My Hometown of Kiserian

My hometown of Kiserian is a typical Third World shopping centre. It is often noisy and littered with garbage. Greasy water can always be seen flowing in its drainage system. Usually dusty in dry weather, the town turns disgustingly muddy when it rains.

I will never forget one rainy morning in 2015 when the mud in Kiserian almost ruined my day. Dressed in a black pair of trousers, a white shirt and a tie, I was walking in the town that morning on my way to Nairobi when I suddenly slid and fell on the ground.

Fortunately, I landed on my hands, so only my palms became muddy. Had I landed with my whole body, my white shirt would have been smeared with mud, forcing me to go back home to change my clothes. Such is how the backwardness of Kiserian affects us.

That Kiserian is backward became more apparent to me in 2015 when a friend of mine in America pointed out that the background of a video for my song titled "Beautiful Kenya" was uninviting. He commented that the song video, which had been shot in Kiserian, didn't bring out the beauty of Kenya I was singing about.

Like you would expect of any backward town, Kiserian has a number of mad people who loiter around in shabby clothes. They can sometimes be seen scavenging through garbage for something to eat. Some of them occasionally draw attention with their antics.

Just recently as I was going for my evening walk to Kiserian Town, I saw a madman hit moving vehicles with his feet. Most motorists ignored him. But one motorist, whose car was slightly dented by the madman, stopped to inspect the damage, thus causing a minor traffic jam.

A crowd of onlookers gathered at the scene. I didn't pause to witness the real-life drama that was unfolding; I just continued with my walk to Kiserian Town, thinking to myself that the madman had risked being lynched by a mob.

On my way back home from Kiserian Town, I was curious to see what had happened to the madman. But alas! Everything at the spot where he had caused a fracas had gone back to normal by the time I reached there. I didn't even see the madman anywhere nearby.

Despite its backwardness, Kiserian is a lovely place to live and do business. Most of its people are friendly. Its weather is warm and pleasant throughout the year. And it is never plagued by such natural disasters as floods, droughts, hurricanes, earthquakes and forest fires.

Having come to love Kiserian, I look forward to showing my future wife the beautiful mosaic of undulating hills, seasonal streams and rolling savannah grasslands that surround the town. I also look forward to introducing her to the wonderful friends I have made here. God bless Kiserian!

*******************
RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed the above story on my hometown of Kiserian, you might also enjoy another one on "Tracing My Roots" which I wrote more than four years ago. Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.