WEBUYE: THE JOURNEY TO A WEDDING

 

Sunrise over the Aberdares (from 19000ft above sea level) Photo by ALK

 I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is. — Forrest Gump

Wedding bells are ringing. Someone has found his soulmate. Lucky man! and yes, lucky lady! We are happy for her and him. And we pray for them!!!

Hassan* (not his real name) - lovingly referred to as 'the Happy One'; has found his soulmate and his wedding was solemnised in the idyllic western town of Webuye on 14th January 2023. Thats where she comes from ...

The same day as Hasun's birthday.

The pleasant and lucky girl, a half Arab, half Muslim Asian girl named Leila* (not her real name). Daughter of one Mr Hussein*. He is a businessman and more precisely an astute transporter. A very friendly, gracious and hospitable man --- with a good acumen for business; running a wholesale business in Webuye and supplying household goods to this heavily populated hinterland.

But before we dive into the safari; here is a brief description and familiarisation of Webuye and its context ...

        Webuye Town is in Western Kenya in Bungoma County.

        The town is at the crossroads of two major national highways, namely the main Uganda Road that connects Kenya to Uganda at Malaba and the main Kitale to Kakamega and Kisumu Highway. By this virtue, Webuye is an important transportation hub. But Webuye is also in the heart of the sugarcane growing area of Kenya and has very rich and fertile soils on which grows virtually everything and anything one plants. The town and its surroundings are thus much sought after agricultural land.

        However, the most famous attribute of Webuye has been the very large paper mill factory, Pan African Paper Mills. This has been the main employer of people from far and wide. But the same factory has also been infamous for the pollution of its environs. Indeed during my younger days, whenever we passed Webuye town one would get the smell of the effluent long before one reached the factory itself. It was an acrid smell akin to sewerage mixed with some strong acidic substances. During those days one could see that all the metal roofs of the humble homesteads around factory had rusted severly. For some time now the factory has closed down and the smells are gone. But the eyesore oxidation and effluent ponds are right next to highway and the effect of the past pollution is evident.

        I wonder how the area residents survived then, with this serious environmental degradation ....

        Webuye also has the old narrow gauge railway line passing through the town. It is in a state of disrepair but some railway related structures are still in place.

        On the higher ground and more affluent parts of the town (Milimani) -- are the government houses, old Hindu and Sikh temples (to serve past railway workers from India) and some of the colonial governments senior staff houses which have since been occupied by the provincial administration.

        The main hospital is also located on the old highway and has been expanded several times over since independence.

So here is the story of our journey to the wedding in Webuye ... a beautiful small town in the heart of Western Kenya.

In order to save costs, I 'clubbed' this visit with work at Suam and Kitale. The advantage; free transport and allowance whilst killing two birds with one stone.

This was indeed a fruitful and restful visit to a most lovely part of Kenya - memories of which will stay with me forever ... and so I want to share these memories and adventures with you. Here goes! 

Enjoy!!!

WORK IN SUAM & KITALE

My work meetings were slated for Thursday 12th January. I flew direct into Kitale Airstrip using Safarilink Airline, the only direct flight to Kitale these days.

At Wilson Airport I am pleasantly surprised to meet up with Eng Osvaldo, our team leader and the resident engineer. He is returning to work after the holidays of Xmas and New Year. He is in the company of his pleasant wife.

Once I have my boarding pass, I join Osvaldo and Maureen at one of the many round tables .... 

The Safarilink Lounge is a busy large hall with a cafe in one corner - spewing out a strong aroma of coffee; as if deliberately urging the travelers --- "hey come taste our coffee!' There is a general ambiance of a restaurant here ... nearly everyone is having some form breakfast or another. And indeed, we fall for the trap and order the coffee ---  we chat away as we sip the rather overpriced cappuccino waiting for our flight to be called. Eng John and Osvaldo escort their coffees with crossouints (fancy name for a cucumber-shaped scone!). I avoid these because I know a hearty breakfast awaits me at Endebess...😇

Our flight is about to be called. Those who ordered the cucumber shaped scones have to gobble up the remaining parts (but I was the wiser one - my coffee is cool now and I can swallow it in one gulp). The flight call happens promptly at 645am and we board and head towards Kitale.

