Kikai and Family

Kikai and his extended family, friends of Elizabeth’s, live in the Kitale area, so after leaving Sirikwa House, we swung by Kikai’s for a visit.

Kikai (left) posing with Elizabeth, his wife (right), and 3 children. I think Kikai is the handsomest man I've seen in Kenya. He used to work with Elizabeth's predecessor, Tomeka, when Tomeka was a Peace Corps volunteer in Kitale. Tomeka introduced Elizabeth to Kikai and his family, and now they are Elizabeth's friends as well. Kikai now works as an accountant for a local school. He's continuing to pursue higher certifications in accounting in hopes of getting better-paid accounting positions.

 

Kikai's home, where Kikai's wife serves us tea, chapati, rice, and chicken stew.

 

Kikai's home is situated in the same compound that contains his parents' home (above) and his brother's home. His father is a church minister.

 

The women in the compound share one community kitchen, which stands apart from the living quarters.

 

Inside a posho mill, which grinds maize kernels into flour. Kikai's brother, who is not home when we visit, owns this posho mill. The man in the white coat is a hired hand.

 

A closer look at the grinder. Notice the panful of maize kernels at the bottom left. The blue barrel on the right probably contains fuel for the machine.

 

Ground maize exits here. Grinding is a very dusty process. After snapping a few photos, my camera's lense gets fogged up with dust and I have difficulty breathing, and I have to leave the room. I wonder about the health of the lungs of the people who work in these posho mills.

 

A neighborhood girl retrieves her family's ground maize.

 

This must be one of her chores.

 

A lake (pond?) near Kikai's home. He shows off a piece of nearby land on which he's building his new compound, apart from his parents' compound, but still only a minute's walk away. This lake supplies the water for the neighborhood. People walk down here with buckets to get water for their use -- drinking, cooking, washing, etc. The lake is fed by a spring. While I'm here, I see a herd of cattle being led to the lake to drink. I also see herons wading there.

 

Boy doing laundry at a water site, which is near the lake mentioned above.

 

He takes a break from the laundry to pose with his dog.

 

Again, kids love to follow visitors.

 

This cow is eating maize stalks. He's doing a bang-up job.