A QUEST TO SEE NEGATIVE TRADIONAL BELIEVES

by Victor Okello (Kenya)

Making a local connection Kenya

Better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times, I had to go and see for myself about what have been hearing that at my Grandma's place people still strongly believe in some local tradion which had several negative impacts than the advantages so as I had planned in my dairy to visit my grandma over the weekend I packed all I could need but as a student who still lacks some travel gadgets like camera I had to go without the camera. On my way from home to the bus stop which was three minutes walk from home I boarded a public vehicle locally called "matatu" they were to take approximately eight hours because their were several bus stops along the way. I sat next to a man at the matatu so as an adventure I had to inquire more about the place I was headed to by keeping a positive and friendly attitude Mr.John who was sitting next to me was able to tell me a lot of what I was expected to see on our arrival. Along the way I could see several farming activities such as rice farming, tea farming and many other activities which generated income to both the citizen ,local government and the national government on arrival I could see several local citizens walking on bare foot without putting on shoes this are the rich people because of their natural resources and since they are doing large scale farming of several farm products as well as trading activities so I had to inquire more about this when my grandma came to pick me from the bus stop I was ready with several questions that were lingering in my mind. And to my surprise she came too bare footed so I had to ask why and she told me that it's there believe that if you put on shoes then that you would have your luck to the shoe maker and that this would anger the ancestors to Mee this was backwardness and pettiness since it was so risky to walk baref footed in that Rocky area since it could lead to injuries as well as foot infections such as infections by jiggers so i had to link up with some non governmental organizations and local government authorities in the importance of their local citizens putting shoes and having written several proposal's on this matter I had to join them to sensitize people at local events, churches and schools on the importance of putting shoes as their believe on that was so outdated and I thank several non governmental organizations which saw this and joined hands together to bring a change at Mundika a town next to Busia town, the boarder of Kenya and Uganda towards the west.