Wow - AFRICA, Kenya. It is great to be back after too long an absence!! After total flying time from Sydney, Australia of 22+ hours it was a RELIEF to arrive in Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyata airport. I found a SIM card immediately and must say this is the one thing i notice since my last visit to Kenya and Nairobi - everyone has a mobile phone! M-PESA the amazing financial telecoms technology issued through Safaricom has transformed the lives of many urban and rural Kenyans - domestic remittances now total USD $4.5 million/month. Rural farmers are some of the biggest beneficiaries of this technology.
My first reaction taxi’ing and walking the streets of Nairobi is traffic has actually improved - the Matatus (public passenger buses) are all licensed now. Shockingly they continue to blast Celine Dion music but must drive the speed limits of the city and not carry more than 14 passengers…and they are actually complying!!! Walking the streets I found myself in the usual routine of being approached by a number of con artists, glue sniffing children and stray animals. On my first day a dozen taxi drivers laughed at me when I was swarmed by 8 kids hanging off my arms for half a block. The hotel I stayed in is nice but I do hope the water will eventually stop coming out brown! The hotel was $25/night, so one expects at least 2 stars and clear water??
I met my Kenyan Rafiki (friend) David after 5 years away; he runs a small NGO called the Juhudi Children’ club; they receive money to decorate children’s hospitals around Nairobi with murals art. I didn’t know there was so much artistry to completing a colourful, intricate mural. He and I shared a few Tuskers, the national beer of Kenya. He is doing well and is now a father of three beautiful children. He has invited me to stay with his family, which I happily accepted. We talked about one of the key differences between Westerners and Africans; I am now 29, not married and do not have children. Women are having kids here at 18 and many males are fathers by 22. David is 35 and has three children, he told me that probably wasn’t normal by Kenyan tradition.
Kenyans refer to the Jan/Feb. 2008 post-election tribal violence only as the “Crisis” and sadly poverty has increased since when I was here in 2002. This week the Prime Minister Raila Odinga is in the UK to promote foreign investment and to salute the Kenyan diaspora for their assistance during the Crisis. Despite the sadness over the last few months, the perpetual Kenyan smile, sense of community and ample time provided to strangers is overwhelming…the West still has so much to learn here.
I have spoken with a dozen different tribal affiliations around Kenya in my first 4 days and one thing is clear: the almost unanimous dislike for Kikuyus. Land and title being the central issue. It is difficult for a Muzungu to have a discussion with Kenyans about tribal affiliations. Suffice it to say resentment has been suppressed, but sensitivities remain and it would only take one incident for Kenya to again spiral out of control. I pray the new coalition government starts to reconcile the differences between the dominant tribe and all the rest. I believe the future of Kenya is intricately linked to the ability to find tribal compromise; leading hopefully to peaceful coexistence.
On the coast in Mombassa two issues impact tourism and thus the inordinate number of young Kenyans wondering the beaches aimlessly. One is the Tsunami affected beaches, the gorgeous white Sand on the Indian Ocean Coast was sucked out during the Tsunami in 2004 and has left rock-exposed beaches! Second is the crisis which has scared off many tourists. Coastal Kenyans are going without meals for three days; unable to feed families and some resorting to petty crime. I like to haggle with matatu drivers and street vendors to receive a fair price but find myself adding to the total price as I might be the only tourist they see for the day!
When it gets dark it is very difficult for a male travelling solo to enjoy a quiet drink with some live music. The rate of prostitution has jumped since the last time I was in Kenya, in 2002. Some publications estimate 85% of prostitutes have HIV. Tragically, the majority of these women are so very young.
