Mabera Village Bank

I took a short flight with the company CEO to a visit a town called Kisumu in western Kenya. We were on our way to the opening ceremony of an FSA in the rural town of Mabera. Kisumu is the situated on the banks of Lake Victoria and very close to the village where Obama’s father was born. In the airport, I noticed a truckload of CNN baggage on its way back to Nairobi following the election last week.

Western Kenya seemed to mix lush basins with rolling hills scattered with small holder farms and remote towns. The company truck was skillfully maneuvered along the pothole riddled mountain roads at high speeds by our veteran driver, Asika. Our team of five representatives from the K-Rep Group arrived in Mabera and were promptly introduced to the village leadership and provided with a tour of the new FSA building. Ceremonies soon began under a tent with several hundred of the village residents in attendance. The Mabera village leaders delivered a series of long-winded speeches and introduced the newly elected bank board of directors. Our ceremony was then graced with the presence of the provincial government District Officer and District Commissioner (along with their full security detail in tow). Thankfully, a group of elders and traditional African dancers preformed to break up the speeches. I managed to throw out a few moves myself.

Eventually it came time to explain why I was present as the only foreigner for hundreds of miles. I was handed the microphone after a lengthy introduction as Mr. Robinson from K-Rep and I proceeded to use as many Swahili phrases as I knew. At the end of my speech, I threw in a line about being an American and how I was happy for Barak Obama. The audience then gave me a standing ovation.

The Mabera community truly embraced this FSA and I expect the bank to be a valuable resource for small businesses. I even purchased three official shares of the bank myself and anticipate a dividend within the year.

Our CEO flew back to Nairobi but Asika and I remained in Kisumu for another day and then drove the 7hr and 480kms home. I did not even notice the length of the drive since the scenery kept me well occupied. We would stop by street vendors in every town to purchase bananas, potatoes, sugar cane and anything else that might fit in the bed of the pickup truck. Asika explained to me that he was supporting the rural businesses and saving his family from the heavy costs of produce in Nairobi. This trip was a highlight to my experience this far and I hope to participate in a few more journeys throughout rural Kenya.

Here are some more pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/nat.robinson/KisumuTripAndMaberaFSA