INHERITANCE KCSE ESSAY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 

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INHERITANCE KCSE ESSAY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 

INHERITANCE DAVID MULWA ESSAY QUESTION 1

Ill gotten wealth can never bring true happiness. Write a composition in support of this statement drawing examples from Lacuna Kasoo’s life.

It is said that there is no human being who does not want to be rich. This is because wealth gives one a host of material comfort. One thing, however, money cannot buy is happiness and many rich people, who acquired wealth unjustly, are not happy. Lacuna Kasoo is one such person.

Lacuna Kasoo kills his own father, King Kutula, because he wants to take over leadership and to modernize the country. He kills his own father with the help of foreigners who disliked his way of leadership, by lacing his tea with some poisonous powder. Lacuna turns out to be ruthless and greedy. He only wants to enrich himself. Once in power he oppresses his own people. He constructs a dam 15 kilometres away and citizens like Tamina have to walk from sunrise to midday to get there, since the streams have dried up. Lacuna also conspires to kill Bengo. Apart from that, he misuses the money he has borrowed on lavish banquets and the locals do not benefit yet he borrowed in their name. Despite ascending to power and amassing wealth, Lacuna is not a happy man. The foreign financiers who used to respect him and call him His Excellency now simply refer to him contemptuously as Lacuna. His offshore accounts are frozen making him beg and plead like a hapless child. There is an unpopular unrest since even the citizens reject him. Lacuna becomes suspicious and insecure because his subjects resent him. Eventually he is overthrown when there is an uprising. The citizens cry “down with the tyrant”

Lacuna procures loans thinking they would make him happy but they only come back to haunt him. At first, Lacuna has a good relationship with the financiers. He borrows money claiming it would be used to develop the economy and improving living standards but it ends up in his accounts and those of his cronies. Initially, he borrows 30 billion shillings. The interest shoots up to 98 billion then 122 billion. The mining operations are not making any profits. There is 15 percent decline in output. It is managed by Kasoo’s political appointees and lax tribes. The machines are rotten and disintegrating. Lacuna is unhappy since he is unable to repay the loans amidst pressure from the lenders. He confesses that he has become unpopular. He even begs for mercy. His offshore accounts are frozen to partly pay for the loans. The financiers that initially refer to him as His Excellency now disrespectfully call him Lacuna. His ill-gotten wealth does not provide any happiness to him.  

Lacuna meets foreign financiers with the hope of making money and enriching himself. He views them as a source of wealth. He fails to understand that Goldstein and Robert are in business. He acquires a 30 billion loan and squanders the money. He borrows in his people’s name but banks the money in his own personal accounts. The people do not benefit. Initially, Lacuna is self assured and dignified when he meets Goldstein and Robert later. When he is unable to repay the loan he becomes insecure. The white men humiliate him. They say he’s too wordy. The ask him to pay the money he owes them before he can borrow more. He is equated to a tethered hen that has no power. They threaten to freeze his accounts in Canada, Luxemburg and Switzerland. Lacuna is forced to plead with Robert, a younger man. He begs for help saying there is no money to contain famine and unemployment. His ill gotten wealth does not provide any happiness.

Lacuna becomes very unpopular with his subjects and knows it. The agitation is caused by a damn he has built since it has dried up the streams they relied on for water. Chipande, Lacuna’s crony, is the only coffee farmer after others like Tamima are suffocated and pushed out. The citizens reminisce the good old days of King Kutula. Zen Melo is suicidal due to hardships occasioned by low pay. Kasoo buys a plane which he claims is to fly over his 84 million subjects. He finds neither happiness nor fulfillment since the citizens become rebellious. People are bitter because of the suffering. He eventually loses grip of power.

Despite accruing wealth, Lacuna fails in his attempt to coax and woo Lulu, a 19 year old girl to give in to his proposal. Lulu asserts herself. Despite having money and power, Kasoo cannot convince a teenage schoolgirl. That is how low Lacuna sinks. Lacuna is insecure and jealous when Lulu dances with Robert. Lacuna is humiliated when he is rejected by a teenager. His ill-gotten wealth does not make him content. Instead it makes his life more difficult.

In brief, wealth may be soothing but is not a source of true happiness. 

INHERITANCE DAVID MULWA ESSAY QUESTION 2

Drawing your illustrations from David Mulwa’s Inheritance write an essay showing how bad leadership is dehumanizing.        

Citizens of any given country are entitled to a comfortable life provided by their chosen leaders. However, some leaders choose to be selfish and this often leads to suffering and tribulations of the citizens. The people of Kutula suffer as a result of poor leadership by Lacuna Kasoo and his cronies.

Lacuna’s corrupt nature puts the citizens in heavy debts, heavy taxes and their lives deplorable. He borrows well over 120 billion from Robert and Goldstein intended to develop and build his country. Lacuna and his henchmen, however, use the money for his own selfish gains. He spends 10 billion shillings meant to buy new machines and service the mines to buy an aircraft in order to fly over the citizens since they are his subjects not equals. He calls them petty people filled with gossip and hate. He also embezzles 30% of the balance of the 30-billion shillings loan and pockets it in his individual offshore accounts. When Robert and Goldstein come to ask for their loan repayment, he rebukes them and they freeze the money in his accounts on account of mismanagement of funds. Lacuna punishes the businesses in his country by taxing them a hundred percent. He reduces the workers’ wages, fires others and intends to overwork the citizens so as to increase production. All this causes untold misery on the citizens of Kutula. This leaves the citizens desperate and leads to an insurrection since the citizens are tired of the mistreatment by the government of the day. 

Lacuna employs most of his tribesmen to state offices and they lead with impunity. Chipande is Lacuna’s right-hand man. Tamina observes that Chipande bought all the fertile lands from them at very low prices to grow coffee. He went ahead to convince Lacuna to make sure that no one else could grow coffee as he did not want any competition. This is quite unfair from a leader as they should ensure equal treatment for all their citizens. Judah also says that the foreman at the Kasoo mines, Mithambo, is a Lacuna’s tribesman and that is for sure the merit by which he got the job. Commander Meshack is also a tribesman and Lacuna uses him to terrorize and execute civilians who refuse to tow the line. Lacuna orders Meshack to replace the disloyal people and replace them with uneducated clansmen who will not question his decision and leadership. Tamina suffers since she has to work extra hours for no extra pay. She cannot afford to pay Lulu’s fees. Qualified citizens are forced to undertake menial jobs like gate keeping and machine operation jobs. This leads to frustration and disillusionment. Judah Zen Melo resorts to binge drinking. Lacuna uses nepotism to punish his people.

