garissa

     the little town in northeastern kenya was hot and dusty as we pulled in from the south in july of 1971.  the main street, the only street, was quiet in the midday heat, the odd mongrel dog peering at us from the meager shade of a storefront overhang - a rooster scratching hither and yon, cackling loudly as our three vehicle entourage pulled to a stop in front of patel's general store.

the day before we'd flown from nairobi to malindi on kenya's east coast, occasionally idling on one wing over tsavo's elephant herds - "that's what we're after boys - a big tusker," shouted glen over the engine's clamor.  at malindi we joined the trucks for the trip north to cross to the tana river's east bank at garissa.

we passed through garsen, heading north to galole where we planned to fly camp - sleep under the stars - before pushing on.  in the morning we kicked aside the thorn boma surrounding our beds [to keep the lions at bay], had a quick coffee and were on our way.  rumbling through numerous little villages with names like makere, wenje, and bili [swahili for two], we eventually arrived at mr. patel's establishment.  after gassing up, swallowing some of mr. patel's sweet indian chai and whistling up the boys [some of whom had gone to get their backs straightened at the local whore house] we  swung east, crossed  the tana and turned south - our objective was hunting block 16a - elephant territory.

i tell this tale because garissa has lately been in the news...as the center of a somali/kenyan war.  the territory we hunted - east of the tana - has long been  disputed.  the somals claim it as theirs - the kenyans likewise.  i don't know why either would want it, it is godforsaken - dry and flat, bush covered with only the odd water hole breaking the hard desert country.  a few somali bomas dot the area.  nothing else but elephant and a gaunt lion or two populate the place.  the elephant gave rise to poaching gangs of deadly efficiency in the late 70s and shifta, somali thugs, ran raids in the old days into kenya - and mr. patel's store [as he so fervently swore] -  from time to time.

now there is a full  fledged war raging and garissa is at its center.  at the moment kenya holds the advantage, but if al qaeda sees a reason to enter on the side of the somals things may change.  god help mr. patel and his chickens should that occur.