20th of April, 2018, saw me on a journey of 5,264.6 Kilometers away from the place I’ve called home all my life. It was the first time I was flying on a plane: well, aside those I fly in my thoughts to unknown lands. It was 12:30 pm (WAT) when we left Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA). We arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 7:45 pm (EAT) which is equivalent to 5:45 pm (WAT).
Through the journey, I still couldn’t believe I was on my way out of Nigeria until I stepped out from the plane into the chilly weather. As the realization hit me, I must confess all I could think about was how much I’d miss our local dishes. Jeez! How does one summon the courage to eat meals with little or no pepper? And not just for the night, but for about a week. We spent the rest of the night settling into our lodge.
I woke up to a beautiful weather. So beautiful, I didn’t want to get out of bed. But hey! work must be done, else no pay. So I struggled out of bed and prepared for an eventful day.
I was so caught up in being out of Nigeria for the first time (one of several to come this year), and all I wanted was to ensure I made a lot of friends. I was that eager, I practically ran out of my room, hoping for an eventful morning, the tasting of new foods, being in a new environment, meeting other visitors, as well as the locals etc.
I must confess I was so obsessed with sightseeing, looking through the window of the bus conveying us to the place of Bootcamp, into the streets. I wanted to know if it looked like our typical Nigerian street, lined up with kiosks, taut, truck pushers, hawkers etc. Being so engrossed with my sightseeing activity, I couldn’t keep up with the conversations from others in the bus who came from various countries, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana etc, to participate in the program. Below is the summary of my experience in Kenya.
Government:
It is unfortunate that Africa is regarded as the home of corruption, not because we are the most corrupt, but because of the wrong-doings of our leaders and a selected few are done boldly, without shame, regret or consequences. I was opportune to discuss with a friend from Kenya. Vivian is her names. She was frank enough to point out that the main problems facing her beloved country, is CORRUPTION (I leave the rest to your imagination).
Now, the good part is, the Kenya government has been able to put some wonderful structures in place that at least take care of issues like:
- Lack of Power Supply: The steady power supply is a key factor in the development of the country, as it helps businesses, big and small, focus on growth and revenue, instead of the cost of fuel and a generator that, due to so much usage, is badly in need of service. Generators, not even I BETTER PASS MY NEIGHBOUR can be found in houses or organizations in Kenya. Now, we all know that less or no generator sets will ensure a clean atmosphere – Less smoke, less noise, and improved health.
- Policy: Will you believe if I told you, Kenyan Malls, stores, and kiosk owners are prohibited from giving out NYLON bags (non-degradable) to customers. I’m guessing this should be to curb littering.
- Data-Driven Decisions: The Kenyan President is 56 years old, and obviously, he understands some of the trends in the 21st century. My fellow citizens of Nigeria, let us pray and work towards having a president that is willing to understand the trends of our time and work towards building our nation with the help of these trends.
It is sad that even though we have resources to help boost our economy, these resources are not acknowledged, and those who have been put in charge of our resources are playing politics with them.
You will agree with me that in Nigeria, we have everything needed to succeed in structure building, growing our economy, and making the lives of the people less stressful and frustrating. Unfortunately, you will agree with me, we’ve given power to the wrong hands.
- Weather: The weather in Nairobi Kenya is one of the first things that made me fall in love with the country. Did you know that offices and apartments have no Air Conditioners? Well, they don’t need to, as the chilly weather is more than cold enough. In fact, you do not need a fridge to ice your cola-cola drink or TUSK Malta Beer (LOL). i upendo wa hali ya hewa Nairobi (Swahili)
- Food: We had breakfast at the venue of the Google Bootcamp (iHUB). Sure, there was nothing familiar on the food stand. Just some Chapati, and Matoke. These are not spiced like our local meals. All the same, I had no choice but to like them just for the sake of survival. I loved the juice (Mango, Blended pineapple, watermelon, Guava, etc.). If only I could bring some back home with me.
Yup! Kenya was fun. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t traveled out of Lagos before. Hehehe… But wait. I’d so love for my next travel destination to be (you can help add the kilometers in the comment section, feel free to sponsor any of it. *wink* wink*)
United Kingdom – N/A
United Arab Emirates – N/A
The United state of America – N/A
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