The thought of a trip to the village is frightening

By James Mwangi

Whenever I think of paying my rural folks a visit, many things go through my mind.

My village, Marumi is nestled somewhere in Kigumo, Murang’a County where the remnants of Mungiki sect apparently still ‘cough’. However, it is not this ‘misled and abandoned flock’ that worries me most. There is a breed of crooks that operates at night, but during daytime they are ‘godlier’ than the altar boys. This is the group that sends shivers in my spine whenever I start thinking of a trip to my village. The polite thieves, they are called. You know the lot that asks stop you and asks: “How much money might you be carrying?” They put in the possibility word because they never expect anybody to lie. 

To a casual observer, my village passes for a humble place where people mind their business and spend time in their farms to make ends meet. It aptly could be tagged as sleepy, but looks can be deceiving.

Well, the tiny village has its feats that make the neighbouring ones choke with jealousy. It is nestled inside three sub-locations and it is here in the entire district the first phone mast belonging to Airtel was erected 2005. My village mates are also famed for adeptness in night dances particularly their troupes dubbed Span 1 and Endless Journey, though this rite is on the downtrend here.

On the flipside, however is the matter that makes me arrive home before chickens call it a day. Here crime and about the number of our sons in the disciplined forces are trending issues.

About 20 people from this area are in the forces, indisputably the highest number in any village in the county. Ironically, the village has also the highest number of young men serving life sentences for violent crimes.

It is therefore not surprising that the village produced one of the most wanted gangsters in the country. Bullets by his accomplices hushed him in 2008.

The slain gangster was the last of the infamous six most sought after criminals in 2007 that included Matheri.

His was in the big city and so we had little to fear. Apparently, there was some honour among the criminals, as they were not supposed to visit terror to the village they came from. However, things changed when police started hunting them down and they relocated to the villages. They roam at night and it is known fact that after Matheri was gunned down in Athi River, some of his accomplices fled Nairobi to save their skins.

Used to proceeds from crime, they have refused to stop their robbing ways. Here the crimes are serious and others quite hilarious.

Odd robbery

If you are ‘lucky’ to be mugged without harm and you happen to recognise them they give back your belongings and apologise, but keep track of you. They also have other ways to make money. When some are broke they provoke you to react violently and woe unto you if you cause bodily harm on them. You have you compensate them handsomely thanks to arbitrative local administrators.

It is humorous sometimes. When they pick your pockets in a bar, some of the crooks are ‘generous’ enough to buy you a drink the following day with your money. Sometimes they do not even have to pick your pockets, they ask for the money and if you look like you are struggling they let you go, but promise to keep in touch to find out about your progress. This means you have to start carrying money for them to take from you.  We have tried community security system, the so-called vigilantes, but they are other criminal arms.

One time they rounded me while escorting my friend and accused us of loitering. Our wanting knowledge of words such as Act, Bill and, minimum reforms frightened them to set us free. On my way back, they waylaid and whipped me just to send a message.

In this village, everyone knows who is involved in ‘bad things’, but there is a code of silence. Any attempts to get information are met with hostility. “Why do you want to poke the demon’s eyes?”  is the question that people do not even have the courage to ask loudly.

The hope now is that the anticipated county government in Murang’a will pump some sense to the village thugs.