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I still can’t believe I drove to Magadi and couldn’t be allowed past the barrier entering the town because (a) COVID (b) I’m not a resident (c) Arguing with security guards doesn’t reach you far (d) Katiba lies that we have freedoms, hakuna 
A SHORT THREAD.
A SHORT THREAD.
Know your Country: I learnt yesterday - at a great personal cost - that Magadi Town is not a public town per se. It’s not like Homa Bay or Embu. It’s a Tata Chemicals fiefdom, manned by ‘rude’ G4S guards who decide who gets in, per orders from their bosses. #Magadi
I got into an argument about rights, about being Kenyan, about freedom of movement, about all those things we think are ours by virtue of being citizens. As it got heated, I realized it wasn’t even an argument. It was a lost cause. #Magadi
I couldn’t bring myself to begging to gain access, so I turned to drive back to Nairobi (I mean O’Rongai) but there was a problem. I was on low fuel. #Magadi
I turned back. I pleaded to access to the fuel station. Entry not permitted. Some mama selling food (God bless our mothers) told me she could talk to the supervisor. Took out her phone only to realize she’d forgotten how she’d saved the number (again, God bless our mothers)
At last some shuka-clad knife wielding Maasai appeared, heard the story and told me he can get me five litres. How much per litre. Ksh180. Bring five. I paid. Five minutes later, 5 ltrs. I love Maasais for their honesty. No, I don’t mean Ledama Olekina “level” of Maasai honesty
Lesson: We take the places we can visit without barriers and “no entry” signs for granted. But slowly by slowly, much of these places are getting out of reach... I learned that everything in #Magadi township is owned by Tata Chemicals. Everything.
The roads, the eateries, the petrol station, the only two schools, the hospital, the people, the politicians, the police post, land and air; all of it is owned by chemical giant Tata, Africa’s largest soda ash producer.
#Magadi Town has a single road entry above a causeway, either side of which is Lake Magadi, with its pungent smell of chemicals and dead flamingoes 
. That entry is the endpoint of the laws of your country, then Tata Chemicals takes over. Ever heard of United Fruit Company?
. That entry is the endpoint of the laws of your country, then Tata Chemicals takes over. Ever heard of United Fruit Company?
