Lamu and a thousand legends by the sea

A cat roaming the streets of Lamu. [Peter Muiruri, Standard]

And so, each evening, we would take our seats in the public square by the jetty in Shela, sipping Swahili tea and listening to the pulse of the oldest settlement in Kenya. I was happy to reacquaint myself with an old friend, Aswif, better known as 'Captain I Will be Back'.

He got the name after numerous efforts to get him to complete his schooling hit a brick wall. He had dropped out of school and every time his teacher or fellow students met him in Lamu town and asked him when he would get back to class, he would tell them, "don't worry, I will be back."

He never came back. Instead, Aswif immersed himself in Lamu's vibrant dhow transport business, even employing some of his former classmates. He is also one of the most affable characters in town and can hold his own against the older generation.

On this day, he was poking fun at a man who had the dream of marrying the daughter of former president Uhuru Kenyatta. Aswif laughed himself off as he saw the dejected expressions on the man's face upon learning about the impracticality of his fantasy. "Huyo ameenda (she is taken), Aswif told him. But hope keeps men alive.

Donkeys are common in the area as they are often used as a means of transport. [Peter Muiruri, Standard]