALE 

LIVING WITH CLEFT LIP & PALATE 

A Life Story by Agnes Odindo Awuoche, Liverpool UK 

I finished midwifery school 

in 1985. Taking from previous 

misfortunes with my other baby 

Caleb, I thought to myself - well, 

I had waited for at least three 

years before I could conceive 

again. And now having just 

learned midwifery, I felt I could 

conceive. And so Angela was 

born in 1986, two years after 

I lost Caleb. This time the 

pregnancy went well. Doctor 

Nisibirwa was very good at 

his work. I was observed very 

carefully. All was well. Towards 

delivery time I went 

into labour and we 

opted for a normal 

delivery at Nairobi 

Hospital. Angela was 

delivered during the 

day. The doctors were 

careful because Caleb 

had died at birth [it’s 

a long story!]. Dr Kung’u ‘The 

Paediatrician’ - the ‘perfect 

guy’ in those days, was there 

to receive Angela too. When 

Angela was delivered, she 

cried lavishly, suggesting a 

good Apgar score. But there 

was a problem. Usually after 

delivery, almost immediately 

they put your baby across your 

stomach to stimulate the uterus 

to detach the umbilical cord. 

But here this is not happening, 

and I’m wondering why. Then 

soon, I went into a deep sleep. 

When I woke up Dr Kung’u said, 

“Oh, you have a good, nice 

baby girl. What do we name 

her?” I said, “Angela.” And he 

said, “Everything is OK, she’s 

breathing fine.” Yet the baby 

had a cleft lip and palette. So 

right away I was like, “Can I see 

my baby?” When they brought 

Angela, oh! It was heartbreaking. 

I immediately asked, “What 

could have caused this - and 

why was it not seen on the X-ray, 

on the ultrasound?” The doctor 

said, “Agnes, there was no reason 

for an ultrasound on your baby 

then because you presented no 

problem. Obviously, we couldn’t 

expose a pregnant mother to 

X-rays, you know that. We had 

no reason to.” 

...But one time I put my foot down. I once 

said to Dr Kung’u, “I’m not leaving your 

office until we find out what’s wrong with 

my baby. 

As Angela got on, I noticed that 

she could not suckle. I had to 

take off time off work to feed 

her using a nasogastric (NG) 

tube - a skill needing meticulous 

attention or else she would 

choke and die. Over time, it 

made me so furious that even 

after I was doing all this, Angela 

was not growing, beautiful as 

she was. Whenever I took her 

to the doctors they just looked 

at her and said, ‘This girl has no 

issue, she’s going to grow.’ But 

one time I put my foot down. I 

once said to Dr Kung’u, “I’m not 

leaving your office until we find 

out what’s wrong with my baby. 

I want every test done.” We did 

a thyroid test, and the results 

showed that Angela lacked 

thyroxine - the hormone that 

helps with child growth. And 

by this time, she had already 

had brain damage. Had she 

been given thyroxine from day 

one she could have grown just 

like any other child. The cleft 

lip would be repaired later on 

with no issue. My baby never 

developed. In the end, I lost 

her needlessly because of this. 

If only there was something I 

could do to prevent it. Antenatal 

care in Kenya needs to improve. 

Thyroxine levels must be 

checked in every child 

born in Kenya. Testing 

should be routine 

like with sickle cell 

and diabetes. Kenya 

needs to change. 

By the time Angela 

was on thyroxine, 

she had developed 

cardiac problems and other 

complications. Doctor Gikonyo 

the cardiologist, had told us that 

Angela would die any time after 

about three years of age. Her 

internal organs would outgrow 

her chest cavity, her heart would 

be restricted. Oh! I cried for 

days. I was depressed for ages. 

But still, I had to attend to my 

baby. I learned to give her the 

best quality of life - even if just 

for 3 years. So, I put my foot 

down and I said, “Stop being 

depressed. In the hospital you’re 

looking after other people’s 

loved ones; you are able to look 

after your own.” So, Oh God I did. 

Angela became everything. I 

expressed my breast milk for the 

first six months. I made sure I 

14 


was eating well. I even started 

gaining weight - from size 12 

then 14, then 16. I was like, “I’m 

eating for two, so it doesn’t 

matter. So be it.” I remember 

saying one day, “Well, three 

years have passed and Angela 

is still with us, so all I’m going 

to do is give this baby love for 

as long as I will have her.” And 

really, I did. I showered Angela 

with love. Eventually, we took 

Angela for surgery. I heard of 

a hospital in Kikuyu where an 

American doctor with Flying 

Doctors’ Service at AMREF was 

said to do surgeries on children 

thrown away by families 

because of their defects, and 

they would get well. When I 

went to Kikuyu hospital to meet 

this doctor, Oh my God, he was 

so loving and so receptive. He 

loved Angela from the instant. 

He said, “Oh, we’re going to 

make this baby as beautiful as 

she is meant to be. All we need 

to do is take our time to feed 

her. When she’s gained good 

weight, we can then do surgery.” 

And finally, he did, when Angela 

was about 3 years old. If you saw 

what the doctor had done you 

would not believe it. Amazing. 

Angela didn’t speak for a long 

time. She just used to mumble. 

But eventually, she could say 

‘no way, no Mama,’ and things 

like that. She brought joy into 

the home. My strength grew. I 

realised that I am stronger than 

I think. I learned that in life, 

you must carry your burdens 

but don’t let them weigh you 

down. As Angela grew, I knew 

that she needed me all the time, 

but our resources were running 

low. Angela would need special 

care for the rest of her life. 

When Europe wanted nurses 

from Kenya I thought to myself, 

“Angela is here with special 

needs, but I need to bring in 

extra money to the family. I 

have to go to Europe.”So I made 

the decision. I left for England, 

having made 

arrangements for 

Angela to be 

looked after. 

Angela died 

at the age of 

21, instead 

of the 3 

years 

initially 

given 

by 

the 

doctors. 

But still, it’s 

something you know 

will happen, but you are 

not prepared for it. I remember 

being at work one day at the 

Liverpool Royal University 

Hospital in England when my 

eldest daughter Edna rang me. 

Edna knew that Angela had 

died. Angela had coughed blood 

and bled continuously. By the 

time they took her to A&E at 

Aga Khan hospital, they could 

not revive her. Edna was having 

some difficulty telling me the 

news. Eventually, she said, “Oh, 

the doctors have said Angela 

has died. She did not make it.” 

While I was still talking to Edna 

my manager was listening. 

When I finished on the phone 

he said, “Listen, Agnes, take 

a holiday and when you are 

ready to go to Kenya, just go. 

Let us know when you’re ready 

to come back.” And then one of 

my friends Michelle McMahon 

drove me back to the house 

and stayed with me. I cried that 

night all night. The next day I 

took up the courage, booked 

a ticket home, and packed 

my bag. I went to Manchester 

Airport and boarded the flight 

to Nairobi, to go and bury my 

child. We gave Angela the best 

burial in her rural home, in 

Alego. Since coming to England 

I realised that maternal care for 

children and pregnant mothers 

includes 

regular 

ultrasound 

visits. During 

development, anything 

can change and problems can 

be detected early. This clearly 

is not happening in Kenya. 

Honestly, the Angela issue 

could have been discovered 

long before she was born. We 

would have been prepared 

during pregnancy with critical 

supplements like folic acid, 

which in the UK is routine. 

What’s more, cleft lip and palate 

is a well-researched medical 

condition. It appears only at 

certain times, especially in 

mothers who lack enough folic 

acid. During their fertile days, 

women lose iron and folic acid, 

which is what makes the blood 

cells, the haemoglobin. Women 

lose a lot of it when they 

menstruate in their lifetime. 

That’s why during pregnancy, 

women take folic acid for 

themselves and the baby. This 

should really put everything in 

perspective. 

Follow Agnes on Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/agnes. 

awuoche 


16 

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17 


SPECIAL FEATURE 

MYA CHEMONGES-MURZYNOWSKA 

TEACHING OUR CHILDREN TO BE HONEST 

WITH THEIR EMOTIONS 

AS NARRATED TO THE KARIBU MAGAZINE TEAM 

and trying 

to contain 

the situation 

as best as 

she could. 

Other people 

had arrived on 

the scene and 

taken over from her, she had been 

performing CPR on him already. I 

noticed her partner on the ground 

and something just switched in me 

and I went into fight mode. Myself 

“I often wonder where to begin on 

this journey called grief. Sometimes 

it’s not about dealing with grief or 

coming to terms with it; sometimes 

it’s about re-living the grief so 

that you can actually begin 

to break down the emotions 

attached to that grief. 2021 

has got have been one of 

my worst years. As a family, 

we had 10 bereavements 

and I felt emotionally, 

psychologically, financially 

and mentally drained.” 

my worst years. As a family, 

we had 10 bereavements and I 

felt emotionally, psychologically, 

financially and mentally drained. I 

was functioning on a reserve which 

was running low. It was the 13th of 

May, and I was at home unwell. I was 

preparing for another funeral which 

was due the next day. A very close 

friend of the family had tragically 

died in an RTC and so everything was 

still just raw. At just after 8 pm I got 

a text message from my friend and 

neighbour enquiring whether my 

daughter had been dropped off after 

brownies. One thing I must mention 

here is that every Thursday my friend’s 

partner would be our taxi service for 

taking the girls (his daughter and my 

and three other people tried to 

resuscitate him for what seemed 

like forever though I believe it was 

about 15 minutes while waiting 

for the ambulance to arrive. But 

sadly, he died right before our eyes, 

we couldn’t do anything to save 

him. That moment is stored in my 

memory. I can still remember the 

cries and numbness around me. 

But I remember also the hysteria 

from the girls. My daughter and her 

friend were awarded the highest 

daughter) to brownies. A couple of 

minutes later, my phone rang. Our 

children hadn’t returned home from 

brownies with her partner and she 

was worried. So she decided to go and 

find out what was happening as they 

were over 30 minutes late. Ten minutes 

later my phone rang again. It was my 

friend, she was hysterical and calm at 

the same time if that makes sense. I 

couldn’t hear anything. But I just knew 

she was frantic about something. I 

jumped in the car and drove off at 100 

mph. I arrived where the girl was, only 

to see a group of people gathered. 

Imagine the scene where 2 young girls 

aged 8 and 9 watched as the only adult 

around them collapsed. They tried to 

turn him over to do first aid but they 

couldn’t. My daughter ran to the road 

to wave down cars to stop and help, 

while his daughter watching helplessly 

searched for her dad’s car keys so she 

could unlock the car and call her mum 

for help. Both girls were beyond brave; 

they didn’t have a minute to panic, 

they just knew they needed to save 

his life, they tried to call for help. They 

tried to help him while waiting for help 

themselves. 

When I arrived at the scene, I jumped 

out of the car and run towards my 

friend who was comforting the girls 

honour you can receive as a Guide. 

In the UK only several of those 

honours have ever been given and 

in Scotland only a handful. They are 

the youngest honoraries to receive 

such an award for bravery. It has 

taught me that to be vulnerable 

means to be brave. Be vulnerable 

with your emotions because you’ll 

need all the bravery you can master 

to tackle the storm of grief. The girls 

are very brave, and it shows how 

we often underestimate children. I 

18 


Children learn quickly. I have had heartwarming stories of children as 

young as 3 years who called an ambulance when their mother went 

unconscious due to hypoglycemia due to diabetes, and the mother’s 

life was saved. 

drove home, but I don’t remember 

that journey at all. I was feeling very 

numb, very lost, very confused, but 

also frustrated. I didn’t really talk 

about my emotions because we had 

a funeral the next day. As a matter of 

fact, I haven’t really talked about it 

because it ignites so many different 

emotions in me. What I do know is 

that my life changed that day, and 

my perspective changed. Every day 

I’m learning to face a storm that 

hits me from all angles and I simply 

don’t know how to navigate it. Some 

days I’m equipped, and some days 

I rely on the navigation of others, 

especially those close to me. 

Grief doesn’t go away; and as long 

as you are willing to face it, grief can 

help you to accept the events that 

have passed. But you must also be 

willing to show vulnerability. When 

we relive the grief and reflect on it 

from the perspective of what we 

have learned from it and review the 

personal effort we put to assist and 

share the situation, it’s better than 

when we bottle it in. Otherwise, 

it becomes cancer. It can erupt at 

any moment, which could make 

us feel overwhelmed and flee or 

withdraw into ourselves. It’s also 

at times difficult to shelter others 

from witnessing stressful situations 

in the hope that we are protecting 

them. We have to allow people to 

go through all the stages of grief 

and remember that each individual 

has their own coping mechanism, as 

long as we offer support and safety. 

