Stories
Three of the top-seven most-read posts on Onjalazbroz are
fiction. The stories below are grounded in Kisumu and Nairobi —
exploring how power, faith, economy, and relationships land on
ordinary lives.
Onjalazbroz publishes fiction occasionally alongside its
analytical work. The same mind that dissects colonial governance
in the essays here turns to the human terrain where those forces
meet daily life. The result is short fiction with a moral
register: not propaganda, but observation.
Read in any order. If you read only one, read the first.
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Two brothers, Chwa and Bandia, sit outside their mother's house
in Kisumu. Chwa wants to start smoking weed to escape despair.
Bandia, already a smoker, explains: "Weed doesn't make you
forget, brother. It just makes you not care that you remember."
The story explores poverty, lost faith, and brotherhood as the
only solace in a broken world.
The most-read fiction piece on this blog.
Set in Nairobi. Ngala and his friend Obonyo discuss urban
cruelty. Obonyo reveals his mother was killed during a
grain-truck accident at Nyamasaria — looters stole maize instead
of helping her, then stole her purse. The story explores
capitalism's dehumanizing effects, concluding: "Animals kill to
survive. Humans destroy just to prove we can."
David, a financially struggling man, attends a job interview in
Nairobi after making significant sacrifices to get there. He
waits anxiously for feedback that never comes. His hope turns
to despair while his family questions his chances. A story about
unemployment, anxiety, prosperity gospel, and the cruelty of
organizational silence.
letter from Moremore to his brothers on leaving his wife Tesa,
whom he describes as emotionally abusive. The story argues that
men are unfairly expected to endure emotional abuse silently,
leading to depression and violence. A fiction engagement with
the blog's distinctive male African critique of mainstream
feminism.
Joram judges three women — Essy, Conny, and Noor — against
impossible standards of domestic perfection, reliability, and
availability. Set in an office, the story critiques patriarchal
expectations that measure women by narrow criteria rather than
appreciating them as individuals. The narrative reveals the
emotional toll of constant judgment.
A football friendly in Kisumu descends into conflict. Egos clash,
substitutions are demanded, alliances fracture. A short story
about how power dynamics land on ordinary people in community
settings — even on a football pitch.
A new authoritarian principal arrives at Thika School, Kisumu.
Staff anxious. Ochieng, the protagonist, navigates the first day
as the new principal threatens staff. A story about workplace
authoritarianism, staff solidarity, and how institutional power
lands on ordinary people.
David, 38, navigates water scarcity, transience, and obsessive
discipline in Nairobi. A short story about survival, control,
and the body under conditions of scarcity — the struggle to
maintain control over body and environment amidst uncertainty.
Kevin falls on hard times and moves to Nairobi, staying with his
college friend Onyewu. Their nostalgic reunion fractures over
minor differences, leading to abrupt eviction. A story about how
friendship fails under economic pressure, the shifting power in
dependency, and the painful recognition that friendship was
superficial when tested by hardship.
Bravin chooses celibacy after disillusionment with modern
relationships. A short story exploring traditional gender roles,
the difficulties of maintaining modern relationships, and one
man's withdrawal as a response to disillusionment.
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FICTION OCCASIONALLY. NOT DAILY.
Onjalazbroz is primarily an analytical blog. Fiction appears
when the analytical register needs a human counterpoint —
usually quarterly. If you want fiction in your inbox the moment
it publishes, subscribe to the weekly newsletter →.
