My pyjamas were good, so were my scarves and (we didn’t have to build a hut) the sackcloth thing which stank when it got wet. I remember you guys playing kati and it was such a big deal cause everyone would come and watch you under the shed (my sister was in your year)……yeah……memories……..

in form 1 for agriculture we had sukuma patches and i watered mine faithfully every morning plus fertiliser plus scarecrow…….but just! just! before they were assessed the monkeys from state house (you know which high school i went to) came and ate them :cry:(yup monkeys eat sukuma)

This is from KBC website.http://www.kbc.co.ke/default.asp

President Mwai Kibaki (2nd R) poses for a photograph with (L-R) Chief Mediator Kofi Annan, opposition leader Raila Odinga, his Tanzanian counterpart Jakaya Kikwete and former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa inside his office. ( Reuters )
Breakthrough as President Kibaki and Raila sign deal
Written By:Millicent Awuor , Posted: Thu, Feb 28, 2008

President Mwai Kibaki and ODM leader Raila Odinga have agreed to the formation of a coalition government, which allows the formation of a Prime Ministers office with two deputies. The historic event took place at the President’s Harambee house office.
UN Secretary general Kofi Annan and AU Chairman who is also Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete witnessed the 5.07 pm signing ceremony.
According to terms of the accord, the Prime minister will be elected from the party with the majority in parliament. The office of the Vice president still remains in the arrangement. Each party will nominate a deputy.
The two also agreed to the sharing of cabinet posts on a 50:50 basis.
Parliament reconvenes next week to ensure the changes are embedded in an act of parliament paving way for a constitutional amendment.
According to other details spelled out by mediator Koffi Annan the coalition will cease if parliament is dissolved, if one of the coalition members pulls out or if the parties involved agree to such terms in a meeting.
On the other hand, the prime minister can be removed from office through a majority vote of no confidence by parliament.
The talks will now move to the fourth agenda which aims at looking at long term issues including the constitutional reform, poverty reduction and land reforms.

8-4-4 memories: I won’t name the school, suffice to say it was across the street from City Park. We did not have enough mud for the huts so we had the bright idea to head over with wheelbarrows and steal soil from the park. The insane monkeys at the park were not amused, and I recall a classmate being pelted with monkey-doodoo. (true story!). I wonder what the park employees thought about the mysterious holes that would suddenly and fairly regularly appear in one corner of the park… For some reason, I don’t remember teachers being present for all of these shenanigans, but I think permission to break the law was implied…the funniest thing was that there were 4 streams in standard 8, ranging from the smartest kids to the “academically challenged” and the huts clearly reflected that…those kids in 8K (the dunces - I’m going to hell already ) built a hut that literally lasted a day before toppling over with little fanfare. So funny.

We were given the option of making pyjamas for ourselves or for a midget/small person. Guess what I picked? (The baby jammies, of course- but for some reason, all the boys in my class thought they could pull out a pair of useable pyjamas for themselves. Ha!) I learned the power of outsourcing very early and gave my mini-pyjamas to a fundi to sew for 30 shillings. I thought I would be wracked with guilt for years, but strangely, my conscience remains quite clear in that respect. Hey, I never had any fashion maven/tailoring aspirations. My parents never found out how devious I was back then.

I think I’m ok.

Do I win a prize?

I am with the person who could not concentrate as was trying to make eye contact with ‘mates’ from the class that was making chapo.

Woodwork? i can not use my hands to make a craft to save my life ( i can not survive in the forest if chaos breaks loose in Kenya).

Mud hut- we were to make a wall of stone. I was in the cheering squad. did not touch even a stone! and we passed…..cheering is essential to fulfillment of a goal. Ati in high school i had a shamba for cabbages which turned out as sukuma wiki with really big ‘leaves’ - failed!

made a rug/carpet thing using dry banana leaves. I am still proud of that.

and now my nephs think am crazy when i tell them (at 12) to shona their own buttons back! i could do this at 6 (a product of a mathy who taught me to make fire at 4 and an education system that thought i was good with my hands!)

One thing I remember about the system is the bulk of books one had to buy and all those subjects that were included in the syllabus! Were they all necessary?

Good old days, Kofa sets, Hero and Youth pens, new shoes from Bata at the begining of school term plus the glossy covered new text books from text book centre!! AND the khaki book covers. It was such a hustle covering books every begining of term.

I used to be the kid who made the kimbo or cowboy cars with tyres made out of old slippers for the eastate during safari rally…even the wire ones held together with bladder. I once also made a wire F-16

I went on to do some of the stuff in campus overseas!!! I enjoyed metal work…not sure about woodwork though its more usable and like you say the wood work teachers have issues I noticed that even out there!

Well I notice that this things do come in handy since I am around building sites a lot and sometimes have to show the Jua Kalis that I really do know what I am talking about and cannot be conned when they do a shoddy job.

Linda O, I am guessing and I think I know who you are and will call u one of this day.

Thanks guys for making this thing fun. Esp Ory.

One last thought: some colleague of mine from Nigeria in this foreign land asked me the question: why shouldnt Kibaki and PNU accept executive premier post and have him PM and Raila President- balancing interests!