Green and Pleasant Land

Coming from an island where "summer" ranges from drizzle to light rain in a good year, I am a self-confessed sun junkie. The faintest hint of the yellow stuff and I am out buying sun tan cream and dusting off the shorts with the best of them. So moving to a country where sun is abundant and reliable made every morning feel like an indulgence; wake up, peer out the window, what's the weather like? Oh, same as yesterday. A contented six months of basking, short sleeves and flip flops.

But the effect is starting to wear off.

Right now we are technically at the tail end of the long rains, but across Kenya rainfall is well below average, and in the arid North they have hardly had any at all and there are cases of severe malnutrition and starvation. The concept of starvation felt unreal when I was in the UK and if anything it feels even more unreal now that I am living in the middle of it.

Rain is vital to Kenya's economy, with agriculture still the biggest contributor to GDP. The demands of a growing population combined with the impacts of climate change mean that droughts are happening more and more frequently, as much as every other year. Yet there is no planning or consistent approach to water management and irrigation (in fact Water Minister Charity Ngilu is facing allegations of corruption).

As fuel prices spiral upwards and agricultural outputs decline, food costs are rising. There have already been some relatively low-key demonstrations and similar protests have been rumbling on in Uganda too. It can't be good for Kenya's stability, particularly with the first election since the violence of 2007/8 due in 2012.

The shortage of water impacts on everyday life everywhere in Kenya - even privileged Nairobi. We are very lucky in our current flat as we have borehole water, so have never had a day without it, but that's unusual even for smart neighbourhoods in Nairobi. Our old flat in Langata regularly ran out of water and we sometimes spent a day or two every week without running water. Showers, laundry and even toilet flushing were rationed (toilets use so much water - I had no idea until I started counting). The water shortages also lead to power cuts quite frequently as most of Kenya's power comes from hydroelectric schemes (don't ask me why a country with low rainfall and a lot of sunshine opts for hydro). You soon realise that losing electricity is an inconvenience, while not having running water makes even basic tasks like cooking a real challenge.

It does mean one thing though: finally I can stand up and proudly say the unthinkable, 'I am British, and I like the rain'.