It is summer, the glowing beams of the sun rays sweeps through the crack of the mud walled hut. The flickering rays provide the natural calming light to the dark cold room. The chirping of birds from the nearby Enkene forest brings life to the once quiet village. This is just a sign that Mother Nature is at work. The sound of the flowing river nearby creates a magnificent rhythm. The two blends naturally.
A disturbing sound of the chain saw and trees falling down is the new normal. Where are the trees transported to after being cut? By whose authority are they being cut? Nobody really knows. All they ever see are tons of chopped trees carried by big lorries on a daily basis. The once beautiful and peaceful village now turned into a place full of rubbish and filth. The river has varnished, it is no longer cool and clean as crystal. It is a river of wastes and not water. There is no more life just remains of the once great life.
Chala's family has witnessed it all in their mud-walled house full of creaks on the walls and holes at the worn out roof. They have lived in Enkene village for many years. The transformation is a scene to remember. It is all engraved in their memories. Chala recalls how he and his wife, Amala, grew up in the once tranquil and serene atmosphere of Enkene.
He remembers as if it was yesterday. He and his brothers jump into the flowing river and they decide to race downstream. The first one to arrive gets the biggest mango. Chala is left behind by his brothers as he is the youngest. He gives a loud cry running back to his mother to console him. All his brothers laugh at him and he cries even louder. As they grew older they learnt fishing with the help of their father. They were used to the poverty back at home ,the torn clothes ,the daily meal of boiled mud fish, walking barefooted, eating one meal in a day ,being rained on every night due to the leaking roof, it was all part of life.
They enjoyed the cool breeze every evening together with their father ,that was the time he told them ancient African stories .The stories were passed from one generation to the next and each and every time it got a different title, of course not missing a little spice .The stories were very interesting and they laughed their hearts out. The stories of the hyena, the ogre, the cunning hare ,the ostrich ,all fables.
It is now thirty years later, everything has altered. The villagers are not left out they have changed their way of reasoning; they no longer care about their environment. Chala although is very concerned, there is nothing much he can do as his thousands complains to the village council has borne no fruits. He can only sit back and watch as it all takes course. Everything has a consequence and the villagers ignorance was bound to have untold outcome.
Chala's firstborn daughter, Ninke, had just finished her studies in Shauriyo Secondary. She was full of enthusiasm as she had passed her exams. Ninke worked hard knowing the kind of background she came from. Her father really struggled to make ends meet. He had to borrow money at times and mostly he applied for bursaries to educate his four children.
One morning they were awakened by a knock at the door. A surprise of a lifetime was staring at them right outside. An officer from the government came with an admission letter to a university abroad for their firstborn daughter Ninke. They were full of joy on hearing this wonderful news. Preparations were made and having received scholarship from the government, Ninke left after two weeks. Her family members took her to the airport full of tears. Was it of joy or of sorrow that one of them was leaving? One could not tell.
That was how Ninke left to look for greener pastures. Enkene village was transforming very fast. The environment was becoming unbearable. Factories were being built every day, emitting large volumes of fumes and wastes. The once evergreen Enkene forest tarnishing as forest fires was no longer news. Many animals died due to serious injuries while others escaped and ended up being hit by vehicles. The villagers killed the animals that trespassed into their homes .All this led to many of the animals becoming extinct.
Years flew by ,climate change begun affecting the production of crops , some parts of the village were drought stricken .The cost of living increased as days went by. Mortality rate went high many could not cope up with the transformation. The leaders were also at fault. They accepted help from foreign nations .The food aid saved a lot of people from dying but the problem begun when the same food was killing the same people of Enkene. The relief food as they were called were full of chemicals that brought great misery and suffering to the innocent lives. Some deaths actually occurred right at the place where the food was being distributed. Many people scrambled for the food since they had stayed for days without food. This was alarming, sadly enough the government did not bother about the situation at hand. All the leaders thought about were politics and propaganda.
The member of parliament of Enkene drove in a black four wheel luxury auto mobile. He was sitting comfortably at the back seat. He had a bulging Tellstomach that almost tore his shirt open. His dark sun glasses gave him a different look. It was hard to tell if it was him at the back sit or another government official. The roar of his engine gripped people with fear.
