Report for today

Hello All;
since we are probably going to be in Nairobi for a while they have
assigned us our own house. Its in a typical American style gated
community; great playground, pool with restaurant and wifi. And next
to a huge American style MALL! And frankly I can use a little American
style right now too. We move in tomorrow. We have a car and driver
assigned to us which is great, Gladys is still with us and we will
start looking at schools for the kids too.

i have been assigned new projects. Deploying an SMS broadcasting
system so we can send notices to all 1000 CDC staff instantly and
working on a tracking system for displaced staff.

We were told today that we can go back to Kisumu on a rotating basis
so either Kayla or myself can return for a day or two. That has helped
ease my mind alot about taking care of on going thing at home.

the Ambassador held a meeting with everyone today. He seemed
realistic and optimistic. And I do think that due to the latest
incidents the rival political groups have woken up to the idea that
they really have to do something before its too late.

In other news, do you remember our nanny Pamellas son was killed in an
accident recently? Well what i dont remember writing about is her son
was married and his wife was pregnant at the time of his death. So she
just had the baby, a little girl. pamella is a grandma now. And they
have named her Kayla.

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To Be Or Not To Be

I just have to say that it is bizarre and surreal to be a first hand witness to what is going on here. I mean I actually have friends who have had to run for their lives, whose homes have been burnt to the ground, who are hiding simply because they are members of a particular tribe. I cannot help being reminded of what my own ancestors must have gone through during the Nazi occupation in Europe. "Never again"? Hardly. Are we humans doomed to repeat and repeat and repeat or maybe it is all just the growing pains of all cultures? Maybe these bridges must be faced, crossed and thoroughly dismantled by all societies sooner or later in order to evolve or forever be trapped in the middle of it.
These events also brings out the higher qualities of the human spirit like the woman who single handedly stood down a mob of many hundreds who were after the family she was hiding in her house.

Thank You All

Atlanta offices ordered remaining Americans to leave Kisumu today so Kayla has arrived in Nairobi and we are all together again. Embassy says we will be here at least a month, yuk.

so many of our friends and family have written emails to express their concern, thank you very much. Its nice to know you are watching and you care. It is amazing to me that our little Kisumu town has become so famous. I am certain that you are witnessing the most sensational and graphic parts of this crisis in the media. On one hand i say good, the world cannot afford to ignore this place and have it become another Rawanda. On the other hand the US government is taking good care of us. They are vigilant and ready for whatever is needed. For us to return to the US now would mean Kayla would have to quit her job aand we would pay our own way back leaving everything. CDC is not ready to close down operations either as it would mean thousands of peoples lives would be at risk by shuttering projects that have taken years to implement. It would also mean abandoning Kenyan staff who are risking their own lives to continue going into the field to work. believe me if it gets bad enough we will be first in line to board the plane home. But so far no one is quite ready to abandon ship.

Here we go again

Its 6am and Kaylas phone rings. That is never a good sign. Its her secretary telling us about the opposition MP killed last night. Now we are scared knowing full well that Kisumu will erupt with anger. No sooner we hung up than we hear gunshots, and they are near. The neighborhood watch begins their sms' about the mobs. School cancelled. The Embassy has a security meeting 9am, we hear at 11am they will charter a plane for none essential Americans to in to Nairobi. told at 1pm the plane comes at 2:30 we pack frantically. Max once again has to say goodbye to good friends going back to UK maybe never to see again. We leave Kayla at the airport waving. How beautiful and peaceful Kenya looks from a Cessna at 9000 feet.

It Ain't Over Til It's Over

Ok so today was a little nerve-racking. Things here have been pretty calm, especially since Kofi Annan has been in Kenya. But suddenly today things changed. Maybe it was that people are getting restless about the talks between rival political parties; nothing has been publicly stated except some more bickering about trivia, people need progress or maybe it’s the scenes of rival tribes burning people in their homes finally got to the local community (duh) but whatever it was things erupted in the streets again today in Kisumu.

We took the kids to school today like any other day but when we arrived we were met by a group of anxious parents that had already hear the news that mobs had started riots again. And as we all stood at the school gate with our mobile phones to our ears trying to find out what was going on we could also pick out among the birds singing the sound of gunshots in the distance.

Then a rumors started, ‘the mob is targeting schools now’ and then suddenly you’d see a surge of parents showing up had pulling there kids from school. ‘Nope, just a rumor’. I worked from home all day. Kayla worked from a hotel not too far from home. They had blocked roads to offices. It was surreal to be working in our home office today and from time to time hear gunshots ring out.

