LAMU & MPEKETONI: A tale of donkeys & boda bodas

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”– Andre Gide

30 January 2022

Today I am off to Lamu. Its been many years since I was last there. Probably 18 or 20 years ago. It must have changed since then.

AGENTS OF CHANGE:

There have been major parameters that have been agents of change in the world and specifically in Kenya.

Climate change.

Mobile phones.

Spread of Internet.

Boda bodas - yes yes Boda Bodas have been a major agent of change in Africa - I am digressing but I have to say this..... in Africa today even the most remote regions are now just a ride away and the youth are widely and largely empowered by Boda Bodas. 

But with tongue in cheek I am informed by a local boda boda rider that certainly more than half of babies born in our maternity wards are fathered by Boda Bodas riders since they have the ready cash and small change needed to sort out the immediate and urgent needs of our young and middle aged families. This is his opinion - but he is convincing and swears by all his might that this is the truth. Needs to be checked - but nevertheless an interesting topic to be pursued later on. We shall not dwell nor debate on the question as to whether the Boda Boda riders are the husbands of the ladies who bear the children or not! 

And before I lose focus, the Boda Boda riders are our own children and siblings and brothers (mostly) ... they are us! So if there is any truth in that boda boda riders opinion then we are the problem in itself.

Another significant parameter of change specific to Lamu has been the new Lamu port being constructed under the LAPSET Project.

And last but certainly not the least factor, in Kenya an important and significant agent of change over the last 10 years has been the devolution....the formation of the 47 counties.

Not only has development reached the grassroots but as one politician once quiped - 'also corruption is now at home right at the village - you don't need to be Nairobi to make deals legitimately but also the more lucrative illegitimate deals'.

So much about agents of change.

Back to Lamu.

 THE FLIGHT FROM WILSON

The flight is via Mombasa and therefore a longish one -- 2 hours plus to be precise. But hopefully scenic enough.

The ground staff are busy bodies. They walk into and out of the departure lounge at Wilson Airport.

Its a small and crowded lounge.

There are few seats and many passengers. Children are crying. Their mothers in buibuis are busy trying to keep them quiet. The elderly mostly men are least bothered. They talk away in rapid fire vernacular language in loud tones and voices. They all seem to be quarrelling but an occasional laughter quickly dispels that thought.

A young girl walks out of the lounge onto the airside.....the mother and father haven't noticed.....but a decently dressed man who looks like a civil servant quickly pulls back the girl into the lounge. The mother screams at her and whacks her a few on her butt. The child bawls. There is no thanks nor acknowledgement to the decently dressed man who pulled back the child.

This is Africa. You are expected to do this without thanks or even being acknowledged. You will be paid in heaven!

A scantily dressed lady - a ground staff of one of myriad airlines that operates from Wilson - catwalks past the passengers. She is wearing a micro-skirt. She has to walk ramrod straight otherwise with a slight bend and i am sure her equally if not more scanty underclothes will be evident. She also keeps her chin up and walks in short steps in her 6inch high heels- like on a catwalk. Her eyes are not wandering, they are fixed straight towards the airside where one of the planes awaits her.  She mustn't let her eyes wander lest they get locked with those of young men who are all not too discreetly ogling at her.

Thankfully the catwalk is as short as the length of the small crowded lounge and the eerie silence that had fallen during her entrance and march-past was broken again by conversations.....and thankfully our attention is now drawn back to the butt-whacked child and other children of all ages who are at different stages of bawling and crying. This crying is normal. The mothers are not affected by it. The fathers even more so .... I need to learn this art of shutting your ears to bawling by children and at the same time maintain an intelligent conversation in low tones with your travelling companions. Their ears must have special inbuilt filters!

Shortly, a young captain marches through the lounge in entitled fashion. He is wearing dark shades. A bushy moustache. His reflectors bear the name of the airline and he is talking on the wireless earpods. He is also walking straight without gazing at any of the passengers in the cauldron that the lounge has now become. His eyes must not meet any of the passengers eyes lest he is greeted by the lesser human beings which the passengers are....its a strange world this airline business!

The announcement for our flight is made.

Now one thing I must draw your attention to is that airline passengers the world over are by definition impatient. And why not!  After all the aeroplane was discovered and made to speed up life and speed up travel and also to build in some impatience into human beings!

