Kwibuka25
Because it is the month of April, this article is dedicated to all our beloved friends in Rwanda. 7th April of every year Rwanda marks the International day of Commemoration of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. 25 years ago, the most gruesome acts against humanity happened in Rwanda. Over 1,000,000 people lost their lives, millions destroyed, millions displaced, a country was left in shatters.
We the Arsenal family, take a moment of silence and join the rest of the world in praying for the people of Rwanda. We cannot say we understand the pain but we assure you of our love, our support, & lots and lots of hugs. Remember. Unite. Renew. Dennis, president Arsenal Kenya, promises free hugs and kisses to all Rwandans coming to Mombasa...!
Et Voila! Karibu Kenya! It is no secret that lately, I tend to focus my attention towards Kenya’s latest globally recognized glory moments that I keep finding myself ‘helplessly’ mumbling; “I am a proud Kenyan”. Over and above that, we will all acknowledge that, this ‘biasness’ of mine got justification that can be substantiated, no?
Allow me, once more, to get biased and tell you a little more why you all Gooners & Goonerettes should attend the Arsenal Africa Mombasa Edition and more so make magical Kenya your travel destination!
The
Country
Colonized by the
British in the 19th century, Kenya attained its Self-rule on 1st
June 1963 gazetted as a public holiday called Madaraka day, and later
attained Independence on 12th December of the same year, gazetted as
a public holiday called Jamhuri day. Kenya has had three (3)
presidents since its independence, with the current sitting president H.E Uhuru
Kenyatta being the fourth.
With the time zone of GMT +3, Kenya lies in the
Northern Hemisphere and the Equator crosses five (5) of its town. Did you that
the equator divides the
African continent into 2 equal
parts North and South? Now you know! Kenya has five (5) neighboring
countries bordering her including Tanzania(South), Uganda(West),
Ethiopia(East), South Sudan(North) and Somalia(East). The currency in Kenya is
Shillings (KES) with an exchange rate of 100 to a dollar(keeps fluctuating). The highest court in land is Supreme Court, and Kenya is
governed by one of the most progressive constitutions which was promulgated in 2010. The country code is +254.
The
People
With over 44 tribes,
it is estimated that the population of Kenya as at 2017 was 49.7 million
people, with life expectancy of female 68.9 and male 64.4, an average of 66.7
(WHO 2018).
People of Kenya are called Kenyans, who are
generally very hospitable, generous, aggressive, hardworking, friendly and we
are never ‘too busy’ to make time for strangers who later become friends.
Kenya, is a Christian dominated country who makes up 84.8% of the population,
Muslims coming second with close to 10% and other religions form the remainder
of the population.
Nairobi
The only capital city
with a National Park inside it, Nairobi boasts of a cosmopolitan population of
about 6.5 million people. As a county with its governor Hon Mike Sonko, Nairobi
holds two (2) United Nations (UN) headquarters and 22 other UN agencies, and is
famously popular with investors touring Africa.
With over 2,000 clubs/bars opened within the Central
Business District (CBD) alone (Daily Nation, Wednesday, April 3, 2019, pg 19), our visiting
gooners will be spoilt for choice on which entertainment spots to visit!
While
in Nairobi gooners can check out; The Space Lounge &
Grill & Brew Bistro and Lounge (Ngong rd), Whiskey
River Lounge & Club Sidai Oleng(Kiambu rd), The
Switch Lounge (Off Thika rd), Alpha Lounge & Level 7 Lounge (Mombasa rd), Club
Hypnotica & Aqua
Blu Club Lounge (Waiyaki way), 64
lounge & Lazarus
INN + 2,000 other clubs make up the rest of the bars in the City center.
Remember Lazarus Inn is our venue for the Europa league match between Arsenal
and Napoli scheduled for Thursday, 18th April 2019
For one moment don't be
carried away by the niceness of Nairobi, we have street
beggars, random thieves, pickpocketers and petty crime offenders! Keep your
phone where you can see all the time, avoid browsing your phone while sitting
near a window in a moving vehicle, don't leave your drinks unattended to
unknown crowds (ask any Kenyan the meaning of ‘kuekewa mchele’), if you get lost in Nairobi walk to the nearest
building, locate a guard/soldier usually in blue and ask for direction. There are also pickpocketers and thieves at the ferry(Mombasa), take care of your personal belongings.
