Women From Kenya

"YES! We all need to cut our consumption and be much more aware of where things come from and the impact this has on the natural world. One should NEVER buy wildlife products. One must always check the labels for things like palm oil (in all its hidden forms), stay informed and help where one can by joining hands with effective conservation. https://berkshirewoman.com/?p=1945. Her advice to consumers."

"I was born in Kenya, but spent my early life in Manyara National Park, Tanzania, where my father was doing his pioneering research on the social behaviour of wild African elephants. We lived in a series of small rondavels on the banks of the Ndala river, at the foot of a forested escarpment with a waterfall cascading down the cliffs about 100 metres from Camp. I remember splashing in rock pools close to elephants drinking in the river, and bumping into buffalo as we made our way back to our rooms at night. There was a magical place called the Ground Water Forest into which the elephants would disappear for long periods, where natural springs from the Ngorongoro mountain catchment gushed out of the rocks – we’d often stop there to pick fresh watercress in a stream at the end of a day, or climb into the vines wishing we could get higher like the monkeys. We had two little orphaned genet cats and a banded mongoose as pets that my mother had raised by hand, which I think were probably the first great loves of my life.. Speaking of her background."

"Both family and friends come to visit every now and then. We’re used to a long-distant social life in Kenya as everyone lives miles apart, so you tend to stay overnight if you go to visit someone. That being said our lives are full of social interaction in Samburu, with many people coming through Camp both from abroad and from the local nomadic communities. . Speaking of family and friends."

"Gestating a book is like waiting for a Camembert to mature. There’s definitely something large and unwritten inside me, but the ooze hasn’t started yet. Like any busy mum, I struggle to set enough quiet time aside in the day to focus. Even finding time to answer your questions has been a challenge! On top of mothering and a full time job, life in north Kenya can be somewhat left field and unpredictable. We’ve chosen an unusual route out of principle, and so unusual stuff happens on a daily basis. I think it will make for some good stories. So, yes, there’s a book coming, that I can confirm 100%."

"Well firstly, I would urge parents (all adults in fact) to see a film called Racing Extinction. It’s a few years old but it’s a good place to start. Then I’d encourage these same grown-ups to read Half Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life by E.O. Wilson. With these under their belt, they’ll be in a great place to start thinking about how to explain the situation to their kids. In my opinion, our understanding of our place in the world needs to be firmly grounded in Science, especially biology. I am often astounded by the disconnect in people’s minds between their day to day life and our absolute reliance on the natural world. Unfortunately we seem increasingly trapped in a culture of rogue materialism that is bankrupting our planet. We simply cannot continue with the business as usual model when it comes to consumption. There also needs to be much more accountability and transparency in how things are procured and produced, their long term environmental impact and pollution. I’ve often felt that too many academic disciplines – especially at tertiary level – are taught in isolation, and Economics is a prime example. So broadening the education system to prioritise environment is critical. In the end, there is one overriding cause that unites us all, the health of our biosphere which underpins the very fabric of life on which we all depend for our survival. We live on a finite planet, a fact that we ignore at our peril. Turning things around should be our number one priority."

"Right now, we need people to come to Kenya urgently to show their love and concern for wildlife by visiting the protected areas and national parks. Eco-tourism brings desperately needed funds to wildlife areas which helps keep conservation efforts going. Without tourist dollars conservancies find it hard to support the people who’ve given their land over to wildlife, and national parks and protected areas struggle to pay salaries or put fuel in anti-poaching vehicles, so the wildlife suffers as a result. Kenya is actually a very safe country. I live here with my children. And when you visit as a tourist you are looked after from the moment you arrive until the moment you leave. So come to Kenya! Come see the elephants of Samburu and stay with us at Elephant Watch!"

"Elephants are special because they are highly intelligent, sentient creatures that share much in common with us. They are self-aware, feel complex emotions like empathy and compassion, and even have a sense of their own mortality, all of which suggests a kind of consciousness that is similar to our own. They are sensitive, loving, and humorous, and at times real drama queens, but on the whole are always doing something interesting in relation to one other. What appeals to me most is that they are social, immersed in a web of complex relationships. The more you get to know them as individuals, the more you understand that each elephant has its own unique personality and character, is defined by its life experiences, and relies heavily on the elephants it knows for love and support. All of which is very similar to humans."