So lest the aeroplanes takes off without us - we all rush to the exit and follow the queue to the plane.

We board and shortly the plane takes off in the South Easterly direction.. The flight to Mombasa will take an hour and 5 minutes crackles the speaker just before we start rolling.

I am hoping to see Kilimanjaro. But a combination of low level clouds and climate change conspire to deny me the scene.

Its a slow aircraft. More than 20 minutes into flight and we are still near Konza. Hopefully the usually not-very-shy-Kilimanjaro will yet appear in its majesty. But the clouds are now ominous - the combination of both low and high clouds - all forming dense blankets at different levels. Its not a day to view Kili.

In an hour and a few we land at Mombasa, our only stop enroute Lamu.

We are asked to disembark as the aircraft has to be refuelled.

Its a welcome break to walk on terra firma....

I stretch my legs and take a health break.

A few more steps added to my daily target being measured on my Xiaomi wrist device.

The refueling takes around 15 minutes.

The Rubis truck completes the process and we embark again.

COVID-19 protocols require our hands to be sanitised as we board.

Good business these hand sanitisers and masks and vaccines and social distance and PCR and rapid tests and compulsory quarantines not to forget hazmat suits.

I wonder whose idea this COVID-19 was.....brilliant way of distributing wealth away from Apple and Microsoft and the arms industry and Hollywood ..... but with collateral damage of the lives lost.

Let's just say it was friendly fire!

New passengers join us here in Mombasa.

Many of them tourists.

A few locals.

The plane gets full.

Seems a popular and busy route this Lamu flight.

Devolution has worked!

The plane takes off again.

Flight time given as 40 minutes.

This is indeed a slow bird.

No worries.

There is no hurry.

Provided I finish my work today I have no complaints.

The Indian Ocean is 15000ft below.

Its abit cloudy so no clear azure sea, no stunning views. No worries.

We land at Lamu safely and Abbas is waiting for me. We head straight to our speed boat to go to the mainland at Mokowe.

Our Speed Boat with Captain (photo by ALK)

The speed boat crossing is not too rough. Its a pleasant change to be on sea in a speed boat.

The ride is a short one, about 20 minutes.

At Mokowe we disembark and head to our car. A Probox.

Ahmed is our driver. Its a newish Probox. And we head to work.

So we drive past Hindi a small Swahili town on either side of the road.

On to Witu and Chalaluma

Then back to Mpeketoni

And insha ALLAH back to Lamu for trip back to Nbi insha ALLAH

Doum Palms along Lamu-Msa Road (photo by ALK)

Doum palms line the roads with Vervet Monkeys crisscrossing roads every so often.

It is is a good tarmac road so we do a comfortable 100kph almost throughout.

Our driver Ahmed is from Malindi. Abbas has made all the arrangements and so far all is well Alhamdulillah .

Orma, Boni, Borana, Kamba, Kikuyu and Somali peoples live here. Their settlements and humble tin and mud structures dot the roadsides. Their emaciated cattle tread the new tarmac as the shuka clad herdsman directs them with whistles and flaying the long stick they all carry. Flies dot his face but they don't seem to bother him .... they are almost a welcome part of his facial makeup. He is a rich man if one was to monetize his livestock and yet his humble and pauper outlook betray his actual worth. My companion, Abbas picks this fact and I remind him that this is the lifestyle of nomadic peoples all over the world. Never underestimate them!

So welcome to Kenya.

At a police check we have been held up for one and half hours. The reason, we are not allowed to travel without police escort so we have to wait for the escort which in turn has to wait for the buses to join the convoy. This can take a further 2 hours or more!!!

After protestations by Abbas the corporal finally releases us and a flow of small cars. All this is done in the name of security because of recent terror attacks at Mpeketoni. There is grumbling amongst people that this cannot happen where leadership at local levels is strong!!

We head to Chalaluma.

We are now on an all weather Bush track. Heading to Nyangoro River and Lake Moa.

There are electric power lines along the track. A lone cyclist is wavering ahead of us. He is in watchman uniform.

There is dense bush on both sides of the track.

But combined with the general low level of poverty, high rates of illiteracy and unemployment and sustained marginalisation by all the regimes that have been power since independence - this is now ripe territory & conditions for dissent by locals. There are hardly any people, its deserted.

