Road Block

George had to go to Kenya on Monday to pick up a new guest from the airport (more on that in another blog). He planned to spend the night in Kenya and drive back on Tuesday morning. On Tuesday morning, I called him to make sure they had left. The connection wasn't clear, but I managed to understand that they were stopped on the way to the border, unable to proceed because people were blocking the road. These people were demanding the government listen to them. I didn't catch who was causing the road block, but I wasn't surprised. In Kenya it seems someone is always striking... teachers, doctors, etc. So, I told George we would be praying and I planned to call him back in a bit to check on things. A couple hours later, I called back and asked "ok, who is causing the road block?" He said "the Maasai. An elephant killed one of their own and they want the government to kill it. They won't open the road until the head of the elephant is brought to the road." What... what? I needed to make sure I heard right. I asked "You (and everyone else stuck) can't go to the border until the head of an elephant is brought to the road?" "Yes." said George.

Only in Africa.

Apparently, the Maasai (a tribe in Kenya and Tanzania known being good warriors and for living simple lives in the bush) had been having trouble with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officials. Wild animals had invaded their land, destroying their crops and KWS kept brushing off their requests for help. Now, a child was killed by an elephant and this time the Maasai wouldn't be ignored. Due to their drastic measures of blocking the road, government officials arrived to take care of the situation. They helicoptered in and took one Maasai to find the elephant. This Maasai would serve as a witness for the rest of the tribe. They located the elephant and killed it, bringing the head and other body parts to the road. George saw some of the pieces. After four hours of being stuck, George finally could head to the border and made it to Moshi a few hours later.

Crazy!