Pineapple projects continued

Were it not for the fact that this is a continuation of the previous post “The pineapple project” I would have named it the “Hague proceedings”

I beg to continue. 

So I was a little uncomfortable with my mother handling the case. The main reason being, the list contained the names of Kuguru and Wanje our neighbours.

 We used to go to school together though we weren’t the best of friends. Their father Mzee Mkonofupi was my dad’s number one enemy. The real cause of their enemity is not known to date. But rumours has it that it dates back to their dating days. 

The two would always look for the slightest opportunity to confront each other. It was so bad that none of them would hold any elective post in Kijiji village. Each would campaign against the other to the benefit of none. They would also never drink in the same bar at the nearby Mungethu shopping centre. 

My mum a member of the Kijiji’s church mothers union would want nothing to do with Mkonofupi. She would therefore declare the case nolle prosequi. 

After these considerations I handed the envelope to Mzee Viboko. Unlike what they do in the Netherlands the proceedings were to be different. There was to be only one prosecutor, one  judge , and one chamber. 

The old man like his peers in the village had a thingira on one corner of the compound. A small one roomed house where he used to entertain his drinking friend with local traditional beer. I guessed he would use this to prosecute, hear, confirm, judge and punish the suspects. 

My mother was not happy with my handing over the envelope and did not give up on the issue. she embarked on shuttle diplomacy to ensure that the case was thrown out by her husband.

 Failure to which she would mobilise everyone to withdraw their free labour from mzee's farm. She blamed my project as having brought disunity within the home. 

Luckily enough, in mzee's quest to settle old scores with his neighbour he would here none of that. The first suspects to be summoned were Mkonofupis sons.

It is after these summons that I realized what my project had brought to our family and Kijiji village as a whole.

Mzee kiboko and his neighbour would go drinking and discussing the matter with their friend in different bars in Mungethu. They would latter come home to call each other names from their farms none daring to cross the boundary.

My mother and her compatriot Mkonofupi’s wife would both hold prayer meetings in their respective homes to pray for peace with their neighbours and Kijiji village as a whole.

The matter was threatening to get out of hand. Some sort of post election violence was about to erupt. Only that this time there was no form 16A. 

It took the intervention of the area headman to calm the two sides.

You can tell by now that my project was no more. 

Njagi Munyi