Lacuna locks Lulu at the palace against her will. After the commemoration ritual, he insists that Lulu should accompany him to the palace. His intention is to marry her and lay with her so as to fulfil the ancestors’ wishes and grant him successful leadership as advised by Malipoa. The event is postponed by 4 weeks in which Lulu will be held captive at the palace against her wishes. This causes untold pain to Lulu, who is only a 19 year old school girl. She cries a lot during the course of her detention. She is mortified when Lacuna shamelessly flirts with her. She perceives him as an elder, a father and a leader. Lulu says that she is too young for him and she still wants to go to school as she wants to be a doctor. Lulu insists that she wants to go home but Lacuna denies her wishes for his selfish intentions. He even denies her the liberty to attend her father’s 2^nd interment, a mandatory customary practice. This forced captivity ends up hurting not only Lulu abut also her mother Tamina Zen Melo as she is tormented and does not know the fate of her daughter. She considers that she’s dead to her since she loathes Lacuna so much.

Lastly, the citizens are jailed, impoverished or killed for questioning or opposing Lacuna Kasoo’s methods. Bengo who is an activist against Lacuna’s government is jailed for a long time for being vocal. When he is released from jail, he still continues his fight and it is successful as Lacuna is overthrown. Judah Zen Melo, Bengo’s brother, was Lacuna’s right-hand man. He is tasked to assassinate Bengo and when he refuses, he is beaten up and left for dead outside his house. All favours from Lacuna are withdrawn and he has to go into exile so as to save his life and earn a living, leaving his family to suffer from poverty. He is forced to work at Kasoo mines as a gate keeper. He has to literally fawn upon Mithambo, Lacuna’s relative, in order to get a slightly better job. He also starts drinking heavily due to his worries about his family. Later, he is traced to the mines where he works and Lacuna kills him when he refuses to give his blessing for Lulu’s marriage. Lacuna blames his death on the faulty machines but Robert reveals the truth that Judah was murdered. His death causes his wife Tamina pain since she was eagerly awaiting his return slotted for Saturday 2^nd September. Bengo and Judah’s family suffer as a consequence of poor leadership from the government of the day.

In conclusion, the citizens of Kutula get a disservice from their selfish and greedy leaders and because of their disappointment and despair they overthrow the government so as to get their reprieve from better leaders. Surely bad leadership causes misery.  

INHERITANCE DAVID MULWA ESSAY QUESTION 3

Drawing illustrations from David Mulwa’s  Inheritance, write an essay to show how moral decadence among leaders affects the society.

Good behavior is meant to be a basic fabric that holds together a proper and upright society and should trickle down from the leaders to the citizens. However, we do not see this in Kutula republic led by Lacuna and his cronies. Their immoral behaviour leads to deplorable living conditions for the citizens of Kutula. When they feel that enough is enough, the citizens resort to a peaceful uprising to oust the immoral leaders.

Lacuna Kasoo is cruel and inhuman. Menninger calls him a thoroughly debased moral reprobate. He callously poisons and kills his own father King Kutula XV due to his greed for power and leadership of Kutula. He takes advantage of his father’s trust and love for him. He laces his tea with a poisonous powder killing him despite the fact that his father loved him. The king died slowly. He later conspires to kill Romanus Bengo, a fearless critic of his leadership. He calls him a thorn on his political side. Judah Zen Melo, Bengo’s brother, refuses to take up the dirty job. Lacuna punishes him by having him beaten mercilessly, fires him, and snatches him of the government house and car. Later when Lulu refuses to marry Lacuna, he ends up killing Judah as he refuses to give his blessing for the marriage and tries to cover it up by blaming his death on the old, rotting machines. Robert Rollerstone and Lulu reproach him for this murder. Lacuna’s actions cause misery to Bengo who is held unlawfully for a long time. Judah’s death causes Tamina his wife untold pain. She cries bitterly and convulses when she learns of his death from Reverend Sangoi. Lulu is also badly hurt and left without a father. The entire family suffers. Furthermore the whole nation is affected by the death of their compassionate and prudent leader King Kutula XV. Lacuna does not seem to have a problem with having blood on his hands as he had killed his own father to ascend the seat.    Surely, leaders’ moral decadence has adverse effects on any society.

Secondly, the leaders oppress the citizens of Kutula. Romanus Bengo is an activist who is against Lacuna’s poor leadership. Lacuna plans to have him killed. Luckily the proposed hit man, Judah, declines the job. As a consequence of his dissidence Bengo is illicitly jailed for a long time so as to be silenced as the debauchery prevailed. This fuels Bengo’s spirit even more as when he gets out, he is even more determined to dethrone Lacuna. Lacuna intends to marry Lulu forcefully so as to appease the ancestors. As Lulu is reluctant, Lacuna locks her up in the castle for almost a month against her wishes. Lulu suffers and cries the whole time. She is also embarrassed by the humiliating thought of marrying an old man whom she respects as a parent and a leader.  Tamina is also constantly troubled of her daughter’s whereabouts. Lacuna’s immorality affects Bengo and Lulu adversely.

The leaders exploit the poor citizens of Kutula. Lacuna is inefficient and hands-off as a leader. Chipande, his crony, buys fertile land from Tamina for peanuts and uses his influence to convince Lacuna to deny other people license grow coffee. When he buys Tamina’s land unfairly he says he cannot compete with a peasant. Since her husband is unemployed and thrown out of his government house she is forced to pick coffee at Chipande’s farm in order to raise money to feed her children. She works extra hours from cockcrow to sunset at no extra pay. She has to walk a long distance to and from work. She is unable to give her children a decent lifestyle. Lulu is out of school for she cannot afford to pay her school fees and other related levies like construction fund. She thinks of having her study on credit. The stress caused by this leads to anxiety and a strain in their relationship.  Lulu asks her to seek help from Chipande or Lulu, oblivious of their true colours. She even hints of using her beauty to get the money to complete school and be a doctor. This angers her mother who threatens to beat her up. The exploitative leaders cause the citizens pain.

Lacuna is a greedy narcissist. He borrows money from abroad to develop his country and better the lives of the citizens but instead enriches himself and his friends. Much of the money is stashed in his offshore accounts in Canada, Swiss, Luxemburg and Manhattan. He uses part of it to buy himself an expensive private aircraft to fly over his “petty” subjects. He distributes the spoils from the loans to his tribesmen and friends in leadership and pockets 30 % of the balance for himself. His greed and selfishness denies the people a just and progressive leader in King Kutula XV. The citizens reminisce about his good leadership with fondness of heart. When Lacuna’s accounts are frozen he plans to make his people pay for his excesses. He also plans to overtax the companies in Kutula and keep the returns for himself so as to continue being rich as citizens suffer. Lacuna intends to forcefully evacuate the occupants of Bukelembe valley so as to satisfy Robert and Goldstein’s wishes and secure a loan from them. His greed makes the citizens to wallow in abject poverty. While he lives in luxury in his large palace with many servants and titular assistants, citizens of Kutula suffer unemployment, low wages, long working hours and poverty. They revolt and overthrow Lacuna.

