Parable of bees pursuit of authentic harvest, as human merchants go 'bananas'

Audio By Vocalize

I was in the Laikipia wilds recently, trying to espy on the construction of that Ebola facility that Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale can’t quite decide if it’s still ongoing, despite his arrogant declaration that he need not consult anyone.

I digress. My mission there was a lot more edifying than evaluating politicos’ histrionics; I had a rendezvous with a driver who kept time to the minute, then drove so carefully I was able to catch a wink or two in the early morning ride.

Even more uplifting, the Sunday traffic was light, and the newly-paved Marwa road is smooth as a baby’s back, to use a well-worn cliché. Put simply, there was a lot to gladden the heart.

But nothing quite prepared me for the unalloyed joy of watching litres of pure organic honey pour of the hive that was hoisted up the acacia tree, which seemed like only yesterday. Yes, the bees haven’t been buzzing around doing nothing; they have produced a dozen kilos of pure honey, and business ideas have been buzzing in my mind ever since.

A relation of mine threw a spanner in the works, or is it the wax? He received formal training as a food technologist, so he understood a thing or two about the science of honey before he tried its packaging for sale to local supermarkets.

Honey suppliers, however, were not conscientious, so he’d receive kilos and kilos of honey that had healthy doses of sugar from cane, molasses and even ripe bananas. He was able to detect these impurities and reject such consignments.

But since Kenyans never shirked from an opportunity to make a shilling, they have turned to importing from neighbouring countries of Uganda and Tanzania. Which is fine, only that for every 10 kilos of honey, only one is likely to be the real deal. The rest are concoctions from the items listed earlier.

Which is why the bees of Laikipia provide a powerful metaphor for diligent, honest toil. They haven’t learnt to forage for ripe bananas to throw into their mix; they have prodded on with honest work, as human honey merchants corrupt their product.