By Account Manager (Africa) Rita Musyimi

I recently returned from a trip to Kenya. This was more than just work for me as it gave me the opportunity to return home and visit friends and family. Over the next three days I will attempt to bring you a taste of my trip, sharing my experiences.

Going back to my roots and to my producers

Days before the planned trip I found myself packed and ready to go. As I packed my bags I couldn’t help but sing Roger Whittaker’s song:

‘‘My Land is Kenya, Right from the highlands to the sea…’’

Never mind that I couldn’t remember most of the words. I ended up humming it instead. I beg your indulgence for this kind of excitement, but then again it has been a long time since I was home. Coupled with the fact that I will be meeting my producers for the first time. This time round I will only visit producers in Kenya. During this trip I am in the secure company of my colleague, Elisabeth Wilson.

The long awaited trip finally came to fruition on 23^rd March. It was not without a certain amount of angst that I looked forward to the aircraft landing at the main airport of my homeland. The events that characterised this country in the last three years include skewed elections and a near-genocide crisis that ensued, a political power sharing agreement, a referendum, a new constitution, pro-market reforms and economic growth. I find myself thinking about the talk about restoring our national unity that has been the discourse in recent times and wonder if it is indeed true that the situation has gone back to what I remember it to have been as a child, secure and with a heritage of splendour.

I had been warned that I probably would not recognise some of the erstwhile familiar roads in Nairobi. What with all the infrastructural works going on. That became apparent as we drove from the airport to the hotel. The taxi driver wondered where I had been while all the work on the infrastructure was on-going. You do feel rather silly when such a question is posed to you. This is home after all and I should be up to speed with all this information. However there is a fine line between what you read in the press, hear from family and friends, and the reality of experiencing it first-hand. I could not help but wonder how I would soak in the whole experience during the following days.

‘’When these road works are completed the towns will have a completely new face with very modern highways just like the ones where you have come from’’, the driver added in Swahili with pride. He probably would have wanted to add that with the new constitution, government will be established and resources devolved at county levels, meaning expansion of opportunities for job creation and for small businesses not just in the major towns but countrywide. I suppose against his better judgement he decided to keep that information to himself. Nevertheless I could sense the great strides made during my absence. It all began to come back to me: ‘’Kenya Vision 2030 – towards a globally competitive and prosperous nation’’.

Rachel Ngondo, our Business Development colleague in Nairobi came to the hotel the following morning to take us to the office. Up until now I had only communicated with Rachel via email and telephone so a first time meeting was a special encounter. She is as warm as she sounds on telephone. We chatted like old friends at a school reunion. Later at the office Elisabeth and I were introduced to Kennedy Mwasi, our new colleague in the Nairobi office, whose genteel manner is refreshing. We also got introduced to and met the rest of the fair trade fraternity who share office premises with Shared Interest in Nairobi.

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