Raise Your Glass

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One of the most important things to happen in my life occurred at the tail end of 2009. I got fired. A whole bunch of us did, actually. Before that I had never been fired. I thought the world to be kind, that people grew old in their jobs. There is a deceptive comfort in employment, an entitlement even, in some cases. You get so comfortable you imagine that your desk is your family heirloom, populating it with framed pictures of your family and bland inanimate mementos that you smother with sentimentality. You even get a potted plant sometimes, subjecting it to hearing your conversations about work. Because you spend so much time at work you basically move into your desk. It becomes your home. Your office chair is like your birth right. You’d fight for it. “Who took MY chair?” you demand as if the chair is an extension of yourself, an additional limb. You buy cool mugs to use in the office. You know someone is deep into employment when they drink tea from a cup that’s written, “I’m not a cactus expert but I know a prick when I see one.”

You have your very own special spot in the office cafeteria, and everybody knows it, so nobody sits on anyone else’s seat. You join the office cartel that unofficially runs shit in that place; selling bootleg cigarettes, torturing office snitches after working hours, engaging in office sabotage, peeing in the potted plants of the bitchy boss, deciding which new employee is cool enough to join your table at lunch, selling handguns and drugs at Christmas office parties, initiating interns into your ring of office outlaws by stapling their fingers because you, the O.G, were there when the office only had six employees in 1997. You are chin-deep in employment, invincible, badass, you’ve seen many bosses come and go, leaving the same curtains they found. I wasn’t that chap but I was a Senior Features Writer, and not only was I a Senior Features Writer, but I was a Senior Features Writer with a business card. Yeah. Put that in your pipe, and smoke it.

Then the bottom fell off.

Here is how – in a paragraph. On 13th Nov, 2009 – to be precise, a knot of South African suits who ran the publishing outfit we worked for grimly shuffled into the boardroom. We should have figured something was afoot because they avoided eye contact. Suddenly the contents of their files seemed very important. We – the staff – filled all the chairs crowding the big table in the middle of the room while the suits stood against the wall, which, when I think about it, was like those walls hostages stand against before they are shot by a firing squad. We thought they’d come to give us some updates and then we’d be on our merry way, banging copy, chasing deadlines and the works. I had an out-of-town assignment; the claim form had already been signed, and after the bothersome meeting, I planned to go downstairs to the accounts office, collect my dough and bust. One of the suits called the meeting to attention. He was a tall chap with owlish spectacles, the undertaker of the meeting. One of them cleared their throat. In short, he said that the gig was up. Magazines weren’t making any money. They were shutting it all down, cutting their losses and running for the hills. We were given a couple of hours to clear our desks. The severance package would be sent to us as soon as it was processed, they said.  There would be a financial management consultant coming in next week and staying through the next month to help us handle our finances during this dicey transition. We were encouraged to take full advantage of that service, especially for folk who were obsessed with buying plots.

We were stunned. And, to be honest, blindsided. But nobody clutched their hearts and fainted. Nobody wailed. Or shouted, “You shall never break us, you sharp-nosed, pale-faced imperialists!”  It was clean and surgical. There was no blood – at least not on that day. We only started bleeding in the following days. I did, at least. After that bombshell, we dragged our bodies back to our desks unsure of what had just happened. The smokers gathered outside to smoke and murmur through their plumes of smoke. I had very few things to clear from my desk – I remember this colourful South African voodoo-like doll I had bought in O.R Tambo Intl. Airport in Jozi. The person who sold it to me told me it would bring me nothing but luck. Right. I had some magazines which I trashed. I had no special cup, thank goodness. It’s dangerous to get attached to a special cup for the office because when you get fired where do you take it? I didn’t have any plants or photos of anyone on my desk. I had less baggage. I was travelling light in this capitalist ship that had now hit an iceberg. As we emptied our drawers [I found groundnuts in my drawer that were almost as old as my daughter], we avoided looking into each other’s eyes, lest we saw weakness there and by Jove that wasn’t the time to show weakness. Later, standing outside our cars [most that were on loans] we spoke bravely, defiantly, even.

Arrh, you know, this came at a good time, actually, I think I will now just focus on greenhouse farming.”

 “Yeah, bro has been doing pigs for a while now. Rather, he’s farming pigs. I think this might be it for me and pigs. I will join him.”

“Manure. I will do manure.”

“My wife has been complaining I’m never home. I now have time to make babies.” 

“I think I will take some time off to reflect on what I want to do with my life. This has come at a good time.”

This had NOT come at a good time for me. I was 33 years old, and at that age, for some reason, I thought I had no time left. That I couldn’t afford a bump in the road, because the train of life was in full throttle. I felt old. I thought I was old. I had plans, milestones. It didn’t help [then] that I was the father to a three-year-old who had not come with a manual. I marvelled at how unequipped I was at being anyone’s father. How reckless it seemed for that baby to trust me as a responsible adult who knew what they were doing. Hell, I couldn’t even find my own socks without help, how was I going to raise a whole child with a kidney and lungs? Fatherhood was bewildering, daunting. When I was a child and I had new shoes, I’d wake up in the morning and for a few seconds it would just be me waking up but then it would hit me that I was the owner of new shoes and the excitement would make me get out of bed quickly to experience the thrill of being a shoe owner! It was the same as being a father. I’d wake up and in those first few moments, as the sleep fog was clearing from my head, I’d lie there as me then realise oh shit, I’m not me, I’m someone’s father! Then I’d just stay in bed a bit longer before my ill-preparedness was discovered. Now I was someone’s father who didn’t have a job. Who had rent to pay. whose career had been derailed. And most importantly and depressingly, I had no plan. Have you ever built a paper boat and placed it on a basin full of water and watched it go round and round? That’s how my life felt. A slow spin; directionless. It didn’t help that my best friend – a guy we ate beans and chapo with in vibandas in Uni – had bought a house. A whole f**n house! Who the hell buys a maisonette with a backyard at 32? I felt like a failure.

What I remember most about the days after losing my job were the mornings. First, I’d wake up and feel like someone who had woken up in a hot, barren desert. Vast, yawning emptiness crowded me in every direction I looked. There was nothing between me and the horizon.  Do I go east or west? I wondered. My job loss had changed everything, but mostly it had changed my schedule. We lean on our jobs so much that when we lose them we stumble and stagger, clutching at straws. It must be worse when you are married and with children because your ‘nakedness’ is unhidden. When you are married and the wife leaves you in the house, it increases your sense of hopelessness. You feel insecure about your worth. It yanks your ego, testing it. When I’d step outside the gate, and look down the street in the estate, I’d see no one in sight. If there was anyone there would be two domestic managers gossiping outside a gate.

The first few days I’d stay in bed a little longer, listening to the sound of Theresa – the DM- cajoling the baby, Tamms, to eat. I’d just lie there, sheets bundled against my torso, thinking and not thinking, hearing but not hearing, feeling but not feeling. Then I’d finally drag myself out of bed and walk out the door and Tamms would be surprised to see me. She’d take a moment just staring at me standing at the doorway of the living room trying to decide if I was a hologram. She had that look, “Wait, shouldn’t this nigga be at work?” Children are entitled shits.

Eventually, the house became too depressing, a reminder of my joblessness. Plus, we had a Kisii domestic manager who would sing Kisii songs the whole morning as she went about her chores. Kisii songs are shrill and piercing, like someone performing brain surgery on you without anaesthesia. And so, to trick the body that I was still productive and because I hated being left in bed, I started leaving the house early like I had things to do. If it was these days, with the new road network, I’d have taken the southern bypass and driven at 40km/hr but because I was saving on fuel and couldn’t afford to drive around to “clear my head” (a luxury of the haves) I’d drive to a car garage my friend managed in Westlands and wait for him at the kibanda there, sipping tea and munching on a hot chapo while reading a newspaper that went around amongst mechanics having their breakfast at that early hour. On Fridays, I’d meet him and some other pal of his at Pitcher and Butch where they’d get a bottle and they’d only ask me to pitch in whatever I had. Some days I do go to Oyunga Pala’s bachelor pad on State House road where he’d pour his favourite drink – Old Monk rum – in two glasses and we’d sit at his open-kitchen counter and I’d glean off hope from his encouraging words.

That whole year of 2010 life was quite uncertain. I felt like I was constantly faced with questions I had no answers to: What happens next? What if I never get another job? Will this writing thing ever stabilize again? I’m 33 years old, do I have time to catch up with my peers? How the hell does he [my boy] get money to buy a house? He must be pushing drugs. Or selling kidneys. Shouldn’t I be dealing with different problems at this stage of my life, not wondering about my immediate future? Thankfully, what saved me the most was that from the severance package, I paid rent seven months ahead because one uncle of mine had told me (everybody gives you advice when you lose your job) that ‘whatever you do, Biko, don’t ever let your wife pay the rent. It will screw things up. You are a man, you always pay the rent because rent is a roof and the roof is your pride.” I didn’t have savings to speak of because I didn’t imagine that my job would suddenly grind to a halt. I thought I’d get a warning, a sign or even an email from life warning me to start saving up.

I think my first post on this blog was on 28th February 2010. It was read by 25 people, 21 who commented. I’m almost sure that it was about something frivolous. Starting this blog was a creative outlet. Somewhere I could exhale. There was solace in writing. This – being here ten years later – was never in the works. In 2010 there was no plan other than to write. Nobody I knew was making money off writing blogs. You didn’t blog to earn a living. So I wrote the blog to burn time, like a diary and a community, a gang, you fellas, somehow started mushrooming around it. We called it ‘high school’ for those who have just joined us recently and it was fire, I tell you. We were brazen and light and courageous, we were not afraid to pee in the wind.

Now here we are. We are ten years old. And things have happened during this time, mostly great things. My writing career has pretty much largely been a spinoff of the blog. I don’t take your patronage here for granted because there are a million things you’d rather be reading. And because you come here and read the blog you have sustained my life. It schools my children, it clothes me, it buys me chapos, it makes my 89-year-old grandmother eat back in the village. If on September 13th, 2009 you would have told me, “Biko, start a blog, it will be your day job,” I would have thought you cuckoo.

However, all this wouldn’t have been possible had I not lost my job in 2009, but also that loss was an education in itself. An education on life. I learnt about courage, that quite often half the battle is won when you simply get out of bed. Because when you get out of bed you are telling the day, “Let’s see what more punches you got for me, you old fart.” I might have lost my job but I gained courage. Courage to take a path beset with great uncertainty. Instability breeds character. Most importantly that loss taught me the value of saving money. My God, rainy days are coming. Or to be more dramatic, winter is coming, people, keep your granaries full. If you are reading this and you are in your 20s, put away money, nothing is assured – tomorrow someone else might be sitting at your desk. That was probably my biggest lesson in my early 30s. That and that it’s never too late, you are never too old to start over. Most importantly, and not to make this sound like a self-help post, but this is so key; stick. to. your. lane. Run your race at your own pace. Don’t look at the chaps ahead. Do you. Focus on your small steps. The race is long and only the ones with the strong minds will finish it, not the ones with strong thunder thighs.

As we put up balloons to celebrate ten years on this blog, what better time to do it than today when last week we won a continental award, AFRICA DIGITAL AWARDS for, and wait for it, Africa’s Best Continental Blog. I wasn’t sure we would have taken this with the kind of numbers Nigerians have. Asanteni sana for voting and for reading.

To celebrate the wins here, I’d love to hear from you about 2010. Where were you in 2010? What were you doing then? What did you believe in with absolute conviction ten years ago? Most importantly, WHO were you in 2010?

Cheers.

 

***

We are closing the Safaricom-sponsored online creative writing masterclass for 2020 next week. We want to close it with a loud bang. If you have been thinking of doing this class, I suggest you register for this one. It’s going to be rad. Sign up by sending an email to [email protected] We will discuss shit like descriptive writing, how to create a writing discipline, creative nonfiction, self-publishing (for those who want to write books) and a session with the great Oyunga Pala, the godfather of this literary shit.

 

 

 

 

 

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396 Comments
    1. Another person who needs to send some smoke signal is Cliff the tall. For the newbies, I don’t think you’ll know him but he’s a legend in Biko’s commentary section. However, what both of us don’t know is how tall he actually is?

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      1. Glad you’re back. Adulting has its teeth in deed. I feel like I should make my name Mashy so we can be in some sync semblance. lol

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  1. “You get so comfortable you imagine that your desk is your family heirloom.”
    There is a time my dad’s office desk was like a mini family gallery.

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    1. AFRICA DIGITAL AWARDS for, and wait for it, Africa’s Best Continental Blog. I wasn’t sure we would have taken this with the kind of numbers Nigerians have. Asanteni sana for voting and for reading

      will drink to that as i raise my glass.

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  2. This here just described 2020 for me. It’s good to be reminded that it’s never too late and that I’m in my own journey at my own pace. Thanks Biko

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  3. In 2010 I was an over ambitious mono at a high School in Meru and mainly I was fantasizing about being ‘somebody’, it has not happened yet but we keep the hope.

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      1. I voted! Anywhere you’re nominated Biko, I vote. It’s almost Pavlovian. 2010 I’d just cleared high school, & discovered this blog 2yrs later. So it’s seen me through undergrad, postgrad, 1st job, 2nd job, and other relationship & adulting firsts…here’s to your health and many more years Biko.

