My first official day of work was all about ‘introductions’. A formal letter of introduction was to be personally delivered to the District Commissioner (DC) informing him that I had arrived and would be working in the community. We could not go there directly: A strict protocol has to be followed to ensure no insult is inadvertently caused.
The local government offices are a hodgepodge of single-storey colonial buildings in various states of disrepair. Small crowds gather outside in the sun with no evident system of queuing. Appointments are not necessary: You just turn up and wait.
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- Constituency Offices
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- Good Ventilation System!
Accompanied by Zipporah and Kenuwa, the Chairperson and Coordinator of our organisation, I firstly met with the Assistant Chief of Muhito, the location I will be based and one of the seven locations within Mukurwe-ini Constituency. After a brief introduction and some polite chitchat we explained that we were on the way to the DC’s office to deliver the letter of introduction. He seemed to regard this as an important task so decided to escort us to the Ministry of Social Services for a similar encounter. After welcoming me warmly, the Officer saw fit to abandon his post to accompany us on our mission. Our party, now five, proceeded on with some importance to the Office of the District Commissioner.
With the letter finally handed over, we could all relax. I was excited by the prospect of gate-crashing a meeting of the seven Chiefs of Mukurwe-ini. You can imagine my disappointment when I discovered that they were not in fact the traditional tribal chiefs from my imagination, but rather civil servants in dark business suits. As our finale, we managed to catch a few minutes with the local MP before he rushed to Nairobi for a debate on Kenya’s new draft Constitution.
Time for a well deserved coffee!