"Driver, stop the vehicle so that I can talk to the wananchi," came the authoritative voice of the mheshimiwa.
The driver stopped the vehicle and the mheshimiwa got out of his car. He stepped on the ground with a mighty thud. People saw him and begun moving closer. One woman came from the market running and she almost fell down. She was ready to do anything as long as she could hear just a cough from the mheshimiwa. His voice was deep and commanding, everyone seemed to be hypnotized by every word that he said.
"Good afternoon my fellow citizens, I am honored to address you all today on this podium. These are tough times and we need to be more united and help each other. We should love our neighbor and spread peace in our nation. We as your leaders are trying our best to ensure you get food and medical supplies. We have asked for help from foreign nations to ensure we do not lose more people," he posed on seeing a citizen raise his hand.
"Honorable sir you promised us clean water and jobs for the youth, the free education policy is not being follo…" before he could finish, a policeman told him to keep quiet and he was chased out of the crowd.
Nobody dared to even talk again. A pin drop silence reigned for a while then the Mheshimiwa cleared his throat and continued.
"None of you is allowed to criticize the government, as your representative of Enkene I have said everything is under control. We are handling all your issues at this moment."
He finished addressing the crowd and walked back to his four wheel drive followed by his seven body guards. The car sped off leaving a large cloud of dust behind. The crowd then dispersed everyone in their own thoughts. Chala was there too, he was wondering why despite being deceived several times by their leaders they still voted for them again and again. He walked straight home to find his wife and children waiting for him.
"There is no more food in the house my husband. The relief food we received is finished we have been waiting for you to come back home. The children are very hungry," said Amala.
"Do not worry my children I will find you something to eat ," came Chala's voice.
He walked briskly to his elder brother's house. Ike was a tall, heavily built and dark skinned man. His masculine body attracted attention of many people who met him. He had a well set face that was hardened due to the many sufferings he had undergone. Many people knew him as a man of few words though he was very strict. Ike welcomed Chala with a broad smile. He was glad to see his younger brother.
"Chala my brother ,how have you been? It has been a while since I saw you. Come inside please," said Ike. He got in the house and sat down anxiously.
"My brother, I have come here with a simple request. My family is going to sleep hungry tonight we have no food left. I have come here for your assistance in any way that you can," said Chala humbly.
"I have heard what you have said my brother. The situation right now is not easy even for us. All I can give you is this loaf of bread at least you have something to eat for the night."He said as he rose to bring the loaf.
"Thank you so much my brother. May God bless you abundantly," Chala said with great appreciation.
"What are brothers for?"Ike said with a broad smile.
Chala left to his family who were waiting for him.
"This is all I could find ,you can all share this. I am full," and with that he went off to sleep.
Amala and her three children munched on the loaf as they drank sugarless black tea that was prepared earlier. As soon as they had finished, each one of them went off to sleep. The children slept on a mat that was already worn out. Chala and his wife slept on a mattress they had received as donation three years back.
Chala could not sleep that night he kept wondering if they could still cope up with life. It was becoming difficult each and every day. He could not take it anymore. He twisted and toasted, no sleep came, it was going to be a long night. He turned to face his wife who seemed to be asleep. She pretended that she was asleep but in truth no sleep came to her too. The poverty in which they lived in was unbearable. A certain thought hit her mind, what if I escaped from this poverty stricken place and looked for a better place, marry a rich man and live happily, she smiled at that thought.
The sun shone brightly that morning, it was a new dawn another day that came with its own mysteries. Chala stepped out of the hut, he sat down on a stone to recollect his thoughts from the previous night. He had to do something to prevent his family from dying due to the starving. He left his home without taking anything, he strolled along the road towards Enkene river. He looked around and felt a cold knot of anger and resentment. Why are humans this wicked? There was no life anymore. He took a trip down memory lane.
