Msafiri Issue 168 - Aug - Sept 2021

karibu DEAR READER Welcome to the August-September 2021 issue of msafiri. We have recently published our 2020 Annual Report, so it is an opportune time to reflect on the past year, which has been very challenging for all of us. Yet, there are many things during this period that we can be immensely proud of. In this edition, which focuses on creativity, we highlight the work of four Kenyan innovators who have done much to change the environment in which we live (see pages 28-35). Likewise, at KQ – through our creative thinking – we have developed several initiatives to help lessen the impact of the pandemic. Highlights include repurposing two of our Dreamliners to carry cargo – a world first; embracing airline and non-airline partnerships to help deliver a…

ALL THINGS KENYA habari THE NEW BIG 5 MARINA CANO ELEPHANT WORLD’S LARGEST LIVING LAND MAMMAL Population:447,500| IUCN status:Endangered (African forest elephant: Critically Endangered) Prime place to see: South Luangwa National Park, Zambia GRAEME GREEN LION APEX PREDATOR Population: 20,000-25,000 | IUCN status: Vulnerable Prime place to see: Maasai Mara, Kenya JONAS BEYER POLAR BEAR WORLD’S LARGEST CARNIVORE Population: 23,315 | IUCN status: Vulnerable Prime place to see:Svalbard, Norway HOMAS VIJAYAN TIGER LARGEST OF THE WORLD’S BIG CATS Population:3900|IUCN status: Endangered Prime place to see: Ranthambore National Park, India NELIS WOLMARANS GORILLA WORLD’S LARGEST PRIMATE Population:1063(mountain gorilla); 3800 (Grauer’s gorilla) IUCN status:Endangered; Critically Endangered Prime place to see: Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda For some safarigoers, the chance to see the so-called Big 5 – elephant, rhino, leopard, Cape buffalo and…

TRENDING WHAT’S HOT! HANDMADE HOME With the pandemic meaning we are spending a lot more of our time inside, it is more important than ever to surround ourselves with objects and interiors to improve our sense of wellbeing WORDS: ANNABEL ONYANGO | @ANNABELONYANGO If home is where our heart is, then it is surely a sacred place. Two years into a global pandemic requiring us to shelter at home for unreasonable amounts of time, this has never rung truer. By now we’ve learnt that to stay inside for so long, home has to be a special place in which we surround ourselves not only with our loved ones, but also soulful objects and interiors that nurture our sense of family and wellbeing. The African interiors aesthetic is a well-established global…

FIVE ALIVE FEEL GREAT, NOW! Creativity is the elixir of life. It combines joy and mindfulness and enables us to slow our thoughts to the speed of now. Being in the present is key to feeling happiness. Here are five ways you can feel great by expressing your own creativity… WORDS: PATRICIA WANJALA | @TRICIAWANJALA Take a walk on the calm side Nairobi-based life coach Ingrid Kruiter is passionate about spending time in the great outdoors. So much so, that she has developed her entire coaching framework around doing breathwork and walks on nature trails. “Nature walks make me feel calm, refreshed and energised,” she says. “My clients have commented that it really sparks their creativity.” Kruiter gives guided introspective walks in Kenya’s verdant locations, such as Ololua Forest, Karura…

EARTH MATTERS EASING HUMAN–WILDLIFE CONFLICT BEES STOP ELEPHANTS Research has found that building beehive fences on farms prevents 80 per cent of elephant crop-raids WORDS: PAUL UDOTO, @PAULUDOTO NAIYA RAJA / SAVE THE ELEPHANTS PHOTOS: TESS MORRISONX2; JASPER SCOFIELDX2; JANE WYNYARD; MADI CHAN; it might sound strange, but elephants fear bees. Stings on their eyes, mouth and inside their trunks, as well as angry buzzing from disturbed hives, say researchers, significantly deter crop-raiding elephants. What started as a collaborative PhD research partnership between Save the Elephants (STE), Oxford University and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) in Samburu, in 2006, has developed into the Elephants and Bees Project. An initiative that has seen beehive fences rolled out as part of a holistic, simple yet cost-effective conservation solution to the almost intractable problem…

INNOVATIONS & TECHNOLOGY MSAFIRI REVIEWS WORK SMARTER Become a tycoon from your kitchen table with this must-have home office tech… Working from home – or remotely – comes with a host of benefits. There’s no commute, so there’s no need to fight for a seat on the bus. You can grab lunch any time you like – from your own fridge. You can rock up to work in flip-flops. And, best of all, you can customise your office. Below you’ll find eight hi-tech gadgets to spruce up your workspace and stay on top of that busy schedule… REVIEWS BY TOM BAILEY APPLE IPAD PRO (2021) 1 The big daddy of the iPad range is superpowered for work and play thanks to Apple’s latest M1 processing chip. It makes light work…