I have found that those people who 

manage to go through grief, help 

themselves by campaigning for 

solutions to end or solve problems, 

and this gives them the satisfaction 

that they are able to live through 

grief. After the incident, I only spoke 

to my daughter once about it simply 

because I didn’t know what to say 

and what not to say. She had been 

so traumatized and I didn’t know 

how to help. I have since attended 

a bereavement course that I wish 

anyone who has experienced grief 

or parents should attend. We must 

talk about death and be open about 

it. Our African culture, heritage, 

and tradition have taught us that 

death and the topic, in general, is 

very taboo. So we bottle up our 

emotions and in turn, we let our 

children bottle up their emotions 

- until they can’t cope anymore. So 

now in our house, we talk about 

people who have died. We don’t say 

they have ‘passed on’ because that 

indicates they are coming back. We 

don’t say they ‘lost their life’ because 

it indicates they’ll find it again (if 

something is lost, it can be found). 

Instead, we call a space a spade, 

and they’re opening up for honest 

dialogue. 

Children learn quickly. I have had 

heartwarming stories of children 

as young as 3 years who called an 

ambulance when their mother went 

unconscious due to hypoglycemia 

due to diabetes, and the mother’s 

life was saved. We have to learn 

to tell the children the truth and 

teach them how to cope in cases 

of emergency as well as accessing 

situations that can help others 

without putting themselves in 

danger. What we must also do is 

ensure we break down barriers and 

taboos around conversations. If 

we can learn to have open honest 

conversations with our children at 

a very young age without the fear 

of saying the wrong thing, then we 

allow our children to have an open 

dialogue about different subjects. 

We have the power to unknowingly, 

instil negative thoughts in our 

children from when they are 

toddlers. But we also have the 

power 

to equip our 

children and ourselves 

with the tools to 

navigate life with 

whatever curve balls 

life throws at us. 

Dealing with grief 

is no different, it 

involves talking, 

sharing, writing, 

and absolutely 

anything 

apart from 

bottling it 

up. I have 

moments 

where 

I am 

frozen 

in time and 

instantly taken back 

to that day and my friend just 

senses my despair and is always 

at hand with chocolate orange, 

poems and hugs. There is a lot we 

need to learn about grief and also 

about supporting our children. It’s a 

lifetime journey and it’s a joint effort 

for not only parents but the entire 

family. We must teach our children 

the importance of being honest 

with their emotions. 


YOUTH FEATURE 

REGINA PAMBA 

Courtesy - Eastbrook School 

20 


The Young Mayor of Barking and Dagenham 

It is March 2023 and 

Eastbrook’s Regina Pamba 

has been elected as the 

young Mayor of Barking and 

Dagenham (or B&D). For 

Regina, this position came 

with many ‘firsts’. She’s the 

first Eastbrook student and 

the first British Kenyan to 

hold this post. As a young 

woman of the people and for 

the people, Regina takes great 

pride in representing her 

peers’ views astutely and succinctly. 

Throughout her years 

at Eastbrook, Regina’s values 

and attributes of a good 

leader have been evident. 

Her passion for the pursuit of 

justice and, her ‘no-nonsense 

approach, unsurprising 

provided Regina with this 

opportunity and mandate to 

represent the young people 

of Barking & Dagenham. 

Indeed she had a hectic 

schedule ahead, but she also 

had the maturity to balance 

the demands of her studies 

leading to her GCSE, planning 

her activities and representing 

the young people. Here is 

Regina’s own account of how 

she became the Young Mayor 

of Barking & Dagenham: 

“This has been such an 

exhilarating journey and the 

reality of it hasn’t really set 

in yet. It’s been a long time 

coming, I should say and I 

am super proud to start on 

the path of being a young 

people’s advocate. To become 

Young Mayor, you must be a 

member of the Barking and 

Dagenham Youth Forum 

which is the Borough’s platform 

for ‘young people to 

have a say on issues af ecting 

their lives and communities,’ 

and it’s comprised ‘of 13 to 

18-year-olds elected by peers, 

in schools and youth groups, 

having a say and influence 

on policymakers.’. I joined 

the forum in 2019, being the 

only member from Eastbrook 

at the time and by being my 

true authentic self, I cast the 

foundations for my electoral 

victory on Wednesday 22nd 

of February. I have always 

been outspoken and unafraid 

of the truth, which some 

people may see as a negative 

and at times has cost me a 

lot, but I view it as me being 

able to speak honestly and a 

skill like that is particularly 

useful in the unprecedented 

times we face now.” 

“Coming into Year 11, I sort 

of had my ‘eureka’ moment 

and realised it is only me 

who can grant me the successful 

future that I desire 

so badly. I realised that I 

was in the wrong headspace 

and was quickly falling into 

a path that I didn’t want to 

go down. I set my sights on 

becoming Young Mayor, very 

early on, maybe in December 

or so, I enjoy close relations 

with the two previous Young 

Mayors and have been able 

to accompany them and 

witness, side by side, the ef 

ort and passion that goes into 

a job like this. I nominated 

myself and received lots of 

encouraging support from 

my fellow Forum Members, 

who have long been encouraging 

me to take up this job 

but the same support did 

not translate in my school 

life. Contrary to popular 

belief, I wrote no speech in 

advance and spoke on a limb 

to the whole forum hoping I 

could sway them with charisma. 

It worked. I vowed to 

continue to uplift the spirit 

and profile of Barking and 

Dagenham alongside fighting 

for the voices of Barking and 

Dagenham’s youth and I hate 

to break a vow. I am committed 

to setting the foundations 

for young people in Barking 

and Dagenham for future 

generations, this will always 

be at the forefront of everything 

I do.” 

Regina’s term will last 

between March 2023 and 

February 2024. In that time 

she will work alongside one 

of the B&D Youth Forum 

sub-groups to fundraise for 

their chosen charity this year, 

which is Centrepoint - the 

UK’s leading youth homelessness 

charity that provides 

housing and 

support for young people. 

Regina will also attend 

various formal events during 

her term and represent the 

voices of young people across 

the borough on topics important 

to them. 

Courtesy - Eastbrook School 


I grew up on the side of town 

where corners were left and barefoot 

boys dribbled nylon -thread 

fastened balls on the dusty 

pavements of the civil servant 

quarters. Somewhere between 

the high and low estate.The pavements 

were pleasantly hot on all 

afternoons when the kindergarten 

behind the short driveway 

to the cobbler’s home closed 

sending all the children into a 

frenzy. Once in a while fights 

would break out between the 

boys and be on each other’s neck 

through out the week;needless 

the fights would be pacesetters 

for who sent the maximum 

blows and kicks. I remember one 

Melchizedek Alukwe Omung’ala 

(I hope I got the name right) 

once bit a bully’s ear, the boy 

had to ran to the headteacher to 

report the ordeal.As the kindergarten 

norm the two boys were 

summoned to the headteacher’s 

office. 

22 


She had a silver speckled 

eyes and must have spent her 

early years of her life scrubbing 

floors, telling my the 

roughness of her palms. But 

came to realize later that she 

was a farmer in her village. 

When jolly she would grin 

and stand next to her office 

window watching the sun set 

as it’s rays reflection hit the 

old dusty shelves in her office. 

She always wore a conservative 

floral dress to school and 

when she wasn’t gloriously 

beating the unruly boys and 

girls she would be dull busy 

in her office. The kids who 

ever visited her dusty office 

lived to tell about it but it 

wasn’t a pleasing tale to tell 

twice. 

At some point we all wished 

to be forever young, the 

kindergarten feeling was 

unmatched and a childhood 

adventure never to be erased 

in our memories. The thought 

of joining primary school 

gave me shivers from how I 

saw my elder siblings getting 

exhausted and the stories 

they shared were somehow 

traumatizing. My parents had 

not planned to take my sister 

and I to Tharuni primary 

school P.o box 417 Limuru 

we were ‘gatecrashers’ to 

the class one entry exam. 

My neighbor Mrs Kanyoro 

who had been a long serving 

youth matron at our church 

had managed to convince 

my parents that we were 

bright enough to join primary 

school depiste our tender age, 

this was after she had spotted 

my sister and I perform at 

the catholic inter parish 

young christians competitions 

some time before. We 

Voice of the Youth 

did the school entry exam in 

th most stunning way with 

my my sister scoring with 3 

points ahead of me. It was 

the first ‘serious’ exam where 

I saw an invigilator, here 

things were different, there 

was a system to be followed 

not as it was at the our local 

Fr Kizito kindergarten where 

the headteacher was playing 

multiple roles. They passed 

the exam papers to us, I was 

blank for some minutes. 

What did I fear? Was it the 

prospects presented by the 

primary entry exam? Or was 

it the state of mind when the 

tall dark bearded wrinkly 

looking man stood Infront of 

the room sending a deathly 

silence across the room? 

I never felt the urge to be in 

school, the thought of it never 

at any given moment bacame 

a bother. I went to school 

because it was ‘mandatory’ 

(I know its weird coming out 

that way) I clearly struggled 

to resist the idea of waking 

up early early each morning 

when sleep was at its best. I 

was reluctant to take a bath, 

even though mother always 

tried to make things seem 

easy for me. The warm bath 

water mother would get ready 

in the plastic bucket broken 

at the top bearing a black 

patch on its otherwise yellow 

glow. The man who repaired 

the bucket must have bore a 

grudge against my mother, 

the shoddy work he did outlasted 

my childhood upto do 

date when I go home I still 

see the ugly mark left on the 

once striking pail. 

Every morning at 5:13am 

my mother would switch on 

the radio and the same song 

would repeatedly blast us out 

if bed. These songs on the 

local vernacular station were 

prescription to out ears. The 

likes of the late Queen Jane, 

Joseph kamaru, John Ndichu 

and DK wa Maria just to 

name a few graced the mornings 

as from my room I could 

hear my mother humming to 

their lovely tunes. 

It never came along singly 

especially how mother 

pushed the academic buttons 

until finally school became a 

normal and the alien feeling 

subsided. I remember with a 

collected nostalgia the tea she 

made us before leaving for 

school,it ushered a new day 

with an absence of pain and 

deep thoughts, an absence 

of fear that I had harboured 

for quite some time. It was 

as though it baptised me 

each and every morning of 

my primary school life. The 

tea was a rare mix of tender 

rain and tropic tea delicate 

scented with a trace of cinnamon. 

Today if I compared 

the tea to a woman then she 

would be beautiful, graceful 

and calm, she would have a 

youthful glare when suddenly 

goaded, her voice like that 

of blended flutes , she would 

have a light gauze hanging 

loosely from her form, her 

dance would be epic. So sweet 

of the my childhood memories 

yet in that distance I 

search for a moment I search 

for the beauty that defines 

those days, the barriers we 

crossed, the open reciting 

of the multiplication table, 

the 2pm naps they forced us 

to take not forgeting dreaming 

of a future I did not 

comprehend. 


COMMUNITY FEATURE 

KENMA-UK 

A SOFT LANDING FOR NEWLY-ARRIVED NURSES IN THE UK 

KENMA–UK is a member-led organization 

that seeks to serve and 

supports new nurses and midwives 

moving from Kenya to the United 

Kingdom. The association consists 

of Nurses and Midwives who have 

relocated from Kenya and now permanently 

residing in the UK. These 

are people who are passionate 

about sharing their experiences 

with all other Kenyan Nurses or 

Midwives, empowering, and supporting 

each other as they settle 

in the UK. Each nurse has a story to 

tell, and they all strive to achieve 

excellence in their daily lives within 

the communities they serve both 

in the United Kingdom and Kenya. 

Rationale 

Because the founding members 

know from experience just how 

tough it can be to relocate to a 

new country, the aim of the association 

is to provide targeted 

support to facilitate a smooth 

transition, every step of the way. 

as such, KENMA–UK has published 

a booklet that offers a wealth of 

advice to help Kenyan nurses settle 

into the UK when they arrive for 

the first time. It provides relevant 

information that would enable 

a Kenyan nurse or midwife to 

navigate some of the inevitable 

challenges they may come up 

against in the UK. To every new 

nurse, this booklet is a must-have, 

which should be kept close by to 

answer queries and concerns that 

may arise. included also are web 

links, telephone numbers and 

other useful tips and tools to help 

new nurses learn and understand 

British culture. it teaches what is 

required to make the journey from 

living in Kenya to living in the UK 

smooth without too many bumps 

along the way. 

