3 Lions Reunion

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Mwarauka (man of the morning), Ras Jimmy Kaingu, and Ras Nicholas John Nakis Amha Selassie. The 3 lions reunion.

I’ve known Jimmy forever, since we were both much younger men with no children yet. His family have been friends with Chelly’s family since school days. In fact, it was his sister Christine who first brought Chelly over to Thailand. His brother Steve was one of the first people I met on the very day I arrived in Mombasa all the way back in 2007. He took me to train at his backyard gym and I became a regular visitor for reasonings around Jimmy's yard. While Steve's gym was a gathering place for anyone who wanted to train the body with exercise, Jimmy's yard was a gathering place for those who wanted to train the mind with reasoning and the peaceful exchange of ideas. At Jimmy's, I got to speak with Rastas of many different persuasions, as well as Muslims and even African Mormons. Every time I come to Mombasa, I make it a point to track down Jimmy, even if only for a short visit like this one.

I have known Mwarauka almost as long as I've known Jimmy. He’s our go-to motorcycle (boda-boda) driver whenever we come to town and an old friend of my brother Stringa. Mwarauka lives in the Mlango Saba (7 doors) neighborhood, just one hill away from Baba Javan's house. While I used to walk a half hour to Mshomoroni Mosque to catch the matatu, now I just call Mwarauka and he's up to the house in a flashy motorcycle in minutes. With a good Reggae soundtrack and some new tarmac to smooth the ride, it beats sitting in a matatu any day.

Mwarauka and Jimmy have known each other for many years as well, either from the times when I’ve introduced them in the past, or when Chelly’s brothers have introduced them--no one's really sure what happened first. When Jimmy was working for a while in Mlango Saba, they saw each other frequently. So, today was a nice little reunion as we visited Jimmy’s mother and shared some fresh fruits for lunch.

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" - Psalms 133:1 KJV

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