The godfather of Kenya's first true crime family, the Akasha Clan, was a grandfatherly charming chain smoker. He died nearly 17 years ago in Amsterdam, a fugitive from the law and deadweight to his business partners.
In December 1961, a ship flying the Cuban flag docked in Morocco. Over the next three decades, Cuba under Fidel Castro would become a major player in several revolutionary conflicts in Africa, especially in the liberation of Southern Africa.
For a few minutes, no one in the helicopter spoke.
The three men sat in silence, looking outside. Below them, Ruiru opened up like a dream. A green sea of thousands of acres of coffee bushes, sometimes broken by empty, grassy fields.
"Done. Let's do it."
Then there was silence again.