DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE
A collection of short stories
by Stephen F.

All stories
© Copyright Stephen F. 2013
 

2  
 Contents

DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE
BETTY’S REVENGE
KICK IN THE TEETH
THE FIRST INSTALLMENT
VENUS VERSUS MARS
HOSTILE TAKEOVER  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

3  
 DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE
Chapter 1

Tom looked at Simon to see whether he was bluffing. He threw a two of clubs and hoped
James would another two. James let him down and Simon won the third game consecutively.
Once he collected their money, he shuffled the deck and gave them three cards each. Tom started
followed by Simon then James. Simon was determined to maintain his winning streak. It seemed
the heavens could not stop smiling at Simon as he added one more victory to his wins.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Simon answered it and was quite surprised to
see Mutua. The others could not hide their excitement as they embraced their long lost friend
“You’ve grown taller!” Tom exclaimed
“And bigger, look at his arms,” Simon said
Mutua sat next to James and joined the poker game. He told them numerous stories of the
training at the Police training college in Embakassi and the rigorous training in different forests
around the country.
“I hope you won’t arrest me,” James joked as he rolled a fat joint
He gave it to Mutua to do the honors. Mutua took two hits and began coughing then
returned the joint to his friend.
“I haven’t smoked since training,” he said amidst his coughing
The rest laughed and enjoyed the joint. James suggested they buy some liquor to
celebrate Mutua’s return. James and Simon immediately headed to the nearest liquor store and
returned with a two bottles of Blue moon vodka, their favorite drink. Tom invited some girls and
after an hour, the celebrations were in full gear. Mutua began his rigorous training eighteen
months ago. He would talk to his friends daily in the first few months but their Trainers severed
communication between recruits and the outside world by taking their cellphones. His brother
and parents visited him twice while in training. Mutua and the guests left Simon’s apartment one
hour before midnight, when he was at the brink of passing out.
Mutua came to Simon’s apartment at midday. As usual, Simon, James and Tom were at
the chill spot with red eyes and dry lips. He felt high inside the hotbox because of the dense
smoke inside Simon’s apartment. It was as cloudy as the sky.

4  
 “Do you have your handcuffs?” Tom asked him
“Yes, why?”
“We can make money easily arresting some people”
Mutua knew what he meant. Before he was an officer, the police had handcuffed Mutua
on numerous occasions. At one time, he had to part with his Samsung Galaxy after the police
caught him red-eyed and red-handed puffing a joint in the hood. He vowed he would enter the
system and gain much more than they took from him.
“Let’s go to the pool,” he replied
Tom and Mutua headed towards the blue recreational shack where most young men
went for a game of pool. Some young men loved idling at the shack as they begged for a free
game all day long. Often, Police would round them up but they would plead for their freedom
with the little they had. It was a cycle between the predator and the prey and Mutua felt
invincible because his uniform elevated his position in the food chain. There were two men
playing and there were three others next to the small blackboard. Tom and Mutua entered and
immediately demanded for their identification. The two at the pool table showed Tom their I.D
cards and he let them continue with their game.
“Raise your hands!” Mutua ordered
The men near the blackboard immediately obeyed as Tom searched their pockets. One
of them had three joints in his pocket and Tom ordered him to kneel down as he rained kicks and
blows on him.
“These are the peddlers we are looking for,” he told Mutua
Mutua handcuffed the men at the blackboard and they followed them round the
neighborhood. Once they were at the football field, Mutua stopped and told them
“I want two hundred shillings and above”
Tom released two of them after each parted with two hundred shillings. The man with the
joints gave him two hundred shillings but Mutua stopped Tom
“You are a drug dealer. I want one thousand shillings or I make sure you get seven
years,” he told him
The peddler went inside his pockets and removed a five hundred shillings note.
“This is all I have Officer,” he cried as he pleaded for their mercy

5  
 Mutua went inside the peddler’s pocket and removed a sleek Sony Ericsson touch screen
phone.
“Where did you steal this from?” he asked
“Officer, I bought it. I am not a thief”
“From a friend?” he asked sarcastically as he pocketed the phone
“Let him go. Take the five hundred,” he said to Tom and he set the peddler free
Tom and Mutua returned to the chill spot wearing ear-to-ear grins and two bottles of
liquor. Mutua showed them the phone he took from the peddler as they narrated to the rest about
Mutua’s first arrest.

