Dr Bruce, visiting the mamas, school visit postponed

Tuesday July 7th Bruce was a bit feverish and feeling a bit dizzy, so he rested most of the morning, although he was called out to attend to Luka, who'd cut his head with a panga. He was very happy to have Mzungu medicine and a new razor – with a HANDLE, after Bruce shaved off some of hair, used a Dettol wipe, then applied TCP cream + a bandage to the cut, which healed well.
An elderly part-blind man turned up to greet & thank us + all the others who’d contributed food aid. We were pleased to find out that the church had been targeting the very old & the very poor, and had also started a ‘work for food’ scheme – asking people to divert water to the large dam at Inkoirienito.
John then walked to school to let them know we couldn’t come, they’d expected us to arrive after assembly! They postponed the visit to Friday, and John decided to go to Narok tomorrow instead of today.
Lots of people came to ask after baba, Susanna wanted to know when he’d eat again, thinking it very strange to ask for plain boiled rice with NO oil, and black tea with just a little sugar! They put oil/fat into everything & make the tea quite sweet. We also asked for uji (maize porridge) for supper, but they thought it'd make us get up a lot in the night; they only drink it in the morning, but we only got up once!
While Bruce rested in bed, I was invited to visit the mamas in their homes: Susannah, Joyce & Esther. I was surprised to see Esther spooning something into the baby’s mouth, she’s 1 month old, but her husband, Pastor Petro, back from a few days away, told me it was medicine for a stomach upset. Esther hads a problem with her lips too and couldn’t eat properly.
Lastly I went to Maria’s, the largest home on the manyatta. She's Luka's first wife. I'd never been into the outer room before, on our first visit we'd slept in the second room behind a curtain while John slept in a side room off of ours. Luka & Maria had used the outer room where the cooking area is. It's very large.
Shumbai came over to show me her science and Kiswahili books, also a Christian book from an Mzungu. She's a lovely girl and loves science & maths. She's only in Standard 6, age 14.
John and his brother Daniel were back late that night. Daniel’s very quiet and only knows Maa, he isn’t a Christian yet. Their mother has 7 children: John, Daniel, two married daughters living elsewhere, Yasintha, Soinkan (15-16) & Pirisat (10-11).

Return to Luka's via a fancy house and Maasai medicine

Monday July 6th We were up just after six, and after a big farewell, we had breakfast with Moses before walking for over an hour to his deceased eldest brother's manyatta. We went with John and a young teacher (another Moses).
We were most surprised to see a large city-style stone house with solar panels on the roof (to run a light), a generator (for a small TV), and an outdoor kitchen sporting a chimney! It was strange to see iron-grilled windows, plastered internal walls, and even ceilings out in the bush! Most African homes don’t have ceilings so you have to be very quiet at night! We were impressed to see a larger rainwater tank by the kitchen.
It was nice to bathe in a concrete-floored bathroom, easier to keep the feet clean than on a dirt floor, although you still wear. We were asked at Paulo’s why we don’t splash water everywhere like they do – an advantage of using flannels!
We spoke afterwards with four women: Rebekah, the widowed 2nd wife - Moses' brother died 14 years ago (9 children), Esther (5 children), Helen (3 children) and Grace (2 children). Helen & Grace are Rebekah’s eldest daughters. She has had to do the work of a man on the shamba, even going to the markets to buy and sell stock. The first wife has now died & the third wife lives with her eldest son.
They are struggling to get enough food, they only have 30 cows left and a few sheep/goats. The relief food helped for a while. They can’t send the children to school, so they just stay around at home or go out with the stock. They'd like to start a small business selling sugar & oil to locals. Another idea is to rent a field in an area with better rainfall to grow maize; they’d just take the flour home. Their nine acres of beans all died.
One of the little boys had to have a heart operation in Nairobi, a serious problem was discovered after he collapsed during a soccer match. The hospital has their title deeds because they haven't been able to pay the bill! One little girl has a deformed, contracted hand from severe burns, she’s learning to write left-handed.
After having some refreshments, we were given some gifts, then walked around the compound talking to teacher Moses, waiting for John to finish talking to the womem. Some signs of property damage: one small building had lost its iron roof in a gale; the old outside toilet is now unusable, it started collapsing into the pit in an earthquake! They just use the bush again! We were surprised to see that even 6-month hoggets had been left behind in the pens instead of being taken out to graze. There were even a couple of cats there – an unusual sight.
Moses has been teaching at Enkiloriti school for 6 years, one of 5 teaching 6 classes of what should be an 8-standard school. Only two are paid by the government, two by CCS Australia, & Moses by the parents. Kenyan schools only go up to Form Four (O-levels), for F5-6 you have to go to Uganda, or else go to College in Kenya. Government teachers earn 32,000 Ksh/month (~$800), NGO’s pay about 6,000 Ksh, Moses has no guaranteed salary.
Poor Bruce found it a bit hot walking back to Luka’s. On the way, we met an old man in the bush who tried greeting us in English, laughing to hear himself speak! He laughed even more when we replied, congratulating him on his excellent English!
Another old man arrived just after we got back, thanking us for the relief food. It was hard to persuade him not to slaughter a goat for us!
We wanted to wash our clothes, but were told to wait for clean water from the church water tank! I had a bit of an audience at first, the mamas kept advising me to add more water – but I was soaping up the collars/cuffs well before washing properly. I was glad when they left!
My turn to milk tonight, Bruce had already milked various animals, including a reluctant goat and a sheep. The grey cow in the picture is very quiet, I filled my cup from just one quarter – most are only giving half that! The young suckle one side while you milk the other, the yield is so low that you milk 1 cow, 2 goats or 3 sheep for a cupful. We never knew what kind of milk was in the chai!
Afterwards, I spent some time chatting with the mamas, who thought we must have been very tired after walking. I was then called to our hut, Bruce had been taken ill, I'd wondered why Bruce suddenly disappeared after milking a goat. He vomited for over 2 hours until he took some Maasai medicine (powdered bark mixed with water). It tasted vile apparently but worked really well until the early hours. We had to postpone our dinner engagement with Susannah.
In the morning, I gave him Gastrolyte + charcoal tablets, but I actually had an excellent sleep, wasn't disturbed by his early promenade at all!

