Grandma Hopes

Linda Lou Burton posting from Sweetwaters Serena Camp, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Nanyuki, Kenya – I was thinking of Elisha as I rested on my tent porch Tuesday afternoon. The gang had set off on another Game Drive after lunch, so I had some quiet time. I was also thinking of events transpiring in Nairobi at that very moment. William Ruto was being inaugurated as the 5th President of Kenya. It was happening in that big stadium we’d passed on our Sunday tours, the Moi International Sports Center, where 60,000 people could gather. Today had been declared a national holiday. The election had been hard fought, I wondered how things were going.

Do you know anything of Kenyan history? Are you aware that Kenya was colonized by the British in 1895? It was 1902 when those fertile highlands I’ve been riding through the last few days were opened to white settlers (hence Karen Blixen’s 6,000-acre coffee plantation in 1913). Fast forward to 1963, when the volatility of “whose land is it, anyhow?’(call it a revolution) brought about independence, of a sort, for the folks who lived there first.

Today, Kenya, a small and beautiful multi-ethnic country on the east coast of Africa with 42 tribes and about 60 languages (English and Swahili most prolific) is a “presidential representative democratic republic.” Over the last 59 years it has altered its constitution many times; political parties have come and gone; and corruption has left its mark.

Will William Ruto make a difference?

Wait, you may be thinking. He is only the 5^th president in 59 years? Well yes, here’s the list; fascinating to read about who did the most good, and the most harm, during their long terms. Worth looking them up if you want to dig deeper. From 1963-1964 British rule was winding down with Queen Elizabeth II as monarch; Jomo Kenyatta was Prime Minister.

• 1964-1978: Jomo Kenyatta, President (14 years)
• 1978-2002: Daniel Moi, President (24 years)
• 2002-2013: Mwai Kibaki, President (11 years)
• 2013-2022: Uhuru Kenyatta, President (son of Jomo, 9 years)

The Constitution of 2010 set term limits at 5 years, allowing two consecutive terms.

Rick arrived back at our tent a little after 5. “Guess what!” he said. “After the Game Drive we got to watch a video of the inauguration on TV!” He showed me a picture he’d taken of the screen, and told me that the proceedings went smoothly.

“Speaking of pictures,” I said, “you took a picture of Elisha and me this morning. Can I see that?” Elisha’s story, and Ruto’s inauguration seemed somehow connected in my mind.

Here’s the picture of Elisha and me. I met him today,  just before we stopped at the Equator. I was sitting in a white chair this time, in the shade outside the Chimpanzee Sanctuary’s Visitor Center. Once again, I’d requested a place to sit while everyone else stood, and walked, and followed the guide along the pathways to the enclosures. And once again, someone had been asked to “look after” the gray-headed lady who moved slowly, slowly, “pole, pole.” After we’d exchanged names, I asked how long he’d worked there. “Two years,” he answered, and then Elisha told me his story.

“I first got a job building fences,” he said. “I was the oldest of seven children and since my father had died, it was my responsibility to look after the family. My mother determined that I get the best education possible, so I did. I graduated with honors! But the only job I could find right away was as a fence builder, digging post holes, and stringing wire. I was able to bring a little money in with that, but knew I had to do better. So I kept applying for jobs, every time I learned of an opening. It took me five years to get this job,” he said, looking around the grounds of the Sanctuary. “I put in four applications and had four interviews. I actually cried when I got the letter telling me I was hired. There are simply more college graduates than jobs available.” We continued talking for a long while; about life, about responsibility, about how important our family is.

And then the group finished the tour and came to find me.  Someone asked Elisha if they could get his picture in his handsome uniform, and he replied “Only if you get her picture with me. She’s my Grandma.” I stood up and gave Elisha a very proud grandmotherly hug.

William Ruto’s inaugural address included these words.

It is time for us to stem the tide of youth unemployment. Every year, 800,000 young people join the workforce and over 600,000 of them do not find opportunities for productive work. Moreover, our young people in cities and towns face very hostile environments, many times treated as a nuisance….Our immediate agenda is to create a favorable business and enterprise environment…and support people in the informal sector to organize themselves into stable, viable and creditworthy business entities. This is the essence of the bottom-up economic model, which creates a path for traders and entrepreneurs to build linkages, experience safety, and enjoy security.

I so hope that works out.