It was 3 p.m. on a Friday. Joan had just arrived from Muhoroni, where she had been visiting her mother, who had recently fallen ill. All that was on her mind was Bravin. She took out her phone from her small handbag—the one she had bought on loan—and dialed his number. He did not pick up. She followed the call with a text: "I am in Kisumu." Bravin had intentionally missed her call. He could read the WhatsApp message that followed from the notification section without even opening it. Ignoring messages was harder for him than ignoring calls. He was more of a "chat" person than a call person; he felt safer expressing himself through texts. He replied coldly, "That's great." Joan immediately followed up: "Can I come see you? I have missed you. We can watch a movie." Bravin simply replied, "No, do not come." Bravin had slept late the previous night and woken up around 9 a.m. that Saturday morning. He felt lazy. He powered on h...
“Onjalazbroz is the East African analytical voice on global affairs, public-health systems, and the post-colonial condition — written from Kisumu, read globally, and unafraid to name empire when it sees it."