SUNSETS AND ROLLING MISTS: A COLLECTION OF OBSERVATIONS

Sunset over the Uasin Gishu plateau (photo by ALK)

 Jobs fill your pockets, adventures fill your soul - Jaime Lyn Beatty

3April2022

It isn't often one gets the chance to travel to far apart destinations in such a short span of time .... as I have had the pleasure and blessings bestowed upon me in my career.

The years of the last decade have been just that ..... a result of my constant prayers to God to bless me in my work!

Prayers answered!

Today is no different ....

Its rained the whole night. It was heavier around 3am  I lost my sleep then. The raindrops pattering onto my bedroom window were incessant but certainly a welcome musical sound full of blessings from above. Alhamdulillah. Ideally I should have by now changed my sleeping gears and slept on to the seventh heaven....but this was not to be.

I have to go to Suam today for an inspection and meetings. So I stayed awake .... tossing in bed whiling away time. I prayed silently.

At the airport the drizzle is still persisting albeit a small one.  Doves are hoping between the aeroplanes parked on the airside apron. The little birds are not too bothered by the drizzle. What's more amazing is that the birds are oblivious to and not bothered even by the loud and powerful engines which are warming up in readiness to traverse various destinations in Kenya. Somehow they have gotten used to the din .... evolution at work - I must say Darwin has a wry and cynical smile in his grave.

The same scenario was repeated in Eldoret last night.

Sunrise: Eldoret International Airport (photo: ALK)

At the airport - where its usually very cold - it was rather pleasantly cool. A rolling mist from the West approached the plains upon which the airport sits.

The ever present cooing of the wild doves punctuated the wind rustling of the trees. The skies have cleared now, promising a clear day. Who knows, its the rainy season starting and I thank God in my heart and mind - for the rains. How so very important they are for our country and our hard working and believing people. I have said it in the past and repeat here - We are a rain-fed economy - any change or interference to the patterns and we get adversely affected!

A lone policeman is seated on the concrete planter. I greet him and he replies back enthusiastically. The rains have a magical effect on us Africans. Spirits are lifted, hope is high, everyone is happy. With rains comes the promise of food and water and milk and electricity and abundance....I again say a silent prayer of gratitude.

The Jambojet counter has not yet opened so I continue with my steps....I have to meet my target of 10k per day....insha ALLAH.

The staff and workers at the airport are by now used to me walking up and down the pathways....I do this every time I'm in Eldi.....they must have thought that some of the fuses in my head are blown or some bolts and nuts in the head are abit loose! But hey .... I am OK ... Alhamdulillah!

26April2022

Either Wajir likes me or the vice versa. Even a whistle stop day trip is a welcome break from Nairobi City life. I simply cannot stop labelling Nairobi as a madhouse....it gets to you but in a uniquely beautiful way!

With the advent of mobile phone technology, I need not be physically present in my office to get work done. So being away from office does not really affect my office work.

I have been slow off the mark when it comes to digitising my life...but certainly faster than many contemporaries who are still rather analogue in most aspects of their lives. I have digital kids so I take full advantage. Am not complaining....!

Back to Wajir. The finishes to my project are in full swing. Issues are cropping up at rather more frequent intervals. I am not complaining but the challenge here is that fundis are scarce (due to the remoteness of Wajir) and the few we have on board still need to be guided and led from the top and therefore inspections have to be done very regularly and rather frequently.. and so I must go to Wajir.

The last two trips have both been a-single-day affair and I've been fasting. Beginning with the single day affair; there is now a flight everyday afternoon at 430pm apart from the early morning flights. So I can finish work in a few hours and return to Nairobi the same day in the evening in time to break the Ramadhan fast.

But in spite of the single day affair which are expected to be less tiring and taxing: the 35 degree Celcius temperatures and lack of any breeze roasts the body dry. This, coupled by the necessary walk up and down the 5 storey building takes a toll...so no reason to complain - since this inspection is my purpose of visit and thus has to be done - whether I like it or not! Again a caveat here - I am not complaining because I do have the good health to forbear this physical and psychological test. And Alhamdulillah for this...!

