Legal Alien

I’m an alien, I’m a legal alien, I’m an Englishman in ………………. Kenya!

OK now I’ve got some of you with a tune rattling round your head again the link is below, (with apologies to Sting)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKAb-VOit0Q

I have, at last, managed to obtain my work permit and am now a fully ratified missionary for three years. If any body had predicted that happening prior to the year 2000 I would have said they were crazy. The Lord moves in amazing ways. Anyway, it’s a huge relief to be finished in Nairobi. I’ll be going back to Kosele tomorrow to pursue my missionary agenda!

It was a long day in Nairobi today. Our friend who was helping with the work permits told me to be ready to see him at 9.00 am and I didn’t actually get to see him until 2.15 pm. Hanging about in Nairobi is somewhat tedious, especially given the current  security situation. The immigration headquarters, (Nyayo House), is right in the heart of the city, and is surrounded by restaurants and fairly expensive shops. The government buildings, (Office of the President, Parliament buildings and High Court), are also close by. To be honest the people on the street didn’t seem too bothered by the threat of terrorism. The streets and roads were very busy, (we had to set off early this morning, at 7.30, for our 9.00 am rendezvous, because of the rush hour traffic). I did manage a bit of a wander around the streets in the immediate vicinity of Nyayo House and stopped at a nice, reasonably priced restaurant for lunch.

Deciding that the ‘wide open spaces’ were probably the best bet in terms of personal safety I spent a very pleasant forty minutes after lunch in Uhuru Park, watching Nairobi pass by. Uhuru means freedom in Swahili and the park celebrates Kenyan Independence. It’s a bit like Hyde Park in London – only a lot smaller. It does have a boating lake complete with pedalos. These were a big hit with a group of high school students who were obviously out on a trip of some description. A lady was preaching at high volume in one corner of the park, watched by a small but interested crowd and a large Marabou Stork, perched up in a tree by the boating pond. These huge birds wheel over the park and look like sentries standing on duty in the trees. They sway with the wind but seem completely unflappable. They look like they are wearing formal dress and stand very tall.

The last steps of the alien registration process were, fortunately, very straightforward. Once I received my official entry pass I had to have my passport stamped, then had to fill another form in, pay a two thousand shilling fee, had my fingerprints taken and was finally given an acknowledgement slip. My official alien ID card should be ready in six weeks, though given the conversations I overheard while I was sitting in the waiting area next to the window where these ID cards are given out, six weeks could be a euphemism for ‘sometime this year’. At this point this is the least of my worries. My passport has the relevant stamp and I’ve got an official form which has a number on it and says Entry Pass. At 10.00 am tomorrow I should be on a plane to Kisumu and from there back to my little house in Kosele. I can’t wait. It’s been a long week.