I am having withdrawal symptoms. I miss the simple living that was five days in West Pokot!
To think that I almost refused to go there! In my defense, the portrayal of this part of the country has always been negative. We constantly see pictures of extremities; insecurity and a deserted people.
It was quite a surprise to find that a Kapenguria though small is a well organized town with all the essentials of urban living. And the food was much fresher and the restaurants very clean.
The people still have the untouched innocence that only cultural rural living brings. Everyone was friendly and constantly smiling and greeting persons on the streets! That, you do not find in the city. It reminds that not all that courtesy means.
The eagerness of the people to have their voices heard both moved and saddened me.In some places they have never had an outsider sit with them, listen and talk. It was humbling to find people who only wanted to speak out and be recognized.
We jokingly call it the forgotten lands but you get on the ground and you realize that is no joke. These are forgotten people, the forgotten lives. for such a large area, the few number of schools and hospitals is a big joke. To have one dispensary serve a place as big as the city of Nairobi is not only ridiculous but also extremely irresponsible of any Government.
Finding a girl by the roadside heading walking to school, we gave her a ride. It took almost an hour to reach that school!!! This girl was meant to walk as vehicles on that road are very few; passenger vehicles are in fact non-existent!
How can one promote education if school are made inaccessible. In a community where girls are hardly educated it is shocking to see the lack of support towards the girls that do get a chance to go to school. In fact Government does not build these scarce schools; they are all (almost) courtesy of the various missions and donors!
These are people who have to deal with a harsh nomadic lifestyle which is in itself unsustainable but they have even fewer alternatives. They have no basic infrastructure; roads, schools, hospitals etc. They are hardly educated hence unaware of the dangers of some of their practices like female genital mutilation.
They can not seek a better life when they do not know there is another way.
They have been abandoned by the very government that is supposed to help them and serve them. They are people who survive because of sheer strength, belief and hold on culture.
There is so much that West Pokot has to offer. Preservation of a cultural way of life and Amazing landscape that should draw a big tourist crowd, Lands that could become the source of Kenya's crops, warriors who are natural archers who could use their talents to bring us Olympic glory, the sheer desire to learn that is unmatched and much more.
You learn t live again. You learn to smile even when you have nothing left. You learn to remember, remember to live!
I HEART WEST POKOT!
