MY VISIT TO KENYA MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Fresh windy cool and crispy air started whistling like an invisible ghost. The red and green in colour birds with chilli like beaks ritually started twitting their morning melodies. The enormous garden stood like a royal palace and the thick dried strong big brown branches danced merrily ushering in the chilly morning. The green brown beautiful countless leaves whispered to each other about their morning plans. The day that I had been waiting for fingers-crossed had finally arrived. I took a warm shower and dressed myself in a black Italian suit. My shiny black leather boots blended well with my dress code. In no time, I popped into my petrol guzzling Jeep ready to take off. The road was clear, no traffic jam and this made me to blissfully drive at a Panasonic speed; as I sipped some hot coffee from my japan made thermo-cup. The atmosphere was made splendid by the Hazipo sweet musical hit, creatively composed by Nandy, courtesy of Maina and King’ang’i in their early morning show lively aired at Classic FM radio station.

In a spur of moment, I arrived at the Kenya’s finest Medical Research Institute, KEMRI. I parked my jeep at the well-built parking lot and walked majestically like Shaka the Zulu to the reception. Truly, one would think I owned the whole place. The reception had marble checked floors and oak made furniture. I was welcomed by Mary Jane, the reception who we had met before at a medical conference held at Institute of Primate Research, Nairobi Kenya. She had safe eyes, perhaps that’s the best way to say it. Her beauty could make those billboard-princesses look as paper thin as they are since she had curves of softness and muscles of a footballer; completed with a fat of a baby. In real sense, she was something robust and real. I explained to her my purpose of the visit and I was given a medical guide who was probably a medical microbiologist like me, since he seemed to understand most of the microbiology techniques applied in a microbiology laboratory. I wore a slightly oversize lab coat and sky-blue gloves, ready to visit all the laboratories and drink in what goes on in those high-powered busy labs.

The Bacteriology laboratory was the first lab that I visited and everything was set in place. The sound of the autoclave, probably sterilizing glasswares and media, made the whole place busy. Stealing some quick glances behind my broad shoulder, all I could see was a bacteriologist scientifically dressed for the job; industriously performing some bacteriological techniques in a clean bench. In no time. I was in the Virology laboratory and the most interesting area of this laboratory was the cold room. I wore nose muffs, ready to see the highly infectious diseases stored in the well preserved room that seemed to be always under lock and key. The room just resembled a big reserved refrigerator. My guide, Mr. Mpekecha led me to the Mycology laboratory where I saw a variety of fungal strains that mainly target the human health. We walked through an opened mahogany made door that led to the Parasitology laboratory. This was the busiest laboratory with highly skilled professional scientists working with dangerous strains of parasites to ensure that they develop drugs that will prevent or cure human beings from diseases caused by the parasites. Ting!!! Ting!!! Ting!!! I fumbled for my sleek phone deep into my pocket and the call came from GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical Limited, requiring me to submit Medical Microbiology reports from my office. I removed my lab coat, disposed my gloves and washed my hands with antimicrobial soap. I thanked Mr. Mpekecha and immediately left for work.

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