BBC report on the election tomorrow:-

This week's presidential election re-run in Kenya has implications not only for the country but also for much of the continent, says the BBC's new Africa editor, Fergal Keane.

The last days have passed in a swirl of chanting crowds, arguments in the courts, and meetings between powerful politicians and election commissioners. The tension ahead of the polls crackles like static on the streets of Nairobi.

At the Githurai junction on the city's outskirts, several thousand people gathered to cheer President Uhuru Kenyatta.  Passing cars were surrounded and plastered with party stickers. Briefly enmity flared. A man leaned out of a passing coach and drew his finger across his throat, shouting abuse at the President's supporters. They surged forward but bus and man were quickly gone.

The days tremble with rumours. The election may happen. Or it may not. The Independent Election Boundaries Commission has warned it can't guarantee a credible poll in the prevailing circumstances.

Old friends I have spoken with express alarm at the rise in ethnic antagonism. International diplomats seem in a quandary - fearful of election day violence while acknowledging that the fresh poll was ordered by the country's highest court.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Image captionA billboard urges Kenyans to support President Uhuru Kenyatta in the forthcoming election

When I first reported from Africa, back in the Cold War days of the 1980s, there were only very occasional elections, usually resulting in the return of the incumbent with 90% or more of the vote.

So when Kenya had its first democratic election in 1992, it was easy to be carried along by enthusiasm for the new age. After all, President Daniel arap Moi had been in power for 14 years, during which time there had been a long spree of looting of state assets, worth billions, by an entrenched elite connected to the ruling party.

Political enemies were locked up and worse. But Moi was elected - twice. He knew how to manipulate tribal rivalries to his advantage - and his party machine had very deep pockets. Still there was now at least the possibility of democratic change.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Image captionPresident Daniel arap Moi, pictured in 1992

Across Africa it seemed as if a new order of accountability was coming. The great kleptocrat Mobutu Sese Seko had been swept from power in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The apartheid state in South Africa was transformed into a multi-racial democracy.

I had met Mobutu and Moi and the leaders of the apartheid regime in South Africa and witnessed the brutality and bribery through which power was maintained in much of the continent. I had also listened to diplomats, among them representatives of Her Majesty's government, tell me that President Moi at least guaranteed stability in Kenya. He kept the tribes from tearing each other asunder.

The French would have told you the same thing about any of the despots they supported in Francophone Africa. It was an attitude of mind rooted in deeply patronising attitudes towards Africans, and it ignored the role of foreign interests in creating much of the mess

But Africans were hungry for change. The Cold War had ended and with it the sorry history of support for despotic regimes by both the West and the Soviet bloc. Some of the new leaders came to power through war, but in those heady days of the late 1990s all the talk was of democratising.

The most remarkable movement in the continent's post-colonial history was not led by warlords or tribal chiefs but by a generation of Africans who believed their destiny would be shaped by their own actions. From Accra to Johannesburg to Nairobi, and thousands of points in-between, civil society began to mobilise.

I watched the Kenyan campaigner John Githongo forensically detail the corruption of the ruling elite and publish his results. In the remote Congolese village of Kachanga I met a women's association treating victims of mass rape and gathering evidence against the perpetrators.

The idealistic and energetic also mobilised around issues like the environment, economy, health and free media. The pace and dynamics of change were dictated by the internal realities of each state. But an overarching theme became apparent - the one-party state was becoming the exception.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Image captionNairobi, August 2017: Voters queuing for the polling booths

The essential change was psychological. Young Africans saw themselves becoming agents of change much as their forebears had done in the years around, and just after, the end of colonialism. Two decades ago I could not have imagined the recent peaceful elections in Liberia, a state written off as irredeemably "failed".

But in a large swathe of the continent - central, eastern and much of southern Africa - I underestimated how efficiently the elites would take control of the machinery of modern democracy.

In different places they used different tactics - some buying up media outlets to promote their cause, others bribing enemies so that they became friends or manipulating ethnic antagonism into a weapon to be used on the campaign trail, and still more changing the law to extend presidential terms or silence outspoken opponents.

Some members of the new governments merely continued the corrupt practices of the old, siphoning off millions as the moribund economies of one-party states made the transition to a free market.

In South Africa it gave rise to a new class - the so called "tenderpreneurs" - whose connections to the powerful guaranteed lucrative government contracts.

Across much of this region - from the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Uganda, Rwanda, Eritrea and others - authoritarianism is on the rise. Elections are postponed, independent media are silenced, presidential term limits are expanded and opposition figures locked up.

Image copyrightEPA

Image captionKenyan Chief Justice David Maraga

It is in this regional context that Kenya's Chief Justice, David Maraga, emerges for many - if not for President Kenyatta's supporters - as a man of great courage.