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    1. In 2010, I was a mono, in kikima sec school, a four in one school, mixed day and boarding. I was a narcissistic. I thank God am glowing and growing daily.

  4. I was among the day ones. When it was on wordpress. I had just cleared campus in 2009 when my pal and I discovered this. I was still hung over my ex- boyfriend (facepalm).

    I met my husband in 2010. Started my first meaningful job, met my ride or die in that year. It was the beginning of LIFE.

    My relationship with Bikozulu is longer than my marriage. I love Tuesdays and also , where is Joe Black?

    2010 was the year that I too compared myself against my peers and doubted myself. But It was year that was my launch pad.

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  5. In 2010 I was somewhere in Usain Gichu burning Charcoal. That was my second year out of school because I didn’t have school fees to join form one. The following year God oaved a way for me and I joined form one. Today, I’m 2 weeks away from graduation. Biko, Mungu anasaidia and when your time comes, it’s never too late. Cheers

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  6. ‘I couldn’t afford a bump in the road, because the train of life was in full throttle’ where!
    Come to think of it, 10 years ago I was a nosefull of mucus class four kid. Right on the outskirts of the puberty yard. As the last rays of teenagehood hit the small of my forehead, the train of life is firing up, hitting full throttle in a few.

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  7. Yaaay…Happy 10th anniversary Le Gang!
    ‘-Run your race at your own pace.
    -The race is long and only the ones with the strong minds will finish it, not the ones with strong thunder thighs…’
    In 2010, I was in high school and enjoying it. I didn’t care about the future. Here we are now, still living one day at a time..:-)

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  8. I am constantly beating myself up..so, I’m learning to stick.to.my.lane.
    Thank you for this reaffirmation. You have no idea what it has done to me. I am at a place where i hate my job and waking up is just a task on its own.

    Aaanyway..congratulations on wining. I will always vote for you anytime.
    And yes, Oyunga Pala is the shit..but so are you.

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    1. Ah yes, I was in first year in 2010…beginning my law degree.

      And I started reading this blog in 2015! My first read was the 3-AM Man. Then i started reading backwards, and it has been bliss since then. I have laughed, cried, empathised, all those adjectives.

      It has been a beautiful journey no doubt.

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      1. I also read the 3am man first, then fell in love with the blog. As for 2010, i was shifting between 2nd year lectures in UoN and friday raves in the cbd. Time flies

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        1. Time does fly when you are having fun, ama?

          I chekad with 3-AM Man nikasema that’s it..and since then, i have read each post religiously immediately i receive an email notification that he has posted.

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  9. Waaaow. First things first. Congrats on the 10year journey and for the award. Am where you were then just that my son is 10months

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  10. Wow cheers to the decade long sucess..proud to have stumbled upon your aticles and hooked on them..in 2010 I was finishing my primary education and today I celebrate two years in the job market..having being retrenched even before I graduated I fully understand the meaning of savings no matter how small they are..your stories offer the harsh reality of life ..what I am to expect and to ensure I brace myself up

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  11. November
    Ends in a messed up way
    You know those things you’re psychologically
    Mentally visualizing
    But hits you differently.

    Let’s start with this guy
    I met n felt like have known him
    Long enough
    Rest of my life
    Though we didn’t click
    But you know silence has a way of speaking
    Then it happens
    We have to be in motionless silence

    How do you digest that
    How do you understand that it’s life
    And someway we have to move on
    Quietly rather in silence
    A whole life to live only not to live it
    Well shit really happened

    Then you’re there staring
    As his lips move, blankly coz you don’t hear
    You’re just wondering if
    What if he was taller
    More understanding
    If it was you in his shoes
    Then when he says
    Pray
    You get back to following the prayer
    Coz you believe in a better tomorrow.

    So the reality hits
    Differently
    Squarely
    You were prepared for this
    But the silence you didn’t expect
    But well tomorrow is
    December
    The silence
    But you will figure out next face
    To the phase
    Of this life
    Well Nov it’s a wrap
    #peaceout

    So I am in your position in 2009 as I begin Dec. My last month at work n completely clueless of what 2021 will shoot.

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  12. For a minute it felt like you’re doing this katrip down memory lane so that you say goodbye. I’m glad you aren’t.
    You’re a legend Chocolate Man!!

    Also, this blog is 10 years old? If it was a child angekuwa class 4 saa hii 🙂

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  13. I remember high school!! In May 2010 I became a mum so just like you I had to keep reminding myself that I’m not just me but I’m also someone ‘s mum. My spouse and I had just relocated to Kenya then the birth of our son followed shortly after. The economy in kenya at that time was doing great and the future looked bright for us, a young family. Well, what followed is a whole story but I’m thankful to be here today, still reading and appreciating your writing and yes Biko, everyone should run their own race while celebrating the small steps. God knows I’ve felt like a failure seeing my peers’ achievements but in 2020 I’m learning that life could change in a second. Savour every breath, every moment God has given you.

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  14. 2010 was my final year in High school. I was very optimistic about the future but boy this thing called life has a way of showing you ass. Most importantly in my 20’s I have learnt to take one day at a time, that life can change in a split moment. A phone call, an email or even a text message from that job you applied aeons ago can change your life so I keep hope and as you said, the first battle is won you get out of bed.

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  15. Whoa .Such an amazing piece.A master piece.
    I was actually refreshing my emails to see if you had written something for us today. Congratulations on your 10 years

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  16. 2010: I was in form 1. Very focused and merely worried about life but now, now I know better…. machos tu. I can really use a therapist haki.

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  17. Losing a job is one of life’s most stressful experiences. It’s normal to feel angry, hurt, or depressed, grieve for all that you’ve lost, or feel anxious about what the future holds. Job loss and unemployment involves a lot of change all at once, which can rock your sense of purpose and self-esteem.

    While the stress can seem overwhelming, there are many things you can do to take control of the situation, maintain your spirits, and come out of this difficult period stronger, more resilient, and with a renewed sense of purpose.

    Our jobs are much more than just the way we make a living. They influence how we see ourselves, as well as the way others see us. They give us structure, purpose, and meaning. That’s why job loss and unemployment can be so stressful.

    Beyond the loss of income, losing a job also comes with other major losses, some of which may be even more difficult to face:

    Professional identity
    Self-esteem and self-confidence
    A daily routine
    Purposeful activity
    A work-based social network
    Your sense of security

    No matter how devastating your losses seem right now, there is hope. With time and the right coping techniques, you can come to terms with these setbacks, ease your stress and anxiety, and move on with your career.

    Thank you Biko for sharing your story. If there’s a take home for me this will be it
    “The battle is won when you simply get out of bed. Because when you get out of bed you are telling the day, “Let’s see what more punches you got for me, you old fart”.

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  18. Cheers to many more awards and goodnight’s sleep after telling a good story Biko! You deserve the sky and all the stars because boy, you do the most in terms of delivery.

    I’m slowly breaking bad habits because of the stories I read from this blog. Also, hongera na Shukran sana!

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  19. Congratulations Biko on your well deserved win.

    2010….Wow I was in class 5 doing what 10 years do…..hell I didn’t even know what a blog was. I started reading this blog May 2019 and wondered what I’d been doing all my life. Biko you made Tuesday my favourite day I always have something to look forward to and you never disappoint.

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  20. Mum became sick around mid November 2010, she died on 4th Dec. My world literally stopped because we all depended on her job. 10yrs later, I am a self employed mum of two. I hope my kids catch the farming bug because that’s one thing they can inherit frkm me when my time comes.
    Happy 10th Anniversary Biko.

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  21. Raining my glass to a decade of your brilliant writing! Well done!! I remember it from the beginning! You’ve come a long way. Best wishes for the future bro!

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  22. Your blog has always been great to read. In the past we gather over drinks and one of us read out as we marinated on your words. Knickers has and will be one of my favorites.

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  23. I guess that 2010 is my 2020, uncertainty, loss of a job, trying to figure a way through the maze, and realities of life hitting you right in the face without mercy. But all in all getting out of bed:Because when you get out of bed you are telling the day, “Let’s see what more punches you got for me, you old fart.”
    And starting new things like Grawan.Co.ke

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  24. I was in high school in 2010..form four. I started reading this blong in 2014..i remember being bored at my then job, aand googling “African stories by an African writer” this blog was among the results and i’ve never missed an article since.
    Thank you for always writing Biko

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  25. This has been a journey . About loosing a job, it’s the most uncertain period in one’s life but also a learning process

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  26. Cheers you guy. I thought i was reading a story about a guy i don’t know about. Kumbe you also have a story. I was a 1st year law student in 2010. 10 years later, i am an accomplished city lawyer. All thanks to God.

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  27. In 2010 I was about to Join campus, my mum had lost her job after being retrenched at Pyrethrum Board of Kenya a year earlier. We had moved back to the village to start a fresh life, my mum sold her half an acre plot she had bought earlier for my first year fees. HELB kept me waiting for a year before disbursing the loan, my grand dad also sold two of his cows to sustain my first year. It was one of the worst moments of my life but we managed.
    Last year in May I quit a job that I loved so much. I had been there for three and half years and at no point did it occur to me that I would suddenly quit. It was tough at first but the grace of God is sufficient. It took a few months before I could get a footing and when I did Corona did it`s thing. At first we thought that Corona is only here for a few months and we would soon resume normalcy, however 3 months later nothing positive was forthcoming. To make it worse my spouse lost her job at the same time due to effects of Covid. The last 9 months have been hell but we have managed to hold on. Today my wife began a new job that she had greatly longed for. I am still running my small start up amidst the many challenges brought about by the pandemic and reduced income but we hope for the best.
    Tough times don`t last but tough people do.

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    1. Timothy, keep your head up bro, It is always darkest before dawn. You will get out from under these challenges and YOU WILL THRIVE!! Keep the faith, and hold on to what matters. It is tough but I can tell you are made of stronger stuff. Wishing you fulfilment and prosperity, both now and in the decades to follow.

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  28. Congratulations Biko,you make Tuesday worth looking forward to.
    In 2010 I was in class 7..so clueless about life
    What stood out for me in that year was my late father buying his first car and among my siblings I was the first to ride in it.I was the happiest girl on earth..I’ll never forget the feeling.

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  29. Am I the only one who went and checked if 13th Nov 2009 , was a Friday? Yes.. Okay. Congratulations on this amazing blog , we have been subbies for a while. Congratulations Biko. Raise your glass gang…

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  30. A lesson there, I just need to stick. to. my. lane. Run my race at my own pace. And just do me. The race is long to compare with chaps ahead.
    2010 was still a student at form 3, struggling with fees, but who knew 10 years later I would be this far. However small I celebrate little success, Biko.

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  31. stick. to. your. lane. Run your race at your own pace. Don’t look at the chaps ahead. Do you. Focus on your small steps. The race is long and only the ones with the strong minds will finish it, not the ones with strong thunder thighs

    It actually gets better

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  32. In 2010 i was a sassy campus girl in daystar athiriver with dreams of conquering the world.
    In 2014 i suffered the same fate as you, i totally relate to this blog post,i am doing better now.
    Congratulations on your win!

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  33. Congratulations Biko. You deserve that award. This blog is very therapeutic. You may never fully understand how it does that but just know it does.
    In the year twendy ten, i was working for the gov’t without pay. They used me proper! Always begging them to pay me and then they’d pay peanuts. Never again. Nijikute!

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  34. Very good lessons here. Keep soaring and keep writing. Congratulations on the award.

    In 2010, I was a new mother with big plans and hopes for my life and family. Some plans have worked ok and some have gone belly up. But I keep moving on with my chin up.

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  35. Congratulations on the 10 years and the awards won. You deserve it. I always look forward to your emails. Your words rejuvenate my soul. In 2010 I was in class 8, looking foward to a brighter future amid twists and turns but I made it here. Hopeful and taking it a day at a time.

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  36. 2010 I was in class seven and I sat for my kcpe exams, yes you read that right, class seven , kcpe. I am among those bright lucky guys who were registered to sit for their exams at a local day school while in class seven in some performing school somewhere in South nyanza. We did not know about this development not until third term when we were told we were sitting for the exam , so be ready, and by we I mean my twin brother and I . 2011 we both were in form one in a good provincial school , we are bright right?. It’s a long story and sorry it’s not for today. Adios.

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  37. In 2010 life had beaten 8:2 but I thank God He delivered me from a dark, deep pit of helplessness, hopelessness, low self-esteem, pre depression stage. 10 years on I have two masters degrees, CPSK and a job that I love. A purpose, a focus and 3 wonderful children.

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  38. Cheers to the 10 years of excellent writing safari huanza na tiny tiny steps, kongole for the milestones
    Me I have initiated quite a number to” the cult/high school”
    2010… I had just passed my A level national exam, later joined college… The world was my oyster! Dreams and ambitions were me!

    1
  39. I started reading your blog in December 2012. A few broken bones after a car accident, high school made me forget about the pain every time you posted a blog. Been a faithful reader of your blog every week since then. I made a promise one day I will buy you a bottle of whisky for u shone light on my path during those dark days. Thanks Biko.

