As you may know, al Shabaab, an arm of Al-Qaeda terrorists, have threatened Nairobi with attacks in punishment for the Kenya military fighting al Shabaab in Somalia. The US Embassy has warned citizens to be vigilant and stay away from high profile gathering spots like malls and restaurants. Some sympathizers have thrown grenades in crowded areas but have since been found and arrested (and sentenced to life in prison).
I have stayed close to home and avoided the City Center except for the last two days. I had to go to Nairobi to mail some packages I wanted to ship boxes for a pre-Christmas beadwork sales. The little Post Office here in Athi River, as well as the one in nearby Mlonlongo declined to accept the boxes, due to the threat. They said they didn’t have a scanner at these small offices and I needed to take them to the main PO in Nairobi. So on Tuesday, Fred and I lugged 2 boxes to Nairobi. At the PO entrance, we were “wanded” and our bags searched. Although our bodies “beeped” and we carried boxes filled with wire animals, we were sent through – no problem. After waiting close to an hour to get help to ship the boxes, we were told quietly that the main PO does not have scanners either. Don’t tell the bad guys.
Benson and I took a third box to the same Post Office on Wednesday and we were sent through the security point without a look. We went to the Nairobi Tuskys store (like Krogers) and were searched and sent through metal detectors as well. There are definitely more soldiers in town and more checkpoints. My biggest worry was sitting in a bus at Railways, a boarding stage for matatus and buses (and trains) always jammed with people. You sit in the bus or matatu until it fills and then it goes.
Al Shabaab spokesmen called for bigger explosions in Kenya, telling “those trained by Osama” to stop throwing grenades at buses and do something bigger. And so we wait and see.
Looking for Water to Pump
Here at home in Athi, we have been worrying about rain. We planted the two acres with maize and beans and were waiting for more rain. You can see little sprouts and if the rains didn’t come we needed to irrigate. And so Mwololo went to the pipe factories yesterday and purchased the irrigation pipes and we planned to work today but (just as if you had washed your car) it rained. We will see if it was enough or if we need to pipe water the 300 yards from a watering hole in the dry river up to our shamba. Peace.
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