By Dikizo the Poet
This is a story about Achieng, a story about a river and its source
I’m a daughter of the Lake – a single mother hailing from its shores
A land that curved rebellion and defiance into my essence
My bones rose from a proud people who value poise
Yet my quest for an Identity and the Vote have been littered with violence
Struggles of my ancestors still linger beneath these fiery eyes
My spirit awakened by haunting echoes of the Gen Z revolution,
As a young mother, I tremble under the weight of corruption’s chain
In-between my studies, single parenthood, and a waiting job at the local pub,
My womanly reserves are drained in a wasteland of a country I call home
Yet my yearning for liberation and change of guard remain elusive,
The tsunami of June 25th still brews inside the oceans of my soul,
My urge for the ballot revolution rages like waves on unyielding rocks,
Yet the bureaucracy of Kenya’s electoral system mirrors a mirage,
Deferring hope for the hopeless, who trudge miles to secure their Vote
My tale is a story of voter suppression, of conspiracy, and of betrayal by the state,
I’m a victim of a dysfunctional democracy – a regime that fears its youth
Like my peers, I too share stories of stalled IDs and phantom registration booths
Silenced by bullets, the revolution birthed a new form of resistance –
My story is that of a revolutionary – about a change unfolding one vote at a time
