Chelewa | Substack

My mum tells me about her day and breaks into laughter remembering something a colleague said but I stay silent… I have forgotten how to be affectionate with her! I feel a wall in my chest for her… I know that doesn’t make sense but yet that’s how I feel. Like I could show you affection but I can’t, you’ve hurt me too much.

Chelewa Jun 11

because imagine what repeated humiliation does to a person. imagine how many tiny moments slowly train someone to shrink themselves. to kneel automatically. to stand automatically. to apologize automatically. to believe that discomfort is just part of the job. and the scariest part is that most people doing this are not evil. that’s what makes it worse. they are educated people. progressive people. urban people.\ \ because imagine what repeated humiliation does to a person. imagine how many tiny moments slowly train someone to shrink themselves. to kneel automatically. to stand automatically. to apologize automatically. to believe that discomfort is just part of the job. and the scariest part is that most people doing this are not evil. that’s what makes it worse. they are educated people. progressive people. urban people.\ \ Nush

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NushMay 21

Nush's Substack

you're probably way more classist than you think you are.

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ChelewaJun 10

Winnyann

AMBIA MORGAN MIMI NDIO CAPTAIN!

331

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Paris MwendwaMay 18

MWENDWA

sexual shame has a funny way of appearing and disappearing

479

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awrerumMay 7

awrerum

Entry level

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victoriaJun 8

Torials

Kenyan Music Isn’t the Problem. We Are.

160

Chelewa Jun 8

Sometimes excellent work goes unnoticed while something average explodes simply because it landed in front of the right audience at the right time.\ \ Sometimes excellent work goes unnoticed while something average explodes simply because it landed in front of the right audience at the right time.\ \ victoria

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🌦️May 20

the only cracking you’ll be doing with me is cracking jokes.

Thank you, bye.

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wangari amari Jun 4

one of the things i look forward to as i get older is having more mature and better quality sex. being with partners who already know their body and can honestly and confidently communicate exactly what they want. reaching the age where we can all speak candidly about the experience, at least for quality assurance and improvement purposes if nothing else

Winnyann

I MIGHT BE FAKING MORE THAN JUST ORGASMS

ChelewaJun 2

Winnyann

I AM NOT A BAD PERSON, I JUST DO BAD THINGS

Chelewa May 30

I'm not suggesting anything too crazy, but you could get cancer next month and lose your tits, so maybe go get the boudoir photoshoot or don’t! All i’m saying is enjoy your body now.

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smizzoMay 24

BINTWORLD BY SMIZZO

GEN Z AREN'T FUCKING AND CASUAL SEX IS DEAD

422

119

Chelewa May 28

On a larger scale, it just isn’t working. We aren’t fucking, we aren’t ending up in relationships and we aren’t getting married.\ \ On a larger scale, it just isn’t working. We aren’t fucking, we aren’t ending up in relationships and we aren’t getting married.\ \ smizzo

Chelewa May 28

We’re all masturbating more than ever in the sex recession (I mean, you’ve got to get it from somewhere). From 1992 to 2014, the amount of people who solo pleasure within a week doubled for men and tripled for women. \ \ We’re all masturbating more than ever in the sex recession (I mean, you’ve got to get it from somewhere). From 1992 to 2014, the amount of people who solo pleasure within a week doubled for men and tripled for women. \ \ smizzo

Chelewa May 27

Nairobi has numbed the poet in me. I am unable to write about love like I used to. Saa hii nasoma patterns, hakuna Shakespeare huku. Roho ni ngumu kama uchumi!

Chelewa restacked

ToluwalaseApr 2, 2025

Feminist Inc

The Bible and Rape Culture (I)

283

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victoriaMay 25

Torials

When Attention Stops Being Romantic.

Chelewa May 25

I hate that we are expected to sit around waiting to be chosen. So what, I’m supposed to just bat my lashes and hope the guy I like notices me and approaches first? Mimi imagine nitakukatia. Sijali 😭

In the feminine trajectory, chasing, approaching, or openly showing interest in men is still discouraged. A woman who makes the first move is considered too bold, too available, too masculine … whatever that means. She can even be degraded for doing the simple HR work of recruiting for herself.\ \ In the feminine trajectory, chasing, approaching, or openly showing interest in men is still discouraged. A woman who makes the first move is considered too bold, too available, too masculine … whatever that means. She can even be degraded for doing the simple HR work of recruiting for herself.\ \ victoria

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ToluwalaseMay 30, 2025

Feminist Inc

How revolutionary can a wife beater be?

