Esther Wairimu Wearing a traditional Masaai outfit which is normally only worn on special occasions

In part 18 of a series on the many nationalities that have made the Cayman Islands a true international melting pot, Steven Knipp takes a look at the Kenyans of Cayman.

The East African nation Kenya is one of the most dramatically beautiful places on earth - its very name evokes spectacular images of immense Tsaro National Park, where vast herds of wildebeest and zebras graze - ever alert for lions lurking in the tall tawny grass.

Then there is the teeming city of Nairobi - the nation’s bustling capital, home to nearly three million; and Mombasa, the Indian Ocean seaport, which, over the centuries, has attracted both military invaders and moneyed investors - everyone from the British and the Dutch, to the Portuguese, the Turks and the Arabs.

In more recent years, Kenya has been a favourite location for Hollywood and such classic movies as ‘Snows of Kilimanjaro’, ‘Born Free’, and ‘Out of Africa’ were all filmed on location there.

Kenya is renowned for its long-distance runners, who have been virtually unbeatable in Olympic competition since the 1970s.

Led to independence from the British by Jomo Kenyatta in 1963, Kenya is today an East African hub for trade and finance. More than 50 percent of its 38 million people are under 25. Educational standards are exceptionally high, and one of Africa’s best-known novels - Weep Not, Child - was written by Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong’o.

Agriculture (the country’s coffee is world famous) and tourism are major employers. And with the election of Barack Obama as president of the United Sates, whose father was Kenyan, the country is likely to be thrust into the international limelight in 2009.

According to Cayman Government statistics, there are 23 Kenyan permit holders here, but there may actually be nearly 40 Kenyan residents.

Nairobi-born Esther Wairimu has been living in Cayman for just 10 months, and delights in being here. The middle of five children - two brothers and three sisters - her father is a CPA and her mom is retired from business.

Ms Wairimu came to Cayman thanks to her boyfriend Charles, also Kenyan, who works as a fitness instructor at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. “He told me about a possible opening here and said ‘Give it a shot.’ There were several intensive telephone interviews, which I passed, and here I am at the Ritz,” she says with a laugh. “And I’m really proud to be working in the best spa in the Caribbean.

“Back home, I was an ‘all-rounder’ [where she worked for five years as a therapist at a beauty centre in Kenya]. Now I am a nail technician. But actually I call myself a ‘nail doctor’ because I make you feel good inside and out.”

When not working, Ms Wairimu enjoys the beach and especially the sea. “The ocean here is so clear, it’s really wonderful. I also like the fact that there is no traffic in Cayman, none compared to Nairobi, which is a typical big city with lots of traffic jams.”

Ms Wairimu also likes to work out. “That’s how I really unwind, and relax.”

Asked what she most misses from home, she immediately says: “The number one thing I miss is my family. Number two is my friends, and number three is the food.”

She plans to visit home once a year. “Yes, it is very expensive to fly there,” she concedes, “but nothing compared to the value of my family.”

Asked to briefly describe her homeland, Ms Wairimu, who speaks fluent English, Swahili and Kikuyu, says: “Kenya is a complex country. There are 42 different tribes and languages, though English is widely spoken. It is a very beautiful country with much to see.

“On the Maasi Mara you can watch the migrations of wildebeest, and near Mombasa there are wonderful beach resorts. And from my grandfather’s house you can even see Mount Kilimanjaro.”

Hudson Kamau has been resident in Cayman for three years, and is a guest services manager at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. Born and raised in Nairobi, Mr Kamau has one sister home in Kenya, and a brother who is with him in Cayman. He went to school in Switzerland to study hotel management, and it was while still in school that The Ritz-Carlton hired him.

He then went to work for the hotel group in Colorado. After a stint working at a Ritz resort in the Rocky Mountains, he was supposed to be transferred to Cayman. But Hurricane Ivan halted that plan; so, instead, Hudson went to The Ritz in Dubai, where he worked for a year and a half in the security department.

He relishes his time in Cayman, saying, “I really like the lifestyle here, which is very similar to ours at home in Kenya. In infrastructure, Cayman is way ahead, but the society itself is quite similar - both are very relaxed, laid-back places.”

Having recently been home, he does not miss his family too much, but he does pine for ‘ugali’ a traditional Kenyan corn meal dish, which is made from white corn.

Asked to relate something about Kenyan that might surprise people, he says: “Kenyans are absolutely mad about their cell phones. Everyone has one – taxi drivers, hotel maids, security guards. Even the guy who lives his whole life in the jungle, and only visits the cities once every couple of years, he will have his cell phone.”