It's a bright day but with high level cumulus clouds at around an altitude of 15000ft. Once we are out of the cloud level at the cruising altitude of 19000ft; a glorious sunrise manifests into a golden hue against a backdrop of the Aberdare Range of Mountains - a photoshoot opportunity I grab with zeal ....

And after an uneventful and safe flight, we arrive in Kitale at 815am ... right on time! This is not always the case though. On a number of occasions, we have had to delay landing at the airstrip due to heavy mist and fog making it difficult to land any aircraft. On one occasion, we had to circle several times over the airstrip looking for an opportunity to land, only for the mist to thicken, eventually instead we made a landing at Eldoret Airport and waited to get word from Kitale on the clearing of the runway. 

We are promptly picked by Ochi my driver. Eng John and I are driven to Endebes. 

Here in Kitale the bright day has unleashed all the musical genius of the birds of Western Kenya. The Common Doves are cooing away.  A Black Hawk Eagle perched upon one of the tall Blue Gum Trees sounds a mating call - a screechy call that travels miles and miles away. This is replied by a similar but very distant answer -- he can hear it; humans will only hear it if we are keen. Yellow Bellied Bul Buls swoop from hedge to hedge - these bee-eaters are hunting for the early bees searching for nectar in the Honey Suckle Hedges. As we enter the outskirts of the town, a pair of Large Silvery Cheeked Hornbills fly past making their honking noise. In terms of Orthinology, we haven't been too lucky today - for the ever-present Crested Cranes have made no appearance .... they are probably feeding on an already planted field of maize - so no need to waste breath on songs to benefit humans.

We pass through the CBD of Kitale and head to Endebes where we arrive at 930am. And served breakfast. Boiled eggs and slices of bread with a margarine spread. This is much appreciated because the Safarilink coffee on a dry stomach has made my tummy grumble. 

From there we have to proceed on to Suam to inspect the works at the One Stop Border Post.

This is routine exercise which we carry out dutifully and later return to Endebes at the site office.

And in the true spirit of African Hospitality, we are served lunch of Hot Ugali, Sukuma Wiki (Kale) and Meat Curry (African Style) --- which we promptly do justice to and demolish. Indeed, Stacy and Laureen are good cooks, and they have to be, for their 'clientele' vary from very senior engineers and architects to international visitors from Italy, Abidjan and Tunis .... there is no room to fail in this very important duty!

Our site office is a pleasant working environment with everyone knowing everyone else in spite of the large number of staff. There is a good fraternal feeling amongst all the diverse members who vary from casual workers, sociologists, environmentalists, engineers (senior & junior), surveyors, drivers and administrative staff. They all hail from different corners of Kenya, such as far away Kwale, Turkana, Migori, Mombasa (yours truly!) and many local ones from Uasin Gishu, Trans Nzoia and Bungoma.

We soon depart to go back to Kitale to inspect works at the market site.

This too is routine. The contractor is not only slow but disorganised and there is little Engineer John or I can do about this. We are not in any authority position to take any action. We are but small pawns in a much larger game of road projects where who you know counts much more than how good you are _ or whether you work at all or not. This is the story of Kenya - even the mediocre can be your boss at any and all levels. 🙆

Painful truth but the plain truth indeed!

Work done by 330pm

We are joined by Pauline and her team of Harun, Joy and Carren. They are also in Kitale to do some sociological and environmental work.

We agree to link up at the Grand Tenacity Hotel for a cup of tea. The hotel has a grand name but experience over a few past visits has revealed not very pleasant stays at this joint. The cup of tea and drinks promptly turn into long drawn conversations on a variety of topics interspersed with jokes, taunts and miscellaneous. I abstain from indulging in any drinks (I am a practicing Muslim and thus no indulging of any kind for me). Besides, the earlier breakfast and lunch we had are enough calories for the next 24 hours. And yes, I practice intermittent fasting. So in order not to look out of place, I nurse a bottle of mineral water!

6pm finds me fatigued - it's been a long day of walking, talking and sitting in a car. I excuse myself and retire to my room.

Webuye and a wedding beckons and await! So I must sleep early even though its just a 50km drive on very good roads.

Somehow whenever I sleep in a different bed I sleep very uneasy. I have come to accept this as the norm so I will not dwell on this shortchange of sleep. Occupational hazard!