    5
  40. 2010, got my first meaningful job at a bank after a disastrous 2 stint Hawking insurance policies!. By the way never promise an insurance agent if you don’t mean it. We never forget!
    This reminds me of losing a job for the first time in 2013. It hit like a bomb! No warning.
    That feeling of helplessness revisited in covid 2020. But now am a vet. You take it like a serial convict takes his latest sentence!..
    Run your race is the advice that saved me…
    Congratulations sir Biko. Onto the next 10.

    7
  41. Congratulations!
    In 2010 I had a booming business selling chicken, I had just gotten my 1st born in Dec of 2019, and i was in a happy marriage. Right now I am at peace, sticking to my lane and I am grateful this far I have come. Thank you for this.

    1
  42. 2010 i was two years employed in my current job.sometimes i can’t believe i have stayed so long at the same job.but here i am 12 yrs later. Married with 1 child.another on the way. i hated my job untill covid happened and i was happy over the stability and security it provides.

    3
  43. In 2010 i had just joined UoN. My roommate and now best friend introduced me to your blog. Haven’t looked back since then. I am a silent follower

    4
  44. September 2010 was a rather good time in my life. Not exciting really, but i was winning the rat race. I had just gotten my first 6 digit salary paying job. It was my 3rd job since graduation from university five years earlier. I was planning to get married the following year. To a good man. The thought of losing my job never occurred to me. I was invincible and it was just not part of the plan.
    10 years later, i’m still in the rat race. I have the position (not the money) that i aspired to as i worked my ass off over the years. I don’t enjoy it though i’m quite good at it. I struggle with my feelings about my job. At times, i just want to quit. Others, i think, how can i be so ungrateful. I think, a job is a job not a vacation. You do what needs to be done. Anyway, i raise my glass to 10 years.
    Are there people here who are in employment and love their jobs?

    5
  45. What a read Biko! it oozes hope and so much inspiration.
    2010 I got my first employment.i was that chap up there who gets so comfortable with her own chair and desk then booooom 4 years later you get served a hot termination letter! Pregnant, lost,clueless how you will bring up another life as a jobless mom.My daughter is 6 …. I can only say God has been faithful!

    1
  46. My congratulations are in order Biko. You inspire so much and not many people would want to share their struggles. In 2010 i was in Mombasa 5 years in employment and reckless like there was no tomorrow. This is the year i decided enough is enough and i would not amount to anything as long as i stayed in Mombasa. There is no drinking den in Mtwapa that i was not a member and i made a decision to leave for upcountry Nairobi or its environs. I packed my bags and left, remained in employment till early this year when i left employment to concentrate on a side hustle that i started 3 years ago. So far, God is good and am glad i dint wait to be kicked out. I left Mombasa with only one bag of clothes and i cant account for the 5 years i was there. I had zero in investments and savings and to date when someone mentions Mombasa my heart skips a bit. Keep writing bro and may God bless you always.

    7
  47. 2010 I was a kid form four with an inherited Nokia n 2go to be proud of. I met this blog when it was a high school and it has kept me going. The meeting was raw n bare I can’t regret what it has brought fourth. Congratulations. Wish you can meet my student please.

    1
  48. In 2010 I was reading the 2010 constitution and waiting tables at a restaurant. Awaiting campus. I started a blog two years later that I did not do much on. I started another one last year and then lost my wife to pre-eclampsia(that thing is shirty as hell) and the mojo went with her. Now, I will write again. You’ve done this story twice now, each time I have received a new lease of life. I am at a sticky place now but I will rise. I will f****ng do. Because rising is for humans and I am one.

    Asante.

    40
  49. Man, I was really a mess in 2010. In second year campus, in friends with benefits AFFAIR. I was reckless, skipping lots of classes to get laid. I am really glad that God kept me through that time. I put my life together, never got pregnant (that was a miracle because I would have been messed up), and that I got serious with campus and graduated two years later with flying colors. Now that I AM 4 YEARS CELIBATE, I look back at 2010 as the year the Lord was really gracious because I was shit. I am glad I recovered without any casualties. 2010 is the year of the LORD.

    14
  50. Ah! Gang, I thought we agreed no slicing onions in the living room?

    I don’t know why, but this post has really moved me. If you ever feel that you are down and have absolutely nothing left in you, don’t give up, don’t ever give up because no matter how dark the night is, I promise you the sun will always rise, your sun will rise.

    Happy Holidays.

    4
  51. In 2020 I got into the university. I failed terribly at the course. I had to shift goal posts and pick myself up and start again. I’ve just begun my PhD. Anything is possible!

    4
  52. In 2010 I was on my final year @UoN. I got my first job on the 15th July, two days to the end of the semester. I discovered this blog later in 2012 while working in Dadaab and I read all the stories. Congratulations on the 10th anniversary.

  53. 2010 I was 22. Living with my boyfriend. My now husband, jobless, uncertain of life. Now I have a job, am a Mom to a 5 year old. Let’s just say I am super grateful to the Big Guy upstairs.

    oh, and I have been reading you for the last 8 years straight. You my dear chocolate man helped to start reading. Can you believe I have a mini Library?

    6
  54. 2010 I was in form three.
    Life today is nothing like I had imagined it would be back then.
    Thanks for this reminder ‘run your own race..at your own time and at your own pace.
    Congratulations to you.

    1
  55. This reminder has just come at the right time…Been following chaps monthly incomes and salaries somewhere on the gram…Wee the stash they are making..you left wondering.
    2010 I had just cleared high school.I was still elated by scoring a B+..was eagerly waiting to join Uni.

    1
  56. In 2010, I was a stay at home mum with three children, whose father was running a round chasing anything in a skirt and not caring if his children lived or died. It was another tough year for me as many others before it, since getting married at the age of 18yrs….

    2
  57. This is such an insightful read. Thank you for the lessons and words of encouragement Biko.

    In 2010 I was a baller. Awesome job, good pay ,zero responsibilities(was still staying at home) and roaming around eating life with a big spoon. I saved because mom was strict and she wanted to see the bank deposit of my savings to file it. Hahahahha-wise woman that one. I never quite asked myself such tough questions like where I want to be in xx years. If the wisdom I have now, I could’ve been given then- I would’ve been that friend of yours who had a house with a backyard at 32. But well, at least I can still afford Chivas…..and I have no special cup at work:-P

    Is there another push that takes people out of their comfort zone apart from being fired/retrenched?

    4
  58. Happy 10th!!! What a timely piece
    2010 I quit a job that was really bad for me and without a plan I walked away. As a single mum that was scary but it built my threshold for loss. . .fast forward 2020 lost my job but I ain’t scared. . . .am worried. . But not scared. . .[yes there’s a difference between the two].

    2
  59. Oh Biko.
    Where do I start?
    Sigh
    I think I started reading you in 2016 and my Tuesdays have never been the same again.
    I swear by you. When getting to know someone new I ask them if they read your blog. If they don’t, I make sure to recruit them.( If they are want. Not by force)
    Thank you Biko.

    You asked where I was in 2010 mimi nikaanza confessing my love for you. I was in highschool in 2010. Form 1 to be specific. I was from an all girls sister boarding primary school that was hell. They’d make us wake up at 5am and beat the hell out of us. We were once given a punishment to sleep for 72 hours and wake up after every hour during the day to beaten. Imagine that.
    So now when I went to form 1 in a school with a canteen I experienced a culture shock of some sort because I was used to bad githeri and being beaten all the time. I’m surprised I still love githeri. Well made githeri is a favourite.
    TMI?
    Okay, bye.

    3
  60. Congratulations on the award! You deserve it and more.
    Lets see, 2010,mmh! I was on a diffrent career transition pathway to you. I made the decision to transition from public institutions where there is job security to the uncertain world of NGOs and short term contracts. I was warned about leaving a large secure public company to a small NGO with untrustworthy leadership. They were half right, the organisation was shit, but the work, man the work was fantastic. I grew from Kenyan to regional expert working on first, a lake Victoria project where i crossed the lake, by road,air and Mv Bukoba(before the big accident). By 2011 i was working on assignments in Darfur, i never imagined that, growing up in Kianyaga in the 80s and 90s, I would go to Darfur. This didn’t last long as i was forewarned but it catpulted my career to villages in the Pacific island nations and small towns in the Philippines. I am now on 2nd round of transition, or is it 3rd, i have had few remakes to my life. No regrets, just a collection of stories, great friends, lessons, successes and yes failures too.

    9
  61. In 2010,This was the year I did most reading in my life so far for the purpose of expanding my knowledge base.I was working in a bookshop and earning a monthly salary of k/sh 1700.I saved and cleared my fee balance of 21000 to enable me collect my KCSE Certificate .The most outstanding books I read were; The Seven Habits of Successful People,Rich Dad,Poor Dad,An Enemy called Average.And it’s still the time time I ever wrote down a 5 year goals plan .On the top of the list was to join college.Today I’m a graduate with a Diploma and a bachelors Degree in Purchasing and Supplies Management (how I managed this with 17000 monthly salary in Nai, thanks to Helb loans,,,)with 5 years experience in the relevant field.Last month marks one year of my joblessness state.It’s been tough.It is tough.To be hosted and to be feed.This kill my sense of independence as an adult, daughter of the soil.
    I have made numerous applications showed up for interviews.I have faced rejection or is it redirection!
    I’m a master of resilience.Giving up is not part of my play cards.
    Biko and all members in the house should you come across this I’m kindly requesting for your assistance to secure employment.
    Reach me via,[email protected].

    12
  62. 2010 I was in high school, hoping to be a news anchor some day ‘chuckles’ But anyways, i am doing a totally different thing now, living a day at a time! Most important lesson today, ‘Don’t look at the chaps ahead. Do you. Focus on your small steps.’ That’s what matters! To 10 years!

    2
  63. Who else was reading and going like, shit! Nigga is going to turn this thing in to a paywall? Haha…sigh
    Well 2010, was the year of the S.A world cup,the year a discoverd truancy as a form 3 kid and lost my virginity at the gate of a nigga am sure reads this blog,lool. Goodtimes. Only to only learn later that ,that chick several of my cousins and friends had,had their way with her( no that am not sayin she got around). Well nigga had his revenge later.
    But here I am in 2020,cleared uni and jobless three years later…sigh!

    3
  64. ….Kisii songs are shrill and piercing, like someone performing brain surgery on you without anaesthesia…
    Hahahaha, that got me

    1
  65. Thank you for the advice and encouragement.
    I had just joined college in 2010 with an aim of becoming a banker and a great finance manager. I was just a student with an aim was to pass my end of stage exam.

  66. Biko! Oh, how I needed to read this. To remind me of the importance of getting out of bed. Because my 2020 has been your 2010.

    1
  67. I hope this blog lasts another decade, and even an eternity after that. Because in 2030 when Biko asks for our stories, we will have plenty to tell from 2020.

    Congratulations Biko. Pewa moja on my bill

    2
  68. I am that person who populates my desk with framed pictures of my family.. LOL! Plus I have “my” office chair….and of course a mug. Who does not have an office mug? Hahahahahaha.

    2010 is the year I joined one of the big 4 audit firms… and that is how I got into the rat race.

    2
  69. What a story to kick off December! First off, hearty congratulations for the award. I think most of your avid readers would only agree more that the same is long overdue. In 2010 I’d just finished off law school and would describe myself with being ‘in-between’ everything. The grind was real with zero rewards. Your story of having your job yanked right off your feet has resonated with me basically having gone through an almost similar ordeal since last December and one that unfortunately still persists, but one year on today all I can say for sure is God remains to be faithful throughout the never ending thoughts of hopelessness, despair and the inherent need to question everything and basically why shit had to hit the fan…That plus my peers are moving on too fast…Oh and I probably was one of the first 25 in 2010…

    8
    1. And that garage thing…am always hanging out at my boys garage somewhere in Industrial area and the lunch is to die for in the kibandas…

      1
  70. In 2009 the last week of November, my cousin gave me a 2 weeks notice to vacate his house. I was a student abroad and I had lived with him for over a year. It was a cold winter and I remember asking him if we had some argument that we had not settled or so and why it was so abrupt.
    Being put out from my cousin’s house on a cold winter was the beginning and starting of my life. Looking back am so grateful I was put out and as my friend and I dragged my bags in the 12cm snow on the second week of December to my new place in a student hostel. I learned alot. I learned to ask for help when I needed even from strangers, to be brave and life can change so fast than how you can blink.

    6
  71. My hubby introduced me to reading your blogs, and since then i’ve never missed any. I even read your previous blogs just to be at par n maen, you inspire me. You are just amazing.
    We shouldnt wait to lose smth to be awoken frm our comfort zones, coz 2020 for most pple has been like your 2010.
    This is an awsome read na sioni nikichoka na Biko.
    Cheers!

    1
  72. Congratulations Biko.
    I discovered this space around 201 and stuck with it since then.
    In 2010, I was a clean shave village academic giant, admitted to a City national school full of real sharks.I was trying to get an identity as a teen then.
    My convictions back then have not changed much, except for the existential crisis that is the twenties.