In conclusion, the leaders of Kutula fail to uphold good morals for the well being of their subjects and instead end up hurting the very people they are supposed to serve. It is not a surprise when they are overthrown and taken to jail by the citizens.  

INHERITANCE DAVID MULWA ESSAY QUESTION 4

Citizens suffer due to bad leadership. Write a composition to qualify this statement citing illustrations from David Mulwa's Inheritance. 

Citizens of Kutula suffer under Lacuna Kasoo’s reign. Lacuna misuses power and enriches himself while his subjects suffer abject poverty, unemployment, oppression among others afflictions.

Lacuna poor leadership is exhibited when he comes up with the idea of construction of a dam which ends up causing citizens misery. Together with his henchmen like Chipande he brings machines to construct a water source in Bukelenge Mountains. Since it’s a bad idea some people including Reverend Sangoi protest but the uprising yields no fruit. Initially, the dam only holds half of the water expected so canals are built to drain all the water from the plateau to lead to the dam. The valley becomes dry; people have to walk for as long as fifteen kilometers from sunrise to mid-day and back by sunset just to get the precious commodity. Tamina tells Bengo that she has to conserve every drop of the little they have. Surely bad leadership makes citizens to suffer. 

Poor leaders cause citizens agony when they detain them unlawfully without trials or reason. Romanus Bengo suffers unwarranted confinement in Lacuna’s hands. Two weeks before construction of the dam, Bengo was taken away by Lacuna’s men.  Lacuna tries to get Judah Zen Melo, Bengo’s brother, to kill him since he was opposed to his brand of leadership.  After Judah declines, Bengo is arrested and locked up. He spoke up against Lacuna’s misuse of power. He said ‘no’ since the sweat of Kutula citizens ended up in Lacuna’s porous pocket and the rest in his offshore accounts. Bengo was held without trial for many years. He left before Tamina’s daughter, Lulu, started school. By the time he tastes freedom she was in her fourth form. When Lacuna is finally overthrown, Bengo says he has felt hunger and pain and lost his family through Lacuna’s greed and mismanagement. Bengo suffers due to Lacuna’s poor leadership. 

Citizens suffer under callous murderous leaders.  Lacuna Kasoo kills Judah Zen Melo. Judah Zen Melo worked as a machine operator at Kasoo mines when until the day of his death. The perpetrators try to cover it up as an accident caused by the old rotting machines. Robert Rollerstone says, “It was murder for poor Judah, not the age of the machine.”  Lulu also tells Lacuna that he killed her father. Lulu suffers when Lacuna confines her for almost a month.  She does not get to attend her father’s second interment, according to customs. She is called names like palace gold digger. Her mother disowns her. The pain is so unbearable. Tamina who was waiting patiently for Judah Zen Melo’s return is shocked to learn that he is dead. Judah had written that he would return on Saturday 2^nd September. When Sangoi breaks the news to her, she gasps, chokes and convulses. It was too painful to bear. The news of Judah’s death hurt her so much. 

Under Lacuna’s leadership, the citizens of Kutula wallow in abject poverty while he lives lavishly. Tamina’s family puts up in a grass thatched house where the sitting room also serves as the kitchen. The furniture in the house is also old a testament to the deplorable conditions. This is despite the fact that Judah Zen Melo served faithfully in Lacuna’s government. Their daughter Lulu has ambitions to become a doctor but Tamina cannot afford to pay her school fees. When she is sent home because of fees Tamina even wishes she could study on credit. She is overworked and underpaid at Chipande’s farm. She says no one can help them. Everyone, save for Lacuna, and his incompetent cronies, is poor. Tamina cannot raise 2000 shillings for fees balance owed leave alone the levies for the construction of a computer lab among other things. Lulu is tempted to use her beauty to make money since she’s tempted to become a doctor. They are poor despite the fact that Judah Zen Melo worked for the government. Lulu’s idea causes a strain between her and Tamina and it almost turns into physical confrontation. Surely bad leaders can cause pain to the citizens. 

In conclusion, bad leadership results in nothing but agony. Citizens should elect prudent leaders who care about their welfare.  

INHERITANCE DAVID MULWA ESSAY QUESTION 5

“Lacuna’s poor governance results to the suffering of the people of Kutula.” Using Judah Zen Melo’s family, write an essay depicting the truth of the statement.

In David Mulwa’s “The Inheritance”, Lacuna Kasoo’s brutal and harsh leadership causes a lot of harm to his subjects. Case in point is the family of Judah who end up undergoing psychological and physical torture for going against the regime. My essay illustrates this further.  

Romanus Bengo, Judah’s brother is detained unlawfully for being against the leadership of Lacuna Kasoo. When Lacuna was conducting his campaigns, Bengo stood to compete him. Bengo says that he was headed for a landslide win against the incumbent and this must have threatened Kasoo’s leadership. First Lacuna asks Judah to kill him as a proof of his loyalty to the king to which he refuses as Bengo is his brother and he cannot get himself to commit the atrocity. The king opts to jail Bengo so as to silence him and kill his fight for liberation. Romanus ends up being separated from his close family as a consequence of being against the regime.

Judah ends up losing his job in the government for going against the wishes of Lacuna. While Judah was still working in the palace at the right hand of Lacuna, his brother was leading a strong revolution against Lacuna’s leadership. This angers Lacuna and he asks Judah to prove his loyalty by killing Romanus Bengo. Despite Lacuna’s promises of wellness to his family, Judah refuses to betray his brother and mother by committing this act. For his act of refusing to help King Kasoo, Judah says that he has been unable to find work as no one in Kutula wanted to be associated with someone who had refused to help the king. Lacuna had closed all paths for him. After a long while, he ends up getting a watchman’s job at the mines far from home where he resorts to being an alcoholic so as to get a promotion. Judah loses his job and becomes an alcoholic as a result of going against Kasoo’s leadership.