A few tin roofed houses appear. A lady and two children with a donkey ferry water in the trademark yellow 20litre jerry cans. A herd of dorper sheep block our rough ride. Water is obviously a problem here. Another lady with the yellow jerry can struggles under the weight of the load and the hot sun. I pity her. She must do this everyday probably twice or even thrice a day. Where are the men? They must be under shade of a tree somewhere drinking mnaazi ( a popular traditional local brew made from coconut). Its taboo for men to carry water - rather ironic isn't it? No wonder there is no progress here. When people from upcountry venture here they work hard and succeed because men and women bear the burdens of daily life together but my local brothers and sisters are shackled in traditional values designed and practiced for centuries to subjugate one gender....we need to up our game guys!

Presently we arrive at the  village at Moa. This is a combination of mud huts with tin and grass thatched roofs (makuti). We drive past the Lake Moa which is more of a large water pan than a lake. We drive on to our destination.

Chalaluma is much further than I thought- and we finally reach there as a drizzle pours onto us.

The village elders are waiting for us under a tree next to the communal cattle dip.

They are all Orma and Muslims. The village head is one Mzee Galgalo.....yes they share similar names as the Borana. Legend has it that they are the same tribe but in different locations.

Chalaluma is no different from Moa. Just that the poverty levels are higher here with significantly many more mud huts with makuti roofs. The only stone structure and the only plastered and painted one is the mosque which dominates the village- something akin to European villages of the middles ages where the mud dwelling adobe houses surround a magnificent gothic church.

Chalaluma Village (photo by ALK)

The elders take us to the edge of River Nyangoro. I ask if there are crocodiles - the answer is an immediate and unanimous yes. I'm told this is their territory.

The project particulars are shared as I advice on technicalities. And then it starts pouring ..... the elders smile and reckon that indeed I have come with blessings to them! I don't deny this compliment .... I accept it: who knows I am probably a rainmaker who just hasn't realised his powers! 

OK ok enough of daydreaming.....we rush into the Probox because time is not on our side....the curfew could easily lock us out of Lamu where I am supposed to sleep. And besides there is work still at Mpeketoni.

We hit the return road via Witu of course. Witu is an old roadside town where time seems to have stood still.

Witu Town - Main Street (photo by ALK)

At Kibaoni we turn to the East towards Mpeketoni.

Its a tarmac road. Rather new.

Mango trees line the road on either side with a sprinkle of Neem trees here and there.

This is obviously not the Muslim coast. The general outlook of how the structures are built, how the peoples dress, the types of shops, salons, bars, churches etc are clear indication of upcountry influence. There are well tended farms, fenced off plots, and hardworking people going about some economic activity or another. There are many distinct positives.

But my thought process is quickly broken by a drunken man walking in the middle of the highway as he is nearly hit by a cyclist .... he narrowly misses. The drunkard meanders away grinning as if to say I live for another day. Just ahead a lady with a body-tight dress revealing her anatomy swaggers as she crosses the road towards one of several bars that are interspersed with churches. What an irony!!! One can clearly see the lady is deliberately swaggering to be seen .....

The dominant population here is not the local Giriama or Orma but largely Kikuyu -  who were reportedly settled here by Jomo Kenyatta the first president of the Republic.

Another distinct feature here are the lots of lady cyclists and lady motorbike riders too. These are obviously hard working people.

We turn right onto a murram Road and pick Joyce as we head to where our project is supposed to be.

At the site we meet Mzee Nganga, Joyce, Jimmy and Peter. Its on Mzee Nganga's plot that the project is located.

The meeting is brief and fruitful. These people are development minded 

We now make our way back towards Lamu via Mokowe. Time is not on our side. We have to clear the various KDF and police road blocks before 5pm or sleep on the road.

I haven't eaten nor drunk anything since 615am. I am hungry and thirsty but I can take it on still. Ramadhan is round the corner and this is good practice to fast.

Its been fruitful workwise. I am happy too to have visited the mainland of Lamu County for the first time. In the past I've always ended up only on Lamu Island and Shela. Alhamdulillah.

Abbas calls the captain of our speed boat, Mr Amiari and informs him we are close by.

At Mokowe we have to cross the creek to Lamu Town. I am to sleep in the former Governors guest house. And my flight back is tomorrow at 11am.