    2
  73. I would like to correct you. There is nothing else i would rather be reading. The new post notification is the best thing i see all week. If anything were to happen i know that every Tuesday i will still be back here reading this blog. I am grateful for the day i discovered this blog. Thanks for making our days brighter

    4
  74. Man!!! Congratulations Biko!! This Blog has kept me going literally. I think I discovered this blog around 2012 if I’m not wrong. I don’t know how it happened. I remember chuckling at your pieces so much. I remember telling myself that you must be always high on weed while writing… coz Man! Your articles made me giggle so much! Then 2014 you wrote about how to bury a Luo. I was totally sold man! That day I laughed the entire day coz I related with everything you wrote. I remember sharing the piece with every luo relative/ friend that I knew. We laughed! This blog has also made some of us shade tears, think about life and issh. It has been a beautiful rollercoaster. I can only wish you nothing but the best. Keep on soaring higher my brother.
    2010? Mhhh. I was 23, with no sense of direction.

    14
  75. In 2010 I was stuck in highschool stressing over my performance in maths. Congratulations for ten years Biko. Keep the literary flame blazing

  76. 2010 at a time like this I had made up my mind that in 2011 I was to resume going to church on Saturdays, ‘I am a person of Adwen’. A decision that got me kicked of out of my first and the last employment. Since then God has been good to me. I’ve since been my own boss……It’s been 10yrs of learning with patience and perseverance.

    1
  77. 2010 at a time like this I had made up my mind that in 2011 I was to resume going to church on Saturdays, ‘I am a person of Adwen’. A decision that got me kicked of out of my first and the last employment. Since then God has been good to me. I’ve since been my own boss….. I’ve been here since 2011 reading each and every post while hawking mtumba shirts in Muthurwa Market trying to gather capital for my dream business. ..It’s been 10yrs of learning with patience and perseverance

    2
  78. Brain surgery can actually be done without anesthesia as the brain doesn’t really have pain receptors….the only part that will suck is the part where the have to saw your skull out

    2
  79. 2010 was a really dark year for me. I was 27 years and struggling to find a job. In January while interning at an NGO, I get a call from my sister telling me that my mother had suddenly gone mad. She couldn’t speak, walk, or even stand on her own. I immediately left my work station and met my siblings in the hospital. That was the beginning of the end for my dear mother. She endured close to 3 months of agony before succumbing to HIV/AIDS-related complications. For the 10 years that my mother had lived after my father passed on, she had never told any of her children that she was living positively. We were left with a hospital bill amounting to 6 million shillings….

    8
  80. 2010 I was living and working in Mombasa yet so tired of the Coastal city. Took me another three years to quit my job and leave the Coastal city. discovered high school in 2011. Cheers to 10 years Biko and congrats on the award.

  81. We all need courage and a saving culture.

    Your employer si mamako, atakufuta kazi bila second thoughts.

    Build strong networks, networks are networths.

    4
  82. Adversity is the best teacher. Just like Martin Luther…….. The strength of a man is not known from where he stands during times of pleasure and comfort but during moments of great danger and controversy. Power words Biko. We must school, clothe and feed you. I’m encouraged

    1
  83. In 2010 I was in Form 3. Dreamy 15 year old. I wanted so badly to be a Neurosurgeon. Haha life doesn’t really go as we plan. But life is what happens when we are busy planning.

    Thank you for sharing your gift with the world Biko. Thank you. This blog is so many things to so many of us. God bless you.

    3
  84. Happy 10th2010 found me about to graduate from Campus and I discovered the blog. I would read the stories through the night so as to keep up. I also sambazad the fame to anyone I might and when I joined my current employer, I told one of my colleagues about this blog. One day, he goes for a meeting out of town and calls me excitedly and told me that he had met Biko!!! I was SO JEALOUSI wanted to have had that privilege… haisuru, one day

    3
  85. Wow Biko, this is amazing.
    But what is more amazing is the fact that we become our best (for the ‘strong’ ones) after a storm. When the tides sweep away our little cosy homes at the beach, where we love to sit in awe of the orange ball sweeping the skies with so much grace and authority as it sets beyond the hills.
    That is when we realize, oh crap! What have I been thinking…?
    Because the storm leaves us homeless, unsettled and scared. Scared of the uncertainty of life, scared of tomorrow and what it holds if anything because anyway who thought the hurricane will take away our comfort with it…
    Where I was in 2010, hmmm I was a 21 year old college girl scared of ‘living’ my age because mama was paying my fee with her 10k salary… So the rowdy life of a 21 year old girl was never appealing. I had better things to worry about, like completing my college education and getting a job which would then enable me to foot my bills.

    1
  86. Been awhile Biko… was reminiscing with a friend on how we stumbled across your blog in 2009 before kiwi came on board and your stories kept our flames of hope alive… Its been a decade. Continue standing tall and may the world continue embracing your writs.

  87. Your 2010 is my 2020, a young jobless father, but each day I wake up with a new smile, my 2 months daughter gives me a thousand reasons to hope for better, things will be better, to all jobless fathers out there don’t give up yet,

    3
  88. Wow, one word; INSPIRING!
    ”The battle is half-won when you get out of bed….”
    I could say so much more except that it will only dilute the tons of wisdom contained in this post.
    Congratulations on your BIG win! You have made us proud!
    Interesting though; for the first time – from my recollection at least – Biko has used the now cliched phrase – much loved by ‘feminists’; “Do you”.
    Continue “doing you” and here’s to 10 more years and a trans-continental trophy when the time comes.

    2
  89. Sounds very familiar, the job losing story. I have similar lessons in addition to your employer is not your mother; only a mother’s love is guaranteed.

    In 2010 I was in what I hear counselors call “Pre 25”. I thought I was on top of my world; dating, looking forward to building a career and stuff. To cut the long story short, I didn’t marry the loser I was dating then and my career took off just the other day. I wasted so much time that I feel like I should be so far ahead than I am but si ni life.

    1
  90. Been here since day one…was a second year at UoN. Still remember ‘Sojourn’ around 2011…your one article that opened my mind to the magic of travel. Still a fan…still fun reading this. Cheers Biko….To Ten more.

    2
  91. Congratulations Biko! Quite the run you have had there.
    In 2010, I was a zombie. I lost my dad suddenly on 4th January, he just collapsed and died in a bus on his way from church. Everything went dark, I do not remember much of what happened after we buried him except that every other man on the street looked like my dad. Many are the times I ran up behind random men only for them to turn around and look at me strangely. And then the tears would come fast and thick, I was a royal mess! It’s certainly gotten better but I still miss him with every ounce of my being. He would have been 76 today.

    6
  92. “I had an out-of-town assignment; the claim form had already been signed,”

    Quit my job in April to focus on my path but I still remember the sweetness of the almighty claim form. I felt your pain there .

  93. Congratulations on the 10 years, that first step really matters right? For me I think it was the 1am Man that got me hooked and then after that I went backwards reading your older blogs and I was hooked, always waiting for the notification with members of le gang from chocolate man….team forehead yaay.

    In 2010 I got engaged, moved to a new job, I was scared as after landing two feet in, a colleague went on and on about how there is no job security in this company..but God is faithful.

    I was very curious to see this forehead that’s always mentioned and you happened to be doing an article for the company I’m in, so you came, met the boss and he called me to meet you….so forehead, what forehead? Have you seen mine .

    Anywhoo, thanks for sharing as always. That was a real eye opener. God bless

    2
  94. There were Birds but they didn’t sing left a big whole in my heart. Changed how i view my thinking of life. Your trip to Rusinga made me not to throw my bags to strangers

    2
  95. I discovered Biko May 2019 in a feature writing class and I’ve not regretted coming here on Tuesdays. I’m gonna raise my glass and toast to more posts.

    1
  96. Woooi. I am those people you have described. Been at this job for twennie years! I am looking around now and seeing things that have been on my desk for nearly 20 years. Did I just say, “my desk”? He he he. I have so many of those – my parking, my office… endless list. The instability of 2020 has made me contemplate the possibility of being forced to leave this job. I have been amazed by how much this job is a part of my life. Who am I outside this job? When did I become so attached?

    In 2010, a boy I had loved dearly married another. It hurt like hell… But here we are.

    Congratulations on your award Biko! What a gift your writing has been!!

    3
  97. 10yrs is no mean feat, congratulations Biko, you have inspired me greatly and made reading meaningful…2010 meyn I got my 1st born child at 23 , was married to a muslim, converted to one, every one had deserted my corner, I thought,but I picked myself up and moved on…that year , was the year of the Lord, literally I learnt to be dependent on him not in humans..it was a turning point for me and looking back I couldn’t have been better if not for the 2009/2010 life lessons …

    3
    1. In 2010, I was getting ready for my pass out parade, I had loads of tension in me since i was the 2nd right hand maker. I know only a few can relate to this. But that was one of the tensed moment i have ever had in my life. kudos once more biko!

      5
  98. Wow Biko, this is amazing and congratulations.
    More amazing is the fact that we become our best (for the ‘strong’ ones) after a storm. When the tides sweep away our little cosy homes at the beach, where we love to sit in awe of the orange ball sweeping the skies with so much grace and authority as it sets beyond the hills.
    That is when we realize, oh crap! What have I been thinking…?
    Because the storm leaves us homeless, unsettled and scared. Scared of the uncertainty of life, scared of tomorrow and what it holds if anything because anyway who thought the hurricane will take away our comfort with it… Your 2010 was my 2017, my contract was terminated in August. I had school fees to pay, for me and an orphan boy I have sponsoedr(he is in form four now) and bills to foot. Sunset has never been so dark.
    Where I was in 2010, hmmm I was a 21 year old college girl scared of ‘living’ my age because mama was paying my fee with her 10k salary… So the rowdy life of a 21 year old girl was never appealing. I had better things to worry about, like completing my college education and getting a job which would then enable me to foot my bills.

  99. Congratulations! In 2010 i was 24 years old i graduated from university got fired from my first job and became pregnant 5 days later. What i was worried about then is not what im worried about now. My advise,Relax, what you are worried about now wont matter in the future.

    4
  100. This is an inspiration. “Run your race at your own pace, don’t look at the chaps ahead…”
    2010, I was two years into self employment, am glad I took that route early. I have sincerely learnt to focus on my small steps.
    Congratulations Biko.
    Cheers!

    1
  101. 2010 : I was a lost, confused, angry, hungry and sad form 3 adolescent full of testesterone at a remote highsl school somewhere. Fully obsessed with film and writing. 10 years later, I’m happy I got to shed off 3 of those things. I admit it’s a process but trust at some point I’ll reach my full potential.

    Currently in the same situation you were in 10 years ago Biko, only not a father. Lol. Better days ahead.

    Thank you for your inspiring journey.

    1
  102. In 2010…. I joined a startup after resigning from a large multinational on racist grounds (yes, I held then, that which i still hold today- a belief that all must be fair and yes it has left me disappointed severally) I was a year into marriage (still married) bright eyed and bushy tailed. I was less risk averse then, but i guess that’s most people before kids arrive. It was a great year and I kicked butt in my new space… I have since gone back to corporate after years in two different start ups…. Life is a start up by the way…

    Thank you for this Biko, nostalgia galore.

    5
  103. 2010, where was I, just joining the university, very vibrant and happy about life , I felt like there was so many possibilities. My God how the years go by , is it 10 years already? Thank you for your story Biko, yes it’s never too late , let me start taking my saving for rainy days seriously only it seems like the rainy days are frequent .
    Always a nice read, cheers
    Ohh and congratulations, you we deserve that award

  104. This happed to me early this year, being told to collect my retrenchment letter and leave the company for good. I will one day share my journey after 9 years eight months from now. Very encouraging story Biko

    2
  105. was working in Afghanistan as a supervisor in customer service with an international company.Resigned march same year to be home with family after four year stint.Not sure if it was the best decision!

    1
  106. Cheers Biko for that advice on guys who are in their 20s
    10 years ago today I was waiting for my KCPE results!!!!
    the best blog to date……

  107. You have Nigerians here who read and love your blog.
    In 2010, I was fresh out of the compulsory national youth service and looking forward to an awesome career life. Its been great and not so great, but the journey of self discovery has been awesome.
    Cheers to 10years Biko, I’m glad to be a part of your gang.

    2
  108. Wow!!!10 years. Congratulations!!! And congratulations on the award. I totally agree that we start to win the war when we get out of bed. It seems easy but it’s a daunting task when going through a really rough patch.
    In 2010, I was adjusting to a new way of life; life was a fog. But now, it’s clear. God has a plan for all of us. We have to make the first step and trust He will guide the way. But it requires GRIT and courage!!!!

    1
  109. Congratulations for the award and for the 10 years..Keep writing,..Cheers….,. Now about 2010 let me go off and think…

  110. In 2010, I didn’t know where the path would lead but then I was as free as a bird. In my early 30’s with kids and the fear is real. Loosing a source of income is my daily driver. But again Grace walks with us.

    1
  111. Brilliantly written as always. In 2010, I too was chasing my own tail stuck in unhappy everything! It would take me 8 years of tail chasing and boot licking to resign from a bad job because they couldn’t fire me and revamp my life!!!

    1
  112. 2010-I was doing internship. planning a wedding- continuing a long history of multitasking…life was so so busy..now slowed down..