Impact 

A key outcome of the association 

is that every nurse that arrives is 

able to enjoy his/her new life and 

career in England, knowing there is 

always someone contactable who 

can support him/her along the 

way. Kenyan Nurses and Midwives 

Association UK (KENMA UK) therefore 

warmly welcomes Kenyan 

Nurses and Midwives recruited 

from Kenya to work in the UK. The 

association was formed with the 

aim of ensuring that newly arrived 

nurses have a smooth transition 

from the Kenyan healthcare 

system into the British healthcare 

system. This comes on the back of 

the bilateral agreement on health 

workforce recruitment between 

Kenya and the UK in 2020. The association 

aims to assist in supporting 

nurses and their families from 

the time they think of applying 

to relocate from Kenya, to finally 

settling in the United Kingdom. 

their core objective is to provide 

information, and guidance, including 

support with education on the 

UK’s way of life. 

Parameters 

It is important to note that KEN- 

MA–UK is not affiliated with any 

political party or trade union. All 

the work they do is voluntary, 

primarily assisting Nurses or Midwives 

who have trained in Kenya to 

settle in the UK. However, this does 

not limit their scope of assistance. 

they collaborate with other international 

associations to support all 

nurses or midwives from around 

the world. KENMA-UKare is not a 

recruiting agency; however, they 

can advise on ethical recruitment 

processes as outlined by the MoU 

between Kenya and UK. 

Memorandum Of Understanding 

In July 2021, the governments of 

Kenya and the United Kingdom of 

Great Britain and Northern Ireland 

signed a bilateral agreement on 

the health workforce. The aim is to 

cooperate in the delivery of healthcare 

through the recruitment of 

healthcare professionals in Kenya 

for employment in the United 

Kingdom of Great Britain and 

Northern Ireland. This recruitment 

shall only be conducted through 

government-to-government arrangements 

or their licences and 

accredited employment agencies. 

On 11th November of the same 

year, the Department of Health 

and Social Care (DHSC) in the UK 

announced that Kenya was added 

to the amber list of countries in the 

Code of Practice for the International 

Recruitment of Health and 

Social Care Personnel in England. 

This meant that the Ministry of 

Labour and Social Protection in 

collaboration with the Ministry of 

Health, Kenya was mandated to 

spearhead the implementation of 

24 


the agreement in the recruitment 

and migration of qualified 

health professionals to the United 

Kingdom. The list is based on 

the World Health Organisation 

(WHO) Workforce Support and 

Safeguard List compiled in 2020. 

The KENMA–UK Launch 

On 25th July 2021, KENMA-UK 

was launched in the presence of 

the Kenyan High Commissioner 

to the UK Hon Esipisu Manoa, 

Hon Kivutha Kibwana and senior 

officials in the Nursing profession 

both from Kenya and the 

United Kingdom. The main aims 

and objectives were to identify 

ways of collaboration between 

all the stakeholders present and 

more. More than 300 registered 

nurses and midwives attended 

the virtual event. There is more 

to be done for our Kenyan 

Nurses and Midwives in the UK 

as outlined in the objectives of 

the association. 


Special Feature 

The Diaspora Times and The Diaspora Connect 

The Diaspora Times 

Spread the love 

We are the Diaspora voice connecting all globally. https://kenyanparentsinusa.com Spread the love 

July 1st, 2023 -Issue 173 Diaspora Source Of Anything,. Everything Try us to get best results. 

The Future Today 

TEL+4049668550 

TEL+4049668550 

Abigirl Phiri Stop gender based violence P. 5 

Capturing The Moment With Tourism 

Page 05 

Inspiration Stories 

By Memory Phiri page 17 

By George Wachiuri page 15 

Thursday’s worst air pollution was centered over Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis and Cleveland 

Air Quality Alert 

Across US Cities 

Unity Homes is a leading property 

developer of residential communities 

in Kenya. With 687 completed homes 

and 2000 homes in the pipeline, Unity 

Homes is one of the fastest-growing 

property developers in East Africa. 

D 

120 million people under air quality alerts across a dozen States from Minnesota to New York 

angerous air quality and hazy skies persist 

as smoke from Canada’s raging wildfires 

drifts south, leaving more than 100 

million people under air quality alerts 

across a dozen states from Minnesota to 

New York and down to the Carolinas. 

By 6 p.m. Thursday, Detroit topped the list of cities with 

the worst air quality in the world, followed by Washington, 

DC, according to IQAir. Chicago and New York City 

were among the top 10. 

Air quality in Illinois improved Thursday afternoon 

Whats Inside 

P 04 

Centum 19 

Laughter click here P. 18 

P. 10 

Wellness P. 20 

Sports 21 

Weather P. 05 

P. Unity Homes P. Abigirl Phiri Corner as a massive thunderstorm complex raced across the 

Midwest, blowing through the harmful smoke from the 

wildfires and clearing the air in its wake. 

The storm, referred to as a bow echo because of its 

arc-like appearance on radar, has produced wind gusts 

close to 90 mph. A wind gust of 88 mph was reported in 

western Illinois early Thursday afternoon, and a severe 

thunderstorm watch was in effect in Illinois and parts 

of Indiana ahead of the system. 

As per CNN report 

Text only +4049668550 

HIGHLIGHTS . HEALTH P 24 . KENYAN GIRL EXCELS PAGE 14 . WORLD NEWS 3 . OUR HISTOR 

We do not specialize in investigative journalism but inform diaspora what is happening as reported or from our correspondents 

https: /kenyanparentsinusa.com , liams2314@yahoo.com | Published in Marietta GA. $1 ksh 0.00 a l you need. TEL4049668550 

The 

* Page 13 * 

queenkokihomes@gmail. 

THE DIASPORA TIMES 170.indd 1 

Ultimately, we share investment 

opportunities, news, and articles. Kenyans in 

the Diaspora are heterogeneous, coming from 

different ethnic backgrounds and skin colours. 

The Diaspora Times was 

founded by Dr. Isaac Kinungi in 

2021 as a weekly newspaper 

covering news items from Kenya 

and around the world, with 

contributors from the worldwide 

Diaspora. The newspaper has 

a column on fallen heroes since 

Independence Kenya, a health 

column, religious forum and 

even a column for jokes. Advertising 

is welcome in the newspaper. 

The Diaspora Connect 

magazine is a sister publication 

that works closely with the Diaspora 

Times to inform Kenyans 

about investment opportunities 

that reliable real Estate 

companies offer. The Diaspora 

Connect Kenya magazine is an 

avenue for diasporans to speak 

with one voice. Further, we can 

use it to advance ourselves in 

all fields. Let’s all contribute 

and share our joy or grief with 

other Kenyans worldwide so 

that the information shared can 

help others. Be part of those 

determined to advance themselves 

while advancing others. 

Using these two publications, 

Diasporans can connect with 

those in Kenya both on politics 

and welfare to advance themselves 

politically and economically. 

There are programs that 

can assist bright students to 

immigrate to the USA and we 

feature such groups monthly. 

Ultimately, we share investment 

opportunities, news, 

and articles. Kenyans in the 

Diaspora are heterogeneous, 

coming from different ethnic 

backgrounds and skin colours. 

But despite all these differences 

we are united by one common 

theme, our love for the country 

we love as Kenyans by birth, 

marriage, or naturalisation. As 

diverse as we are, we are interconnected 

by the fate of Kenya 

as a nation. We are a microcosm 

of people representing all 

these differences and different 

regions and counties of Kenya. 

In spite of our diversity, we seek 

to be unified as Kenyans and 

we desire to speak with one 

Kenyan Diaspora voice. 

Our website is http://kenyanparentsinusa.com 

26 


com 

Page 12 

Y PAGE 07 

6/30/2023 7:37:44 AM 

PHOTOS MRSEED: KENYA AND FRIENDS IN THE PARK 


Community Feature 

KENYANS CONNECT 

- NORTHERN IRELAND 

By Anne Njeri Nugent, 

Co-founder 

For Kenyans Connect - Northern Ireland 

formation and birthing, this came about when 

Anne and Damaris Muchendu, a resident 

in Belfast, met. Their love and passion for 

Community Work and desire to re-birth the 

Kenyan Community in Northern Ireland with the 

aim of bringing Kenyans together to avoid social 

isolation and to bring forth a platform where we 

could all engage, share ideas and information, 

empower each other and keep the Ubuntu Spirit 

burning. And it’s been a journey, as a journey 

of a thousand miles starts with one step, still 

ongoing and so far with a functioning board of 

very capable leaders from the local community 

and Kenyan community. And so we work as a 

team so that we can drive forth the vision of 

the need for unity in the diaspora. One of the 

Kenyans-Connect events was attended by Deputy 

High Commissioner Amb. Joakim Kamere (who 

truly encouraged us to re-organize and structure 

ourselves and be one voice). Members of the 

Legislative Assembly in Belfast were present as 

well as an International researcher and other 

local leaders. Anne is also the Secretary-General 

and Damaris the Co-ordinator whilst other posts 

are held by the members. 

History of the group 

I personally felt that in Northern Ireland there 

lacked a close-knit Kenyan Community where 

one could just have that sense of belonging and 

keep the Ubuntu Spirit/Harambee Spirit of 

togetherness alive. I grew up in a place where 

community outreach/spirit was the order of the 

day. So when 2022 April/May I met Damaris 

Muchendu in Belfast, a conversation was struck 

about a gap for an active community/platform for 

Kenyans to converge as a community. She was the 

third Kenyan I had met in the span of 3yrs of my 

being in NI. We quickly formed a WhatsApp 

group & Facebook group and rebirthed it 

Kenyans Connect- Northern Ireland. There 

wasn’t even a Social media presence/existence 

of Kenyans living in Northern Ireland, though 

there was a previous association years 

before that I suppose it went inactive due to 

unavoidable circumstances. And truly there 

was a need to fill in the gap for continuity. 

Founders 

Damaris Muchendu and Anne Njeri are the 

founders. Leaders are Chair - Jean Kasera; 

Vice Chair - David Kashindo; Secretary - Anne 

Njeri; Treasurer - Kevin Wilson; and Coordinator 

- Damaris Muchendu. It’s a 7 board/ 

Committee and Voluntary Community-based 

group. Activities so far include the celebration 

of Kenyan National days - Madaraka Day, 

and Jamhuri Day, attended by Deputy Kenya 

High Commissioner UK - Joachim Kamere, 

Members of the Legislative Assembly from 

Belfast West, and other local leaders from 

other organisations. We have had so far 

two Summer Picnics on the Beach with our 

kids, and one Annual General Meeting. We 

are also underway/ongoing, doing a funded 

Community Leadership training course as a 

group (Board & Leaders). 

Parting Shot 

Leaders are there to serve and work with us. 

Leadership should not be cutthroat micromanaging 

at least that’s what I believe. But of 

course carry the vision/mission(to bring the 

community together), articulate, amend and 

implement. 

28 


Kings Developers Limited 

(KDL) is a real estate 

company that was founded 

as part of the Royal group 

Companies. Since its 

inception in 2009, Kings 

Developers has become 

synonymous with the 

development of ultra-high 

commercial, residential, 

retail and mixed use properties 

making it the premier 

quality homes developer in 

the Kenyan market. 

With a portfolio that spans 

over fifteen years and over 

35 completed projects, 

Kings Developers’ mission 

is to go above and beyond 

the notion of just providing 

homes, but also developing 

a luxury life. And this has 

been boosted by the noncompromising 

use of cutting 

edge technology, high 

quality construction materials, 

skilled professionals 

and a passion to open up 

elite property ownership 

across the country. 

The firm was established 

to offer innovative solutions 

for local and foreign 

investors in the Real Estate 

Sector in Kenya. To mention 

a few of the firm’s project, 

there’s Kings Serenity 

in Ongata Rongai, Kings 

Barini in Lavington, Kings 

Eden Garden in Lavington 

amongst many others. The 

various locations include: 

Ruiru, Ongata Rongai, Nakuru, 

Kilimani, Kileleshwa, 

Lavington, Eldoret and 

Mombasa road. The company’s 

projects range from 

affordable to mid to high 

end projects. 