The thing that keeps me feeling safe around our neighborhood, though is that 1) we live right next door to the home of the most beloved politician in the entire province. 2) There are security forces out the yingyang all over our street. 3) So far, the Kenyan’s don’t have a beef with expats. Although, there is a little bit of a rumor that Bush participated in the election debauchery to keep the status quote, which is disconcerting and if it spreads will only make us more of a target.

Roads were blocked here and there all day long by the usual burning tires, etc. We heard all sorts of stories of what’s happening in the community; ethnic cleansing, police brutality, but who knows what is true. I have learned a lot about the history of Kenya since being here and I can tell you that most of this is really not about the election. Most of this is about injustices that have been there since the beginning of this country (1963) and have never been address. They are going to have to address some of these issues one way or….

We have talked with Gladys, our cook/housekeeper who lives in our compound about the state of things and she is ready to go. We have lined up some temporary jobs for her in Nairobi (a safer area for Kikuyus) and we might buy her an airplane ticket to go. We will miss her; she is part of the family and great with the kids and they SO love her. But it is literally saving her life, maybe. Geez, what is this Nazi Germany or something? The whole thing is incredibly sad to those of us who have grown to love the Kenyan people and the beauty of this country. Sigh….

Some people who went to work early (like that wouldn’t be me, ok) today got stuck there during all the hooplah. In the evening, when they decided to go home, they left the field station in a convoy. There were some spots were their cars were pelted with large stones!

Ok, so THAT ain’t cool. The Regional Security Office at the Embassy has a meeting tomorrow; we may be evacuated to Nairobi. Hmmm, maybe that’s not so bad really, some great restaurants there. J

In other news today, Reuben, our gardener, had a new baby boy last week. He told me today he and his wife decided to name him after me. I was speechless. What a day.

Wow, now why didn't I think of that!

Michaelangelo He Ain't

Ah, you never know what you will find on your Sunday afternoon stroll around town after a riot. Here is Bennie and Max pictured with one of the latest in Kisumu street art. The artist made his statement in the middle of the road with this burned out car.

Things were calm here for two days. We went to work and school and went about our business an usual. Then the opposition called for another ‘mass action’ for tomorrow. Next thing we hear is people have started blocking the road leading into Kisumu, the only way in from where we were at the field station. So the last of us to leave, about 6 people, drove our cars together in a caravan back. When we came to the place where they were blocking the road the police was already there removing the boulders and burnt cars so we got around it without incidents. But I was nervous.

Now we hear the ‘mass action’ has been called off for tomorrow. Whatever. Never a dull moment around here………

Whew!

Three days of demonstrations have ended… we think. Yesterday, Saturday, I raced over to the grocery early, before the lines formed to top up on fresh foods. After 3 days of being sequestered in the house going to the grocery was actually exciting! Most people seem to be getting back to their normal routines but we will see what Monday brings in terms of disruptions. I hope we can compile some of the stories of the last few weeks into something readable. There are some amazing events witnessed. I would love to write more personally here about some of this but because of the public nature of blogs it’s probably wiser not to.

On Friday one of the most prominent ex-pat families made the announcement at school that they have decided to permanently leave Kisumu on Sunday (today). They were going to leave in July anyway; we all had our head around that idea until Friday. They have 4 boys, one of which has become one of Max’s very best friends. The news totally shocked and saddened us. Though I can understand their concern as they were one of the families that stayed in Kisumu during the worst part of the riots and they are justifiably anxious. So far, Max has show remarkable resilience while many of his good friends have gone back to the states never to return. It may be that his parents have a harder time with all these comings and goings than he does!

Meanwhile, our internet connection remains sketchy. The Blackberries were not configured correctly from the mobile phone provider (figures!) but we do now have a very cool VSAT about 10” square in size that accesses a satellite directly. So we get internet if we need it and even has a phone hook up (which needs testing) so we can make voice calls if needed too.

We have decided to tell Gladys, our cook/housekeeper that she can return to Kisumu. She traveled to her home for the Christmas holidays and has been there, safe, since then. Gladys is a member of the Kikuyu tribe. Kisumu is primarily a Luo tribal area. They really hate each other for various reasons and much of the violence after the election was Luo’s targeting Kikuyus, teetering on the cusp of being called ethnic cleansing. Gladys doesn’t want to risk loosing her job so she is willing to risk her life to return but we are telling her we will help her find a job in a safer area if she wants to go. She is due to arrive Monday so we’ll see….