The Supreme Court's decision to annul the elections because of irregularities in the electoral process, told the world that this Kenyan court would not accept a second-class democracy. Across Africa there was a sense of pride in this singular decision. Maraga was seen as speaking for the many who still stand for and demand accountable rulers and an independent civil service.

Since the Supreme Court decision tension has steadily risen. Elections are set for Thursday, but the opposition leader Raila Odinga refuses to take part.

It is possible to simultaneously take heart from the courage of the chief justice and the changed Africa he represents, and to be deeply worried about the escalating tension gripping the country in the wake of the court's decision.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Image captionKenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga is refusing to take part in the election

For Kenyans know that political violence often goes unpunished, particularly when the instigators are powerful people. So, often, does brazen corruption. The long struggle is not between political elites at the polling booth. It is a fight waged by a still resourceful civil society, independent judges and honest political campaigners to demand accountability.

The conduct of these elections and what happens in their aftermath matters hugely to Kenyans, millions of other Africans and the broader international community. An unstable Kenya has serious implications for the fight against terrorism in Somalia and, potentially, for the aid operations in South Sudan.

A peaceful resolution to this democratic crisis would be an example to the continent. Mr Githongo told me that "democracy is entering a dark tunnel but there might just be light at the other side".

The struggle to protect the gains made by honest men and women across this region is entering a critical phase.

Two days until the Kenyan election re-run .....

I've been reading the news from Kenya with a feeling of fore-boding .... and today, I received an email from a good friend, a Luo, who lives in Nairobi.

He says:-

"Truth be said, I don't feel safe in my country any more. The tribal divisions have never been this bad. 

The IEBC chairman himself confessed that holding elections in such a tense environment is not wise. He also laid bare some very serious challenges the commission is facing at the moment. The truth is, the government is in charge of IEBC. 

Policemen have been deployed in big numbers in Nyanza and Western. The court cases challenging the event slated on 26th are so many. I mean, we are in a total mess as a country. But we are looking to God to salvage the situation."

Let's hope that God is willing ....  


(IEBC =  Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission)

Only in Africa, (5)

Today, working in the HATW office, I was booking flights for volunteers going to Rwanda.  This prompted a discussion on 'worst flights' !!

One story was about a flight 30 years ago from a small airport in Zambia, where a group of about 25 medics were going on a half hour flight to another part of the country; the plane had been over-booked, but that didn't deter the crew .... or the medics.   They crowded onto the plane, and were seated two to a seat, with a few sitting on the floor in the aisle !   On their return flight, several of the medics managed to hitch a lift on a small plane back to Lusaka .... only for it to abort take off, as a tyre burst on the runway.   It took two days for a new tyre to be sent by road from Lusaka ..... 

Then there was the flight somewhere in west Africa, which was a bit bumpy, and the sick bag might have been needed .... but the passenger discovered the bag had already been used, and put back.   The stewardess was asked for another bag .... she checked the bag, and commented "But its not full .... you can still use it !"

My favourite from this office chat was that somewhere in central Africa, it often happened that a plane about to land had to skim the runway before going round again ... in order to scare the elephants off the runway !

Only in Africa ...........

Sadly, so very true.

"When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. 

They said 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes and prayed. 

When we opened them again we had the Bible and they had the land."

Desmond Tutu

Raila Odinga has pulled out of this months election ..............

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga has pulled out of October's election re-run.     (From BBC Africa news site)

Mr Odinga said his withdrawal would give the electoral commission enough time to introduce reforms that will help deliver a more credible election. The Supreme Court annulled the result of the original 8 August poll, which saw Uhuru Kenyatta declared winner, after finding irregularities. But Mr Kenyatta says he is ready to proceed with the new vote as planned.

The country's electoral commission said Mr Kenyatta had won the August vote by a margin of 1.4 million votes - or 54% of the total, compared to Mr Odinga's 44%. Kenya's vice-president, William Ruto, has now called on the commission to declare Mr Kenyatta president as a result of Mr Odinga's announcement.

The election re-run was due to take place on 26 October, but Mr Odinga said on Tuesday: "We have come to the conclusion that there is no intention on the part of the IEBC [electoral commission] to undertake any changes to its operations and personnel. All indications are that the election scheduled for 26 October will be worse than the previous one." As a result, he said, "considering the interests of the people of Kenya, the region and the world at large" it was best that he withdrew from the race.

Mr Odinga's coalition party believes the election will have to be cancelled as a result of his withdrawal, allowing "adequate time to undertake the reforms necessary to conduct an election that is in strict conformity with the constitution, the relevant laws and the constitution".

