By James Mwangi
You don’t tell a child to lie and expect that secret to remain concealed for long. Well, that palpable truth recently shocked a dishonest beggar family who had begged for a while behind Nairobi Railway Station.
The couple has been lying to the public that an orphaned girl under their care needed an urgent kidney treatment they could not afford. With a poorly scripted placard, the orphan faked a forlorn and a sickly look, it was all systems go.
As usual Kenyans’ generosity was in abundance after reading the placard in broken Kiswahili,‘Heri apatiaye kuriko apokeaye’ (sic). But hell broke loose when the alleged foster mother rushed for a short call leaving a ‘helper’ to keep vigil.
However, the ‘seriously sick’ girl seemingly uncomfortable with the mother’s absence yelled out and shot up from the ‘helpless state’ messing up the ‘sweet deal’ as the alarmed passers-by stopped to watch.
Cornered
Cornered and encircled by the suspicious crowd raging like a fighter-bull the ‘helper’ alleged he was just a passerby whom the woman had sought help to look after her child briefly.
He almost convinced them that he was a harmless Samaritan when the woman re-emerged only to be pressurised and blowing up the spectacle.
The child pleased to see her again screamed, “Mama, mama. Ule mama”. She easily spilled everything. On sensing heightening rage in the crowd. She owned up that she was the biological mother and the ‘helper’ was the father.
Fit as fiddle
Besides, it emerged the child was as fit as a fiddle and had only been coerced to fake illness to bring home some bacon.
“It is hardship that makes us to do this,” murmured the mother as she collected the day’s earnings while the girl ate a banana.
“Why on earth would one fake such serious illness on their child just to earn a few coins? Do they know it can actually befall her,” wondered a man.
“If it is poverty say so and we will help you but don’t fake an ailment to get our sympathy,” fumed another.
To escape the crowd’s wrath the couple staged a blame-game to confuse the crowd. “Sasa hii ni kazi gani?” (Now what is this?) roared the man.
“Si hata wewe umekosea, usiniingilie,” (We are in this together, don’t blame me) she replied, “Hebu twende nyumbani tuongee,” (Let’s go home and talk) he said.
And before long they were strolling home with the day’s ‘hard’ earned cash as the bewildered crowd cursed. Well, their 40th day reached dramatically in style but they laughed all the way home few hundreds richer.