Day 2: A 60's Flashback, Dude?

It was actually quiet in the neighborhood today. Although not so quiet around town. We woke to news that there were tires burning in the streets and the road to Kisian (where the field station is located) was blocked. So nobody went to the office today, not even Kayla.

All day we heard reports of what was going on around town. There were a lot of skirmishes with protestors and police. It is hard for me to believe the police are using live bullets! I guess they never heard about Kent State, eh? And even if they shoot over the heads of people that bullet has to come down somewhere! Someone remarked how it reminded them of the Vietnam protesting in the US during the sixties. I guess if you believe in something stronge enough... hmm, where did I put that Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young album again? Local TV is showing some of the police brutality which is not pretty and not helping the governments cause, I think. We get satellite TV; BBC, CNN, Cartoon Network (hmm, sometimes can't tell one from the other :-)), but not local news, dang it, no antenna setup!

Even though things around us seem calm it is still unnerving wondering what is going to happen next. Poor Kayla is constantly on the phone or sending/receiving messages, coordinating CDC’s efforts to keep staff safe and keep programs going, some of these programs deliver vital ARV’s to people with AIDS who would otherwise die without them. Too bad there isn’t a spa in Kisumu I can send her to after all this is over.

Anyway, our Blackberries and VSAT arrive tomorrow so I’ll be spending most of tomorrow learning how to use these new toys. We’ll also be bracing for another round of protests as well. Hopefully we can continue to stay out of the way and hopefully things will settle down on Saturday a bit so we can buy more fresh foods and restock. To be continued….

So how was YOUR day?

Today is the day the opposition party says it will begin 3 days of “mass action”, what ever that suppose to means, around the country. So needless to say we are all a little jittery. The plan is for me to stay home and the kids can go to school, since it’s literally 40 meters from the house if there is trouble in the neighborhood I can go get them. Kayla has decided to go into the office, not the wisest choice in my view but whattya gonna do. The house staff has decided not to come in today either, can’t say I blame them.

The day was quiet; I walk down to school to bring lunch. I see that the embassy security guards have been hanging around which is a good sign. Then I start getting the SMS’s. ‘Tires are burning’ in the two slums (in opposite ends of town)… another one reads: ‘shots heard’… another SMS: ‘groups forming to try to move into town but dispersed’. So far nothing is threatening our neighborhood though.

After lunch Esther usually comes home and naps while Max stays til 4. This was still the plan until we were told a mob was headed down our street on its way to town. Then we heard them shouting, then the little hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Then we all went inside the classrooms and I sent an SMS to Kayla to tell her. The she send back a SMS that there is 'a mob near her office and she heard shots fired nearby' (probably the police).

Soon things quieted at the school, we never saw the mob, so Max and Esther and I walked (quickly) home. And the mob near Kayla’s office was dispersed as well.

Actually we feel pretty safe inside the compound and even throughout the neighborhood. There is really good security around us. We live near the residence of the opposition leader AND the Presidents statehouse so there is good guard coverage here.

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I have managed to connect to the internet through my mobile phone so I am getting some internet again. Nairobi office is sending down a box full of Blackberries (heaven help us now!) and they will start BB service here so we are always connected. And they are bring us one special VSAT that I will be able to hook up to our laptop so we’ll have independent internet (and satellite phone) connection that is not dependent on any infrastructure at all.

It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over…

It's been strange to be in Kisumu. It's as if we have returned to a completely different city. Some estimates are saying that 60% of the businesses were destroyed in the riots with 10,000 people out of work. Main street is astonishing, with many businesses totally emptied. People we know from all walks of life are 'different' now; shell shocked, depressed. No one sees Kisumu recovering anytime soon. Business people are wondering if they want to rebuild or leave the country. Fresh produce is just now returning, after two weeks.

We have heard some horrible and even hilarious stories about the riots. I'll write about them later. Still no internet at home so I'm still posting from my phone.

On Tuesday Parliament begins a new session here. The opposition is calling it an illegal government and calling for more 'demonstrations', whatever that means. We've been to the grocery 3 times in 3 days stocking up. People are nervous about what the next week will bring.

Home Sweet Home

Need I say more? Its good to be home. Ah!

I am starting to hear stories from the people who were in Kisumu during the riots. I will document them later but now a shower and a change of clothes is needed. :-)

Going Back!

Finally we have been authorized to in back to Kisumu. We've checked out of the hotel and now parked at our friends Allen and Martas house awaiting the evening flight.



