My home is OlKalou, now the Headquaters of Nyandarua County. I am a second generation Nyandaruan, my parents having purchased their piece of land in the mid 1960s. I am a child of the 1970s and 80s when the OlKalou I knew and experienced growing up is way removed from what it is today.
Nyandarua is huge. I cannot claim to have traversed the entire County or even half of it. But from the places I have visited, combined with stories I have heard from people of Engineer, Wanjohi, Ngorika, Rurii, Miharati and elsewhere, our experiences are almost identical. That is why I am confident that my experiences in my corner of Nyandarua are similar or close to those of other proud Nyandaruans wherever their home turf is, anywhere in our beautiful Nyandarua.
There are however some people who grew up in towns in Nyandarua where their parents were working professionals or wealthy business people. Such Nyandaruans may not share in the experiences children like myself from the farming communities lived through. There are also those who grew up in villages left behind by the colonists.
Whatever your circumstances or location back then, one thing we have in common is that, we are witnesses to Nyandarua taking one agonizing step after another, gallantly moving from where the colonists left it, to what our Pioneer Parents built, regardless of their circumstances or economic status. Everything that is Nyandarua today, has our parents fingerprints all over it, one way or another.
I have based my writing in OlKalou because that is where I grew up, but I am hoping everybody, anywhere in Nyandarua will feel represented and connected enough to my experiences, reminding them of their own location, town, village and school. I may not know the name of your school or town, but I know our experiences in Nyandarua are tied in the growth we have all witnessed together and the pride we all take in our beautiful County, Nyandarua.
So, read on and whatever experiences I had growing up that may sound foreign to you, count them as entertainment and have a laugh at my expense. I am Nyandarua tough, I can handle it.
