I'm am so very impressed by Kenyans. The Election authority IEBC announced yesterday that they were scrapping the provisional reporting of results and will only now announce final results. Final results are (and always have been) hand-counted and delivered in person from the various polling stations around the country, but only after counting everything (i.e., the Presidential vote plus 5 other votes that were done simultaneously). The IEBC has estimated that final results will be released Friday. There was a bit of grumbling and then everyone just calmed down and has chilled out. We are now waiting patiently. Incredibly patiently. Most people stood in line for hours and hours to vote, and now people are waiting again, all very patiently. It's really very impressive.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
A tense week
Two days after the elections, and I have to admit I'm not as optimistic as I was before. We could still pull this off, and everyone is praying that we do, but there are so many signs of looming trouble. Only 42% of the votes have been tallied, and even those are on a provisional basis.
There is word that there will be a challenge by one of the parties over the handling of the (currently) 300,000+ spoilt ballots. Depending on whether or not they are counted as votes, it could even mean the difference between a clear round-one winner and a runoff. A runoff would be such a pain with so many failure points that I really pray we don't have one.
There has been no violence but the tension is growing.
There is word that there will be a challenge by one of the parties over the handling of the (currently) 300,000+ spoilt ballots. Depending on whether or not they are counted as votes, it could even mean the difference between a clear round-one winner and a runoff. A runoff would be such a pain with so many failure points that I really pray we don't have one.
There has been no violence but the tension is growing.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Kenyan Rutenberg Adventure Vol. 2(2)
It's Election Day! After campaigns that seem to have lasted
5 years (i.e. since the last election), today is the first round. If no
candidate gets 50% + 1, then there will be a runoff likely in April. At stake
is the Presidency, parliament, governorships, and a few other offices.
I won't bore you with details, but the two top candidates and their VP running mates are quite the, uh, (how do I put this diplomatically?) interesting characters. Two are on trial at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity for their role in the violence after the last election. Ironically, the two are on the same ticket this time but were on opposite sides in 2007.
Everyone is praying for peace this time around, and I hope you will pray for us, too. Turnout is high and Kenyan has progressed tremendously in the last decade. Don't forget that when America was 60 years old (Kenya turns 50 this year), we were fighting a bloody 5-year-long civil war. So Kenya is doing well, I'd say!
On a personal level, Wanjiru and Adili and I are doing well. The biggest news is that we have been building a new house on a property about 20km from downtown Nairobi. Building started in November, and we will be ready to move in next week! It is very exciting. Wanjiru and I spent a few days at the Kenyan coast. Adili had his first sports day, and is learning to play soccer a bit (although thankfully he still prefers basketball). We have harvested our first crop (corn) from our new house, even before the house is ready for us to move in.
Plus, Akili Dada had a tremendous success - an Akili Dada scholar (Patricia) was ranked the number 2 girl in the country by KCSE scores! KCSE is the exam that students take as a senior in high school, and it determines where they will go to college. There were 195,000 girls taking the exam, and Patricia was #2 overall - it's truly an amazing success story for Patricia and for Akili Dada.
Pictures for this installment of the Adventure are linked here.
We hope you are all well!
Isaac
Rutenberg Kenyan Adventure Vol. 2(1)
Happy New Year!
In Denver we visited lots of family (both Isaac's and Wanjiru's), and spent some time in the snowy mountains. It rarely got above freezing. Adili had lots of time with his cousins and aunties and uncles and grandparents and friends, all of whom seemed to have a great time.
In Vegas Isaac visited his newlywed sister and watched enough football to last another year.
In California we lived on the beach and Isaac got to ride his bike a few times (just enough to remind him how much he misses it...). We were all reminded about how much we miss the Bay Area.
In January we returned to Kenya to find it hot and election campaigning in FULL gear. (Can't wait for March 4th elections, and hoping that they are peaceful!) But we thoroughly enjoyed watching Obama's inauguration and got an appropriate photo of Adili that matches the photo from the last inauguration (at which he was just 4 days old!).
Oh, and Akili Dada is doing well - got an award from the Ford Foundation as a Champion of Democracy. A new Fellowship program is starting this year within Akili Dada to help fellows become agents of social change.
Enjoy the winter and don't forget to write every once in a while! Pictures for this installment are linked here.
Isaac, Wanjiru, and Adili
Rutenberg Kenyan Adventure Vol. 1(3)
Greetings! Wanjiru and Adili and I hope you are well. In the last two months much has happened.
We traveled to Gabon (find Kenya on the map and go due west!) for a few days before Wanjiru traveled to the US for several weeks. Gabon was fascinating – like Kenya 20 years ago but everybody speaking French. Great beaches, though, and we spent all of our spare time hanging out with locals near the water. Wanjiru received an award from the Cecilia Attias Foundation for Women.
Construction continues on the roads outside of our home. The progress is impressive and every day it seems there is a new way to get into our apartment complex.
Adili has perfected his Kenyan accent. He now rolls his “R”s and says “Me, I want to go…” or “Me, I want to eat…” His Swahili is also progressing much faster than mine, and I suspect he’ll surpass me (if he has not already) in a few months. Adili learned that the proper way to pick up baby rabbits is by their ears! He also had his first ever school class presentation.
Wanjiru moved Akili Dada to a new office – a real sign that they have grown up! They are no longer sub-leasing. They also continue to get plenty of accolades and attention, all very well deserved.
