"Asante ya punda ni mateke"- Translation: “the thanks of a donkey is a kick”. This is exactly the way I can describe the situation in Kenya by the Somali people. They came in droves and settled in Kenya either by their own or placed in the camps after the ongoing wars in their own country Somali. Those who came prepared stayed in very luxurious places as long as they could afford. Did anyone bother them? Nope!
They joined other foreigners who enjoy living in Kenya. Kenya can be called “a melting pot” so as to say. If one is making a project that need textile or food condiments, you have to go to River Road street where the Indians shops line one after the other. Yes, Kenyans love their Lingala music but guess what- some Congolese came and settled – which Kenyan does not sing along and dance to the Virunga music and the Popolipo!!
Talk about the taste of Italy. Just travel to Malindi and you will be in some little town of Italy with marvelous Italian food style. Actually many cities have markets that carry local products and foreign foods to cater for the visitors if you know what I mean. “Expatriate living garage sale” is commonly known to many locals who want to buy exported things without flying out of the country.
Today we see the bombing of Gikomba market- this is an open air-market place where people come to buy second hand clothes, shoes, handbags etc. For those who are not able to shop from the upscale high-end malls and boutiques, this is their place also known as “Sunshine Boutique” – you can guess why. Why is this happening in a land where everyone felt free and that your worst enemy or fear were the thieves or those homeless kids who could harass you on the streets if you refused to “shota”- slung for donate some money.
Let me then suggest to you why I started with my saying above about donkey thanks---. This reasoning behind the bombing in Kenya is that they claim to be retaliating for Kenya's military involvement in Somalia since 2011. Could be true but this involvement came as a result of them attacking and kidnapping foreign aids from UN who were out to help in Somali. They did it towards the Kenyan boarder and there was fear all over not to mention the bandits. There were small blasts targeting the public means called ‘matatu” even before this military involvement. What about the 1998 bombing of the US Embassy in Kenya. Do you know how many US citizens, Kenyan or any other citizen died?
I know it may not be all the Somalis who settled in Kenya doing this but there are small pockets of them helping the bad guys when they come to do this ugly stuff according to what we read in the press or being reported. I pen off now but still wondering why you would want to hurt and destabilize the one place that gave you some home and stability when you needed it.
Thanks!
Jen
--------------------------------------------
On Fri, 5/16/14, Awa Madison <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Subject: Kenya's Nairobi hit by twin blasts in Gikomba market
To:
Date: Friday, May 16, 2014, 8:53 AM
16 May 2014
Last updated at 09:44 ET
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta: "All of us around
the world must be united to ensure that we are able to
fight this
particular terror"
Two
explosions have struck the Gikomba market area of the
Kenyan capital
Nairobi, killing at least 10 people and injuring scores,
officials say.
It is not clear what caused the blasts but Kenya has been
hit by a spate of attacks in recent years.
They have mostly been blamed on the
al-Shabab militant Islamist group from neighbouring
Somalia.
Hundreds of British tourists have been evacuated
from the coastal resort area of Mombasa amid warnings of an
attack.
British tour companies have suspended flights to
Mombasa, Kenya's second largest city.
High threat
The Kenyan National Disaster Operation Centre said
the first
explosion occurred in a minibus, the second in the large
open-air
Gikomba market.
Police officials told the Reuters news agency
they suspected the blast had been caused by an improvised
explosive device.
Hospital sources said at least 70 people were injured in the
blast
Hundreds of British tourists have been evacuated from
Mombasa amid warnings of an attack
Pictures from the scene showed clothing blown onto
telephone
wires above. Fire engines and the Red Cross were at the
scene tending
the injured.
Hospital sources told the BBC at least 70 people
had been wounded.
President Kenyatta vowed to fight
"evil" terrorism following the attacks.
"All of us around the world must be united
to ensure that we
are able to fight this particular terror," he said at a
news conference.
Earlier this week, authorities tightened security
at bus
stations, requiring all passengers to be screened before
boarding. They
also ordered all vehicles to have clear glass windows.
Friday's
bombings took place two days after the UK, France and the US
warned there was a high threat of attacks in Kenya.
Kenya had rebuked the countries for issuing their
warnings, saying the tourism industry would be affected.
Correspondents say many Kenyans are expressing
their frustration at the worsening insecurity.
The government recently round up all refugees of
Somali
origin in an attempt to rid the city of terror suspects they
believe to
be hiding among refugees.
The al-Qaeda-linked group al-Shabab has launched
a series of
attacks against Kenyan targets in recent years, claiming to
be
retaliating for Kenya's military involvement in Somalia
since 2011.
In September, at least 67 people were killed when
al-Shabab
fighters seized the upmarket Westgate shopping mall in
Nairobi for four
days.
Earlier this year, there were riots in Mombasa
after a
radical Muslim cleric who was accused of recruiting
youngsters for
al-Shabab was shot dead.
--
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