There is nothing like being from East Africa. I am of the opinion that East Africa is the best area of the world. It is true that United States is beautiful. I have driven to 48 states and if Hawaii had a road, I would drive there. Alaska is far and I believe one has to go through Canada. I saw a ferry on the west end of Washington State while site seeing, but that is not driving. My plan is to convince my daring nephew Tim to join me for a drive! I have this thing about winter though. Snow is beautiful when you watch it from inside your warm house. Shoveling isn’t that pretty.
I drove through Namanga to Tanzania last year. The road from Nairobi via Kajiado is beautiful and smooth. A trip worth taking! Arusha is great: Only that Kenyans have gone there and taught the Tanzanians much about chaos and it is becoming a nightmare for the driver. They have also taught them about kiosks. These do nothing to improve the environment. Arusha is going to become a dirty and chaotic town. My take on Tanzania is what I found in Moshi. Clean, organized and very Tanzanian: wonderful feeling of layback grace. I commented to my friend that I could live in Moshi. The backdrop of Mt. Kilimanjaro is splendid! Beautiful place.
The drive to Ngorogoro crater was breath taking. The virgin forest is wonderful. It made me believe that democratic capitalism is dangerous! I gave a ride to a Tanzanian policeman and he praised Kenya. “Oh those new highways and apartment complexes are just like London,” He said. The guy has never gone to London! Tanzanians I spoke to thought Kenya is better. I do not think Tanzanians know what Nyerere saved them from. African socialism, though not consistent with western capitalism, did not help Tanzania economically. However, it preserved the innocence of the land and the Tanzanian people. Much better than concrete jungles!
Kenya has no virgin forests left. I climbed Mt Kenya in the early 90s. It was great walking up between virgin trees with my kid brother. I went there again in early 2000 and Kenyan capitalistic democracy has destroyed the forest. The drive to Eldoret shows evidence that Kenya has lost its nature. Places where indigenous trees used to stand are but empty grasslands. When I went to dig a well for the Dorobo people in the Mau Forest, I was shocked. Even today, Kenyans go there at night with pangas to cut down the remaining indigenous trees! I met with a group of young people pushing a wheelbarrow carrying red timber cut at night. The big stalks of cut down trees protrude from the ground like stones in the desert. Their ‘tears’ are still visible from that day Kenyan mad capitalists cut them down.
Uganda’s President, Museveni, has come to the understanding that there is something dangerous about western capitalism in the hands of poor Africans! Uganda’s war with Tanzania to remove Idi Amin was the era that protected the country from destruction. That state of instability guaranteed that there was not much development. This saved the land and its innocence. Museveni seeks to preserve it.
Rwanda’s president is running his country with a modern iron fist. This is to protect the environment from the plastic bags that litter bombolulu in Mombasa. It is the same plastic litter I saw near the entrance to the Maasai Mara game reserve. How Kenya expects to keep its wildlife population by feeding them plastic bags is madness.
I still believe that East Africa is the best piece of land on the face of the earth. On the way to Ngorongoro crater, I passed a Tanzanian Peugeot 504 station wagon carrying bananas. I went bananas! Bought a bunch to mix with maize, beans and potatoes. I also ‘ubakard’ a few in hot ash! Wacha tu!
Teddy Njoroge Kamau (PhD) SYR Radio/TV, Director International Desk. IMANISHA
