A LOVE LETTER TO KENYA - GRAHAM GUY BARRATT

KARL.

Dagoz Dagoretti Corner Karandini Road Nairobi 23.08 Sunday 19th May 2019

JAMES.

Dagoz Dagoretti Corner Karandini Road Nairobi 17.59 Sunday 19th May 2019

SAM ROADSIDE FISH SELLER, ON THE NAKURU - NAIROBI ROAD nr. NAIVASHA. NAKURA COUNTY.

The demand for fish from Lake Naivasha has dropped by more than 40 per cent in the last two months. Fishermen and fishmongers say tonnes of fish are rotting in the market, attributing this to bad weather and the region's recent bout of volatile politics. A visit to the Karagita landing beach on the southern part of the lake paints a gloomy picture and all along the road fish sellers stand waving fish at passing cars in a desperate effort to off load their fish and make at least a little money.

CHANCE. PIPELINE ESTATE ROAD NR KURURA FOREST NAIROBI 2018.

I'd have been proud to have this man as my son, sadly I never had the chance to say 'goodbye'.

BERNARD.PARKLANDS ROAD. NAIROBI 2018.

BRIDEMAIDS. NAIROBI.

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN. PRIVILEGE AND SEPARATION..

From the other side of the fence that borders the racecourse those that cannot afford the 100 shilling entry fee or who are simply deemed 'not right' for entry watch on as privileged race goers watch on as race after race passes and finishes just within sight while those less privileged tip toe to see through the wire or climb a little higher to catch a glimpse of the finishing line. Ngong Racecourse Ngong Road Nairobi 15.39 Sunday 12th May 2019

INSIDE LOOKING OUT. THE PRIVILEDGED SIDE OF THE FENCE.

THE SPECTATOR

PUNTERS.

MR. MOSES MINUAMO.

From Western Kenya having a flutter Ngong Racecourse Ngong Road Nairobi 15.08 Sunday 12th May 2019

MR. M KIILU.

No 6 on 'Bulawayo' comes 3rd in The Kaskazi Handicap Ngong Racecourse Ngong Road Nairobi 14.30 Sunday 12th May 2019

MR. J MUHINDI.

On Number 5 wins The Kaskazi Handicap Ngong Racecourse Ngong Road Nairobi 15.32 Sunday 12th May 2019

MR. K NGANGA.

Unplaced on Number 3 in The Kaskazi Handicap Ngong Racecourse Ngong Road Nairobi 14.35 Sunday 12th May 2019

AND THEY'RE OFF..!

Lesley Sercombe on 'Fast Five' breaks and leads from the start to win the Kenya Oaks. 15.36 Sunday 12th May 2019 Ngong Racecourse Nairobi

LESLEY SERCOMBE.

Jockey Lesley romps home over the 2,400m on 3 Year Old Number 2 Fast Five owed by M/s. Y. Patel, P. Sigwart & D. Ansell to win this years Kenya Oaks. Ngong Racecourse, Ngong Road, Nairobi. 12th May 2019.

TO THE TRACK

JOCKEY NUMBER 4 KENYA OAKS 2019

HOMEWARD BOUND. NGONG RACECOURSE, NAIROBI. 12TH MAY 2019.

RESCUE WITH FRANCIS

PIECE OF CAKE.

Ngong Racecourse, Ngong Road, Nairobi. 12th May 2019.

THE RESULTS MAN

Ngong Racecourse, Ngong Road, Nairobi.

THE ICE CREAM MAN COMETH

Ngong Racecourse, Ngong Road, Nairobi.

ENTRANCE FEE 500KSL

So we give one of the poor kids the money outside the gate and with a wide beaming smile and polite bow she runs to the kiosk whereupon she reaches up and pays then turns and waves a toothy smile of joy and goes into the racecourse to live her dream for the last 3 races of the afternoon. The guy at the kiosk smiles, he knows how it is to be so young and curious it was once him trying to sneak in by any means to see the horses parade and flash past the finishing post from the other side of the fence.

MAX & RALPH

Ngong Racecourse Golf Club

THE RAILWAY LADIES

Family girls at a wedding pose in the shade of the TANGANYIKA RAILWAYS 2921 'MASAI OF KENYA' NORTH BRITISH, TRIBAL CLASS 2-8-2 steam engine laid to rest and pass out the rest of its days in the wonderful Nairobi Railway Museum.

SISTERS AND BROTHER

A very special family day while taking a proud moment beneath TANGANYIKA RAILWAYS 2921 'MASAI OF KENYA' NORTH BRITISH, TRIBAL CLASS 2-8-2.

