The phrase ‘let’s take a walk’ poked the pulse rate into the ascendency even from the relative safety of the car. Stepping into the bustle of Kibera’s Section 42, the street, traders and tiny business are crammed into every available space and fuse seamlessly with the ramshackle makeshift dwellings. The population density is mind numbing, noisy and uncounted and it is a remarkable that life just goes on despite the dollar-a-day existence that is imposed on the many by the few.
A casual chat resulted in an invitation to Jackomonde’s shack. A subterranean half height hatch-door led to a single room dwelling just a few metres square. In the dim and spotless room enclaved by mud and stick walls, we were seated like kings whilst Jackomande exposited his hopes and aspirations for the future, sighting the nearby nearly built community centre as a catalyst for change.
Crawling back into the dim-lit alleyway, the early El Niño rains threatened to wash right through Jackomonde’s home.
daveboni traveling tales 