But Mr Kenyatta, speaking at a rally in the southern town of Voi, said: "We have no problem going back to elections. We are sure we will get more votes than the last time."

He added: "We are also telling him it is the people's right to choose their leader. It is their sovereign right to choose their leader of choice."

# # # #

Uncharted territory By Dickens Olewe, BBC News

The withdrawal could be a strategy for Raila Odinga to exit the political scene on his own terms. The annulment of President Uhuru Kenyatta's victory in the 8 August election was a much-needed political high for Mr Odinga.

He felt vindicated for challenging the election and pushed for changes to the electoral system as a condition for his participation in the re-run. The electoral commission has rejected the changes he demanded, largely because of contractual agreements with the companies providing key services for the election.

With President Kenyatta's party having won a majority of MPs in both houses of parliament, it is likely that Mr Odinga was headed for another defeat and that would be too much for a man, who has been nicknamed 'the enigma'

The legal consequences of Mr Odinga's withdrawal are unclear. Constitutional lawyers disagree on the way forward and whether the 26 October election can still take place and if, despite his withdrawal, Mr Odinga will still be on the ballot.

Although many Kenyans are jaded by the never-ending political drama, they will now have to belt-up for a drive further into unchartered territory.

Mr Odinga's opposition coalition - the National Super Alliance (NASA) - has previously made clear its participation in the election was contingent on reforms being made. But Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) says it has made the necessary changes.

Prominent opposition senator James Orengo has called on people to protest on Wednesday, using the slogan "no reform, no elections".

Some animals ....

As a change from politics, I thought I'd show readers some of the animals (and a man !) I have identified and counted for the 'Zooniverse' site I mentioned some time ago.   (These are from an un-named site somewhere in northern Kenya; possibly in the Samburu area).



Firstly, a secretary bird, or part of, and a guinea fowl

Two 'screen shots' of the delicate small antelope, the dik-dik.   Not much bigger than, say, a Siamese cat.

A reticulated giraffe with an oxpecker about to land !

The very delicate legs of a gerenuk .

A Samburu man with his goats walking past and being 'snapped' by the camera trap

Warthog 

(The spacing has for some reason, gone haywire, but I hope the screen shots are interesting).

The Bible has taken centre stage in the battle for the Kenyan presidency.

A BBC news report from Kenyan reporter, Joseph Warungu:-

If opposition leader Raila Odinga contests and wins the presidential election re-run on 26 October, a large chunk of the Kenyan population will be about to enter the biblical land of Canaan.

This is because Mr Odinga has succeeded in boiling down the entire manifesto of his umbrella group of opposition parties into a single memorable phrase - "tunaenda Kanani" - Swahili for "we're going to Canaan", the land that flows with milk and honey.

Presidential elections in Kenya have become a complex affair.  In the past it was enough to shout yourself hoarse on campaign platforms, lock up or silence your critics, change the constitution at will, distribute a few goodies to supporters and you would wake up at State House.  Now you need a multi-million dollar budget to hire helicopters, control the media, buy out political parties, patrol the digital space viciously and consult the best traditional herbalists.

In addition, you have to know your Bible well in the search for special anointing.

And so Mr Odinga - the presidential candidate of the National Super Alliance (Nasa) - has carefully studied the Book of Joshua and cast himself in the role of the famous hero who succeeded Moses, and led the fight to liberate enemy territory and settle the Israelites in the new land.

Meanwhile, President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto, who are seeking re-election, must be suffering from sore knees, as they have moved from church to church kneeling before men of God, who lay hands on them and give them the anointing.  Mr Ruto has been at the centre of a spiritual storm as leaders of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God try to interpret what his recent donation to them of 10m Kenyan shillings ($68,000, £51,000) could mean.  Some say it was gift for the development of the church, while others argue it was a political tithe to sway them to vote for his Jubilee Party.

In a country where people's hopes for a better future have often been crushed by bad politics, endemic corruption and deep-seated tribalism, many Kenyans have always put their faith in God.   He is the only constant and unchanging force for good.  When faced with any calamity, Kenyans have been known to go on their knees to seek God's intervention in mammoth prayer meetings that are broadcast live on the media.  The politicians have woken up to the fact that they live in a nation of believers and to reach them you need to be seen to be God-fearing.

In May, newspapers published a photo of Mr Odinga praying at the historic Western Wall in Jerusalem, during a visit to Israel.  Mr Odinga explained that the Wailing Wall was more than 5,000 years old and was sacred to all three Abrahamic religions - Islam, Judaism and Christianity - and that to him it was a very strong symbol of strength and unity.

