Читать книгу Limping to live - David Nganga - Страница 4

Chapter one

Childhood

Since I came into this world my life has been a mixture of hope and disappointments , or simply unlucky . But due to determination and confidence given to me by the genes I inherited from my grandfather, I have been able to overcome myriad obstacles and continue living. In the African culture the ululations and excitement that baby boys receive by far outweigh those of girls. My two sisters were beside themselves with joy to have a young brother.

When the time came for my enrolment in school , the long journey of studies started. It was in the early sixties when Kenya wrestled its independence from Britain, it`s then colonial master. The task of building the new nation began in earnest and education was given the first priority. Every Kenyan child was supposed to enroll in school in preparation for taking over from the white rule .

I was part of this generation that entered school with great expectations. Our school was located in one of the so-called white highlands, where the terrain and the weather were usually depressing, especially during cold seasons. I walked to school, several kilometers, on bare foot.

My father got a job as a driver, and travelled around Uganda transporting materials for a construction company. He usually came back with money enough to feed his six boys and four girls .He also came back with stories of his adventures to which we listened attentively. During one of the trips he told us how he stopped on the way to pee in the bush. As he entered a goose jumped, and momentarily, he was confronted by a large snake preparing to attack. He sidestepped it, jumped into driver`s seat and sped away!

By the time I was in class six in 1976, the political situation in the country was in a crisis. Succession politics took centre stage. The founding president Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was in his sunset years. There was also the politically sensitive murder of the then popular politician, J.M. Kariuki. Indeed as we prepared for the primary school final exams, everyone was talking about the imminent political change in the country and what the future would hold without Kenyatta.

It was then not surprising that in 1978 while we were grazing our cattle during August holidays, I heard over the radio that president Jomo Kenyatta had died in Mombasa. The country went into mourning. The then vice president Daniel Arap Moi took over despite opposition from some of the Kenyatta loyalists.

The new administration called for unity and development among all the communities. A lot of emphasis continued to be placed on education.

During December holidays we decided together with my age mates that the time had come for us to be circumcised. I informed my parents, who agreed and sent me to join my cousin in Nairobi; we undertook the traditional rite of passage together .It was a long holiday. I enjoyed very much my new status in the society as I now considered myself a real man.

High school

I was now ready to join Secondary School together with my elder sister with whom we had sat the final Primary school Examination. During those long holidays, we used to participate in various games especially football in our village and also in the local church where I was a very active and devoted follower. Since childhood I loved soccer. I think I took after my father. I was fascinated by football stars from major European clubs. Around this time also my love for politics started and as I prepared to join high school, my dream was to become a lawyer or a politician.

On the political scene, the new administration under president Daniel Arap Moi was busy entrenching itself and consolidating power. There were those opposed to his style of ruling and were calling for his resignation .He reacted by cracking down on all forms of political dissent and even detention without trial.

The invitation letter to join a local High school which was both day and boarding school came together with that of my sister who was called to a Girl’s boarding school in the local town of Kiambu. My father at the time was working as a personal driver to an Asian tycoon. His meager salary could not sustain a family of eight, let alone pay our school fees.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. The family decided that I had to repeat to give way for my sister to join Form one .I was very devastated and depressed and I refused to go by the decision .After my sister left and having wasted two weeks at home, I decided to visit my cousin to seek financial help .We used to call her auntie because she was already married .She sympathized with my plight and offered to help my father with my school fees. After three weeks I was able to join Githiga High school in January, 1979.

I couldn’t afford boarding expenses and so I used to trek three miles every day, together with two other students from my neighborhood. Determination, confidence and hard work are needed for academic excellent.

With that in mind I needed no encouragement to study. I studied hard although sometimes I was distracted by teenage immaturity, love for music, soccer and politics.

I kept abreast of political developments in the country and abroad .The newly formed government continued with many of Kenyatta’s policies. It was able to gain confidence among many Kenyans thus boosting the economy tremendously. But there was a lot to be done; roads were in bad state and it was impossible to transport goods to and from markets. Public and private cars suffered heavy losses due to pot holes.

Going to school on foot every day was a difficult task during rainy seasons. Sometimes I used to have more than three uniforms to change. This affected my performance. During holidays I visited my grandparents who lived in Kahawa West, in the vicinity of Nairobi .I enjoyed listening to stories from my aunties and my grandfather who am named after. I also played a lot with my cousins.

At home there was no time to waste since everybody has duties to perform .Taking milk to the dairy very early in the morning and taking cattle to the pastures was for the boys. Drawing water and cooking was for the girls .Everybody was supposed to go plucking tea and taking it to buying the centre .In the evening my father would review the work of the day. Punishment, including beating, was a must for nonperformers.

Early signs of my sickness

As I entered third year in secondary school my performance was good. I however started experiencing some abnormal exhaustion and tiredness every time I came home from school .This continued for a while and then stopped. I was good in History, Commerce, Biology and Christian Religious Education. In church I was active in the Youth Groups in our local Presbyterian church, where I was given the baptism name, David in 1982.

As I entered my final year in Secondary School, there was tension in the country due to increasing political opposition to the government. A certain clique in the military and among politicians was openly accusing the government officials of corruption, nepotism and dictatorial tendencies.

The ruling party KANU was intolerance to politicians critical to it. Detention without trial was common. Powerful politicians like Hon Charles Njonjo, G.G Kariuki and Mwai Kibaki emerged. They formed the kitchen cabinet of president Moi`s government. In his usual political trickery Moi was able to use the divide and rule strategy to win support among many tribes. His policy of peace, love and unity excelled. But his political critics viewed him as a political nonstarter.

In August that year I was in bed wondering what the first day of August and the holiday vacation would be like. I woke up with a start as I heard on the radio that the government had been withdrawn and everybody had been ordered to remain indoors. This continued for two hours as it emerged that there had been a coup de tat by Kenya Air Force and the fate of the president unknown. After waiting for a while listening to the announcement being repeated again and again, we suddenly heard gun shots and then the radio went off air. When it came back it was the president himself announcing to the country that there had been a coup attempt but the army had thwarted the plan, and, that the government was in control.

What followed changed the political landscape completely. Many people were killed and others detained. We were doing our exams then. That year I was not sure what the future would hold. I was full of uncertainties regarding how to join the society of the learned job seekers