Travel Ban in Kenya

The Canadian High Commission and the United States Embassy have both issued travel bans in Kenya at this time.  There is strong evidence of an imminent Al-Shabab offensive and/or bombings in the Mombassa area and throughout the region.
This is the first time since we have landed in Kenya some seven months ago that such a stringent warning has been forwarded to us.
In addition the warning includes possible kid napping and car jackings by such undesirables.
Alex and I will be heading back to Winnipeg on or around the end of August. 
Due to the above warnings and in addition to pre election tribal tensions we are pulling out.  Lori will stay on for about one or perhaps two months, living in the relative safety of the I.U. Compound, and then follow us home.

Sign off.

Jim Siddall

Latest Headlines

Below are some "Headlines" from one of the newspapers in Kenya.  It gives a feel of what it is like to live here and what frustrations one could imagine on the way things are.

Leading up to the elections the MP's in Parliment changed the constitution a couple of days ago and upon outrage from the general population have back tracked a bit;
"MP's reinstate clauses on varsity degrees" (University degree to hold office) The government MP's felt it was ok to hold just a grade eight standard, but I guess the people felt different.  It would be like a grade eight in Canada running for MP... and I do not even want to mention the low quality of education hear, except to say a grade four in Canada is like a grade 8 here.  There are currently about 80 MPs who do not have a University education so this is very threatening for them.  The constitution states that all MPs are to have a University eduction by the fourth round of Presidential elections.  Needles to say the MPs play with the constitution to feed themselves and push things to an unbelievable limit.  MP's are awarded a salary of about $300,000 US with a bonus for when they leave.  In addition they have the right to run side business while in office and are privy to many contracts etcetera...meanwhile the average Kenyan makes about $1.00 per day!

"Prayer most important weapon for KDF in Somalia battle."

'Idle' villagers impregnate 15 schoolgirls.

"Women won't have direct nomination in next election."

"Man found with stolen cow in bedroom denied bail"

"Man charged with attempted rape on neighbors' daughter freed."  (because he could afford the bribe!)

"Man killed, another injured by Hippo."  (It's called payback)

"Bandits injure herder, steal over 100 goats."

 "Police officer's body found hanging."  (stop the graft set ups and you might have lived!)  Sooner or later people just get pissed off...

"Tribal clashes in Kisumu region leave 105 dead and many injured.

"Israel says clock ticking after Iran talks fail."  (Refering to Irans continuing nuclear arms development program)

"A man was burried today with a live cow on top of him."  (Due to a tribal debt owed where a dowery had not been fully paid.)

Thats it for now, love most of you and try to be kind to one another!

Eldoret and Other Thoughts

The town of Eldoret, where we have lived for the past six months in Kenya, is best described as a non event.  The population is purported at around 30,000 with a sprawl that eventually thins into villages and hamlets.  These outer areas are harsh for the people who live, but one could say it is like stepping back in time in some of the more remote areas. 
Eldoret proper has a couple of new buildings being constructed, one to have underground parking.  My observations are that this soon to be six story structure, quite high by Eldoret standards, will most likely collapse in about six to ten years. A common occurrence as building codes are not observed and inspectors are regularly bribed.
The town of Eldoret is congested with its hackers, beggars, sellers, cons and prostitutes.  Garbage and refuse is everywhere with open sewers with the stench of raw sewage.  One Indian Restaurant we frequent sells my favorite cigars in the back of the house.  Upon query I was lead by a waiter to a room down a hallway, past a large group of locals playing poker, then down another narrow hallway to a private area.  Here I met the owner and some of his associates.  He was pleased to hear I was from Canada and sold me some cigars.  I was happy to be able to feed my vice.  He queried if there was anything else I might desire pointing to two beautiful young Indian girls for sale.  I declined as my wife was at home waiting for me.  He suggested something perhaps a bit younger and led me to another side room that was locked.  Inside were two more very young black girls about twelve, maybe fourteen.  I said perhaps some other time and headed for the door.  Sadly enough seventy percent of African girls will have lost themselves by the age of eleven.  I hazard the guess that this in most cases is not a willing endeavor!  It may also be noted that approximately seventy percent of men beat their wives.
Today, as I strolled down town to purchase some goods at the "Tusky" store, where the whites and the affluent blacks shop, I was flagged by a very fat, ugly white woman.  Her hair was dirty blond with some stuck to her face and forehead as she chomped on a sandwich.  She had tight shorts on that no one of that weight should ever wear.  Her attire ranked with the old European men that wear speeds on the beaches.  It should be against the law.  She asked if I was a local and stated that I was in from Canada for about one year.  She said she was here from the southern states to spread the word of Jesus.  She had been hear about one week with some other trumpeters.  She proceeded to descend into the all to familiar drawl of a born again, stating how badly this place needed God.  I turned to her and said that perhaps she should put her sandwich down and start working, adding that "Hands that help are better than lips that pray." A "hefty" come back, but a quick out for me!
The Minister of Internal Security, that I mentioned meeting in a previous blog, died in a helicopter crash two days ago. He was running for President.

