SUKI'S SNIPPETS I "The Sultan of Oman"

Just across the bridge over Kilifi Creek is Mnarani. Kilifi and Mnarani used to be connected by a ferry until the bridge was built 15 years ago. Even though they are very close and Mnarani is technically part of Kilifi, they are very different and people make a distinction between those who live in Kilifi and those who live in Mnarani. According to folks from KEMRI who have worked here for a long time and even lived in Mnarani, Mnarani tends to be very insular and isolated. They are suspicious of KEMRI and this is reflected in the very high child mortality rates and very low hospital attendance even though the hospital is only a 15 minute walk from the main village. Rob Barnett, Wild Living Resources guy, was interested in these observations and offered one of his own:

“Well, they are all squatters and that’s an attitude very typical of squatters.”
"What? Whose land are the squatting on?”
“The Sultan of Oman.”

That’s right. The Sultan of Oman has owned the land south of the Kilifi Creek since the 1500’s and apparently still does to this day...in the meantime, I am sure that plenty of money has been made on real estate trading there...