Some habits have stood out to define what it is to be a Kenyan in 2017. Hopefully, we will leave them behind and have a prosperous 2018. What are these top 10 2017 habits?

1. Posting / Sharing unverified news on WhatsApp. Okay, there is a sense of fulfillment when you are the first one to break news, but please verify first. In 2017, fake news created by someone who has a metal door in Roysambu thrived. Let us stop this annoying habit.
2. Proposing at weddings. How selfish do you have to be to steal someones spotlight at their wedding? Aki hiyo ni uchoyo. Stop this behavior Kenyans. In addition, we should also stop asking people we haven’t talked to in ages to contribute towards your wedding expenses. Unless we are becoming shareholders, do not randomly add me to your “Mike weds Jane” WhatsApp group.
3. Tribal biases. Every time there are elections, some tribal aspect of people who should be working together comes out. Let us stop this non-progressive behavior.
4. Pretending to go to the loo/being asleep when its time to pay the bill. We all know someone who comes for a plan but when its time to pay the bill, they are nowhere to be seen. Ati “Haiya? Mshalipa….? Nilikuwa nimelala”
5. Taking selfies for every occasion. I have a feeling that we as Kenyans take selfies with people more than we interact with them. In fact, if a random Kenyan met with his MCA (and the average Kenyan probably doesn’t know who his local MCA is) he would probably demand for a selfie instead of engaging in conversations like “What are your plans for the next 5 years?" Instead, they'd be like “Eeeerm mkubwa... Si tupige kaselfie kamoja?”
6. Praising politicians for doing their job. When I go to work, there are things I am expected to do at a bare minimum. We have become used to not expecting public officials whom we elected to not do their job. Ati... “Huyo ni mzuri, imagine ali facilitate kujengwa kwa hii barabara” Really, that’s their job. They are supposed to ensure that we have good roads!
7. Eating avocado with everything. Years ago, an avocado at my local Kibanda was 5 bob. Now its 40 bob. When did avocado become a fashion statement? Aki mumetuharibia sisi avocado traditionalists.
8. Giving a 1 hour speech after clearly opening with “I don’t have much to say, but...”. Kenyans have perfected the art of turning a light comment in to a lecture. It is everywhere - at fund-raising, at cocktail parties, at meetings even when breaking up. (Yes, my ex broke up with me using the same line. How I wish angesema tu it's over. Ningekubali. That was some speech though!
9. Asking “Kwenu ni wapi?” Nothing makes a young person more insecure than being asked that question. It's like being screened for opportunities. Why should you have to worry about getting an opportunity just because of where you were born in to? Something you couldn’t even decide? Surely, none of us decided to be born in a certain region. It is what it is - an accident of nature.
10. Calling Kibandas dingy. I am yet to go to a high end hotel that serves food as good and healthy as that of my kibanda (A honorable mention to Mama Njeri... nakupenda sana. Asante kwa yote!) Why can't it just be normal for me to take a girl out to a place just because it has good food and not get judged in a chat group with “Alikupeleka wapi? Huyo hakupendi”