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Chelewa May 25

I might be too much of an open book. Which surprises me because I’m hiding too much yet I still feel like I am sharing a lot.

Chelewa May 24

Because we all shamelessly do this😭💀

A part of me knew I wanted more, so I packed an overnight bag, hoping\ \ A part of me knew I wanted more, so I packed an overnight bag, hoping\ \ Asiroh Jazz

ChelewaMay 24

Winnyann

“Hii si mara yangu ya kwanza”: The Women Outside Room 5

ChelewaMay 18

Winnyann

AMA NIITISHE SIGARA?

364

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victoriaMay 14

Torials

I Played Nairobi, sorry Kenya at 50 and Lost.

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Nicole NyamweruMay 12

Nyamweru

"Kenyan feminism is a distraction from class conciousness" uongo

231

Chelewa May 7

When you talk about someone you dated and people burst into laughter. That’s when you know you fucked up😬😂

ChelewaMay 3

Winnyann

I MIGHT BE FAKING MORE THAN JUST ORGASMS

349

Chelewa May 3

When are we getting over this terrible dating phase?! When do the commitment issues end? Jameni! I just want to fall in love with someone who is as equally interested 😭😭

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Maestro Apr 29

Baridi iko Nairobi sahii nahurumia watu wako na mtu wa kucuddle with juu hawatawahi experience baridi smart kama hii 😭😂 positivity guyss na hio chai ya saa kumi

242

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Ongalo GlennApr 20

Ongalo's Substack

Sijui Mbona Siezi Acha Huyo Boy

804

137

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Shay ⭐️Mar 7, 2025

Notes on Being

The Weight of Wanting Love

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Amanda BrownMar 29, 2025

good riddance

The epidemic of constant communication

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Ongalo GlennApr 13

Ongalo's Substack

MAFUDHI

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Chelewa Apr 23

No wiser words have ever been uttered!!

If a man deploys “kwani hunitrust” as a reason to proceed without protection, the answer is clean and simple: No. No, I do not trust you. The latex checkpoint exists for a reason. The reason has nothing to do with your feelings about him and everything to do with your feelings about your own body, which will be with you considerably longer than he will.\ \ If a man deploys “kwani hunitrust” as a reason to proceed without protection, the answer is clean and simple: No. No, I do not trust you. The latex checkpoint exists for a reason. The reason has nothing to do with your feelings about him and everything to do with your feelings about your own body, which will be with you considerably longer than he will.\ \ Ongalo Glenn

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THATFINEDARKBOYJan 28

THATFINEDARKBOY

The intimacy of “I can handle you.”

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Hawa’u JogbojogboApr 4

Hawa’u’s Substack

Your Virginity Is Not For Your Husband

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Chelewa Apr 20

About to pull this line on my next interview juu either way si they have already given the job to the CEO’s nephew’s auntie’s daughter’s cat.

By 7:20am I was on a matatu headed to town, sweating through a stranger’s suit, rehearsing interview answers in my head. Tell us about yourself. Well, I am a motivated individual who borrowed these clothes from a man with a chicken. No. I am a results-oriented team player. Better. I arrived at the address on Kenyatta Avenue at 7:58am. \ \ By 7:20am I was on a matatu headed to town, sweating through a stranger’s suit, rehearsing interview answers in my head. Tell us about yourself. Well, I am a motivated individual who borrowed these clothes from a man with a chicken. No. I am a results-oriented team player. Better. I arrived at the address on Kenyatta Avenue at 7:58am. \ \ Ongalo Glenn

ChelewaApr 20

Winnyann

FRIENDSHIP WITH A TWIST: THE DRUNK TEXT

Chelewa restacked

FeifeiNov 10, 2025

Feifei’s Substack

People You Love In Theory.

