June 2004 | Vol 40 No 6 | Index

LIFE: Ten Years in Kenya
By Fr. Kieran Healy, O.P.
Nairobi, Kenya

s I reflect on my ten years in Kenya, I must acknowledge that these years saw the sad decline of the nation’s wealth due to corrupt public officials.  We also realized the full impact of the AIDS pandemic.  Only now with a reform-oriented government are people becoming more hopeful.  Some AIDS education programs are in place and country people are beginning to realize that sleeping with a virgin will not cure the disease.

n Church affairs there are many leaders who are totally disorganized, authoritarian, and even economic opportunists.  However in spite of all kinds of  posturing and pretense the missionary spirit prevails and such people are tolerated but exert little influence on the lives of ordinary people.  “Live and let live,” is the order of the day.  In a climate of excessive rhetoric and very poor infrastructure other virtues prevail.  Africans are masters of improvisation.  Flexibility and the generous understanding of human needs are highly valued.  Hospitality and friendship are celebrated in the poorest of circumstances.  The filth and harshness of the cities are slowly healed by the tropical rains and the returning fresh vegetation.  Practical goals are harder to achieve amid countless inept bureaucracies.  The tropical

sun  lowers  one’s  energies and ordinary activities require more time and effort.  But there are also the blessings of peace and a less frantic pace of life.  You need to make choices about what is really important.  The spectrum of failure and frustration is more pervasive than what I have experienced in other cultures.

ut in this setting I have met some of the most wonderful people on earth.  Africans carry heavy burdens, yet arise with a spirit of love and joy that spreads to all those around them.  We laugh together at our outrageous failures every day, but we savor the humanity of people we are learning to love. I have had wonderful experiences with people in the villages and parishes.  My life   has  been  enriched  by their heroism and kindness along with a spiritual vision that I am yet to decipher.  I have also really enjoyed the people who come to Kenya to make a difference.  I have the highest regard for missionaries of all faiths as well as the volunteers and people who run the relief agencies.  Amid unbelievable circumstances, they make the words and concern of Christ live for others.

But we all fail and we laugh together until the tears come.  I was on the phone recently with an American woman who came to Kenya 40 years ago with a college degree and a knapsack.  We were vigorously discussing a failed art project.  She said, “You know I used to be a really nice person.”  And yet she returns to the battle daily.  I love that  sort of spirit,  and it has been grand to share a small part of it.

ecently a woman from the village with an infant recovering from open-heart surgery showed up with a 17-year-old young man.  He had seen the lady here requesting aid when he also came for assistance.  That night, shut out of his hut for non-payment of rent, he showed up at her hut with his 13-year-old brother and eight-year-old sister.  The father  died  a  few  years ago and the mother disappeared into Nairobi with mental illness.  He supports the family with casual labor when he can get it.  They had nowhere to go.  She simply took them in.  I tried to get the children into an orphanage but there were no vacancies.  We got them into school but could do nothing for their living situation.  I gave a small loan to the young man so he could start a business.  To my embarrassment, he rushed over and knelt down to take the money.  I jumped up, all flustered saying, “Count it.  Make sure it’s all there!”

Well, these generous, suffering, life-tested people are certainly “all there.”  And it has been a joy to be a part of their journey.  Thank you for sharing it with me.