THE MWANANCHIS PERSPECTIVE

Art is one of the oldest pieces of happiness that human being identify with and that has evolved overtime,but when one decide to use art to solve some of the pressing issues it becomes phenomenal. Mr kelvin Omondi famously known as ohms law Montana is an award winning hip artist from kisauni in Mombasa who has chosen to use hip in preventing violent extremism ,crime and many other issues affecting young people in kisauni and  the coast region at large . pictured ,ohms law montana ohms law montana is passionate about creating social change through spoken word and  hip hop ,which he highly attributes to the bettering the youths of the neighborhood where he grew up ,especially changing the perception  of how people look at kisauni. every time we hear KISAUNI it always bear a negative tag ,that why i felt the need to redefine kisauni ,because just like other neighborhoods there are good people in kisauni as well.we are trying to write a different narrative ,my team an...

A winner is not called a winner for winning a contest, neither is he called a winner for winning once more but rather for maintaining the same status, this is a statement that best describes Likoni community rugby team since their's is a story of triumphing amidst tribulations, call them the giants of likoni because they have fought to defend their title like true warriors do. The likoni  community rugby started as an idea from three friends who were attending church together at ACK,ST Philips church Likoni. It was an idea that was born out of the motive of solving a minor problem where for instance children idling around during and after Sunday school, without knowing that it would bind them together into one big family. T his is what Mr Dennis Gem had to say when i asked him how it all started ? We started the team after realizing that children were roaming around during and after church so we had to come up with away to keep the children busy as they wait for their parents who...

People say that human beings will always take the easiest road to survive in life but Joyce dama has defied this myth and chose to take a path less traveled by many women and men ,it was out of the waves and chains of patriarchy and traditions that she decided to break loose .When I first meet her she giggles when I call her Mekatilili Jeri ,and we all burst out in big laughter! Joyce Dama is a 30 year old women and land activist who has taken it upon herself to educate and fight for women rights challenging corridors of patriarchy in her own small ways .Having experienced some cultures and traditions in her community that were not favoring women especially in land ownership she decided to champion for the women rights in 2009,where she would constantly educate women on ;the land rights ,seeking to address the land injustice through alternative dispute resolution ADR. her motivation to be in the land and women right struggle is i didn't want other women to experience what i ex...

Never tell a young person that its not possible ,because there is nothing that can be impossible for a young person with the will and zeal especially for that one person who has grown in an environment of negativity and impossibility but has fought so hard to redeem himself and claim his space. Mr.peter otiende is a 29 year old youth who is passionate about changing the narrative that is normally propagated about the youth in this country and a true example of starting small and finishing big. He is currently the head of ZINDUA YOUTH ASSOCIATION an organization that him and his friend established in 2009 in embakasi, kayole.They deal with governance,Leadership and SDG mainstreaming which is a new phenomenal that has pulled quite a number of challenges . One of the biggest challenges in SDG mainstreaming is how the community can relate the domestication of the SDG to policies plus the youth dynamics. Leadership is about finding a problem and offering a solution or an al...

Desmond tutu says that as a young person it's dangerous not to know your history,but what if your history is distorted? Or one sided or even subjective ? People living in informal settlements or in areas considered to be less privileged have always fallen victims of a single story .for instance every time you hear of kisauni in mombasa you think of wakali kwanza but one might wonder whether there are no good stories that people can write about kisauni. How would people get to know of the beautiful things happening in this areas if all that is written is about robbery ,mugging and all other bad vices . In Shauri Yako,mombasa there kids with amazing talents but nobody talks about them.Recently ,a group of youths came together to put up a talent show in a bid to explore and nurture the talents of this young people. The talent show was dubbed "talent mtaani/Boresha base and the main intention was to change the narrative of how people view Shauri Yako . It was evident that they...

when a river is flooding not even a stone can make it head in a different direction,this is what can best describe Miss mary maina.She is a lady full of determination and committed to the youth agenda in mombasa county .Hers is a story of inspiration and mentor ship to young people who look up to her . Mary maina is an astute believer of youth leadership and inclusion in the development of the country and especially matters affecting them.this is what she believes: Youth should be at the fore front driving their agenda because they understand their problems best ,they should therefore participate in the decision making process and influence change in various spaces and spheres of development She is the current speaker of Mombasa youth assembly and she holds a bachelors degree in development studies and social works.she is is also a mentor and a key player in the community service discourse.Mary has worked as a peace builder and social auditor for quite a while and has made ...

