The earlier we get out of here, the less likely we are to get shot, Cherian said at breakfast this morning. He was talking about the bandits we d heard were on the road between Shirley Strum s camp and today s destination. Shirley Strum s last bit of advice before we departed to travel north was, Just make sure you get there before dark. Tensions are building here in the Laikipia Plateau, at the base of Mt. Kenya. People are arguing over land for farming and ranching.
Farmers are in conflict with animals that eat their crops.
Different animal species, like lions and cattle, aren t getting along either. But tensions are nothing new in the Rift Valley. Tensions are, in a very real sense, a part of the landscape. The Rift Valley is a result of tension between large plates in the earth. Movements in these plates cause the natural disasters that have plagued the valley throughout history.