THE MAGIC OF ROTARY

You’ve heard that quote, “Home is where the heart is”? yeah, it’s kinda corny. I mean you’ll hear it at the weirdest times like when a die-hard Manchester United Fan refuses to leave the club still in disbelief after yet another loss or after a fun night out and the favourite entertainer friend is being derailed to stay back just a little longer. A fun thing to say, right but also just a little bit corny. I’ve used it too and, in an attempt, to be enigmatic I will let you guess when. I was standing next to a window on the highest floor of that building, gazing out over the city, I was high but not on drugs (I’m convinced the Nile Special doesn’t get you high, in my it opens your eyes) so clear you see the beauty of the capital of the pearl of Africa. The view of Kampala by night was just so breathtaking that I snapped a picture through the clear window.

At that moment I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for being alive, to be in such beauty, and to be surrounded by amazing people. You see when we got onto the bus to Kampala we had never seen the people we were going to meet, we knew two things, they were fellow ?Rotaractors and that our focal point was Hope, So yeah, we were hopeful (I hope you see what I did there, sorry Hope). The journey was no doubt long and maybe a little treacherous but our unspoken mission was very clear;

1.???? Dance

2.???? Eat (Gnut sauce- best in the world)

3.???? Dance

4.???? Dance again

5.???? Sleep at home

As luck would have it Hope and Peace gave us a warm welcome and before the magician could say Abracadabra we were on the 4th Point of our to-do list ‘dance again’ at a club in Acacia Mall, with the beauty of Kampala unfolding before us. Curious how we got here? Well, I could tell you we had an amazing Mash Poa driver, but honestly, the magic of this Rotary journey is far more interesting. So, grab a Nile Special and stay with me! A long, long time ago, some wise Kenyans and Ugandans came together and decided our clubs should become twins. Like many wise decisions you make, like reading through this article to the end you never really know how life-changing it will be. ?For 8 consecutive years, the two clubs met for projects and truckloads of fun, then COVID-19 hit. Like many pandemic relationships, we drifted apart. But as fate would have it, those meant to be together always find their way back. Our clubs reconnected during a Sickle Cell project in the dusty northern district of Apac, Uganda, after many ?Twitter now X exchanges led to one thing and then another... and soon we were on a bus then on a dance floor belting out, ?“Furaha ni…… na marafiki” because in more ways than one, we were friends, After all, we’d wined, dined, and been serenaded. Your favourite boyfriend? Yeah, he could never.

Turns out the Rotary Magician never runs out of tricks up his sleeve! Just as we were basking in that magic, Hope was now calling to inform us that part of the Ugandan delegation was going to land at JKIA and the rest had left Kampala for the green city in the Sun. Soon enough the ballroom was buzzing with dapper Ssebos and stunning Nyabos all dressed to the nines, I must add. The Marafiki were together again dancing the Nairobi night away in the land of Sauti Sol a little tipsy, having some fun, spending all their money because they were young and YOLO felt right and danced they danced the night away until the sun threatened to come up. ?The camaraderie the next morning was unreal, with jokes flying around like confetti. You just had to be there! You see the reason I will always believe in this magic is how it brings together such diverse, funny, and vibrant people the richness of these experiences is unmatched. I still chuckle thinking about one Rafiki who’s a lecturer—super professional by day and an absolute dancing machine by night. The banter was top-tier!

After two days and not enough nights of fun, it was time to say goodbye. But with Rotary, goodbye is never really goodbye—it’s more like, “See you soon.” or if you like kwaheri for now! “Home is where the best G-Nut sauce is” – by a wise las

Written By: Susan Maina

Rotaract Club of Nairobi Central