We lost our way

 While in primary, our teachers used to say, "the beautiful ones are not yet born" just to groom us into moral adults to please our parents' hearts. I can say that it worked, though  for a while. Then came high school, " "the beautiful and handsome ones are in the university". This made us burry our heads in books to score high. Among other philosophical sayings and demeaning phrases not forgetting thorough canes on our butts and backs, varsity dreams became valid. Many of us, the high discipline imbibed to us by parents and teachers, made us strong ladies and gentlemen. Morally upright and religious. 

In our homes, some of us were called pastors, gospel singers and go getters. Naive about love issues, parties were a taboo subject  and dress code  was a conversation  your mother only spoke with her eyes. Whenever we could bump on deadlocked men in rugged trousers bouncing on the road, we could bash them and even, comment on their ill-mannered behaviour.

Campus ladies dressed in trousers,  miniskirts, pinned noses, painted nails and lipsticks on their lips; we joined the society to view them as harlots. Many of us were warned sternly  by our parents used to warn us from emulating such "immoral" campus villagers' lifestyle. Little did they knew, what future awaits us. 

We passed our exams we joined campus while pure, religious, morally upright, egoistic and bright dreamers. When attending lectures, we aimed at getting first class. Time my dear readers, is a master betrayer. Nature took course and many have been "fixed" in the process..You find yourself  treading  the very path you once  judged so vehemently. We discovered birthday parties, fashions, clubs, lavish lifestyles, the use of contraceptives and "friends of substance."

As from there, our "friends of substance" introduced us to buffs, chromes, mizinga and campus marriage. The  pastors at home have entered marriage on campus while unmarried at home. We lost our purity through panty after party, learned the use of contraceptives and family planning methods for the betterment of our "future." My dress my choice, became our mantra. We forgot  that we dress differently for different  occasions. Decent  is still a word you know. 

Men fall in love  per semester. I wonder who will grade them for their illicit  love affairs. Men, stop testing for HIV with your eyes ,stay safe. Many have strayed  from the path of  light and most do not know that it is the small sneaky habits that are costing  them  their  future. 

While our former teachers and parents thinking that we are nice children, we ladies and gentlemen, were totally spoiled brats. Sadists, dream killers, drug addicts, hypocrites and campus minions .We are living  a lie, a double  faceted  life  Married on campus but unmarried at home, holy and innocent at home but vicious, terrorists and religion is a taboo subject at school Whom do we blame for our worrying future ? Parents, teachers, ourselves or peers? 

You have time to salvage  you. But comrade, tick tock.

Editor's note

By Maria Njoroge

I have been the editor -in -chief at Legacy for 3 years now. I have grown over the years and learnt progressively over time .I can now acknowledge my mistakes and realize when a writer is harbouring potential. I know when a story needs polishing  and when to pat a writer on the back when they make improvement. The club has been growing ,I do not wish to take all the credit ,but do wish to applaud the whole team .Feature writers,poets,news,kiswahili writers,political writers and the team that ensures that our wall publications are on time every publishing day.

However ,all this has not been without bumps .As the editor I have a responsibility to be the voice and give the overall club's point of view. I did  not know how much a powerful platform the Legacy Media is .This is a platform that could create revolution and advocate for real Change were I to work with no fear of intimidation. I have a way to tell stories of students and be heard .For a long time I have sat on it and chose to let life take it's course .There are times I have failed to publish Open letters to the school administration. I have had cases of sexual harassment but never knew how to tell the stories .

Well,I do not know how to still,but I know that keeping quite doesn't mean they are not happening. I am going to use the Legacy media to break the silence and open conversations we should be having. I will take my time to read between the lines ,verify the facts and challenge others to do the same.

Dear readers ,make no mistake,I'm breaking the silence. My team will speak,dissect and delve into the good ,the bad and ugly .We wish to nurture journalists who will tell the truth even when it is most difficult and those who will still see good in a world full of so much darkness. We will be champions of the truth . I look forward to training more of my members  and create a transition team .

Our incoming first years,the journey has just began .Be enthusiastic and eager to learn .Be prepared to be a student outside class and consistent to learn new things. Perfect practice  creates a masterpiece .

Cheers to the best semester yet.

 

In your dressing

 By Jacinta Museo.

Sometimes people make us feel ashamed of ourselves with what we wear just because our lives didn't turn out the way we expected I think people should let their fellows wear what they can afford without feeling bad,let people wear what they can afford in peace. Let people be who they are.

I've seen it in campus where comrades brag only for wearing indecently. Decent dressing is not all about wearing as per the function/show ,but who doesn't know that wearing a dress that has provocative or stimulating influence on almost everybody we happen to pass by is indecent? We mostly claim to have "dressed to kill" yet we're exposing our  body to the public which is most common with us ladies .We dress in a manner,all with an aim of looking tantalizing,sexy and attractive instead of dressing in a responsible way since strapless clothes,bum shorts,short blouses and miniskirts is all what we find good for us.

Our dressing is mostly influenced by many things such as financial status.....coming from a well off family doesn't mean you should just dress the way you want .Being decent is not all about dressing expensive;but wearing something that is comfortable and which makes you feel confident. Nudity is not viewed as per financial status or  social class,it's rather viewed as lack of self assurance and desire to be noticed at all costs.

Other times we let our friends and roommates determine what we should wear .Dressing half-naked in the name of levels and fashions and as they're our friends,they'll also tell us to dress as per the trends and we end up doing so without even minding about protecting our image .Image is everything...we are living in a world where one is judged by their appearance more than anything else.