"The most important thing that happens when you become a parent is that you stop being the centre of your own universe. And it’s such a relief! I also didn’t know that I would have the capacity to love so much, and that you love each child in a completely different way. It’s been the greatest adventure having kids. I would like my daughters to follow their hearts and do what they really believe in. I hope that through their upbringing they will care for the same things that I do – and I’m glad to say that I see the signs already in my eldest child – but they must choose their own paths."

"Yes, at last, at long last, I have it. I have been through so much pain but God has worked his miracle. This shows if you keep knocking and believing, the door will eventually open."

"I dedicate this to my family since they have been praying so hard for this day. I’m glad to be home so I can celebrate with them."

"I would still have given it my best go if Masai was here. Sure, it would have made the race more challenging but this victory was not easy as it looks since we had to compete against bad weather."

"They said 'that's not a profession for women, But I was determined to make a difference in my life"

"I can’t believe it! At last, at long last, I have won it."

"I did not win a medal here but I’m very happy to have helped my teammate get gold. We planned to wear them down during the race instead of waiting to kick at the finish where they beat us. Linet is stronger at finishing and that is why I accepted to do all the pacing especially when our teammate Florence (Kiplagat) dropped injured and God made our plan work."

"If you are strictly into African sounds like Rhumba and Bongo, you might be disappointed but if you are open to different sounds and musical experimentation, then maybe you'll find it interesting."

"I leave it to the audience to define my style. I try out different sounds but the message is gospel."

"Many people listen to their pastors but they have never read the bible for themselves. In Africa, we have one of the most uneducated Pastorate."

"The African women conceived the idea of the Womens Peace Train from Kampala to Johannesburg during the Second Preparatory Committee of the United Nations World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD). The objective of the Womens Peace Train (WPT) was to pass on a strong message to the continent leaders, war mongers, armies, guerrillas, arms traders, and dealers in the African continent that women wanted peace and stability for their children. In its ten-day journey across seven countries, the Peace Train called upon the ringleaders and perpetrators of wars in Africa to end them forthwith. Arguing that women in Africa bear the brunt of the war burden, African women saw the WSSD as a good opportunity to campaign for the end of these wars and used the peace train to pass on the peace message."

"Aid Evaporation is a new Nortion. It is based on an academic study that comprehensively examined how ODA is governed from the source to the destination. Key ODA parameters emerged from the existing ODA governance frameworks namely; mechanism, ideology, development approach and processes. By unpacking elements contributing to aid ineffectiveness through these parameters, exploring the existence of the aid evaporation and examining the key enablers of ODA Evaporatoon, the study discovered supply side factors contributed significantly to Aid ineffectiveness. It exposed different AID Evaporation enablers which play different hidden functions such as ODA Door Openers, Appetixers, Softeners, Sponges, Convertors, Controllers, Distorters as well as Carrot and Stick among others. Key findings revealed that the prevailing perception that aid ineffectiveness was a demand side problem was only part of the story because supply side challenges were probably more responsible for billions of ODA that could not be accounted for. It has recommended the re-writing of the narrative that ODA ineffectiveness is predominantly premised on demand side by incorporating supply side factors. Findings demonstrated that while there were indeed demand side challenges such as bad governance, corruption and lack of strong institutions, there were also supply (donor) side challenges such as over-reliance of donor's own inefficient ODA governance frameworks as well as ODA delivery mechanisms, the entrenchment of bilateral interest in ODA processess and geo- political interests among other factors. In this regard, the study confirmed that the 62% of the ODA that could not be accounted for according to existing literature was either held up in the pipeline or evaporates mostly from the supply side. This finding brought clarity on the weak impact of ODA and corroborated with existing literature on the mystery of unaccounted ODA. While the notion of aid evaporation emerged as an attribution and part of a reflection on the problem of ODA dissipation at the preliminary stage of the literature review, it became the central issue of focus throughout the research investigation which involved substantive field work to bring clarity on the problem. The study has made theoretical and practical contributions to the existing concepts on ODA governance and proposed a new concept, namely the “Supply Baggage Concept”. The new concept should inform the Post Paris era in achieving Aid effectiveness by weding out Evaporation, using the Aid Evaporation Detection Framework proposed in this book"

"We need to be really anchored by Psalms and Hymns so that we can produce spiritual songs."

