It is that time of the year once again, where you leave the house to go and buy some milk and bread and come back after 3 days. The festive season arrives loudly, as it always has ever since we were kids. Music spills into the streets, phones go crazy with invitations and the pressure to be everywhere doing everything with everyone starts creeping in. And yet, even with December meant to be a joyful month, every year it also becomes a season of preventable loss. The headlines that follow Christmas and New Year are often painfully familiar: road accidents, alcohol poisoning, assaults, falls from balconies, and stories that touch the heart and bring tears to our eyes.
Staying safe doesn’t mean staying home or living in fear. It means choosing yourself and your future, even while celebrating.
Drink, But Don’t Lose Yourself
Alcohol is often treated as the unofficial currency of celebration. Sherehe ni sheria sikatai, but how quickly it is for one drink to become many, and before you know it, judgment blurs. Drinking moderately is about remaining present enough to get home safely. It is about protecting your boundaries and looking out for the people you came with.
Know your limit, and most importantly, alternate alcohol with water. Eat before you drink. And if the night starts to feel like it’s slipping out of your control, that’s your cue to slow down or leave. No good story ever begins with “I don’t remember how I got there,” or as e millennials love to (in)famously ask, kweli jana kuliendaje?
Safe Sex Is Still Self Respect
Festive seasons come with heightened emotions. The loneliness becomes amplified, the nostalgia, desire and the thrill of new connections. There is nothing wrong with intimacy, but safety should never be optional. Condoms, consent and clarity are still necessary, even when the moment feels spontaneous. Spontaneous is good and ohh so exciting, but surely there is a point that we get to draw the line?
Protecting yourself from STIs, HIV and unplanned pregnancies is everybody’s own responsibility. If having the conversation feels awkward, remember that dealing with lifelong consequences is far harder.
Not Every Invitation Is a Good One
One of the most dangerous festive habits is going to unfamiliar spaces simply because the vibe feels right in the moment. House parties where you don’t know the host or anyone attending carry real risks. A while back things were not as complicated as they keep getting now, where there are high chances that your drink might be spiked, you will be stolen from or assaulted. Not to forget, once again, how there is a possibility of your body being splattered on the news the next day due to a fall from the 13th floor. Too many tragedies begin in places people assumed were harmless.
The recent cases of people falling from balconies are a stark reminder that unfamiliar environments, alcohol and overcrowding are a risky mix. If you don’t know the house or the people, and don’t know how you’ll get home, it’s okay to say no. Your safety matters more than politeness.
Drive Like Someone Is Waiting for You
Festive roads are unforgiving. Overspeeding and drunk driving turn celebration into catastrophe within seconds. Whether you are driving yourself or riding with someone else, insist on safety. Hata kama umepewa lift by the way, if the driver refuses to listen to you, you can always alight. A delayed arrival is better than never arriving at all.
It is a simple rule actually. If you’re drinking, don’t drive. If the driver has been drinking, don’t get in the car.
Hydrate, Rest and Listen to Your Body
So we have a combination of long days, late nights, alcohol, dancing, poor feeding habits and heat. All these and more can quietly push your body beyond its limits. Dehydration and exhaustion make people vulnerable to illness and accidents.
Drink water regularly and eat real food. Sleep when you can. Most people do not realize how dangerous fatigue can get. Celebration should not come at the cost of your health.
Choose Familiar Spaces and Trusted Company
There is safety in being around people who know you because then they would notice if you disappear or step in if something feels off. Crowded spaces can be fun but they can also be dangerous when no one is accountable for anyone else.
If you arrive somewhere and feel uneasy, listen to that instinct. Always listen to your intuition, it is usually right most of the time. Leaving early is wisdom.
Joy Should Not Cost You Your Life
The festive season is meant to end with memories. We do not want to know the village where you come from if we have to go there mourning. Fun should never require you to abandon caution or self preservation. And dignity of course, because you don’t owe anyone access to your body or your safety.
Celebrate wisely. We all need to be here in 2026, so we can all collectively keep clearing the government’s national debt to china or whoever.
