Just as we were beginning the year 2008, my life was completely changed, I lost the only thing that I had placed all my hope and life in. I lost my shop to thugs who pretended to be post-poll protesters. I had started this small shop from little earnings I had accumulated, from this shop (selling electronic goods and mobile phone accessories) I intended to raise college fees so that I would go back to university, then the unexpected happened one day, when all this was through, the shop had been left empty.
Since this day,3rd January 2008 to date, I have come to be worried of what the future holds for me, I cannot go back to school any more because my parents cannot afford to take me any further in University.

In this year, the little that I was proud of was taken away from me but it made me stronger, it made me have a different perspective towards life, it made me realize that life is not what you always expect of it and we should always be ready to accept the lows and potholes in life because they will always be there, this has helped me a lot in adjusting and forgetting the past while I plan the future.

Still, as the year was beginning, we witnessed violence that has never been seen in Kenyan history. During this time women lost children, men lost wives and children lost parents, it was during this that my perspective towards my country changed. Here I was having known a Kenya that was always peaceful in the better part that I have lived, and all over a sudden it turns out that I had never really know Kenyans, these people that I have lived with for more than two decades eventually turned out to be strangers to me, our country was divided on ethnic alignments and we were almost left with a destroyed state but God stood by us.

Ever since I have learnt that wherever there is silence, definitely there must be danger incognito. After all this violence and mess, Kenyans came out united more than before and it has made me realize that without a people there is no nation. And I am proud to be Kenyan.

In everything that we do in our daily life, there is always a force behind it; something that drives us, that thing that makes us struggle or put in more effort in whatever we do, because we identify with it either due to its success or due to its influence to the success of others. We also have people who play this role in our lives.

Actually there will always be a person to emulate and in 2008, Kenya was blessed, a man with his roots from Kenya was running for USA presidency this man is Barack Obama, his candidacy brought hope for Kenyans and the whole world. His victory made the whole world happy,he is a man who has made me to have a different view about my country, ’my country men have changed in thinking, times are changing, people are now inspired more than ever before and I am sure it will always be forward ever for Kenya’.

With the tribal history that we have, I have realized that Kenya can still be redeemed from the ethnic violence; we can stand as many tribes and still be one. Obama’s candidacy and victory has made me learn that Kenyans are a very optimistic people who don’t give up easily. I look down on where I stand and then I realize, this soil is my homeland, this soil is Kenya and I now have this feeling; in me I want to protect this soil by toiling to improve it and make it productive. 2008 has been a year of blessing for Kenya, and to me, the sky is the limit.

I am still proud to be Kenyan.