I am praying I get some time to walk town. And probably eat something and see some good sites before darkness.

We have arrived safely on Lamu Island after a rough ride on the speed boat. Captain Amiari made sure we bounced enough.....its not his fault. He tells us the seas are rough in the evenings. And within 15 minutes we arrive at the Lamu jetty.

A LATE BUT KINGSIZE LUNCH

Mangrove Restaurant (photo by ALK)

Abbas thankfully takes me straight from the Jetty to Mangrove Restaurant. Its an open sort of setup with a Tikka Counter at the front. I am ready to tuck in. I order from the tikka counter. Its a sumptuous meal of chapati and grilled fish....looks like tuna. I wash it down with a cone ice cream and water melon juice.

Grilled Tuna & Chapati (photo by ALK)

AT DARINI HOUSE

Later we go to Darini House. This old Lamu style building belongs to the former governor of Lamu, Mr Issa Timamy who also happens to be a long time acquaintance of mine.

I am welcomed by Tony the manager of Darini House. He informs Abbas and I, that a wedding party had occupied the top floor so I shall be allocated the room on 1st floor.

Its a long narrow room. About 8 feet in width and almost 20ft in length. At the Eastern end of the room is the bathroom which is raised above the room by at least 4 steps.....I presume to accommodate the plumbing.

The room has tall 3.6m ceilings with doors almost as tall.

The bed is a 4 poster with mosquito netting and a fan over the bed.

There are several sockets but a single exposed light bulb. There is no a/c. And this room has no network coverage for any of the mobile services .... so I have to walk out into the lobby to access any of my mobile services; which i do to watch the match between Egypt and Morocco (AFCON 2022).

I settle down to rest.

And to complete this blog and to unwind.

My Narrow Room (photo by ALK)

At 830pm I retire into bed to add more info into this blog as I think about the journey back tomorrow, the night ahead and the week ahead.

Its been a good day, night and restful sleep.

END OF DONKEYS AND HERE COME THE BODAS

So today morning I've woken up fresh and relaxed. There is no water in the shower but some water is flowing in the low level tap. I'll have to make do a shower with water from that foot tap. So the 1.5 litre plastic bottle is just right for this. I fill it and shower with this bottle by washing up and filling it as it empties. 4 such refills suffice for a fairly refreshing shower. We are still in Africa and I am proudly African.

I dress up and head to Shela. A small ancient town south of Lamu and about an hours walk away along the seafront. Its a paved walkway almost the entire path.

 And now the shock for me. Boda bodas!!!

In the past there has been no motorised vehicles in Lamu - all transport was by the famous and loyal donkeys. In fact there is an annual donkey race held together with the Islamic Maulidi celebrations.

But now the Boda bodas have come. They are numerous and they are as unruly as all the rest in Africa.

This is the end of donkeys in Lamu. Their days are certainly numbered! Its just a question of time.

I honestly don't mind boda bodas but they come with a lot of negatives such as criminals, drugs, promiscuity, accidents among the youth, lack of discipline on the roads, air pollution, noise pollution etc.

I walk to Shela and back but every minute or so I have to get off the pedestrian path to let pass a loudly hooting boda boda that wooshes past me at breakneck speed. Its no longer the peaceful serene seafront stroll!

THE HEALTHY BREAKFAST

The hour and half of walk to and from Shela is crowned by the vibration on my wrist worn pedometer. I have achieved my daily target of 10,000 steps rather early today.

I walk up the steps of Mangrove Restaurant and decidedly partake a heavy breakfast.

Why not! 

My last meal was at 530pm yesterday and its almost 16 hours since I had my last intake of calories.

My breakfast consists of 2 cups of Lamu tea (yes two cups!), 3 mahmri, 3 bhajia karai,  a cutlas and of course mbaazi. That's when I meet Gee a pleasant young engineer working for organisations in Lamu County. We discuss challenges in the technical fields and the difficulty of getting skilled technicians in Lamu. I have to head to Darini House and Gee has to get to work. Yes don't forget its a Monday - a working day. 

I clear my breakfast in record time and head back to Darini House, to say bye to Tony and cross the creek to Manda Island where the airport is........

Alhamdulillah it was a pleasant working holiday!