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Why we will Attempt to Shoot the Moon at Lawich

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By Thomas Chemelil To the Lawich people, failure has never been an option. Their philosophy has always been to always try, however tough it may be. They have never entertained any doubts in whatever they undertake to do. To date, the Lawich people remain the only group of people who made an attempt to shoot at the moon. They may not have hit it, but at least they tried. It is this never-say-die spirit that I embrace in my new call of duty at St. Joseph's Lawich Secondary School. I join Principal Enock Chebii, a seasoned administrator who is credited with excellent work at Chebonet in Keiyo North and Kipkaner in Marakwet East. He has an incredible work ethic that will surely make Lawich shoot the moon. Lawich patronizingly stands tall as if in watch over Kerio Valley. To the North East stands the rugged terrain of the picturesque Tiaty Hills. Down to the East lies the Talanta-like maize fields of Arror. I am amazed by the birds-eye-view of Arror which brings me fond memories of the ...
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Why those who Mourned Raila Odinga in Dholuo hit the Right Chord with the Mourners

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  By Thomas Chemelil Language is a powerful tool of communication. Moreso, when you communicate with your audience using their tongue, the effect is always an immediate rapport with them. More often than not, the audience tends to reciprocate by appreciating what you are telling them. Nowhere could this have been true than at the funeral of the late Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga at the JOOUST grounds in Bondo. When Raila’s son, Junior, took to the podium, a trademark Raila fly whisk in hand, he roused his audience with  Dholuo   greetings. “ Jothurwa Untie, ”  he shouted. The crowd responded in earnest demonstrating their appreciation for his  Dholuo  greetings. Every other speaker who spoke after him followed suit. Emily Anyango Odinga told the crowd that Oburu would often call Raila  “ Wuod Luo ” , cementing the argument that African languages play a pivotal role in anchoring discourse, particularly when we want to strike a chord with the audience. Yet, the ...
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DAVID RUDISHA, THE MAN WHO CHANGED KIMURON'S DESTINY

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Photo/Source: David Rudisha By Thomas Chemelil Many a times, men and women who change the destiny of their nations, their villages their communities or even their homes are born in our midst. They are, in the words of Money Bags in Parliament of Owls, people of "monumental moment". Forgive me for putting the name of Money Bags here. Burkina Faso had their own Thomas Sankara in Ougadougo u and have the fabulous Ibrahim Traore, Jamaica had Marcus Garvey, South Africa Nelson Mandela, Kenya Dethan Kimathi, Rwanda Paul Kagame and many more heroes and sheroes(Heroines) of our world. Kimuron, the famous school etched 12 km to the North of the Home of Champions, has David Lekuta Rudisha. When David Rudisha set his foot in Kimuron, he had his mission well cut out for him. He knew from the onset that he had a date with destiny to change his life and could not allow any moment of fleeting doubt to cloud his mind. Former Kimuron athletics coach, Samson Kasimiri, has kind words for legend...
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OF MARAKWET HIGH SCHOOL AND THE FORTY ONE FIREPLACES

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  By Thomas Chemelil Marakwet Secondary School( now St. Peter's Marakwet High School) is definitely one of the old schools that has served the community well producing great men and women.  I stumble on one Mzee Luka Kotut at Wagon Wheel in Eldoret who narrates to me a hilarious tale of Marakwet High School. It must have then been an Inntermediate School. The year is 1966. The characters in the story? The likes of Cheptile, Kotut amonst others.  In total, there were 41 students in the school. 30 from Marakwet and 11 from Keiyo.  The interesting part of the story is that each of the forty one students had his own fireplace where he would cook his own meals! In total there were 41 fireplaces or what Mzee Kotut would funnily call " Kabekeren chole artam oko akong'o". Each student brought his own flour from home and other necessary items in order to individually cook his own meals.  Tired of the messy process, young Kotut asked the students to approach the Board of ...
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EMC COACHES LAND IN MIRAMAS FRANCE

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By Thomas Chemelil A team of coaches from EMC and neighbouring counties has landed in Miramas, France, under the invitation of the Miramas Mayor, Frederick Vigouroux, in partnership with the EMC Governor Wisley Rotich.  The team is comprised of Boniface Limo (Kimuron), Joan kosgei (Singore), Terwes Mark (Saints), Kanda Hillary (kondabilet), Ruth Bundotich (Kamwosor), Irene Kosgei (Uswo), Linda kimutai ( Taekwondo), Sharon Jeruto (fitness coach), Hellen Wahu (cycling), Stella Kiptoo (UOE) and Eric kogo (Athletics coach). The team had a stop over at Amsterdam after an eight-hour journey from Nairobi. They then connected to Marseille in France, a journey that took them two hours. From Marseille, they headed to Miramas where they recieved a warm reception from the people of Miramas. The journey is significant as it cements the strong relationship between the people of Elgeyo Marakwet and those from Miramas. The team is expected to come and spearhead the training of other coaches to mee...
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MALALA'S TROUBLED PLAYS AND KENYA'S LONG HISTORY OF CENSORSHIP

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Photo/Butere Girls: Echoes of War.  By Thomas Chemelil  Cleaphas Malala's play 'Echoes of War' has generated immense heat in Kenya's political landscape with many wondering what the play is all about. However, this is not the first time that Malala has run into trouble with the authorities over his contentious plays. Somewhere around 2012, Malala scripted 'Shackles of Doom,' a narrative that detailed the exploitation of a  marginalized community in whose land  valuable crude oil had been discovered. What follows is a mad rush by an "investor" community to reap from the new-found oil at the expense of the locals. In order to endear themselves to the host community, the "investor" unashamedly marries a local girl  who would act as bridge between him and the community to facilitate the wanton pillage of the community resources. Like 'Echoes of War,' 'Shackles of Doom' raised enough political dust with the authorities taking note....
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WHAT NEXT FOR HON. RIGATHI GACHAGUA?

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Photo/Standard: Hon. Rigathi Gachagua in the mountain By Thomas Chemelil Was it Achebe or Amadi who warned us of the dangers of dancing oneself lame before the main dance started? Many students of African Literature will agree with me that a successful dance must be well timed for it to have the desired effect on the audience and leave a lasting effect on their memories. His Excellency Rigathi Gachagua, in my unsolicited opinion, may have mistimed his dance leading to his eventual interdiction by the master chess player, and Raila''s brother, William. Worse still, Rigathi may have refused to follow the rhythm of KK dance, making him a pariah in the eyes of the powers-that-be. If also feel that his persistent supplication to the gods of the mountain and his constant facing of Mt. Kenya may have left him exposed from the rear as his brothers, who would naturally stand guard in the wake of his prayers, complain that he never invited them to his home in Karen. There were even rumou...
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