A very Challenging Week

For those of you on FaceBook you will know what has been happening to me over the last week. Last Tuesday 5 men from emigration came to the school and asked for me. I was sharpening pencils at the time in one of the classrooms. I met with them in Grace's office and they asked why I had come to Kenya. I explained a combined holiday with an opportunity to learn about the Charity I supported, meet the children and understand what else I could do to help out. At that point I was told it was an offence/crime to lie to emigration officials. Teaching was mentioned - to be honest it is all a bit of a blur now possibly as a result of what followed. I explained I was not a teacher and they confirmed with me that I worked in a Bank. I was asked for my passport which I didn't have with me so was escorted to my little house in their van. One of the officials came in with me whilst I got my passport. They asked me to accompany them to Mombasa however by this time the headmaster and chairman of the school had arrived and told me to wait at home whilst they went instead to try to understand what was happening.
An appointment was made for me at Emigration on the Wednesday morning at 8.30am.
Wednesday morning I was questioned and asked to write a statement of why/when/what I was in Kenya plus all of my activities since I had arrived. This lasted for approx 4-hours before I was asked to turn up on the Thursday at 8am.
Thursday at approx 8.30am I was taken to court and charged on three counts:

• working without a permit
• illegal entry into Kenya
• not conforming to the terms of my permit (which I didn't have according to charge 1)

I had decided to plead guilty to working without a permit for although I am not a teacher and in fact had not delivered any teaching as such but had simply supported the teachers, sewn on some badges on school dresses, played with the kids etc I understood that if I accepted the charge I would be fined and hopefully get my passport back.

However when the evidence was read out I disagreed with one point - emigration officers came to the classroom and found me delivering a lesson - I explained this was not in fact true and that the emigration officers hadn't come to the classroom and had they done so they would have seen I was sharpening pencils.

Well it all went downhill from there!! The magistrate changed my plea from guilty to not guilty and I was placed on remand with a bail payment of one hundred thousand Kenyan shilling - approx one thousand pounds - until tomorrow at 8.30am when I will appear in court again. I was then taken to the remand cells where I would have stayed until 5pm and then moved to the main prison overnight.

This was possibly the most frightening experience of my life so far and I rate it well over and above my experiences of the early troubles in Northern Ireland in the late 60's, however you know you can always find humour in every situation. I was walking behind the court police man to a woman's cell when I heard "teacher, teacher." Three local Shanzu boys had been arrested for selling to tourists on the beach - effectively tresspassing as the Kenyans are only allowed on the Public Beach and not beaches that are attached to hotels. They recognised me from the village and as I was attached to the school I was given my title of 'teacher' lol Considering what had just happened in the court room this was not what I wanted to hear - or rather wanted anyone else to hear!! Anyway they conned me into buying them breakfast before I was placed in a cell with another six women.

Thank God for small miracles - as luck would have it an Australian professor with the UN was in my court by mistake - he thought he was going to hear a Somali pirate case and ended up with me - he is working on a project that involved prison reform in Kenya and has a lot of contacts within the main court, etc. Through the efforts of this amazing man Glenn I was removed from the cell and placed in the walk way that ran between the cells -he also provided water and a couple of prison guards he knew to look after me. Within two hours I was released - this kind man even went to the bank and raised the money needed for my bail - I was also allowed to retain my mobile phone (very unusual) which enabled me to contact Marion and arrange for money to be transferred to repay my bail. What can I say other than a big thank you to everyone who supported me through those horrific two hours. I also met a guy from Leeds who is working in Kenya as a social worker and has been on remand for two weeks - another passport issue. Unfortunately all his money is going to pay a lawyer so he wasn't as fortunate as me and is taken to prison each night and brought back to the remand cells in the morning.

Now I have a lawyer and will appear in court in the morning. Naturally I'm worried about the outcome, I will plead guilty again and this time keep my mouth shut whatever the evidence is (thank you Marion for that piece of advice - if I manage it, it will probably be the first time in my life I have managed to shut up lol ) and hopefully receive a fine and get my passport back.

So what did I do at the weekend?? I went shopping in Mombasa with the little girl I sponsor to get her some clothes including school shoes. We went to a big second hand clothes market - the clothes there are clothes donated in the West - possibly you have filled a bag left at your door and collected later - we got school shoes, a school bag, a Barbie denham jacket and a waterproof jacket for approx ten pounds. We then had chicken and chips for lunch and made out way home.

Sunday was church - the Redeemed Gospel Church - I didn't make the English service 8am -11am, but managed to get to the Swalhili service -however the pastor delivered it in English just for me - with a translator. I love this man, he is a real character, he will stop periodically and roar "somebody say Amen!" and when he is trying to make a point he will pause and say "Hullo??" and "are you getting me?" I hope I am able to listen to him next Sunday again - I also have a wedding to attend (another one!!) on Saturday so I am hoping that the verdict tomorrow allows me to go to both.

Thanks everyone for your good wishes. Hopefully I will be able to update you all soon and if not I know that Marion is my point of contact on FaceBook - I am hoping that this is a job Marion will not need.