Loitokitok

It’s now time to introduce Loitokitok properly. Loitokitok, or Oloitokitok, bordering Tanzania, lies in the Southern part of Kenya and it is part of the Kajiado County. The reasons why Loitokitok is well known in Kenya is because of the view you get from there and for its population. Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa and the highest dormant volcanic mountain in the world, is located just across the border with Tanzania and it is perfectly visible from all angles of the village. Even though it has been my view for over three months from everywhere I was, I have never stopped being amazed by its beauty. The population of Loitokitok is formed mainly of Masai people: it is in fact, inhabited by very traditional tribes like the one mentioned.

On the road 

Mt. Kilimanjaro 

Loitokitok does not have clubs or other places where young people can hang out. Life is very different and there is no such concept of “let’s go chill at the pub” for the youth. We found, however, several bars around the village, way more than you could expect by this little town. The customers were almost exclusively adult men. According to Kenyan ideology of life, responsibilities and image, women at the bar were often associated with prostitution or considered like someone who ‘lost their way’. Teenagers also were not well seen if at the bar. Smoking a cigarette in public for a woman was as much as offensive, if not more. We, Uks, had difficulties to adapt to these concepts especially when, after a long day at work, all we could think of was to enjoy a nice beer in the sunshine. On the other hand, we have learnt how to remain ourselves and respecting the local culture at the same time: for example, we were not smoking a cigarette or consuming an alcoholic drink in public but only in secure places. We made sure not to offend the locals, especially the elderly. I have to mention how sometimes we did meet very nice people who with our big surprise understood our cultural differences and invited us to try a drink or to chat at the bar. The village nearby Loitokitok, Kimana, had instead several clubs and pubs and there it was easier for us to relax a little bit. We had the opportunity to enjoy the African music and to have fun as a team in one of the clubs there, Golden Dream. I will never forget that place.

Around town

Loitokitok Saturday Market: chaos.

Loitokitok has lots of small shops which would be the same of our convenience stores, selling basically everything but with no variety among each other, all the same goods: sweets, toilet paper, coffee, sugar and so on. Besides schools or workplaces, we found few shops selling stationery, few tailors, few eating places (very basic), one internet cafe with nine computers and one small supermarket: the only place where we could buy “Western” things. That was pretty much it. However, on Tuesdays and Saturdays everything was happening at the market area, in the very centre of the town where vegetables and fruits were exposed to buyers everywhere. During our time off from placements, we usually met up at Boma La Tumaini, the HIV and Women Support Centre of Loitokitok that also had a public “garden” on the front which was perfect for us to relax.