With the rival presidential candidates keeping their Bibles close to their chest, Kenyans have been on the look out for any divine sign that could help them decide which of the two is the anointed one.   Earlier this year, President Kenyatta caused an online tremor when he became a "rainmaker".

On a voter registration drive in Nyeri in central Kenya, the crowd urged the president to pray for rain in the area, which had experienced a drought.  Minutes after he reluctantly prayed, there was a heavy downpour, prompting animated reactions on social media. One contributor said: "Our president is not only a leader but a prophet!"

To counter Mr Odinga's metaphorical journey to Canaan, supporters of President Kenyatta, who is left-handed, have also delved into the Bible for inspiration and likened their candidate to King David.   The Jubilee Party faithful have gone to the Book of Judges, which refers to 700 left-handed soldiers from the tribe of Benjamin being excellent in the use of the sling as a tool of war.  David too was an expert with the catapult and some therefore argue he must have been left-handed. And so images of President Kenyatta writing with his left hand have done the rounds on WhatsApp to confirm his leadership credentials.

The Bible was at the centre of a political storm again when angry bees attacked police and protesters outside the Supreme Court on 20 September, as judges gave their full ruling for annulling the August election, saying that it was marred by irregularities.  In response to the incident, opposition supporters quickly began to share a verse from the Book of Exodus that says: "And I will send the bees ahead of you to drive your enemies out of your way."

With the electoral commission announcing a new date for the presidential poll, social media platforms, are again awash with biblical messages and prayers for the two main candidates.  A number of prayers shared on WhatsApp from both sides of the political divide are Bible-based but with violent overtones. The intention is to stir up ethnic hatred and use the Bible as a legitimate weapon of war.

President Kenyatta entered the race with a prayer from the Book of Nehemiah that he shared in a live radio interview: "Remember me with favour, my God, for all I have done for these people."

Mr Odinga ended his Supreme Court battle with the Book of Joshua: "Our journey to Canaan is unstoppable," he said.  "On 8 August we crossed the River Jordan to reach the city of Jericho. We are marching on to the city of Jerusalem, and we shall get there."

I am not quite sure what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will make of the Kenyan invasion, but presumably Israel's intelligence agency, Mossad, has armed him with the appropriate Bible verses.

However, whether it is Joshua, in the form of Mr Odinga, or King David, in the form of Mr Kenyatta, who wins the re-run, many Kenyans will hope and pray that the candidates will heed the [ Gospel ? ] of Peter: "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil… he must seek peace and pursue it."

Amen.

Its been a while .....

... since I blogged, but I've been contemplating the forthcoming elections in Kenya, with some concern and trepidation, for one party will 'win' and the loser won't like it.   Remember the awful riots, deaths and displaced persons following the aftermath of the elections ten years ago ?   

On my visit this year in March, I noticed that some of the buildings that were burned and partially destroyed following the 2007 election, caused by inter-ethnic violence, were still standing as stark reminders of what ensued and warnings of what might yet happen.    

~   ~   ~   ~   ~ 

Yesterday, sorting through ancient computer files, looking for something else, I found this story:-

"Bright dawn broke over the Ngong Hills. The air on the hills was clear and there was a bite on the early morning breeze lazily moving through the thorn scrub and euphorbias. Far below on the arid African plains, a slight shimmer, a heat haze could be seen, promise of another hot, dry day to come. The wildebeest, zebra and gazelles were moving in the distance; vultures and eagles started to rise and soar in the already warm air, and nearby, on a rocky outcrop, was a small Maasai manyatta of low dwellings, made of branches and animals skins, and plastered with dung. Young children were driving the cattle and goats out from the surrounding thorn enclosure, for a days grazing among the wilder inhabitants down on the plain. Their shrill voices calling to one another rose on the breeze - 'Na kitok - takuenya - sere !'

Today was a special day for the morani. It was the day that Ololokwe had to go and prove his manliness, with his 'brothers' of the same age group. Long before he could become a tribal elder, he had to hunt and find a lion to kill, so that he could wear the much coveted lions mane head-dress he so admired in the other, older morani. His friends came to his hut, and together they left the compound, wearing little but beads, a red cloth and rough leather sandals, their bodies covered in the greasy red ochre, which as well as being so attractive to the girls, also kept off the biting flies. They each carried their spears, a stout stick and a knife, and very important, two dirty leather gourd, one containing water, and the other the clotted mixture of ox-blood, milk and urine which would sustain them until they returned home, successful or not, in several days time.

