Day 7 Kakamega May 15, 2011

Hi all

Well today did not go as planned.  I did not feel good at all.  The chicken curry and chapaties were very good but we didn’t agree.  I remember I had the same a year ago and we didn’t agree then either.  I guess no more chicken curry for me.  It was also a good reason to rest so I slept and napped for much of the day.  For many of you that have traveled to a third world country you know to carry the essentials in your back pack just in case.  Today not only did I not feel well I was exhausted.  The comfort of the hotel room suited me just fine.  Here are some pictures of the Guest House, view from my room, and a lizard.

Around mid day I took a stroll up the street to the new Nakumatt to check out some prices on fridges, generators, and other stuff.  Here is a link to their website  http://www.nakumatt.net/  The smallest generator they had was about $300 and it went up from there.  Fridges started at about $200 and went up from there.  I bought a small yogurt drink for 99 Ksh or a little over a dollar.  As I walked around the store it looked like the prices were similar to prices that we would find in America.  I have noticed that there are quite a few of these larger chains opening large stores.  However it does not look like the average Kenyan can afford to shop in them.  The average income in Kenya is about a dollar a day.  Fuel is around $6 a gallon.  I asked Hezron how much it costs to fill up his small car.  He told me about $85.  Very few people fill up their cars because they do not want to carry the extra weight around.  On the way to Kakamega with the Councilor he stopped twice for gas and only put in 1000 Ksh (80 Ksh = $1) at a time.  I still do not understand how anyone who makes nothing or next to nothing can survive here.

Yesterday during a meal after the widows group meeting I was fortunate enough to be able to finally hear a group of Kenyans talking politics with their councilor.  They talked of corruption, favors, nepotism, rigged elections, and just about everything else politicians do.  They would usually look at me and say that none of this happens in America.  I finally told them that the same thing happens in America and just about everywhere.  I even told them that some of our dead people get to vote.  They laughed and asked how do dead people vote?  I also told them that some people get to vote more then once.  I told them we have a saying “vote early and vote often”.  Of course I told them that this does not happen every where but it does happen in some places.

Tomorrow we will stay in Kakamega to go over the yogurt project and do a little investigating.  Tuesday we go to the Freedom Ministries Headquarters in Makanda, visit the new children' nursery and possibly visit a home based orphanage.  Wednesday it looks like a trip to Kitale to research the clinic on Mt. Elgon.  We will also look to visit a new Passion Fruit orchard between Kitale and Moi’s Bridge.

Keep viewing, thank you and God bless.

Dave