Visits to Ezekiel and John Nkalo, Inkoirienito church.

Friday 3rd July A sunny day, but a cool breeze.   Visited in the morning by Frank, in Standard Five aged 13, one of Raheli's sons.  He tried to speak a little English with us: “Will you come to the house of my mother?” 
More men came to visit and tell us their problems, including Ezekiel Nkalo who we’d met in Duka Moja.
Ezekiel had 300 sheep/goats and 200 cattle, he now has 50 sheep/goats + 30 cattle; 2 wives and 12 children (aged up to 12).
John Nkalo, his brother, had similar numbers of livestock, but has fewer cattle left now.  He has 4 wives and 20 children! He's the chairman of Enkiloriti School Board.
Pastor Daudi from Inkoirienito AIC only has 5 cattle left now.
Ezekiel has been saved five years, but already had 2 wives; the first is a Maasai chosen by his family; the second is a Kikuyu married for love!  He'd like to be a pastor but would have to forsake a wife.  Bruce says he can still be an evangelist. 
We walked to Luka's dam for human/stock water - nearly empty, it should be nearly full!  Then we walked to the maize/bean plantation (left). Eland & giraffe








had got over the boma in the night and eaten some of the plants that have survived.  Only a few look any good, they are in a damp spot where water/urine drains from the yard: some half dozen had tassels or silks, the rest were small & stunted.  We were told that maize crops grown near towns/villages are at risk of theft, people bring donkey carts to take the cobs to sell in Nairobi! Then we visited some of the sites where dead livestock (above right) that died near home were taken, but hyenas had pulled some down the hillside.  Most died on the mountains, too weak to cope with the 2+ hours' walk.  We saw no feed suitable for cattle, only a picking for a few sheep/goats.








Pics: feed situation (left); the best feed (right): just a few square metres of 1 cm long grass!
Back at Luka's, they were helping an old man, walking with two sticks, onto a motorbike to take him home.  He’d come the night before, thinking we’d brought relief food with us, very disappointed that there was none. We had chapattis, chai and a wash before walking to Inkoirienito church. 








The large government-built reservoir has been fenced to keep out livestock, they are only allowed in in supervised groups.  The intake area needs altering to prevent erosion and silting, water has been entering below the concreted stone area. It has never had much water in it since it was built in 2007. Pics: left = 2007, Bruce is way down the far end! Right = water remaining 2009.
The church water tank built with funds from NZ shows a little seepage, it's nearly full, being conserved for John’s wedding!  Pic: 2007 after thanksgiving service.
A large area has been cleared near the church to use for a school or kindergarten.