The sun is now bearing down upon us mercilessly ...... but the construction workers are at it in full force. They have neither hats to protect them from the hot sun nor any other safety gear. We are in Africa, safety standards are low, people are poor and so what is viewed as a necessity in the Western world in terms of safety gear is a luxury here - and much more so in distant lands such as Wajir. And lest we forget - Wajir is nearly 700km by road from Nairobi.

I do my rounds up and down the building and after the brief meetings, I head to the nearby mosque for my combined dhur and asr (mid-day and mid-afternoon) prayers. The mosque is a simple clean hall with the mihrab cluttered with batteries and an invertor. A reminder that Wajir has a constant power supply problem. At times the town can be in the dark for weeks - everyone suffers. No water supply since the pumps rely on electricity to pump water out the shallow wells. The question begs - where are the leaders of this community? Do they care?

After prayers I head back to my site and eventually to the airport which is thankfully close by. The usual armed KDF soldiers man the first check point. They go about their check of ID and luggage with a no-nonsense attitude. A local Somali man complains about the too many check points; and he looks around as if soliciting support from the other travelers who have queued up behind him to go through the rigours of the first check - and these comments are ignored by the soldiers. The rest of us maintain our silence. The soldiers have the power to stop you from traveling or even worse to cause you bodily harm and not be held accountable for anything they mete upon you .... so the wiser ones hold their comments to themselves.

We are released one at a time to go to the next check point which is manned by the KAA security detail. Here they check your name against the manifest of passengers, your ID and again your luggage. This is a more humane affair. After this we sit upon the metal chairs - men on one side and ladies on another. This is to date a strict Islamic Society and the two genders don't mix freely especially amongst strangers.

Soon the KAA bus arrives at the check point and all passengers board. The ride from the check point to the terminal building is about 2km on a tarmac road that goes through the KDF camp - which is dotted with a mosque, a church, a garrison, a newly built air hangar and other US base facilities -- no wonder the several checks!

We reach the airport terminal building in a few minutes and go through another check - this time by Kenya Police. Our IDs are checked and then ushered into the check-in counter which is in a narrow and crowded entrance lobby. Once awarded with the boarding pass I go through the final security check which takes the luggage through the x-ray scanner and metal detector.

In the departure lobby the seats are arranged in classroom fashion facing the exit door. There are fans but these are not effective as they just churn the already hot air within the lounge - its like all passengers are ingredients of a special soup in a large container which the lounge is and the fans are the spoon that churns the ingredients within the hot soup!! Now you get a picture of what I am going through!

No worries. There are blessings for doing charitable work - seen and unseen! 

And if one of the collateral damages is to become an ingredient of a soup in the departure lounge then so be it!

In case we have forgotten - we are in Africa - and the flight that is supposed to have arrived at 4pm arrives at 5pm - no apologies, no explanations, no remonstrations! Take it or leave it! But leave it and go where? This is home. I know no other home....OK so I shall take it - no other choice!

We board the plane in a mad rush by passengers. The rush is good because the 50 seater Fokker 50 plane fills up in record time.

A child has been bawling since his mother carried him into the plane. No amount of cajoling has worked. I am disturbed at first .... but the bawling becomes louder as the planes engines are turned on. The noise from the twin engines drowns the child's bawling .... the child realizes that he cannot compete with the engines and after much shedding of tears and alot of reluctance decides to give up the competition! 

I relax in my seat.

The hunger pangs are real. I am still fasting. But the thirst is more overpowering, I've done this for decades now so I will certainly survive this. The plane takes off. 

