I flew up to Nairobi this past week to work on my immigration status. It took a few days of running around offices and internet cafes to produce all the required documents for my work permit. It was such a hassle, but my work permit is now officially "pending".
A midst the boring monotony of bureaucratic immigration offices, there was a peaceful demonstration over government corruption. Apparently government officials are hording corn flour to drive up prices and then selling it at it's peak. Additionally the minister of education mysteriously lost all of the money set aside for public education. Needless to say, people are upset.
We walked through the protest several times on our way to various offices. (I might have cheered and shouted a bit). I love seeing people stand up against corruption. I suppose I'm somewhat of a closeted activist at heart. The riot police didn't share my enthusiasm and fired a few rounds of tear gas. I was far away from the center of the commotion but got a strong enough blast of the brew to keep me away.
I can't say that I'd ever been tear gassed before. I guess there is a first time for everything.