UNTITLED

A family picture in the shade of the TANGANYIKA RAILWAYS 2921 'MASAI OF KENYA' NORTH BRITISH, TRIBAL CLASS 2-8-2.

BEN

Sitting in the shade of the TANGANYIKA RAILWAYS 2921 'MASAI OF KENYA' NORTH BRITISH, TRIBAL CLASS 2-8-2.

SUNDAY BEST AND THE KENYATTA ICC FROM UHURU HIGHWAY NAIROBI

ON THE CORNER OF LOITA STREET AND KENYATTA AVENUE NAIROBI.

EVENING COMMUTERS CENTRAL NAIROBI

BOY VEVE BASE SYDNEY SHOP AND THE OLD MARKET BEFORE DEMOLITION WESTLANDS NAIROBI 2017

BIKE TAXI RANK NEAR WAIYAKI WAY PARKLANDS BEFORE DEMOLITION AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW RING ROAD NAIROBI NOVEMBER 2017

NAIROBI CATWALK

SAUL

December 2017 at the market in central Westlands, Nairobi Saul sells beautiful Ebony Masai figures carved by his grandfather from the Macharos Esten area of Kenya.

Then wind forward to the 10th May 2018 and the Daily Nation newspaper of Kenya reports;

"Dozens of businesses were destroyed Thursday morning when stalls at the curio market in Westlands, Nairobi were demolished by a multi-agency team drawn from the Kenyan Roads Authorities accompanied by armed police who blocked the road and redirected traffic during the exercise.

The curio shops, eateries and cloths shops all made from iron sheets were torn down. Most of the affected traders were not able to salvage anything and helplessly watched as the bulldozers crushed their life work.”

The traders had been given two months notice but had asked for an extension as a new market was being built for them. The very plush and grand Sankara Hotel opposite was started and finished while the traders were still waiting for their new market to be completed. Built on a road reserve the market apparently had to be demolished to make way for the expansion of a new road although with the surrounding narrow roads, their condition and overall congestion of Nairobi's roads one would question for what end..?

BIKE TAXI RANK PARKLANDS RING ROAD CONSTRUCTION LOOKING TOWARDS WAIYAKI WAY NAIROBI MAY 2019

JUSTUS, MICHAEL & THE CREW.

Finishing their shift at the end of the day where Saul once stood selling his fathers hand carvings in the old market. Parklands Ring Road construction Waiyaki Way Nairobi 16.51 Monday 06th May 2019

ROAD CONSTRUCTION LOOKING TOWARDS WAIYAKI WAY NAIROBI MAY 2019

A MAN AND HIS LEYLAND SUPER BEAVER

Corner of Waiyaki Way and Rhapta Road Westlands Nairobi.

JULIUS AND RESCUED ORPHAN ELEPHANTS AT THE DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST, NAIROBI

DAVID AND BETTY AT THE GIRAFFE CENTER NAIROBI

ENID. WESTLANDS NAIROBI.

MONICA. NAIROBI.

BARRY

EDWIN NAIROBI'S No1 MAN UTD FAN.

YVAN - THE ALCHEMIST, PARKLANDS ROAD, NAIROBI

MARGERET

At the Nairobi Fashion Couture Affair Fashion show Margeret takes a break from the searing afternoon heat of the Kenyan sunshine in the shade of a 3123 'BAVUMA' VULCAN FOUNDRY, TRIBAL CLASS 2-8-4.

MICHAEL

BRYAN - DJ, PRODUCER, ARTIST AND ONWARD - NAIROBI

NATALIA. NAIROBI.

MUM TO BE, ZELLA AND THE BABY SHOWER. NAIROBI MAY 2019.

STEVE 'O'

‘We want to host live music at least 5 days a week” Stevo Kiwanis co-founder of Dagoz Bar an artist centred venue on Dagoretti Corner, Karandini Rd Nairobi. By day Steve 'O'’ is a high tier corporate executive while by night the businessman with the dreads trades his threads for the microphone.

STEVE 'O'

DAVE CO-FOUNDER OF DAGOZ

DON. SAXOPHONIST AND ONE OF NAIROBI'S FINEST

SAM

Dagoz. Dagoretti Corner, Karandini Rd Nairobi.

ERIC WAINANA - A KENYAN SUPERSTAR

ERIC

LOVE

MICHEL ON'GARO

WA.DEAN

Maker and Storyteller on assignment.

EVELYN.

THE MACHETE MAN

FRUIT STALL IN THE RIFT VALLEY SOUTH OF NAIVASHA

LOG CLEARING WITHIN PLAIN SIGHT, NAIVASHA

The beauty of this country shines through like a scene from a Constable painting although the hidden tragedy is plain to see as areas once thick with forest are stripped clear within easy sight. Just 3 weeks before over 30 loggers and charcoal burners had been arrested in a crackdown on illegal traders in the wake of the logging ban.