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  113. Hell, I couldn’t even find my own socks without help, how was I going to raise a whole child with a kidney and lungs? ha haa, this cracked me up

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  114. Congratulations Biko. And yes, I was one of those who didn’t like the fact that you replaced Oyunga in S.N , still like a bad habit you grew on me … And now I just can’t stop reading. 2010 found me heading an institution in Narok and experienced my first floods … Almost peed on myself … Also a story for another day.

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  115. Honestly, I’m reading through this post while clapping and raising a glass to you Biko. It takes courage to open up to such vulnerability. I’m at a place where I struggle to come to work, not because I hate what I do but because of the toxic environment that’s been created by the bureaucracies here but I soldier on everyday hoping that the better days don’t come too late.

    I was just 14 in 2010, thinking and fantasizing about how ‘when I grow up’ I’d be a Lilian Muli, gracing the damn screens with such aura of excellence but look at me now, in finance! (the irony of life, right?)
    Anyway, congratulations on the win, you darn well deserve it!

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  116. In 2010 I was clearing highschool. The first post I read was “Knickers” and I have been addicted ever since. Can’t wait for your second book because Drunk is awesome.

    1
  117. In 2010 I was running around like a headless chicken. My work station had changed from Kigali to Kampala. It was a confusing year for me trying to register a new company in a new territory (Uganda). But I somehow survived

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  118. In 2010 I was ten years old. I was a shy awkward kid who was crazy about books. I also dreaded going to grandma’s ( upto date).

    Ever since I found this blog…I have something to look forward to every week

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  119. Congratulations Biko. Ten years ago I was, as they say back home ‘proper miserable’, serving a ten year sentence in the cold, wet, grey gloom that is the UK, having foolishly promised my wife we would return to the UK to put our kids through university. For me it was less about being a better father who was more connected to my children or giving them a continuing education and more about saving a fortune I didnt have on international university fees and even more on a potential divorce. I could just visualise the courtroom scene ‘Your Honour my client followed her husband half way around the world and the only thing she ever asked him to do was……’ I was also going through the mental adjustment of finally learning to say ‘Yes’ to my boss instead of different versions of ‘I know better’. Have you noticed how many bosses dont know their jobs but are master politicians? I was acquiring the skills somewhat late in life of how not to get fired almost every second week. The struggle was looking at myself in the mirror every morning wondering where my self respect had gone. Fortunately certain words of wisdom from a drunken ex boss on a river boat cruise sank in to curtail my self destructive nature and after that fate brought me back to the 254. So after a life in hotels around the globe sex, drugs guns and rock’n’roll, gave way to askaries, rungus and ‘mbwa kali’. Embrace change and never say never. Trust those people who have faith in you. Value your best friends as their vision and persistence can change your life for ever.

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  120. Kisii School-Form 4A. My second year as a back-bencher.

    Flash with unbridled ambition, I wanted to be a pilot. Was always fascinated with planes. At the very least, I thought, I could be an engineer.

    Then life happened.

    Against all odds I failed in mathematics (used to be my favourite) in my KCSE. I was disappointed. My parents were bewildered. Just like that, my dream of becoming a pilot were thwarted, prematurely.

    Ten years later I am a budding advocate. I love litigation. Most importantly I enjoy cross examination.

    Maybe. Just maybe, the poor final results in math was God’s intervention that this is not what you should be. This not what you were meant to be. Also, it taught me that life doesn’t always happen the way you expect it to. You have to be like water and take the shape of the container you’re put in.

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  121. Thank you Biko for entertaining us ! Truly it has a long journey. You give us hope, life ,raise our spirits and to be better beings. Congrats on your achievement!

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  122. Thank you Biko for entertaining us ! Truly it has a long journey. You give us hope, life ,raise our spirits and to be better beings. Congrats on your achievement!

  123. In 2010, I was in form 2.
    I believed I’d become a renowned journalist, and travel the world. Life would be easy, so I thought.

    The years have taught me to be flexible, take in change and use it for what I’d like to effect.

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  124. In 2010 I had just moved to TZ and was working for a multinational firm. Same year the woman I loved died in an accident; my heart was shredded to pieces & I have never fully recovered to date (though I eventually married). Introduced to your blog around 2015 by a fellow Kenyan while we were in TZ; never failed to read it since then. My best article is/ was ‘There were birds, but they didn’t sing’.
    End of 2019 came back to Kenya after 10 years: jobless, tough economy, Covid starts, & feeling like a stranger in my own country. Broke like I had not been for almost 20 years (and having a wife & children looking up to me). After more than 8 months jobless (tough, tough times) got a job – not with help of a godfather but help of God the Father.

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  125. Say that again Biko. I read somewhere that your kids cant inherit your job but they can inherit your business.
    You do a good job here. well done.

  126. Because when you get out of bed you are telling the day, “Let’s see what more punches you got for me, you old fart.” …This got me,

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  127. Oyunga Pala…that guy introduced me to the creative writing world. Then I stumbled upon this blog in 2012 and read everything and anything with Biko’s name tagged on it. I write a few pieces too about things I do but I am a bit lazy and can’t keep up with the pressure to post consistently. I almost thought I was reading a confession by someone from my previous job because that is exactly what happened a few months ago, save for small different details.

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  128. The year 2010 was the first year that I started feeling the pinch and cruelty of adult life. I started my life as an employed chap earning Ksh. 4500. Yes, 4500. Its not that I have forgotten any number. I was an electrician working for a Mhindi. To cap it all I decided to engage in grown up stuff and my girlfriend became pregnant. Now this was me earning 4500 with a family. In order to sustain my young family I had two jobs. Kwa Mhindi and kwa mjengo. Kwa mhindi I was a shift electrician working on rotational shifts of 8 hrs each so during night shift I would make sure that I maximise my chances of sleeping so that I would be able to work well at the construction site. When I look at my wife this day I thank God for her for she was always very positive and very encouraging.

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  129. Wow,its feels so good ,2010 everybody in my village knew I was a failure and I had no friends ,they were not allowed to be seen with me,having a baby at 16 was a the biggest sin,from then i got strength,I thank God for his love.cheers

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  130. Very precious nuggets about life and living. Congrats on your win.
    2010, I lost my job too. Then I had a vivid dream of where God was taking me, complete with the name of my next employer ( still my employer to date). These things do happen. The same year, I started dating my now husband.

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  131. 2010….a very young girl who had just joined form 1, knew she’d be the best journalist this great politically infected country would ever have, now she’s so clueless…

  132. First of all Congratulations on the award.This is the BEST BLOG even beyond Africa. Tuesdays are my best days because of you Mr. Biko and these words couldn’t come at a better time,I recently quit my job n I am ‘trying to find myself’ I am 26,in 2010 I was completing high school na I wish a started reading this blog then. You are such an inspiration Mr.Biko. ‘half the battle is won when you simply get out of bed’ m sticking with that.

  133. 2010..was still recovering from PEV effects,having lost a business and dropping out of my Masters class but then in October 2010,met someone special,a friend who ended up being my life partner.It has been all growth since then.I am grateful to God.

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  134. Timely, thank you…..congratulations Biko!……2010,high school forth-form considered it real hell….10 years later, school was way too easy than real life with real responsibilities

  135. 2010 I lost my kid brother, he was a father of a two year old . I was gutted, felt abandoned by God , thought I would never recover . 10 yrs later the boy is 12 thriving, spitting image of his father. 2010 taught me I have a resilience build in my DNA that I did no know existed and that God never ever abandons us .

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  136. Hmmm, 2010?? I was a 26 year old guy who had just moved to the coastal town malindi after a series of unfortunate accidents. Enjoyed life the whole of 2011-drinking, women, (especially those..) then, one morning in a drunken stupor, I asked myself whether I was doing the right thing, and whether it was sustainable in the long run. To cut the story, I joined pwani university, cleared in 2016, now due to start my PhD next year. Going back to school at age of 28 was the best decision ever, and every day am thankful to God for His small mercies. Otherwise I have read everything you have ever written on this blog, and somewhow can recall the first ever article you did for Saturday Nation. Interestingly, i use your articles for demonstration for my sociology classes !

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  137. Happy 10th Anniversary Biko. It’s always refreshing reading your blogs.
    In 2010 I was preparing for my KCSE exams and was hoping I’d make it to UoN. It’s now four years since graduating from UoN into the school of life and God has really been gracious. I’ve learnt quite a bit on savings and keeping an emergency fund for you never know.

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  138. 2010 -still figuring having an ID was no big deal.
    I was an 18 year old thinking I had made it as I awaited to join university in 2011. I was naive, stupid, and thought without a doubt a degree was my way to building my parents a decent house, buying my dad a car, and working for (i dont know) Deloitte . Boy was I wrong, but hey here I am still working on those dreams

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  139. Always a pleasure to read your blog, never disappoints.
    “Nigga should you be at work?” Hahaha…that made my day

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  140. I was young, very young, incredibly young, happy and so full of optimism for future wins. I always thought adult life is packed with uncountable wins. And i lisened to lots of music. 2010 had a tsunami of fresh releases from the world of RnB which was, still is, my favourite genre. Basically, i was happy and carefree.

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  141. Congratulations on the 10th anniversary, Biko, very inspiring.
    “it’s never too late, you are never too old to start over. Most importantly… Run your race at your own pace. Don’t look at the chaps ahead. Do you. Focus on your small steps. The race is long and only the ones with the strong minds will finish it, not the ones with strong thunder thighs.”

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  142. Mimi Biko sijui nikufanyie nini. Your articles are life! Haha ion, I can guess who your boy who bought a house at 32 was. Is it the Kamba guy who you met when exiting a mall and he was entering in BMW X5? Then you had to pay for parking again ndio mkaingia na yeye? He had a f***n hot wife, you said!

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  143. Almost forgot this bit…In 2010, I was a fresh graduate working my hands at different things including freelance writing, editing, marketing as I searched and waited for my dream first job to show up. I even started a fresh produce company (which I unfortunately abandoned as soon as my first formal job showed up).

  144. 2010.
    I was a good form three student. Sleeping for less hours and eating stalks of kales with ugali thrive a week for lunch. All my energy and focus was on kcse. Four years later, I discovered this blog… And I’ve never ever failed to attend any class on Tuesday and even back then when they were on Monday. This blog has taught me lessons that I’d never afford to pay for even if I lived a million years.

    Thank you Biko and congratulations for winning The AFRICA DIGITAL AWARDS.

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  145. To 10 more, and then agan!

    Completed university in the first half of 2010.
    Spent the second half, anxious about joining the statistics of unemployed graduates on one end. On the other end, tried to enjoy to enjoy the last few months before graduation, killing some of the brain cells I’d built by binge watching the shows I’d missed thanks to school. Discovered the blog in 2011.

  146. 2010 found me fresh out of high school. It was the post fourth form confusion era. 2020 finds me employed (and still single) but doing something I love, research.
    I stumbled upon this blog in 2013. ‘Yes you are tribal’ was my initiation and I’ve never looked back. I’ve enjoyed quite a number of blog articles as a member of the silent gang. ‘Visa denied’ made me laugh, ‘What happens when boss lady calls’ made me scared, ‘The thing in Jadudi’s head’ made me cry. Honourable mentions include ‘Let’s Bury a Kikuyu’ (cause I’m a Kuyo) and basically the whole Men and marriage series and a few from the Women and marriage series.
    Congratulations Biko and keep writing.

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  147. Wooow! I’m certainly on the right track. Congratulations Biko on the award. I am proud.

    In 2010 I was in form 4, I was going to score an A, plain, which would obviously lead me into doing my dream course, medicine. 10 years later, I just wrote my last exam papers,BEd, English and Literature.

    It’s been 10 years of confusion, loss, love, learning, regrets, comparison. Looking back today, I don’t regret a thing.
    Life is just life. Live. Laugh. Love.

    Also, you’ve shaped my Tuesdays, and my love for well written meaningful words.
    Oh, before I forget, I picked running after reading something you wrote on Facebook somewhere end last year and that, that is one thing that brought me back to life in 2019.

    Asante Sana for writing, consistently.

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  148. Aaaaaaaaw… No wonder I love you. This is very encouraging. Sharing about your journey. You are my best writer. Cheers to many more biko!

  149. In 2010 I was in form three and my biggest dream was to make it to Uny. God is indeed good, I managed to get to Uny and study Biochemistry. Here I am today working and a happy father too. God, I don’t take all this for granted. Thank you.

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  150. In 2010, 3 of my girlfriends got married. I was posted to some far flung village. My boyfriend then left for the US, ending that relationship. My bestfriend also left for the US. I felt alone, desolate, directionless mostly. Wondered why a myriad times what I was doing wrong in my life. I would never imagine I would be where I am today. I read all your WordPress posts then. Where did Mrs Mwiti go by the way. I think her husband transitioned us here if I’m not wrong? 10 years later, we have grown.

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  151. Standing on the edge of the end of 2020, 2010 seems like another lifetime ago. Like I lived through someone’s life. But here were are…ending 2020

  152. In 2010 I was in my second year of campus. Thank you for your great articles. I lost my job in 2017 just as my daughter turned 6 months. Am still working things out. Good thing is getting out of bed is easier now. Thanks for sharing your story. Say hi to Oyunga he was my classmate at UON.

