From the sublime to the ridiculous...

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So.... Kenya seems to have gone crazy in the last few days. A law-making, law-changing frenzy is in place. Here's a sample...

1. Maternity care (ie having a baby in a public hospital) is now free. Actually, all public hospital care has recently become free here, which is a very good thing. When we first arrived, there was a big board out the front of the hospital with costs on it. Now there are signs everywhere saying 'usilipe hapa' (don't pay here). For interest's sake, a 'major operation' used to cost the equivalent of $60AUD. I'm not sure what constitutes major, but I don't think I'd be getting anything like that done here if I could help it!!!

2. It is now illegal for a shop to give you a plastic bag. This is to be applauded for its obvious environmental benefits. But, the police have now arresting people on the streets of Nairobi for simply carrying plastic bags... Not sure of the fine print of that law change, but I suspect some liberties are being taken on the part of the cops here...

3. This is totally ridiculous....Apparently, on Monday, the law was changed to make it illegal to have tinted windows in cars. On Tuesday morning at 7.30am David, our taxi driver, was stopped by the police as his car had tinted windows. He was arrested and taken to the cells, where he was locked up for 5 hours before going to court. There he was fined the equivalent of $10AUD. Ridiculous. Incarceration due to your car windows. What is the world coming to????

Ok, that's all for now. Masai Mara tomorrow, then a night in Nairobi on the weekend before Dad and Liam fly back home. No plastic bags for us! Kx

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