In the Affordable housing 

sector, KDL have built several 

projects which include 

Kings Serenity in Ongata 

Rongai, Kings Sapphire in 

Nakuru city, and currently 

the ongoing project in Ruiru 

: The Kings Boma Estate 

which will be the pearl 

of Ruiru town in Kiambu 

county. With its groundbreaking 

ceremony having 

taken place in January 

2023, officiated by H.E The 

President, Dr William Ruto. 

Kings Boma has a flexible 

payment plan of upto 2 

years, to ensure that your 

home ownership journey 

will be a journey of ease. 

In the mid market, there’s 

Kings Vintage Homes along 

Ngong road - 2Bedroom 

apartments that seeks to 

revolutionize what comfort 

living means. The apartments 

will have majestic 

views of Ngong forest, proximity 

to several schools, 

major highways and shopping 

malls. 

In the high end markets, 

Kings Developers is building 

Apollo Suites in Kileleshwa 

which hosts spacious 3Bedroom 

Apartments with SQ, 

that epitomize luxury and 

modern living. Anything 

and everything that you 

will need to make your life 

comfortable, will be found 

at Apollo Suites. 

Apart from residential 

homes, Kings Developers 

also have commercial 

spaces. The most popular 

being the iconic building in 

Nairobi The Prism Tower in 

Upper Hill which serves as 

a home to top businesses in 

the country. 

As the real estate industry 

continues to evolve, Kings 

Developers Ltd, remains 

dedicated to innovation, 

excellence, and client 

satisfaction. With the unwavering 

commitment to 

providing exceptional real 

estate experiences, the firm 

is well-positioned to shape 

the future of the industry. 

Choose Kings Developers 

as your trusted partner in 

the real estate journey. Buy 

Kenya, build Kenya, for your 

search for a home has come 

to an end. 

www.kingsdevelopers.com. 

Email sales@kingsdevelopers.com 

Call / Whatsapp : +254 

700090060 

29 


DR ANNE WAFULA STRIKE 

“It's not about Disability, it's about what people 

can do when there is support” 

Dr Anne Wafula Strike 

(PhD) is a Kenyan-born, 

British wheelchair racing 

champion who started 

life as a Kenyan outcast 

but fought her way 

through life to become an 

iconic, global wheelchair 

Paralympian. Growing 

up back in Kenya, Anne 

dealt with rejection by her 

community at an early age. 

She had beaten the odds 

and as a result, she has done 

proud for herself and people 

living with disabilities. Below 

are some slides from a 

media book published by 

Mr Keya (Karibu Magazine’s 

Principal Graphics Designer). 

The slides summarise some 

of the most powerful sayings 

and quotes from Dr Anne 

over the years. 

“Today Dr Anne is a 

board member of UK 

Athletics, holds a British 

MBE for services to disability 

sports and serves as a 

patron of several charities 

supporting the rights of 

people with disabilities. She 

is a formidable disability 

rights campaigner, after 

competing in wheelchair 

racing at the Paralympics 

despite being shunned 

by her village because of 

polio. The villagers did 

not understand what was 

happening to her. Some 

thought it was witchcraft, 

while some thought it 

was a curse from God. 

They even tried to burn 

Athumani’s mud hut 

down. The villagers lacked 

sufficient knowledge 

of polio. Despite this, 

Athumani was determined 

to see his daughter thrive 

beyond life with polio. “My 

dad is my hero,” she always 

says. Dr Anne is who she is 

today because her father 

Athumani believed in 

her when everybody else 

around rejected her. He 

was a very forward-thinking 

person who believed 

that education would 

rescue Anne. Athumani 

made sure that Dr Anne 

got an education despite 

the prejudice and lack 

30 


DR ANNE WAFULA STRIKE 

of access to getting an 

education. Anne graduated 

from university in Kenya and 

became a teacher. She then 

met her husband, and they 

moved to the UK in 2000. 

By chance, when Anne 

discovered this sport, it 

subsequently changed 

her life. The community 

bought Anne her first racing 

wheelchair and this began 

a journey to competing 

alongside the world’s best. 

Anne represented Kenya 

at the 2004 Paralympic 

Games in Athens, being 

the first person from sub- 

Saharan Africa to compete 

in wheelchair racing. Two 

years later she attained 

British citizenship and 

represented Great Britain in 

two World Championships 

and four Paralympic World 

Cups. Dr Anne believes that 

her story shows what people 

with disabilities can achieve if 

they are given opportunities. 

“”It’s not about the disability, 

it is about what people can do 

and achieve when there is 

support,”” she always says. Dr 

Anne believes that human 

beings want opportunity, not 

sympathy. 

Dr Anne once returned to 

the village in Kenya where 

she was once rejected as 

a child, with her husband 

and her son beside her. 

The people were staring 

and wondering, how did this 

happen? This is typical of the 

stigma and prejudice that you 

get when you have a disability 

in Africa. You are not expected 

to find love, have a child, 

be someone’s wife, be a 

teacher, speak up publicly, 

or advocate for issues that 

affect people in society. They 

still judged her yet here she 

was, doing all those things 

that they believed were not 

possible.” 

Credit: Mr Keya 

(Media Book 2022)” 


JoyAoko 

A Show of Unity among 

Kenyans Abroad 

A Special Feature by the Karibu KitUK Magazine Team 

When Ruth Abongo Aoko 

first arrived at the hospital in 

Tirana, Albania, she looked at 

her daughter lying there, in a 

state of coma. Then Ruth cried. 

She had never, in her wildest 

dreams, expected to find herself 

in the middle of this wild drama 

unfolding before her. Still 

unbeknown to Ruth, she would 

soon find herself starring in a 

fast-moving drama, with a cast 

of international players from 

Europe, Kenya, and the rest of 

the world. Ruth realized that 

her choice meant a long, brutal 

fight ahead. But she was ready 

to fight. Joy’s story would not 

end like this in a foreign land. 

East or west, home is best – Joy 

was going to come back home 

one way or another. 

Seeking Greener Pastures 

In February 2022, Joy Achieng 

Aoko, at the age of 22, travelled 

from Kenya to Albania in 

search of green pastures. She 

landed in the city of Tirana, 

where she secured a job as a 

trainee in the casino industry. 

All that Joy wanted to do was 

to change her life and that of 

her mother, Ruth Abongo. 

According to Ruth, Joy always 

had things under control. But 

four months after she arrived 

in Albania, the 22-year-old 

Kenyan would end up in a 

hospital in a coma, fighting for 

her life. 

A Vicious Attack 

On the night of August 13, 

2022, someone entered Joy’s 

apartment and attacked her 

brutally. Evidence shows that 

she was raped. Joy was then 

dumped outside her apartment 

building. By the time Joy was 

reported missing on 14 August 

2022 by her employer, she 

had spent many hours in the 

open street in critical condition 

and presumably left for dead. 

Joy had suffered numerous 

injuries including broken ribs 

and bones, as well as severe 

hand and stomach injuries. 

Ultimately, Joy acquired a 

brain injury. Someone had 

done the worst to Joy in that 

foreign land. The emergency 

services came to the scene and 

took Joy to the nearest hospital. 

She was admitted, intubated, 

and consequently transferred to 

the Trauma Unit. Her condition 

remained critical, and for 

several weeks Joy was under 

critical care. Eventually, the 

doctors said that they couldn’t 

do much more. Joy needed to 

be taken to a more specialized 

unit in Europe. 

specialized facility which 

was not available in 

Albania. 

“There are doubts that she 

was raped.” As things stand, 

investigations by the Albanian 

government are not clear. 

The Kenyan Government 

has since formally requested 

those files, and the Albanian 

authorities were yet to 

cooperate. Regardless, in the 

minds of those who know the 

inside story, the bottom line 

is that someone attacked Joy 

that night, so hideously and 

completely ruined her life. 

How would someone do this to 

Joy, and why? Earlier reports 

suggest that the Albanian police 

had initially told the family 

that Joy had tried to commit 

suicide by jumping from the 

second floor of her apartment 

block. Ruth challenges this 

narrative to this day because 

32 


it was contrary to 

what she already knew. 

When Ruth looked at a photo 

from the scene - which she had 

to jump through hoops to get 

hold of in the first place, the 

photo did not indicate that Joy 

jumped through any window. 

Things did not correlate at 

all. Ruth asked questions, 

she could not get clear 

answers. Foreign Affairs State 

Department for Diaspora 

Affairs Principal Secretary 

Roseline Njogu, pledged to 

follow up on the issue and 

ensure that Joy receives the 

best medical care. 

Kenyans heed a distressed 

mother’s call 

When the Albanian police 

and the media visited Joy 

apartment after the attack, it 

was a total mess. Partly eaten 

food was strewn all over the 

floor and some was found on 

her bed. However, there were 

no suspects detained 

from the incident. No 

CCTV footage was handed 

over, and no case files were 

made available. However, 

Ruth has a somewhat more 

detailed story of what 

transpired days before 

Joy was attacked. That 

very evening of the attack, 

Ruth was on the phone with 

Joy. Joy having her dinner. 

Abruptly, Joy’s phone just 

went off. Ruth never heard 

from Joy again. Hours later 

the next day, Ruth was told by 

Joy’s employer that Joy was 

found unconscious outside her 

apartment and taken to a local 

hospital. As the news spread 

in the diaspora community, 

Ruth relocated temporarily 

to Albania to care for her 

daughter who was in a coma. 

The world media remained 

conveniently quiet about Joy’s 

story but Kenyans from all 

over the world responded to 

Joy’s mother’s call to help. 

The story soon went viral on 

social media. Had Kenyans 

not raised the siren Joy’s 

Kenyan Solidarity Abroad 

Kenyans abroad are a special 

breed indeed. As Joy’s story 

gained momentum, hundreds 

of well-wishers from all over 

the Diaspora rallied behind 

Joy. In Europe, Margaret Rulf 

(Mudge), based in Germany, 

urged all Kenyans and wellwishers 

to come forward 

and support Joy. A Kenyan 

living in Albania called Suzzie 

Lavi provided Ruth with 

translation, transportation, 

and food. In the USA, the 

Chairman of Kenya Diaspora 

USA, Dr. Marasa, appealed 

to every Kenyan in the US to 

donate at least $5 dollars to 

this cause. His sentiments 

were echoed by the Secretary 

for the Association of 

Kenyans in Diaspora, Sheila 

Maonga. Kenyans everywhere 


JoyAoko 

A Show of Unity among 

Kenyans Abroad 

responded overwhelmingly. 

Ruth is thankful beyond words 

to everyone who chipped 

in, morally, financially, and 

spiritually. Ruth’s prayer is that 

Joy’s case gets going. People 

everywhere are praying that 

Ruth remains strong – and 

already she has proven to be a 

strong woman indeed. 

Evacuation - Coming 

Home 

Hearing Ruth’s appeal, the 

Kenya Government deemed 

it in Joy’s best interests to 

bring her back home to Kenya 

to complete her journey of 

healing among her loved ones. 

The state offered to fly Joy 

back to Kenya and to provide 

rehabilitation services locally, 

which could be cheaper. 

And so began Joy’s medical 

evacuation from Albania back 

to Kenya. Looking around, 

tears just rolled down Ruth’s 

face. Tears of knowing that 

she was bringing her daughter 

home safely, even though Joy 

was totally unaware that she 

was on a flight. The aircraft 

touched down at Wilson 

Airport at around 6:30 pm on 

the same day it had left Tirana. 

As the plane landed, another 

surprise hit Ruth. There was a 

crowd on the ground waiting… 

Joy’s welcome committee. 

High-ranking Government 

officials all lined up waiting 

to receive Joy. All this was in 

Joy’s honour. Ruth always 

knew that her daughter Joy 

would take her places one day. 

But with this extraordinary, 

special honour taking place 

before her eyes that day, Ruth 

was overwhelmed. Ruth looked 

at her daughter and just cried. 

She cried because she always 

knew that Joy would always 

be a child of blessings. Ruth 

wished that Joy could open her 

eyes and witness all this for 

herself. 

towards her treatment and 

rehabilitation expenses. The 

GoFundme page allowed 

everyone to participate 

in giving. But the Italian 

quotes were so expensive, so 

Ruth decided to appeal to 

the Kenyan Government. 

Joy was already accessing 

physiotherapy services 

privately, but this was being 

paid out of pocket. 

Outstanding Reception in 

Kenya 

Joy was ushered to an AMREF 

Ambulance. The Diaspora 

Affairs Principal Secretary 

Roseline Njogu received Joy 

at the airport and thereafter 

escorted her to the Kenyatta 

University Teaching, Referral & 

Research Hospital (KUTRRH), 

Thika Road, for further 

treatment. She was put in an 

HDU room with all machines 

up and running. The next 

day, Ruth was quite anxious. 