Most of us also dress to imitate pop/rock stars who are normally half dressed or nude during stage performances or in video shows. The celebrities we idolize will never dress half naked for a press conference or a live talk show the way some of us dress when attending a lecture.

 

Our attire reflects our sense of value and taste,and this is why one may be treated with disdain or embarrassment as some dresses may make people draw conclusions about ourselves. Dressing only to seek attention of everybody who comes our way or dressing indecent just because we are not near our parents or close relatives,as it is well known that indecent dressing is contrary to the acceptable norms and values of the society.

As ladies,we should somehow understand that dressing indecent may bring a lot of effects to us .Yes,we might say that we dress as per our choices which entails that there must be consent if at all anyone wants to do anything with our body but this is contrary to some men's conclusions who think that dressing in a certain way means that one is craving for sex or they may even view her as an harlot even if she isn't.

Indecent dressing devalues a woman as it exposes all what deforms their pleasure.

Decency reveals a lot about who you are,by dressing modestly,maturity radiates from you,reflects your personality,displays yourself with worth,makes a good first impression and also improves your appearance.

Though these dressing patterns are so many;with more still coming up due to progressiveness of fashion,we should at least try to be decent and presentable,dressing in a way that we are comfortable and confident with despite whom we interact with...also creating a positive impact on  first impression people have when they meet us.

A wise man once said "life is in phases and men are in sizes", so live your size as per time.....your image creates a certain opinion about you,so project and protect your image. It's really not conforming on the latest trends, just be YOU,be simple,comfortable and confident.

MY STORY

Days before I had my first kiss on a Friday night

Nights before I knew I could be someone's light

Days before I knew wrong from wrong or rather from right

Nights before I was scared of figures that hide in the shadows

Days before I knew stories could sell,

I was a young poet trying to find the way.

Long before I was a perfect chef,

Way before I hated free things

Long before I had my first heartbreak,

I swore to sketch my own path

Tear the stars out of the sky and carve them onto my skin

Find a home for the falling stars

Drink aged wine, under the warm September sunsets

I was a lover of fictions and love poems.

Days before I loved Friday nights and clubs

Days I loved cheap Boobs and Booze,

Months before I adored voluptuous bodies and oversized booties,

Days before I preferred vodka instead of gin

I was a desperate young poet, who loved with pure intentions

A talented lady whose was shartted to pieces

By a boy I met in a club at 2:00am Saturday morning

Ever since then I have become someone else

I became bitter over missed calls and unread texts

I became a desperate lost soul

I became a total alcoholic and a sucker for feel

I became broken beyond broken

I lost my way, my path my light

I grew a heart colder than my hand 

And malice shaper than a machete. 

Days before I was a judge of character

Way before I loved cigars and weed cookies

Days before I inhaled heroin and became an alcoholic,

Way before I had guts to talk to my crush,

I celebrated birthday and wrote down goals and achievements

But all that is changed now

Ever since I met that toxic in the club that Saturday

I became a very different person.

I learnt to appreciate those around me

Love those who love me in return, celebrate birthdays

Like theres no tomorrow

Happy Birthday to me

For where there is will there's growth.

 By Brenda Bungei

An open letter to the vc

I am  a dissatisfied comrade, I seek to address what I see unfit and unhealthy . Our  dear chancellor, we are your clients . It puzzles me how your administration seeks to engage itself in numerous multimillion projects, yet you have totally paid a deaf ear to our needs. We may need the facilities in the long run,but for now,please fix where the shoe  pinches most.

The recently published report which has been brought to the public limelight on the state of insolvency in the university .This is becoming a matter of national interest, with many asking what is happening to the once lucrative and dignified institution of higher learning. Why should the university land into very huge debts, yet even the minimal of service is not provided to the comrades? Why land into very huge debts, bearing in mind the fact that you recently increased fees for some courses?

As I walk around  ,Mr  Vice chancellor I see erected billboards displaying your intention of planning to engage in different projects within the school. To me, all that is displayed in those billboards is merely sarcastic and mission impossible. To highlight just but a few, it puzzles me to learn that you are in the process of building an amphitheatre. Is it sensible to commit in building a multi- million theatre hall, yet even the renovation of halls of residence seem to have become a burden to the institution? Have you  had a chance of walking around the hostels and learn the dilapidated state that comrades of hostels A, B, C, D, E, F, G, K and L are living in?  A walk around the lecture halls depicts a sad state of affairs. If not for broken benches and chairs, you are faced with hole- filled boards and poorly light halls that make it unbearable for a comrade to learn peacefully. This therefore begs the question, are your proposed projects realistic ?All we desire is to be heard.

The quality of meals offered in your eateries Mr.  VC is not worth the amount of money we pay . walking into the Mess, I am met by a smile from a lady behind the counter. My expectation is that the food am about to be served matches the huge smile am offered. Disappointment soon kicks in, after I am served. As I have the first bite, I realize that the meal is turning out not to be good . I am forced to walk away and seek the refuge of hotels at stage area, hurting deep inside the money I wasted in paying for the undesirable meal at the Mess. Well, of  concern is the failure to integrate  mobile  payment. This  Mr VC, we seek your audience. 

As this semester begins Mr. VC ,we hope you will do us better.  We will keep sending you open letters. In all honesty, we are just students  seeking to get value for money. Above all, journalists who are looking at our life  with here with a third eye,take no malice in our sentiments. 

                 Yours Truly, Dissatisfied comrade.