He was just a young lad and he used to come by the river anytime he felt stressed. The cool breeze caressed his young smooth face and he felt a wonderful comfort that gave him lots of hope. He recalls the days when he was sent home due to school arrears and how he would weep his eyes out. He could run away from his brothers who really discouraged him to stop studying. They had dropped out of school due to lack of school fees. They never saw that as a problem. His six brothers never liked going to school. They did not value education at all but Chala was different he loved going to school. His teachers praised him so much because of his discipline. Unfortunately it reached a time when his father could no longer afford his school fess. He vividly remembers his father's words.
"My son, I know how much you love education. I can no longer pay your school fees; the fishing business has really gone down."
"I understand papa," Chala said amid tears.
"There is one thing I would like you to do for me."
"Yes papa,"
"When you want anything in life, strive for it. Never despair my son. Although you will not be continuing with your education, your hard work in the little things you do will take you far. Never be in a hurry everything comes at its own time. Keep that in mind."
"Thank you, I will never forget your words."
Chala ran off to the river bank and wept bitterly. The words of his father kept echoing in his mind. The river flowed noisily as little waves hit the banks. He moved closer and closer until he could see a clear reflection of himself. He looked at his dancing reflection due to the waves. He wiped his tears by the back of his hand.
"I will make sure my children go to school when I grow up. They will not undergo what I am going through today."
He looked around at the trees and bushes nearby. They seemed to be nodding in agreement and with that he left.
Several years later, he is back at the same spot. This time everything is different. He is older now and his skin is more dark and pale. He is brought back to reality by the sound of a saw cutting a branch of a tree for charcoal purposes. He slowly walked to the place some people were cutting the trees.
"Good morning my fellow citizens, why are you cutting these trees? You are destroying our natural vegetation and soon this place will turn out to be a desert," said the angered Chala.
"By whose authority are you asking all those questions? We have been sent here by the minister. You better leave here this moment before you get arrested old man," the one who seemed to be the leader said as they roared up in laughter.
Chala felt humiliated and left with his head bowed down. He shook his head in disbelief as he headed home. On arrival he met his wife crying uncontrollably.
"Amala, why are you crying?"
"Your eldest brother …"
"Yes what happened to him," Chala was getting impatient now.
Amala just pointed towards Obi's house and Chala left almost running. He could not believe his eyes. He met a large crowd of people outside Obi's house. He moved closer and the first news he heard was shocking.
"Obi is dead!"
Chala sat down first trying to come to terms with what had transpired. What had happened to Obi? How could he die just like that?
Chala was Tintu's immediate follower. Tintu came and sat beside Chala giving him a soft pat on the shoulder. They both seemed in deep thoughts. Obi's death was too much to take in. He was the most cheerful among all the brothers. He brought joy wherever he went. He was also ambitious and even went to work in another village. He used to contact his family once in a while. As the firstborn he always struggled to be a good example to his brothers. He was the pride of his father. After his parents' death he went to work a bit far away together with his family, his wife and three daughters.
Fifteen years later Obi returns as a corpse. This came as a blow. Chala looked keenly around and noticed Obi's wife full of tears.
"Take heart dear, it is well," Chala told Obi's wife.
"My husband did not deserve to die that way."
"What happened to him?" Chala asked.
She then handed him a newspaper. The shocking news was all over the page:
A MAN FROM ENKENE VILLAGE MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD
A middle aged man was murdered by some unknown men at his home in Sifa last night. The man known as Mr. Obi was alleged to have been killed because he was from another tribe. He was a promising business man and his death shocked many. The men who attacked him were armed and he was shot several times on his chest costing him his life. His family members witnessed all that was happening helplessly. A statement from Obi's wife proved that this could be the biggest problem facing the country right now, tribalism.
"The men shot my husband several times and they kept repeating that 'you are not from our tribe and you have come here to outdo us' they threatened us that if we tried to scream we would all be shot dead."
This is just one of the many cases that have been reported in our country. We should fight together and end tribalism.
Chala could not believe his eyes. Tribalism was still a great issue in the country. Obi had built a house in Enkene since he had planned to move back after retiring. His dreams were short lived simply because of human wickedness. Family and friends came to mourn Obi and he was buried beside his house.
Life went back to normal. Chala worked in a small farm, he could get little money every day to sustain his family. Although it was not enough but at least they could afford a meal every day. He also had to take his children to school. He could not pay school fees for a private school. All his children studied in a public school.
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