In Kenya, two-wheelers are becoming a symbol of solidarity and environmental protection.
The boom in cycling in Kenya is happily accompanied by charitable initiatives that have been multiplying in the country lately and that are gaining support not only on social issues.
One of the most striking "enterprises" comes from a Kenyan foundation, Seas 4 Life, supported, among others, by the late CEO of the restaurant group Tamarind, who tragically died on the infamous Ethiopian Addis Ababa-Nairobi flight. Fifteen amateur cyclists (but not too much, one of them John Kariuki, has already won an Under 23 competition in France and dreams of participating in the Tour of Italy) Kenyans and Westerners, decided to ride from the Rift Valley to Watamu to raise public awareness of the pollution from waste that, from the land, pours into the sea destroying life in the oceans. They started from Kajiado, at the gates of Maasai Mara, and crossed Tsavo West and East, beating the tracks that are usually the off-road vehicles to cover and stopping in lodges and tented fields, for a total of more than six hundred covered kilometers in a week, in the midst of nature and animals (rather astonished, mostly). An initiative that has attracted sponsors and donations and that has been successfully concluded in recent days in the coastal tourist town.
Last Saturday, after 1103 kilometres covered in eight days, six passionate Kenyan boys arrived in Mombasa, who decided to put their bicycles on to raise funds for the disadvantaged students of Starehe College. Samuel Kibiko, Fredrick Njoroge, Ian Gichohi, John Odor, Peter Gitu and Samwel Kagiri left from Busia, Kenya's last country on the border with Uganda and crossed at their own risk roads trafficked and beaten by trucks and matatu, including the so-called highway Nairobi-Mombasa. They arrived safe and sound, welcomed by the Vice Governor of Mombasa William Kingi with a "bag" of 2 million shillings for the education of many young fellow citizens.
A few months ago a group of Muslim Indian amateur cyclists also travelled to Nairobi-Mombasa for charity, raising funds for a medical facility in the capital.
Combining sport with solidarity and problematic sectors in Kenya such as education and health (as we do at malindikenya.net) is one of the best fashions we can expect.