By AnneMarie Knepper
Albany Democrat-Herald | Posted: Sunday, January 20, 2008 12:00 am
Mid-valley couple share their experiences living through turmoil in Nairobi
For former Albany residents Dan and Sally Gradin, the first weeks of the new year have been a period of turmoil and uncertainty. They live in Nairobi, where the presidential election of Dec. 27 was followed by rioting, looting and politically motivated killings.
They shared their experiences in e-mails over the first couple of weeks of January.
"It's been stunning to see how quickly life can be turned upside down," Sally wrote.
The Gradins joined Christian Blind Mission International in 1997 after Dan was discharged from the Army, where he did his training at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. They lived in Nairobi, Kenya's capital city, from 1997 to 2001, then returned there in 2003.
Dan, 46, is an ophthalmologist, treating primarily cataracts but also diseases not seen in the U.S., such as trachoma, a fly-borne disease that causes the eyelids to turn inward and scar the cornea from the eyelashes rubbing.
Sally, 43, earned a technical journalism degree. After a few years in the field, she became a fulltime homemaker in 1990, when their first of three biological children were born. In Nairobi, her main focus has been helping a small slum near their house called Mji wa Huruma (City of Mercy).
The couple and their now five children (one adopted and one soon-to-be adopted) live in the Gigiri area of Nairobi, the home of the largest U.N. center in the world outside of New York, as well as the new American Embassy. The original was bombed in 1998.
Tourism is a major industry in Nairobi and English is the predominant language. Both she and Dan speak Kiswahili, used in other parts of Kenya.
"Nairobi functions on English so well that you can easily live here and never learn Kiswahili," she said. "The few of us who do are greatly appreciated by the Kenyans, and it significantly affects how they view and treat us - much more warmly and personally."
Nairobi has all the comforts of a large American city, including movie theatres and drama productions. Dan has played with the Nairobi Orchestra and Nairobi Jazz Society.
Their children attend Rosslyn Academy, a school of 480 students started to serve missionary kids, now also teaching Kenyans, and children of those with the U.N., embassies and international business.
Up until the presidential election, Sally described Kenya as peaceful and stable. Most Africans viewed the country the same way.
But on Dec. 30 Sally wrote: "Things here are in an uproar. I have never seen a week like this one."
The presidential race was between the incumbent, Mr. Kibaki, and a challenger, Raila Odinga, Dan explained. The incumbent won and accusations of a fixed election were immediately raised.
During the announcement of the victor, crowds became so raucous they were removed from the building.
"The president was immediately sworn in," Sally wrote. "This was in contrast to five years ago, when he was sworn in downtown with thousands cheering."
Live news broadcasts were banned and there were threats that cell phone texting would be shut down, with the government claiming live coverage incites riots and cell phone texting passes false rumors.
"Unfortunately in Kenya, some of our worst fears have materialized in post-election violence," Dan wrote Jan. 1. Hundreds had been killed and thousands had burned in their homes. Those who survived the fires camped out in front of police stations.
Grocery stores were closed and gas stations were without fuel. Friends trying to return to Nairobi were delayed for hours due to burning trees lying across the road, Sally wrote Jan. 9.
"There are many, many Kenyans who live and work in Nairobi who are still up in the Rift Valley and Western Province and have been afraid to drive back for fear of gangs burning their vehicles," she wrote. "Until a few days ago, most of those roads were blocked anyway by gangs scattering large rocks all over them. The news said a couple nights ago that the military had managed to reopen all those roads, one rock at a time."
On Jan. 19, Sally said demonstrations had continued through the week but Odinga's party had called them off and was turning toward boycotts against companies connected to top government figures.
"That makes it more difficult at times, knowing how to plan, having to deal with the shortages and other disruptions that will come, and continuing to deal with a continual level of tension and stress of one degree or another," Sally wrote.
She said the Kenyan schools, and the school her children attend, finally opened up on Monday, but the few students showed up.
"People are settling into a pattern of keeping tuned into the news and avoiding becoming part of it as they try to continue on with life."
How to help
The Gradins' church in Kenya, Karura Community Chapel, has been hosting about 260 refugees from a town several hours away in western Kenya. It is the first time this type of humanitarian effort has been attempted at the church.
To donate funds, send a check to the U.S. CBM office at 450 East Park Ave., Greenville, SC 29601. Mark checks for "Kenya Relief."