Don't
take photos in prohibited places like; state house, government buildings, times
tower, central bank building, ferry (Mombasa). Don’t even film our police
officers if you see them taking bribes from moving vehicles, if they catch you
(‘utalala ndani’) and you will miss
out the Easter event. Luckily enough, we can take a million
photos& videos in the SGR!
Nairobi is an almost
a 24 hour economy city and you can buy almost anything you can imagine within
the CBD. Nairobi comes alive at night, and loud music from bars/clubs hit the
airwaves as early as from 1800hrs. The official time by government where bars can
start selling alcoholic drinks is from 1700hrs GMT+3.
Inside a Nairobi Club you will find almost all alcoholic drinks you can name. All local beers are sold, as well as certain brands of whiskeys, rums, cocktails, spirits, brandy, wine, etc. The price ranges of beers are between $2 and $3. Friday nights are usually referred to as 'Members day' and all through to Sunday, Nairobi nights will make you think Kenyans do nothing else but just drink, drink, drink :-). Some clubs got dancing floors and some don't, but we all usually dance the night away anyway. Happy hours and Karaoke are very popular with most Kenyan clubs. Almost every club has a day for Reggae & Rhumba nights, with Sundays, Wednesdays & Thursdays being the most preferred days. You will find egg & smokie vendors outside Nairobi clubs. Its a common practice for Nairobians to buy a smokie or an egg with a Kachumbari on their way out or their way in to a club. Grab one sometime and feel the Kenyan vibe.
If you ever find yourself in any public service
vehicle, don't be surprised when you see hawkers or preachers entering the
buses. Usually, if there is loud music in the bus, the driver would switch it
off and the preachers would be your pastors for the rest of your journey until
you reach your destination. You don't have to really listen to the preaching
but it would look rude if you put your earphones on or seen to be chitchatting
with your friends. I mean, 20-30 minutes of preaching won’t kill you, would it?. Don't forget to
give your offering as well.
Mombasa
Situated along the
coastal line of Kenya, Mombasa is home to many foreign tourists some who came
and went back and some who never left! As a hot and humid coastal city in Kenya,
Mombasa Island connects to the mainland through the Ferry that takes you to
Likoni and through the Nyali Bridge that ushers in revelers from other parts of
the country. Famously associated with the Swahili people, Mombasa largely holds
Christian's and Muslims believers in almost equal number.
First time in
Mombasa? The temperatures there could go as high as 40°c accompanied by high
humidity from the evaporating waters of the Indian Ocean. Most travelers to
Kenya will need vaccinations for yellow fever, as well as medications for malaria prophylaxis and travelers' diarrhea.
Malaria
risk is high throughout the year in the whole country, but low in Nairobi and the
immediate surrounding areas. Many Kenyans living in areas with low malaria
transmission, such as Nairobi, have little or no immunity to the disease and
can easily become infected
when they travel to high transmission areas, such as Mombasa. Often enough,
they start to develop symptoms after returning home to low-transmission areas.
Ms. Juliet Mbenia, a
Trustee Member of the Arsenal Kenya and a Pharmtech by profession reiterates that; "Malaria
prophylaxis is not a 'pick and choose' option". She adds to say that, "prophylaxis has to be started BEFORE travel to a malaria zone, (time dependent
on which treatment), and for a prescribed period AFTER leaving the zone. In
other words, before leaving home, and after going back home. To be effective,
prophylaxis needs to be taken continuously from start to finish". Prophylaxis
exists in form of tablets and you can get them over the counter at any pharmacy
or chemist. "Don’t take any risks, malaria can be a killer. TAKE THE MEDS", Ms.
Mbenia asserted.
Mombasa Starter Pack
Did you know deep inside the Indian ocean there is an island that no one is allowed to visit? Indian ocean is named after India because India holds a central location which is at the head of Indian Ocean. 'Mombasa beaches' is one of the reasons why tourists from all over the world go to Mombasa for vacation.
Did you know deep inside the Indian ocean there is an island that no one is allowed to visit? Indian ocean is named after India because India holds a central location which is at the head of Indian Ocean. 'Mombasa beaches' is one of the reasons why tourists from all over the world go to Mombasa for vacation.