Judah is beaten up and eventually killed by Kasoo’s government. After refusing to prove his loyalty by killing his own brother, Bengo, Judah was beaten up and left for dead. Tamina says that even though Judah had tried to make up for his mistake of going against Kasoo’s wishes, the king still struck and he was beaten up badly and left for dead at their doorstep. It took the intervention of Dr. Jonathan to save his life as he was left in a bad state. He spends a long time recuperating in the hospital before getting back to his feet. While working in the mine, he suffers an accident while operating the machines and dies as explained by Lacuna. Robert later says that they have done their investigation and found out that it was murder and not an accident. Lacuna’s anger at the statement shows that he had a hand in the murder. Judah is not only beaten up but also loses his life because of Kasoo’s poor leadership.

Lulu, Judah’s daughter is held at the palace on Lacuna’s orders but against her wish. After conducting the commemoration ceremony for his late father, King Kutula XV, Lacuna insists that Lulu must stay behind without offering an explanation. Lacuna intends to satisfy the ancestors wish by laying with the girl and marrying her without her consent. Lulu insists that she wants to go home because she is not of age and Lacuna is old enough to be her father but Lacuna refuses. She is worried that the she is being labelled as a gold digger by others and fears that her mother is worried about her. She also says that she respects Melissa who is Lacuna’s wife and she does not want to be in her bad books. Lacuna spends a lot of money ensuring she is spoilt lavishly to convince her but Lulu is uncowed. When she gets news of her father’s death, she tells Lacuna that she wants to go home to pay her last respect to which Lacuna refuses. He even goes ahead to slap her thus inflicting further pain on Lulu. Lulu’s forced stay at the palace causes pain to her and she suffers from Lacuna’s dictatorship.

Lastly, Tamina Zen Melo undergoes a lot of frustrations from Lacuna’s government. Her husband is beaten up and left for dead at her doorstep. When Judah loses his job, all the luxuries that she was accustomed to are take away. She mentions that her cars and government house are taken away and her coffee farm is bought by Chipande, Lacuna’s advisor, for peanuts as he has monopolized coffee growing. As a result, she has become poor and she has to fend for her family especially Lulu who still needs school fees that her mother cannot raise. She also suffers psychologically when Lulu is kept at the palace against her will and she thinks that her daughter is after the riches and she disowns her. Later her husband is murdered at the mines and this tortures her mentally, her frustration clear from how she reacts at the news almost losing reason and wanting to fight Sangoi as she goes to avenge her husband’s death. Tamina, Judah’s wife, undergoes a lot of mental torture and frustrations under Kasoo’s leadership.

In conclusion, poor leadership results to the torture of innocent individuals especially those who are against a regime as is evident in Judah Zen Melo’s family.    

INHERITANCE DAVID MULWA ESSAY QUESTION 6

When subjects get tired of oppression by a dictatorial regime, they tend to rebel. Write an essay to validate this statement basing your illustration on David Mulwa's Inheritance.

Lacuna’s rule is characterised by rife injustice and despotism. Corruption, murder, embezzlement, immorality and profligacy are the order of the day. The people of Kutula embark on an insurgency that results in the ouster of Lacuna. Citizens eventually revolt when they have had enough of a tyrannical rule.

First, Bengo is a fierce dissident of Lacuna's authoritarian leadership. His brother Judah Zen Melo unsuccessfully attempts to dissuade him from meddling in politics. He advises Bengo to turn the other cheek in the event of injustice. He tells him that the crow may be a coward but he lives to see his grandson, and that he should leave politics to the ordained leader - Lacuna. Bengo is tired of Lacuna’s corruption. His own people’s sweat pours into Lacuna’s porous pockets and in his foreign bank accounts. Bengo chooses to dissent from his brother’s suggestion since someone had to say “no”. Bengo enters politics preaching about the poor - the new paymasters. While Tamina seems to resign to fate concerning Lacunas dictatorial reign, Bengo remains adamant that times will change. He tells Tamina that poverty makes it hard to see but one day she will. This is after she complains about the loss of her good government house and her coffee farm which she is forced to sell to Chipande for peanuts and is now forced to work on his farm. Things took a turn for the worse for her and her husband when he refused to obey Lacuna’s order of killing his brother Bengo. Because of Bengo’s resistance, Lacuna labels him a thorn on his political side. Bengo is working with Reverend Sangoi in planning to execute Lacuna’s ouster. He says a woman will lead them. He attends a meeting with other renegades to plan the bloodless coup. He rallies the members of the movement to make their mother, Reverend Sangoi, proud. He reminds them that they have come a long way and persisted because their cause is just. They are ready to die saying “no” to a tyranny of their history and international neo-slavery. They hope to win and celebrate as a united people. The operation begins at 0615 hours on the day of liberty. When Lacuna is captured, Bengo confesses the hunger and pain he felt when he lost his family through Lacuna’s greed and mismanagement. He calms down the agitated crowd chanting, “Down with Lacuna the tyrant,” wishing he could wipe out the abomination from the face of the earth. Eventually, he orders the seizure of Lacuna, Malipoa and Chipande. Lacuna finds out the hard way that you cannot oppress people forever. They will eventually rebel. (Inheritance P22-24, 102, 123, 125, 128, 133, 137)

Secondly, Lulu is only nineteen but she defies Lacuna. Apart from rejecting his advances, she gets a rare chance of slapping him. Lulu, a schoolgirl, bears the brunt of Lacuna's bad governance. First, despite being a determined student who is always among the top three students in her class, she is sent home for school fees. The school wants Construction Fees to construct a new science laboratory and the second perimeter wall, Activity Fees and Examination Fees for purchasing ink and payment of the examination officials. Tamina wonders why they should earn extra money yet they are entitled to salaries. She toils tirelessly on Chipande’s farm picking coffee beans. She goes before cock-crow and trudges back after sunset but she is not paid for the extra work. Lulu miserably begs her mother to find the money needed for school fees for she wants to be a doctor like Jonathan, Reverend Sangoi's husband. She asks her mother to borrow. Like them, her mother replies, everyone else is grappling with poverty. In her desperation, Lulu asks her mother to seek help from Chipande or Lacuna. Chipande is one of the oppressors. He took all the land in the mountains after the white man's departure. He also acquired Tamina’s land for peanuts and blocked everyone else from growing coffee. Tamina is forced to work on his farm. Lacuna on the other hand is a python while Lulu is a guileless sheep. He only cares for himself and his bevy of concubines. Lulu is determined to pass her exams and disapprove their oppressors, Lacuna who fired her father and Chipande who took their land on the mountainside. Lulu does not want to end up like her mother who lives in fear and poverty as a result of the oppression. She will not obey the oppressive laws lying down. She will not bow before a leader who is a thief, a murderer and a rascal. She believes, like her uncle Bengo, that in order to avoid inheriting her parents fear and inaction, action has to be taken now. This obsequiousness has had her father living out there like a criminal. When Lacuna abducts her and tries to use his influence to win over her, she flatly refuses. His shameless flirtations land on deaf ears. She respects Lacuna’s wife Melissa as a mother and says that she is only but a school going child. She is tired of being held captive against her will. She wants to go home and attend her father’s customary second interment. Her mother has disowned her and she has earned ignominious names like the palace gold digger. Lulu's eyes burn with vengeance. Lacuna calls her a headstrong she-buffalo because she rebuffs his advances even after he drains the national coffers to pamper her. Lulu rebels against Lacuna’s oppression. He killed her father, made them live in fear and poverty and enslaved her. Lulu declares that she will never be Lacuna’s wife. When he is captured by Sangoi’s troops, Lulu gets an opportunity to revenge the injustices. She slaps her and together with Tamina, they drag him off the stage in a show of defiance. People eventually get tired of a despotic ruler’s oppression and when they do, they rise up in arms. (Inheritance P 25-31, 45-46, 92-94, 104-105, 119, 120, 136)

