A LOVE AFFAIR WITH MY HOMELAND - KENYA

  NO ONE CAN SAVE US BUT OURSELVES. NO ONE CAN AND NO ONE WILL. WE MUST WALK THE PATH OURSELVES. Buddha The rainy season has been erratic. I keep reminding myself that we are a rain fed economy. This is not a very healthy trait for the prosperity of a nation. In spite of the poor rains so far, the Cherangany Hills are lush and green. It's almost 12noon but several parts of the landscape are covered in rolling mist. The recently planted maize crop has sprouted in every farm. Some crop taller than others. Crested cranes fly past in 3s or 4s. Coming to think of it; these birds are rarely solitary. This bird is the national symbol on the Uganda Flag. It’s a beautiful bird which flies gracefully. The Cherangany Hills are to the East of Kitale town and are a vital part of the granary of Kenya. The bulk of the staple maize comes from this region of the country - and this explains why rain is so very critical for Kenya - and in particular here.   Today we have all the time in t

DON'T TELL ME HOW EDUCATED YOU ARE, TELL ME HOW MUCH YOU HAVE TRAVELED - Mohamed   Its a chilly mid-May morning. Flights to Wajir International Airport are usually at 630am. That means that i have to report at 530am and that means i have to wake up at 430am. Thankfully the airport lounge has a dedicated prayer space for the fajr (early morning) prayer. I will pray immediately i have checked in.                                                My Project - getting to finishes stages I check in and and am handed a paper boarding pass. The Airline staff are dressed in their yellow and white uniforms. They may have recently had to change the name of the airline involving a rebranding...... Due i suspect to a recent incident or adverse publicity. The airline industry is very sensitive to such incidents and details. Once you get involved in an incident you have to consider changing your image to get passengers. Its just a day since Eid ul Fitr. So alot of the passengers are fam

  ONE TRAVELS TO RUN AWAY FROM ROUTINE.THAT DREADFUL ROUTINE THAT KILLS ALL IMAGINATION AND ALL OUR CAPACITY FOR ENTHUSIASM - Ella Maillart I was scared the moment i boarded the flight.  Alhamdulillah I have been on different airlines to many different destinations around the world. This one was different. I was flying to Mogadishu.  The year was 2010. Somalia was still in the throes of the never ending civil war. The opposition had been largely pushed out of the city centre. But areas near Lido Beach were still no go zones. Large chunks of suburbia of Mogadishu were still not in the current governments control. Most of Somalia was still at war and large chunks of Mogadishu were still no go zones for any non-Somali and indeed for many Somali as well..   The first shock was when we were about to board. The aeroplane! My God, I thought! Is this not one of those abandoned planes at Wilson Airport but now painted with a new coat of paint?   I looked backwards to

  The rain patters hard on the iron sheet roof. We cannot hear each other. But the feeling is soothing. The smell of large water drops hitting the dust produces an aroma of homeliness. The smell of rain fills the air. Ochi our driver comments that this daily rain is no longer as certain as it used to be in the past. Global Warming!   We have just finished a meeting with traders, hawkers, boda boda riders and their reps from the Chamber of Commerce. The meeting was to discuss their interests in the upcoming market project in Kitale.   Martin the chairman of the chamber suggested we have lunch at Mary's Joint and we arrive together with the rain.                                                                     Mary's Joint (photo courtesy of others)     My colleagues, Alan and Ochi promise a good meal. They have been here before. They order the only meal available; kienyeji chicken and ugali.   The rain patters away at the iron roof. I'm not complaining. I

  Mwau mwau nivukishe mto. Nivukishe mto mwau. 5Nov2017 Mwau mwau njoo mwau. Mwau njoo … njooo nivukishe mto. Nivukishe mto mwau ….. The cries of women and children across the river, beckoning the trunk hewn canoe to cross the river to assist them on the other side to sell their wares or go to school or go to the market. A mwau is a trunk hewn canoe. Anyone & everyone is allowed to and can row it. Its parked on any side of the river. It belongs to no individual. It belongs to the community. A man on the side where the mwau is parked is obliged to cross over with it to assist whoever calls out for - at no cost. The river is the mighty Tana - teeming with crocodiles and hippo -- and the people are the Malakote.                                                          The Mighty Tana (photo by ALK)  We are on the edge of North Eastern Kenya. For long, a neglected expanse of land. Dry. Very dry. Regularly battered by droughts. Ignored by repeated regimes since independence