Today was a good beginning. Only 25˚ Celsius with a sky full of dark grey clouds. Would this day bring some rain maybe? Four months have passed between the last two rains. I turn on the tarmac road past the big acacia tree where the Turkana men use to sit all day long playing ”pei, akei, uni” (one, two three). The game board is a set of rows of shallow holes in the ground and their markers are just pebbles. Some squat with their knees just under the chin, and some use their typical Turkana stool, the “ekicholong”. 

    Today is a holiday, Kenyatta Day. Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was Kenya’s first president and before that one of the leaders of the freedom fighters who fought for independence from the British colonial rule. This fight also rendered him several years in solitary confinement in this desert like and hot Turkana land. But who is celebrating here today? Along this road, which will take me to the airport, I see groups of Turkana men, legs crossed, leaning against their staff with their “ekicholong” in hand. Their posture reveals a pride and an independence with roots long before the time of colonials and freedom fighters. 

Yellow jerry cans - Two young children rest in their wheel barrow filled with water jerry cans. There are long queues of these 20 litres yellow plastic containers lined up at the bore hole near the road. Women and children stand in wait for their ration wich will be carried on the head or perhaps rolled by a child all the way back home. One or two bicycles loaded with the same yellow containers are also on the road. The cyclist will deliver water for 1 penny a liter – to anyone who can afford! Several of the Turkana charcoal ladies also squat by their towering narrow sacks filled over the brim with charcoal. Several “dukas” – small shops and stalls – are also open. Kenyatta Day just seems like any other day, meaning arduous struggle for life’s necessities. 

    My fellow Kenyan workers, Paul, Sammy and Noah have a day off from the Loki MAF-office. Our Nairobi base reports problem with their short wave radio and I will do our flight following this day for our planes in Kenya and to some extent also keeping up with those airborne in Sudan. In between the usual call every 30 minutes I have a chance to do some tidying up on the office computer as well as on the desks.

 

To Loki - without a car - We landed in Loki about a week ago – without a car! It’s still parked at Westfield Motors in Kitale, half way to Nairobi. We expect it to be shipped by truck to the capital any day now and to people who hopefully have a better understanding of its problems. We’ve been told that the diesel injector pump is faulty and needs replacement and in addition there are some few other snags that need repair.

    Nevertheless, it feels so good be here at last. Birgitta has worked hard at creating and atmosphere in our home. Some curtains here and there are also in the being. Her garden helper has already prepared a compost pit and under her firm directions we expect the yard to be gradually cleaned  from flying plastic bags, metal tins and broken glass bottles, a sight right now which would frighten more than one recycling conscious European.

 

Responsibilities revisited - Last Saturday was spent with the school committee in the Emuriakin village. A wonderful mix of Turkana women, some in their traditional outfit, younger men with some educational background and one or two local chiefs. – How about watchmen for the building material and tools? was one of Peter, the village chief’s questions. – Well, we thought you had already agreed on the terms and signed the contract when Birgitta was here earlier this year! was my reply. Then I went on to repeat the responsibilities assigned to each party in the project. – The Hanna school in Sweden, through their representatives here (Birgitta and myself) will ensure that all the material and transport are provided. Together we will build the school and then you will run it, including maintenance and upkeep! I could see heads nodding here and there. Then it’s time to visit the plot near by. They have been busy cleaning and planting trees along side it’s perimeters. Unfortunately, lack of rain have killed a number of plants, but they are now replanting. Peter, the village chief, Francis and I take a walk through thorny shrubs to an empty little river bed where some larger trees seem to be thriving. – This is a place where we could drill a bore hole, says Peter. – Well , let’s call the geological experts to do a proper survey first, I add.

At what cost? Gabriel Riak calls us almost every day. He is so thankful that his radiotherapy treatment has finally started. But this is not at the government Kenyatta Hospital, where he would have had to wait another month for the sessions to start, but rather at the private Nairobi Hospital. He is well looked after with a doctor seeing him every week and the radiotherapy is also combined with limited chemotherapy. But the bill is going to run 3 times as high, close to 1,800 Euros everything included. But what do you do when a friend is about to be choked by a nasty and fast growing tumor? 

Cush Consultation - Following our ”enforced holiday week” at Karibuni Lodge in Kitale we were able to attend a 4-day seminar in Nairobi, the Cush Consultation, with some 30 Christian organizations working in Southern Sudan. It was very interesting and rewarding, not the least in view of our redefined roles in MAF, managing the base in Loki, where we continue to serve the Christian workers in Sudan. The referendum regarding autonomy for the South is just around the corner, set for 2011. According to the envoy of South Sudan to Kenya, the gorverment in Khartoum is doing what it can to delay and change the agreed terms of the process! The peace agreement signed 4 years ago between the south and the north seems to be very fragile.

A little water hole - On Sunday it was time to visit the mixed Turkana-Sudanese church at MERF, the bible school where Birgitta taught last year. Wonderful singing and good fellowship over a manifold of cultural borders. And of course as a time conscious European we do appreciate pastor Francis' endeavour to keep the worship service to one hour sharp. The big clock on the wall does keep a good lookout!

    Sunday afternoon was spent at what we anticipate will be our little water hole, the swimming pool at the former Trackmark Lodge. They went out of business less than six months ago, due to financial difficulties. But thankfully our friend “Twig” (an Australian running a commercial flight service in Kenya and Sudan, and who is the owner of one of the aircraft I used to fly in Sweden years ago!) has generously offered us to come and relax at his premises at any time. Praise the Lord for that and thanks Twig...!

A 5.12 p.m. MAF-2, one of our Cessna Caravans, is touching down in Nairobi returning from the Tuesday shuttle from Sudan, via Loki to our main base in the capital. It’s time to shut down the air condition, the computers and to exit into the blazing afternoon sun. There was no rain today – and yet indeed a good day, after all – a day that the Lord had made!