Chapter 2

Tom and Simon slowly woke up and went to the sink. Their throats were quite dry and
Tom had a headache. He filled one of the bottles and swallowed a painkiller. Simon was in a
similar state and he gulped the water to quench his thirst. James was fast asleep.
“We have to stop doing injustice to our livers,” Simon said
“We are celebrating. Once Mutua arrives, we will go on patrol like yesterday,” Tom
replied with a grin
James woke up and they had fried eggs, bread and coffee for breakfast. Tom rang Mutua
and told the rest he was on his way. Mutua showed up at eleven and left with Tom half an hour
later for some patrolling.
“Where do we start?” Mutua asked Tom
“Let’s go to Roysa,” he replied
They crossed the road and followed the long dirt road to the small neighborhood. There
were several pubs on either side of the road. They turned left and entered a small gate in to an
apartment building. They went up the steps and headed to C12. Mutua went to the balcony,
peeped then gave Tom a thumb up. Tom knocked the door and Hassan opened
“Tom! It’s been a while since I saw you,” he welcomed him
“I was in the hood and I need some joints,” Tom replied

6  
 “Here, this one is on me,” Hassan said as he gave Tom a thin joint
“Give me eight”
Hassan removed eight joints from a cigarette pack and Tom gave him a two hundred
shillings note
“I need to look for change. Let’s go,” Hassan told Tom and they got out. Mutua pounced
on Hassan as he was tying his laces and immediately put the cuffs on him. Tom went inside the
house and retrieved Hassan’s cigarette pack.
“Why are you selling drugs?” Mutua shouted while roughing him up
“Mutua? Our friendship has gone with the wind now that you are in uniform?” Hassan
asked
“I am an officer, I don’t care about friendship. Do you want to talk or we just go straight
to the station?” Mutua asked him
“I have a thousand,” Hassan replied
“Let’s go to the station”
“Please! Please!” he pleaded
Tom and Mutua left the apartment with eight joints and two thousand shillings in their
pockets. They returned to their neighborhood and went to a blue apartment building. They used
the same tactic to seize Tony, another peddler and continued with their extortion. They returned
two hours later with roast beef and a bottle of Smirnoff Black Label. Simon called the girls and
they took a taxi to town and partied until dawn.
Hassan went to Mzalendo’s to buy some cannabis in order to refill his stock. He met
his friend Tony and shared what befell him when Mutua and Tom visited him. He was shocked
to learn Tony was also in the same boat. Hassan warned Mzalendo about Mutua and Tom.
“We need to teach them a lesson” she replied
“How?” Tony asked
They brainstormed for a while and the two left Mzalendo’s once they had a solid plan. It
was just a matter of time before the pair of extortionists would show up at Mzalendo’s house. All
she knew was selling pot and she could not let one cop and an imposter run her down. She had
weathered countless storms since the days the police would raid her house and put her and her
late husband through hell as they turned their small shack upside down in search of Marijuana
and other drugs.

7  
 Mutua, Tom, James, Simon and 4 women arrived at Simon’s apartment in the wee hours
of the morning. They all passed out and Simon woke up three hours later. He went to the kitchen
for a glass of water but it did not quell his hunger. He half-heartedly prepared rice and beef as the
rest woke up one by one. Once Mutua and Tom finished lunch, they showered and left for duty.
Today they would hit the jackpot if they were successful in their raid. Mutua and Tom agreed on
5,000 shillings as the minimum they would demand from Mzalendo because she was a
wholesaler and a retailer of cannabis. Sources within her operation revealed she purchased 40-50
kilograms of the drug daily. They jumped over the small pond and turned right as they followed
the path towards Mzalendo’s house.
“Mzalendo, they are coming” one of her customers who had spotted the pair alerted her.
She called Hassan and told him the duo had arrived.
“Mzalendo, I want ten joints,” Tom said
She went behind the counter, returned with a cigarette pack and gave it to Tom. Tom
counted the joints and gave her the money. Immediately, Mutua pounced on her with the
handcuffs but she shoved him and the men in the compound heard the commotion and rushed
inside the house. Mzalendo was shouting, while pointing at them and the men grabbed the pair.
Hassan and Tony arrived just on time.

