[Ash]

Please spare a moment to think (or even act upon) the current situation unfolding in Kenya. A country new to civil strife is now going through its worst period due to a clearly rigged general election on Boxing Day. Civil unrest has been met by police brutality and scores of people have lost their lives all over the country. It is still happening now as we speak...

Had just come back from the country recently with my Kenyan wife and our first daughter. The country has its problems, but peace was one thing it was really good at...

Some images taken on my 2 month stay (descriptive in nature, not in quality - taken by Pentax MG with 'throw away' lenses and 'scanned' by taking pictures of the 4'x6' prints with my K100D, which I refused to take with me to Kenya for fear of theft/damage/etc.):

A scene from Hell's Gate


English was not this person's first language...


The state of Nairobi's train system


Wide angle view of Nairobi's suburban train


Along the rail lines


Standard Nairobi suburbian home security measures

[little laker]

Ashraf,
I'm glad that you and your family made it out of there in time.
I sure hope that they can work out their problems.

I don't know why more and more elections have to be bought, not won

[Mallee Boy]

Hi Ash,
.but what can 'we' do, its obvious that 'things' are not right in Kenya, but as Little laker correctly observes "democracy" seems to have become confused with winning at all /any cost.
We are seeing the same thing all over this sad planet and it is heart breaking. Democracy is supposed to be about the freedom to choose...not Power for Powers sake.

Not sure where it all ends ...the best I can offer you is a rusty prayer (from one who is not religiuos beyond weddings & funerals).

Good Luck mate...glad your home.

[PePe]

Returned just before Christmas from an epic 2-week journey to Kenya. The election campaigns were at full speed then. Now we see the outcome... I did not see this coming.
Yes, the infrastructure and social structures are to a great extent just arcane, corruption is an all-obvious problem and vast slums can be found all over the country. However, met lots of really nice people, especially on the countryside.
Things going this way is really depressing!
About the only positive thing here is that in Kenya it should be possible to get things back on track, and avoid falling into the same viscious circle seen in many of its neighbours.

Will definitely be back there one day!

[Ash]

Glad you're back too PePe.

Every visit to Kenya guarantees to be an epic journey - if you can get past the heckling and over-charging...

Outside the big cities, the country is really very beautiful, and offers a lot to photographers.
Big shame it's come to this; Kenya's a sovereign nation who fought for independence and now are a victim of their own inadequacies...

I agree there's not much we can do, GWP - their citizens abroad are even divided in their opinions (as my wife and I found out after trying to rally the Kenyans in Oz) and so the poor there will continue to suffer....

But once this all boils over, I'd encourage at least a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the country. Just take insurance for your health and camera if you can afford it, or at least don't take you're favourite lens with you - theft is really common.