Me, I bought a mountain bike and got a first opportunity to ride when we spent a weekend near Nanyuki. I rode 40 km up to the equator and took a picture. I also got to see a Masai goat/cow/sheep market where my friend picked out two sheep for serving at a party (which he tied into sacks and shoved, alive, into the boot of our car for transport). The entire experience made me very glad to be vegetarian.
Photos and movie available here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/
Please send us updates of you and your lives! We miss our US friends. Lots of love from Nairobi…
IWA
We traveled to Gabon (find Kenya on the map and go due west!) for a few days before Wanjiru traveled to the US for several weeks. Gabon was fascinating – like Kenya 20 years ago but everybody speaking French. Great beaches, though, and we spent all of our spare time hanging out with locals near the water. Wanjiru received an award from the Cecilia Attias Foundation for Women.
Construction continues on the roads outside of our home. The progress is impressive and every day it seems there is a new way to get into our apartment complex.
Adili has perfected his Kenyan accent. He now rolls his “R”s and says “Me, I want to go…” or “Me, I want to eat…” His Swahili is also progressing much faster than mine, and I suspect he’ll surpass me (if he has not already) in a few months. Adili learned that the proper way to pick up baby rabbits is by their ears! He also had his first ever school class presentation.
Wanjiru moved Akili Dada to a new office – a real sign that they have grown up! They are no longer sub-leasing. They also continue to get plenty of accolades and attention, all very well deserved.
Me, I bought a mountain bike and got a first opportunity to ride when we spent a weekend near Nanyuki. I rode 40 km up to the equator and took a picture. I also got to see a Masai goat/cow/sheep market where my friend picked out two sheep for serving at a party (which he tied into sacks and shoved, alive, into the boot of our car for transport). The entire experience made me very glad to be vegetarian.
Photos and movie available here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/
Please send us updates of you and your lives! We miss our US friends. Lots of love from Nairobi…
IWA
Rutenberg Kenyan Adventure Vol. 1(2)
Since episode 1:
Isaac, Wanjiru, and Adili spent April in San Francisco, during which time we prepared our house to be rented. The days were beyond hectic, and the only respite was a week spent in Istanbul (not Constantinople!), which was fabulous. The Denver grandparents got to spend the week with Adili while Isaac and Wanjiru learned to love Turkish coffee. Adili reunited with his friends at daycare one last time, before bidding them adieu. He’s now too old to go back and needs a proper pre-school.
Returning to Kenya in May, we found the country very different from a month earlier. Substantial amounts of rain had turned everything beautifully green. The rains also brought power outages and, ironically, occasional water shortages. Fortunately our apartment is close to a main water line so we (usually) have enough water pressure to (barely) fill our storage tanks. Not so for the poor neighbors a few houses up the hill.
Adili is back in school and now officially knows about half his alphabet, his numbers to 20 (10 in Swahili), and about half a dozen bible verses. For a few weeks he kept blaming his naughty behavior on someone named “Taylor McKensie,” and I was seriously wondering if this was a fictional friend. Finally Wanjiru asked at his school and it turns out there really is a “Taylor McKensie.” Taylor and Adili were best friends, and the teachers had even separated them because they kept getting into trouble!
I finally visited Consolata Shrine in Nairobi, and got to see what I look like when memorialized in 15 stained glass windows. If you haven’t heard the story, well, ask me one day over dinner. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures linked below.
Finally, Wanjiru and Akili Dada are doing great – they will be adding 30 new scholars this year(!), and are currently involved in the selection process. In March she gave a speech at a gathering of six secondary schools and, when her name was announced, I heard a gasp among the students. They were so excited to see her speak!
We miss you all and wish you the very best! Photos are here:
IWA
Rutenberg Kenyan Adventure Vol. 1(1)
Hi everyone!
I hope you are all well. It’s been three weeks since Adili and I arrived inKenya, so time for an update. Pictures are available here http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/55026794/1/Rutenberg% 20Kenyan%20Adventure%20till% 2003-10-12?h=b9f9fc Housing: Wanjiru found a wonderful four bedroom town-home (here called a Maisonette) in a decent neighborhood that’s very conveniently located. It’s really in good shape and has a yard for Adili and for Wanjiru to try and grow stuff. The only drawback is that it’s next to a river, meaning the mosquitoes are crazy prolific. Enough DEET will cure that of course…School: Adili enrolled in a Christian preschool that is essentially a Montessori curriculum. He’s learning to write, learning his letters, learning “life skills” (washing hands, pouring drinks, etc.), memorizing Bible verses (really!), and just learning how to play with kids his age. It’s the best thing I could imagine for him – and he loves it! Grandma/Grandpa bought him his first bike and he of course loves that, too.Recreation: I ended my two year hiatus from golf this weekend. I also joined a gym where I’m forced to watch strange sports while riding my stationary bike (cricket, soccer, and rugby – i.e., boring, extra boring, and just plain confusing). This weekend we drove to Maasai land and Adili ended up the center of attention among a large group of Maasai kids. Wanjiru takes every Friday off of her Akili Dada work and uses it to build our lives here. She’s also thrilled because we bought a 40” plasma TV, which is by far nicer than what we have in the US.Speaking of Akili Dada, which is a main reason we are here, the organization is thriving. They plan to add 30 new scholars this year, which will almost double the number of girls in the program. It’s been getting lots of press (TV and newspapers) and Wanjiru is busy busy busy. Very rewarding and worth everything we are putting into it!So in conclusion, we are well and happy. Will be in the US from April 3 to May 3 or so, and then back here for a while. Kwa heri (good bye) until my next installment!Isaac, Wanjiru, and Adili
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