Servant leadership is one of the most important qualities in gorvenance yet the most rare to find however some leaders find it worth embracing. Hon.Mohammed Ibrahim yusuf (MCA Guticha ward in mandera county) anchor's his leadership on service to the electorates,He is a firm believer of transformational leadership especially allowing young people to be part of the decision making process. The Guticha ward MCA is 28years old and holds a bachelor's of education arts from university of Nairobi and is currently mastering in public administration and management at the Mt.kenya university.H e was able to clinched the Guticha ward Member of county assembly seat during the last election in an area that was hotly contested. Just like any other young people in Kenya ,the youth in Mandela are gruppled with many challenges including the gap in the youth voice ,where youths can not speak up for themselves or advocate for their rights and marginalization among other problems,this ...

How many times have you ever done something then stopped and turn to some else because it never worked out ? Well meet a woman who would stop at nothing just to see that there is change in the society! Mrs Grace oloo holds a diploma in good gorvenance and development,she is a community mobilizer,a member of the peace community and a board member at ziwani boys primary school. For quite some time now women vying for political seats have been overlooked and branded all sorts of names ,but that didn't stop Mrs grace Oloo from vying as an MCA in Tudor ward. Hers was a journey that was characterized by a lot of hostility and name calling just like what other women experience in other parts of the county . In the last general election I vied for a political seat,it was not a walk in the park ,the political arena is very hostile especially for the women ,people would ask me whom do I know in the system and I would say none ,because we have made ...

Dear future husband, In my silent yet very feverent prayer ,I pray that you maybe an understanding,respectful but most importantly God fearing man, That you May have a great sense of humuor ,flexible and crazy, Dear future husband I would love to dance with you any tune,from Gospel ,Bango ,regee ,mugithi and even ohangla! Would you please be that funny yet so compelling and focused! Dear future husband where will you come from ? Is it from Emuhaya ,madhira or Nyakach konditi ? Will you be tall or short ,will you have side burns or dimples ,but above all will you a Human being with integrity ! Dear future husband Will I fit in your embrace and not get lost ? Well coz I would love to get lost in your tender love I would love look into eyes and see right through your kindness right through your soul! Dear future husband, Would I get kisses for breakfast,hugs for lunch ,embraces for dinner, Would I be able to see you tear ?,would you let me be that shoulder to cry on Would ...

Faith Boniface Mwende is the current MCA elect for Kipevu ward and the only wiper MCA in the county assembly of Mombasa,a position that she clinched after sailing through all sorts of odds but one that was driven by passion to show that there is a breed of politicians with integrity in politics,however it was not an easy task to embark on having come from a church setting type of leadership where she was advocating for the rights of the youths which is an altogether different space to be in. Injustices drove me to politics ,whenever i saw a woman being harrased i would shed tears until i said enough is enough ,someone must stop the harassment, someone must speak..... Being a strong beleiver she had difficut hurdles and was first of joining politics due to the christian beliefs on politics,that was not all the challenges that she had ,ever heard of the common kenyan phrase "your name betrays you ?" this sad reality yet a fallacy ,which caught up with her really badly since ...

(rachael mwikali a feminist and a human rights activist) when i meet her ,she first bursts into a loud laughter and says Hakuna struggle ndogo na kubwa ,struggle ni struggle and agrees to share her story.... who is Rachael? am a feminist and a human rights defender who believes in women power,there is nothing that can limit a woman. what do yo do ?i convene a coalition for grassroot human rights defenders,am a member African grassroots women liberation and also mathare womens rights movement. what is your biggest fulfillment? my biggest fulfillment is seeing women speaking out after is poke out about the challenges i faced as a woman what challenges do yo face in your daily work? i get criminalized because of my gender,gender bias is a thing of the past. what can you tell others who would love to join the struggle? Everyone has a role to play in the struggle,and there is no small or big struggle ,a struggle is a struggle so you must be bold and dare to be diff...

