Liars & Tigers & Bears

I remember going home to the village over the school holidays. It was not so much arriving there that got me excited but the journey through the Rift Valley. As I sat nestled between my brothers, I would gaze out to window and embrace the joy that nature had to bring. My father and mother would answer our questions about Lake this and that. Our first vision was the escarpement that soon rolled into Lake Elementaita.

Lake Elementaita? Where does one begin to tell the story of seeing that lake radiate in the sunlight? Of seeing the sun's rays reflected upon the surface of the water, making a perfect sunrise and a beautiful sunset? My children will not get to see the beauty of it because with time, all that remains are the memories that with time might also fade from the memory. Elementaita opened the stage for Nakuru and Naivasha, not forgetting Mt. Longonot.

Yesterday night, I opened my eyes to the reality that sometimes lying comes as near to the truth as a zebra would graze near a lion. Kenya is a country known for many things like lakes and rivers but yesterday, I discovered a band of liars.

Lake Naivasha follows in the footsteps of Elementaita. Every visit there makes me wonder whether burying our heads in the sand is worth it all. Over the past few weeks, the mysterious death of fish raised eyebrows. After a week or two of inquiry, the verdict was passed. The plants in the bed of the lake had taken up all the oxgyen in the water leaving negligible amounts for the fish.

My creator, My redeemer, My Lord, declared creation good and charged human beings with the responsibility of taking care of that which had been formed by the power of the Word. Is it to say that he made a mistake when He made Lake Naivasha in creating an imbalance of elements? Or is it to say, we, the stewards have left this change to go to a level where we can easily be called murderers?So, pockets are lined with millions as we close our eyes to the reality that one day, Lake Naivasha will be no more. Is life worth more than money or gold and riches untold?