Apart from that, Reverend Sangoi opposes her brother’s brand of leadership since she is the voice of the people. Even as a young 12 year old Princess, governor Thorne says that her father King Kutula XV was grooming a matriarch, a lioness. Sangoi is tired of her brother’s tyrannical leadership because his henchman were filling their bellies from Lacuna’s bank and granaries. On the day of Lacuna’s coronation, many people grumble suggesting Sangoi should have ascended to the throne in the place of Lacuna. Many people disappear that day. Despite this, Sangoi talks bluntly to Lacuna. She tells him about her commitment to the people and their well-being. The people’s cry is her commitment. She manages to convince the key opinion leaders of the community to rebel Lacuna’s directive about evacuating Bukelembe Mountains. The leaders vow not to betray or abandon their lands and their home. Lacuna claims Sangoi has misled the people with poisonous pellets in her sermons. He knows that she is very influential. Her teaching, he claims, has poisoned the whole nation. Lacuna burdens the people with loans that he embezzles and misappropriates. Now he has to evacuate people from their homes in order to repay the bothersome debts. Sangoi posits that he should have involved the people in making such decisions with far-reaching consequences. The opinion leaders want Lacuna to step down and be replaced by Sangoi. He promises to rule with an iron spear but under the guise of democracy. Working in Bengo and the opinion leaders, Sangoi plans to nonviolent toppling of Lacuna’s government. The people unanimously pick Sangoi, someone they trust and respect as their leader. She leads the insurgency that results in Lacuna's  fall from grace. She promises to deal with the evil past of Lacuna’s suppressive rule and then embark on reconstruction and healing of their land. Surely, when people get tired of mistreatment by an oppressive ruler, they revolt.  (Inheritance P15, 40-41, 43, 56, 85-87, 102, 103, 127, 134, 137)

Also, the opinion leaders of Bukelembe also rebel against Lacuna’s oppressive reign. Together with Sangoi, they plan 2 visit Lacuna and voice their displeasure about the planned evacuation from Bukelembe to Samuka plains. These are the key leaders of the community who are heard and respected in Bukelembe basin. The party is made-up of three male elders and an elderly woman. According to Lacuna selfish plan, Bukelembe valley is earmarked for development and people must evacuate to Samuka plains. Lacuna avers that he wants to organize the land and boost production and to reclaim fertile basins for agriculture. Lacuna asks the opinion leaders if they are convinced about the necessity for the national move. They flatly refused to support the oppressive idea. The truth is that Lacuna had misappropriated and embezzled the money advanced to him by foreign financials. Apart from lining his pockets and those of his immediate supporters, he had wasted 122 billion shillings through subsidization and offering free services. The financiers have promised to advance more money to him but on condition. The tyrannical conditions are burdensome to the citizens. They include privatization of public sector, reduction of wages, embracing foreign investment and going easy on foreign exchange, cutting down on employment, quadrupling production, increasing working hours among other punitive measures. The foreigners Goldstein and Robert are hell-bent on protecting their own interests at all costs. They also plan to occupy Bukelembe Mountains, the vast fertile land covering 2 districts in Kutula Republic. This means that the people would have to be evacuated. Lacuna has formed a ministry for the evacuation but he knows that trouble is brewing. The opinion leaders oppose Lacunas repressive plan saying they will neither abandon their home nor betray their land. The second and first elder say that they will neither betray the silent ones nor tell their people to leave the valley. Lacuna warns of drastic measures against the dissidents. During his coronation, the opinion leaders quietly proposed that he steps down and his place be taken by a leader of their choice. Indeed, a tyrannical regime faces stiff rebellion when citizens grow weary under the prolonged cruel treatment. (Inheritance P 40, 77-79, 81, 86-87, 90, 91) 

Lastly, the people Kutula Republic  get sick and tired of Lacuna's dictatorship until they decide that enough is enough. What follows is an uprising that results in the overthrowing of Lacuna and his greedy cronies Chipande and Malipoa. During the insurgency, they approach Lacuna’s palace from all directions. He plans to send a punitive expedition to crush the protesters and dissidents. The protesters chant that they are tired of Lacuna corrupting their children, stealing from the poor and starving the poor. This insurgency is fueled by mixed feelings of anger, despair, hope and thirst for vengeance. They demand for freedom. They know that a people united, can never be defeated. They demand the end of foreign domination. They also demand an end of curfews and wastage of public money. The people laugh and jeer at Lacuna. Apart from that, they demand vengeance for Mama Tamina whose husband Judah Zen Melo was brutally murdered by Lacuna. They demand justice for other women who have suffered untold injustices in the hands of Lacuna and his henchmen. They also demand that the foreign leeches, Robert and Goldstein, are hung. Lacuna has embezzled the loans advanced to him by the foreign financiers. They offer him more money but on conditions that are punitive on the people. The people will be forcefully evicted from their homes in Bukelembe, they have to work more hours and earn less and buy goods at high prices. Lacuna notes that people are restive since trouble is brewing. It culminates in an uprising and he is finally overthrown. The people rally behind Sangoi as their chosen leader. Truly, dictators can rest assured that it’s just a matter of time before their fawning subjects get tired of the tyranny and decide to rebel. (Inheritance P 121, 132-134, 137)

In conclusion, citizens cannot endure prolonged cruelty and justice from leaders forever. When they grow weary of the mistreatment, they surely rebel through uprisings, insurgency or simply defiance of authority.

 

Special Thanks: Bw.Chris Ogweno (Chianda High School)

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IN LOVE WITH TWO WOMEN CHAPTER 4

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Chapter 4 

“Honey, I’m pregnant,” Leila says. Her voice is steady.

