I stayed with Coralis last night and this morning I got up early to walk on the beach near her flat. A young boy, maybe 9 years, came over, shook my hand and greeted me in English. He was a bit shy and I asked him about school and we looked at the rain on the horizon. He was from a nearby orphanage. Then he said goodbye with a smile and waved as he walked towards the man I had thought was his father, but must be a guardian. The man waved and smiled too.
I have remembered this little fellow all day long. Town was deserted and very quiet. I met the mother of a four year old boy with a rare skin disease to give her his medicine. We met up at the Cathedral and there was no one there. It is the first time I have ever seen the rectory completely closed up with no one present...not even the cook. It felt lonely.
The High Court ruled that all 290 returning officers were not legally appointed. The Supreme Court didn't have a quorum to rule on the petition to delay the rerun of the election because it won't be credible. Only two of the seven judges showed up. Two were sick, two were somewhere unknown and one claimed she couldn't get a flight back to Nairobi.
The opposition held a big rally in Nairobi and Raila told people to stay home and not vote. If everyone just stays home and refuses to participate there wouldn't be trouble. But already in Kisumu there are young people throwing stones and the police are throwing tear gas. Mombasa is quiet and there is no trouble or violence.
I was able to buy more food at the grocery store and fill up the car with fuel. People are weary and I feel concerned...not yet afraid. That little boy has had a difficult life if he is in an orphanage and he still has the courage to come up to someone he doesn't know and politely say hello. I hope that we adults can follow his example, at least myself, because there is going to be trouble ahead.
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