Just Ruminating

Sorry this is a long post, but I hadn't posted in awhile.

Kenyan Bureaucracy 101

So as a part of our work during the first 7 weeks or so before going back to Nairobi for In Service Training we have to prepare a Community Needs Assessment or CNA. Some of the stuff required is like statistics on population, health, education, etc. So we've had to go around to various ministries in the area and ask for information. In most cases they all have been nice and been like sure, come back in a week and we'll have it. Problem is we come back in a week and that person is out or in Nairobi. This has been mostly a problem with the ministries or organizations based in Webuye (not all though, the District Education Officer was very helpful). My local officials in Chetambe Location (which is kind of like a county, but smaller) have been great. My Chief and Assistant Chief have been lots of help. Both have offered me offices in their buildings and helped with the information needed.

I'll say when I heard terms like Chief and village elders I was expecting something more traditional, not the government bureaucrats I met. For example, the Chief of Chetambe has been Chief for 15 years I think, and before that he was an aeronautical engineer and studied in England. When they are at barazaas (a kind of public hearing or meeting) they are dressed up in their official uniforms which is military garb.

So after having trouble with getting our information we (me and a couple of other volunteers from my training class in the are) had a meeting with the District Commissioner, the top dog in Bungoma East. When he heard the basic info we were looking for and that after about a month we hadn't gotten it yet, he cracked some heads and got things moving for us. He called up the District Officers that run the divisions and had them hold meetings for us and essentially had everyone get on the person below them in the line of command to help us out. So things have been moving faster now.

Modern Polygamy

Much like my views of the chief, I expected the polygamist I would meet to be very traditional too. But that hasn't been the case. I'll say my views on the practice have changed significantly, not saying I'm looking of multiple wives (keeping one woman happy is enough work for me), but I don't put quite all the stigma on it that I may have before.

So while staying in Mumias we meant a very interesting man who had 3 wives and about 30 children. So this man, who was very hospitable, had worked in the US for about 7 years as an internal auditor, worked in London for about 3 years as a finance director, and several African countries managing factories. So a very smart and business savvy guy, also quite well off by Kenyan standards. So on his compound or homestead there was 3 houses, one for each wife where they had raised the kids. He says all his wives got along and will often spend time together. His children are all grown, the youngest about 18. All had gone to secondary school which is quite the accomplishment out here, about 6 of them had Master's degrees, many had bachelors. Some were lawyers, other CPAs, teachers, one a theological law specialist, etc. Some lived in Nairobi, one in Canada, one in Germany with her German husband, etc.

Another example is the father of the family I stay with now comes from a polygamist family. Him and all his brothers now have quite nice jobs. He's a principal, another is a doctor, one is a contractor, etc.

Host Family: Round 2

So since there was some issues with my housing situation out here, I'm staying with a family again while we build me a house on their compound. At first I wasn't too excited about it, but now I'm starting to really enjoy it. Its a different experience than before. They have three daughters: one that lives in Nairobi who I haven't met, another that is about my age who lives here (she also has a beautiful baby who stays with us), and another who is 17 who lives here and is looking for a university. Its been cool to bond with my new sisters who are closer to my age. The mama here is a teacher at the local primary school but also runs some businesses out of her home. The baba is a principal at the local secondary school and an officer in the Community Based Organization I work with. One big plus is they have an oven. Which is very rare. They hadn't used it in years and weren't even sure if it worked. Well it does and I used it to make pizza the other day. Like I made the dough from scratch type of thing. I'm starting to get pretty creative with my cooking. Anyways, like I think I said way back in my China blog, I really like connecting with people who have different experiences than me, and having another host family has definitely helped me do that.

Promulgation Day

So as I write this, we are watching the promulgation day festivities in Nairobi on TV. They are officially adopting the new constitution and swore in the officials again using the new constitution and oaths. The tone is all very hopeful and nice, hopefully it brings change, but seeing as its all the same people doing essentially the same jobs, I'm not holding my breath. The real thing will be if it can create the strong institutions necessary for a successful and functioning democracy. In the past strong personalities have ruled and abused power to stay in office. But people clearly want change, so here goes nothing.

Its funny as tanks and soldiers march through the park where they are holding the event and how the idea of tanks rolling through DC would be ludicrous. I can't tell if the showing of military might is a leftover symbol of more despotic rulers, or like a pride thing of less developed countries showing off what they have.

Your Tax Dollars at Work

So besides paying for my living expenses (thanks by the way), your (ours really because I pay taxes too) tax dollars do a lot over here. In fact, a large percentage of the Kenyan public health budget is paid for by the US government. Well I got to see where some of it goes first hand the other day. The Chairman of my CBO who is a pastor by profession (so is every other person here), invited me to a meeting of community health volunteers. I got to hear about their activities and duties. Their main job is to go in to their villages and hold various discussion groups on a variety of issues including: AIDS, malaria, TB, family planning, reproductive health, etc. They also refer people to hospitals or dispensaries for testing or treatment. I was proud to see that they were all wearing matching T-Shirts that said “USAID: From the American People.” The whole program in Western Kenya and I think nationwide is funded by USAID. So next time you prepare your taxes be happy knowing that a small part of that is helping teach a mother in the village of Sipala on how to keep her children from getting malaria.