Mr. Stephen Ndung'u,
Assistant Organizing Secretary Arsenal Kenya recommends light clothing &
beachwear and lists starter pack for the extremely hot Mombasa island:- shorts, beach dresses, sleeveless, short-sleeves shirts & tops, sun hats, Sombreros, sun glasses, sun screen, sandals, beach shoes & flip flops, bikinis, bathing suits and swimming costumes. Dear beautiful goonerette, don't let that 'long awaited blind date' not to happen because of a bad hair day. Any hair style goes for you EXCEPT; wigs/weaves! (your expensive hair makeover wont survive the heat darling).
Transportation
Matatus are easily found in reasonably sized cities and towns that have plenty of services covering every major road and suburb ready to serve millions of people everyday. The ‘pimped’ Matatus are dearly referred as ‘Nganya’ by its users.
Digital taxis first
came to Kenya in January 2015 in form of Uber Kenya. Four years later, we
have over seven (7) digital taxis in Kenya including Little Cab, Taxify (Bolt) among several
others. Uber is the most popular and is available in three (3) in Kenyan cities
that is Nairobi, Mombasa & Kisumu. The fascinating thing about these
app-based taxis is that, hiring a taxi is just a call away. Whether it’s
midnight 12 or early 6, one doesn’t need to wait for Matatus to get started.
Pick up your phone and book the cab through the application.
Visiting gooners
& goonerettes and especially those who like club hopping, are strongly
advised to download at least one of the taxi apps as they will come very handy.
Truth be told, digital taxis are the second best thing to ever happen after eating
crocodile meat.
Communication
We have three (3)
networks across the country Safaricom,
Airtel Kenya & Telkom (formerly known as Orange). Safaricom
has the widest coverage in the country with about 26 million subscribers. M-pesa is the most
popular product from Safaricom that not only Kenya has embraced it but also over
15 other countries in the world including Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, South
Africa, India among others.
Good news is that M-pesa users can send and receive
money worldwide! M-Pesa is a mobile phone-based money transfer, financing and
micro-financing service, launched in 2007. Whenever you are in Kenya visit any M-pesa
agent and you will be able to send money, pay bills and buy anything with Mpesa.
It is fast, secure, convenient and very easy! No more hustling, karibu
Kenya J
Language
The constitution of
Kenya (2010), Chapter 2, Article (7) Section (i) & (ii) states that the national
language of the Republic is Kiswahili and that the official languages of the
Republic are Kiswahili and English. However, visiting gooners and goonerettes
are informed that most spoken language in the streets of Nairobi and especially
among the youths is Kenyan Creole (SwaNglish) popularly known as 'sheng', our
street slang. The most spoken language in Mombasa is the coastal Kiswahili, more or less like the Tanzanian Swahili. Good news is that all Kenyans understand both Swahili and English and therefore our visiting friends will not have any cases of language barrier as long as you stick to any of the two languages.
Down the memory lane,
and in a special way, I want to give a big shout out to: Matinya(tz), Daiddo(rw), Herbert(Rw), Jangwa(ke), Willy(rw), Stephen(ke), Olive(rw), Kibbs (tz), Mboye(tz), Fadhil(rw), Billy(Ke), Deno(ke), Dickson(gh) Edgar(tz), Wambua(ke), Eunice(ke) Titiboy(ke), Ooko(ke), Jurgen(tz), Bepari(tz), Kulwa(tz), Dennis(ug), Kampala Sevens, Kamy(rw), Freddy(tz), Verminator(ke), Olivier(rw), Milika(tz), Maurice(rw), Gabby(rw), PD(zm), Luwie(zm), Baah(gh), Getty(ke), Njishi(rw) and all those friends not mentioned here.
Psychologists say; “Not every friendship is going to be a ‘friends forever’ type of relationship; sometimes, it is about ‘friends of convenience’ and those we need most in a situation. And if things grow less convenient, and that individual isn’t available in the way that he or she once used to be, that’s actually alright! Cheers to friendship! To friends that never left".
Psychologists say; “Not every friendship is going to be a ‘friends forever’ type of relationship; sometimes, it is about ‘friends of convenience’ and those we need most in a situation. And if things grow less convenient, and that individual isn’t available in the way that he or she once used to be, that’s actually alright! Cheers to friendship! To friends that never left".
#ArsenalAfricaFestival
#TukutaneMombasa
#TukutaneMombasa
The writer of this article is a lifetime goonerette, who attended both first and the second editions of the Arsenal Easter festivals in Dar es Salaam and Kigali. She is also a freelance writer and a blogger at Up-close & Personal with LB