"My favorite authors are Indian and Arabic/Mid Eastern. Because of their descriptive style and the way they have a way with making words so colorful and turn the words into their very own language. I guess I am also biased towards their writing because I grew up and schooled in the coastal port city of Mombasa whose inhabitants are predominantly Indian/Swahili/Muslim-Arabic. There is some influencing force about a coastal culture. On top of my Christianity, I would fast on Ramadhan, celebrate Diwali, have Muslim and Indian friends for sleepovers at our place and cook a wicked chicken biryani and mutton pilau!"

"WHAT AILS KENYAN WRITING? Kenyan writers need to stop being so timid and safe as if nothing cutting-edge ever happens to us. We need to be more bold the way our musicians are doing their own thing. We might blame local publishers who I know overly concentrate on the school text book market, but if as a writer you believe"

"Giorgio thought that a sojourn to Kenya's coast was the perfect way to kick back and relax, luxuriate in the sun, scuba-dive, take big-game fishing trips or a dhow cruise, but it turns out to be a break filled with mixed fortunes. On the other hand, Lavina's sabbatical for soul-searching in Malindi turns out to be a Herculean task of grappling with a moral dilemma of epic proportions. When their paths cross and their lives become intertwined, their emotionally charged struggle to connect with each other is challenging and turbulent. This story deals with various socio-economic issues ranging from the institution of marriage and multi-racial relationships, to amazing Kenyan art & culture, to historical land injustices brought about by the pre-nineteenth century, 99 year old colonial crown land leases, absentee landlords, and the long overdue land reform agenda on land tenures, the cause of many a conflict in the country. The first scene opens on the Kenyan coast with captivating miles of pristine sandy white beaches, lapped by clear turquoise waters, providing the backdrop for your typical tropical beach holiday, but gets marred with a near-tragedy. Here is a compelling and descriptive narrative that will pull at your heartstrings, but one that offers a message of hope to a moral dilemma that has bedeviled the world. Here is what others say about this From an an author clearly proud of her heritage and the beauty of her country comes a romantic tale set in Kenya. Featuring a jaw-achingly handsome Italian man and a beautiful, talented, but troubled local girl, the romance unfolds in a light teasing manner until the twist in the tale turns out to be a moral dilemma that would test the strength of any relationship."

"Aspiring writers need to read other authors extensively. I also practice what I have come to call for myself the 4 Cs and 3 Ps – Constant revision, Creativity, Consistency & Constructive criticism / Perseverance, Persistence and Patience."

"The hardest part is making time for my writing, given the above scenario. This calls for immense discipline like cutting down on my social life – that means no partying!! Sacrificing my sleep on most nights to write and type. No outings on weekends!!"

"To me literature is the truth and I am thus able to give a human face o stereotyped and marginalized groups of people. My writing is also a form of self-therapy as I have passed through most of the situations I write about. Also writing is extremely exciting as it is to place time and place in chains."

"Interview with Moraa Gitaa, the author of ‘Crucible for Silver and Furnace for Gold’"

"My next novel is titled ‘Shifting Sands’ – it is about Kemunto or Kemu as her 3 girlfriends call her. Shifting Sands is about a young African lady growing up and coming of age. Her tribulations and triumphs. It will be published mid this year."

"One of my best friends in Mombasa was HIV positive in the late 90’s. In 2000 she met a German man in Malindi who was HIV negative and they fell in love. As we shared all our secrets, she confided in me how hard it was revealing her status to him. They had safe sex for months, but eventually she told him and they still got married. Unfortunately she passed on a couple of years ago. Their love became my inspiration for Crucible."

