Fog Lights

I got certified as a professional mediator in January. In addition to the certification, we were given recommendation letters to the judiciary for those who want to register as court mediators. It pays to sit at the front of the class hehe… The judiciary is in the process of growing court annexed mediation. This is a process where parties come up with solutions by and for themselves, and is facilitated by a mediator. This will help so many Kenyans who run to court over the smallest disputes, yet most cannot afford to pay lawyers. The courts want mediation to replace litigation as the main dispute resolution method. This will save time, money and preserve relationships hence leading to a happier society.

In an attempt to grow this practice, the judiciary has rolled out countrywide recruitment of mediators. March 12^th and 13^th it was in my shags. Our mwalimu told me that it’s easier to get registered upcountry compared to Nairobi, as the process is much faster with fewer applications. So I decided to drive to Nyeri on Monday. I got my papers ready, packed my fruits for eating on the way and set off at noon for the Nyeri law courts. I felt a bit unsure of how this will turn out, but I decided there’s only one way to find out. Plus driving alone on a good road for two hours bila traffic and unnecessary police road blocks was very enjoyable. I got to catch up with myself.

I got to Nyeri town at 2:00 PM and went straight to hand in my application. There were some guys who had come before me so I joined the queue. At 3:00 PM the officers took a lunch break. Since I was hungry, I went to the nearby Nyeri Golf Club for lunch.  I met the golf captain who sponsored my lunch. It was a generous serving of kuku dry fry, steamed vegetables and roast warus. Plus my chopped pilipili on the side. Such happenings make me glad that I took up this great game of golf. Duncan Ndegwa, the first patron of Kenya Golf Union said, “Without golf, my life would have been poorer. I have no regrets in activity spent in golf.” I couldn’t agree more.

Back to the task at hand. After lunch, I drove back to the courts and got called into the interview room just before 5: 00 PM. The man and lady interviewer asked me some questions as they perused my papers. It felt strange being questioned. Like it was a job interview for a salesman position distributing water pumps in shags with a pickup. It seemed like they were looking for me to contradict myself, saying that my driving licence is for a pickup yet I qualified for a nduthi.

I was disappointed when they said they’ll get back to me, and that it would be good to join a professional body like LSK for lawyers or ICPAK for accountants. In my industry, it’s the business that’s a member of our event managers association and not me. That seemed to work against me. I was hoping to come back home having been registered as a court mediator carrying that white wig lawyers wear in court as evidence.

Once done, I drove to Nanyuki to spend the night. I just love this place. In the morning when I woke up I didn’t feel like coming back. It was so tranquil I could hear my soul speaking. On the way back I had this feeling of disappointment. Like going to Nyeri was an exercise in futility. Then I decided to stop this pity party and look at it critically. I just took Mwalimu’s word and actioned. Did I go out of my way to get registered? Yes. Did I enjoy myself in the process? Yes. Is there anything extra I can do? No – save for joining an association, which I am currently doing. The outcome of my application is now out of my hands. If my future involves being a court mediator, then I’ll get in. If not, then I will use my skills to mediate in my other areas of influence, since the need is great.

I’m learning to move ahead in life with my fog lights on. There are times in life we need to just start heading out, even when the road ahead is not clear and we don’t know where or how our journey will end. The fog lights in my car come in handy when I’m driving on the Limuru / Kimende road on my way to Naivasha. Being yellow in colour makes me visible to other road users. I also notice other vehicles with their fog lights on as they approach me. These lights are not for the driver to see better, but for other road users to notice him.

That’s how my trip to Nyeri felt like. The information I had was just enough to make me visible to the people I was going to meet. After that it was too foggy to see further. I’m sure soon the fog will clear, and I will be able to see the bigger picture and where the road is leading to. The point is to be content with who and where we are, even when the road ahead is not visible. Sometimes all you can do in life is all you can do, and that’s enough.  When foggy, keep your fog lights on folks.