A new kind of Kenyan
Jul 14th, 2007 by David Stembridge
Last night I met a young man maned Alfayo. He was a student from a University in Kisumu, who was teaching math at a local secondary school in Choimim. He spoke incredible good English, and had fabulous ideas concerning recycling and other environmental issues. I would consider Alfayo to be ore of the kind of person now coming out of the universities in Kenya. Extremely bright; and passionate about doing something positive for his country. He was studying Environmental Studies in University, and was very interested in the newly passed legislation in Kenya regarding plastic bags. I had found an article by John Oyuke with the Kenyan Standard before our trip about the bags.
“The price of plastic bags is set to go up by 660 per cent by January next year due to the introduction of a new standard. The announcement comes after the Government moved to introduce a 120 per cent excise duty in this year’s budget to curb the use of the bags, which are harmful to the environment.”
Alfayo got very excited when I told him I had seen the article about plastic bags, and quickly whipped out a small notebook and turned to a page where he had briefly listed “his plan”
- Recycle
- Reduce
- Reuse
He had a lot to say about the subject, and I could tell this was something he was quite passionate about. We spent about 30 minutes talking about Conservation in Kenya, and I then shifted gears a little… I asked him about his faith, and if he attended a church anywhere, and he told me h attended an AIC (African Inland Church) up the nearby hill.
He opened up more and told me that he had some questions about denominations, and Baptism. His church taught that he had to take a 6 week course before he could make a profession of faith and be baptized. I quickly shared with him the truth of the Gospel, and he really listened, not joking as much; but asking more questions. He wanted to wait and be baptized back at school at his local student union; but I told him that it was more important to make a decision that would affect his eternal life. He agreed, and we prayed right there in front of the CBC Church at Choimim. I invited him to come and visit the church with Pastor Aineahs. I encouraged him to make contact with his AIC pastor, and let him know that he had accepted Christ as his Savior, and that he needed to receive discipleship, and training. As he left that night, I was very encouraged by this young man; but realized that I may not see him again, for a while. I pray God is really growing in him, and has sent someone to teach him more of the truth.