We walked to Ezekiel’s house past more heaps of bones and the remains of his failed watermelon crop. On the way we'd passed close to the River Elina (right).  Steep gorges fill with rushing water from the mountains when it rains.  Many cattle are lost each dry season, falling down the banks trying to get to the grass in the river bed.  There were LOTS of flies there. 
His 4 year old son came to meet us, dancing for us with incredible skill!  He's said to be an excellent mimic & singer, and wants to be a pastor! 
We talked about the problems in the area and the need for sponsors/aid whilst we drank chai and ate rice and potatoes together. 
Enkiloriti Clinic started 3 years near the primary school but is unusable, as it has no roof. Going to Duka Moja for treatment is very expensive.
The Primary School doesn’t have enough teachers; no suitable teachers' houses; the parents can’t pay teachers’ salaries – non-government teachers rely on these, they have only passed Form 4.  To work for the government, you need a College diploma.
After walking round Ezekiel's shamba, we went to his brother's, but only his wives and some children were there.  They have also lost many stock on the mountain, but some died near the huts. 
The men were amused, as we sat on stools outside, by a boy uttering strange cries - I was embarrassed to be told that the first were those of girls before circumcision, the second those of boys! 
Pic: nice view of distant mountains, huts + donkey corral: the poor things only got let out at midday! 
Amusing sight: 2 little girls carrying shoes in lesos on their backs, each holding a jar of VERY dirty water – their ‘babies’ and ‘milk’!
Returning to Luka’s through the bush, one section was so slippery I was given Luka’s stick to help!  There was some kind of monkey in the trees, but I only caught a brief glimpse. 
We were visited by 2 girls in the evening: Shumbai and Dagili, + some women: Mary (just had her first baby), Maria & Susannah.  I was given 2 bracelets, both made by Shumbai: 1) Kenyan flag design from Shumbai; 2) “I love you” given to Bruce by Susannah, but too small - given to me instead!

Off to the Great Rift Valley

Thursday 2nd July Cool & overcast again. We watched the cattle being taken out to find pasture at 8.30, then looked over to the sheep pen, one ewe was rejecting one her new twins. Most are Dorper or Dorper cross. The cattle were very thin, many very weak and likely to die soon, even some yearlings. One old cow was no longer able to stand, so lay outside the house all day. They belong to Nicholas and his brother Moses. Nicholas earns some cash by using his vehicle to deliver meat, and by handling baggage at the airport.
We were shocked to be told our vehicle arrangements now had to be renegotiated, it had been agreed we'd just ensure it was full of petrol when returned! After two hours of frustrating discussions, we decided to use public transport as we didn't have enough money to fulfill the new demands!
It took an hour to reach the internet café, frequent traffic light failures cause long traffic jams; the traffic police control the large roundabouts but are sometimes very slow to let each line of traffic take its turn.
I found that Amex had changed its phone number to a collect one - no good for cell phoned! I wasn't sure if the only public phone we saw, complete with armed security guard, would even connect me to an operator. So I sent an emergency email to mum & dad, asking them to contact Amex on our behalf.
There was only a short 1/2-hour wait on the bus before it left. It took 2 1/2 hours to get to Duka Moj, a small ‘town’ between Mai Mahiu & Narok.
We were impressed by the lush feed near Limuru on way out of Nairobi, but it soon petered out. From Mai Mahiu, everywhere became more and more arid, any grass was short and brown, and the maize crops had failed: surviving plants were small, scattered, withered & dying.
We went to a small cafe for a little food and met a nice Maasai man, Ezekiel, who shared some of the problems in the district with us. John went to find a car to take us to Luka’s manyatta near Inkoirienito church, but we were very upset by the amount he'd negotiated, 3,000 Ksh (NZD 75!!!). We went to buy some food from one of the small stores: 4 kgs rice; 4 kgs maize flour; 2 l oil; some tea; 4 kgs sugar; a sack of potatoes (15 kgs?); total Ksh 1,000.
We stopped 3x on the way: 1) the unfinished clinic (above left) at Ole Sharo, built by church funds, an Australian dental team, NZ friends, + a Narok District Health Board grant. It still needs roofing, a doctor’s house, an incinerator + a toilet.