I stare at her blankly. It is unbelievable that I can sink deeper into a quagmire. This labyrinth of love keeps getting more convoluted each passing day. My mind is completely hazy. How do I cut through this complex maze? What have I gotten myself into?

There is pin drop silence.

Leila mumbles inaudibly. She covers her mouth and lets out an involuntary muffled sob.

“I am sorry,” she says after what seems like eternity.

“Don’t be, we will figure something out,” my voice is shaky. My thinking is clouded.

Leila embraces me tightly. I sit motionlessly, gazing blankly. I feel her warm breath on my neck. Her heart beats steadily. Her chest heaves. She sighs and stands up in front of me, her hands akimbo.

“Honey,” she pauses and mops her cheeks. “You have to go back to your family.”

I stand up slowly and walk towards the door, still in a daze.  I turn to look at her. Her face is emotionless. I walk out into the dark night.

 A few years earlier

The matatu is blasting Mos Mos a song by the exciting South C rapper, the late E-sir. It slows down and stops. I alight right in front of the university gate. It is Friday. It is about 6 o’clock. I have to squeeze my way through the sea of people. The place is teeming with students.  I struggle push through the throng.

In Love with Two Women 4

I cannot help but notice some posh cars parked right outside the campus gate. Students at a public university cannot possibly afford such cars. A slender, light skinned girl with pink braids stands out from the crowd. She is dolled up in a luminous green outfit. She struggles to walk in high heeled shoes. Her expensive looking handbag seems heavy. She soon disappears into a waiting Toyota V8 car which speeds off promptly.

Young men loiter aimlessly. On the other hand, most girls look stunning. You would be forgiven to think that they are trying to outdo each other. Some stand in bevies of two or three chatting excitedly while the lonesome ones stand alone, occasionally pacing back and forth and impatiently glancing at their wrist watches or phone screens. As the number of vehicles parked outside the university reduces, so does the number of girls. I hear one of the young men lamenting bitterly that he can’t reach his girlfriend on phone. His jocular friend, while ogling at some girls who walk past them, remarks indifferently that one needs a heavy wallet to maintain a girlfriend on campus. The other fellow walks away seemingly infuriated, with his phone firmly attached to his ear.   

“You guy,” a familiar voice calls from behind me; unmistakably, Junior my cousin.

“Juniour, I was just about to call you,” I say.

“Okay. Let’s bounce. Chunga hawa madem wamekosa form wasikurukie,” he quips in his characteristic witty manner, while struggling to contain his laughter.

He walks off briskly and I follow him.

Juniour studies Bachelor of Commerce at the university. He is in his final year. He is one of my closest cousins. He stays in a small house about a kilometre away from the campus. He leads me into an eatery that is frequented by the students. The food is fairly good and reasonably priced. The food joint is packed with comrades enjoying their evening meals.

Almost all tables are taken. We are lucky to find two empty chairs near the entrance. We sit and place our orders. I order fried beef, sukuma and ugali while Juniour orders fried fish with ugali. We spend the next fifteen or so minutes munching away while catching up. It has been three months since I visited him. I stay a few kilometres away but because of my busy schedule, I have no luxury of visiting friends and family.

Soon after, we are done eating. We leave for Juniour’s house after he pays. Suddenly, I realize that my phone and wallet are missing. We decide to rush back. Hardly had we moved when see a lady rushing in our direction.

“Hi, you dropped your property,” she says, almost running out of breath.  She hands me the phone and the wallet. I fumble to confirm that the contents are intact.

“Wow! I can’t thank you enough. That’s so kind of you.” I remark.

“You are welcome,” the lady replies shyly.

“Thank you, we’ll be on our way now,” Juniour says handing her some cash.

The lady declines the offer and walks away. For a second, we watch her as she disappears around the corner.

I spend the night at Juniour’s. We work on some business idea. After an intellectual intercourse, we both retire to bed.

Throughout the night, I cannot help but think about the kind lady. Nairobi is a hotbed of evil and you would be hard-pressed to find a benevolent person. The whole country is simply devoid of moral values. Most people are avaricious and selfish. The leaders are the embodiment of corruption and abuse of power. The police force is rotten. The education system is a copy pasted version of the British one. The curriculum places emphasis on achieving academic success at the expense of promoting virtues like kindness and contentment. Religious education does not promote social ethics. It is concerned majorly with Jewish, Arabic or Hindu folklore, some of which does not aid in solving the predicaments facing the country presently. I feel the need to trace the lady and reward her.

Present day

The Uber taxi arrives promptly. Baraka is a jolly driver. He does not talk much. Thankfully, he does not interfere with my musings. The journey is a quiet, thoughtful one. We stay stuck in traffic for a tense moment. The snarl up eases and we are soon on our way. I call Musa and we agree to meet up in town. Moraa and the kids moved to some insecure neighbourhood in Eastlands. Musa has agreed to take me there.

A light drizzle ushers us into the central business district. Streets are buzzing with activity. Most shops are still open. Hawkers are shouting themselves hoarse and literally pushing and pulling potential clients. They are also on the lookout for city council askaris. Voices of touts and hawkers dominate the evening air. This is punctuated by loud honking of matatus and buses. It is a mad rush. You have to jostle your way through small crowds since everyone seems to be in a hurry to get wherever they are going. As some walk home hurriedly, others are setting up their wares on the streets ready to make a night time killing. The streets are teeming with all sorts of people including pickpockets, muggers and rogue police officers. 

I call Musa. He is already in town. I tell him my exact location. I spot him shoving through a crowd. His clothes are dripping wet. He hops into the taxi and we are soon on our way. After greetings, he tells the driver about the destination. Musa peers at me in the darkness as I try to break the ice. His aloofness makes the mood in the vehicle tense. He speaks very little throughout the short journey, mostly to the driver telling him about the best possible route to use.

Musa signals the driver to stop after a twenty-minute drive from the city centre. I wipe the frost off the car window with the back of my hand, trying to make out where we are. It looks a spooky neighbourhood to say the least. Most houses appear old and decrepit. They are closely packed together. I lower my window to get a keener look. I immediately get a whiff of a heady waft of malodorous air.

“I wouldn’t roll down the window if I were you,” Musa warns me.

I quickly raise it shut. I pay Baraka and we alight. He speeds off.

 We start walking. I miss a step and land into a fetid puddle.  I cover my nose with my hand and wave to ward off the dank smell. Musa leads the way walking briskly. I follow him closely. We walk for longer than I expected. I can barely see the road. The path is really dark. There is no one else out here.  It is cold. We walk on despite the unremitting drizzle. My shirt is soaking. It clings onto my shivering body. We walk past several dilapidated homes. Every now and then we have to hop over an open sewer or some filthy puddle.