At 630am I link up with Engineer John and we take a walk to seek out a cup of tea and something to calm the hunger pangs (mostly my hunger pangs). By choice, I didn't have any dinner last night so I can feel some emptiness starting a small rumble.

We get to a small humble kiosk where the only available items on the menu are tea and mandazi and the tea is brewed with fresh unpasteurized milk (straight from the cow) with sugar pre-added. The brewing is done in a plastic jug which is normally used for cold water. And the brewing/heating is done with a simple coil heater used for boiling water (the one with an exposed coiled element!!! -- yes that one!). 

It is indeed a humble place ...  I sip the tea. The pre-added sugar is just too much. And there is a distinct unfamiliar taste of rather over-boiled milk with a tint of plastic taste.  So, I leave the drink more than three quarters unfinished and munch the one mandazi. This will do. As we do justice to the humble meal; patrons walk in and out. Most of them elderly bachelors who seem to be 'at home' here. They come in quietly, sit and are served without uttering a word - a sign of familiarity. They dutifully have their breakfasts and without much said, pay up and leave. This goes on while we chitchat and while away time.

I soon have to drop Engineer John to the Airstrip for his journey back to Nairobi as I head towards Webuye - which is along the same road as the Airstrip.

Crested Crane perched on the Old Hangar Building at Kitale Airstrip. Photo by ALK

As we approach the Airstrip; the birds are at it again. This time I hear the distinct 'caw' of the Crested Crane whom we missed yesterday. He is perched upon the tinned watch tower above the old Hangar Building at the Airstrip. The male of this normally very shy bird 'caws' during mating season and also as a sign to announce its territory. And like many bird species; the Crested Crane is reputed to mate for life.

Sunrise over Kitale. Viewed from the Airstrip

JOURNEY SOUTH TO WEBUYE

With work finished and having dopped off Eng John for his flight to Nairobi, we head to Webuye. Time to tie knots .... !💕

The landscape is a lush green. The smell of fresh grass and fresh produce is in the clear clean air. As we hit the highway, another pair of Crested Cranes hoot as they fly gracefully past the highway. Their melodic sounds are refreshing and soothing. Combined with the smell of nature - it is all one glorious nature-filled-bliss. 🌱

In the distant, Mt Elgon is not as shy as he/she was yesterday. The plateau that forms the peak is bathed in the orange yellowish morning sunshine. The lower reaches have traces of mist - just like a skirt around the waist of young school drama dancers. We pass several large farms. Women and children are busy tending to the newly ploughed fields. Many of the women have babies strapped to their backs. The children who are able to walk are armed with hoes longer than their heights and almost as heavy as their weights - they do the work without much complaint - it is a chore that they must carry out -- and they do so with smiles and joy. They have done this for eons and happily so! This is Africa, the blessed continent - my homeland!

As we drive Southwards, we pass lush green farms of Sugarcane and Maize plantations. This is the granary of Kenya. There are also myriads of small scale horticultural farms producing all sorts of subsistence crops including beans, cabbages, sukuma wiki (kale) etc.

The meandering road has the usual boda bodas weaving past vehicles with total disregard to traffic laws or their own safety ... some are carrying a single pillion passenger, but the majority are carrying 3 or more passengers or weights far exceeding the weight of the motorcycle and its rider. And unfortunately, they pay a heavy price for this ....

The many sugarcane farms also produce the cane which is transported by trailers tugged by all ages of tractors - some of which are so ancient, one wonders what makes them go .. but go they do and deliver the cane to a number of sugar factories that dot Western Kenya.

We inevitably find at least one broken down tractor whose trailer has lost a wheel or punctured its own tyre or just simply broken down - more often than not on the uphill part of the highway .... the tractor drivers are experts at solving these issues and so we pass and leave them to their problems. The driver though has to stay close to the vehicle because abandoning it means leaving the cane exposed to theft by passersbys.

We pass the small roadside towns of Kiminini and Kimilili --- these are busy market centres where all sorts of agricultural produces are traded. Here the smells of landscape are replaced by a mixture of smells of fried fish being sold along the roadside and fresh vegetables that are on sale along the entire length of the towns that straddle the highways. Arterial markets. The speed humps slow down all vehicles by default - as if to force you to become part of the street life. And why not! As we slow down, the sounds of the economic activities dominate the scene. Most of the conversations are in the local dialect of the Bukusu people. These are a noble people who stick to tradition and yet embrace development as it touches them. They have a beautiful land, and they are hardworking ... and why not, they deserve it.

