I am Kenyan

I am Kenyan. I was born and raised in Kenya. I went to school here, had my fights here and my fair share of good times too. My salary isn’t high, my living conditions are modest and my style of dress allows me to easily blend in a crowd. I am not someone you would notice at a concert or party, unless my mouth goes off and I become my sometimes loud self.

I like this country. How many people go for holidays in their own country and return home feeling like they were in another land? I like the languages, the tribes, the cultures and the women who sell vegetables along the street. I like being able to buy pre-boiled beans and pre-cut vegetables. I like the low end eating stalls and the high end multinational restaurants. I like playing football on the grass-less pitches and on the well-manicured lawns.

I like being able to travel to another country without being considered a security threat. I also like being able to visit friends in a mission station who are lulled to sleep by the roar of nearby lions. I like being able to have hope of peaceful elections. In some countries, the elections always have a predictable result. Our unpredictability makes our democracy more believable.

I like being able to wear clothes from other countries and listen to music from international artists. I like being able to help people who need my assistance, and being able to receive help when it is extended to me. I like being able to talk openly about my faith without being branded a fundamentalist. I like being able to pray in schools and public places.

I like the fact that we have working internet connections. They can be bothersome at times but your email will get delivered, someday. I like being able to save money by taking a matatu (Google it). I like the sun when others are freezing and the rain. I like the scenery and the fact that we have the equator, the ocean, a piece of a significant lake, forests, national parks, one super highway, an international airport, many rivers and the wildebeest migration.

So as you tell everyone who reads your material that this is one of the worst places to be born in, know that there are some of us who don’t mind the place at all. Just so you know.

PS: We’re really good at long distance track events too.