I was listening to my friend speak on a webinar while my eyes, for whatever reason, were staring outside the window. I was in deep thought following what she was talking about… climate reparations and all… then I saw something that I thought was a twig. But it was green and this ‘twig” was moving. I have a huge smirk on my face when I think of this. Anyway, I got excited. I literally exclaimed – oh my God!!! My brother was sitting next to me, wondering what was going on. I start going out, and call my brother to join me.

Trust me, I am excited because I’m pretty sure I have seen a snake live in the compound for the first time. More often, I’m always told after they have been ambushed. Why I am excited about snake sightings, I don’t know. We step out with him, and I can see the snake, but he can’t. I’m just staring in wonder. The snake isn’t moving. It’s still. Camouflaged on the mulberry tree. He goes round. He still can’t see it. So I point to it with a stick, and finally, he sees it. We are there, wondering which snake it is. He says these are the ones the cats catch. I asked if it’s these green ones or the black iridescent ones, the house snakes. He says both. Quite common in this side of Kiambu.

My oh my… I am excited. Disappointed, I don’t have a camera with me because trust me, a phone would have been an illusion. But also excited that I get to just observe. For some reason, I just didn’t think I needed evidence. Now this incident will stick in my memory. I stayed there to observe the snake as it went into the nearby bush.

My aunt came out to ask what I had seen. She was busy crocheting as usual. I tell her I have seen a snake, but not to worry, it’s non-venomous. Why am I so sure I don’t know? But we, my brother and I, ruled out green mamba immediately when we saw it. All the features were completely off for a green mamba. Please tell me why we are so patient with this observation, because I know many wouldn’t. Told my aunt I will get her the name and details – now I need to add a guidebook on snakes of East and Southern Africa to my collection.

A day later, I am still excited. I was going to ask a friend who is a snake expert to help in identifying the snake, but I decided I needed to get my thinking cap on. I searched and searched online, hence why I need the guidebook. After all, with birds, insects and trees, my life is easy because I have guidebooks and apps. Surprisingly, at the hour I am writing this at one in the AM (weird much), a few moments ago someone’s WhatsApp status had a species of snake, and immediately I was excited because that is what we saw… exact species. The Battersby’s Green Snake.

This has reminded me that in a time when I’m so much in my head, whatever I seek is also seeking me. This is the third time I’ve seen a snake up close this year, and it all started with the Brown House Snake I saw on the first day of 2025 at my dad’s place. Plus, it’s also the year of the snake. Seeing snakes makes me incredibly calm, for some reason, especially when I spot them before they see me. And because of the fear, trauma, and religious beliefs that snakes have carried in people’s minds for centuries, it makes me want to know them more, to understand them, and also to understand ourselves and our fears.

There is also the overarching knowing that, over the years, I have allowed. I can’t force people to see snakes and leave them alone. I cannot expect anyone to understand why I am fascinated by snakes. It’s also an understanding of the threat venomous snakes have and the impact they have on lives and those left behind. The thought of seeing a snake, whether it’s venomous or not, doesn’t matter in the bigger picture. It could be a religious influence and also lived experience, that has made it for many people to fear snakes in general.

All these, over the years, I’ve realised to respect people’s fears. For example,  it took me a while to tell my aunt what I had seen until I was sure that she was not going to be in any threat when I left, nor would neither of the farm animals, dogs or cats be too. This realisation makes me see people differently, and even though I advocate for snakes, I know it’s not necessarily a must, and even with knowledge, there is little chance that snakes will be left alone. In fact, if many were to choose which animal species could be done away with, I am pretty sure they would choose snakes.

So, even if there are so many benefits of snakes to our ecosystems, all those don’t matter to a group of species that hugely instil fear in many.  Maybe some species are not meant to be appreciated, but just to be as they are. The fear in some instances protects many people. 

I may not have an image to document this, but keeping the experience in my head makes the difference. And besides, I can easily express myself in writing. And I’m also happy I’m getting back to writing without feeling any pressure to do so.