Kenya 6 in Text

26/2/09
In Nyeri for the night having visited a slum at Nyeri which grew up around the Baptist Church. Spent today on the long route to Nyeri on 40kms of dirt as Bernard wanted to show me his vision of the valley where he was born. The most interesting part of the trip was calling in on his mother and sister who still reside in the house he grew up in. His 74 year old mother welcomed us and was concerned I did not take tea (Kenyans drink more tea than the British). Mango was also laid out which was delicious. An indigenous mango which had not been cross bred. Her house is a small house of two rooms with cooking facilities outside. The daughter had a room in a separate house where she lived with her two kids. She also had a kitchen. Bernards father was buried 10 metres away – a Gikuyu tradition since Christianity came to Kenya (prior to that bodies were placed outside before death and left for the hyenas). There was a chook cage with four chooks, a cow and plenty of fruit trees. Bernard was one of twelve – the eldest died in the Mau Mau rebellion when his mother was imprisoned for feeding the rebels. I got the Kenyan view on history today and Bernard’s view is that without the uprising in 1952 independence would not have come ten years later. There are ten other siblings. An older brother David also died. The rest are alive and support her and s.

The slum visit was fairly confronting. As poor as the people in Ruarka are this was far worse as pictures will convey (see separate photo blog). People literally living on top of one another. The tin structures around Ruarka look palaial compared to this slum. The Nyeri Church provides support to orphans but has not yet developed an organised HIV program although it is clearly required from what I saw frm the people we visited.

Booked into the Banana Leaf Motel. Service was atrocious, no hot water (should I have expected any) and clearly potential for a lot of work t be done in staff training. Staf were pleasant and it was not their fault. They need someone to organise the system. Dinner with Peter (Nyeri Pastor) and his wife and sone Jospeh. Tilapia not as good as that on Sunday.

Drive back to Nairobi nexy morning I dozed off and on not having slept well the previous night. Scenery ranged from stunning to signs of lots of erosion due to hills being deforested for cash crops and charcoal. Bernard stopped and bought a bag of manges which must have held 25 or so for $1.60.

Afternoon at office finalising proposal for AAF. Lots of people in and out for counselling and lots of volunteers around. The CFAP and OVC volunteers do their paperwork on Fridays. Esther showed me how they keep records on clients. Very impressive record keeping depite no computers.

Bernard’s daughter Shirley home for long weekend from school. Dinner that night had eight including Shirley and two others Juliette and Demaris another neice from Nyeri who wants to study in Australia. Bernard spent time checking courses on internet but fees a re prohibitive for study when the well paid Kenyans earn only $A500 monthly and course fees for international students are $A10000+.

Dinner was very pleasant and it was sad to leave this home. We left next morning at 5.30 for the airport. Hardly a car on the road but many people walking to work. Bernad explained that for a day labourer who may earn 200Kes a bus in was 30Kes and home 50Kes so people walked a lot.
The flight home was interesting. Sat next to a Malian optometrist who spoke French and next to him a Kenyan banker going to Joburg for business. Very interesting discussion about politics in Kenya. His wife is a lawyer doing work on human rights in Kenya.