Holidays!

After a lovely christmas lunch yesterday we officially closed the office for holidays until January 2. Between Christmas, Boxing Day, Election Day and New YEar's day it didn't make any sense to try and get any work done. We suspended field work on Wednesday because our staff were getting hassled as "political agents" campaigning for the PNU, the current government party. They were trying to put up educational posters with malaria messaging and people saw the Ministry of Health logo on the posters and accused them of campaigning. People are also refusing to come to drama and other community activities because they believe it might be campaigning. Also people are refusing to allow their houses to be sprayed because they are getting ready for christmas, which is understandable. I know some of this is hard to imaging, in our orderly, democratic, educated society. This is a culture that believes in witchcraft (which is oddly reconciled with christianity) and subject to rumors, suspicions and at times, violence to resolve disagreements. Things have been calm for the past few days but I’m glad we are going to be in the Masai Mara for election day.

We leave tomorrow morning early but there is good network in the Mara and the camp we are staying at has electricity so should be able to receive email and post. I would love to hear from anyone who wants to say hello, laura@mentor-initiative.net.

Good article from today's New York Times on the Kenyan election and role of Islam in politics:http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/magazine/23kenya-t.html?_r=1&oref=login

Why I hate Busia...