Emali: No Laughing Matter

Waking up at 5.00 am and running up a steep hill followed by physical exercises for an hour is not exactly the activities for the middle-aged. Neither are the rigorous drills, saluting routine, polishing shoes to a mirror-like shine or making your bed so flat that a coin can roll from one end to the other.

The Head of Central Highlands Conservancy, Mr. Waichihi says if these sacrifices including having to be separated with his favorite full beard look will help save the Kenyan forests and re-energize Kenya Forest Service, then he is willing to pay the price.

The pioneer group undergoing the paramilitary course in Administration Police Senior Officer’s College at Emali is a mix of body sizes from the thin, petite, mostly hefty with a generous middle and an occasional plumpish one tending towards the overweight end of the scales. These senior officers all with decades of wealth in the forestry and military fields mostly range in ages of between 40 to mid-40s with an occasional one or two straddling near either side of 60 years.

They looked splendid and youthful in the combat uniforms complete with jungle boots and oversized hats. It was interesting to watch the men and women who have spent all their working lives issuing orders in what seemed awkward and reversed roles of receiving a barrage of orders from their youthful instructors. In the uniforms, it was a hard task for a visitor to pick out individual officers since they all looked the same.

The group has already voted Mr. Cosmas Ikiugu as the course Chairman and all communications must pass through him to the college administration. There is a clear hierarchy in place and a tight programme which occupies every single minute of the 6 weeks the officers will be residents here. We heard interesting stories of officers who had to go back to Emali for a cleaner hair cut after some got the normal shave with sideburns and fancy lines! Such can not be tolerated from a course“recruit”.

There are four ladies in the contingent and they were all in very hearty mood when we visited them. They are Charity Munyasia, Jeniffer Nasomba, Abia Abdi Osman and Elizabeth Wambugu. Most of the officers are eager to get back to their stations to implement all the valuable skills they have learnt at Emali.

The motto of the course is commitment,discipline,dedication and endurance