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Famine in Kenya Pt 4:Migration

  1. Posted on Sunday 16 August 2009 - 23:27
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    Bissil-Kajiado District

    The stench of the decaying carcass haunts the little town-heaps of the carcass are everywhere.A symbol of death in the vicinity.Children play around but still stop and stare at the abyss that is the carcass.

    There is so much of death that no one bothers to burn or even move the carcass to a place that the children can not reach.Instead,it is left for all to see as they enter the town.

    Lekishon-a Maasai herder in Bissil is among those angered by the government closing down the slaughter house that was in the town and instead opening another two kilometres away.

    ‘The cows are weak and can't walk –and we don’t have money to pay for transport.’Lekishon laments.

    The new slaughter house is open once a week making it hard for the cattle owners to sell enough or even for the butchery owners who buy meat from Bissil.

    Migration

    As the stench haunts the town ,another group of Maasai Herders begin the trek from Bissil to Nairobi which is around 120 Kilometres hoping to find pasture and water for the cattle.

    In this pursuit-some cattle will die on the way due to hunger-others due to fatigue from the long trek.As for the Maasai herders-it is a painful journey since they stand to lose a lot in case they don’t find pasture for the cattle.

    They make the journey to Nairobi-Thika and other parts of the country where they believe pasture is available.They cover over 300 kilometres in their quest for pasture.

    Some of the Maasai herders fall sick on the way-others are broken down by the perilous journey and others worry so much about the ones they have left behind who are mostly women and young children.This journey is normally made by men and able bodied male children.

    If they find pasture-they stay in the area until rains fall back in their homeland and then make the journey back.The Maasai herders migrate primarily to look for pasture for their animals and water.

    As i travel from Bissil to Nairobi-along the way i see herds of cattle moving along-leaving a cloud of dust as they go.All moving away from the hunger that has killed other animals to a place of hope yonder.



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