She arrive at the hospital and 

found that Joy was not in the 

HDU anymore, she was in the 

IDU room. Three Doctors 

had already attended to Joy 

and she had a Nurse assigned. 

Two physiotherapists and a 

nutritionist were also present. 

Joy is in very good hands. Ruth, 

however, asked kindly that 

everyone continues praying for 

her. 

Please Stop the Blame 

Game 

Perhaps Kenyans need to stop 

blaming Ruth for her daughter 

Joy going to Albania to work. 

This was not Ruth’s volition. 

Sometimes life just happens. 

Indeed there are many parents 

in Kenya with children 

working abroad, just like Ruth 

did. As every parent knows too 

well, there are uncertainties in 

life everywhere - this is just one 

of many. So for those Kenyans 

who blame Ruth, Ruth wishes 

to address them thus: 

First, everybody in Kenya 

knows - and for sure it’s not a 

secret, that across the country, 

job opportunities are not 

enough for the youth. The 

few jobs available require 

experience, which most youth 

will not have. So in case a 

youth manages to secure a 

chance abroad, as a parent, 

you can hardly deny them that 

chance. 

34 


JoyAoko 

REST IN PACE 


KENYA AND FRIENDS IN THE PARK 

36 




KENYA 

COUNTRYFILE 

How much do you know 

about Kenya? The following 

summarizes key aspects about 

our country and we hope you 

and your children can benefit 

from it. 

Independence from Britain on 12 th 

December 1963. 

Geography & Demographics. 

Kenya is the 49 th largest country in the 

world covering an area of 581,309 km 2 . 

With a population of 45 million the 

overwhelming majority of whom are 

below the age of 50. 

Administration. 

The country was previously divided into 

8 provinces- Central, Rift-valley, Coast, 

Nyanza, Western, Eastern, Nairobi and 

North Eastern. 

After the new constitution in 2010, the 

country is now divided into 47 countieseach 

headed by a governor akin to the 

ones we have in the US- or Nigeria. 

Nairobi remains the political, economic 

and social capital of the country with 

very limited effort to move any national 

foundations elsewhere. 

Politics and governance. 

A presidential system with a president 

elected after every 5 years. 

Two Legislative houses-the Lower House 

- Parliament with 349 members and 

the upper house- The Senate with 67 

members. 

Membership is by election through 

some members are nominated directly 

by their political parties. 

All counties have elected members 

who form regional parliaments and 

governments. 

Kenya has had 4 presidents since 

independence: 

ü 

ü 

ü 

ü 

Jomo Kenyatta who led the 

country to independence until 

his death in 1978. 

Daniel arap Moi from 1978 to 

2002. 

Emilio Mwai Kibaki- from 

2002-2013-todate. 

Uhuru Kenyatta (son to the first 

president)-2013-todate. 

*Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga served as the 

second prime minister of the country 

from 2008-2013. 

Regional hub. 

Nairobi remains a regional and the 

African headquarters of many global 

corporations such as GE, Google, GSK, 

and Microsoft; as well as scientific 

and research organization such as 

the International center for inspect 

physiology and ecology-ICIPE. 

It is the only third world country with 

a UN headquarters-the United Nations 

environmental program located in 

Nairobi along Limuru Road 

Major exports 

· Tea, coffee, horticulture (flowers 

and fruits), pyrethrum, tourism and 

manufactured goods to the region. 

· Sports especially athletes, rugby 

and recently footballer(s). 

key economic sectors 

1. Agriculture, horticulture and food 

processing. 

2. Banking and insurance. 

3. Technology and mobile 

communication. Among the country 

with the highest mobile phone 

connectivity with 35 million active 

mobile phone handsets. 

4. Dairy farming. 

5. Kenya will soon be a major exporter 

of valuable minerals, oil and natural 

gas. 

Major tourist attractions/Places to 

visit: 

· The spectacular and beautiful Great 

Rift Valley. 

· The great Mount Kenya (the second 

highest mountain in Africa). 

· Maasai Mara Game Reserve and 

specifically the wildest migration 

across the crocodile infested Mara 

River.

· The Nairobi National Park in the 

outskirts of Nairobi. 

· Beautiful and spectacular beaches 

at the Kenyan coast. 

· The Fort Jesus along Nkrumah 

Road in Mombasa -Built by the 

Portuguese explorers and opened 

in 1593. 

· Bullfighting in Western Kenya. 

National Anthem. 

The Kenya national anthem expresses 

the convictions and aspirations of the 

Kenyan people. It was commissioned 

in 1963 – Originally in Swahili and was 

based on a traditional tune sung by 

mothers of the Pokomo Community to 

their children. 

Key personalities: 

· Field Marshall Dedan Kimathi 

Waciuri (deceased)- A brilliant 

military organiser who led the 

Mau Mau uprising against the 

British. Captured and executed by 

the British on 18 th February 1957; 

and sadly still buried at the Kamiti 

Maximum security prison to this 

day. 

· Jomo Kenyatta (deceased) - 

Founding prime minister and 

president of the Republic of 

Kenya. 

· Oginga Odinga (deceased) 

– Freedom fighter and 

independence icon. 

· Masinde Muliro (deceased) 

– Freedom fighter and 

independence icon. 

· Daniel arap Moi- Second president 

of the Republic of Kenya. 

· Mwai Kibaki- Third president of 

the republic of Kenya. 

· Raila Amolo Odinga- second prime 

minister of the republic of Kenya. 

· Kipchoge Keino- Most famous 

athlete and sports administrator. 

· Martin Shikuku (deceased)– 

Independence icon and renowned 

MP. 

· Professor Wangari Maathai 

(deceased)- First female 

professor of veterinary medicine, 

environmental campaigner, and 

winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. 

· Professor Ngugi wa Thiongo – 

Renown writer and professor of 

English and literature. 

· Professor Francis Imbuga 

(deceased) – Professor of 

literature and renowned writer. 

· Thomas Joseph Mboya 

(deceased)- Trade unionist, MP, 

Minister and brilliant architect of 

the Kenya’s early economic plan 

and strategies. 

Kenya’s Timeline. 

1. 1952- Mau Mau uprising- the 

bloody uprising against colonial 

rule. 

2. 1963- Country defeats the British 

and gains independence 

3. 1978 - First president of the 

country dies in his sleep. Daniel 

Arap Moi takes over. 

4. 1982- Attempted coup d’état to 

overthrow the government of the 

day. 

5. 1991- The law changed to allow 

the registration of more political 

parties. 

6. 1998 – A bloody terrorist attack 

in the middle of the capital leaves 

230 dead. 

7. 2002- President Moi retires 

and Mwai Kibaki takes over as 

president. 

8. 2007- Disputed elections results 

in very bloody skirmishes and 

the unfortunate death of 1,600 

Kenyans many killed with 

unimaginable brutality. 

9. 2013 – President Kibaki retires 

and Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta takes 

over as president.

5TH EDITION | JULY 2022 

40 6TH KINGS EDITION | JUNE 2023


KISWAHILI 

ENGLISH 

THE KENYA NATIONAL ANTHEM 

Ee Mungu nguvu yetu 

Ilete baraka kwetu 

Haki iwe ngao na mlinzi 

Natukae na undugu 

Amani na uhuru 

Raha tupate na ustawi 

Amkeni ndugu zetu 

Tufanye sote bidii 

Nasi tujitoe kwa nguvu 

Nchi yetu ya Kenya 

Tunayoipenda 

Tuwe tayari kuilinda 

Natujenge taifa letu 

Ee, ndio wajibu wetu 

Kenya istahili heshima 

Tuungane mikono 

Pamoja kazini 

Kila siku tuwe na shukrani 

O God of all creation 

Bless this our land and nation 

Justice be our shield and defender 

May we dwell in unity 

Peace and liberty 

Plenty be found within our borders 

Let one and all arise 

With hearts both strong and true 

Service be our earnest endeavour 

And our homeland of Kenya 

Heritage of splendour 

Firm may we stand to defend. 

Let all with one accord 

In common bond united 

Build this our nation together 

And the glory of Kenya 

The fruit of our labour 

Fill every heart with thanksgiving. 

42 




PHOTOS MRSEED: KENYA AND FRIENDS IN THE PARK

JACK OF 

ALL TRADES 

MASTER OF 

NONE 

Part 2: From Homelessness 

in Kenya to Debt in the UK 

EDITORIAL FEATURE 

By Baraza J. Namunyu, Liverpool UK 

If you paid close attention to 

the previous episode of this 

two-part tale, I cut the story 

short and promised a sequel. 

And so here we are. Welcome 

back to the story! And by the 

way… before I forget, they call 

me ‘Balozi Baraza’. It’s all on my 

social media handles. So… in this 

episode, I will tell you in more 

detail what else happened in my 

peculiar life from last time. To 

begin with, below is a summary: 

Between the years 2001 and 

2005, I lived next to the Waruku 

settlement in Nairobi (let’s 

not call it a ‘slum’ please). At 

Waruku, I was in and out of 

work and homeless. I survived 

through handouts and roomhopping 

from one friend’s home 

to another. Eventually, it became 

unsustainable at some point. In 

August 2001, I travelled to the 

UK for a Salvation Army Youth 

Summer camp. This was a gamechanger 

in my life. I was based 

there for about 4 weeks. It was an 

awesome experience. But then, 

in September I had to come back 

to Kenya, back to Waruku… This 

time, however, my Salvation 

Army Officer parents were 

stationed at the Salvation Army 

Kabete Children’s Home, just a 

few yards away from Waruku. 

Naturally, I moved in and lived 

with them but I was still in and 

out of work. In early 2003, I met 

a good Samaritan called Rajan 

Shah. He heard my story and 

sent me to hospitality college 

for a 3-year, fully sponsored 

Group Diploma in Hospitality 

Management. In June of that 

same year, I was hired as a 

trainer/choirmaster for St Joseph 

of Arimathea ACK in Kasarani, 

off Thika Highway. Financially, 

it kept me away from rock 

bottom. I got married in October 

2005, after which I relocated to 

Kawangware. In early 2006 I 

then moved to Liverpool in the 

UK to settle and start a family. 

Today, we share three amazing, 

talented children, the older 

ones being twins (Joel and Joy) 

now having just sat their GCSE 

exams. They are followed by 

Faith Nelima, nine years younger 

and in primary school. She loves 

colouring. 

Having settled in the UK, between 

2006 and 2016 I worked in the 

community as a care worker. 

Within that time, I was elected 

chairman of the Liverpool Agape 

Kenya Fellowship, besides serving 

in other positions within the 

Kenyan community. I also went 

through university (LJMU) for my 

Foundation and Honours degrees 

(Social Policy, Health & Housing) 

followed by an MSc in Public 

Health. I also became employed 

at St Helen’s College, supporting 

learners diagnosed with special 

educational and health needs. I 

have been there for close to 10 

years now. In late 2017, I tried 

to for teacher training (PGCE 

Further Education) but after 

3 months it did not work out. 

Family responsibilities would 

not permit. I will discuss this in 

greater detail in my book, coming 

out soon. 

So, what about the debt? Well… 

my journey into debt started with 

a simple decision. It always starts 

with a decision. In 2016, following 

some advice I should never have 

listened to, I made some very 

unwise money choices that got 

me into bad financial debt. In my 

case, in the 2016-2017 period, 

some Kenyans in Liverpool who 

I trusted at the time had joined 

MLM schemes and they seemed 

to be doing well. Against my 

better judgement, I signed up 

46 


Part 2: From Homelessness 

in Kenya to Debt in the UK 

too. What I learned later the hard 

way was that MLM schemes are 

not for everybody. Some will gain 

and others will lose - and believe 

me, I was not among the winners. 

The way these online schemes 

work is that initially, they make 

you feel like you are actually 

making money. So of course, 

you know what would happen 

next – I paid in more.. and more.. 

and more! And why not? After 

all, it seemed to be working! I 

even got some friends to invest 

in the scheme too. And then one 

day, it hit me hard. Toward the 

end of February 2017, my direct 

debits had a problem. Money had 

stopped coming into my account 

a week earlier and I had no idea. 

The scheme had stopped paying. 

First, it was denial. But the more I 

denied it the more real it became. 

Eventually, the penny dropped 

for me. I was in trouble. Trapped 

in debt. 

