29th to 30th December 2007

As one of the pumbavus severally referred to by the Member of Parliament for Othaya, I faithfully forfeited all activities that usually accompany a Kenyan year end concentrating on one thing and one thing only.

The election.

I did believe. That we have come a long way. Democratically. Financially. Socially. That Kenya is my country, najivunia kuwa mkenya says the government spokesperson. Daima mimi mkenya. Croons Eric Wainaina. I do love that song by the way. Not only for the patriotic part of it, it is a great Kenyan composition. Origino kabisa!

So I voted. I cannot forget the thrill that went through my entire body when I checked those boxes. All three of them. My work was done. Now ECK would take over. And boy did they!

No it was not the first time I voted. I did in 2002 and discovered it could be done. I could have a hand in how my country is governed. Any other election before this am reliably informed was a charade.

I am afraid that even this one IS/WAS a charade. Like many others I still ask what the point of voting is if it does not matter anyway. An exercise in futility. But. I will still be voting if we will still have a country to speak of in the near future.

I stayed up on 27^th night awaiting the results just like I did in 2002. Then, by 5 am in the morning the ECK had done its work after mine and splattered the figures all over the TV screen. It was doable. It was done. I can change my country’s destiny.

The alarm bells started ringing when by 28^th Dec 2007 there was nothing forthcoming from KICC. Then the rumors began. 29^th morning I decided to do other things apart from sit glued to the TV screen. As soon as I left the house sinister whispers were heard. Horrible things are going to happen today. I was told by a man I barely knew as I boarded the bus.

“This is not the time to travel there is going to be war this evening.” War? In Nairobi, Kenya? I wondered. I had heard the stories long before elections. But then I had heard the same things in 2005. Then, we were told to take the children to safer places.

I did believe in the power of the ballot, I am rather skeptical right now.

I was amazed to find a seat very easily on the bus. In fact I had three comfortable seats to myself. I was grateful for this when later in the evening we were forced to sleep in the bus as the roads were all blocked and it was late in the night. At Nakuru the bus management decided to put us at the police station for our own safety for a few hours while we waited for the situation to normalize. While we were there we got to know each other. Kenyans are wonderful people. Especially on long distance journeys. In spite of the horrible roads on the neglected side of Kenya it is fun traveling. I remember how once a lady boarded the wrong bus and threw another who was supposedly sitting on her seat out. She was terribly bossy about it only for us to learn that she was supposed to get onto another bus to Kampala. The rightful occupant had already started crying by the time the confusion was sorted out. Even in those tense times drama galore.

The bus management we discovered was more concerned about the safety of their brand new bus a KBA-H or something, than that of their beloved passengers that they strive to serve. So they offered to refund us our money and take us back to the city. No, that would not be possible as more rumors came in that the city was ablaze too. You see what happens when citizens do not have the correct information? Rumors then become facts until proven otherwise.

Finally after 38 hours on the road, getting intimately acquainted with several police stations that faithfully provided escort to stranded passengers, who by the way were more than helpful, we got to our destinations. But not before having stones, arrows and rubber bullets -some which were not intended for us -thrown in the general direction of our bus. I still get edgy when I see a group of young men on the road; it will take a while for that to go away.

Kenya has always been an island of peace? I do not think so.

Recent history shows the contrary.

EDIT Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.
Elie Wiesel, writer, Nobel laureate (b.1928)