JUBA & THE NILE

 I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up that I was not happy 

Ernest Hemingway

THE DIVINE NILE AT JUBA

South Sudan (SSD) is the youngest independent Country in Africa. Years of domination by the largely Arabic speaking North part of this largest of countries in Africa has left the South steeped in desolate ignorance and deliberate neglect - making it one of the least developed nations in the world with one of the highest levels of illiteracy anywhere.

Politics aside, this largely untouched land mass is one of the most endowed countries in Africa with huge deposits of oil, natural gas and other minerals. SSD is larger than Kenya and Uganda combined with large swathes of forest, savannah and the Sud - the famous swamp into which the Nile disappears and reappears several hundred kilometers later....an ecological miracle in itself!

Both South Sudan and the North Sudan (referred to as The Sudan) are dominated by the one miraculous feature - THE NILE; more precisely The Divine Nile. Without the Nile there is no Sudan nor South Sudan nor Egypt. The Nile is the lifeline of these nations and as many times immortalised by poets - the gift of God to Egypt and the Sudans.

Therefore it is no surprise that their capitals and largest cities are on the Nile. And the lives of these nations revolve around this greatest of the rivers on Earth.

Back to my travels, and why I am here and my experiences.

I travel to South Sudan to meet a dear client of mine who also happens to be a senior government personality. He is too busy to meet in Nairobi and so decides that I should travel and meet him in Juba and also meet his wife.

We take off from Terminal 2 of JKIA - the Terminal reserved for 'lesser' airlines which travel to Mogadisho, Galkayo, Kismayo, Hargeisa, Juba, Goma .... I think you get the gist! All these are somewhat conflict zones either now or in the recent not too distant past.

Premier Airline is not a well-known carrier, but the plane is good enough - a Fokker 70. A rattling jet which takes off and lands just well enough to deliver us in one piece to our destination.

I didn't pay for the ticket but I can see the figure clearly written out - USD 350 for a return fare. I feel it is abit steep for a 2-hour flight.

We take off well and in two hours begin the descent into Juba ...

The same desolate dry landscape that dominates large swathes of Africa is repeated here.

We have been descending for over 10 minutes and there yet isn't any sign of buildings.

Then a sprinkle of tin roofed houses (more like huts actually!) and few dirt tracks announcing presence of human activity  ...

Shortly a murram road comes to sight - with two cars speeding along and leaving a trail of tell-tale dust.

More buildings, and now larger ones.

Then the town comes into view. It is the Capital and thus qualifies to be a city. That is Juba.

As we descend onto the runway, suddenly a large meandering river with a flat body of water ... the Mighty Nile. A forested island comes into view ... this is indeed a Mighty River Nile --- it is already a very large river even before it meets the Mightier Blue Nile at Khartoum ... 

I see larger and taller buildings clumped together. That must be the city centre.

We land safely and soon are on the tarmac headed towards a container converted into a building. 

The larger posters on the Container announce that this was a donation from WHO during the COVID pandemic 

This is now the Port Health section.

The lady is gauging every passenger.  We have to fill in the health declaration form. She asks me for my COVID certificate. I don't have it on me but its available if I have access to Internet. She haggles. I smile on somehow not worried about any consequences. She lets me through. That's the trick. Let matters take their course after you have done your best.

I join the queue for the immigration process. The diplomatic counter is free, the lady there beckons me. I go to her counter. Nice smile she has. She flips through the pages of my passport and asks where is the exit stamp from Nairobi.  I reply it must be there...I saw the officer stamping my passport. She finds it. Then she asks me how long I intend to stay and I promptly reply 'Just one day madam'. 'Are you sure?' she asks and I reply without hesitation 'Yes indeed madam' She stamps and let's me though.

I don't have much luggage so I sail through customs.

Now to wait for Noel. He wasn't there as expected.

After a long 15 minutes I approach a lady standing next to me. She is elderly. She looks Kenyan. I ask her whether she is Kenyan. She replies yes. Would you have a local line? Yes. Could you please help me to make a call to my host. Yes indeed and she goes ahead and calls Noel...who is profusely sorry for not being there. It so happens that Ann the helpful lady is married to an engineer who is a peer to Khalid Alkizim. Small world it is.