Kibaki has named the third party spoiler candidate as his VP which touched off another round of rioting in kisumu. Luckily it was short lived. We were worried the incident would stop embassy from sending us back.



I must admit that I am a little apprehensive about returning. Wondering what I will find, wondering just how safe it really will be for the coming months as the politics get sorted out. But it will also be good to be finally home and all together again too.

Twilight Zone Episode: Nairobi Forever

Or "Will we ever leave this town!". It wouldnt be so bad if i had my computer here and i could do some work. As it stands now the big rally everyone was worried about was cancelled. Embassy people still needs to meet again on Wednesday to assesss Kisumu. Sigh. The country is mostly calm now. Things wont change politicaly anytime soon either so they should let us go home or just go ahead and officially evacuate us.

It has been interesting to watch the growing pains of a new democracy first hand. I have learned alot about African politics.

Still stuck in Nairobi. The opposition party is planning a demonstration on Tuesday so they are saying we aren't going back til Wednesday. We leave the house we have been staying in today and check into a hotel. Kayla still in Kisumu reports everything there is ok but the embassy is nervous about the rally. Sigh, the kids are waking up at night asking for mama, how we long for our own beds.

Things Are Back To Normal

We were yielded at busy intersection getting ready to merge into traffic. Just coming home from the pool with sleeping kids when this guy ran up to the car and ripped the side mirror off the car. Luckily the doors were locked. Scarry. The woman living next door said it has happened to her 2 or 3 times. Ah Nairobi, guess thats why its called Nairobbery.

Power To The Aged!

We spent the afternoon yesterday at the American compound and this was over heard between Max and a boy if didnt know:

Boy;"My daddy is stronger than your daddy"

Max; "Oh yea, well MY daddy is older than your daddy"

What Problem?

This billboard is an ad for a local candidate in Nairobi. I hope the text is readable.

Update 2pm 4.1.08

First, thank you all for all your emails, phone calls and comments of concern. It is nice to know you are all looking out for us.

Kaylas report back is that Kisumu is running out of food, with 4 hour lines at the grocery and there is no petrol anywhere it does seen safe now. She did say we would hardly recognize the downtown area and she took pictures. The chief of police has assured them that supplies will start rolling in this weekend and if that happens by Modaw we will all return or if not everyone will be evacuated. Kayla is staying there the weekend.

Update 10am 4.1.08

Not much going on here. Kayla is in Kisumu be we have no idea what is going on there. The opposition leaders are calling for another attempt at a squest march but they seem disorganized now.

We are all headed over to the American compound here in Nairobi to swim and use the playground and drink beers :-)

We are far from any sign of rioting. We are seeing the same video that you are probably seeing which looks horrible. I dont know how people will "go back to normal" after this.

Update 3pm 3.1.08

Kayla has returned fro security briefing at embassy. An embassy group, including Kayla, will fly in to Kisumu to assess whether to evacuate the remaining Americans or not.

We are pretty much sequestered here in this house. boredom setting and longing for home. Worried about whats next and how long we will be in Nairobi.

The opposition rally was finally postponed for 1 week but still some clashes. Bottom line, if election was rigged there now has been enough time for the government to cover its tracks. I dont know how they will solveiis one...

Update 9am 3.1.08

Arrived Nairobi 6pm yesterday after pleasant flight. We were nervous but no escort needed. Taxi guys says Nairobi is back to normal and quiet.

we are staying in a very nice townhouse with our neighbors Danny and Mary and their kids.Probably will be here at least to the weekend. We are all glued to tv news as today there is to be an illegal political march here in Nairobi and Kisumu.

Since most everyone is afraid to travel to Kisumu, supplies are not getting in and there is a shortage of petrol and food. pamella stood in a 2 hour line at the grocery to buy dog food. thank you Pamellah! There still are American families who now want to leave but for some frustating reason the embassy will not evacuate them...

We Are Fine

Those of you who have been following the news from Kenya might be worried about us. This is to let you know we are fine and ironicly having a magnificent time wandering around South Africa. I will write more about our vacation another time.
At the moment we know the the country and people we have grown to love is in crisis and our adopted hometown now looks like bombed out downtown Bagdad. We also know our house and staff are fine too, so far.

We are headed back to Nairobi tomorrow. A security detail from the Embassy will meet us and escortt us to a hotel where we will be until its safe to travel back to Kisumu. There are no flights into Kisumu now. Stay tuned, i will update again soon.