Chapter 3

“The new sheriffs in town,” Hassan mocked them

“Don’t think we do not know about what you did at the pool,” Tony said
Mutua and Tom shifted uneasily on the couch. The cuffs were so tight they were cutting
their wrists.
“Mutua, you two decide to turn on us like wild animals!” Mzalendo said with a lot of
anger in her voice
“Who sent you?” she asked

8  
 They were silent. She ran towards the counter, returned with a black whip, and whipped
the duo like a pair of stubborn donkeys as Hassan and Tony burst in to loud laughter. Their forty
days were over sooner than they expected. Tom confessed their real objective was extortion.
“You are lucky because you are my customers and friends. Otherwise, I would have
organized your deaths by the end of the week!” she snarled at them
“Take your money and return my weed,” she said as she threw a crumpled two hundred
shillings note in Mutua’s face.
Mutua unlocked the handcuffs and they returned to the chill spot embarrassed and
injured. They filled in the rest on what transpired at Mzalendo as the women helped them ice
down the several bruises on their bodies. Mutua called his OCS and requested for a transfer to
Nakuru. He figured it would be easier extorting money from strangers other than Nairobi where
he could easily loose his life.

9  
 BETTY’S REVENGE
Chapter 1

“I’ll give you the other half at the venue. Be there by ten”
“No problem”
Stella could finally breathe. She sent a text message to Linnet with the good news.
“Have you talked to the manager?” she asked John
“Yes and she told me they will be there by midday”
“It’s almost four, we need to go,” John said as he switched off the T.V. They went to the
bus stop and arrived in town at 3:40. Grey clouds were forming and the walked briskly to
Dorman Coffee House. Sarah and Andrew were sipping hot coffee as they went through the
plans. Andrew told them he paid half of the money for the venue in the morning and the DJ
agreed to perform. Sarah was in charge of transport which she managed quite efficiently as she
had organized two vans for the guests from the bride’s family and the same for the groom’s
guests. Once Linnet and Edwin arrived, each of them briefed them on their progress. The
meeting ended at eight. They went to bed early because of the long day ahead of them. The
bunch had the responsibility of making Linnet’s dream wedding come true. It was a long and
rocky road when they first began planning for the wedding. Linnet was penniless after new staff
from a larger marketing firm that purchased their firm three months ago replaced her. Her friends
were here silver lining in the grey cloud since they promised they would sponsor her wedding.
Edwin made a living in digital animations and he owned a small studio.
Stella shot up from bed once she heard her alarm. She woke John and entered the
shower. Once she got dressed, she called the florist as John prepared breakfast. They left the
house at 7:30 and headed to Paradise Lost. The florist and her team arrived and Sarah
coordinated their efforts. The vans arrived and the guests were ushered to the seats. The sun was
bright and the dam was still just as the bride wished. Everybody was punctual and the guests
broke into jubilation when the pastor pronounced the pair man and wife. The photo session
followed and they posed inside the boat, horse riding, near the caves and with the two families.
The Camera Man captured every second of it. John was busy directing the outside catering staff
in the large white tent. There was pilau, fried chicken, fillet, beef and plenty of delicacies. He

10  
made sure the guests lined up and kept the queue moving as they served. The band from Linnet’s
church kept the crowd on their feet. Once every one had a full plate, John quietly sneaked away
from the tent and went towards the stables. He sat under a shade and lit a joint. He felt
rejuvenated from the first hits and by the time he finished it, he returned to his station.
The Master of Ceremony announced it was time for the newlyweds to receive their gifts.
Mr. and Mrs. Muli presented them with a cooker, fridge and microwave. The groom’s parents
gave them a title deed to a one- acre plot in Ruiru. It was prime property since it was next to the
Thika Super Highway. The received more gifts for thirty more minutes until the master of
ceremony called the pair and their parents to cut the cake.

Chapter 2

It was two-block, white and dark brown. It was quite large and had a small bride
holding her grooms hand at the center of the cake. Linnet and Edwin cut the cake and she fed a
huge piece to her husband
“That is the first meal you have served your husband!” the MC remarked and the guests
clapped. She fed her parents-in-law as her friends helped her distribute the cake to the guests.
The waiters served the guests with wine as they listened to speeches from the parents and other
speakers.
“I’ve never seen Peter that happy,” Sarah said to Andrew
“He is happy to have made new friends. Let them enjoy themselves,” Andrew replied
smiling
“More cake?”
“Sure”
Peter and his new friends ran all over the tent while letting out high-pitched laughs then
dozed off on the grass. Mothers took their babies elsewhere to enjoy their nap. The MC invited
Linnet’s mother to the microphone.
“I have raised you well my daughter. It is time for you to start your own family. Let me
tell you marriage is not a bed of roses but you made your bed, who else is going to lie in it? Your