Her car comes she departs. I thank her again as I wait for Noel whom I have never met ... it could be anyone of the many men hovering around. 

He arrives after another ten minutes. Apologizes profusely and hugs me. And goes ahead to give his excuses - a colleague has lost a mother and hence the delay...its OK; I have already been waiting outside in the blistering heat for over half an hour and all his remonstrations will not change the delay that I have endured in the hot sun ... I think the temperature is well over 35 degrees Celcius

We exchange some fake pleasantries. And drive to the hotel. Crown Hotel.

Looks OK ish from outside. Big advantage, its very close to the airport which is visible from my room.

I am checked in. Room no..415. 

Has a view to the airport and a huge Chinese company complex next door. A small China in Juba. A Chinese man in a Mao Zedong suit is walking with his hands clasped behind his back. He is strolling .. .ever wondered why so few Chinese are obese --- herein lies the reason; they walk alot.

Room 415 - Crown Hotel

 I communicate with my host to whom I have to present a design. He says he is busy till later and I should make myself comfortable. This I do cos I am nursing a flu with sore throat.

 At around 4pm, he summons me to his room on 6th floor. I go promptly and present the design to him and his wife. They are indeed very pleased with the last design option...so I need to move forward.

I start coughing so this presently ends the meeting.

I retire to my room to nurse my flu and sore throat. I am hungry and my host hasn't been very open with what arrangements I have in the hotel. But I cannot stay hungry so I go to the ground floor restaurant which is to rear of the Hotel Complex with a small outdoor garden that surrounds a small pool.

The interiors of the restaurant are nicely done with blue chairs and matching tablecloths. The dropped ceilings have spotlights fixed into the gypsum panels. The recesses giving the overall ceiling design a nice playful character of depths. I take a seat towards the centre of the restaurant and this is where the negatives start. Several waiters and waitresses pass by ... without attending to me, even though they were obviously not engaged with any other client. I keep my calm and sit patiently. After a rather long 15 minutes, a waitress comes and rather curtly asks whether I have ordered anything. I reply to the negative and request to be shown the menu. 

10 long minutes later the menu is placed on my table without any excitement ... 'take it or just leave mate!" - that is the message .... 

The prices are higher than the highest I have ever paid for anywhere in the world including Singapore (which was particularly expensive) - but the hunger wins the day and I order a chicken wrap and fries ... with ginger tea (dawa) ...

I am too hungry to raise any issue. Besides I am not in Kenya.

As I wait for my food to be brought my thoughts absorb the whole atmosphere. Soon my thought train is interrupted by very loud haughty conversations from a group of non-African peoples walking into the restaurant. They are haughty in their conversations and worse so in their demeanour. The whole picture now becomes clearer when the group of very loud, Arabic looking people walk in and indeed they are speaking Arabic and they are talking like they own the place .... its not long before I realise that yes indeed, they own the place. 

They are Lebanese! No wonder!! I am not surprised because I've met them in Sierra Leone, Congo Brazaville, Burkina Faso and Ghana as well.

They are rather free with the waitresses who are obviously very happy with their attentions, some going as far as groping one or two of them ... this explains everything!

In my past travels to West Africa and Central Africa I have met alot of Lebanese - and their behaviour is not what we in Kenya are used to.

I ignore them and devour my food which is rather bare and the portions tiny - it is definitely overpriced and poorly prepared. In Kenya when one orders similar dishes; you would inevitable get greens added on to balance the diet and at no extra cost whatsoever. Indeed, I would be biased since I am Kenyan - but honestly there is a significant difference between our peoples and the SSD citizens or their courtiers, the Lebanese.

After signing off the bill onto my room number, I retire to my room. The sore throat and flu are taking a toll on me now. I start doing gargles with hot water which thankfully is in plenty in the room. One of the few positives so far!!

