JUST A TEENAGE COUNTRY

 JUST A TEENAGE COUNTRY WE ARE! 🇰🇪

A Spoken-Word Piece on Being Kenyan

By Phoebe Akinyi Nyaumba

Just a teenage country we are! 🥹

We are Kenya.

Britain's most loved... The capital of Africa... World's champions... Home to some of the most attractive wildlife safaris.

And before I forget, the only African country whose national anthem is being sung worldwide!

Or haven't you heard? 🤭

As Mejja once said, "Welcome to Kenya... Tunatabia zetu tu... Yaani zetu zetu!"

We are Kenya, and we are the best version of ourselves. And if not the best, then certainly the latest updated version of ourselves!

We are Kenya, and we are our own protectors.

We take care of our own, irrespective of the situation, the location, the circumstances, the authorisation, the legalisation... name them all, except logic! 🥹

Because sometimes, we forget all the rules just to protect a fellow Kenyan.

We rule in our own way. Not that we are unruly, no! But we can become quite unethical when a fellow Kenyan's life is at stake.

We will cross borders, challenge nationalities and deliver justice! 😌

Yeah, we do that!

We take matters into our own hands... but only online! 🤭😂😂

We respect and follow the law to the letter. We acknowledge the work of our leadership, and we clap when applause is deserved.

We sing for the government in office, and they deliver according to our expectations.

But we never waste a minute calling out nonsense when our leaders try to take us for fools!

And when they do, we don't just complain.

We wake up the next morning. Actually, sometimes we don't even sleep!

We head straight to the media.

Oh, we are all journalists and pressmen too! ☺️🤭😂

We criticise, analyse, expose, mention the things that have been done wrong and make it very clear that nobody should mistake our silence for stupidity.

They listen... or perhaps they pretend to.

Whatever!

The next thing they see is all of us on the streets, celebrating our own national holiday of demonstrations and opposing parliamentary agendas.

Wait... the Finance Bill! 😶

We cannot be the same people producing natural, organic farm products and still go to bed hungry simply because a foreign investor might suffer a two per cent loss in manufacturing.

Aki, tumekataa! 😏🙂‍↔️

We are not asking for too much. We just want a country where the people who produce the wealth can also afford to enjoy its benefits.

Anyway, he preaches about subsidising education.

It's fine, buh...

Perhaps he, or rather we, don't fully understand the cost of making that happen.

And so we end up with endless strikes, frustrated students and an education system whose quality continues to raise questions.

But maybe he's trying.

Itajipa siku moja, Jamo! 😂

Now, let's talk about our wonderful and amazing wildlife.

We have beautiful landscapes, breathtaking national parks and an incredible variety of wildlife.

But honestly, it is so difficult to understand why we could be running out of cow milk when we have so maaaaany unmilked, bigger cousins of the family cow roaming around our ranges! 🥹😂😂

Tutakamua BUFFALO, BWANA! 😂😂😂

Because surely, innovation must have no limits!

And now, our beloved Rais, back to the microphone...

We are Kenya!

A country of contradictions, comedy, courage, resilience and unlimited opinions.

A country where everyone is a political analyst, a journalist, an economist, a football coach and occasionally a detective.

We complain, we laugh, we protest, we debate and somehow, we still find a reason to call this place home.

We are not perfect.

We have our struggles, our disappointments, our unanswered questions and our unfinished promises.

But we are still here.

Still questioning. Still demanding. Still hoping.

And perhaps that's the most Kenyan thing about us.

We may not always agree on the direction we're headed, but we certainly have something to say about the journey!

We are Kenya. And trust me, we are a whole experience! 🇰🇪

By Phoebe Akinyi Nyaumba