Baada ya Mafuriko - SALT in Kenya
My gum boots were at risk of complete submersion just venturing to my host families place one evening…
…so I returned home and made popcorn instead of completing the journey! 😅 (The power was also out…)
Just hours before schools were to reopen on April 29 the government made an announcement that the term break would be extended due to the flooding being experienced across the country. Four days later school reopening was “postponed indefinitely.”
I found ways to keep busy. I visited a Bounce and Play (Trampoline) Park with one of my colleagues, baked cookies with my host siblings (because I have an oven that works now! 😁) and watched movies to the background of torrential downpours. While others were stuck in traffic for up to eight hours due to flooded roads, I cancelled plans with friends and stayed home, knitting.
Visiting the Bounce and Play park with my colleague Phoebe was also a photoshoot
My host siblings mix the ingredients for sugar cookies and peppernuts
A meeting at my school with the new MCC reps for MCC Kenya/Tanzania brought me off my comfy couch on May 7. The visit also allowed me to see what had taken place in Mukuru kwa Ruben. The government had begun to reclaim riparian land just days before, and what had once been a space full of dwellings was now completely flattened. After the formal meeting I walked past the destruction to witness the full extent of the damage.
The flattened remains of dwellings just meters from the school
People scavenge for valuables in the remains of homes
A few of my students and their families had been directly affected by the demolition. Accompanied by colleagues, I visited one family that had been able to find another room within the area. We stopped to purchase some foodstuffs on the way in order to present rice, ugali flour and apples during the visit.
Visiting a family affected by the demolition. From left: Mama Sheila, Teacher Abigael, Madam Janeth, Bridget, Teacher Wasonga, Sheila Mogere (Grade 5 student) and myself
In one conversation I was given the impression that the homes destroyed were a matter of principle—the government asserting claim over their land. More recently I heard that the iron sheet structures were actually flooded before they were destroyed. Yet there were still people living in them…
People in Kenya don’t always give straight answers. Sometimes I ask the same question multiple ways and still don’t feel like I’ve received any information. Other times the information shared contradicts what other people have said or what is being shared in the news. (https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2024-05-05-rights-groups-fault-state-for-demolishing-homes-amid-flooding/)
Perhaps it’s the differences in linguistic expression, or my own expectations about the information that I want to hear, but in this particular case, my heartbreak has me lost to comprehension.
The reclaiming of riparian land in Mukuru kwa Ruben. A bulldozer can be seen just behind the pole
Mbona? (Why?) Kwa nini? (Why??)
Why were all dwellings located within 30 meters of a river demolished just days before the heavy rains ended?
Why were those living in said dwellings given only 72 hours notice before bulldozers arrived to destroy the only home they knew?
Why couldn’t said bulldozer operators have had the decency to ensure that the dwellings were at least empty before they began their task?
Why??
A few families took shelter at the school when the bulldozers came. Two girls smile for my camera as they wash clothes outside a classroom
Lives were lost in the reclaiming of riparian land in Mukuru. I was told that a mother and her two children were still in their home when the bulldozers came.
Many more people were displaced. Some families have been forced to return to their villages and a number of students have not returned to school this term.
“Why?” and “why now?” linger on my tongue. I am biting the words back and trying to come to terms with not knowing all the answers.
On May 8 it was announced that schools would reopen on Monday.
New students are registered in front of the head teachers office on opening day
On May 13 the staff held an opening meeting while students caught up by sharing stories in their classes. Most students did not return until a few days later (if they were able to return at all). That first afternoon back the staff hosted a guiding and counselling session to encourage and uplift students after the extended break and demolition.
Students gather in the church for a guiding and counselling session on the first day of term 2
All the teachers were asked to share during the session. My words were a testimony to the power of prayer. Although many students had experienced increased hardships due to the reclaiming of riparian land, the rains had ceased. On that particular day there hadn’t been any rain for almost a full week! I was reminded of the global network with their eyes on the country and prayers on their lips. When I spoke to the students, I was inspired by all of you.
Grass grows on the school field when students aren’t around to play. The rain made everything extra green
Now I’m requesting your prayers again. As life continues baada ya mafuriko (after the floods), please pray for those that have been affected by the floods and the demolition. Also, as school picks up the pace in preparation for mid-term exams, please pray that God will provide for those students without money for school fees, so that they may sit for their exams and be recognized for their efforts.
Wishing you the joy found from dancing in the rain upon returning to a place you love. ❤️
Students dance (“swim”) and smile in the light rain during the second week of term 2
More stories from Amelia can be found on her blog: https://saltinkenya.wordpress.com/
