Let me admit it upfront; most Luo names begin with the letter "O". Onyango, Otieno, Odhiambo, Okoth.. and the list goes on. The unwritten law in Luoland is that male names begin with "o" while female ones begin with "a". So many names conform to this norm that one may be excused to think that there are no names that don't. Far from it. They may be rare - and may even seem outdated - but there are indeed Luo names that do not conform to this unwritten law. And there aren't few. And I dare say they used to be more common then their "o-counterparts" in the past.  The fact that most people living day have grandfathers and great grandfather bearing the non-o variation is a testament to the fact that the non a/o names were more common in the past than they are now. Another fact that support this theory is the names of places and clans (which are obviously named after patriarchs) normally bear names that do not necessarily begin with "o...

This is not a drill. Dr. William Samoei Ruto may actually end up being Kenya's fifth president. He has come a long way and right now he is only one step away. He is the deputy president. That's the closest you can ever get to the coveted seat. And he seems to have a huge following of people who are ready to lay down their lives for him. His tribe is one of the largest in the country, let's not forget that. Let's forget instead the self-righteous pretense that elections in Kenya are won on the attractiveness one's policies and not the size of one's tribe or tribal alliance. For all the accusations and claims leveled against him, all the momentum seem to be with Dr. William Ruto. Ruto ticks all the boxes, who's gonna stop this train? Who's gonna stop him? Well, Raila Odinga, that's who. The most electrifying man in the history of Kenyan politics, Raila Odinga always seems to find the best formation for the stab, and boy, how good are things looking for...

Jean de Dieu Makiese popularly known as Madilu System, Le Grand Ninja or Bialu Madilu was a Congolese rumba singer and songwriter. Even though he passed away in August 2017 his songs like Ya Jean, Yaya, Si je savais Ca, Kupanda, Nzele, Juste un peu d'amour and Aminata (to name but a few) have continued to dominate the music airwaves across the continent. His contribution to the poetry of Congolese rumba music cannot be overstated. Madilu System was good a comedian (arguably) as he was a singer. His songs are full of wit, humuor and conventional wisdom - traits of an accomplished composer. And if you are not put off by it, you'll also enjoy his swagger, bravado and unique sense of fashion. And what with his iconic extravagant laughter? You catch it up in songs like " Frere Edward" , " Ya Jean" , " Juste Pue d'mour" and the timeless classic "Leau".  All these are well documented. In this article, however, we sample some of Madilu Sys...

The rigours of the last 16 ties have separated the wheat from the chaff. As we advance to the best last eight teams in The Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations, the picture of title contenders and pretenders is beginning to come clear. Barring any wild turn of events, the games now look much easier to call than it was two weeks ago when no team seemed assured. Nigeria was knocked out and so was the much fancied Ivory coast and it looks like the North African teams have finally exorcised the ghosts of poor performance whenever the tournament is held in sub-Saharan Africa.                           Egypt will be looking for their eighth title   Will Egypt claim a record extending eighth title? It remains to be seen but the odds are stuck up against them. First, no North African team has won the tournament when it is held in a Sub-Saharan African countr...

If you have been in a relationship then you’ll know that they’re particularly difficult to maintain, especially in the current day and age where so many things compete for our attention. Men usually show a lot of commitment, attention and loyalty when they’re in the chase a woman only to be lethargic and carefree after they get the woman (and this drive women nuts). It makes sense though, because people don't normally chase what they've already caught. Women like to imagine that they live in this parallel fantasy universe where everything is about them. Anything that shatters this concocted dream and brings the grim reality of life to their doors, is what water is to fire. No one likes to imagine that they have dropped a few places down someone's priority list. Yet it inevitably happens due to the pressures of life, and men's apparent inability to juggle many balls (pun not intended) without occasionally dropping one or two. Ouch! No one is perfect. Rather, nothing is...

Ferre Gola "Le Padre" or "Chair de Poule" is one of the leading Congolese Rumba musicians of all time.   "365 Jours X2" is one of Ferre Gola's most philosophical and poetic compositions. The song is found in the album Chair de poule (Sens interdit) released in 2007. Below are the lyrics with English translations. Enjoy..   Ebélé ya makanisi nioso na bongo moko (Lots of thoughts all on one brain) Nakoma kombanza lokola prisonnier na boloko (I've come to be engrossed in thought like a prisoner in jail ) Spectacle éza désolant mais inévitable Mubiala Mayimbi. ( The spectacle is sad but inevitable, Mubila Mayimbi ).    Na bandaki kosentir yango avant ekoma oyini nga mpona likambo seguin muadi ya bozoba effort nioso na sala mpo nga na yo tolingana seguin muadi omettre yango en cours ( I have started to feel that before you hate me because of the stupid issue, Seguin Muadi, all effort I make for us to love each other you have put them in progress. ) ...

 I graduated from the prestigious Kanga High School a long time ago but the memories of tears and laughter, joy and suffering haven't escaped me. I was just a timid boy - almost naive - when I reported to the school one February in the early 2000s, my shirt though sparkling clean was not tacked in the trouser (a capital crime in Kanga High School). Mr. Ragero, unknown to me at the time, asked me in the kindest way possible to tuck in which I did. He assigned me to King Class, and Athembo Dormitory, which I quickly learned was a terrible combination: King class because it shared a wall with the Deputy Principle's office, and Athembo dorm because it was the worst in the school, and probabaly in the whole damn country. As a new student in the school - and worse still, a fresher - I had no choice. It so happened that Kanga High School was hit by an acute bed shortage at the time of my admission. Believe it or not I shared a bed with another boy for close to a full term. The boy, th...