In an hour we reach Webuye. Our rendezvous is the Park Villa Hotel. Thats where the wedding party have booked to stay the night.

The bridegroom and his boyhood friends are not too far off along the highway. They are travelling by road. 

And by the time I book my room; the men's party arrives complete with Abdo (my brother-in-law). We now have a respectable group which we can proudly present ourselves as the Boys Side - this is an important aspect of any (not just Muslim) wedding! Both the girl's and boy's side must show respectable attendance for such an important and solemn occasion. 

So I am comfortable now. We have a sizeable wedding entourage with respectable elders such as Hassan's brother, Abdo and a good representation of young Turks such as Hasun, Imran, Walid, Hamada Cheki and Ali P (who are going to come by road tomorrow). So, the absence of women from our side is no longer an issue. We are well & adequately represented.

The wedding is tomorrow so we have the whole day to catch up with one another.

PARK VILLA HOTEL & FRIDAY PRAYERS

Park Villa Hotel

I check into my room. Room no. 6. I am to share this with Abdo. Its a comfortable room with two clean beds and a self-contained bathroom which has hot water in the showers - a necessity here because the weather does occasionally become chilly. There are circular mosquito nets -I mustn't forget that malaria is endemic here! A double set of blankets is provided - but currently it is the warm season so I may not use these at all.

Room no. 6

I drop my well-travelled and trusted black 'Wenger' backpack onto the bed and join the men's wedding party at the swimming pool terrace. This is the advance party comprising of Hassan, his brother, Abdo and a few close friends from Nairobi. The remainder will join the whole affair tomorrow, the day of the actual Nikkah.

We have to go for Friday Prayers and thereafter back to Park Villa for a relaxed afternoon - as we plot for the events of tomorrow. 

Friday prayers at the Jamia Mosque are a mundane affair .... most of the towns Muslims attend this mosque and today they have an extra population from Nairobi (yours truly and the men's wedding party). The imam delivers a sermon in Kiswahili touching on the importance of remunerating the madrassah teachers well as they mould the younger generation into better Muslims. He is emotional about it and dwells on historic injustices committed by the local populace in ignoring this very important obligation towards the maalims. Before the actual prayer a small fund raising is carried out ... 

After the jumaa prayer, we head back to Park Villa to rest off the afternoon. Several of us take a dip in the pool - which is a relief from the afternoon equatorial heat.

The Park Villa Pool

And as evening draws, we settle down to tea at the pool terrace. The men plot for dinner. My last meal (if we can call it that) was that single mandazi in the humble tea kiosk in Kitale - so I approve of the idea without hesitation. 

The menu shows a variety of local delicacies. Most of us choose the mashed potatoes with managu - a traditional green vegetable which is a nutritious local delicacy (usually prepared with milk). 

The pricing is way too higher than foods in Nairobi - but hunger wins the day and we order!! Mental note - there must be cheaper eateries here in Webuye?!

An hour and half later the food arrives. Yes, it took that long .... 😑 I maintain my calm. We are in rural Kenya - things here move at their own relaxed pace including cooking and serving. There is no hurry. Hurry to go where??

I noticed that the only service which is fast and efficient is when one orders for any form of alcohol --- this will come at lightning speed ... don't ask me why! I don't partake and I am strongly against any form of alcohol consumption.

As we munch away, the evening fades into nightfall. 

The hustle and bustle sounds from Uganda Highway rent the air. The highway is hardly 50m away, and it is an artery of activity. Trucks of all sizes crisscross one another; whilst several have parked along the roadsides. An impromptu market has sprung up - which was not here during the day. Two tall lightmasts spray orange sodium light onto the surroundings. 

Just like moths who have discovered a light in the darkness of a jungle; hawkers of all ages emerge, selling anything and everything and are busy weaving in, about and around the parked trucks selling all variety of wares. Boiled Maize, Roasted Maize, Njugu Mawe (boiled peanuts in husks), fried fish, sugar cane cut into small cubes, mitumba clothes, charging cables and cheap mobile phones, torches and wireless speakers, shoes and sandals, socks ... name it and it shall be brought to you -- at a bargain - so says the small boy (who should actually be doing homework or preparing to sleep for school the following day!!).

