From what I had been hearing of Garissa County in the past, I never thought I would one day find myself there. 

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But wait a moment, I have come to love the place like no other.

I am glad I worked and continue to work in this beautiful place. 

I owe the residents of this county a world-class apology for the fallacious thoughts that this county was a tough, dry, unproductive and terrorist-infested place where, as a non-local, the chances of getting there alive was close to zero. It was a big lie!

Now allow me to tell you something about this beautiful county of Garissa. 

Forget about all the maligned, poor and bloody Garissa you see on television screens or hear on FM radio stations. For once, banish those fictitious mental pictures that the media has created on your mind. 

1. Outgoing lot

The residents of Garissa are warm and kind-hearted. 

Yes, they are a bunch of funny, jovial and outgoing people, who love their county to death. 

They will not despise their county in spite of all negativities written and said about them in the media. 

2. Hospitable

Like no other Kenyan town, Garissa has dozens of good people, highly hospitable to say. 

The very first month I landed there, I quickly made good friends who were more than free to invite me to their ‘kikao cha vijana’ commonly called ‘mailis’ usually convened on Tuesday afternoons. 

I should have been the only non-local in a crowd of at least ten Somali men but they agreed to accommodate me. 

To say the least, Garissa is among the best counties to visit this November-December holidays.

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