Two pesty flies have joined us on the flight. The passenger next to me has fallen asleep .... and the flies are enjoying hoping from his nose to his lips - he is feeling nothing as he starts a low snore. I put on my nose-cancelling headphones - thankfully I didn't forget them! The flies are enjoying the hopping from nose to lips .... looks gross to me but he is feeling nothing! Reminds me of the Maasai - they feel nothing too even when the flies hope from one part of the face to the other ..... experience from life long tending of cattle on the African grasslands. We must look at this positively....how many of us urban dwellers can bear this small nuisance! Even a single mosquito bite will release us into a frenzy of hunting mossies with all forms of weaponry including DOOM, electric rackets, mosquito coils and insecticide injected nets. We are definitely flimsy and feaniky compared to them hardy nomadic peoples and so hats off to them!.

6th May 2022

The month of Ramadhan ended on Sunday 1st May and we prayed the Eid prayer on 2nd May in the expansive grounds of MOW Sports Club. 

Beautiful view of Mt Kenya from 22000ft (photo by ALK)

Several days later and I now have to travel back to Suam to inspect the ongoing steel fabrication works. Honestly, the Chinese Contractor is incompetent and doing a terrible job....and no amount of rejections or threats seem to deter his actions nor his attitude. I am at the edge of my wits with him ... but the choice is stark ... I either continue or just give up and throw in the towel. It is obvious that he is protected at high level by a well connected Kenyan....so I have to just accept the situation as is...

But I won't let this deter my enjoyment of my work, my career and my life - so I shove those negatives thoughts aside. I thank God for the blessings and i thank Him again for assisting me keep my faith.

And like countless other times, today morning I am blessed and I get the Bolt cab in record time of 6 minutes without having to even call the driver or giving directions.

A slow and comfortable ride later and I am in JKIA - which today is crowded by many Bohra faithful in their unique Islamic attire - men and women alike. They remind me of my former boss, Sh Salmann who has passed on since 2019. His holiness must be in Mombasa- and so they are all converging there.

The weather is pleasantly sunny. And the flight even more pleasant with hardly any hitches nor turbulence.

Landing Easterly on UG plateau with rolling mist over lush green farmland (photo by ALK)

We arrive in Eldoret on time and head straight to Towfiq Hotel. Its yet another Somali-owned joint with good food. But after several enquires we gather that they are not yet ready for the day. The only available food for breakfast are tea and mandazi- which I am doubtful were fried today and thus not worth trying.

So we head to another nearby Somali-owned joint named Jamia Café. Here we have never failed nor been let down. We've also always had good service - and we settle for this tried joint.

Upon enquiry, the familiar lady waitresses confirm that yes indeed they have fresh liver and chapati.

We tuck in the good food and head straight to Suam.

Its been raining intermittently in this region and this has transformed the once dry and rather brownish and bare landscape into a lush green farmland. I am happy to see this. The maize seedlings have sprouted and are now nearly one foot high - they still need the rain though. We pray it rains sufficiently for a bumper harvest and this means the mostly poor farmers will make enough money to send children to school and feed their folk too - insha ALLAH.

 

29 September 2022

Fajr prayers are earlier nowadays. My Internet browser informs sunrise in Nairobi at 620am, at least 25 minutes earlier than the time some 6 months ago. This means fajr prayers are earlier too.

No worries. This is fine by me. I wake up early anyway.

But today am headed back to Wajir. The project is the new Hudheifa Masjid. The works are commencing and I am headed for the first meeting.

It's a welcome break from life in Nairobi.

I walk towards Wilson Airport from Green One Estate. The walk is part of my daily regime to achieve at least 10km a day. And this I usually manage when I am in Nairobi but becomes a challenge when I travel out of town because of the work that needs to be done and secondly one gets tied down to the schedule of the host of where I am headed.

When I get close to Bilal Estate, I have already done some 3km. I wave down an approaching boda boda. We haggle and quickly agree on the hundred shilling price. It is a standard price, but haggling is also a standard practice, so why not!

