30 NOVEMBER– 5 DECEMBER 2011 Kenyan Swahili Coast

30 November– 5December 2011

KENYA– Country number 23 –Second visit

KENYAN COAST: MOMBASA

Latitude 4° S – getting hot and humid here now

Safe flight back to Nairobi and on landing I take a driver who offers me the trip out to Accra Rd for the outrageous amount of Ksh1700 because I figure at this time of the day he will really earn it. Earn it? It takes us three hours to get to the bus station – the driver was beside himself because his gamble of a quick ride and good profit didn’t quite work out. Accra Road is a departure point for much transport throughout Kenya so is very, very busy with tuktuks, buses, taxis and people all arriving, departing or trying to turn a quick buck from the crowds. Dinner at a local restaurant and then hop on board the Modern Coast bus and into my VIP seat for a great overnight bus ride. Huge seat, really comfy and loads of sleep brings me to Mombasa by 6am the next day. Dorothy in Nairobi put me in contact with Christine Kazungu who manages the Girl Guide’s Shanzu Transitional Workshop, here in Mombasa. Shanzu has been providing training for handicapped women, and selling their crafts made from traditional Swahili fabrics for nearly 20 years. After messaging Christine she tells me she is in Nairobi, but contacts Linet who will meet me at the bus station, ‘as soon as it is safe to come.’
Within 20 minutes of my arrival in Mombasa,Linet arrives in full Girl Guide uniform so I “would recognise her" and we travel out together to the Shanzu Centre, 15 kms north of Mombasa passing the extensively developed northern beaches which are very popular with European package tourists. 

A hard message to sell

Linet tells me she is attending a World AIDS Day Parade after dropping me and I ask if I can join in – she is surprised but I reassure that the trip was great and I am always up to participating with local Girl Guides. Arriving at Shanzu, a very peaceful environment, far from the madding crowds, I am introduced to the lovely Eliza and soon installed in a nice self-contained room to quickly change and freshen up. Soon enough Linet and I go back to Mombasa via traffic jams and head out to the west of Mombasa to meet some local leaders and girls joining many other community groups assembled at BOMU hospital, a project of the Mkomani Clinic Society (MCS), an entity that came into existence in the late 70’s through a group of citizens who were conscious of the dire lack of accessible,

Kenyan Girl Guides participating in a community Aids Day march

, 2011

affordable health care services for the poor and destitute.... BOMU’s beliefs of Hope, Health and Humanity are complimented by their Mission Statement: The mission of BOMU is to provide safe, affordable high quality health and wellness services – with special commitment to the underserved – delivered by dedicated professional teams operating from modern and accessible facilities.Soon we are all ready to march together carrying the 2011 Theme: Zero newHIV infections, Zero stigma and discrimination and Zero AIDS related deaths. All this complete with banners and drumming, we proceed on our way through the streets of west Mombasa complete with mzungu in tow, much to a lot of locals amusement and kids delight! The Girl Guides are lovely and everyone is very upbeat and arriving at a local ground there are shelters pitched for the groups to gather and display their mission, message and pamphlets. There is couple testing being offered which is another option being offered for partners to test and support each other whatever the results… hmmmm The Guides and Scouts begin the formal proceedings with marching with the Kenyan flag then groups present entertainments centred on society’s perceptions, discrimination and problems in regards to HIV infection and AIDS illness.

Encouraging folk to get tested, instead of remaining ignorant of their status

The Guides are practising their piece but it is hot in the sun and Linet feels that this is boring for me so we beat a retreat to her home for lunch. Linet’s husband is working away upcountry and her children are grown so is living alone here. We walk through this neighbourhood to visit the school where she teaches and even though its school holidays now, teachers are still rostered on duty each day to mind the school. We share a papaya and chat with a couple of her colleagues about education ‘in my country’ including discipline procedures that are an alternative to caning and once the sun has eased off, we return to town to visit Fort Jesus. Built by the Portuguese in 1593 to a design by an Italian architect from Goa, India, this was a small colony of usually less than a hundred men, six months sailing from home. The Portuguese were not popular with locals and the fort was subject to siege, starvation, bombardment and treachery over the years. 

