Our last two weeks in Kenya were amazing. Each day we drove out from Namonga about two hours to one of our schools or new schools. The hunger of the people made such a draw on us. Unfortunately we had only given ourselves a visa for two weeks when we entered Kenya and had to leave on Friday and we were on our way back to Tanzania. We were only there a couple of days when we realized the election to make the fill in muslim woman President for the next five years, was on 29th. We had known it would be highly charged but felt the Lord was saying for us to leave NOW.
We packed what we thought we would need for just a few days, really bare bones stuff and left early on Tuesday the 28th. Moshi was quiet as we passed thru to the NE border crossing into Kenya at Oli”Talk, Talk. We spent two nights there. Early on Wed the riots began if full force with mobs burning anything before them with no rhyme or reason. Wed morning they burned a grade school right at the immigration point we had been thru the day before.
It was too expensive to stay there to wait out the election so we drove thru the game park hoping to stay at our place in Ol’Gululuie but the heavy rains had flooded the road and we couldn’t get there. We drove on into Namongga on the Kenya side and were headed to the cheaper hotel we had stayed at just at the border only to find out the rioters were at the border in full force firing guns and burning what ever. so we went back to a secure place we had just left three days prior on the far side of Namonga, the Kenya side. We have never been in harms way and have no fear but are remaining in the wisdom of the Lord. Rioters had been at the Kilimanjaro airport twice, we don’t know the extent of the damage there. Yesterday they marched from Boma’N Gombea to KIA and back to the airport. The border hire is slightly open but it is very selective who they let move in and out and why. No Americans and no Kenyans.
The other factor is the heavy rains, We had planed to visit a church deep in the mountains of one of our new students and our other schools but the rains and floods and mud slides have prevented us from going any where.
So before we ran out of very necessary supplies and medication we have decided to drive to Nairobi, about four hours and fly home. Our flight is tonight Nov 3rd, Africa time, at midnight. We are disappointed to have to leave a month early but we have accomplished all we were to do. But everything we would have traveled home with is still in M’Takooja. Even my Bible. I had to buy clothes in the “market” and will look like a gypsy flying home. Tanzania is still in crises. Our school is locked down and all are safe. There is no gas, no power, no internet. The is a 6:00pm curfew. The economy has been destroyed in just a couple of days. This is a country that depends on tourism as their main source of income. No one knows what the rioters are thinking. The woman running was declared winner but they had taken care of all her opposition. We don’t know when her inauguration is or if there will be another round of trouble. No new news yesterday and it’s too early to know anything today. It is very strange to be in a country at total peace when just a mile away everything is being destroyed. sorry there are no pictures but we wanted to get a message to you of our travel plans.
Safe in the arms of our Lord,
Harry and Kathy