I try sleeping but it is a disturbed sleep and I wake up every so often -- and I take this opportunity to gargle with the hot water which is now a God send.

I don't remember what time I drifted off. It must have been around 1am but I did get a few hours of rather shallow sleep.

When I wake up it is around 530am. Time for fajr prayers. I pray and watch abit of TV. At 7am I descend to the now infamous restaurant. I dont have a choice.

The Lebanese are there but different ones. The same entitlement attitude prevails the restaurant. The SSD waitresses are there hovering around them solicitously like moths around a paraffin lamp - oblivious of the eventual devouring by the fire! 

All I can think in my head is "Let sleeping dogs lie"!

Breakfast is a mundane affair of some toasted bread and salad. I devour it. I dont have a choice. The SSD waitresses are too busy to notice me ... they are taking care of their benefactors and largely ignore me ... I am beyond caring. It is my last meal here anyway.

After breakfast, I go back to my room on 4th floor and wait for Noel with whom we have agreed that he would take me around Juba - a ride to see the city. I am excited.

Around 9am, Noel arrives and informs me he is at the reception. I meet up with him. He has to sort out the bill since I have to check out as my flight is today at 2pm.

The discourtesy that I experienced from the restaurant staff is repeated here at the reception. The Ethiopian Lady who served me when I enquired about breakfast is now even harsher towards Noel. 

Noel is not to be outdone. He reverts to speaking Arabic and instead deals with an SSD lady and they talk in quick fire Arabic and after few calls and signatures by Noel -the bill is sorted.

I make a mental note that if I have the choice I shall not sleep here again. I wonder what other hotels are like ...? A thought for another day I suppose.

We drive off. 

Noel takes me to the CBD. A few new buildings dot the urbanscape. Most of the buildings are rather old and in a rather sorry state of disrepair. He shows me a bank that belongs my hosts. Then drives off to what resembles a mixture of industrial area and residentials. Mud huts dot the area with godowns. 

The poverty is evident ... its a shame that a country so well endowed with so much natural resources, not to mention the greatest river in the world; is wallowing in poverty in this modern world!

Shame on the past colonial masters from the North and worse still any or all warmongers who peddle war in this beautiful country. SSD deserves peace; the people have suffered enough,

The road is tarmac but without any markings nor kerbs or edges. 

There is no pavement for pedestrians to walk without getting their feet dusty or muddy.

SSD has a long way to go yet... but they have the resources - what they lack is peace.

Presently, we reach a new RC (reinforced concrete) bridge over the Nile. Noel proudly presents this as an achievement of independence. A Chinese-built edifice totally devoid of any aesthetic value. It was built for free; so what did they expect surely! 

I prepare to take some photos; Noel quickly forbids me. It is not allowed!

Both ends of the bridge are manned by a mini army garrison - complete with heavy machine guns. 

A stark reminder that SSD is still at war; a civil war between two of the major tribes; the Dinka and the Nuer and their various affiliated tribes.

Noel proudly announces that the value of land on this side of the Nile has more than tripled in less than a year. New Petrol Stations have sprouted at almost every junction. These are almost entirely owned by Somali businessmen from Somalia and some from Kenya and Uganda.

We cross over the new Chinese bridge and arrive in the new neighbourhood of Eastern Bank of the Nile.

There are some new buildings and some old ones. These are small single and double storey buildings which have not followed any planning regulations; which are probably non-existent or not adhered to at all. The result is a slum type of development ... welcome to Africa.

We drive through the mess of buildings along a narrow tarmac road and a few kilometers to the North we arrive at the ancient and only bridge across the Nile built by the British in the 50s. This is a wobbly single lane bridge, narrow with rusted steel frames - no wonder the east of Juba never really prospered. And shame on the North for relegating their Southern brothers and sisters to abject slavery. Am happy for SSD for fighting and getting their independence. Well done!

We cross back into Juba proper ... and Noel takes me to the Airport an hour earlier for me to prepare my journey back.

Ideally my blog would end here. Nay, I still have some tribulations to share with you my dear reader...

