Charles Chanchori’s Uber story narrated the reality of suffering KDF soldiers

Chanchori, with his explosive story, is simply opening us up to the reality of problems afflicting demobilised soldiers

Charles Chanchori recently set the Kenyan social media ablaze with a literary firestorm, so intense that the embers are still smouldering. For once, political hatred generated by the voter registration exercise was momentarily forgotten as netizens basked in the warm afterglow of the short story, Around Nairobi in One Night.

The enthusiastic reaction to that story underscored how, despite constant assurances, the local literary landscape still remains desolate. That the author chose the social media to publish his piece illustrates how publishing opportunities remain elusive to potential writers.