They quickly trotted across the hillside, tall, lithe, naked and beautiful young men, with not an ounce of fat on them, muscles rippling under their reddened skin. They could maintain the shuffling trot for hours on end. They passed through the dry grass, their feet making a soft sliding sound, as the leather of their sandals slid over the dead thorns and twigs, and the parched, brittle grass. They sang as they went, a guttural almost wordless chant, and then soon fell silent as they made their way down among the rocks, between which grew small thorny shrubs, tufts of apparently dead grasses, small flowering plants, which at this time of the year were covered in dried seed-pods, and the occasional lush looking cactus. The rocks impeded their trotting, and they had to scramble and climb down to the plain, but once away from the Ngong, they were able to resume the pace they had set up as they left the manyatta.

After a few hours, the group of young men stopped by a small muddy water hole to rest and drink, and squatted under a tall thorn tree in its dappled shade, to consider their plans. Ololokwe and his cousin Oltukai had been in this place recently, but had seen no trace of lion, though with very few gazelles and little water in the area, they were not surprised by this. They decided to strike south, towards Olorgosaillie and the dry lake bed there, just north of Maji-ya-Magadi (the bitter lake), where they knew that lions often rested among the short but dense scrub, to escape the heat of the day.

That night, they slept at the manyatta of kinsmen, cooking and sharing with them a young impala they had chased and speared on the way. True to the Maasai code of hospitality, they were offered the choice of the young girls for the night, and Oltukai gratefully accepted but Ololokwe refused, preferring to wait until he had killed his lion and could return home to impress the beautiful Serengai, who was soon to deliver his child, and whom he wanted to take as his first wife.

Next morning, they continued on their way, and entered an arid, semi-desert country - the sun glinted harshly on the mica and quartz stones, which threw the shimmering heat back into their faces. Their feet kicked up ash and dust from the recently silent volcano, Ol Donyo Lengai, far to the south of them, beyond the bitter salt lake, Magadi, and they were scratched and torn by the sharp, wild sisal plants which grew there around the ancient dry lake of Olorgosaillie. This was a sacred place to their ancestors, with the evidence in the knapped stones of earlier men all around them. Now they started to see the tracks they had hoped for - lion ! They were impeded by the denseness of the thorn scrub, but continued to track the lions for several hours, until they stopped on a slight hillock, and one of the men pointed up into the burning sky. There were dust devils twisting and fading, but higher, far above them were vultures and eagles circling in the rising heat, and now some of the birds were spiralling down and down, to a spot a few miles away, where they could just see many of them gathering around something on the ground. A lion kill perhaps ?

The young men increased their speed, and soon covered the distance, taking extra care to be vigilant because the lion they sought must surely be nearby. When they arrived at the place of the eagles, a dreadful scene of violence and carnage greeted them. A young woman was lying curled up, dead, in a slight hollow in the ground, her water gourds scattered around her. Nearby was a dead and partly eaten ox. Blood was everywhere. It was obvious she had unwittingly disturbed a group of lion at the kill, an old and diseased ox that must have strayed far from its owners, or might perhaps even have been her animal she was taking to water. Even now the eagles and vultures were tearing it to pieces as more and more of them, which the Maasai called the black sons of Shetani, dropped out of the sky to join in. A huge eagle reluctantly moved away from pecking the body of the woman as the group of Maasai gathered around.

Ololokwe was very aware that the lions would be back - perhaps a female had killed and gone to collect her young from where she had left them under some rocks, out of the heat of the day, even now guiding them back to the kills. Danger was all around - the smell of death would carry on the hot breeze; so much blood, soaking into the dust and sand, would soon attract other lions, big males, who would make short work of consuming both the dead ox and the young woman, and certainly wouldn't hesitate to attack the group of young men. Ololokwe went up to her and turned her body over - and his astonishment was vast - she had been lying on a young, naked, almost new-born baby, who was still now alive, although covered with his mothers blood. Her cloth and beaded ornaments showed him that she was newly married, and that this was her first child. He called over to Oltukai and asked him what they should do, but his brother was frightened - 'I sense there is much danger here, we should go - leave the child to the lions' - but at that instant another of the moran called a warning - 'Simba' - the lions were returning.

The young men had their spears ready - they knew the lions would pick only one of them to attack, and each was secretly determined it wouldn't be him - this was an awful situation - their vigilance had let them down, they should never have hunted lion in this dense thorn scrub, where it was impossible to see far, and the bushes impeded their movement.