11  
generation loves infidelity; it is your responsibility to make sure that man is satisfied every night
in all areas,” she said as she pointed her son-in-law
“And to my son-in-law, give her your all. Take things slowly and you shall enjoy the
sweetness together. Hurry hurry has no blessings. Take your time with her tonight,” she smiled
slyly, the guests burst into laughter, and for some they could not hold back the tears. The MC
thanked Linnet’s mother for her sound advice and invited Edwin’s father to the microphone
“Edwin, I am very proud of you. Since you were a boy, you have given us joy and today,
we celebrate you becoming a man. You are the head of your new home, the captain of the ship
and most importantly, you will become a parent,” he paused
“One must die in order to go to heaven and to my in-laws, you want grandchildren, my
Edwin will take away her innocence tonight!” the crowd broke into huge bursts of laughter. The
MC could hardly contain himself as he went through the program. The aged in-laws laughter
revealed rows of missing teeth in comparison to those with full dental formulae. Linnet found
none of the speeches amusing. She was too stunned to eat her wedding cake and Edwin noticed it
but what could they do? One could not interrupt a parent whenever he or she was giving some
advice. She excused herself from the table and headed towards the women’s room. The band
began playing and the guests rose from their seats and let themselves loose. It did not matter who
was looking as men grabbed their wives and danced to the cheers of others. Even the MC forgot
his role as he danced away with Linnet’s aunt. Some of the guests were rolling on the ground in
laughter as some ran around screaming for no reason and the camera man recorded every bit of
it. Linnet could not believe her eyes when she saw the madness unfolding and she passed out.
Sarah, Stella and the rest carried her inside the large tent for some first aid. Edwin wondered why
Sarah, Stella, John and Andrew seemed disoriented and for some strange reason, he could not
stop smiling.
Festus Ouma, Edwin’s uncle watched as everybody turn into a lunatic. The band had
stopped playing but the adults were dancing in pairs while some ran around the field. He pieced
the mysterious events together and realized the madness began after they ate the cake. He took
his smiling wife to the car, drove her to Avenue Hospital, and told the doctor to perform a drug
test on her.
“I have the results. We have found large amounts of cannabis in her blood but no need to
worry. Just take her home and let her sleep it off,” the doctor told him

12  
 “What? I will make those two pay dearly for this! ” Festus shook his hand angrily as he
walked out
Word quickly went round about the laced wedding cake and the guests were infuriated.
As a result, Edwin and Linnet were subjected to tonnes of embarrassment as some of the guests
demanded for their wedding gifts back. As if not enough, they cancelled their honeymoon.
Linnet called Sarah so that she would take her to the bakery to decapitate the baker but her phone
call went unanswered.

Chapter 3

“This will kill me,” Betty shrieked as she wiped tears from her eyes and shook with
laughter. She ejected the disc and returned it in her closet.
“How much should we ask from her, 20 000?” she asked
“Let’s make it 40 000. If she refuses, we make it go viral,” Betty replied
At midday, Linnet received a call from a private number. The caller instructed her to send
fourty thousand shillings to his phone within two days or he would upload their entertaining
wedding video online. Linnet pleaded with him but he hung up. Edwin shook his head in dismay
after Linnet told him about the caller’s demand and she began crying.
“Why me? Why me?” she screamed and Edwin calmed her down
Edwin tossed and turned in bed as he thought about where the money would come from.
He had no possible suspects since he lost touch with his ex-girlfriends many years before he met
Linnet. Maybe an over jealous ex-boyfriend was behind all of these. All the same, he would
make the culprit wish he or she was never born. The only way he could get the money was to
withdraw some of the money in his fixed deposit account and forget about the accrued interest
since it would be a premature withdrawal. In the morning, Sarah called Linnet and told her to
meet her in town so she would take her to the baker. Edwin left the bank with his head hung low
and he endured a lot of bitterness as he sent the money to the mysterious caller. His phone rang,
read the message and drove back home. When he arrived, Linnet told her someone left a disc

