ToHaveAndHaveNot

I read the Kenyan papers every day. I like to keep up with what Kenyans are reading. A couple of interesting stories I’ve been following are the scandal about the Secondary Exams and the desire to get tourists back.

Education in Kenya is only partially free. Primary schools don’t charge admission, but to go to a really good one, with say books and windows, parents must pay fees. And often the fees are more than a parent makes in a year. All children must wear uniforms as well, and this is also not covered by the “free education”. You can tell the wealthy kids because they have snappy uniforms and have a couple sets of them. The poorest kids, like the ones from our program, have one tattered uniform and never any shoes. But the real deal on education over there is the exams that happen at the end of primary school (KPCE) and the end of secondary school (KCSE). These are one-shot deals. Kids study for months, and from the scores on these tests their futures are decided. Furthermore there is great competition between the schools to have the highest scorers. So of course, there is cheating. And now it’s gotten so out of hand for secondary school that results are being recalled, kids who thought they got fantastic scores and were preparing to go to X school now are not sure. There’s even a huge national scandal and investigation.

It’s the all or nothing attitude that is hard for Americans to understand. Schools are free for most of the kids here, and the pricey private schools let the kids take the tests a few times before they accept them or turn them down. Heavens knows how many times a kid can take an SAT score before it counts. For Kenyan kids it’s one shot and it decides where they will either go to secondary school or if they will go to University.

The other story I’m following is the push for tourism. Bear in mind that I also talked to Charles this week that informed me we lost the head of our Business Review Board. Seems he fled with his wife who was of a different tribe. Not safe to stay in Nambale it seems. He was reluctant to tell me; again it’s that economy of truth.

So it seems that Naomi Campbell is touring Kenya: Malindi to be exact. That’s a lovely resort town with beautiful beaches. She was touring with an entire entourage and a couple of MP’s. You’ll be pleased to know that she feels it’s quite safe in Kenya and that it’s just like it always was. Yeah, and who’s going to shoot her up with a bunch of body guard and MP’s to say nothing of the fact that she’s not the enemy. Funny how rich folks view the world, and the super rich are the best cuz they come with all kinds of folks with them. They also don’t tend to go where there is violence unless they planned it and have tons of guards around them. Except if you’re Hillary Clinton….oh yeah that was a misstatement, she wasn’t really shot at in Bosnia.

I’m returning to Kenya in May. I’m thinking that much of the killing has settled down. But I’m not stupid; it’s still not safe. No country is safe when there is so much poverty, disease, hunger, and imbalance of power. Go over there from a wealthy nation and just being there is a risk. Why shouldn’t it be? I’ve got more stuff than they do and if they could sell my stuff they could feed their family. Duh! I’ve gotten robbed before, no big deal. Besides my homeowner’s insurance took care of it. See, that’s how our world works. The have’s get reimbursed and the have-nots have not.

Happy Spring