The standing order is to produce three stories a week. An idea can only be pitched on Monday. Three of these stories, every month, must fit into one of the three ill defined sections of the paper. They don’t care about exclusivity, quality, and content.

I was desperate for a story. This was a recommendation from a senior writer. Turns out she has written about Alena Murang before. Doing someone else’s follow up made me feel tricked.

But, I still have pride in my work.

Although we spoke via video call, the skeleton of the story is based on the materials that Alena sent and stories that has been written about her before.

What I got from the conversation was her feelings through her journey, details about her adventure, and the challenge she faced championing the music of the people she loves. All in a country that seems to underappreciate what she and musicians like her are doing.

Watch Alena’s music video Meno’, the lead on which the story as originally pitched, on YouTube.