Craft It · 2013–2023
Archived stories
Ten years of Kenyans and the things they make by hand: makers, Nairobi and Kampala, motherhood, dusty rugs and the conversations in between. 300 stories, brought back online.
Dusty RugsThe Sad Man from Jus’ ChickenBY MIKE MUTHAKA [Editor’s notes: Mike’s initial titles to this story, ‘Even the crow is a hero’. Then, ‘The Flightless Hero.’ I…
Urban GuideFive of my favorites shows on HomeBoyz RadioBY MIKE MUTHAKA #1. GMoney In The Morning There’s a 6AM section called the Morning Wagwans where listeners call in and say…
Urban GuideNola DarlingBY FLORENCE BETT Film has been a major bust this year. Honestly, it has. It’s November already and I haven’t watched any…
Dusty RugsThe Windmills in the HillsBY MIKE MUTHAKA There has been an empty can of ginger beer living on my dresser for the past two weeks. It’s…
Urban GuideFive useless things to experience in KampalaBY ERNEST TUAPE (Craft It’s new foreign correspondent in Kampala) #1. Walk along Nile Avenue Nile Avenue, with its length of urban…
Urban GuideBoda bodaBY FLORENCE BETT The boda guy whose bike I’m riding imagines we’re two lovers skipping town. He isn’t my regular guy, Steve,…2017Craft ItCraft ItSomeone, please call the LifeguardBY MIKE MUTHAKA I have a phobia for swimming pools. I’ve always hated them. I see them as nothing but chlorinated death-traps.…
Urban GuideFive types of people on my Twitter timelineBY MIKE MUTHAKA #1. The Stoner Forget 280 characters. How about 420? The optimist can be really helpful in dishing out life…2017Craft ItCraft ItJohn, the phone guyBY FLORENCE BETT I have the last Nokia E63 left in Nairobi. I don’t know whether I should be appalled or comforted…2017Craft ItCraft ItSmells of SundayBY MIKE MUTHAKA When I think about Sundays as a kid, it’s the smell of Dad’s cologne that springs to mind. It…2017Urban GuideUrban GuideFive big screen movies from 2017 that left me asking, WTF was that?BY FLORENCE BETT #1. The Mountain Between Us This movie starred Idris Elba’s very full and soft-looking beard, and Kate Winslet’s stubbornness.…2017Conversation WithConversation WithConversation with: Lucy of Toto Care BoxBY FLORENCE BETT It’s November. In a month’s time, 39 new babies born in Kenya would have died; that’s, 39 newborns out…2017Dusty RugsDusty RugsHappy Hour… And some WeedBY MIKE MUTHAKA Let’s call him Tom. He’s in his first year in my campus and has the longest legs you’ve ever…2017Urban GuideUrban GuideFive oddities that defined (the repeat presidential) Election week for meBY FLORENCE BETT #1. That Jingle There’s this jingle Citizen plays when it’s broadcasting the results. You know it? GB turned on…2017MotherhoodMotherhoodBand night at JsBY FLORENCE BETT After what feels like house arrest since the State of Emergency, you finally hit the nightclub. Your baby is…2017Dusty RugsDusty RugsNewborns and NightgownsBY MIKE MUTHAKA The cloud-stitched sky was loosening and the Sun sliding into view. Bright light struck the earth as the traffic…2017Dusty RugsDusty RugsHer MajestyBY MIKE MUTHAKA I saw her three times. The first, I was standing under the shade of a kiosk sipping from a…2017Urban GuideUrban GuideFive lessons every guy can pick from watching ‘Insecure’BY MIKE MUTHAKA #1. Shower sex isn’t really that great Even if she slides the shower curtain and pouts her lips and…2017Conversation WithConversation WithConversation with: Chef Ken of Lemon Grass Fun Cooking ClassBY FLORENCE BETT March ‘17 I find him waiting at the dining table. He’s doing something on his laptop, maybe sending an…2017Dusty RugsDusty RugsWalk With MeBY MIKE MUTHAKA I’m tired of school. I’m tired of sitting in class. The chairs hurt my back and I can never…2017Urban GuideUrban GuideFive books to read as you kill time waiting for your pal that never keeps timeBY FLORENCE BETT #1. The Understudy by David Nichols A street purchase I was embarrassed about then later stopped being embarrassed about.…
Craft ItMugethi and Mugzie’s NaturalsBY FLORENCE BETT “So your name is Mugethi Gitau?” “Yes.” “Spell that for me, please.” “M-U-G-E-T-H-I G-I-T-A-U.” Great! And your brand is…?…
Dusty RugsBlack MicrophoneBY MIKE MUTHAKA We have weekly chapel meetings in school. Every Tuesday and Thursday. The campus administration says it’s compulsory, they say…
MotherhoodExes and TextsBY FLORENCE BETT My nanny split. Two weeks into the New Year, on a Sunday evening, around the time she should have…