Robbed in Kenya...

I know that Kenya is where a lot of people go on Safari, see wild animals in their natural habitat, and learn Swahili... Awesome! However, my first trip to Kenya was not a happy one but was one that I pray I never experience again. Now don't get me wrong, I have many Kenyan friends and Kenya is a great country but it is just sad that my first trip there showed me the dark side of Kenya. All countries have their good and not so good sides, and the not so good sides can be terrifying.
Thursday the 12th of April 2007 seemed like any other day, the weather was cool in Tanzania and I was ready for a road trip; I was traveling with my American friend, Sarah from Tanzania to Uganda via Kenya on the Akamba bus and we were both excited. On getting to the border however, the immigration officer refused to let me go through because I had a Nigerian passport; he said there was a new policy which involved many changes, including the fact that Nigerians could no longer get any type of Kenyan visa at the border- you had to apply from your home country or residence.
Since my friend Sarah had an American passport, she was granted the transit visa immediately while I was stuck; after pleading for so long and seeing many people walk pass and get back on the bus (which would leave soon) Sarah and I began to cry. We were frustrated because it was already 8pm and we wouldn't be able to find our way anywhere from the border on our own, we had to get on that bus; meanwhile, the immigration officer kept yelling at me to go back to my country, and ranting about Nigeria. His colleagues said he should give me the transit visa but he refused and stamped denied on my passport, a few minutes later his boss walked in and intervened; he said that there was indeed a policy but it had just been effected so they could be lenient, he gave me a 48-hour transit visa and let us get back on the bus.
After driving for about 20mins on Kenyan soil, I brought out my phone so I could send an sms to my friends in Tanzania letting them know we were safely in Kenya and that I would be in touch. As I typed, I noticed the bus slowed down, I heard was the cock of a gun (really loudly) and I saw a hand reach in through the driver's window and pull him out of the bus. The minutes that followed seemed quite hazy, like I was in a bad dream; the thieves got on the bus, robbed us of our money, and anything that seemed even remotely valuable, they shot a German man twice because he refused to cooperate, and that hold-up seemed to go on forever!
When they eventually left, my friend Sarah who is trained for medical emergencies ran over to the wounded man to help stop, or at least slow down the bleeding. I was there to help by holding his cloth over the bullet holes (he was shot in the arm) and keep him hydrated by giving him lots of water. The Kenyans on the bus were amazing as they all brought all the bottles of water they had to him, someone called the police, and they all worked as a team; the police came within ten minutes and calm was restored. We had to go back to the border to report the incident before we could continue our journey again but I was and still am so thankful that God protected Sarah and I from harm; we were not injured, harassed, or molested, God kept us...Good looking out for us Father, you're amazing!
P.s. we later realized they had dumped lots of paper and cardboard on the bus floor and would have set it on fire! God really took care of Sarah and I (His Princesses), He is amazing!
The Sarahs 5 years ago!!!!