In the process, I struggled 

spiritually, and with my own 

identity. The yoke of debt around 

my neck just added to all the 

other drama happening in my 

life at the time. In the very end, I 

had no one to blame but myself. 

The decision was mine. I had to 

take responsibility if I was going 

to start the healing process in 

any way. How I fought my way 

out of debt within three years is 

a fascinating story. To read all 

about it you must look out for my 

book, which will carry the same 

title as this series, Jack of all 

Trades Master of None. Anyway! 

In late 2017, I took up part-time 

taxi driving to help with debt 

and to keep me afloat to support 

the family. Fast forward and 

eventually, by December 2020 

I was officially out of debt with 

loans. What rejoicing! The heavy 

burden of debt was behind me 

now. It was time to rebuild my 

relationship with my children. 

During the dark days, these little 

guys showered me with so much 

unconditional love. They put up 

with me and told me always that 

they love me. They were my rock 

throughout that time. I was the 

immature one, they were the 

mature ones. They are my heroes. 

Above it all, God came through 

for me. 

Yes, this is quite a story. Look 

out for the book. For now, allow 

me to give you a summary and 

some valuable life lessons learned 

from my experience with debt. 

For those of you in Kenya who 

think that life abroad is a walk 

in the park, you need to wake 

up. Please understand that life 

in the diaspora is not easy. The 

reality is very simple, really. 

Let’s live within our means. Save 

what you can - rainy days have 

a nasty habit of coming without 

knocking. Finally, if you have 

noticed a family member or 

friend in debt, remember that 

they need to make a decision 

themselves to get advice. Giving 

support and listening to them 

is a game-changer - it can make 

a big difference to a person in 

debt. Anyone can get into debt 

for various reasons. The thing 

to remember is that you’re not 

alone and that it’s never too early 

or too late to seek support. It 

is important to take the step of 

faith and regain control of your 

life as you find your way back to 

debt-free living. Dear reader, this 

is a long story. It is not likely to 

end in one or two magazine 

articles. Look out for the book. 

Out before the end of 2023. 

Social Media: Balozi Baraza 

on Facebook | Instagram | 

Tiktok 

JOBANA Foundation on 

Facebook | JOBANA Media 

on YouTube 


SHAMMAH SPLENDID 

CENTRE & SCHOOL 

ABOUT US 

Shammah Splendid Centre And 

School Is located in the Kibera 

slums where several families 

live in dismal poverty. Kibera is 

Highly Populated with over half a 

million people. 

S.S.C advocates for positive 

values including honesty, respect, 

trustworthiness, obedience, 

cleanliness, accountability and 

self-discipline. We are an openminded, 

outward-looking, and 

perseverant community with a big 

dream for the society we serve, 

and education is the pillar upon 

which this bright future is laid. 

Our centre targets students who 

are keen to learn but due to 

unfortunate circumstances are 

not able to access the education 

system. Many are orphans 

or have single parents due to 

the HIV/AIDS endemic, have 

previously been molested in 

some way or have been involved 

in petty crime. Our centre has 

become a beacon of hope for 

them, providing not only highquality 

sustainable education but 

also giving them a chance to feel 

valued and listened to. We see a 

solution to helping students out 

of poverty and preventing crime 

and drug activity through highquality 

education. 

The students participate in 

co-curricular activities besides 

academic pursuits. We have 

realized that; Success is not what 

you accomplish in life but what 

you aspire others to do. We are 

looking for partners to assist 

these students in acquiring the 

necessary life skills, continue 

their education in vocational 

training and develop the right 

attitudes that will help them 

achieve their full potential. We 

hope and pray that through our 

services, and your help, we will 

touch and transform the lives of 

many young people. We hope 

with your support to expand our 

services so that more of those 

impoverished can benefit. Truly 

in unity we stand. 

You can be part and parcel by 

supporting us in the following 

ways: 

• Help us with learning 

facilities (textbooks, 

exercise books, 

Storybooks, pens, rulers, 

rubbers, sets, calculators, 

used items such as 

computing machines, 

tables, cooking utensils, 

water tanks etc.) 

• sponsoring of any student 

in any way, sending your 

donations at will. 

• Support our feeding 

programs. 

• You can buy a desk, a 

piece of chalk, a ball, a 

playing kit or any other 

form of help. 

We are living in a dynamic world; 

education is the key and the BEST 

you can invest in somebody’s life. 

Many will benefit, when a girl is 

educated, in the future society. A 

life full of serving others is a life 

worth living, We do our BEST and 

leave the REST to God. 

Send your donation via Mpesa 

Paybill No:400222 | Account 

No:486825#Your Name 

Additional Contact 

Info Website: www. 

shammahsplendindcentre.sc.ke 

Phone: +254 706 064759 

Email: shammahspendindcentre@ 

gmail.com 

Vision I Mission Values 

To provide holistic education to the 

under privileged in our community 

and its surroundings with complete 

honesty.· 

To give opportunities for learning 

to the less fortunate in the 

community to enable individuals 

to access adequate knowledge, 

attitudes and skills that will equip 

them to be responsible citizens of 

this dynamic world”. Discipline, 

Honesty,Teamwork, God 

reverence, Responsiveness 

48 




welcomed me with mixed 

emotions, I felt like I would go 

back home but man must never 

heed that which he never believe 

in and just like they define music 

“the fascinating note , which 

flying like a river reed comes from 

a trembling throat”. I chose to 

define my own path. I checked 

in with admission number 7470, 

made few friends who like me 

were totally stranded and you 

could tell by the shock in their 

eyes that this was a whole new 

level of experience. It wasn’t 

easy bidding mother who had 

accompanied me goodbye.It took 

me sometime as I stood there 

sunk in distress as I watched them 

walk away vanishing through the 

mirage but I knew I had to change 

up and gear up for the long stay 

ahead. 

I was the tallest (I thought so) joining form one 

but definitely there was the likes of Adam Kibwana 

who would later become the school captain and I 

remember the form two staring at me from their 

classroom windows and they must have wondered 

who this chap is as I dragged my big black metal box 

through the dusty road leading to the institution 

administration block. ‘DETERMINATION KNOWS 

NO BARRIER’ the faded school motto on the wall 

Not so long a short man with a 

funny accent whom age had taken 

a chance on approached us and 

requested us to follow him to our 

respective dormitories, we were 

quite a number. Things were 

totally different from what I had 

in mind about boarding school. 

Or maybe things will change with 

time? I kept on consoling myself 

as I eagerly waited for the dinner bell 

to ring. Thoughts of running away kept 

hitting my mind hard and deep, voices in 

my head had an otherwise solution but 

still where was I to run to with the school 

having a double barbed wire fence? I had 

no clue how I got here and for sure home 

was far away, I guessed right. 

50 


LemFi: 

Empowering Kenyans in the UK with Every Transaction 

For countless Kenyans in the UK, the desire to support 

their families and loved ones while residing in the 

UK has always been met with financial obstacles. 

However, LemFi (formerly Lemonade Finance), has 

stepped in to bridge the distance, helping families 

maintain the cherished bonds that time and distance 

often strain. 

With LemFi, Kenyans will no longer miss out on the 

joyous celebrations that fill their hearts with laughter 

and warmth. Birthdays, weddings, graduations— 

LemFi that transcends the boundaries of space and 

time, ensuring that they are present in spirit, even 

when their physical presence cannot be. 

By offering a platform that provides the best exchange 

rates and free international money transfers, LemFi 

ensures that every hard-earned Kenyan shilling 

reaches its destination intact, maximizing the impact 

of their financial support. 

In a world that moves at an unprecedented pace, 

instant transactions have become a necessity. LemFi 

recognizes this need and delivers on its promise of 

instant transactions, allowing Kenyans to send and 

receive money in real-time. 

No longer do families have to endure long waiting 

periods or uncertain financial circumstances. 

For most Kenyans, every transaction lies a heartfelt 

story, a tale of love, sacrifice, and unwavering 

commitment. Whether it’s a mother sending 

money to support her child’s education, a sibling 

helping their brother start a small biashara, or 

a shosho providing for the well-being of their 

grandchildren, LemFi becomes the vehicle that 

transforms financial transactions into emotional 

bridges, strengthening the ties that bind families 

together. 

Beyond the exceptional product features, though, 

LemFi’s impact extends far beyond the realm of 

individual transactions. It goes one step further and 

enables families to invest in education, improve 

living standards, and drive economic growth. With 

each transaction, LemFi is helping build a stronger, 

more prosperous Kenya. 

To be a part of the LemFi community is an invitation to 

be part of a transformative movement, to embrace 

a future where financial barriers are shattered, and 

heartfelt connections are strengthened. 

PHOTOS: MRSEED KENYA AND FRIENDS IN THE PARK 


52 


OPINION 

CORNER 

With the inclusion 

of Kenyans in the 

Diaspora popularly known as 

County48 in the ballot box, Kenya 

is facing an unprecedented shift 

of political landscape of monumental 

proportions. 

Firstly, the County 48 has significant 

influence of voters in their 

villages that are as result of the 

direct and indirect support their 

people back home. 

This support may include community 

projects they have initiated 

or contributed to, children 

they have supported in schools 

or even the mere respect they 

command through their personal 

or academic achievements. 

This influence can be crucial in 

shaping the political direction 

of the area ultimately determining 

the calibre of people who get 

elected to represent the people in 

that area. 

Unlike back home where democracy 

is largely determined by 

the weight of your pocket which 

consequently and to a large 

extend favours corrupt leaders, 

in the Western democracy where 

majority of the County48 community 

live its completely a different 

ball game as the paradigm shifts 

from weight of pocket to issue 

based politics. 

This paradigm shift is and would 

be therefore a culture shock for 

the corrupt leaders who believe 

WHY 

COUNTY 

48 COUNTS 

money is everything. This means 

an 

unprecedented natural death is in 

the offing the older generation of 

hand-out style of leaders. 

This is the very reason why we 

have seen open revolt for perceived 

corrupt aspirants on many 

of County48 forums while those 

who support corrupt leaders are 

afraid of coming out in the open 

to campaign for them. 

On the same platforms we have 

seen the majority of members 

openly using every available opportunity 

to criticise and demonise 

corrupt Kenyan leaders for 

alleged looting of public coffers 

and now using the same wealth 

to extend their dynasty of corruption 

and domination overseas. 

It’s now clear that unlike in Kenya 

where issue of honesty and 

accountability is never a priority 

in the campaign trail, for the 

County48, the onus is how the 

perceived leaders will transform 

the country to the next level with 

a visionary agenda. 

Understandably the question 

of accountability will make 

County48 a very tricky ground for 

voting-hunting for those leaders 

with corruption tainted CVs as 

As this may trigger tough questions 

to such leaders about their 

source of wealth and particularly 

on issues of massive donations 

By Thomas Musau. 

during the campaign period. 

Buying of voters is simply impossible 

in County48. This is because 

not only the community can afford 

basic needs but also their environment 

has already made them 

averse to deceit and manipulation 

that form the bulk of their home 

politics. 

The fact that County48 cannot be 

profiled on ethnic based politics 

is also a headache for politicians 

used to divisive politics based on 

tribal hatred. This again is another 

blow for cheap politicians with no 

ideas who thrive on threats and 

illogical consequences or ethnic 

gains based in who and how they 

vote. 

Ultimately, the ripple effect of the 

County48 political landscape will 

shape the politics of the entire 

country and bring a new generation 

of issue-based, progressive 

and accountability driven politics. 

As the Kenya’s Independent 

Electoral and Boundaries Commission 

(IEBC) progressively gives 

more voting rights to members of 

County48, and eventually being 

able to have its own representatives 

in the houses of parliament, 

Kenyan politics will never be the 

same. 

For any comments about this 

article please email tomusau@ 

gmail.com 

Tweeter @ThomasMusau 


54 6TH KINGS PHOTOS: EDITION MRSEED | JUNE 2023 KENYA AND FRIENDS IN THE PARK



LIFESTYLE 

Anne Njeri Nugent 

THE PAGEANT ‘RUNAWAY’ QUEEN 

Anne Njeri, or as her friends 

nicknamed her “The Pageant 

Runaway Queen” since exploring 

the Pageantry World, comes across 

as a caring extroverted person with 

a bubbly spirit. Yet, she embodies 

the spirit of a true girl born in 

the busy capital city of Kenya. 