Suddenly Musa stops. He puts his index finger across his lips, cautioning me to be silent. A sick feeling grips me. My throat tightens. Ahead of us, four dark figures approach. We stay in the shadows. The four men walk towards us. I can hear Musa’s heart hammering in his chest. He struggles in vain to conceal his panic. I am worse off. My legs are wobbly and hands cold and clammy.

The young men walk up to Musa and ask him something. Raw panic is in his voice. They let us go without much hassle. One of the men is holding something that glimmers in the little light from a dim street lamp-a knife. Fresh terror rears up within me as we hurriedly walk away.

We stop in front of a small house with a green door. Musa raps at the door gently. I hear approaching footsteps. The curtain is pulled to one side. A face peers outside from inside the dark house. Musa clears his throat noisily. The door creaks open. A light switch clicks.

 Moraa stands in the dark doorway. It is raining. For a brief moment, I stay rooted to the spot dripping, staring in her direction. She remains silent, her gaze firmly fixed on me. She stands with one hand across her chest and the other on her cheek as if to support her head. She must have been mystified by my absence. Amani joins her at the doorway. The child tugs Moraa’s nightdress. She yawns, looking at me. Her eyes are sad and drowsy.  Moraa lifts the baby and disappears into the house. I look at Musa, feeling confused. He walks into the house. I can hear him talking to Moraa. Moraa’s voice is laden with discord. Musa gives in. He walks out and asks me to follow him.

I wonder where we are going. Musa remains silent but walks very fast. The rain persists. After about 15 minutes, he stops in front of a crumbling house. It is nothing more than a shack. The miserable, decaying walls stare back at us sadly. Musa lets himself. The door is not even locked. It creaks painfully as he flings it open, almost tearing it off its rusty hinges. For an uncertain split second, I hesitate. I can hear zooming cars in the distance. This city never sleeps. I walk into the shack with faltering steps. Musa is fumbling for something in the dark, using his phone screen as a source of light. A dim bulb lights up the small room when he clicks a light switch. The light makes me squint trying to acclimatize the sudden change, after walking in the darkness for a while.

The house is stuffy and crammed with furniture. It is a one room house, partitioned by an ageing curtain. I notice two little girls sleeping on the floor. I can hear someone snoring on the other side of the curtain. I catch a whiff of urine. Musa sits on the only available chair, looking exhausted. He welcomes me to squeeze in beside him. He falls asleep as soon as his head touches the armrest. I glance at my phone. It is about 11 p.m. 

Moraa did not say a single word to me. You cannot blame her. I think she may have given up on the marriage. I will not allow my marriage to crumble right before my eyes. I will not let my kids suffer. I will fight like a man. We cannot surely throw everything away, can we? I have to cut down on the drinking. That is not a problem. Once I patch things up with my wife, I will obviously imbibe less often. I may even quit all together. I am not an unfaithful man. I have made some unwise decisions and dealt with the consequences but that is how life is. I knew all along that marriage is not a bed of roses. So far it has been one bumpy ride. I am glad, however, that life has not been that unfair. My wife and I are both alive and my children are healthy. It could have been worse.

I have barely slept for two hours. I am awakened by terrified screams of a woman. A ruckus ensues right in front of me. A hefty man rains blows on a poor woman. Musa watches helplessly. The man is heavily intoxicated. Screams of the frightened children rent the night air. The woman runs out of the house into the darkness. I can still hear her fading screams. The man barely takes a look at us. He staggers heavily and disappears behind the makeshift curtain. The kids who were sleeping on the floor are still sobbing. Musa has neither said a word nor moved an inch. I choose to follow his lead. I cannot go back to sleep.

It is 3 a.m. when the woman returns, shivering. Her face is badly bruised. It most certainly takes a regular battering. Her dress is torn and stained with drops of blood. The kids are fast asleep. She stands in the middle of the house and stares timidly in our direction. I squeeze up against Musa to make room for her on the seat. She jams in beside me and now the three of us are crammed up on the single seat available in the room. She is cold. Her eyes are red from crying. Her hair is a tangled mess. I have many questions on my mind. I choose to remain silent.

Musa and I leave at the crack of dawn. He tells me that that house belongs to Baya his elder brother. He is an alcoholic who beats up his hapless wife for no apparent reason. The woman is accustomed to the battering. She has endured it for the last ten years and shows no sign of leaving. If she stays in that house she may leave in a casket. Musa tells me then that Moraa wants nothing to do with me. We part ways at the bus stop. I have to go to work.

I take a matatu. I feel weary. Traffic is already building up steadily. When I arrive, I walk slowly towards the building that houses our offices. The security guard gives me a quizzical look. I shake his hand and slowly walk up the stairs. I sit silently at my desk. Masika sends me an inquiring look from her desk. She shakes her head slowly and walks away. Everybody else at the office looks at me suspiciously, or so it seems.

For most part of the day I simply go through the motions at work. I am distracted. My mind is disturbed. At lunch time I sit alone at the small restaurant downstairs. When Masika comes in, she walks straight to where I am seated. She sits quietly for a brief, tense second. I smile and greet her, breaking the strained silence.

“Hey?”

“Hey,” she replies drily.  

  

“How are you doing?” I ask nervously.

“I am worried about you buddy,” she says concernedly.

“I have never been better,”

“Everyone here knows about ...” she hesitates. “Everyone knows that Moraa moved to Eastlands. They know about you and the young girl.”

“They do?” I choke.

“People talk bro,” she says.

I am getting fidgety.

“Even Baraza does,” she adds with a sigh.

Baraza is our boss.

With that, she leaves. After lunch I head straight to, you guessed it, Tembo bar.  Hey! Don't you dare judge me! Do you think I am deliberately ruining my life? Fate, my friend, is a force beyond our control. I walk absentmindedly into the bar. It is virtually empty, as you would expect. It is 2 p.m. Only problem drinkers can be found in a pub at such a time. It is surely ungodly to start drinking at midday.

That notwithstanding, I take my seat and order whiskey. I have not had a decent meal lately so I will not take it neat. I ask the young waitress to bring some ice cubes. Right now, Jack Daniels on the rocks sounds like a good idea. I realize that the prickly, long serving waitress has since been replaced. I like this one more. She is relatively short and dark. She is clad in a black figure hugging dress that barely goes beyond her thighs. She brings back the ice cubes and opens my bottle of whiskey. She then sits next to me. The tranquil air is filled with soft Rhumba music.

“What’s your name?” I ask her.

