On Saturday we left for South Nyanza near Migori, close to the Tanzanian border. The roads were good once we left Kisumu, although traffic was heavy. We made good time and stayed at the Guest House of the local sugar company, which is the largest employer in the area. The complex includes the factory of course and a school, staff quarters and the small guest house.
We were invited to a harambee (a large fund raiser) to construct a vicarage for the local Anglican church. Bishop Oketch from our diocese of Maseno Northa arrived with a delegation of priests and others from Kakamega.
We were royally entertained by Professor Akello whose home is in the area and who is from Musinde Muliro University in Kakamega and a member of the Virtues Task Force. I took mainly video while there because the church has an excellent choir, and I think I have been successful in uploading one short sequence which you will find at the end of the message.
The Harambee was conducted by Hon. Dalmas Otieno, MP for the area and Minister of Local Development. He is holding the microphone in the picture as the donations are counted on the spot and in full view. With Otieno's large contribution, they raised 300,000 shillings (just under $5,000) which is about half what they will need for the house.
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On Monday before we left we drove past Migori with Bob Akello. The area is much less densely populated than here and is only recently opening up. The arrival of the cheap Chinese motor cycles has proved invaluable to these areas of the country crisscrossed with small dirt roads, allowing people to access towns, health care and markets much more easily. The countryside is lush and green (we had several downpours while there) and provides two crops a year.
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