PAUL

Most residents use charcoal to warm homes and beat the cold especially this year when the winter has gone on for much longer than usual and following the strict enforcement of a three-month ban on logging the price has sharply increased from its KSH 1,400 and KSH 1,700in norm in most urban areas.

The main sources of charcoal are Kajiado, Kitui, Kili! and Tana River counties. “I usually get my stock from Bisil in Kajiado but in the past weeks the supply has not been that reliable” says Paul a charcoal seller in Westlands. Charcoal is mainly produced in arid and semi-arid counties with the homes and businesses of Nairobi being the major market with research showing that 82 per cent of urban dwellers use charcoal compared to 34 percent among rural households being in the main locally available, easy to use, reliable, convenient and very accessible source of energy and when there’s no ban in place, cheap.

A 2005 study established that over 700,000 are employed in the charcoal sector. It creates jobs for wood producers, charcoal producers, transporters and vendors so where the ban and Kenyas evolving ‘Green’ culture.

In the Parklands area of Nairobi.

MUGAMBI

Working in the family delivery business come rain or shine operating in Nairobi's last uncovered hawkers market. City Park Forest Hawkers Market, Parklands. Nairobi.

WANGARI

The last of the open air uncovered markets in Nairobi. City Park Forest Hawkers Market, Parklands.

TIMOTHY

Stall holder selling the best avocados to be found in town at the last of the open air uncovered markets in Nairobi. City Park Forest Hawkers Market, Parklands Nairobi.

TWO MOTO TAXI RIDERS.

Outside Nairobi's Parklands City Park Forest Hawkers Market, the last uncovered hawkers market left in Nairobi.

UNTITLED

KAYM

THUFU

VICTOR MWANGI

Fine artist and gentleman in his shared studio. 02nd December.

FINAL RESTING PLACE FOR 2401 VULCAN FOUNDRY, EB3 CLASS 4-8-0

ARTISTS RED CHAIR IN THE TRAIN YARD. NAIROBI.

DERELICT RAILWAY CARRIAGES. NAIROBI.

NAIROBI TRAIN YARD WITH KENYATTA TOWER AND EMERGING BUSINESS DISTRICT.

WHILE THE WARRIOR SLEEPS WE MAKE LOVE IN THE MORNING LIGHT ON THE SHORES OF LAKE ELEMEMTAITA - EARLY MORNING 23RD APRIL 2018

MAROONED IN NAKURU DURING THE RAINS

LAKE NAKURU, A TRAGEDY

ROADSIGNS. KAJIADO COUNTY.

NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK NEW RAILWAY SCENE

A MAASAI, A WATCHMAN A MECHANIC AND HIS TRUSTY SIDEKICKS

Saul in safari greens, Mr. McConnal (The Hands) stripped yellow shirt and overalls, his two trusty side kicks and a Maasai come to the rescue after we breakdown on the main highway from Nakuru to Naivasha. After crawling under and over our 4x4 for a couple of hours we were off on the road again only to break down as we entered the town of Gligli ten or so miles down the road. Two days later and with the help of Yvan a hardworking and dedicated mechanic at the local Shell we finally made our way out of there and arrived in Nairobi more than a little behind schedule.

Near Lake Elementeita in the Rift Valley about 120KM northwest of Nairobi.

OUT ON THE ROAD

YVAN

Our saviour and talented mechanic should you find yourself in need near the town of Gilgil, Nakuru County.

ROSS

Founder of the 'ACTION NOT WORDS' NGO in 2010 and based in Nakuru, Today ANW sponsors over 100 children taken from Kenya’s most poverty stricken slums and has put them through boarding school with amazing results. I could write more but better one takes a look here; http://actionsnotwordskenya.co.uk.

Who knows if you like what you read and see you could always make a donation, go on.

PATRICK AND HIS TRUSTY GUARD DOG PAUL. NAIROBI

SAMUAL OUR KNIGHT IN JUNGLE GREEN

RANGER SCHOLA

NAIVASHA

NAIROBI BEDROOM LAST EVENING

NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK LAST MORNING

ENID.

Wilson Airport Nairobi 14.12 08th December 2019

GOING THROUGH SECURITY

KILIMANJARO.

KARENS GRAMOPHONE

At the Karen Blixen Museum located in the district of Karen which was created by the parcelling out of Blixen and her ex-husbands coffee farms after they seperated and she returned to Denmark in 1931. Much like now and after the the one true love I believed in so much with all my heart departed without an explanation I now find myself as in Blixens words and famous novel and as she became in 1931, Out of Africa.

I simply love you...