10:30pm     Emmanuel Leina for Member of Parliament!!  Emmanuel at the wheel of his 4-runner type Toyota bouncing over tree stumps, ravines, flooded puddles, and grassy hills we pick up anyone who needs a ride along the way to the rally.  “This is our highway,” Emmanuel says as we come barreling over sticks and mud through the middle of a herd of cows. (There’s no sign that other cars drive here, an immense jungle/forest/grassy landscape).  The trees are those that when you think of Africa, the flat tops and skinny trunks, real tall.  We probably have 12 or so people in the truck now.  Maasai men sit under the trees dressed in beautiful red clothes and holding staffs.  The western world has never even touched this land; it’s gorgeous. 

We park the truck and start to walk, picking up swarms of people from every village we pass.  I look behind me at one point and see probably 100 people following.  Emmanuel greets every single person with a handshake and a huge smile.  Have you ever heard of an American politician walking on foot for 2 hours to get to remote population of maybe a few hundred people to meet them and talk with them about the issues they may be having. 

Migour is made up of a 2 short rows of buildings a school and surrounding huts.  We were welcomed by most people.  At the school many of the students were scared and ran away, some were even crying.  But some were very curious and came to shake our hands.  One man had an old camera and took many photographs of us shaking hands with various people from the community, and then he’d push the guy volunteers out of the way so it would be just me (the only white woman) with the locals.  We were the first whites to be in this community and now I understand why some people were scared. 

The rally began with speeches from many community members and then Emmanuel addressed the crowd.  The response was great, lots of cheering and smiles.  We only got some of it translated so I had to judge by the claps or cheers that he was saying something they liked. Check out the link to Emmanuel’s website: www.EmmanuelLeinaTransmara.com