In Nairobi, Anne achieved her 

education right through Nursery, 

Primary, and Secondary. In College, 

Anne achieved a qualification in 

Marketing and International Business 

Communications. She then started 

off as an apprentice trainee in a busy, 

fast-paced firm in the Energy Sector 

as a GIS Data Mapping Technician. 

This was a job she did with so much 

passion and enthusiasm for many 

years up to the point that she moved 

to the UK. Currently, Anne lives in 

Northern Ireland, in a lovely ‘wee 

town’ called Armagh County. The 

locals call it ‘wee’ even though it’s 

a term commonly used to describe 

things that aren’t so little at all - like a 

‘wee’ cup of tea or a‘wee massive bun.’ 

Anne made her debut in the 

pageantry worldin 2020/21, 

dubbed the Miss/Mrs Africa UK 

Empowerment Pageant. Anne 

emerged as Third Runner Up in 

the highly contested international 

pageant, after making it as a 

56 


finalist out of a record of entries received by 

the organisation. With so many participants of 

African origin and ancestry across the UK, Anne 

was so proud to fly high the Kenyan flag and 

represent her country of birth in the Grand 

Finale. This took place in July 2022 at Kimpton 

Clock Tower Hotel, Manchester. During the 

Grand Finale, contestants were tested on their 

fundraising abilities for the different causes of 

the pageant, their interview skills, personality, 

public speaking skills, and their impact on their 

respective communities both back home in 

Africa and here in the UK. Contestants also got 

to showcase their traditional and evening wear. 

Anne could hardly believe it when her name 

was called out on the final Top Five and admits 

she felt so emotional. In her world, she believes 

representation matters and the power of showing 

up and redefining stories to inspire the next 

generations of women and, especially her fiveyear-old 

daughter who is her greatest inspiration 

and motivation, her Mummy was a winner! as she 

did get to watch her on the big stage. Anne only 

hopes she planted a seed in her of believing in 

oneself. 

Anne has good, savvy flair and style as far as 

dressing up is concerned. From her early days 

growing up in Nairobi, working in a high street 

menswear shop in a busy mall in Nairobi gave her 

a lot of experience in Sales and Fashion generally. 

Anne also considers herself a philanthropist. 

She believes that one doesn’t need a lot to give 

as there are many elements giving. She donates 

a lot of her time to youth advocacy causes, 

women empowerment initiatives and community 

development. She also invests her time in the 

youth through the transfer of skills, mentorship 

and empowerment. Shared knowledge is of 

more value than stored knowledge. Giving back 

to the community will build and create a better 

tomorrow.Anne hopes to compete again in the 

Pageantry and to get involved in Fashion shows 

like the Aberdeen Fashion Week, the London 

Fashion Week, the African Fashion week and 

many more. She also collaborates with brands and 

businesses for content creation. Anne’s Parting 

Shot: 

● “Never underestimate the Power of planting a 

seed; it will grow.” 

Anne’s Social Media: 

● Facebook: Anne Nugent Njesh | Instagram @ 

njeeerynjesh. 


POLITICAL FEATURE 

BERNARD MAKAU KAVYU 

Founding Leader of the PPD Party (Diaspora) 

My name is Bernard. I hold a Bachelor 

of Arts (B.A. Hons) in Economics, a 

Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL) and 

a Master of Philosophy in Political Science 

(MPhil). I have over 20 years of lecturing 

experience in the tertiary sector including 

colleges and universities in Africa and 

Europe specialising in Economics and 

Law. My journey to being a champion of 

the Diaspora County 48 Kenya is rooted in 

a career that began in Kenya my beloved 

country of birth. Born in Kitui county to a 

teacher father and a housewife mother, 

there was nothing that could point to the 

direction my future life would take. One 

can say my ending up as the founding 

Party Leader of the Party for Peace and 

Development (PPD Party) was just as 

destiny would have it when my first 

experience of “diaspora” came early in life. 

For my primary school education, I 

moved from Kitui to Mombasa. Living 

in Mombasa felt like “diaspora”. Anyone 

who has ever been to Mombasa for 

the first time will tell what it feels like 

with that first experience of seeing the 

Indian Ocean and crossing it by ferry at 

Likoni. No experience can match that 

feeling, at least in my case. This was the 

beginning of my quest to explore the 

world. I completed my Primary School 

Education in Mombasa at Serani Primary 

School and joined the then-missionary 

secondary school, Kyome Boys School. 

I achieved a Division 1 (distinction) in 

my ‘O Levels’ and proceeded to do my 

‘A Levels’ at St Charles Lwanga, Kitui. My 

late parents were very devoted Christians. 

They strongly believed in the need to 

give children strong Christian values at 

an early age. This was best guaranteed 

by sending their children to faith-based 

schools. This is something that stuck with 

me, and I have ensured that my own 

children attended faith-based schools 

here in the UK. After passing my A Levels 

with 4 principals and a subsidiary, I joined 

Moi University in Kenya and graduated 

in 1993 as part of the last student 

cohort under the 7-4-2-3 education 

system which was replaced by the 8-4-4 

education system. Immediately after 

my graduation, I got my very first job at 

the American Universities Preparatory 

Institute where I taught TOEFL, SATs, 

GRE and GMAT to students proceeding 

to study in the United States of America. 

From the moment I started working 

there, I knew that sooner or later I would 

leave Kenya for the Diaspora. At this point 

going to the United States of America 

would have been the obvious choice. But, 

as destiny would have it, my expedition 

took me to Southern Africa. The then 

newly-independent country of Namibia 

was to become my home for the next 11 

years. 

Back at the American Universities 

Preparatory Institute, a colleague was 

hosting Namibian students, and when 

these Namibian students were returning 

home they invited my colleague to 

visit. My colleague informed me about 

this visit. I knew my time had come to 

pursue my diaspora quest. From that 

point on my preparations culminated 

in my departure from Kenya to Namibia 

on 18th February 1995. Ever since then, 

the diaspora has become my second 

home. I boarded Kenya Airways at Jomo 

Kenyatta International Airport and landed 

at Windhoek International Airport. Flying 

and soaring high up the skies with the 

eagles is an experience of a lifetime. Fast 

forward to the year 2006 and by then, I 

was a permanent resident of Namibia. 

Having completed a Postgraduate 

Diploma in Law (PG Dip Law) at the 

University of Cape Town (South Arica) 

and a Masters Degree in Political Science 

(MPhil cum laude) I taught at the 

University of Namibia. I also married, 

had a son, and opened a private college. 

After 11 years of living in Namibia, I felt 

I had achieved all that I could achieve 

- including the founding of the Kenya 

58 


Welfare Association of Namibia. 

Essentially, it was through the Kenya 

Welfare Association of Namibia that my 

involvement in diaspora politics was 

rekindled. Back at Moi University, I was 

Chairman of the Akamba University 

Students Association (AUSA) and 

later in 1992 a member of YK’92. So, 

thanks to Namibia, it occurred to me 

how Kenyans in the diaspora were 

fragmented and disunited, and how 

this also made them very vulnerable. 

It was time to unify all Kenyans in the 

diaspora, and if that were to happen 

I needed a larger arena and bigger 

audience in the diaspora. So it was 

time to move again. The expedition 

bug had hit me and my sojourn in 

Namibia, my second home, was over. 

I wanted to experience more of the 

Diaspora. The time was right to explore 

other continents. 

Again, my preferred choice was the 

United States of America. But as 

destiny would have it, on 22 October 

2006 I boarded a South Africa Airways 

flight that landed at Gatwick Airport 

in the United Kingdom. By then I 

was an experienced diasporan. I had 

toured the world and I understood 

better what was needed to unite 

Kenyans in the diaspora. The 2010 

Kenyan Constitution created 47 

counties in Kenya. In June 2014, the 

Kenya Diaspora Policy (KDP 2014) was 

adopted by the Kenya Government. 

For once, a legal framework existed 

for engagement between the Kenya 

Diaspora and the Kenya Government. 

With the support of Lydia Tett Olet, a 

prominent and highly respected TV 

Talk Show host, the name Diaspora 

County 48 Kenya was unveiled. Hon 

Moses Kuria was in attendance in his 

capacity as a former diasporan. 

As the founding Party Leader of the 

Party for Peace and Development 

(PPD) of Kenya, our motto is Together 

We Can. Last year (2022) alongside 

other prominent diaspora leaders 

like Lydia Tett Olet, we embarked 

on a massive awareness campaign 

to mobilise Kenyans in the Diaspora 

to register themselves, for purposes 

of accessing public services and 

participating in the recently held 

general elections in Kenya. With 

the newly created Department for 

Diaspora Affairs in Kenya, we have an 

ongoing registration campaign for all 

Kenyans living abroad. Additionally, 

we exploit the benefits of social media 

networking with a presence on all 

major social media platforms. As we 

continue to engage with the Kenyan 

government as a partner for serving 

all Kenyans in the diaspora, we have 

identified key services that Kenyans 

living in the diaspora would like us 

to address. Top among them is the 

provision of insurance in the event 

of unforeseen hardships, distress, 

evacuation - and, in the worst-case 

scenario, death, burial in the diaspora 

or repatriation of mortal remains 

for burial in Kenya. To this end, we 

encourage every Kenyan living in 

the diaspora or relocating abroad to 

ensure that they take up insurance in 

the event of any eventualities. This is 

an area where we seek to engage with 

the Government of Kenya to ensure 

that all Kenyan citizens abroad are well 

served and protected. 

For further information please 

contact: 

Bernard Kavyu 

Office: +44 121 295 1116 

UK Mob: +44 7985 129 668 


Health & Wellbeing Feature 

Ginny Wanjiro 

“The Kenyan nurse who introduced 

haircare for Black patients” 

“Ginny Wanjiro is a Kenyan-born 

nurse who works for the NHS in the 

UK. She is an Intensive care nurse 

at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital. 

During the Covid pandemic, 

Ginny always paid attention to 

all her patients’ needs in terms 

of their physical health, as well 

as hair and skin. Due to the very 

limited equipment available to 

her, however, Ginny found it a big 

challenge to continue providing 

her patients with the kind of 

care she aspired to. The most 

affected patients were those 

from diverse ethnic backgrounds, 

especially if they had curly, coily, 

or afro hair. Given that the hospital 

treats patients from all over the 

world, Ginny knew she had to fix 

the problem. As a devoted nurse, 

and after she saw patients of Black 

and minority ethnic heritages hair 

become matted forcing staff to cut 

it off during the pandemic, Ginny’s 

pioneering spirit kicked in. It led 

her to decide one day to bring 

hairbrushes and combs to work. 

There were so many patients in 

intensive care who came from all 

over the country during Covid, and 

they were so ill. Although Ginny and 

her colleagues kept the patients 

alive, they didn’t have the tools 

to look after their patients’ hair 

properly. All they could get were 

little white combs which just didn’t 

work, especially on Afro-African 

hair. Some of the patients’ hair had 

become so matted it had to be cut 

it off, which was heartbreaking 

for Ginny. She thought, what 

can she do as a nurse to make 

sure her patients are ok, but also 

to improve their care standards? 

Already at Guy’s and St Thomas’, 

hospital care is world-class. But 

Ginny knew it could do better. She 

said to herself, they will not be 

defeated. She will make their ICU 

inclusive. So, Ginny sourced different 

60 


styles of combs which could be 

used on all hair textures. She also 

looked for moisturisers for patients 

of all skin tones. What came out as a 

result was a project that was piloted 

across four intensive care units at St 

Thomas’ Hospital. Ginny’s vision 

for how patients should look 

came from personal experience. 

When her father became ill and 

then died, he had been perfectly 

groomed, and this she said, was a 

comfort. 

For Ginny, her father’s face is the 

face that always stays with her. 

And that’s what she aspired to do 

for her patients’ relatives too. For 

Ginny, it’s those little things that 

really count. She wanted all her 

patients to be looked after as they 

deserve to be, especially when 

in intensive care. They should 

feel the best they can. This 

includes having their hair nicely 

brushed and their skin beautifully 

moisturised. Ginny ordered a 

range of combs including afro 

combs, wide-toothed combs and 

detangling brushes. Her colleagues 

in dermatology advised her on 

the best moisturiser for most 

skin types. She also had good 

feedback from patients’ families, 

which was satisfying. It made 

her feel like she was making a 

difference. Soon afterwards thanks 

to Ginny, 20 nurses were trained 

during a three-month trial, with 

more joining daily to look after 

the hair of around 250 patients. If 

successful, the initiative may be 

rolled out more widely across the 

Trust and ultimately through the 

NHS in the UK. 

