Macho nne: Kenyans wore thick, black bifocals

Back in the day, eyeglasses were for Kenyans with real eye problems, that earned them the nickname, macho nne Photo: Courtesy

Eyeglasses have come a long way. While it has become fashionable for people with even ‘small eye problems’ to sport trendy eyeglasses that make them look more intelligent than they really are, back in the day, eyeglasses were for Kenyans with real eye problems, that earned them the nickname, macho nne.

The assumption that eyeglasses were for school brain boxes were out of the un-researched fact that most ‘choppies’ in school somehow, wore eyeglasses. And while today there are clinics with free eye check-up all over town, it wasn’t always that way.