The Kenya - Somalia border wall.

Throughout history, walls have been erected by countries seeking to secure their borderlines from external territories. Mostly, the main reasons for fortification include, among others; protection against insurgency and illegal immigration, pilferage in of illegal weapons, drug smuggling, securing conflict zones, etc.

Perhaps, the most famous borderline barrier currently is the U.S/Mexican border wall which is a project of the U.S government. In total however, there are 28 countries in the world that have resorted to constructing borderline walls in attempts to help solve their internal problems. The number of countries that have had walls constructed on their borders will be numerically higher than 28, because, one wall geographically affects two countries even though it remains the project of one of the two countries. For instance, Zimbabwe, Palestine, Mexico and Somalia have never build the walls on their borders, but it was Botswana/ South Africa, Israel, U.S.A and Kenya respectively, that did the walls.

A section of the Kenya/ Somalia borderline wall being constructed by the Kenyan government.

Speaking of walls most likely conjures up in mind Two famous walls in the world, ie 'The great wall of China' or 'The Berlin wall'. Unlike the Kenya/Somalia borderline wall however, these two are internal walls within the boundaries of their own countries. The US/Mexico borderline wall remains the longest border barrier at 3,360 Kilometers, though 'The great wall of China' remains the longest of all walls, internal or external at 21,196 kilometers from the Eastern town of Dandong all the way to Lop Lake in the West. Globally, 80 countries have cities erected with defensive walls. Germany alone has 318 cities with defensive walls. Hundreds of other cities around the world have defensive walls that date back to medieval history, with most of the cities being in European countries.




Going by the trends of history my advise to the Kenyan government will be for them to construct a structure that can later be converted into something else. A good example is the Beijing city wall that after 530 years, it was demolished to pave way for the construction of a subway.

Karura Forest. The Park That Keeps You Walking...

Off Kiambu road, One Kilometer after it branches off from the Thika super highway, there’s a gated entrance to Karura forest. A magnified Atlas page of the forest occupies the entire face of a giant sign post standing next to the information desk at the gate. In a quick virtual tour, I scrutinized the map to familiarize myself with the features inside the forest and decided on the areas to visit. After paying the gate charges, a ranger lectured me on the proper trail etiquette; the dos and donts.  I selected places that would take me on a clockwise circle inside the forest, and began the trek...

 

I led my way into the thick forest under giant trees whose outstretched branches joined into overhead domes, along well tended footpaths. Monkeys hopped across the trees, shaking their branches and causing the dry and loose leaves to fall on me like confetti. What a rousing welcome for me into the forest! There are direction pointers at every crossroads to guide your trail. Occasionally, other hikers, bikers and trail runners came along, but otherwise, the forest is quiet and deserted. I kept on walking…

The rhythm of my stride accompanied me as I walked in the quiet forest. Butterflies winged from the brushes, chasing one another in wavy flight patterns near me. Some casually shrugged against me as if beckoning me to linger on for a longer while and be part of their chasing game. Like a Disney fairy, I paused for a moment to marvel at the pomp and color of excited butterflies flaunting their pairs of graphical wings. In the spirit of the game, I attempted headcount on them. They were Five. No, six. No, Five. Six. Seven…Their irregular choreography created an illusion that was hard for me to decipher, so I gave up the census and kept on walking…

 I passed by another stretch with a cluster of trees blooming with new flowers. Their virgin pistils emitted raw fragrances that defined the surrounding. At that point, I inhaled floral breath. The presence of a distant swarm was highlighted by an opera of buzz words, more like the soundtracks of harvest songs being hummed by honey bees flying around these scented nectar fields. On the ground, I kept on jumping over several trails of safari ants crossing the path and kept on walking…

I began to descend on the slope of a valley that led me to river Karura. On my way down, I came across huge caves with widely agape entrances on the ridge. While inside one of the caves, I'm frightened by a resounding echo that amplified the sound of my own footfalls. I exited the cave and kept on walking... 

Further on, I crossed over a wooden footbridge to get to the other side of a river where I followed an adjacent footpath and traced the meanders of the river upstream up to a double waterfall. The insistent sound of falling water crashing against the rocks at the bottom was ominous in the serene environment. Still rocks lying on the edges of the river are covered by hairy layers of green moss, while those rocks that are directly hit by the falling water are bald and clean. 

I took my final pictures and began to climb away. Further and further away from the river, its sound gradually faded. When I reached the top of the ridge, the river below looked like a muted stream of water.