Travellers are also in the mix. They are seeking a ride to nearby and far-off destinations at a bargain price (in case, sir -- you have space in your lorry cabin?). 

The whole chaos reminds me of an atom and a molecule -- electrons, protons, neutrons and other atomic particles moving randomly around a nucleus at varying speeds - seemingly with no purpose -- but the final result? ---LIFE! 

Yes -- Life itself!!!

I could stand and look at this pandemonium forever .... but this is not my calling! I have come for a wedding, lest I forget.

A QUIET EVENING ... BUT A CHURCH VIGIL

So, I retire to my room. Digestion has taken place, and I shall sleep well. Insha ALLAH. I have carried my Nook and I settle into my bed. I am reading the biography of Ho Chih Minh - the liberator of Vietnam. His life is a dichotomy. The story of a selfless liberator condemned by the West but equally and fervently loved by most Indochinese, Vietnamese and Chinese alike. It is a long biography; I shan't finish it today - but the reading will certainly help me sleep - on an unfamiliar bed.

As I drift off to a sweet slumber; and before I hit cloud 2 (let alone cloud 9) a single loud twang of a guitar startles me. What the heck?!!! I am awake again. 10 seconds later another twang. Followed closely by another. Then the sound of a cheap electric organ .... panning out totally un-corelated tunes and tones. But the lack of cogent music is not my worry .... I am thinking; will I really sleep with this din?

A few minutes later; a choir singing. Oh no! - It is a Church vigil. Have I mentioned before we are believing country?  .... They are having one of those overnight prayer nights. I have to live with this. I make a mental note.... unless I cannot help it, no more boarding at Park Villa. But tonight, I have to bear with it and try and get some sleep. Sleep eventually comes. But it is troubled and not restful. The music, choir, preaching and praying has been an all-night affair ... The vigil ends around 4am. Somewhere between 10pm last night and 4am in the morning - I have managed to snatch portions of sleep. I must invest in a pair of good ear plugs - in readiness for the next vigil!

THE MORNING WALK

I wake up for prayers at 5am. This is a routine I try never miss - it is certainly the most important part of my day, not just today but every day.

After prayers I decide to catch up on my steps. As a habit, I try to achieve at least 10k steps every day ... and this I manage on most days. Keeps me healthy and nimble enough for a budding geriatric. I walk uphill along the Kitale Road for nearly 2km. And back another 2km, By the time I reach the hotel entrance I have clocked 7k steps. I decide to visit the highway, 50m away... just to get a feel of the total change in character from what it was yester evening ... All the pandemonium is gone. It is now an innocent highway just like any other around the world. No hawkers, no street stalls; just some early workers heading to work. The only sign that this was a bustling artery of activity last night and every other night - is the rubbish, garbage and the few remnants of parked trucks along the roadside. A turnboy is making rounds checking his truck .... the trucks windows are fogged, a sign that the cabin was a bedroom -- and it is designed so to accommodate the drivers for their long-distance travels. Did I use the word dichotomy earlier in this article?? Well, here is another dichotomy!

Time to head back to Park Villa and catch up with the rest of the wedding party. Breakfast is served, comprising of tea, cereals, boiled arrow roots, toasted bread and eggs as per choice. I decidedly take a light meal knowing all too well that the lunch which comes after the nikkah will be a sumptuous affair.

Hassan the bridegroom is busy on the phone. Making sure that all arrangements are in place. There are still loose ends to be tied; the Imam who will solemnise the nikkah, Imran and group that is on the way, arrangements for travel and boarding after the nikkah etc.

A few of the girl's side wedding party have also arrived and slept at Park Villa. They are now loading into their cars and heading out and soon one of them comes and informs us that the bride's father has invited all of us for breakfast at their home. Ahem! The prospect of a second breakfast ... an Arabic one at that! My taste buds take over my reasoning. I think I live to eat!

And before we make our next move; Hassan confirms this invitation for breakfast ... Mr Hussein is indeed a generous soul! 

BREAKFAST AT THE BRIDES HOME

We make the short trip to the wedding house --- and are welcomed to a massive buffet breakfast - all served traditionally on the floor in true Islamic style.