Suddenly, there was a crashing through the thorns, and a fine, mature male lion came out of the bushes, straight towards Oltukai. The warriors all together threw their spears at it, and all missed, but Ololokwe had kept hold of his, hesitated for a second, and then when the lion was in the act of springing onto Oltukai and the baby, thrust his spear deep into the heart of the beast, bringing its leaping body down on top of himself and away from his friend. The lion roared a terrible roar, Ololokwe could see his huge fangs a few inches from his face, smelt his acrid breath and looked at death in the mouth of that powerful animal. He managed to twist to one side, just as the fangs bit deep into his arm - and then, as suddenly as it had happened, the lion relaxed, his damaged heart could pump no more, and he slumped into death. The other morani helped him up from under the blood covered body of the lion; Oltukai had carried a small snuff box with him, containing ground up healing herbs, and they shook the powder onto the deep wounds in Ololokwe's arm, but he was only concerned for the baby - was it safe, and what should they do with it now ?

The group squatted together, and decided that as it would be dark very soon, they had better stay where they were for the night, and light a huge fire to keep away the other lions. Three or four of the morani gathered up the remains of the ox, and dragged them off about a quarter of a mile, so that the lions might be distracted away from them. The others quickly cut and cleared an area of scrub, and made a circle of the thorny brushwood around Ololokwe's dead lion, and they all crept inside the temporary stockade, where they lit a fire, and huddled near it. They had nothing with which to wrap the baby, except the cloth its mother had been wearing, which by now was dried and stiff with her blood. They had nothing to drink, until one of the young men remembered the woman had been collecting water, and went and gathered her dropped gourds and they drank deeply after their exertions.

Then Ololokwe, who had the baby whimpering and shivering with cold at his feet, suddenly had an idea. He went up to the lion, slit its under belly right open with his knife, and pushed the baby into the still warm body cavity of the animal. He managed to trickle a little water in between the babies lips, and its condition seemed to improve with the warmth.

The morani shivered and slept on the ground, taking turns through the night to keep the fire going, hearing the grunts and rasping roars of the lions in the distance several times during the night, until dawn came at last. Ololokwe and his brothers carefully skinned and removed the lions huge tawny red mane, and they retrieved the by now very hungry but warm baby. They wrapped it in the lions mane, and Ololokwe carried him as they trotted back towards the north, towards the Ngong and home. They stopped at the same manyatta for a nights rest, and one of the women who had a young child of her own, cleaned and fed the baby while they ate with their cousins.

They were asked, what were they going to do with this child ? It seemed to them all that the baby was in some way very special, having survived its recent birth in that harsh land, protected by its mother even after she had witnessed the killing of her ox, and again in her dying at the hand of the lion. Then the babies miraculous escape from the hungry lions and pecking vultures and eagles, hidden by his mother, and his final rescue by the young man, Ololokwe.  Mungu, their god, had protected it, perhaps for some purpose, and so now it was clearly their duty to care for it. Ololokwe hoped that perhaps Serengai might adopt it and they could raise it with his child that was due so soon.

They reached their own manyatta late the next day, proudly bearing the lions mane that Ololokwe would later make into a head-dress - and to the astonishment and bewilderment of the tribal elders, bringing with them the baby ! Loitokitok, the clan chief, questioned Ololokwe about the hunt, his wounds, and how on earth they came to find a baby out there on the volcanic ash-plains of Olorgosaillie. The elders decided that Ololokwe could indeed adopt the child with Serengai, who had given birth to a daughter while he had been away, and that furthermore, for risking his own life to save the child and his friend, he was to be granted the status of a tribal elder immediately, before the rest of his age group. This was truly a great honour, and the young men were feasted and praised late into the night. They named the child after the place where it was found - Olorgosaillie, which when given to a child, meant 'child of the lion' - found as he was at a special and ancient sacred site where lions now lived. Who could foretell what he might do for their clan in the future ? Who could tell ?"

I wrote this story about 16 or 17 years ago as part of a course I was doing at the time !   Keen eyes will spot Christian symbolism in it, but as a story, I can see now it needs more work !   Maybe one day .....

Sun setting over the Ngong hills 

Only in Africa (4)

Eating with African friends in their homes, chicken was always a great delicacy - a treat to be shared with guests and not normal every day fare as it is in the UK.    I often noticed that the whole bird (minus feathers !) was cut up and put in the stew .... so sometimes when asked to help oneself, the chickens head would glare up, covered in vegetables and gravy !


So I wasn't at all surprised when I heard today that African supermarkets, selling pre-packed chicken joints, neatly polythene film wrapped and labelled, 'Thighs', 'Wings' .... should also include packs labelled 'Talkie, Walkies' ..... packs of heads and legs !!

The Mountains of Kong !!