For exercise and adventure, I ranked my hike as one of my best outdoor experiences lately; the ideal Sunday afternoon activity for anyone.

The map.

The overhanging tree domes frequented by monkeys.

The forest trails.

The caves.

A rock wrapped in moss on the path of slower moving water.

River Karura.

The wooden footbridge.

The river meanders...

The double waterfall.

The writer.

The Seeds of Mbono.

I had asked mum about a certain tree whose details I could only vaguely recall and that way I succeeded in provoking a story time moment. She stopped what she was doing so that she could seize a rare opportunity to pass down a tale. I composed myself and got ready to listen.

“Unlike other trees that drop their seeds near themselves, when the pods of this one dry up, it bursts and disperses the contents far and wide. It’s a phenomenon that was used to describe women by virtue of their leaving their parental homes to go and get married elsewhere. Women were said to be like the seeds of Mbono that fly away, far away to go and conceive elsewhere, away from home.”

So, the tree is called Mbono.

“Those seeds are also cosmetic. In a tradition that is now no more, rococo women who spotted dreadlocks would use the oil made from the seeds to curl their hair.”

Ancient times were also vibrant in their own way. In those days, there was no Revlon, but there were Mbono seeds.

“your great grandmother used to like it so much…” she went on.

............................................................................................................ to be continued

The Tree of Snakes.

Way back while growing up in some leafy countryside, we would only identify a certain tree as ‘the tree of snakes’. It was a small knee-high green shrub whose base-point was surrounded by clumps of foam that looked like snake spit. In our outdoors, we would smash the shrub into pieces whenever we noticed it germinating anywhere because, as we were told, it invited snakes. In a previous generation, my uncle now tells me, they never used to smash it. They'd uproot it wholly and use its hollow stem as a flute, courtesy of their childhood craftsmanship to make their own toys.

I would later encounter the tree of snakes as a graphical depiction of magic and other themes of mystery. A prop in harry-porter style movies and other horror stories, and I knew that the tree of snakes wasn’t just fodder for empty folklore or a meaningless myth and our smashing it wasn’t just for child play either.

My latest encounter with the tree of snakes is when I was admiring the lush backyard. My walk through the green fields suddenly stopped when I noticed the feeble stems of the shrub jutting up. I  immediately turned away to look for a smasher. Old habits die hard! It occurs to me that there aren’t any children in the village to take up the smashing. Perhaps, in the near future, if folklore survives and these crawling toddlers have grown up a little bit, they too might come up with their own ways of dealing with the tree of  snakes.

This time it’s more disgusting. I detest its location in the midst of my all time favorite horticultural delicacy. I refuse to admit that the tree of snakes is actually sharing air and occasionally gets caressed by the soft tendrils of my juicy ‘tsalakushe’.

The tree of snakes still exists, and I would smash it anytime I spot it, anywhere, just like I used to smash it while I was growing up, way back.

INK WRITING COMPETITION

INK WRITING COMPETITION

(www.isaackeah.blogspot.com)

GENRE                      :           ESSAY.

TOPIC                                    :           THE HISTORY OF RABAI.

COMPETITION RULES

1. Your Essay should have a minimum of 1,000 words.

2. Your Essay should NOT exceed 2,000 words.

3. Be original. You are allowed to research but don’t copy text exactly as it appears in any

    published source.

4. Proof –read your work and edit any mistakes before submitting your Essay.

5. Deadline for submission is 20^th June 2015.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

1. This competition is open to Form Three (3) students of Rabai Secondary School.

2. The competition will take only fifty (50) entries on first Come, first served basis.

COMPETITION ADMINISTRATION

1. Winners will be announced in July on a date to be communicated later.

2. Three (3) winners will be feted with prizes, although all participants will be recognized and

    honored.    

3. You can contact us at the address given below wherever you need assistance. We will be

     happy to help you.

COMPETITION PRIZE

1. 1^st Prize                   :            A study pack worth Kshs 3,000/= Plus cash @ 1,000/=

2. 2^nd Prize                   :           A study pack worth Kshs. 2,000/= Plus cash @ 500/=

3. 3^rd Prize                   :           A study pack worth Kshs. 1,000/= Plus cash @ 500/=

Assessment

There will be marks for facts and marks for language use.

All the Best!

For more information, visit www.isaackeah.blogspot.com

Contact info                :           Isaac Keah

                                                isaackeah@gmail.com

                                                0723 734 153

                                                www.isaackeah.blogspot.com

A great opportunity for you to win something!

Amani Auto..................... The Smile of a Customer!

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