The boda boda drops me at the gate of the airport. Today we are in luck as the Southern gate is open early so we needn't go towards the further gate near Langata Rd.

I pay up the boda boda guy and walk in towards the airline offices.

At the counters most staff know me, so I really do not need to identify myself. With a pleasant smile they hand me my boarding pass without the usual fuss other passengers are subjected to....such as producing an id, weighing luggage, verifying names against bookings and other frivolous and sometimes not very relevant procedures. But hey they must work and must appear to be relevant, no not relevant but rather in charge with authority to even deny you your right to fly....so please toe the line and do as you are told!!!

The usual procedure after being awarded the boarding pass is to wait in the lounge and later be taken  to the departure lounge which is some 500m away. I always avoid the short bus ride and prefer to take a rather longish walk to the departure lounge as part of my walking regime.

Back to the crowded departure lounge at Wilson Airport. And today is no exception. Its busier than normal. Waiting passengers are standing all the way in the corridor right up to the KRA & Immigration offices. Some are elderly and I pity them. Thankfully an announcement is made for two flights to Mandera. The lounge empties and those standing passengers can now take seats - as do I.

After a short wait, our flight is announced. I deliberately choose to board last. I am hoping to sit in the rear seats and listen to blogs on my Bose headphones. But as I enter the Dash 8_300 plane I notice that the front seats are empty apart from a lady seated in one of the 'boardroom' seats (usually these seats are sought after) so I take the seat opposite the lady and prepare for the flight. 

As we get airborne, I exchange pleasantries with the lady and soon get into conversing like old friends. Jane Waithera, as she is called is actually going to Wajir for some work and its her first time there - so she is a little anxious, naturally (I can see it in her body language). I reassure her that it is a good place and even guide her to the available hotels. We talk about everything and the one and half hour flight becomes rather pleasantly short.

After landing at Wajir, I guide her to the transport to a decent hotel. Abdi Noor is there with his van, soliciting customers for his hotel - he is a pleasant chap with a good disposition and happy-go-lucky attitude which catches on the moment you say hi. He accepts the client with good grace and promises to take good care of her. I know she is in good respectable hands. I depart for the Hudheifa Mosque where work beckons.

I go through the rigours of inspecting the works and discussing various technical matters with the Mosque committee and the Clerk of Works.

I haven't had breakfast and my last meal was the previous night at around 7pm - so I am low on energy but I manage.

Soon it is time to pray my lunch time prayer which we dutifully do with my colleagues. Now the hunger is biting  but I maintain a strong face. After all, Sheikh Nuh had offered me breakfast before I got the site....so the hunger is really self inflicted.

No worries - immediately after prayers we head for lunch to town centre and settle for the tried and tested Titanic Hotel. After a vetting process with Joshua the waiter I settle for the mixed plate. Sheikh Nuh leaves me to run an errand and I wait for my lunch plate, which comes in not much time.

Titanic Hotel

And it is a massive meal. I protest to Joshua about the excess quantity, but he urges me to climb the mountain! It is a mixture of various starches including rice, pasta, mukimo sprinkled with an array of greens and destitute quantiles of meat (surely! we are in livestock area - how can they be so mean!!)

My Meal - Federation Dish

I dig into the mixed plate which has the excess of starches (which are cheaper anyway) and a piece of chicken and a small quantity of not very well-prepared mutton curry.

No point in complaining - there are billions in the world who are starving!

But still it is not for free - so If I was to grade the meal it would be 40%..... a poor show in comparison to previous meals at the same location. Probably my choice was wrong. No worries the important thing is my hunger is sorted and I had no after-effects of bad food!

After the meal I down it with a sumptuous milkshake aptly named "Mombasa Raha". Its a combination of Blueberry Juice topped with Ice Cream.

I am set. No more meals for me till evening.

Back to the site and later to the airport for the return journey to the madhouse --- yes, yes this is what I term Nairobi - a madhouse where everyone is in a hurry!!