Coronavirus opened Ginny’s eyes to 

a hiddden need. So many patients 

came into the intensive care units 

who were very sick, and their hair 

was terrible. Their skin was flaky, 

and they were in really bad shape. 

This is what made Ginny think, 

about what is lacking, and what 

needed to be done to improve 

patient conditions in the ICU. Six 

months after Ginny’s initial meeting 

with management, she was granted 

funding. Her haircare initiative was 

launched in September as a pilot 

across four of St Thomas’ ICUs. 

Ginny’s haircare services would 

cover more than just the basics. 

Patients would have their hair 

washed, cut, blow-dried, and if they 

wished, braided.” 

“The impact of the pilot on the 

mental well-being and confidence 

of some of the most vulnerable 

patients at St Thomas’ was almost 

immediate. Many of the patients’ 

relatives wrote to Wanjiro to express 

their gratitude for the new care 

service. For Trish McCready, an ICU 

sister at St Thomas’ who is part of 

the haircare initiative, providing 

haircare services to patients is 

not just a superficial exercise, but 

crucial to their recovery. When 

they get better, they want to leave 

in a reasonably sane condition. 

If not a little bit better than 

when they arrived, they want to 

leave the hospital without knotty 

matted hair or horribly dry skin. 

Psychologically, it makes them 

feel better too. They deserve the 

best care experience possible, for 

probably what’s not going to be the 

nicest of journeys going - through 

intensive care.” 

Ginny Wanjiro (far left) and staff 

at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS 

Foundation Trust 

Sister Ginny Wanjiro. 

Photograph: Alicia Canter/ 

The Guardian 


EVENTS & 

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This wildflower honey with a very 

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6TH 6TH KINGS KINGS EDITION EDITION | JUNE | JUNE 2023 2023 

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ESTHER N MWANGI 

My faith, My testimony, and My Mission 

My names are Esther N. 

Mwangi. I am the founder 

of Rumbling Watersound 

International Ministries - or 

RWSI. I am over-45 years old 

and a single mother of 4 

beautiful children. I live in 

Stockholm, Sweden, but I was 

born and raised in Kenya. I am 

the last born in a family of 7 

children. I grew up in a faithrich 

family. Going to church 

and praying every evening 

before supper was normal. 

I grew up seeing my father 

include God in everything he 

did. Even though I had grown 

up in a family that believed 

that there was God, it was not 

until I was in secondary school 

that I received Jesus as my 

personal saviour. Since then, I 

can say that I grow daily in my 

walk with Jesus Christ. I have 

not always been committed, 

so my life is all about the 

grace of God and His mercies 

toward us all. I came to Sweden 

in 1996 and have lived here 

since. I noticed that there were 

fewer people that believed 

in God here than there were 

in Kenya. I got friends that 

were unbelievers and on one 

occasion we had planned 

on going to a club to enjoy 

ourselves. But God changed 

all that with a divine dream/ 

vision encounter in December 

of 1996 that totally marked 

me for life. Since that time, 

that vision has always brought 

me back to God no matter 

how far I wanted to run. Since 

then God has allowed me to 

have many divine visions and 

encounters that have kept 

me stronger in faith. My faith 

in God has become the only 

rock that carries me, holds me, 

hides me, and surrounds me. 

God means everything to me. 

I have gone through a lot in 

my life that has helped shape 

me to become the person 

that I am today. It all started 

many years ago when I got 

frustrated. I could not see God 

doing anything in my life the 

way I had experienced Him 

while in Africa. The Sweden 

that I encountered was not 

the Sweden that I had in 

my mind when I left Kenya 

for Europe. All these factors 

contributed to my desire to see 

a God that is not only real in 

Kenya but in my now present 

country of residence. That 

year, I had also gone through 

a painful divorce that totally 

went against everything that I 

thought life was going to look 

like for me. I began to struggle 

with my faith in God. I couldn’t 

understand how God could 

answer my prayers while in 

Kenya but not in Sweden. It 

meant that either something 

was wrong with my faith or 

God was never real at all. I gave 

God one year to prove to me 

that He was still God even in 

Sweden. I also told Him that I 

wanted everything about my 

life to have a testimony about 

Him. What I never knew was 

that I was asking for problems. 

Within that year, I promised 

to obey every little detail He 

asked me to do. That year God 

totally emptied everything that 

64 


CREATIVE 

WOMEN ABROAD 

Written by Karibu Magazine Team 

I can call mine and filled my life 

with testimony after testimony. 

for example, getting hit by a 

car - the car was written off 

but I was left standing; getting 

permitted to live and work 

here, and buying a house with 

basically no financial status, … 

just to mention a few. 

I have written my first book, 

The Near Miss, which is coming 

out soon. In this book, which I 

could call a book full of drama 

and suspense, the events in it 

unfold as if watching a thriller 

movie - only that I was the 

main actor. I talk about my 

near-death experience after 

delivering my youngest son. 

How I moved from celebrating 

the birth of my youngest 

son to fighting for my life. 

Every second passed, and 

doctors were forced to make 

a tough decision uncertain 

of the consequences. By 

this time I was placed under 

clinical comma, with none of 

my organs working. Totally 

paralyzed. I needed help 

with everything including 

breathing, eating, and all 

basic hygiene. In the book, 

I talk about my visit to 

heaven, what Jesus Christ 

paid for and the power 

of the cross, the power of 

faith-based prayers, the value 

of having a circle of people 

that believe around you, and 

what God allowed me to learn 

about the power of the words 

that we speak beside many 

other things. In the coming 

book, I hope that through my 

testimony, many will begin 

believing in God and expect 

Him to do the impossible….. 

I have written my first 

book, The Near Miss, 

which is coming out 

soon. In this book, which 

I could call a book full of 

drama and suspense... 

The RWSI is a non-profit 

organization. Its sole focus 

is bringing Gospel music 

to everyone, besides other 

things. After living in Sweden 

for a while I realised that 

gospel artists rarely have an 

open platform to express 

themselves freely through 

their music, except the very 

few times in churches. I also 

realised that it is much easier 

to get sponsors as long as 

one is singing anything else 

than gospel music - in Europe 

in particular. RWSI, therefore, 

focuses mainly on sponsoring 

new gospel singers to record 

their first song. We also help 

in promoting their music to 

the best of our ability to a 

given point. At the moment 

we also have a 24/7 RWSI 

Internet Radio Station with the 

hope of turning into a proper 

FM Radio Station in the near 

future. The full vision of RWSI 

was given during its official 

launch on 25th February 2023 

at TumbaScene, Utbildningsv 

2A 14740 Tumba, Sweden. Our 

special guest was Reverend 

Ruth Wamuyu, a well-known 

singer from Kenya. Rev. Ruth 

Wamuyu is the overseer of 

Victors Assembly Chapel (VAC) 

in Kenya. For more information 

about RWSI, or if you would 

love to sponsor what we are 

doing, kindly contact us using 

the following details: 

Rumbling Watersound 

International - Instagram, FB, 

Twitter, and YouTube. 

WhatsApp Tel. Nr. 

+46707705310 

Email: Vaniscoenm@hotmail. 

com 

65 


ANTONY MUIRURI 

Author of 

“BE GOOD FOR GOOD” 

Antony Muiruiri is a man with a 

difference. Today he trends the 

airwaves as a self-made podcaster 

and bestselling author. Antony was 

born in Thika, Kenya, and currently 

lives in Athens, Greece, where he 

has been based for just over 17 

years. His occupation is Motivational 

Speaking, but he is also emerging 

as an acclaimed podcaster with his 

new talk show, ‘Now Tell Us.’ Here is 

Antony’s trip down memory lane as 

he narrated to Karibu Magazine. 

I was born in a village in central 

Kenya. A place where you had to run 

five kilometres in the morning to 

school, five kilometres back home 

for a lunch break, five kilometres 

back to school and five kilometres 

home in the evening all this barefoot. 

Only to get back home and go to 

the shamba to gather food for the 

goats or fetch water and firewood. 

On days that we were not going 

to school, we had to work in the 

shamba digging, planting, weeding, 

tending or harvesting depending 

on the season. Otherwise, you could 

also be allocated the duty of herding 

the cows. You had to work even from 

an early age being a part of running 

the home and bringing food to the 

table. Despite all this, where people 

could be lacking in resources and 

working harder every single day, we 

had a close-knit community where 

everyone was there for each other 

supporting one another in every area 

of life. Harmony among neighbours 

was evident and the instilling of good 

morals in children was a societybased 

affair. I talk more about this in 

my book “Be Good For Good.” 

School life was fun. Getting that relief 

from great responsibilities just to 

sit and listen plus being with other 

children who enjoyed freedom for 

the short playtime we got to have 

during the break, was great. For 

me, that was the perspective. What 

is meant for the home remains at 

home, and what is meant for school 

remains there. Being brought up in a 

nurturing environment is a big plus. 

For that I thank God. I also thank the 

ones that He gave me to guide me 

along the way. My parents, siblings 

and other relatives. As much as that 

is important though, it all comes 

down to someone’s own choices 

and actions. Nothing comes easy. 

It takes individual commitment, 

persistence and resilience to see 

one progress and grow in life. I’ve 

had my own challenges that I had to 

overcome and keep going towards 

my goals. With God’s Grace being 

sufficient, someone’s efforts bring 

accomplishment. That has been my 

journey. There is someone who said 

that it doesn’t matter what you will 

leave for your children, what really 

matters is what you leave inside 

them. The ideas you expose them 

to, the principles and virtues you 

instil in them. I look back and I am 

thankful for the awareness that could 

have been created earlier on in my 

life. The fact that it doesn’t matter 

what happens to you. What matters 

most is what is happening inside of 

you that will eventually affect your 

66 

66 


A Trip Down Memory Lane 

external circumstances. This is now 

what drives my passion for reaching 

out to our young generation. To give 

back to society what was handed to 

me in my younger years. That seed of 

greatness is planted in the thoughts 

of fertile young minds. Sometimes in 

dark times of their lives, in order for 

them to bloom into a bright future. 

I appreciate every experience I had 

along the way. The hard times I had 

back then helped me identify the 

privileges of everyday life that we are 

blessed to be enjoying today. Every 

single experience has contributed 

to who I am today. As young men, 

we used to be disciplined and 

punished. The world has since 

changed altogether and society 

has criminalised punishment as a 

way of discipline. The Bible however 

has never changed. It states that 

“Whoever spares the rod hates 

their children, but the one who 

loves their children is careful to 

discipline them.” - Proverbs 13:24 

NIV. Of course, this is a debatable 

matter. Cases of indiscipline are 

unique to individuals. Choices for 

correcting wayward behaviour 

are available to every parent 

depending on the magnitude of the 

wrong and possible consequences 

to both the youngster and the 

parent/guardian. I’ve witnessed 

parents who have been at a point 

of choosing between themselves 

answering in a court of law for 

supposedly child abuse or waiting 

to see their child behind prison 

doors for lawlessness. We also grew 

up hearing stories of wife-beating. 

Some of us even experienced it in 

our neighbourhoods or homesteads. 

Then later on we heard of men’s 

mutilation on a great scale. In my 

honest opinion, the term gender 

violence is a stereotype. It should be 

human violence. I condemn any act 

of violence against a fellow human 

being of whatever form. 

I am happy where I live today. My 

greatest joy comes in knowing that 

a fellow human being is living a 

healthy life in all aspects and lives to 

his or her full potential. To this effect, 

I choose to be a positive influence on 

all whom I come into contact with. 

Being a motivational speaker and 

preacher gives me an opportunity 

to influence individuals and groups 

into the right way of thinking. 

This eventually leads to the right 

interactions and actions. Everything 

starts with your thoughts. What you 

feed your mind on has the potential 

to shape your entire life and destiny. 

I desire to be that driving force of 

right thinking and doing not only 

in my immediate neighbourhood 

but internationally. On practical 

grounds, I am in the leadership of 

the Kenyan Community in Greece 

as General Secretary. As leaders, we 

undertake the responsibility to see 

that members of the community live 

in harmony with one another and 

help one another where need be 

in different areas of life - spiritually, 

physically, financially etc. 

Contact: https://www. 

anthonymuiruri.com/ 

67 


KENYA AND FRIENDS IN THE PARK

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6TH 6TH KINGS KINGS EDITION EDITION | JUNE | JUNE 2023 2023


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Karibu Magazine (Kings Edition) 2023

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