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Chelewa Apr 16

A woman is expected to be so many things to a man that when it’s time for her to honor herself, she no longer knows what she truly wants. Her existence becomes integrated with a man; her identity meshed with her superior..her husband. Not because she can’t decide for herself, but because she has been taught not to\ \ A woman is expected to be so many things to a man that when it’s time for her to honor herself, she no longer knows what she truly wants. Her existence becomes integrated with a man; her identity meshed with her superior..her husband. Not because she can’t decide for herself, but because she has been taught not to\ \ Madam's Diary

Chelewa restacked

mwivanda.gloMar 22

mwivanda.glo

Everybody In Nairobi Is Pretending

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Chelewa Apr 16

Dear Situationship, si hata wewe unaona haiwezi make😭😭na si mimi nimesema👀

Feelings are visitors, not landlords. They can stay briefly, then leave without you handing them keys to your heart. Because here is the cruel, beautiful truth: you can love someone deeply, fully, with the whole of your mutura fed heart, and still not be meant for them. \ \ Feelings are visitors, not landlords. They can stay briefly, then leave without you handing them keys to your heart. Because here is the cruel, beautiful truth: you can love someone deeply, fully, with the whole of your mutura fed heart, and still not be meant for them. \ \ Ongalo Glenn

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Ongalo GlennApr 15

Ongalo's Substack

Almost

330

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Ongalo GlennMar 16

Ongalo's Substack

So… Si We're Dating Now?

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MYLEIK.

Nov 13, 2025

MYLEIK

You’re Bored Because You’re Boring (And That’s Fixable)

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Chelewa Apr 16

Yes! Yes! Yes!

There are entire social circles built on sameness: people who look like you, think like you, parent like you, and earn like you. When your whole world reflects you back to yourself, nothing new gets in. And when nothing new gets in, nothing new comes out\ \ There are entire social circles built on sameness: people who look like you, think like you, parent like you, and earn like you. When your whole world reflects you back to yourself, nothing new gets in. And when nothing new gets in, nothing new comes out\ \ MYLEIK.

ChelewaApr 12

Winnyann

THE PURSUIT OF NOTHINGNESS

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gorNov 16, 2025

mixtapes by gor

date someone who is interested in you

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የኖህ🌵Mar 26

acting obsessed with God but being terrible to people is a contradiction i'll never understand

161

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𝑨~ 𝑺𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒔 Feb 16

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Hazel🦢Mar 10

‘‘show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are’’. Ah, no that wouldn’t work for me, because every friend of mine knows a different version of me, perfectly curated for them based on their character.🦢

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Thee Book Club

Mar 16

43.6K

165

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Abrafi Asare Mar 9

Thank you🤝

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Kimemia MachariaFeb 14

Kimemia Macharia

The Traditional Sexual Lives of Kikuyus.

1.7K

277

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Joseph Awuah-Darko

Mar 8

The Last Supper Diary

The Islamic Regime Punished Her For Red Nails.

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Lei Feb 16

A man who is nonchalant at the start will not wake up six months later suddenly romantic, thoughtful, and emotionally present. If he is lazy now, believe him. He is not pretending to be cool. He just doesn’t give a fuck.\ \ A man who is nonchalant at the start will not wake up six months later suddenly romantic, thoughtful, and emotionally present. If he is lazy now, believe him. He is not pretending to be cool. He just doesn’t give a fuck.\ \ Mary Nyx

151

ChelewaFeb 28

Winnyann

OTIENO DOESN’T DESERVE ME!

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Omar Najjarine Feb 9

Do you know how broken a society has to be for people to stop wanting children?

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Philosopheasy

Jan 27

"It takes a lot of courage to be happy. It is easier to be miserable, to accept the status quo."

— Björk

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The Spotted Zebra Jan 25

“As soon as the modest person gets slammed against the wall by life, modesty will drop off faster than a G-string from a stripper.” - Maya Angelou

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Chelewa Feb 3

I always find myself going back to writing, even now, especially now that I belong entirely to myself. I wish I could let people in, let them read my frail, weirdly disturbing, ambitious, emotional thoughts. But I can’t stop writing about love and I refuse to endorse it. Love has done me nothing but left me utterly devastated!

Chelewa restacked

Thee Book Club

Feb 3

Things schools don’t teach you (but should) , a really insightful read ♟️

Most choices are not final. Careers change. Relationships end. Cities are left. Identities evolve. You can start over more times than you think. What matters more than making the perfect decision is knowing when to pivot. People don’t stay stuck because they made the wrong choice. They stay stuck because they assume they can’t change it.\ \ Most choices are not final. Careers change. Relationships end. Cities are left. Identities evolve. You can start over more times than you think. What matters more than making the perfect decision is knowing when to pivot. People don’t stay stuck because they made the wrong choice. They stay stuck because they assume they can’t change it.\ \ Thee Book Club

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LyriqJan 9

MrsShakeSpeare

SLOW BURN 🌻

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