I remember reading some news on Corona in January, seeing some videos from hospitals in China, and thinking that a Zombie apocalypse is finally happening!
In Kenya, the lockdown started in mid-March. Traveling among counties was banned, schools got closed, and there was a curfew from 7 pm to 5 am every day. Restaurants were open only for take-away. Many companies implemented home-office for all employees except for the production side. For Kenya, a complete shutdown was economically not possible. A significant population works in the informal sector and lives on daily income, which means you only get food only on the days you work. For this population, hunger is more important than a pandemic. Sure the people kept going to their work wearing masks and hurrying not to be back home later than the curfew. Because if you break the curfew, the police might hunt you, which would result in a night in jail, violence, or bribery.
In the beginning, my partner was worried about unrest in the country. My first concern was the idea of getting sick but not getting the necessary treatment because there are not enough beds, ICU units, doctors, hospitals. We considered leaving Kenya, but it was home for us. Leaving Nairobi would mean going back to our countries separately because we were legally not able to go to the same country either. So we decided to stay together in Nairobi. Towards the end of March, the airport was closed anyway.
My partner and I started to work from home. We were doing grocery shopping once a week and on weekends going to the Karura Forest for a walk. Mountain biking was off the table for some time just because of the idea of having an accident that would force us to go to a hospital. Luckily, we had a spacious flat. Staying at home was a lot easier for us than a person living in a small apartment without a balcony. Sure we were scared to get sick because the government was taking every positive case in state quarantine. I don’t know anyone who did that quarantine, but all the posts I’ve read online were very negative. We kept seeing only one couple of friends during the first month. That way, we limited the interaction and stayed sane. Mid-April, I lost my job due to COVID-19, I saw it coming, but still, it was devastating. Staying home became more challenging when unemployed. So I started to cook more and more, every day I could easily spend 4 hours in the kitchen trying a new recipe. At least our stomachs were satisfied. I was reading a lot, binge-watching TV series, and doing puzzles. Close to the end of April, we found a home-trainer for cycling at home. That was a gamechanger! I started cycling for one hour a day, four days a week. So it legitimized my big appetite.
We used to spend most weekends out of Nairobi. With the lockdown, we got to enjoy our home. Due to closed borders, international tourism was dead for the season. The hotels decreased their prices. The first time we slept somewhere else than our home was in May. We decided to stay at the Masai Lodge near the Nairobi National Park. It was our first night out with friends at a hotel. And it felt good to be somewhere different finally. Following that, we stayed in a few more places with small groups of friends such as Karen Gables and Olmaroroi House. In time, we became less scared of getting the virus, so our circle of friends expanded as well. We started to plan pajama parties with small groups; we enjoyed some long drinking nights at home with friends. May and June went fast with all these small gatherings and weekends. In June, the curfew got extended until 9 pm, and some restaurants opened with a lot of restrictions. All tables were at least 1 meter away from each other, measuring fever and getting hands washed at the entrance, not letting guests sit next to each other, and closing early still. So social life got a bit more exciting. And finally, in July, the government permitted traveling among counties again. Unlucky for the restaurants, they banned selling alcohol in all restaurants.
In July, once the traveling ban got lifted, we immediately planned our weekends to complete our bucket-list in Kenya; because we knew that we would move to another country as soon as the international borders are open! So our first trip in mid-July was to Mount Kenya; you can read the detailed story of our Lenana Summit here. We were lucky with the weather, and this was my most challenging hiking story that went pretty successful. Our last big trip was to the beautiful Maasai Mara. Those two spots are very touristic. Sad for tourism in Kenya, lucky for us, we got to enjoy these two spots without having many others around.
One important thing I want to include here is the solidarity in Kenya during this time. As in all other countries, many people lost their jobs in Kenya. In the slums, where people don’t have access to clean water, the spread of the pandemic was a danger. There were a lot of initiatives to help communities in need in different parts of the country. Every week, with donations, food packages, and disinfectants distributed to people in need. This help was not a governmental aide; it was purely solidarity. It did not solve all the problems for good, but it helped many people.
We left Kenya on 2nd August for good for a new adventure. From March 2019 to August 2020, it became home for us, a short adventurous period. Now feeling that I left a piece of my heart and soul in Kenya, I move on.
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