20 years in East Africa and counting...

Sunday, July 6, 2025

The Homestretch

It’s not often that there are two Idaho stories on the New York Times front page. It’s not often that there is even one. Both stories involved white guys in their 20s brutally killing multiple people. Both incidents took place within an hour and a half drive of each other. Neither of the perpetrators was raised in Idaho. I’m not going to launch into any comment on these tragedies, though I think there is probably fodder for deeper reflection.

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as seen on my way to the office in Nairobi

We’re now in the homestretch to vacation. I have no more travel to Somalia until August. I am exhausted and ready to have a break.

girl dad having Korean food with his daughters

The one bad thing about leaving East Africa at this time of year is abandoning the wonderfully cool weather in exchange for, what appears to be, very hot weather. It’s only for about four weeks, so I think we can handle it. I just really like Kenya this time of year. I hesitate to say that it’s chilly, since it doesn’t require a jacket (at least for me). But it hovers around the upper 50s and 60s F (14-20 C).

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If you’ve been tracking international news lately, you might be aware that Kenya has been experiencing protests. Last year, on the 25th of June, thousands of protesters stormed the Kenyan Parliament Building in response to the passing of a finance bill, part of a larger series of protests against proposed tax increases. The protest escalated when the police opened fire at the protesters. Nineteen people died during the demonstrations as a result of the police response. The president subsequently vetoed the bill the following day.

Kinaya with a cup of tea watching smoke risking from the protests in the distance

Though protests were already planned for this year to commemorate the above, and to protest broader public concerns regarding the rising cost of living and political corruption, fuel was poured on the fire a few weeks ago when a Kenyan blogger and teacher died in police custody as a result of mysterious circumstances. Outrage grew and the table was set for a pretty dramatic day on the 25th. Many establishments across the city closed for the day in anticipation of possible violence (including my office and our girls’ school).

The growing challenge with these sorts of things is that people have a tendency to hijack protests because they are unemployed and/or bored, or because they are looking for prime looting opportunities. Violence erupts in what likely would otherwise have been a peaceful protest. It’s obviously not unique to Kenya, but it’s sad and undermines what should be a normal part of a functioning democracy.

As expected, things got a bit crazy last Wednesday. The Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights confirmed 19 deaths from gunfire, over 500 injuries among protesters, bystanders and police officers and at least 6 incidents of rape and sexual assault. It was another sad day for the country.

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Aladdin
To finish on a lighter note, last week my daughter participated in a stage musical at her school. Though I was familiar with the movie Aladdin as well as the book, I didn’t know much about the musical. It turned out to be quite fun. It wasn’t Broadway (where I think it is still being performed), but the teachers and kids did a good job with modest resources. Unlike her father, Kinaya loves being on stage and our plan is to get the girls more involved in theater next year.  


For now, their year is done. Two joyous months of vacation begin. I remember it well (except we had three months). We never traveled halfway around the globe during my vacations, but I do remember that thrill of putting school behind me for a couple months. Though all the travel is stressful at times, I think we'll all enjoy a break for a few weeks.

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