Paukwa? Pakawa!
Paukwa is a place dedicated to positive stories about Kenya. Our story house is named for the Swahili word that is an invitation to a story – Paukwa. It’s an age- old term, well known across East Africa. Paukwa invites one to remember the joy of stories from their childhood days and to get lost in new, familiar or unknown ideas about the daily things that surround us.
Each day ordinary Kenyans are pushing our nation forward. As volunteers, as SME owners, as creatives, teachers, farmers, counsellors, techwizards and more. There is a bigger story as they build our nation each day through their tenacity, hard work, positive attitude, search for excellence, and sheer hustle.
Through their efforts we all grow.
At Paukwa, we shine a spotlight on the everyday builders of our nation and the history we almost forgot.
This digital storybank celebrates memory, culture, modernity, but most of all, the positive. Dive in and discover a story of Kenya you didn’t know you never knew!
#KeMountains
Nothing can surpass the beauty of the Kenyan landscape. With forests, lakes, valleys, deserts, and jungles, the diversity of these features only lends to this fact. One prominent aspect of our nation’s geography is our mountains. Some of us love to break out a sweat, hiking up their slopes. And the greatest joy of others is snapping pictures of the majestic heights. No matter the mode of enjoyment,
Paukwa? Pakawa!
Paukwa is a place dedicated to positive stories about Kenya. Our story house is named for the Swahili word that is an invitation to a story – Paukwa. It’s an age- old term, well known across East Africa. Paukwa invites one to remember the joy of stories from their childhood days and to get lost in new, familiar or unknown ideas about the daily things that surround us.
Each day ordinary Kenyans are pushing our nation forward. As volunteers, as SME owners, as creatives, teachers, farmers, counsellors, techwizards and more. There is a bigger story as they build our nation each day through their tenacity, hard work, positive attitude, search for excellence, and sheer hustle.
Through their efforts we all grow.
At Paukwa, we shine a spotlight on the everyday builders of our nation and the history we almost forgot.
This digital storybank celebrates memory, culture, modernity, but most of all, the positive. Dive in and discover a story of Kenya you didn’t know you never knew!
#KeMadaraka
Thunder is not yet rain. This Kenyan proverb is a reminder of patience and the need to recognise a finished product versus a work in progress. When it comes to Kenya’s Madaraka Day, some may wonder why we need to celebrate the thunder that is self-governance, rather than the rain that is independence or Jamhuri. We had the same thoughts too, but challenged the meaning behind Madaraka and decided
Remember the story of...
Peter Tabichi in 2019
Some months ago, few Kenyans knew the name of the excellent Franciscan friar inspiring his students. This was before he had superheroes presenting him with awards, and before his name became synonymous with the Global Teacher Prize. Peter Tabichi, though largely unknown, was still the “World’s Best Teacher” at Pwani Village, Nakuru. As a young man, Peter became passionate about teaching through observing his father–a retired teacher–and his uncles, who...
Our audio stories
A note from our team
RETHINKING TOURISM
Wanderlust is reigniting within us the quenchless desire to travel, explore, and revel in the glorious outdoors. As we welcome the change in seasons and the appetite for adventure, we are invited to pause and think about the impact of our travels on Mother Nature. Across our website you will find stories that highlight one-of-a-kind locations in Kenya like #KePlaces, #VisiwaVyetu and #KeHeritageSites. Places that are vibrant not just for their beautiful natural scenery but also for the spellbinding stories of the people, cultures, and landscapes. We hope this inspires you to enjoy sustainable tourism on your next trip. After all, each of us plays a crucial role in the preservation of these places for posterity.
TEAM PAUKWA
A note from our team
CULTURE AND HERITAGE
One of our favourite things about writing stories at Paukwa is that there’s always something new to learn about Kenya. Sometimes it's through retelling the narratives that we have come to accept, and other times it's just about appreciating the people and the places that make us proud. We’re constantly challenging the norms and asking ourselves how we can celebrate different facets of Kenyan history and culture. Through our #OnlyInKenya story series, we learnt that one of the reasons that Kenyan communities told stories was to explain the unexplainable. Take the Crying Stone for instance, Ikhongo Murwi. The Luhya community has a story that explains why it cries from time to time. Creativity at its best, we’d say. And that’s just one of many incredible stories from Western Kenya. There are more of those in Paukwa’s repository which have been specially curated to spotlight trailblazers, hidden gems, and creations that hail from this region.
TEAM PAUKWA
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