Otherwise?

The oppression of women in Kenya, and worldwide, has become a frequent topic of discussion, with the advent of universal human rights, and with women being clearly oppressed in their societies via female genital mutilation, lack of education, early childhood marriage, denial of property rights, sexual violence, street and sexual harassment, among many others. Which begs the question: why do we hate our women? And, if we don't (the evidence says otherwise), what can we do about it? We explore that this week.

Resources

Battered woman says why she remained in abusive marriage

The question to ask is why does a man abuse the woman he loves

Why Women Stay: The Paradox of Abusive Relationships

Behind the Veil: Inside the Mind of Men "That Abuse"

#WhyIStayed: How some churches support spousal abuse

All Animals Are Equal

When a Rapist's Weapon Is a Drug

I Just Wanted To Go Home

Silence Is a Woman

Even The Streets Aren't Safe

Nairobi County Governor, Evans Kidero, recently said that to eliminate the effects of voter importation into the county, people with muddy or dusty shoes would not be allowed into polling stations during the 2017 General Elections. Naturally, this made me want to assess Nairobi under his tenure - are all roads really tarmacked? Are we living in a modern-day metropolis? We find out this episode.

Resources

Kidero vows to block 'imported' voters in city election

What Is A Road ? Kenyans On Twitter Are Mapping Out Potholes

Kidero: Nairobi Has Improved Under My Reign

Sh18 billion wage bill to blame for Nairobi's slow growth - Kidero

Rachel Shebesh slapped after scuffle in Governor Kidero's office

Kidero in fist fight with Sonko after 'murderer' claim during Senate grilling

Governor Kidero in trouble as MCAs refuse to pass Budget

Nairobi MCAs pass budget after Kidero caves in to demands

This has been such a cringe worthy Summer Olympics for Kenya - it seems like every other day we get embarrassing news. Why are we like this? Listen to this episode to find out.

Resources

Julius Yego's Plane Ticket to Rio Goes Missing The Scandal of Kenya's Rio Olympics

Rio 2016: Olympics hit by new doping scandal over bribery allegations against Kenya track and field chief

Rio 2016: Kenyan coach and 800m runner facing IOC disciplinary proceedings over claims of drug testing scandal

Kipchoge Keino receives historic Olympic Laurel award

Kenya faces fresh anti-doping crisis following surprise Wada move

Rio 2016: Kenya removed from World Anti-Doping Agency's 'non-compliant' list

William Ruto travels to Rio to boost athletes' morale

Today on the show we discuss school fires in Kenya - since June 2016 over 120 schools have had their property burned by students. Why? And, what can we do? Resources

Students, Arson, and Protest Politics in Kenya: School Fires as Political Action

St. Patrick's Iten School On Fire

CS Matiang'i presents report on school fires to Senate committee

Education Stakeholders Hold Consultative Meetings Over School Fires

President Uhuru's message on the ongoing school fires in Kenya's schools

I've always been interested in understanding, and perhaps changing, the nature of Kenya through my work, which until now has consisted of writing and speaking. This has been edifying, but I've come to appreciate how hard it is to keep up with. Every week there is something new to expose, learn or discover, and unless your line of work requires that you keep updated, it becomes difficult to do so.

So I thought, what if there was a place we could go and ask whatever we want, and have it explained to us in a succinct way, while not being too reductive - avoiding a lecture, and gaining a perspective that was outside that on mainstream traditional and new media? Then I asked myself, what if I built that place? So I did.

Welcome to Otherwise, a weekly show that will explore Kenyan current affairs issues as chosen by you.

This week's episode looks into the sports betting fad that has taken over Kenya, asking - is it really that bad for us, and if it is, how can we make it better?

Resources:

Sunday Nation: It's a Gambling Nation