Last Saturdays Daily Telegraph 'Review' had an interesting article about an exhibition in London of photos of dioramas and Victorian and Edwardian zoological specimens, photographed by the artist Jim Naughten.   But what caught my attention was mention of the explorer Mungo Park having seen far away mountains whilst charting the course of the River Niger.   The local people told him they were in a kingdom called Kong !   And so these 'mountains' appeared in old maps.   In my confusion I thought perhaps they had something to do with the Congo ? Perhaps the legendary 'Mountains of the Moon .... now known as the Ruwenzori's ?   And then there was the King Kong of Hollywood movies ... 

Milner's Atlas of 1850 shows the (imaginery) mountain range ...

The oldest map of Africa I have is in my late Uncle's school atlas, dated 1923, and to my delight, with the aid of a magnifying glass, I found 'Kong' !!  

(Look how much pink there was on the maps back in the 1920's !   All British !)

And there, more or less in the centre of the image from Uncle's atlas, is Kong, located in what was the Ivory Coast, and is now Côte-d'Ivoire.   I'd better go to Mr Google to find out more ......... 

It seems that Kong (like Timbuktu) was once a major trading market (12th century onwards) for the exchange of northern desert goods, such as salt and cloth, and southern forest exports such as cola nuts, gold, and slaves.   

After many invasions and much destruction, Kong has survived as a small, sleepy town with a population of under 30,000, on the southern edge of the Sahara .... and unheard of by me, until yesterday.  

~   ~   ~   ~   ~ 

As Pliny said, "Ex Africa semper aliquid novi" .... "Always something new out of Africa"

"We must fight poverty, not one another"

An interesting article from The New York Times.

NAIROBI, Kenya — Peace means so much more after you’ve experienced violence. Less than a month ago, my country, Kenya, held a hotly contested presidential election. On the morning the polls opened, my heart raced — I come from and work in the Kibera slums, and it is often said, “When Kibera burns, so does Kenya.” But not this time.

During my childhood, campaign season was the only time we ate rice. My mother would come home with a small portion of rice, a handout from a politician. “Where did the rice come from?” I would ask her, and she would say from someone campaigning, the name unimportant, her vote equally unassured. As she served the rice to my siblings and our neighbors, she would repeat an old refrain: “Empty containers make a lot of noise.”

My mother understood who the real winners and losers are in Kenyan politics. Her allegiance was never to the politicians but to the people, from many tribes, with whom we lived. In Kibera, neighbors are often the only safety nets. They offer a cup of maize meal on hungry nights. They watch over children as they walk to school. Without my neighbors — Luos, Kikuyus, Nubians — I wouldn’t be where I am today. And I am not alone.

Yet barely 10 years ago, we forgot this simple truth: Our communities are more fundamental to our survival than the oft-broken promises of politicians. The violence surrounding our 2007 elections left more than 1,000 dead and hundreds of thousands displaced. Politicians driven by self-interest turned tribes against one another — neighbor against neighbor.

On the night of the election, Kibera, normally filled with the sounds of life, was filled with the noise of gunfire. I cowered under my bed, the walls of my shack made from discarded milk cartons the only barrier between the bullets outside and me. Neighbors from different tribes who had lived together for years turned against one another in an instant. One night, I planned to stay with friends in another part of Kibera. By chance, I didn’t make it to their house. All four of my friends were killed that night, murdered in the cold blood of tribal hatred. The next day, I fled for my safety.

As I left Kenya, I passed checkpoints where vigilantes asked at random to see ID cards, to establish ethnic identity. I saw a man being beheaded for being from the “wrong” tribe. I resolved that never again would we be misled to believe that there are more than two tribes in Kenya: the rich and the poor. And though I ended up attending college in the United States, I returned to Kenya, to Kibera, to help my neighbors so that they will never again turn on one another. Today I am building a movement for community-led change to transform urban slums through services like health care and education.

We’ve made progress since 2007, but the names of those we lost are still fresh in our minds. I asked a friend whom I had known since childhood what might happen after this year’s elections. He told me, “It will be peaceful, unless we lose.” I asked, “What then?” He replied simply, “We are ready for war.”

This desperation comes with a life in extreme poverty. This desperation is the barrier to lasting peace. In Kenya, there are millions of angry young people. Elections give them a cause. Politicians exploit this vulnerability.

I realized that if a call to violence could provide people an opportunity to contribute, so could a call to peace. So months ago I met with a childhood friend, Milar, one of Kibera’s most influential residents. Over beers, I asked him if he might consider becoming a peace ambassador, bridging divides in the run-up to the election. He said yes, and over many weeks we met with hundreds of leaders across Kibera to preach an allegiance to our community instead of to the will of the political class.

On the night the results of the election were announced, policemen in Kibera opened fire on angry opposition protesters. Milar stepped in between the protesters and the police — his boldness shocked both sides. Milar told the police commander that if the officers would retreat, he would in turn persuade the protesters to go home. After a tense moment, the police agreed, and both sides pulled back.

