Awakening Curiosity towards Resilient Communities

Of course, as an unmarried African woman in her debut 30's, I was drawn to the provocative title,  I Will Marry When I Want  (1977), co-written by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Ngũgĩ wa Mĩriĩ. I went in expecting exactly what the title promised, or at least what I hoped it promised. I was waiting to stumble upon doses of dramatic nuances on reclaiming romantic agency. Better yet, I was looking forward to a grandiose countdown to a rebellious wedding with a journey marked by societal defiance of the choice of a spouse.  But our departed sage, Ngũgĩ, had none of that in mind. So my sincere apologies if you are here anticipating a generous serving of ' tea ' about my own marital rebellion. Stay with me nonetheless; you might just walk away with insights far more unsettling and far more important than wedding bells. Though I am open to that happening soon too ;-) Source: Halfpriced books Instead of a love triangle, I was met with sharp critiques of power, neocolonialism , rel...

For the last 7 years, I have worked and researched within the world of philanthropy . I have developed great proposals, basked in the warmth of real social impact , and counted good money.  It’s been fulfilling work, both intellectually and morally.  In these years, I developed a  conviction that our world operates in an imbalance as I learnt the intricacies of wealth and generosity. As I advanced my studies, I figured that this inequality was not inevitable, as  wealth redistribution is possible! Hence , a simple way to tilt this imbalance, I once thought, would be to encourage giving as a sort of  moral correction to an unequal system. But, in a deeper reflection of analyzing financing around social causes, I find it imperative to interrogate dynamics around the 'generous' . By skewed definition, these are a handful of individuals who hoard unimaginable wealth, then “ give back ” through foundations that often bear their names. Why are they bent on...

When I first started exploring the concepts surrounding unbanked people and their challenges, I realized that most countries' governments may not be able to fully tackle the existing inequality. With a background in Social Policy, I continue to grapple with the sometimes-contradictory role of social policies as a force for progressively transforming inequalities while still reproducing the very inequalities through a complex interplay of intersecting factors. Previously, I explored the possibility of blockchain technology to solve some of the institutional barriers to financing development . Despite the technological milestones, it continues to be an uphill task to integrate hard-to-fathom, breakthrough technologies such as digital currencies into mainstream economic systems. Later in a 17,500-word thesis, I contended with the hope presented by the private sector through localized individual philanthropy, borrowing from a history of the currency of generosity with philosophies li...

Co-authored: Karen Nabwire & John Ng'ang'a In feminist economics , the societal conventions and acceptable norms that guide what men and women do contribute to the gendered division of labor . These tasks seemed static in the old days, but after urbanization , neoliberalism , and colonization (among other factors) emerged in African spaces , there has been a paradigm shift in how current generations interact with culture and tradition. With this shift, it is not unusual to see forums challenging formally accepted traditional practices. One could almost sense an antagonistic relationship between men and women, as there is a constant negotiation of what should be carried forward and what should be declared outrightly oppressive. As this push and pull continues, societies continue to grapple with inequalities in opportunities, power & wages.  Will we ever strike the right balance? In the Kenyan context, household gender norms are experienced differently across cultures a...