Safari ya Bamba Si Machero.......
Safari ya Bamba ni machero (The journey to Bamba is tomorrow) is an old Giriama childhood song that is sang by children when they gather in the evening as they wait for their mothers to cook. Though innocently sang, it’s a song that tells you that if you want to travel to Bamba, you must be adequately prepared both psychologically and physically because going there is not a journey for the faint. It requires both stamina and determination. As a young reporter working in the District Information Office Mariakani in the late 90s, the assignment I dreaded most was to be sent for coverage in Bamba, some thirty kilometers north of Mariakani in Kilifi County. Going to Bamba meant that you would have to leave early and come back late. You would swallow all the dust on the road and brace yourself for the scorching sun and thirst. There was no assurance that you would come back the same day and if you would it would not be later than midnight. It would be worse if it rained.