Sophie Ngugi - A Child of the universe

While reading the Bible in the Old Testament I am reminded of a story of a certain young man who was anointed to be king despite all odds. In his culture like it is in many traditions, wisdom is seen to come with age, and leaders should be ‘wise’. This young man didn’t fit the ‘set criteria’ so when the time for anointing the king came he was almost overlooked. Those who seemed to qualify were lined up as ‘the young boy’ was herding in the fields. Today I had an encounter that brought this event to mind. I met a young woman, 27 years and determined to make a difference in Kenya and in her community. The young woman from the North Eastern Province is determined to vie for elections in 2012. With the current constitution of Kenya, there are various opportunities for leadership and she had her mind on Parliamentary seat; had as this is no longer an option. For one to become a leader in the community he/she- mostly he- will need ‘blessings’ from the community elders. She has been hopi...

RIP- 16th April 2011 Once in a while, I interact with community members in the process of my work who leave a great impact in my life; such was the case with Margaret Kiumo. I cannot recall the first time I met Margaret but I know it was in 2004 when I was newly employed at the Women’s Resource Centre and Development Institute (WRCDI). It was my first trip to Makueni, meeting a group of volunteers for a training workshop and I arrived late in the evening. I had been given her contact “in case of anything” and I found myself at home! She was quite welcoming, calm and composed, with maturity that was just amazing. With time she became my mark for Wote Makueni, any time I was in the field I knew I “I was in safe hands”. Margaret was one of the trained community advocates who were referred to as the Violence Against Women (VAW) Advocates, a role she performed with her whole heart. I came to meet her sister Mary and some of her friends as her salon became my ‘office’ in Makueni. I was no...

Opportune moment - God loves Kenya Reflections by Sophie Ngugi ‘The day is here” That is the sentence in the tongues of many Kenyans at this time. We have about 24 hours to commencement of the cases of what have commonly come to be referred to as ‘the Ocampo 6’. This follows the naming of six individuals by the Chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Luis Moreno Ocampo named the six as the persons who hold highest criminal responsibility on the Post Elections Violence (PEV) in 2007/2008. The PEV holds sad memories for all Kenyans, within and without the country and for the rest of the world as violence we did not think possible dominated our nation. While the violence was generally said to result from disputed elections in 2007, more so the presidential results, it is generally believed that the violence was planned for the most part. While the names of the six are in public domain and are mentioned literally every minute, I will not repeat these names as I re...

I recall the day like it was yesterday. I was sitting outside our house in rural Thika, bored after the afternoon house chores. I don’t remember much anxiety apart from wondering if I had performed well enough in my Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams. My family kept assuring me that I had done quite well. The KCPE exams determines much of the future for a young person in Kenya. It determined the kind of school one would get admitted to for high school education. January 1991 was a significant year for me. Apart from waiting patiently for secondary school admission, there was also the Gulf war and I remember my young mind disturbed that we will all get bombed. It was in such moments that a boy from the neighbourhood arrived with a letter. He had been sent from school with my secondary school letter of admission. I don’t remember the circumstances under which one of my siblings was not given the letter, but it seems the headmaster (Mr James Muiru who was a great inspir...

There is a common saying that curiosity killed the cat, and a belief in that saying precisely denies us the opportunity to explore and learn. Growing up, curiosity was my second name. In fact I feel, I have missed out on getting the maximum from life, due to reduced level of curiosity in the name of growing up and knowing that the world is not a straight line, that life is not always as it seems; that people are not always as they seem. When I look at my nephews and nieces I can’t help but see aspects of my childhood in them. My niece Bridget in particular reminds me of my childhood curiosity with books! I grew up in the rural, where newspapers and other reading materials were not common. But this didn’t deter my curiosity, as a child, the world was a whole as it could be, after all as a child you don’t know what’s missing, just what’s available. One of the issues I was curious about was how the body ‘knows what the medication is meant for’! As young as 7 years I used to really wonder...