Angry grandma undresses to ‘curse’ tenant

By Millicent Luyali

A widow in her late 70s, who is also landlady, caused drama when she stripped naked to force one of her defaulting tenants to pay rent.

The young man, citing economic harships, had defaulted on rent for two months in one of the informal settlements of Nairobi.

It was at around 9.00am last Saturday when the naked grandma walked to her defaulter. Surprisingly, her daughter, who is about 50 years old, was walking behind her, cursing those who wanted to ‘stay in other people’s houses for free’.  This seemed to energise her mother, who knocked at her tenant’s door loudly as if she intended to break it.

“All I want is my money. You can’t stay in my house free of charge!” she thundered. “I will not leave, and neither will l let you leave till you pay all that you owe me. Come out and be cursed by nakedness you useless man,” she swore.

But unknown to her, someone had tipped her eldest son of the ongoing theatrics so he rushed to the scene.

“Mother! Are you normal? What have you been drinking? Go to the house and get dressed this minute or else...” her son shouted from behind the safety of a small crowd that had formed to see what was happening.

Instead, his ageing mother agitatedly walked towards him, accusing him of sympathising with those who did not respect her property yet he did not help or feed her.

“I have tenants who think my property ‘grew on trees’ yet all you do is sympathise with them,” she lamented. “If you feel so sorry for him, then go ahead and pay what he owes me,” she added.

Her son hastily walked to his house, but his mother followed, demanding that he pays her what the tenant owes before she dressed up. She even shoved his door open and adamantly stood, waiting to be paid.

“So this is what you come to show me yet you know l started these things long ago? Let me show you what an expert l have become!” her son threatened, making for the door as if to close it.

On seeing this, the old woman took to her heels with the agility like that of a teenager.

“Help! Help!” she cried out to the amused spectators, who were now roaring with laughter.