2) John’s 3-roomed house (left), a similar house for his mother (right) except built with traditional walls, the kitchen/store room (below left), and the “the deepest choo in Maasailand” (36 feet deep!) (below right). John was gifted 3 acres by Inkoirienito church for the work he's been doing for them. The houses' floors were unfinished, the kitchen/store needs mud plaster, the choo needs finishing. 3) Some neighbours: the wife has a bad back, her husband has TB.








The 25 km trip took 2 hours (including stops), so it was dark when we reached Luka’s manyatta. A tall boma (fence of thorn tree branches) surrounds most of the huts, the small failed vegetable patch + the animal enclosures. Small night pens made of twigs/mud with thatched roofs contain the youngest calves, kids & lambs. They are let out in the morning before their mums go out to graze, stay around the manyatta all day, then get another drink in the evening before being shut away again.
There are many huts here: one for each wife and some for others. Those who live here include Luka & his 2 wives (Maria & Joyce), his son Paulo + his family, Pastor Petro + his family, Luka’s father’s widow Raheli + her children – one of whom was widowed last year, and lastly John + his mum.
This time we stayed in Paulo’s hut (Maria’s son): 2 small rooms in a rectangular mud brick building with dirt floor & iron roof. He has 2 wives, Susanna and Yasintha, who is one of John’s 5 sisters.
Pics: our sitting room, bedroom, view from the window of traditional huts.


Traditional huts are oval, built (usually by women!) of woven twigs plastered with cow dung/mud. The narrow doorway leads into a narrow passageway, where young livestock may be kept at night. The main room contains a smoky cooking fire, 1-2 wooden stands for pots, pans and any other belongings, a timber/cowhide bed, + possibly some stools or a bench to sit on. A smaller room contains another bed for children/guests. Windows are a couple of 4-6" holes, often plugged with cloth for privacy! Smoke escapes through these + the space between the top of the walls & the roof.
Lots of people came to greet us when we arrived; we were pleased to see that the children weren’t scared this time! After being taken to our hut, we spent some time with some of the men, who wanted to share with us how the current drought was affecting them. They all had similar stories.
Moses had 30 sheep/goats, + some cattle, now he just has 5 sheep/goats. He has 1 wife and 5 children.
Isaya Kishau had 300 sheep/goats and 30 cattle, he now has 50 sheep & goats, and 13 cattle; 2 wives and 10 children.
Daniel Teeka had 10 sheep/goats and 7 cattle, he now has 3 sheep/goats and one cattle beast; 1 wife and 3 children. He’s John’s full brother.
Luka Kishau had 300 sheep/goats and 30 cattle. He now has 60 sheep/goats and 5 cattle; I'm not sure how many children he has, many are now married. He’s 53 years old, same as Bruce.
Paulo has no livestock of his own, his dad says he’s his ‘errand boy’, but he has two wives, and a number of children. Yasintha was expecting her fourth; I don’t know how many Susanna has.
Some people in the Inkoirienito community have lost all their cattle; all are finding it hard to cope. They say they have avoided malnutrition because everyone has been helping each other. In other places, if you go to your neighbour for help, you’ll be chased away. Between 40-50% are now Christians out of the thousand here.
Even the local leaders are in trouble, despite their small government salaries. One in Ewaso town having lost all his livestock, sold his fence!
The rains that usually arrive in March failed; there was just the odd short shower until mid-June when they got a week’s rain. Attempts to grow maize & beans failed; the cattle started to die from April on, the sheep & goats followed suit, even the donkeys.
John has been to World Vision in Narok but they don’t work in the area. He says there is no aid from the District Health Boards in Suswa or Narok, although an NGO leader told me that they are the ones organising relief food. It’s a long way to Narok, 12-15 kms on foot through the bush to Duka Moja, then another 45 kms to Narok by matatu (minibus taxi).
We were pleased to hear they want to form a Community Based Organisation (CBO) to better use donations and to access government funding. They want to fund projects such as helping people with school fees, loans for micro-enterprises, build water tanks/health clinics etc. Bruce said it could also act as a community bank: in good times they could deposit money from cattle sales & use it later for school fees.
A lesson from this year – heed the early warning signs, sell surplus stock or you lose them + your more valuable breeding stock.
Cattle had been worth 15,000 - 20,000 Ksh ($400), but are now 5,000 Ksh. Hides are worth only 50 Ksh, so dead cattle haven’t been skinned.
We ended up eating at 10! It was good to get to bed, but our sleep was disturbed by cold winds, dogs barking, pounding feet as they chased hyenas past our hut,then the whoops of hyenas in the distance.