This film is part of "No Ordinary Elections" a multimedia package on the Kenyan polls produced by IRIN Films. To see the whole package go to: www.irinnews.org/Kenya2013/ind...
[Entirely shot on location in Turkana County]
Transcript:
Lucas Lotieng: God created this place, but gave it no water and made it hot.
All that survives here is livestock.
My name is Lucas Lotieng. I am 60 years old.
I have one wife and seven children.
I have some sheep and goats.
Wherever it rains and there is grass, that's where we migrate to.
The animals are being affected by the drought. There is no grass to graze on.
Now they are really going to die.
We are being hit by the sun and hunger.
This place is like that. There is nothing to eat.
Here in the bush, we have seen no good from those we elected.
How can I know what's in somebody's heart?
Many people come here now and ask us to vote for them.
They come here to make promises.
But how can we trust them until we see what they can do?
My father had cows. Once, he took them close to an enemy's territory.
The enemy took the larger animals.
We children remained with nothing, just a couple of goats.
This is the only life that we know.
I think the new constitution is good because it brings many things closer,
So now they are within reach, unlike the old one,
When you could die waiting for Nairobi to respond.
We think a new leadership might help.
Jacinta Aremon: My name is Jacinta Aremon.
I was born near Lake Turkana, I was married to Lucas and brought here.
When I was young life was good.
There was more livestock, enough food. There was no problem.
Some of my children are in school so when they get a job they can help us.
It's important also that some look after the animals.
If I was elected governor I would deal with the problems here because I understand them.
I would prioritise livestock, and focus on my people suffering and help them to get food.
Lucas Lotieng: The world is changing,
And we see that the ones who have gone to town and to school
Are the ones who will survive.
Those of us who stay here will die of hunger because of the frequent drought.
Singing:
I'm proud of my age-mate's bull,
The curved-horn bull I got from Arukat,
I got it from Arukat, I'll take it to pasture.
The bull of our age-mates, I'll take it to pasture,
Our curved-horn bull. I'll take it to pasture, my tea-coloured bull.
We're proud of our age-mates' bull,
We're proud of our curved-horn bull.