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  153. Whoa! Another award Bwana Biko, after a second book? As the Ghanaians say “More grease to your elbows.
    In 2010, I finally graduated but ended up doing jobs that were completely unrelated to my LLM study.
    Quite a bit has happened since that time, but one thing I wish I learned to do much earlier is walk. it’s very fulfilling to come of age, and walk out of things that are not for you: whether it is a friendship, situationship, a job bringing no joy, just walk. It does lots to the ego when you walk before they make you walk the plank. then you can hold your head up high and say, “They didn’t fire me, I quit!” Of course wisdom is profitable to direct, so a plan is neccessary.

    This took me out: “Then I’d finally drag myself out of bed and walk out the door and Tamms would be surprised to see me. She’d take a moment just staring at me standing at the doorway of the living room trying to decide if I was a hologram. She had that look, “Wait, shouldn’t this nigga be at work?” Pwahahaha.

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    1. 13th November, 2009 was the last time our fourth born would celebrate his birthday. The following month on 19th December he had a road accident going home after an office Christmas party. We may never understand why things happen as they do, but one thing I’m certain of is that God is still in control, and in very dark times we continue to look up to Him; to reason with Him, and ask Him for the grace to see us through..

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  154. 2010 was my last year in campus. I was very excited about life. Serving in CU and wearing suits was normal as you avoid romantic relationships. CU calender on my finger tips, enjoyed missions. M-net (mathare north area 4) was a great host. There was time to do all things that pertains about life and spirituality.

  155. 2010, I still remember the post, surprised how time flies. Was working during the day and college in the evening. I had ambitions, dreams that anyone I dared tell would wonder what I was smoking. Glad many have come to pass.
    On saving money, spot on you never hold the winter.

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  156. In 2010 I was in class 6, In 2018 Oct a friend sent me a link on whattsApp and I started with “Purple Drunk” and I’ve fallen in love with the blog ever since. Keep on keeping on and congrats on your win!

  157. 2010 I was in high school form 2 somewhere in Embu just ambitious and not sure what I really wanted in life, then 2020 came and I now had the breakthrough and thought my career has just begun little did I know corona was waiting. Well, it’s still being a good one in a very different direction. We wait to see what’s in store and if we will be that ‘somebody’

  158. I like it,,,”You are never too old to start over”,,,,”Run your race at your own pace”””
    2010 I was 4yrs old in my new govt job after tarmacking,,,,still “vumilia”

  159. This was 2019 for me, then 2020 came with its thing.
    I loved that bit about the first battle being getting out of bed.
    Asante sana Biko. It must have been tough at first and may it still is, but you kept going. Powerful lessons right here.

    1. In 2010, I was 2 years old in a job out of town. I was a proud 20 something year old, who couldn’t be told and didn’t want to be told anything. I was partying hard coz I had freedom or so I thought. I might be going back to that job but I’m definitely older and wiser.

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  160. Congratulations!!! Woohoo!!
    2010? It was the epitome of my career. I was working at the University of Oxford, creating vaccines……just 2yrs after graduation.
    And I had a big head and was so haughty…..a know it all and arrogant enough to shame all those racist haters I encountered.
    Then like big headed Humpty Dumpty, I had my great fall and no one could put me together again.
    Been in between jobs since Dec 2011, the haughtiness is all gone (thankfully) and have taken a life’s beating no…not beating disciplining.

    I am now a calmer being. With greater understanding and (hopefully) have matured much.

    I still get out of bed and appreciate the tiny and mighty privileges of life.
    I learnt the beauty is simplicity….and have learnt how to subsist on bare minimals: a live without bill,courtesy of rain water harvesting, solar powered house and living in the rural subsisting on that tiny piece of land.

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  161. In 2010; I was in class six, grappling with math; trying to wrap my head around its structure. I listened to Akon – he was still hot, and so was my crush, only nobody wanted to see us together. (Get it?)

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  162. In 2010 i was in class 6 when the new constitution was being passed sahi naona ni signature za BBI. I was introduced to this blog by ex boyfriend,lol.

  163. I enjoy your writing Biko. Congratulations on your win. In 2010, I had just had my first born son and was preparing for my wedding. I had a good job and life was ok.

  164. “You get so comfortable you imagine that your desk is your family heirloom, populating it with framed pictures of your family and bland inanimate mementos that you smother with sentimentality. ”
    Aki ya ngai

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  165. In 2010, I was a sad young woman. I’d just had a baby a few months earlier in August 2009. My dad called me his biggest failure and waste of money. I cried most nights. I had no job but had a degree. My life seemed to have come to a screeching halt with a baby daddy who didn’t seem interested. Now my daughter is 11years old and I have a son who’s 2years old. I have regained a job that I lost in January 2017 because of Trump. I had only worked 4months. My life is a long story

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  166. Im not good at words. This is my first time to comment on this wall.
    2010 was a transition year for me too. My dad lost his job in 2010. So my family had to move out of our govt house and rent out a house. The govt house was a majestic 5 bedroomed mansionette and the house we moved into was a small 3 bedroomed bungalow. Some of our furniture couldn’t fit in there. The house didn’t have a regular water supply. Was in my 2nd year of Med school. The future looked bleak, wasn’t sure I’d make it to the end of Med school. In 2010 Id have never imagined I’d have achieved what i have now. Definitely, I’m more resilient and i can cope better with difficulties.
    My favourite quote from your article is ‘ instability builds character’, sums up my experience since 2010.

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  167. In 2010 I was an 19 year old thinking I should have life figured out and wondering why my crush didn’t notice me… It was the year I also found that my friend and I were talking to the same guy and he would send us the same exact texts…. I was heart broken for some reason I thought we’d get married lol …..

  168. In 2010 I was an 19 year old thinking I should have life figured out and wondering why my crush didn’t notice me… It was the year I also found that my friend and I were talking to the same guy and he would send us the same exact texts…. I was heart broken for some reason I thought we’d get married lol …..

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  169. Congratulations for winning the continental award. That’s no mean feat. On your retrenchment that was a road well traveled. Mine came in July 1996 when my first born son was 15 days old.

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  170. Congratulations Biko on the Award, this was well deserved! 10years ago I was in high school, form 2. Honestly I don’t feel like I’ve achieved much but this just encouraged me. Thank you Biko.

  171. Instability breeds character. I also lost my job in 2018 where i felt that i was irreplaceable and this drastic transition from employment to being jobless was quite depressing for me. The ensuing uncertainty forced me to level up and steer my own life/career in a direction only i can dictate. In hindsight, losing that job has made me develop a resilient character where even if things don’t go my way, there is always another chance to try and achieve your potential.

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  172. I finished High School in 2009. In 2010, I didn’t believe anything. I was existing. Tunnel-focused on one career path. Shunning scholarships and opportunities to study money things. Now I’m looking for money and it runs for the hills when I approach it.

  173. Congratulations Biko you deserve this and more .I look forward to your weekly blogs the way one looks forward to church on Sunday.
    In 2010 I was such a lost soul but 10 years later I can say for sure nimetoka mbali .I raise a glass to you and myself too 🙂

  174. “The battle is won when you simply get out of bed. Because when you get out of bed you are telling the day, “Let’s see what more punches you got for me, you old fart”.

    My take away and much needed today. In 2010, I was on my first real job in a manufacturing firm somewhere, and didn’t even understand myself.

  175. Awesome… In 2010 I had just lost my job in the bank… No woiyes please. It’s fine… I turned ok. Did I struggle? Absolutely! It open me to a new career that I’m still at…

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  176. The first post I ever read from this blog was ‘Visa Denied’. That was on 16/09/2014. From that day, I’ve never missed a post till date. In 2010 I was an Untrained Teacher in my village secondary school, Raliew Secondary School. Life then didn’t mean much, I was just an 18yr old lad out of high school in 2009 and was just trying to make a few coins at what I did. But I was a good teacher though, I meet some of my students today and they are grateful I ever taught them in class.
    Today, the most powerful statement from the post for me is ‘it’s never too late to start over’. I lost my first job in 2019 January and my life bearing has just not been clear anymore. I hope I’ll manage.

  177. Jackson Biko’s writings, those words testify to the passion, courage, and keen insight that made him one of the most powerful writers ….. I might have lost my job but I gained courage. Courage to take a path beset with great uncertainty. Instability breeds character.

  178. Congratulation Biko on 10 years of blogging, this is great.
    2010 i was in form four preparing to sit for my KCSE ,which i did and left high school in Nov.

  179. i have been trying to reconstruct the thoughts and feelings when i went through the same.so well put that now i can laugh.luckily i was back working elsewhere in six months.the worst was to come three years after loosing the second one too.Three years of torment.got an opportunity again.big and better.hard lessons learnt.nothing personal on my desk or company house.company line yes but only for company matters and staff.And family to exhaust airtime.The day i will hand back the line i will be free of people and issues i don’t need to deal with.The laptop,brand new and stowed in my desk.Uses mine.I don’t want to be emotionally attached.Company car?i have mine on stand-by.I am happy that i got to know people in a way i would never have.surprisingly even family.you get even to know your resilience and strength.That exit personal finances management is just PR.Like asking a person you are about to kill how deep they want their grave.The ”WHO MOVED MY CHEESE-HAM &HAW”. This time,i will be ready.

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  180. I was running a small carwash under a tree, somewwhere hiddden along ngong road. I was starting out on my entrepreneurship journey, at 24 years. It has been quite the journey and learning curve. Cheers to the win.

  181. Wow..thanks Biko for this wonderfully written piece. I’m turning 33 soon and I’m so glad to know it’s not too late to start building wealth. I haven’t been much of a saver but this year I’ve really saved the hell out of my money. In 2010 I was in campus, surviving. Fighting to stay afloat. That’s what I was. A survivor. My only remaining parent had passed away late 2009 and those who promised to care for my siblings and I couldn’t be bothered. So I was an overweight 22 year old, student, a parent to my sibling, a business person, a tutor, the family’s peacemaker, leader, and girlfriend to an awesome guy. It was rough but I remained hopeful, starry eyed actually, and happy.

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  182. Just came across this blog this year and reading through the comments I can’t help but feel a little bit jealous of those that started in 2010 or 2012, those who were here back then. But 2030 is coming and I intend to make the newcomers feel the same! In 2010 I was just fresh out of high school looking forward to freedom at Uni.

    Can I also say this was a special one, no 1st to comment gang followed by someone mad at the ‘1st commenter’, then followed by one who agrees, then finally a fourth ‘commenter’ thinking they are 1st!!!

    Congrats on the award! Wish you all the best!
    Thank you Biko!

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  183. Where were you in 2010? What were you doing then? What did you believe in with absolute conviction ten years ago? Most importantly, WHO were you in 2010?

    i was a bartender in our local area and a mother of 1.

    i can see those eyes rolling.

    You can do anything (except killing) to survive for your child to eat

    And yes i have written a short story( still work in progress) and i hope it will qualify to be novel one day and the title is Ten years later

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  184. I met the man I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with in 2010. Went on a whirlwind romance and eloped the next year. 10 years and 3 beautiful daughters later, we are separated and headed towards divorce but for some reason I have so much peace. Looking forward to seeing what this next decade has for me.
    Congratulations Biko!

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  185. I got a 9 years reminder on 21st November from Facebook. I had written on 21st November 2011.

    “Pitching for Bikozulu again…….”

    I have been here 9 years…. enough for a kid to move from class 1 to High school. Go go man. We will always be here.

    Am that age you lost your job now…and I feel old as you did then. Happy to know the best is still to come.

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  186. 2010 my first year after after campus. The year I got employed , I thought had made it forward 5 years down got fired in 2015. I found myself in similar situation no savings. Unemployment and uncertainty brings the best out us. The last five years have been the best in my life, self employment has worked for. With hindsight being fired was the best thing which happened to me. Courage to start from scratch.

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  187. Here’s to 10 years! 2010 had me move from my cosy Murang’a home to sinfully scenic Dar. New country, new life. I learned patience, fidelity, selflessness and a new culture. I made and lost friends in the weirdest of places and situations. I grew thick skin, learned when to give and not to give a fuck. Read books. Wined and dined with elderly people who shared so much wisdom. Fathered a second daughter. Made peace with an absent father. Forgot to learn to swim. Only regret. At this age, gratitude is the right attitude. Moments of Solitude are probably the best seconded by those around your special ones, especially when your kids’ ears are pricked for your stories. And laughter. You taught us to laugh and heal those inner aches. I’m back now, wiser and more chilled out. fourth floor ain’t so bad. Looking forward to the next 10.

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  188. In 2010 i was 10 years old and my sister was born that january. The only thing I wanted was to get back home from school and sit with the baby. I was the best elder sister if I say so myself.

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  189. Congratulations for the great achievement.
    I seriously gave my life to christ in 2010.
    looking back it’s been grace after grace in my life.

