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...

 There is a wide portraiture of music from Congo but my favorite is Rumba. Rumba is not just music, it is a cultural phenomenon that has shaped Congolese lifestyle and outlook for years. The influence of  Congolese music is widely felt across Africa . Rumba has distinguished itself as a genre of choice among the educated middle class across the continent. Franco Luambo Makiadi and his protege Madilu System (real name Jean De Dieu "Bialu" Makiase) have all played a significant role in the growth and evolution of African Rumba. Madilu System - whose husky (almost gruff) baritone voice stands in a stark contrast to the common  Congolese airy tenor popularized by Simaro Lutumba, Canta Nyboma, Tabu Ley and Ferre Gola - was a major engine in this growth. Madilu's talent went beyond onstage or studio delivery, he was also an astute composer. His lyrics are rich with imagery, pun and humour as you'll see from a few sampled here.         ...

Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Kisumu is a national monument of shame and embarrassment to the Lake Region. It doesn't tick any boxes of a truly international stadium. The artistic impression images of the stadium widely shared on the internet does not match - by any stretch of the imagination - the delivered project, like a chopper to a motor car wreckage. Only a complete makeover can bridge the gap, a makerover which by all indication, isn't going to happen. The stadium has no walls at all, only a cheap tin roof hoisted high on concrete beams giving it the look of an old city ruin. The stands aren’t one continuous block, instead they are a patchwork of disjointed concrete slabs under tin roofed sheds much like cattle pens in one huge factory farm. The stadium is better than nothing, but that's all it is; better than nothing. A section of Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium, Kisumu (coutersy: the star newspaper) To call it “international” is an insult to...