Ever imagined a woman boda boda driver? Well meet this two lovely women from malindi who are passionate about boda bodas. With her Asian hair tied in a pony tail,her tall torso and cute smile which exposes her soft features,wrapped up in abui bui one can hardly believe that she is a boda boda driver. She seemed eager to share her story and couldn't help giggling,(I noticed that she was almost blushing from all the attention. "I started with my father's tuk tuk in 2005,then in 2010 icame to malindi and immediately picked up a boda boda and decided to take the challenge head on!" She continues to say that it was almost a taboo in her family for girls to cycle ,having come from a tough asian/Kikuyu family,her Indian dad didn't buy that idea. Mrs,caroline wanjiku looks at me straight and says "I have two big boys ,am not young! This time am left tongue tied,just gazing. Mrs Anne Natheka narrates almost the same story as caroline,"Am a mothe...

Is there a need of having elections? What will it change to vote or not to vote? A section of Kenyans have vowed not to vote in this coming elections,others are undecided whether to vote or not to vote. According to a youth interviewed in local news segment "Monday special"in citizen TV,"voting isn't going to change anything,since the elections aren't going to be credible anyway?" Another woman once told me "hata nkikupigia kura ntafaidika Na nini" Such trends and answers are very worrying especially as young people! The question would be how do we liberate ourselves from all this circus. But do people understand the power their vote holds ? Do they know that we have the power not the leaders? Article one of the Constitution talks of sovereignty of the people and supremecy of the Constitution,and that all the powers in the Constitution belongs to the people of Kenya. If we refuse to vote this elections then we will give a Lee way and a g...

Gone are the days when women use to belong strictly to the kitchen,its high time the society wore a gender lens in addressing some of the emerging issues. Some utterances made by renowned leaders are quite heart breaking,for instance when the president of Nigeria says that his wife belongs to the kitchen,it depicts how the society at large is affected by gender blindness. Does it then mean that we are aware of the capabilities and skills women possess but we are in denial? Quite often the society uses the alibi that the girl child is overempowered but to what extent? There is a very huge need of implementing goal give of the SDGs,Gender equality.for example in some of the offices what is the ratio of men to women considering their post and influence in decision making in that company? Just like any other gender women need to be given chances influence change by including them and giving them full participation in decision making. In as much as we are in the 21st century we sti...

This years intenational youth day took Mombasa county by storm following a series of youthful events and sessions,from youth forums,youth summits and many other activities. The theme for the day being "YOUTH AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT" ,Which begs the question what percentage of the youths are involved in issues of policies for example? how well does youth know the constitution? do the youths know the roles of their leaders as per the constitution? However this year the youths proved to the county that they are awake and have decided to to take full responsibilities in gorvernance matters.we witnessed a number of youths attending pulic forums on matters affecting them not forgeting youth summits.  The  youths in  Mombasa county have found anew mantra"MUSIPOTUHUSISHA,NAJIHUSISHA!!!!" to mean that change is a process that begin internally from an  individual,and therefore they are ready to involve themselves in matters of development and gorvernance. For example ;th...

Most developing countries have been faced with many challenges among st them proper waste disposal. In Kenya its not any different as this also a big challenge especially in slums. Mombasa county has a population of about 1M people,yet has only one dump site the mwakirunge dump site. The mwakirunge residents do not conquers to the fact that health is wealth as the dirt and waste of Mombasa county is disposed right in their village.The dump site which occupies a large area has become a dream a killer to many. There are alot of hazards associated with the dump site include:Air pollution,school  dropouts,poor environment leading to diseases.However all isnt lost as mwakirunge residents have hopes and no clearly what should be done.!   "hiki kibara kiondolewe kabisa ,hama kama haiwezekani hizi taka zigawanywe chuma kando,plastiki kando na kujengwe ukuta,au kujengwe kiwanda kila moja apate kazi" says a resident.

Its high time the world starts to look at kenya  and africa at large from another angle and realize there is more they can give than receive.we as kenyans for instance have so much to offer to the world if only we can cook one meal that is promoting local content. Kenyan has 42tribes that are very diverse but joined at the umblical cord because they are all children of mother kenya and grandma africa thats an asset! the different cultures could be a learning point of many individuals,from dressing of native materials like the lesos,kikoi,shukas ,and mahando to the great music of taarab,bango ,mugithi,ohangla and kilum i not forgerting  the native foods like osuga,mokimo,pilau,papa,kimanga and muthokoi. if only we could embrrace this great culture and herritage that we have and be proud to export it,for instances having an influence in fashion through the african fabriques,supporting local and home grown talents in film and music industry. i keep believing that its never l...