  190. Firstly, congrats on the decade hit, I started reading your blogs in 2016, then later went backwards to read your earlier editions.. I stopped at 2014, earlier then I didn’t get thrilled, so I halted.
    Fast forward, can’t miss any of your writing on Tuesdays.
    OK, 2010, I was 22yrs old in my third year in TUK(Final year), being raised in the village I was just a regular Joe, no idea how to get laid, Well that changed in 2012.
    Now, what happened for you in 2009, happened to me when The pandemic hit in Kenya… I was working (also now) with the largest brewery in Kenya, bars closed, production too a deep nose dive, was laid off.. I’d wake in the weekday mornings, check the parking lot in the estate, and only my car would there. So I’d sleep late at 2.00am watching movie or just passing time then wake up at 10.00am just to “kill” time. I used all my savings to pay rent (April-Dec) coz you don’t let the spouse know there’s a problem. Finally on 29th Sept, Uhuru said “Kunyweni Pombe sasa”, and that was my Hail Mary… Was reinstated a month later… And wait for it!! In a town called Narok.. Still here. I just thank heavens that I got the gig back.
    Anyone that got the same challenge, please don’t give up, brighter days are coming.

    3
  191. I came across this blog in Dec 2010. At the time we were living at a place with no elec, f**k Kenya power. We only had solar and that was reserved for the night. My phone would be charged at the nearest Shopping Centre and I’d go back to catching up with all the old posts, it’d never stay charged for even one night. 10yrs later, I’m still here. I still get excited once I get a notification.
    Happy 10th to the gang!

    4
  192. 2010. I was at ground zero again, after blowing a windfall towards the end of 2009. I lost my first job at 21 and have been steadily losing jobs since.

    2
  193. In 2010 I was a teenager who had a bright future. I was still in standard 8 and I thought of how I was going to study hard, pass my KCPE, write a thrilling Insha that would be published in the papers, join Bahati girls’ high school then join Moi University where I would study economics. My mathematics teacher had always called me (chief finance officer)He gave me the confidence I needed then and made me believe that I was destined for greatness. Thanks to him, I still hold on to that confidence he had in me.

    2
  194. I was 22. The Cock that ruled the the rooster. Now?Am close to being the feather duster. 10 years! 10 bloody fucking years!

    Biko done saved my hustle. Done saved my esteem and done bloody saved my life. I once wrote him an email after being ‘fired’ and he told me to “keep going”!

    Done tried to off myself. Done tried to be the best!

    Done won countless awards on my craft. Done done some really astounding creative work.

    Lesson learnt, live your life. Learn yourself. Wait for it.

    Done been to ‘high school’ done graduated!

    What a journey.

    And we keep walking.

    Thanks Jack.

    Oh and Tamms is the real OG.
    Kim is our man.
    Bless you Niko.

    5
  195. You are a man, you always pay the rent because rent is a roof and the roof is your pride.” I love this uncle
    Can’t say much about 2010 but the impact your blog has done to my English is immeasurable ,small strides but great impact
    Thank you

    1
  196. Wow! I read your articles pretty much most times but this one,this one got me! There is something about people sharing their stories of going under and having the strength of coming out stronger that just amazes and encourages others. I am proud of you. I was just finishing high school when you lost your job, I wouldn’t have understood you then but now I do, totally!
    I also believe in the power of waking up and going out even when things are bad and with all uncertainty there is or could be because it has worked for me too. Good job and congratulations are in order. Onwards and upwards!

    1
  197. In 2010 I had just parted ways with the father of my son. I had nothing to my name. As a 23 years old girl my world was crushed. I had no hope of coming to 2020 but see me here. Telling people it can be done

    2
  198. In 2010 I was a high school student form three , I always dreamt of going to university and study Commerce, well I ended up in education and now a high school teacher, great story Biko

    1
  199. It is true that our omogusii songs (kwanza when sang by females) are piercing ululations like ‘brain surgery sans the novocaien’ ( 2010 Dec, we were partying like it’s 1999, man) 😉

    1
  200. 2010…..I was here…as dragoness still. Everything was gold, everything was just golden
    I was working in a gold mine,in my corner office having the time of my life…..in Tz, as HR superintendent…..

    Then 2011…..that job came to an abrupt end….so I understand very well with all what you are saying here….

    Congratulations! 10 years! Happy 10th Anniversary

    1
  201. stick. to. your. lane. Run your race at your own pace. Don’t look at the chaps ahead. Do you. Focus on your small steps. The race is long and only the ones with the strong minds will finish it, not the ones with strong thunder thighs.

    Word!!!!!!

    1
  202. In 2010 i was in tsavo reading your blog.., your blog has sought of mentored me to the Man I’m today.
    Thank you gang, keep up the good work.

    1
  203. Congrats BIKO for your win. I have been a fan of this blog since 2017. I can relate to the job loss story too well because it happened to someone close to me and it came with a lot of challenges but we emerged stronger. If you will be home this December, pass by Kendu Sub County Hospital and say Hi.

  204. Ha! in 2010, I was just entering the workplace and felt like the world owed me something. I was cocky, believed that I can make it alone in life and was so sure that I would not be a family person. Now, ten years later, I am wiser than ever – I have an amazing career that I had never envisioned, have a caring husband and two kids who make me feel like my heart will burst from joy. Also, I realised the value of networking and that a full life is one that has a community – friends and family to hold you up when you feel down, who have your back and will come to your aid no matter what. In essence, the last 10 years have humbled me. Thank you Biko for your insightful blog and congratulations!!

    2
  205. Happy Anniversary and congratulations for winning the AFRICA DIGITAL AWARDS.

    In 2010, I was working for an organisation that fell into a financial crunch due to mismanagement and embezzlement by top management. Worked for 3 months without pay, had no savings to speak of, the landlady locked me and my son out of the house. Lucky for me my friends and family stepped in to help. 3 days after that I was off to Dar for a very lucrative short term contract that carried me through till I got my next job in 2011.

    1
  206. In 2010 I was in class 3 youve been here for so long aki
    Congrats on your 10 year journey
    Am a starter at reading blogs this year all thanks to Corona and honesty you got nice reads

    1
  207. Congratulations Biko , and happy 10 years .
    This platform has been my go to every week since 2019 .
    2010 i was just a high school student in boding school with no much ambitions , i lived one day at a time .

  208. I’m a silent follower up in here but I never miss a post, even if it’s a few days later. I raise my glass to this Biko!. Also, waaah! Going through the comments section made me realize that nimezeeeka. In 2010 I was working while doing my 2nd year para. I’m currently jobless but pursuing something that I love doing… we live and we learn and we take everything in stride

    2
  209. 2010. Hmmm. I was a 30 year old, grappling with the meaning of life. Working and at the same time, doing post graduate gumbaru courses in Procurement, little knowing what the future held. The 1st story I remember reading, was the post Jackso did on folks in the Diaspora that caused such a furore with summer bunnies who felt slighted and aggrieved……iliwasha moto!!
    To imagine we are here today………… Wuon Tamms, please keep writing buana, you give us something to look forward to every Tuesday at 1100hrs

    1
  210. Congratulations on your 10 year blogversary Chocolate Man. Well deserving. Your blog is the place I run to , to sharpen my writing skills and to just have a good laugh.
    In 2010, I was in high-school. I was a ka form 1, learning about the bunsen burner. Transnighting was also the norm. I was probably dipping my legs in a bucket of cold water to stay up and study for the Mock Exams. Only to end up, mocked by them But we made it this far. Graduated from campus and grateful.

    1
  211. I love being here Tuesday I don’t sleep early being a Monday night for me!

    2010 was my final year in Campus and a beginner of life as a graduate who knew no tail or head on where to start looking for a job. By God’s grace got a shamba boy Job in Siaya kababa, a graduate! An old age tale I tell grand kids….

  212. Inspiring, I started a blog for the same reason a place to let it out, I don’t write often because am more discouraged by the reason “marriage”. But seeing this article am thinking ohh well…

  213. Congrats Biko,10 Years is not a joke..started reading mid last year and i have never missed since then.2010 was my first year in campus I can remember the hype and excitement of the Freedom but boy it came with consequences too but we still here getting out of bed everyday. That win was well deserved.Keep winning.

  214. Quite insightful.
    Living and hustling In Downtown Nairobi (Kirinyaga road,precisely) for 3 good years, from 2007, with nothing of note to talk about,
    The year 2010 I was deeply training n preparing my mind to cope with the fate of life , that is going back to hustle at “Shagz” in my late 20’s. I was reluctant. An opportunity to relocate inNorth Eastern came up,and Dec 15 2010 found me moving out of Nairobi, for good.

  215. Cheers Biko!
    I cant even write down who i was in 2010…I have come from far.Its nostalgic.

    Its about how we rise up when we fall that really matters.

  216. Went through the same thing in 2012, I had a fat cat salary as a financial director, then it all went tits up and last one out turn the lights off.
    After a year or 18 months living off severance and unemployment pay, the day was fast approaching when something had to change, made the decision to change direction and seriously went into teaching.
    Six years later, still teaching and loving it, no stress, no pressure, teach who I want and as many as I want to give the fridge full and pay the bills.
    Unlike Biko, this happened to me later in life when I was 54 but it reminded me of an old saying, if you want to learn to ride a bike, you got to get up, dust your ass off and get back on the bike every time you fall off, also you have to help yourself first, ain’t nobody going to help you when you are down, not even your ‘friends’.
    Stay safe people.

    2
  217. Great work Niko! Kudos on winning the continental award. It is fully deserved.
    I still remember the first article I read on this blog “The 3 a.m. man” and since then, I became part of the gang.
    So onto where I was in 10 years ago.
    2010 was my final year in high school, pale St. Mary’s Boys’ Secondary School, Nyeri. It was an adventurous year since I got to travel outside the country, not once but twice, all courtesy of the school.
    At just 17, I was just getting slowly introduced into life. 10 years later, I have turned out okay. Not perfect, but I’m figuring it out.

    1
  218. 2010…I wasnt fired, but this multi national USAID funded development project I was working on closed. At 28, I was coordinating partner NGOs in the uganda chapter. Unlike you Biko, I didnt have a toddler at the time, but my one of my girlfriends was a month away from delivering and my main squeeze was 2months into the nines. With no visible savings, I longed for that per diem in USD I lavishly spend during partner meetings in Mombasa, Zambia and Washington.
    But it was an experience that taught me the valuable lesson of saving for the winters.

    Thank you. My glass is up my man. Cheers

    2
  219. To be honest,I was hustling for job too,was lonely,had no girlfriend,but used to read your blogs,pale jobless Conner,sitting on stonesI used to share your posts with my jobless mate but they couldn’t understand,used to read more about fatherhood posts even though I wasn’t a father yet,in short my relationship with this blog is longer than my marriage hehe and thanks so much for the fatherhood posts,it inspired me a lot.

    1
  220. Ten years Ago i was a highschool student ..form 2 ..but now ten years later am a teacher impating knowledge on this young generation .ever since i joined this gang have learnt alot ..cheers biko you give strength to many of us here .in my early 20s and have learnt and still is learning alot ..

  221. Amazing read as always
    Are there people here who have genuinely fell in love? Just thinking out load
    We would love to hear the love stories.

  222. I have been here since high school…had just finished highschool myself, at wordpress was a thing and the world was in my hands…

  223. Congratulations!!
    Happy 10th anniversary,
    I didn’t even know that this blog has been on for 10 years,I started reading last year and I haven’t stopped reading,which means I still have a whooping 5+ years- long posts to read,
    And you don’t disappoint, not even once,you’re a great writer.
    Thank you Biko, for making my Tuesdays worthwhile.
    In 2010 I was in form 1,I wanted to be a pilot.

  224. I was in class 3 in 2010.I started with reading your pieces in the Saturday magazine and I still brag to my friends about this blog for some reason.They always think you’re South African.

  225. 2010 i was in Form 2, battling homesickness, gaining weight rapidly and drowning because the true fact was that physics and math could indeed stop my reggae. Whatever bright streak I had had until then in my young life was rapidly diminishing and I realised I wasn’t a giant among girls any more…ah these are regrets i am almost let go of because 16 i am not any more hey?
    I’m an adult and I have mastered the art of trying and trying again and with the opportunities to do so

    1
  226. In 2010,I had just finished my high school and was thinking of the next chapter in life,which university to join,I later joined university of Nairobi and graduated with my bachelor’s in journalism and media studies class of 2014.Now in Seattle Washington USA still hustling in this life.

    1
  227. 2010 December 1st, I first moved to Nairobi officially..also my first day at an employment I was ‘locked’ in for 8 yrs..10 yrs later am a budding entrepreneur..started reading you two years ago and I have never missed a piece,..congratulations on the continental win Biko…you’re good at this and even the numbers in Nigeria know this,..thanks for entertaining us.

  228. Those of us who have gone through job loss could complete your sentences. You captured the situation right. Glad for how it is going. Great lessons there. Well done bruh

  229. In 2010 I were in 3rd year in college aspiring and dreaming. I didn’t know your blog was out of a job loss but I read it as an extension of “The male perspective” which I wouldn’t miss for anything. Congrats on the award Master

    1
  230. I can relate with this story, same script, tame timing, different actors, when Urtna-Pec closed it Nairobi office and we were all rendered jobless. True, you can always kick-start in life for the better. 2009 – 2010 was a learning path.

  231. So so encouraging,wah! In 2010 I had just been employed….With a pay of 15K,I partied every weekend….little did I know that in 2020 I would b a mother of 3 and would need the money.

