Kenya
A Family’s African Secret
I was caught off guard when a relative asked me if I knew that my grandfather was a hero during the Mau Mau uprising, infiltrating enemy gangs, sometimes in blackface. Investigating further was a source of shame, but felt like an opportunity to draw a line between us.
A Digital Uprising
Protests triggered by the introduction of a tax bill broke out in Kenya two weeks ago. Initially coordinated by young people on social media, they drew in other groups as they spilled onto the streets. Amid the destruction, Kenyans are focused on government accountability like never before.
Kenya’s Traditional Healers Work To Preserve the Rainforest
Forest-dwelling communities in Kenya are facing environmental degradation as economic hardships force people to cut down trees to eke out subsistence livelihoods. But some in the underserved Luhya communities of Kakamega County are now turning to traditional medicine for remedies, regenerating their preservation of the forest.
Kenyan Descendants of Slaves Struggle To Belong
For the descendants of slaves living in Frere Town today, their demands to be recognized as a tribe in their own right, to have control over their church and to secure ownership over their land are an existential matter. If they lose this settlement, they fear they will lose themselves.
How the UK’s Propaganda Won Cold War Allies in Kenya
As King Charles’ recent visit to Kenya suggests, the U.K. is beginning to acknowledge the violence of its actions during decolonization. But a focus on successful nationalist heroes over campaigns for wider social change continues a long-standing policy of allying with moderate elites.
Northern Kenya’s Unending Battle With Banditry and Cattle Rustling
Lomelo in Turkana County in northwestern Kenya has been bearing the brunt of cattle rustling and armed banditry attacks between the Turkana community and neighboring Pokot for decades. Over time, cattle raiding has devolved into attacks on civilians and has turned the locality into a battlefield. There is no solution in sight to halt the insecurity.
In Tragedy’s Wake, Kenya Grapples With How To Combat Dangerous Cults
In what has become known as the Shakahola Massacre, Paul Mackenzie is alleged to have forced his Kenyan congregants to fast to death so that they could meet Jesus. Over 400 deaths have been confirmed, prompting a rethink of the boundaries of church and state.