Contributing to African rural development planning experience fulfils a long passion I have had not only in research but also in wanting to improve the living conditions in rural areas of Africa. I have not only read about and carried out research on African rural development programmes, but also experienced the African rural development landscape in a personal way. I was born and raised in a rural district in Kenya. I have been involved in the ordinary rural life in Kenya. I am always fascinated with the rising of the sun, when my rural community wakes up; the development of the day, when this community gets engaged in several activities; and the setting of the sun, when the community settles down to evening meals and storytelling, and then retires to sleep. I remember well how other boys and I would be tending cattle in the afternoon and evening, while the girls would be fetching water and preparing meals. I remember how we, the young ones, would spend the day at school while our parents would be working on their farms or doing other important life-sustaining activities. My rural community has also changed in several ways. Numerous members now own cell phones, radios and many modern gadgets. I have witnessed a number of rural development initiatives being introduced and implemented in my own local district and others parts of Kenya. Though I moved away to study and work in Nairobi and abroad, I have maintained links with my rural origins. I have been involved in discussions and initiatives seeking to support the development of African rural areas and Africa in general. I cannot fully describe the joy and peace I always get when I am in my rural community. Listening to cattle mooing, cocks crowing, children making joyful sounds as they play, a mother calling her children to come to the house to eat, and news about happy and sad events in the community remind me a lot about the importance of the basics of life.