A few days later, Milar saw a young woman wearing a T-shirt from the Jubilee party, a coalition led by President Uhuru Kenyatta, being beaten by a group of young men in Kibera, an opposition stronghold. Milar, though himself an opponent of Jubilee, jumped into the fray and saved her life.

Despite the provocations of the police and the calls for violence, peace has held on in Kibera. Last month my friend Leymah Gbowee, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate from Liberia, and Abigail Disney, an American filmmaker, joined me at several town hall meetings that I had organized before the Supreme Court was set to rule on the validity of the election. Although Mr. Kenyatta’s party declared victory, a petition from the opposition leader Raila Odinga claimed that there were voting irregularities and that the election should be annulled. There was a real chance of violence however the court ruled.

Leymah asked, “If you burn down your community, where will your child go to the hospital?” The audience answered, “Nowhere.”

“Where will the children of your politicians go?”

They replied, “London, South Africa, India.”

Afterward, Milar came to me, his face streaked with tears. “We have to stop fighting the rich man’s wars,” he said. In that room, surrounded by women and men, many of whom have fought on the streets before, a realization dawned: We must fight poverty, not one another.

On Sept. 1, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the opposition’s petition and annulled the election. And the peace held.

It will be only through the experience of hope and community-led progress that this peace might last. Together, we can build something that our politicians promise but cannot deliver: lasting hope. But we cannot wait; we must follow my mother’s example and share our rice.

More of the same ?

Since the judgement in Kenya by the supreme court calling the 8th August election 'null and void' I have heard from various friends in Kenya about 'what next' ?   I've also been reading the Kenya newspapers ....

The opposition was jubilant at the courts decision but obviously the party of Uhuru Kenyatta was not.   Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has branded judges in the country's Supreme Court "crooks" after they annulled his win in presidential elections.   He earlier called for calm and said he would respect the ruling but struck a more combative note at a Nairobi rally.     (BBC news)


Kenyan judges have criticised the "veiled threats" made by the President after the judiciary overturned his election on the ground that it was flawed.  Calling it "an assault on the judiciary", the Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association (KMJA) late on Saturday asked people to ignore "political rhetoric".

"The president of this country referred to the president of the Supreme Court and the other judges as "wakora", or crooks in Swahili, it said.  "He went on to make veiled threats against the same judges based on their decision. The same threats against the judiciary have been repeated at State House," said its chief Bryan Khaemba, referring to the presidential palace. "We condemn this assault on the decisional independence of the honourable judges," he said.      (Aljazeera news)

Friends in Nairobi and in Mamboleo and Kisumu have told me that one problem now, is that disappointed and angry voters tore up their electoral registration cards after the election result on 10th August, so I'm now wondering if they will be able to get them replaced before the next election in about 60 days time ?  

I do hope and pray I'm going to be wrong, but I sense there may be all sorts of trouble and violence before, during and after the next election, as in 2007.   But one good thing after the decision of the Supreme Court is that other African countries have sat up and taken note; they too will be taking obviously biased, corrupt and wrong decisions to court.   Zimbabwe .... maybe Morgan Tsvangari will get a chance now;  Uganda .... perhaps Museveni will be ousted after over 30 years in power;  Gabon ..... Burundi .....  they are all taking note.



Update:-

Kenya's presidential election will be re-run on 17 October 2017.

Well ! Who'd have believed it ??

"Kenya presidential election cancelled by Supreme Court"

Kenya's Supreme Court has annulled the result of last month's presidential election and ordered a new one within 60 days.

The ruling, citing irregularities, makes Kenya the first African country to invalidate a presidential poll.

The election commission had declared incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta the winner by a margin of 1.4 million votes.  But the opposition argued that the commission's IT system had been hacked to manipulate the results.

After the ruling was announced, opposition presidential candidate Raila Odinga said: "This is a historic day for the people of Kenya and by extension for the people of the continent of Africa."   Mr Odinga added that he had "no faith at all in the electoral commission as currently constituted" and called for the prosecution of its members..

A lawyer for President Kenyatta said the decision had been "very political" but had to be respected.  Reading the decision - reached by a majority of four to two among the judges - Chief Justice David Maraga said the 8 August poll had not been "conducted in accordance with the constitution".

Opposition supporters were seen celebrating outside the court building, as well as in opposition strongholds.

Jubilation in Kisumu

The election sparked days of sporadic protests in which at least 28 people were killed.  The vote had raised fears of major political violence - as was the case after a disputed election in 2007.

(From the BBC)