The foods include vitumbua, mandazi, boiled meat, meat soup, a mixture of beans and lentil curry, chapatis, juices, tea and coffee. All laid out in the centre of the traditional sisal woven mat. 

Young boys and girls quickly weave in and out of the kitchen bringing in replenishing plates and bowls of the delicacies and drinks as we all take our positions around the edges of the woven sisal mat. 

One invitation was sufficient for me --- I wasn't going to seek confirmation of this invitation, I am here at the arena and hungry and the aroma of the various delicacies are enough invitation - so I dig in. I have the sunnah on my side (the Prophets teachings and practices) - when you are invited and food is served, partake in it -- this is indeed a blessing and an act of charity.

Introductions, small talk, big talk all combine to help the 2nd breakfast down its journey into our tummies. Years of experience have taught me to maintain silence as I fill up. Those who listen more gain manyfold more than those who talk! Another important saying goes that 'He who speaks during meals misses the bites' I am not going to get caught out on this front ... No. 

An hour of brunch and conversing ... both inside and out in the parking yard --- we plot for the next move in the parking yard where smokers have now lit up - like all smokers do around the world; nothing goes down better than a cigarette after a meal. The parking yard is abuzz with several young ladies and girls preparing the luncheon ingredients for after the nikkah. They are all seated cross-legged on a sisal mat. Some are cutting up onions, others are peeling away garlic husks and the slightly older ones are doing the easier work of peeling potatoes and cutting up tomatoes. The elderly and some married women are sorting out the rice on large aluminium trays.... I believe this hierarchy of chore-difficulty-sharing is practiced the world over....the younger boys and girls are always given the more difficult tasks as the older generations do the easier tasks. There is a general aura of happiness and the chattering of irrelevant and relevant matters is unending. This is not just a Webuye trait - this is the norm for human beings.

As we plan for the day ahead, I am constantly in touch with Imran and Walid, they are driving towards Webuye via the Nairobi Highway. They opted not to sleep a night out and rather catch up with us by lunchtime.... in time for the nikkah.

Imran and team are still on the road. We receive info that they have been nabbed for over-speeding at Burnt Forest. Some frantic calls back and forth and we are informed that they are back on the road -- woe unto them; they've just missed a royal breakfast.

THE NIKKAH

Time moves fast. The nikkah is scheduled after lunch time prayer. This is at 1.15pm. We head to the mosque. A group of Pakistani preachers have settled at the mosque. These roving preachers (mostly part of the Tabligh Jamaat) abandon their daily lives and go off to far off countries to preach and spread Islam. But this our group in Webuye is a funny one. Before the prayer they are busy engaged in various raucous conversations amongst themselves (not advisable within the precincts of a mosque at prayer time) - with several of them mixing and sharing a mixture of tobacco and betel nut (a common practice in the Indian sub-continent) ... again not allowed to be done inside a mosque! Strictly speaking this form of mild addiction is prohibited ... I am not sure they are aware of this. Surely, they should be because they are on a path of imparting knowledge unto the world and sundry! Enough of critique of unaware and probably innocent preachers! The fact that they abandoned their home comforts to come so far is probably enough atonement for their past, present and future misdeeds.

The prayer is called and after the prayer a wait begins. The Imam who is to carry out the ceremony has not arrived. Several calls to him yield no results. But finally, and almost an hour later he bounds in as though he has done nothing wrong. No apologies offered. No apologies expected. He proceeds and carries out the ceremony - which is ritual & brief (as all Islamic nikkah are).

After the nikkah, everyone heads to the bride's home for lunch ... this being the final ceremony. The lunch is nowhere as sumptuous or sophisticated as the breakfast. Probably because of the significantly larger number of invitees. But all the same it is a good lunch of pilau and greens downed with a soft drink (which i avoid by choice).

JOURNEY BACK

The plan for most of the men's party is to return to Nairobi on this very day. This includes me. I have a scheduled flight from Eldoret (a distance of 100km from Webuye). Imran and group, Abdo and group and Hassan and his bride all head to Nairobi by their various means. I savour the memories by recording them onto my mobile note app as Ochi drives me to catch my flight from Eldoret.

I make a mental note that I have to return to Webuye soon (wedding or no wedding) ...  it is indeed a beautiful part of Kenya!