The Kite Festival in Nairobi

• The kites displayed were courtesy of David and Susan Gomberg, who are professional kite flyers. They were in Kenya on a voluntary basis invited by Screen on the Green and Urban Live Entertainment.
• David and his wife Susan tour the globe flying kites. They also run Gomberg Kite Productions International, which deals with kite design and production.
• It was a fun filled event, with children running around giggling and showing off their smaller kites - in comparison to the giants in the skies.
• Some of the adults also indulged in the kite flying activities.
• Prior to the festival, children from the Wajukuu centre, kids from local slums including Korogocho and Mukuru, joined other children to make kites. The kites were showcased at the event.

An awed Mary Wambua stares open mouthed at the giant kite floating above her. She rummages through her bag for her cell phone to take pictures of the gigantic gecko-shaped kite.

She was one of the hundreds of people who turned up for the first Kite Festival, two weeks ago, at Racecourse, Nairobi. This was not what she expected.

The kites did not compare to the usual simple home made or store bought ones. These were intricate contraptions that added colour to the sky.

The kites displayed were courtesy of David and Susan Gomberg, who are professional kite flyers. They were in Kenya on a voluntary basis invited by Screen on the Green and Urban Live Entertainment.

They showcased a series of giant kites, including an octopus and the gecko which stretched to more than thirty metres in length and ten in width.

As a child David would make kites out of newspapers and sticks, flying them around just like the other children in the neighbourhood, he said.

As he got older his interest in the wind propelled creations grew just as the simple paper kites evolved to larger more intricately designed pieces “I spent more time and money on equipment,” he says. What began as a young boy’s pass time has evolved into a career.

David and his wife Susan now tour the globe flying kites. They also run Gomberg Kite Productions International, which deals with kite design and production.

“I may not make as much money as I would like but we are comfortable,” said David. The couple have been touring the globe having visited over forty countries to share their passion for kites.

“We have attended kite festivals all over the world, the biggest one being in New York that drew a crowd of over two hundred thousand people,” says David, though the Kenyan version is a much smaller event. “We hope this is not the last time we will have such an event in the country.”

It was a fun filled event, with children running around giggling and showing off their smaller kites - in comparison to the giants in the skies.

Some of the adults also indulged in the kite flying activities.

However, the wind was not as strong to showcase some of the bigger kites the couple had brought, “the wind does most of the work,” explained David.

Prior to the festival, children from the Wajukuu centre, kids from local slums including Korogocho and Mukuru, joined other children to make kites. The kites were showcased at the event.