Posts

Showing posts from June, 2025

Banned, Abandoned, and Back: Paul Pogba’s Inspiring Return to Football

Image
BY JOHN MSAFIRI. There are days life treats you like Pogba in Juventus. One minute, you’re the golden child with flashy hair, Mugithi energy, and midfield control smoother than Nigerian jollof rice, and the next minute, bam! They ban you. They drop you. They cancel you like expired milk on a hot Nandi afternoon. When FIFA slapped Paul Pogba with an 18-month ban for doping he never voluntarily did , it was like a death sentence for a footballer whose game thrives on rhythm, confidence, and public love. Juventus washed their hands faster than Pontius Pilate, terminated his contract, and moved on like he never coloured their midfield with flair and brilliance. His friends in football? Silence. Those group chats dried up like January pockets. Even the loyal fans tweeting “Pogback” went quiet. Imagine the loneliness. Imagine waking up every day to an empty training ground, your name trending only for ridicule, and your bank account questioning your life choices. But he didn’t ...

WORLD WIDOWS DAY | Not Just Left Behind: The Modern Widow Has WiFi, Wisdom, and Woke Energy

Image
  | BY JOHN MSAFIRI “When a woman loses a husband, society shouldn’t make her lose everything else too.” As the world scrolls past memes, breaking news, and AI-generated wedding invitations, a quiet, powerful truth stands still — today is World Widows Day, and yes, we’re talking about it. Forget the sad violins and black shawls for a second — let’s unpack widowhood like never before: with honesty, hard truths, and a whole lot of heart because Facts Don’t Flinch, 258 million widows exist globally (UN data) yet Over 1.5 million widows in Kenya face some form of economic, legal, or social discrimination. Still on facts, 115 millions of these widows live in poverty, as Many are stripped of land, chased from homes, or silenced by traditions that forgot humanity Still think this is just another "awareness day"? Nah. This is a wake-up call. Come to think of it, Widowhood: Then vs. Now Traditional Widowhood, You lost your husband — suddenly you were banned from color, laughter, m...

IS IT A MUST TO BE ACTIVE IN CHURCH TO BE HELPED?

Image
  By John Msafiri – Storyteller, Observer of Faith, Member of the "Quietly Rejected" Community ____________________________________________ 1. Church is a Hospital, Not a Holy Club A few months ago, I attended a funeral in the village. The mood was heavy with grief, but one moment cut through the air sharper than the mourning itself. A friend of the deceased stood up and said: "This man was sidelined by the church because he didn’t attend community groups. Yet here we are, giving him flowers after his death. Why didn’t we give him food while he lived?" Awkward laughter. Heads shook. Some nodded in shame. But the message was loud and clear: Why do we remember people at their graves but forget them when they're still knocking at our doors? The church must be a healing place — not a gatekeeping institution. Hebrews 10:25: “Let us not give up meeting together... but encourage one another." True. Gathering together builds faith. But should someone die of hunger...

JE, NI LAZIMA KUWA MJUMBE WA KANISA ILI USAIDIWE?

Image
  Na John Msafiri – Mwanafunzi wa Maisha, Mchambuzi wa Imani na Mwanachama wa Jumuiya ya “Waliotengwa kwa Ukimya” Kuna siku nilienda kushiriki mazishi ya rafiki yangu kule kijijini. Msiba ulikuwa mzito, huzuni iliweza kung’oa nywele, lakini kilichonigonga zaidi ni pale rafiki yangu mmoja – tuseme jina lake ni Oti – aliposimama kutoa rambirambi akasema: “Huyu ndugu alitengwa na jumuiya kwa sababu hakushiriki. Lakini leo tuko hapa kumzika. Je, ni lazima afe ndiyo atambulike kuwa ni wetu?” Watu wakacheka kwa aibu. Wengine wakatikisa vichwa. Lakini ukweli ulikuwa pale pale: kwanini tunawapa watu kinywaji cha baraka baada ya safari yao, badala ya wakati bado walikuwa na kiu? 1. Kanisa ni Hospitali ya Wenye Kiu, Siyo Klabu ya Wenye Machozi ya Mbele Katika dunia ya leo ya hashtag gospel na WhatsApp fellowships , tunaweza kuamini kuwa imani ni jambo la mtu binafsi. Lakini kama Biblia inavyotuambia: “Tusiache kukusanyika pamoja, kama ilivyo desturi ya wengine.” – Waebrania 10:25...
Image
  When Did Good English Become Suspicious? Not everything is ChatGPT or AI, some of us just grew up in homes where your dad edited your WhatsApp messages for punctuation. 😩 I saw a tweet recently where recruiters were listing how they “identify ChatGPT” in job applications and honestly? I was stressed. Half the “AI signs” they mentioned were just… basic grammar because what do you mean “nonetheless” “in-depth” “meticulously” are AI signs….they’re basic grammar 🥲 These days, if your sentence flows too well or you use a hyphen where a comma won’t do - suddenly it’s: “Ah, that’s AI.” 🙃 Meanwhile, this is the same English some of us have been speaking (and overthinking) since Primary 1. We even used to do dictation 😂 I was writing “pseudo,” “consequently,” and “notwithstanding” for fun back then. Some of us didn’t need ChatGPT to write full sentences, we had Kenyan parents, lesson teachers and Mock essay drills. We lived in homes where “speak well” wasn’t advice, it was law and b...
Image
Episode 2: Shemeji Wa Shetani – The Househelp, The In-Law, and The Man of God | BY JOHN MSAFIRI  (Previously...) In a world where mtu ni mtu and "thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's sister-in-law" is just a suggestion, the lines between holy matrimony and hole-y mischief are as blurred as WhatsApp statuses at midnight. We met Baba Tugo, a church elder and self-declared man of integrity, who’s been moonlighting as a househelp evangelist and shemeji whisperer. A conversation on a matatu from Eastlands suburbs revealed the shocking tale—two grown men laughing off their escapades with house girls and sister-in-laws, as casually as discussing football. One man even defended his actions biblically, quoting King Solomon: "Did he not have 700 wives and 300 concubines? Na bado alikuwa mwanaume wa mungu!" We were left asking: is marriage still sacred ama ni kama Nairobi matatu – unashukia popote ukihisi danger?  Episode 2: Housegirl wa Roho Mtakatifu vs Wifey wa Corporat...
Image
  "SHEMEJI WA SHETANIi: The Househelp, The In-Law, and The Man of God" | BY JOHN MSAFIRI Once upon a mtaa in Nairobi West, lived a man of prayer, praise... and, apparently, poor decisions. Let's call him Brother Mapangale. During the day, he was the deacon who quoted Bible verses fluently—"Train up a child in the way he should go…"—but at night, the only training happening was behind his wife's back. Acha tu. Now let’s talk about the modern Kenyan home, where the househelp has become more than just the cook and cleaner. These days, she's also serving a full-course nyama ya roho to the baba wa nyumba, and sometimes even getting more protection than the legally wedded wife. I mean, why is mama watoto being scolded for shouting, but the housemanager gets defended like she's on witness protection? One day, in a matatu from Eastlands to CBD, I overheard two grown men whispering in deep Dholuo, thinking no one could understand. Wacha wajue Kiswahili si lug...