“Zena,” she whispers. Her voice is husky and titillating.

“Would like to join me? Get a glass.” I offer her a drink.

“No thanks,” she smiles sweetly. “You know I have to work, don’t you?”

“Come on,” I am obstinate.

I walk to the shelf and return with two cans of Smirnoff-the sweet one that ladies like. Everyone calls it Guarana.   Zena looks at me grinning. I pop the tab on the can. She is astonished at my audacity, it seems.

“Welcome,” I say extending the glass to her.

She accepts with a sigh of capitulation.

More patrons walk in and Zena has to attend to them. She is charming and everyone here seems to like her. By 4 p.m. the place is almost packed. That is unusual. Zena must have a magnetic effect on the customers. Her presence here has created an alluring atmosphere. The relaxed ambiance of the bar coupled with the soothing music seems popular with the clients. Every time she serves the drinks, Zena returns and sits next to me and sips her drink. We chat cheerfully as if we have known each other for ages. Her gregarious personality complements her natural beauty. She is a diligent worker and seems to care more for her job than the money. I am not sure if it is the liquor kicking or whether I am simply beguiled by her good looks.

I leave Tembo at 5 p.m. The sky is clear but it looks like it will rain later tonight. Where do I go to now? I have no idea. Moraa will not take me back now. I have to think of a way to mend fences with her. She is the mother of my kids.  She will be relieved when I make peace with her. I cannot go to Leila’s. There is a skeleton in the cupboard and I have to keep it that way for now. I can only imagine how Moraa reacts when she learns that Leila is expecting my baby. It will only compound our fraught relationship.  We will cross that bridge when we come to it.

I notice a lady waving at me across the street. She beckons me. It is Rukia! I cross the street fleetly. She is bubbling with enthusiasm.

“Let me buy you a drink,” she says after we exchange greetings.

“I am already a little buzzed,” I reply.

“I insist. I know a good place just around the corner. They have decent meals. You will love it!” She is uncharacteristically genial today.

“I wouldn’t say no to a free meal”

“Yes!” she jumps for joy.

Rukia is unusually vivacious and I like it. Since I have nowhere else to be and nowhere else to go, I comply without putting up a fight. I will grab a meal with her and later book myself into a hotel where I would spend the night. I promise myself to drink modest amounts of alcohol, if I have to, since I have a lot to do at work tomorrow.

She takes me to an eatery called Chomz Grill. I take roasted beef with ugali and we wash it down with a cold beer. Rukia eats chicken with chapatti. Rukia is so lively. She offers to pay for the food and buys more drinks. A live band plays beautiful Congolese music. The TV screens here are showing live football matches. The place is full of lively revelers.

Time flies. I realize it is already past midnight. We are joined by two young ladies and a man, Rukia’s friends. We spend the next hour or so dancing and carousing.

“I have had a ball,” I have to shout over the music and voices of the uproarious party. “But I have to go now.”

“Hey, relax party pooper! Where do you plan to go?” Rukia says in a shrill voice.

“I need to hit the sack, busy day tomorrow!”

“I will get you a place to sleep. It’s too late. This city is unsafe!”

One of Rukia’s friends has a nice Volkswagen Golf.  She offers us a ride. Her name is Hawa. She is the only member of the party that has been taking a non alcoholic drink. Rukia stays in town. The drive to town is brief. We alight in front of a two-storey building right in the middle of the city. We go through a corridor that ushers us into an open space that has rooms on either side. Rukia fumbles in her bag, finds a key and opens one of the doors. It’s a single room with a spacious bed and a small couch. It also has a bathroom. She disappears for a while and returns with a pair of slippers and a large, cotton towel. On the small table next to the bed are a tube of toothpaste and a roll of toilet paper.

Rukia gives me a hug and wishes me a goodnight.

This is becomes new home for the next couple of weeks. After work, we take usually two or three drinks at a small pub in front of the building before I retire to my small room. Rukia has been so kind. She has grown from an acquaintance to a bosom friend.  We talk a lot and enjoy each other’s company unlike in the past. She works as a bar tender at the small pub. She also manages the rooms behind the pub. I tell her about Leila and some scanty details about my relationship with my wife. She is so compassionate. She asks me to reconcile with Moraa for the sake of the children and for the general good of my family. I agree. I tell her that that is my intention. I have been meaning to do that for some time now. 

I have since made a few attempts to meet Moraa but she has been rebuffing me in no uncertain terms. My attempts to extend an olive branch are spurned at the earliest opportunity. I have tried to wheedle my way into her heart but she would hear none of it.

I lay on the bed thinking about Amani and Pendo. My heart is filled with poignant nostalgia. The shouting and music from the nearby pub melt into an imperceptible drone. Nothing can drown my sorrow anymore. I feel like my whole world is crushing. The future is as dark as the moonless, village nights. I am losing my family. I may never see my children again. I am losing my mind. I am pouring with sweat, and my head is spinning. I am gripped with intense anxiety. I am aware of my environment but I am unable to move or speak. I can hear distinct voices of laughing children. The room is dark. The guttural laughing persists. I try to scream. My mouth is open but no sound comes out.

Suddenly, my mind goes blank!

I am on the floor. I hear noises of merrymakers from the pub. A song by Madilu and Franco is blaring.

“Boya makambo ezali binene eh

Franco a beleli na Paris eh, eh

Balobi makambo ezali binene eh,

makambo ezali binene eh”

I pick my phone from the dresser. There is a new message from Moraa. It simply reads: “Let’s meet tomorrow at 10.00 a.m. You will have 30 minutes with the kids.” I can barely read properly through my teary eyes. I cannot believe it. I am relieved. Finally, I have a chance to be with my kids.

It's a bright Tuesday morning. I leave my abode fifteen minutes to 9. I am in a taxi heading to Kid’s Planet where I am supposed to meet Moraa. It is now 9 a.m. I have to get there early and wait for her. My phone buzzes in my pocket. It’s Moraa. I hope she has not changed her mind. That would kill me. I am surprised more than pleased when she says that she is ten minutes away from the park. I reassure her that I am on my way. The phone buzzes again 10 minutes later. What now? It is a new number this time round.

“Hello! Hello!” a female voice cries with urgency.

“Hello, may I help you?”

“Drop everything you are doing and come to Maisha Care hospital. She is in ICU,” the woman says frantically. The voice sounds vaguely familiar.

“Who is this?”  I ask.

 “They beat her badly. She was bleeding. You have to come now!” the woman is sobbing uncontrollably.

“Please calm down …”

“Sorry, this is Sasha. Leila is in bad shape!” she hangs up. 

I am lost for words. 

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