One would think that when you are leaving a foreign country and returning home; there really would or should be no problem. Sorry I was in for a shock.

Noel shows me the entrance into the departure lounge and I walk towards the gate. This is a covered walkway with a crowd of people at the entrance - literally blocking the entrance. As I reach this, two official looking men approach me and ask me whether I am travelling and to which I reply affirmative. They promptly reply that I am too early and order me to stand aside. I obey. Then one of the men approaches me and says he can allow me in and that he will 'help' me. To this I politely reply that I am OK and that i shall wait and enter when time is right. 

5 minutes later the same tall official looking man allows me to enter the departure lounge. This is a hot stuffy crowded hall resembling a market anywhere in Africa .. except that this one is roofed and thus worse due to the heat and the crowding.

My Airline counter had not yet opened and so I just stand there nearby. 

Then without any announcement or any guidance; a queue forms at the Airline counter and I join.

The same tall man now approaches me and orders me to show him my passport. I show him. And he promptly informs me that the passport has a problem. I am not just surprised but also taken aback. I take back my passport and keep to my position in the queue. The same tall man now tells me he will show me the problem and asks the younger man in front of me in the queue to show him his passport. But the young man is not to be pushed around and questions the tall man why he needs his passport and after few exchanges sticks to his position and refuses to show him his passport. The tall man walks away with a cynical smile.

Now this young man had been following my tribulations and asks me how long I have been in Juba and I inform him that it is hardly 24 hours ... and this is when he informs me that this is the immigration officials' common trick to extort money from unaware travelers. 

He informs me that anyone who stays more than 3 days has to have his visa 'regularized' officially. Anyone who stays shorter than this does not require this regularization.

Phew -- this was God answering my prayers to protect me.

But it did not end here ... unaware that I still had a hurdle ahead. 

After obtaining my boarding pass I headed straight to the Immigration counter. 

Unbeknown to me; the tall man had already informed the immigration officer of my situation. So the officer, an elderly man takes his time to go through my passport page by page. Then announces that my passport has a problem. I ask him what?

He promptly announces that my visa has not been regularised. To this I retort that I have hardly been in Juba for 24 hours. He wasn't expecting me to know this and grins and says ohhh! yes you are right you don't need this. You are OK. But as he hands over my passport; yet another even taller immigration officer comes rushing and announces that sir your passport is not OK. 

What ? It seems the originally tall man had done his homework and literally informed even the immigration boss of my passport. 

He confidently tells me my passport is NOT OK. To which I inform him also that I have been in Juba for just 24 hours ... he is taken aback. He ponders what i have said and a painful minute later he is also defeated and reluctantly allows me through.

These 4 hours that I spent in the departure lounge at Juba Airport were probably the worst hours I have spent in any airport. So much to say about good neighborliness or being members of East Africa Community where hurdle free travel is one of the key benefits for all East Africans (SSD being one of the newest members of EAC) ... all this is just theoretical. 

I am reminded of my travels to Sierra Leone, Chad or Niger where the attitudes of peoples are so different from us in Kenya where we are so welcoming and polite and kind to visitors. SSD is unfortunately in the same leagues as those countries but in order to forge forward we human beings must practice love, compassion and uphold dignity to all our fellow human beings even if they come from the most distant lands - for this Earth belongs to all of us and the Almighty God is God of all of us.

I proceed to the final lounge and join the young man who had given me that vital tip. I thanked him profusely ... and an hour later we were airborne towards home.

A few days later I informed a close associate of my host of my tribulations at Juba Airport and he categorically informed me that this was how they extort money from unwary travelers but he also expressed disappointment with Noel ... it was Noel's duty to take me through the immigration processes ... well all's well that ends well!

My dear reader -- if you go to SSD or Sierra Leone or Chad or Niger or Nigeria or DRC or anywhere in the world -- please do your homework; talk to people who have travelled there because you could inadvertently break some laws and this would land you into trouble... I am a prayerful person and I am sure it was my silent prayers which I said as I waited the 4 hours that saved me!