Juliet's Kenya Days blog

Letter from Judy to Nanny & Grandad 1 June 1975 –

School goes on as usual although the Ministry of Education has just decided to show their power by having a headmaster shuffle at Alliance. Githaiga has only been here for 2 years and doesn’t want to move. Graham is busy as ever with various plots to improve everyone’s happiness. He finds willing accomplices in many of the boys who show more spirit than one might have expected. At the time of Kariuki’s death they pulled down and smashed Kenyatta’s portrait and staged a demonstration and march involving the whole school – a new thing for Alliance – however that affair seems to have blown over. There are a great many people now in Kenya who have a financial interest in maintaining a stable set-up. Kenya seems more capitalistic in ideas and fact than Tanzania, so the future will be of the greatest interest. One thing at the present stage anti-European feeling seems minimal. There is inevitably a lot of talk about white colonialists but you mention trying to phase out ex-pat teachers and the boys are up in arms at once. Regrettably the African teachers seem to be regarded as a necessity to be suffered as little as possible and the status of the school depends on the number of ex-pats it employs. News from Tanzania reports serious shortages of food and basic goods but it is difficult to assess the real meaning of this. Kenya is not above indirectly crowing a little of its slightly better position, but inflation is certainly pricing out many commodities for ordinary people, although to us, used to the situation in England, it doesn’t seem as bad as there in terms of the speed and amount of price rises. The difference of course is the amount of money people have to spend. We seem to spend a very large amount in spite of living fairly frugally, and only a small proportion of that is wages to Hannah and Hudson in spite of the fact that they are paid generously compared to many. I don’t know how people manage.

For more about Kariuki see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josiah_Mwangi_Kariuki

and ‘Kenya MP’s murder unsolved 40 years on’ published by the BBC on 11 March 2015. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-31817667

Letter from Graham to Mr Kimbumbu 7 June 1975 –

Perhaps you already know that the Select Committee which investigated JM Kariuki’s death has made a courageous report which infers that some important people are making sure that evidence is suppressed. Many people wanted to buy newspapers on the day the report was published so it was difficult to buy them in Nairobi. I hope there are enough people demanding honesty to keep Kenya a free and progressive country. Personally I am pleased to hear that MPs make clear that they want a free and democratic society without corruption. One surprising thing I have noticed is that many people talk sadly of corruption here as if it doesn’t happen elsewhere. It certainly happens in Europe and America and I am sure it was not unknown in Ancient Rome or Greece or Egypt or China. Obviously democratically elected governments and freedom of speech are not enough to solve all the problems. One hopeful sign I’ve seen here is that the school students are concerned about politics and have ideas which seem sensible.

Letter from Judy to Sue & Gravel 13 June 1975 –

Politics here are fascinating though obviously ex-patriates aren’t encouraged to get involved. One of the strange things at first is the constant exhortation over the radio for people to go and line the roads and wave to the president as he goes past. Every occasion when the president goes anywhere he has to be accompanied and/or met by all the MPs remotely connected with the area – one wonders when they manage to get any work done. It’s difficult to tell what’s going on as the radio and newspapers hardly step outside the establishment line and consequently rumours are rife. However there is a great deal of enthusiasm still and the boys seem to feel that the next few years are going to be very important and that they want to be there to take part in the changes.

Letter from Graham to Grandma & Grandad 3 July 1975 –

You must have read about that strange man Idi Amin in our neighbouring country. You will be relieved to hear that Kenya is very different from Uganda, in fact a number of newspapers and magazines from Kenya were banned in Uganda because of criticism of Amin or his government.

Letter from Graham to Grandma & Grandad 26 Oct 1976 –

We saw President Kenyatta last Sunday, motoring past us with an escort of many cars and motorbikes. We were stopped by police and made to wait by the road until he had passed. He really seems to be a grand old man and manages to get around quite a lot, usually among his own people, the Kikuyu.

Letter from Graham to Malcolm & Frances 30 May 1977 –

I have got amazingly out of touch with things in the UK though I do remember about the change of Prime Minister. The Kenyan papers have kept us informed about Amin’s non-arrival at the Commonwealth Conference and about the things said about him there. Amin is clearly not liked by Kenyan people or their government though officially there has to be quite a lot of co-operation between Uganda and Kenya. Many professional people have left Uganda and are now working in Kenya and there are three Ugandans now teaching here at Alliance School.