This is common as most can not afford health care.

 

 

June 10, 2012

Sea Uchin on the shore

Millipedes having a little fun

Beach at Kilifi

Kilifi

Fourth largest Baobob tree in Kenya

Hello all.  Jim has been doing all the blogging lately so I thought that I would give it a go today.  Life is carrying on here.  Some days living in a developing country is really difficult.  I keep telling Jim that it will make us better people and that it is a learning experience.  That it is.  Every day I learn patience.  Every day I learn how mean and cruel and corrupt people can be.  Every day I learn how compassionate and loving other people can be.  I am happy that I am here after 20 years of wanting to do this (work in a developing country) because now I have it out of my system.  I think that I will always stay connected in some way or another (helping kids and young adults go to school) but I know that for my family, this is not the place to be for a long period of time.  One year will be enough.  I am truly grateful to be Canadian.  I will say that again.  I am truly grateful to be Canadian. 

MultiNational Corporations and The Failed State

 Alex and I had a great time in Egypt as earlier mentioned.  I think these are good experiences for the boy and hope that he may come back in fifteen years or so and be able to reflect somewhat on the continent of Africa.
As suspected riots broke out in Egypt after we left.  In addition, Hosni Mubarak the past dictator was sentenced to life in prison.  This caused more unrest leading up to the run off elections scheduled for mid June.  There have been many countries in Africa over the past couple of years that have had ousting of dictators so the entire region is what one may call volatile.  Even now, the traumatic experiences of colonialism and occupation, the memory of the humiliation of the Crusades has to a greater extent shaped Islam by conquerors and colonialism.  My view is that every time the United States and other "Christian" countries come in a bomb the shit out of the wrong country (Iraq for example) again, just strengthens the Islamic resolve and dissolves any real hopes of peace.  These acts destabilize not just the African continent but affect us too...
So I have been fortunate to travel to Egypt, all over Kenya and perhaps Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda before coming back to Canada.
I forgot to mention that I met the Internal Security Minister, George Saitoti at a wedding here in Eldoret a few weeks ago.  A job I would rather not have!  He had an entourage of security personal which I talked with at some length during the "three hour" wedding.  My ass got so numb on those God forsaken pews that I wandered the grounds as many of us would do...the young men were great, hardened and hopeful for a better future in Kenya.  The wedding was ok too.  I really enjoy talking with the people from high or low for insights on the way of living.

The Successful Failed State...

After the Colonizers left Africa in the 1960's the white man no longer had dominance over the people.  The hope was that African people would secure their own future after five hundred years of rape.  Unfortunately, the government structures left behind were designed to export wealth out of the continent at as quickly a rate as possible.  It was not designed to govern the people in a fair and reasonable manner.  So what has happened is that the black African elite now rape their own countries with the dominance of neocolonialism multinational corporations paying them off.  The renter State is the most common one you will find in Africa.  The elite rent the countries wealth out to multinational corporations. like Shell, Exxon, BP amongst others, to finance their military, keeping them in power.  This structure also allows the elite ruling class to afford all the niceties of North American and European standards without working for it!
The successful failed states that have oil are by far most corrupt, the most ruthless and the most greedy.  Ignoring human rights and blatantly supporting the oppression of their populations.  Companies like Shell have been notorious in paying "signing bonuses" of huge amounts of cash to secure drilling, production and export rights to hydrocarbon resources with no regard for environment.
So in this manner or arrangement the successful failed state maintains its legitimacy and control of the population.  It is successful in that the government remains intact and does govern for the elites own accumulation. No need for guilt.  It is just the way it is!
In the end we get our gas and oil for really cheap in North America and other developed countries.  The former system of colonization has just morphed to something different where control has shifted from the former colonizing Nations to corporations.  The end result is the same and in that we have our heads so far up our fucking asses in the developed countries we take no action as citizens in relation to this horrible humanitarian and environmental disasters.
In the end the successful failed state runs out of oil and explodes into civil unrest.  This is what one may call a collapsed state.  It is generally screwed from day one and has no recourse but to hope for handouts from the rest of the world securing its dependent state status.
If you give even one shit, let alone two shits about the situation do some research on Shell and other multinational corporation who have raped Africa for the past fifty plus years!
One would hope after seeing the eyes of children starving on the streets, as I have, it may prod you into at least writing a letter to your MP.  More likely not.
That is my comment as I wile a way my meloncoly mood here in the darkness and beauty  of a full moon in Eldoret.
Good bye for now.  Love most of you.  Try to be kind to one another.
We are born, we live and experience life, we die and after one generation, for almost all of us, we are forgotten...so live while you are here!

Thought for the day....Spirituality is for those who have been to Hell, Religion is for those who do not want to go to Hell....