  232. People say Kenyans do not read…I beg to differ with them….we love reading, reading good, helpful and interesting stuff. In 2010, I was newlywed in a distant marriage. I later joined my husband and then he passed on barely 2years after. It’s been a journey and reading other people’s stories here has been encouraging.

    Congratulations on the Award!!!

    1
  233. Congratulations. In 2010, my life was fine. I had a low paying job, but I loved it very much. Then 2013 came, my job was no more. Now, my childhood dream is fulfilled. I write. I love it with a passion.

    1
  234. 2010 was the year i made mistakes that i wish i coule take back. Too late i can’t do that. If however i had seen me 10yrs from then… I would have been a tad wiser. Well.. Here we are. 2010 remains to be a year i don’t want to think about. Maybe another 10yrs from now i will look back in 20 and say… Well, it didn’t fizzle out like i thought it would. 2010 i was a different person from who i am today, a little more entittled and did not bother about so much in life. It was grand to be young.

  235. I’m 20 going on 21 exactly 11 days from today.

    Will forever be grateful to the universe for letting me stumble into your Samson and Delilah post on Instagram,funny thing is,I wasn’t even looking when I did, someone just sent it to me because they know I’m a sucker for words and they said, and I quote, ” Winnie, this guy is a vibe,you might enjoy reading this” and damn…..I’ve stalked your pages ever since.

    And my God, do you deliver. No fuckin cap,I love you. Ahhhhh. Congratulations again, you deserve every platform that brings out your light. Because man, you’ve earned every thing. Kudos to more of you winning, love to see it, as for me and my house, we’ll continue serving the Lord,haha, my life right now needed me to read this post!!!!!

    Anyway, I’ve totally failed to sign up for your classes but one day I hope I do.

    Lots of love from Uganda(I’ve made sure that every friend I know that loves words, finds out you exist)

    Oh and also, thank you for replying my Instagram with a “lol”, you’re the GOAT!

    2
  236. In 2010, I was in first year of Law School. It is in this year two semesters later I was home for long holidays and Sharon sent me a link to this blog. I read all of it. Then the next day I walked into University of Nairobi, Kisumu Campus, and started mine.

    Everything else is history. Boring, over told history. But where would I be without you…or should I say, Sharon?

    4
  237. There were birds, but they didn’t sing. Alex, the gas man.

    These two I can never forget. Anytime I feel like the ground is caving, I dig into my memory for the shit the mama was put through and my issues seem like child play which they mostly are.

    When I feel like I need to do things to prove to them that I am a man too, Alex comes knocking, and with him, common and maybe some uncommon sense. Alex has been that guy for me. Same way Nyevu Karisa does at a talk she gave on Engage.

    In November 2010, I must have been sitting my last paper in High School. Agriculture or something. I was a green, blue, yellow naive boy with a babyface. I had ambition but it was just a vague thing. Here I was sitting my final exams but I didn’t have definite plans on what I wanted to do thereafter. I had carried-forward dreams of doing medicine but God knows I didn’t even know what medicine entailed. Peer pressure really.

    10 years down the line, I am an older boy with that same baby face and a few strands of a beard but with a better idea of what he wants to do. A boy with a plan and a will to make it count. 10 years down the line, Corona and budget cuts have almost brought us to that same place you were at in 2009. But as we were saying earlier in the day, we have to be stoic and intentional in making everyday day count. Intentional about living a full life each day.

    1
  238. I completed high school in 2010. Since then, I have been struggling with running my own race. My life has been a series of *one step forward — four steps backwards* kind of experience. To be honest — it’s depressing!

    3
  239. Wow this is an interesting piece. And inspiring too especially at these uncertain times. For those with no jobs, for those uncertain about their jobs and those who lost jobs!

  240. I was in class 8 in 2010. I never had it in mind that I would eventually bump into your website on these streets of social media. Bravo Biko.

  241. 2010 is when I joined university and I started reading this blog due to sad nigga hours moment,
    There is this storo you did about sabina joy wacha tu, I have never turned back
    Always loving your insightful storos. To many more gang… Forehead gang

    1
  242. We assembled here like a gang of thieves planning the next heist.
    Life back then was Easy.
    We weren’t pretentiously busy.
    Time was ample for a read.

    But we still make it here.

    To 10 yrs

    1
  243. Well in Biko – congratulations on your award and thank you for the good, inspirational and mostly hilarious reads over the years. 2010….well I was still figuring shit out not that much has changed…

  244. In 2010, thoughts of quitting my job came and yes, I entertained them, planned my exit and quit in May 2011. I have no regrets of those 2010 thoughts coz after being self employed for like 9 years and a few ups and downs coupled with valuable lessons, this year 2020 I managed to set up what I can now call a business. Thank God for those 2020 thoughts.

  245. 2010. Back then I thought I’d have finished my masters, bought a house and car by 28yrs. Oh well. God is good. Thank you biko for writing.

  246. 2010, I was in campus. We never cared about anything, it was our parent’s job to care. But today…. Anyway, congratulations Biko. You are doing well.

  247. This was emotional. I’m 23 yrs old and i lost my job due to covid back in march. It opened up my eyes to so many things. Keep your head up guys

  248. Biko your depiction of 2010 is what my 2020 has been. Such an uncertain year!!!. I am still very grateful for the year. I am hopeful that the coming year will look up for most if not all of us and when we have the yearly recap in 2021 we will be grateful we kept hope alive.

  249. In 2010, I was in form 2 dreaming to be a big time journalist and specifically a radio personality …by this time I was reading anything that was printed, I fondly rem how my mom used to hand me pieces of newspaper after she unwrapped anything.
    My very first interaction with this blog was in 2015, if my memory serves me right, when I was reading Saturday Nation and biko was fussing all about that denied visa to UK….I subscribed and the chemistry is
    still so much like day 1

  250. It’s my first time to comment here. 2010 I was sitting for my k.c.p.e having dreams to land in one of those big name giant schools. Life happens though and now am running at my own pace. Cheers . A big shout out to Mama Air force for introducing me here same time with the pandemic.

    1
  251. Congratulations!!! I love your blog.
    2010 I was just starting an new chapter of my life in high school. How naive I was about life, here I am 10 years later and all I can ask myself is WTF am I doing.

  252. “It didn’t help that my best friend – a guy we ate beans and chapo with in vibandas in Uni – had bought a house. A whole f**n house! Who the hell buys a maisonette with a backyard at 32?” who does that lol!
    In 2010 was in class 6 in some public school wearing a dark yellow short and a blue shirt as uniform. Dreaming of being an artist…somehow as you grow up you dream less and less.

    Will check out the 3-am man asap…

  253. 2010
    In my 4th year in JKUAT, hanging out in the library, overly overly hopeful of what the outside life had to offer‍♀️, well…I did Engineering and being a girl, I surely thought to myself that it was gonna be great, there was no way it was gonna be otherwise. Shock on me

  254. In 2009 I was not only chasing skirt and tight jeans but unwrapping them-with consent.in 2010 I felt it was enough and just via a text invited one of the girls,”si you come tuishi pamoja and see what life has for us”.
    Ten years down the line am a proud husband and father of two with a home under my name.ive learned that it’s respect that glues people together including and not limited to couples.
    I stabled on chocolate man via his book- DRUNK,which I took from a stranger who had dosed off in a bus to Mombasa.I read the book page to page,returned it,searched Biko Zulu and like my marriage the rest is history in the making.
    Congrats for the award tuko pamoja kwa hii safari.

    1
  255. In 2010 I left the comfort of a permanent, pensionable job to chase a dream of an earned Ph.D. I did it!
    Funny, I want to walk away from it all. No idea where am headed!
    Where will the next ten years take me?
    Biko, I needed this!

    1
  256. 2010 was a good year for me. I got the opportunity to study in Voronezh, Russia. Lived there for seven years and enjoyed almost every minute of it except the – 25° winter, of course…

  257. In 2010
    a) I was in 2nd year again after starting Uni from scratch.
    b) I was a naieve silly girl in a toxic relationship
    c) It was my first time on a plane

  258. 2010 I was in form two, a teenager with dreams, My Initiation year and by the way November 13 is usually my Birthday Biko. I have lost my job once and learnt the hard way to start putting money aside. Big up Biko

  259. I was a fresher, in 2010 dating a guy way older than me that I had no business dating. He introduced me to the blog then the following year he introduced me to GOT. Anyway we later broke up over me not wanting to go swimming with him, but to this date he still recommends shows and books that I end up obsessing over. I guess he truly got my ‘essence.’

    …but high school was lit. I do miss the good old days. I am envious of the new folks joining us they have so many stories to read.

  260. in 2010, I was competing in Zain Africa Challenge (our uni came in second place) as cancer was ravaging my Mum’s body. She died that April. I started reading this blog that year and I’ve never stopped.

  261. In 2010 I was in class 6 stressing about nothing but those daily homeworks.
    Life was sweet, and still is, depends on how you choose to look at things.
    Happy 10th Anni Biko. Thank you for always blessing us, I get myself lost every time am reading your piece.

  262. This was perfect for me at this time. Im 31 now and not sure about the course my life is taking but this has encouraged me. Thank you

  263. I remember finishing high-school back in 2010 & full of hopes for the future. I remember that wasted a lot time playing video games. I definitely don’t reason the same way as I used to. It’s life though, one has to pass a certain stage.

  264. Wow! Good read or I’m I late? In 2010 I was a happy class 6 girl just at the onset of adolescence, worried about nothing least of all the future.

  265. I’m Nigerian ! And that comment slaps.
    I absolutely love your blog, a friend from Kenya introduced it to me ❤️
    I was in my third year in high school in 2010, safe to say it’s been an interesting past 10 years!

  266. In 2010 i was unemployed after i quit my job which i had only had for four months. I was younger and braver and saw that the company had no future and i did not want to waste my time there.
    2010 was a good sabbatical year, i rested did some projects and got the motivation to get back to the job market.

  267. Refreshing to know the genesis of this blog that I am clearly been chapo kaliwad! Great lesson for all and congratulations Biko on the awards. You deserve them and more.

    2010 I was desperate about setting down. I felt deep within me that none of the girlfriends I had (they were many, hahaha) could be the one! So when I met the one a stranger by all standards, I told her my intentions on our first date, popped the question to her same year and she said, yes! We are now about to celebrate our 10th anniversary

    1
  268. CONGRATULATIONS! You earned and deserved this (and other) Awards.
    I can’t remember when I discovered you but it was way back.
    Anyway you asked about 2010. Wueh. I was riding high up there in the clouds in my career (with a local media house).
    I was fully recovered from a rather serious health issue, feeling mentally, emotionally and physically invincible, working like a donkey and so thankful to God that for the first time in my life, I started tithing (yes tithe ya church). Bought a few plots just coz I could. I’m a wanderluster, and was doing some bit of local and international travel as a treat to myselufu. 2010 was a great, fantabulous year for me. Job loss happened two years later. Tha’s a story for anaa day.

  269. CONGRATULATIONS! You earned and deserved this (and other) Awards.
    I can’t remember when I discovered you but it was way back.
    Anyway you asked about 2010. Wueh. I was riding high up there in the clouds in my career (with a local media house).
    I was fully recovered from a rather serious health issue, feeling mentally, emotionally and physically invincible, working like a donkey and so thankful to God that for the first time in my life, I started tithing (yes tithe ya church). Bought a few plots just coz I could. I’m a wanderluster, and was doing some bit of local and international travel as a treat to myselufu. 2010 was a great, fantabulous year for me. Job loss happened two years later. Tha’s a story for anaa day.

    1
  270. 2010. What stands out is that i was working after completing my high school. I was excited about life and future. But thats the same year i experienced love and heartbreak a thousand times. There is so much beauty in youthful love, but often we underestimate the power of the same loss of love once you have gripped it in yur heart.

  271. The Kisii songs bit though. Great read. Yes it’s never too late to start over. You did, I did, anyone else can.
    ION, in 2010, this Kisii girl was enthusiastic about the future. I had recently graduated, was pursuing my post graduate and engaged to be married in Feb 2011.

  272. I came across your blog just recently and I’m amazed. Your writing is incredible! Congratulations on the 10 years and the award!!! May you attain bigger global achievements. As an aspiring blogger, I would really love to be part of the creative writing masterclass for 2021 incase it’s there.

  273. A wonderful piece of writing… it reminded me of when I, a naivee trusting young lady started working, met someone and fell in love only to be abandoned when I got pregnant…. ati he was not ready to be a dad! Why do people assume that women are ready to be mums? Then a couple of us laid off a month to having the baby, and so I gave notice to land lady with grand plans to go home n restrategize… and the day I was discharged from hospital with a healthy baby, one of my parents decided I was not welcome there…. men make a big deal about job loss and the negative effect on ego – it’s just as bad for the unready lady turned single mum… but society condemns her, as if somehow it was her fault… crazy.

    1
  274. As a 30 year old who lost his job, private business (magazine if you can believe it), and wife started some fight that ended up delaying our first kid starting school so damn much. Reading this was sort of therapeutic. Reminds me that there is still hope and no such thing as too old to do something new.