"I got interested in this genre coz in the early and late 90’s in Mombasa and in my travels across the country, I realized that once a girl was infected with HIV/AIDS, most of the parents blamed men, thinking their daughter was the innocent victim. I thus decided to explore this and reversed the status. So in Crucible it is the lady protagonist Lavina who is HIV positive while the main male character Giorgio is HIV negative"

"I am an avid reader and for my research for Crucible, I read ALL novels published in Kenya on HIV/AIDS and gave them out to young ladies. Interestingly most took weeks to progress past the 3rd chapter and some didn’t finish reading the novels. I asked them their reason and they said that they didn’t identify with the characters. Yet when I gave them the first 5 chapters of Crucible, they got back to me in two days time demanding for the rest of the manuscript. I knew I was on the right track and finished writing the book."

"Like most writers, I usually hold a day job mostly 8-5pm. If in between jobs, I offer proof-reading and copy-editing services for raw manuscripts and also carry out transcriptions and translations."

"Crucible for Silver and Furnace for Gold"

"Interpretation of Scripture occurs within one’s worldview and culture, which enhances our understanding and ability to apply Scripture in the world. However, few books address Bible interpretation from an African perspective and no other textbook uses the intercultural approach found here. This book brings both an awareness of how one’s African context gives a lens to hermeneutics, but also how to interpret texts with integrity despite our cultural influences."

"Ms Thongori has been something of the ultimate inspiration. She combined the skills of a lawyer, writer and activism to pursue impactful change and curve her place in Kenya and beyond. She had the courage to fight in courts and the streets for those targeted for fighting for a better country. Judy is part of a generation that sought to provide light to the cause of justice when the night was pitch dark, who kept pressing no matter the odds on the path and who became living testimony that resilience and courage bring rewards. We wish her well in her next journey. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends to whom she has bequeathed a sound and honorable legacy;Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga"

"Her commitment to sharing knowledge and mentoring young advocates, CJ Koome says, further underscored her dedication to advancing the legal profession"

"Her insights and expertise were evident even in recent times. Just last November, during the Supreme Court @ 12 Conference, Ms. Thongori enriched a panel discussion on emerging family law jurisprudence emanating from the Supreme Court of Kenya. Her contributions to the legal discourse, particularly in family law and human rights, leave behind a lasting and transformative legacy;Chief Justice Martha Koome"

"Society, sadly, made me feel that to be professionally successful, I had to be unattached. A pregnant or breastfeeding professional looked untidy."

"I recommend to employers to give space to families in their organisations. Let us hang photos of our loved ones in the offices as they energise us and we feel that our employer cares."

"Her professional stature never overshadowed her role as a devoted wife and mother. Judy loved deeply, and family was her everything. Her love extended far beyond our home, and she gave generously to others,” Gikandi said"

"Her leadership was instrumental in positioning FIDA-Kenya as a formidable force in using the law to protect the rights, interests, and dignity of vulnerable women, children and the family well-being. Ms. Thongori personified the promise of the law as a tool for empowerment. Her pivotal contributions to advocacy, family law reform, and shaping legal practice at the Family Division of the High Court profoundly impacted the development of family law in Kenya and inspired a generation of legal professionals;Chief Justice Martha Koome"

"Mama Lucy Kibaki was different, she spoke her mind freely and honestly and never allowed herself to be held hostage to what society or people wanted her to be."

"Most importantly, I challenge women to aggressively seek leadership positions – I mean aggressively and I repeat aggressively."

"The kind of leaders we have today are not sensitive. Stop exploiting the poor and the hungry. You misuse them during hunger, you misuse them during campaigns. Leave them alone."

"“We have chosen to touch the cloak of Jesus and to hear his voice calling us to arise! We have chosen to participate fully in God’s mission and to name the missing links in African theology, mission, and life”."

"Many of the issues we are addressing today, the key drivers of HIV such as violence, the cultural aspects, the misinterpretation of scriptures have all been part of the discussions of African women theologians."

"Our goal is to have HIV-competent churches and theological institutions."

"Go at your pace, marriage is not for everyone, children are not for everyone."

"In this world there are black, white and grey. There are people who would push all kinds of stories."

"So long as you know that deep down it is not your truth it should not bother you"