Slave fort on the coast

Unfortunately the Omani House on the site was closed which reputedly contained a few interesting displays. Afterwards Linet takes me to the Nakumatt supermarket where I can do a little shopping as I can self-cater to a certain extent in my room. Then catching the Mwapa matatu,I successfully find my way back to Shanzu. Next day I make my way in to the Post Office to meet up Linet again and we use the ferry to get across to Likoni– this service is efficient and free – unbelievable! Soon across, another matatu takes us south to Diani beach where we negotiate a ludicrous price for a taxi to visit the Kaya Kinondo, a sacred forest. The Kenyan coastal tribes, known as the Mijikenda, hold a traditional respect for nature and still have strict rules for sacrifice and burials in their remaining Kayas. As visitors the Kaya, we had to don traditional black wraps whist walking within the Kaya. These traditional practices by the Mijikenda over the centuries have contributed to the woodland biodiversity here on the. Moreover, in 1992 all remaining Kayas were designated National Monuments and listed by Conservation International as one of 25 conservation hotspots worldwide. Our effort to visit the Kaya was well worth while because our local guide was very passionate about sharing his culture and knowledge making the simple forest walk really interesting, not to mention so wonderfully cool walking in the forest during the heat of the day. Afterwards we visit the Colobus Trust who is responsible for creating rope ladders over the busy main road here, in an effort to protect the Angolan colobus monkey, which was once common on the coast but now restricted to this area.

Colobus Monkey Refuge

They also work to insulate power lines, reduce poaching, providing veterinary services and hosting educational tours for school children. Again the guide was very committed to the colobus cause and lovely to walk with. Returning to Linet's home via the matatus and ferry where we prepare dinner together, it’s been a big day. Her son arrives to meet me and together they discourage me from visiting the north coast and Lamu. “Even Malindi is not safe.” But he is kind enough to escort me back to Mombasa proper on the matatu where he puts me on the correct matatu for Shanzu and I promise not to walk from the main road. 

Boarding the ferry

Then as promised, I return to Linet’s place for another lovely lunch and I get the heads up on good brands of khangas to look for and where to find them. Back to town but I don’t have a lot of luck finding the recommended khangas so I pick some that are attractive anyway. There are also plenty of mosques in town along with a Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Hare Krishna temples!! 

 On the ferry

Next day I wander about the Old Town of Mombasa, complete with winding streets complete with characteristic East African architecture of ornately carved doors, window frames and fretwork balconies. The shopping is not too exciting but some of the sights were very interesting and I find it so relaxing just wandering around seeing life carry on as it has for many, many years.

Back streets of Old Mombasa Town

My last day in Mombasa and I take the opportunity to visit Bombolulu, a program for the Association for the Physically Disabled of Kenya. Over 150 persons are employed here in handicraft production and related business skill. I can see why this place would be on many tour’s itineraries – there is an onsite restaurant, offers to meet the artisans along with a huge range of goods on sale – but not much there that I want to buy. I make a big effort to visit Shanzu proper but find it depressingly sleazy BUT the flash hotel has wonderful wifi access even from their lush lawns overlooking the gorgeous beach complete with passing traditional dhows with their graceful triangular sails unfurled I make contact with a hostel in Lamu to ascertain the current situation there; they tell me that it is very quiet but secure there now so it is safe to visit there. Returning to Shanzu Centre, I bid farewell to the girls there and reassure Eliza that I will remain safe as I travel further up north.

FACT: Population growth is a very pressing issue for most African countries. However since abortion is illegal here in Kenya, many women shy away from seeking treatment early in pregnancy and by the time they do, it is often too late. Kenyan Public hospitals rarely provide the service but it is easily available in private practices, where women pay up to Ksh100,000 for a termination. International charity Marie Stopes performs abortions in clinics for $25 (Ksh2,500) to $60 (Ksh6,000) which is still unaffordable for the majority of young Kenyan women. “If we were to charge a lower price, we would be overwhelmed,” said a doctor working for Marie Stopes. Women and teenage girls who are poor often have no option but to turn to quacks, using crude tools to procure abortions.Unsafe abortions account for 35% of maternal deaths in Kenya. The global average is 13%.

Paint a Building with a giant advertisment

Swahili coast sights