13  
on the doorstep and disappeared half an hour ago. He played the disc on the DVD player but
ejected it when he noticed Linnet breaking down.
Betty counted the money and handed twenty thousand shillings to Sarah. Sarah smiled
as she put the money in her purse. Suddenly her phone rang and she took it out her handbag
“The poor thing is calling,” she faked concern in her voice
“Let me talk to her,” Betty said as she stretched her hand to receive the phone
“Hallo dear,” she answered
“Betty?”
“Linnet, how are you? I heard you didn’t like my cake?” she mocked her
“Fuck you!” Linnet screamed and threw her cellphone on the wall.
Linnet cursed herself for not suspecting her sly foe, Betty. How could she when Betty
moved to Nakuru while she stayed in Nairobi? The two fell out the previous year after the boss
rewarded Linnet with a huge promotion Betty felt she deserved because she let the boss tap her
goodies. Since then, Betty accused Linnet of stealing her boyfriend and things became hostile
between them. Word went round about Betty’s steamy affair with the boss and she relocated to
Nakuru to save face. Edwin went to the kitchen and found his wife standing with hands akimbo
“I know who was behind this,” she turned to him
“Who?”
“Betty,” she hissed

14  
 KICK IN THE TEETH
Chapter 1

Martin unlocked the door and entered Gerald’s apartment.

“Wassup!” he greeted Gerald and the rest and sat on the large cushions. There was a
cannabis cloud inside the four walls. Gerald, Ken and Sumbua had red eyes and looked through
half closed eyelids. MMG music bumped through the speakers and Martin nodded his head to the
music as he lit a joint.
“Nice watch!” Ken complimented Martin’s brand new black G-shock
“Thanks man. Yesterday I showered with it and it never stopped for a second” he replied
He passed the joint to Sumbua who had zoned out. The hotbox filled with more smoke
as the joint burned. Gerald constantly sprayed air freshener at the door in order to mask the Mary
Jane.
“Martin! Did you get a promotion? Let me see that chain,” Gerald took the chain from
Martin as he admired it with the rest of the gang.
“This is real silver not those coated things Sumbua wears,” Ken said as he took the chain
from Gerald
“Ken, I know you are broke!” Sumbua harshly responded to Ken and the rest laughed at
them.
Martin took his chain and put it back on his neck. It felt heavier than his usual chains
that were faded and he could see the copper beneath the thin coating. Karen had taken him to
greener pastures when they first met the previous month. It all started with Martin accepting
her friend’s request on Facebook, some online flirting and finally they met for lunch. Karen was
5’6 slim and curvy with short brown hair. Martin could hardly believe he went on a date with a
white woman! Love was blind and they overlooked their age difference. Karen was 28 while her
boyfriend was 23. Martin spent lesser time with his friends since he was watching movies on
iMax, having fun at the mall or blowing Mary with his girlfriend.
“Karen is celebrating her birthday tomorrow. There will be plenty of liquor and ladies at
her place,” he told them.
“Where does she stay?” Ken asked

15  
 “Some new apartments near Ridgeways. You need a bodaboda once you alight at the bus
at Ridgeways”
“Count me in,” Gerald shouted and the rest followed.
BodaBoda are motor cycles for public transport. They were quite useful for residents
living where Karen lived since they could ride safely without having to endure the blazing sun as
they walked to the bus stop that was three hundred and fifty meters away.
Ken, Gerald, Sumbua and Martin met at Gerald’s rooftop in the afternoon. Gerald kept
them stoned while Martin ensured their cups had vodka at all times. Martin answered his phone
and told his friends it was time to leave. They made their presence felt in the bus to town since
they were loud despite the music from the speakers. They boarded a bus to Ridgeways and
finally took two bodabodas to Karen’s apartment. They saw two security guards patrolling the
compound with two large dogs. Martin led his friends up the staircase and he stopped at 301. He
knocked the door twice and when Kate opened, she pounced on him and pulled him inside as his
friends followed. There were white and black people in the large living room. There were Maasai
paintings on the wall and some statues of the big five animals. Most of them appeared older than
Martin and his friends but the gang did not let it get in their way.
“Here,” he told them as he handed his friends plastic cups and poured them some Sky
Vodka.
“The ball is in your court. If you can’t get laid in this party then you need major help,”
Martin told his friends as disappeared into the small crowd. Gerald saw a slim white lady with
glasses smoking a cigarette by herself and he walked towards her.
“May I borrow your cigarette?” he asked and she held it as he placed his joint on the
burning end of the cigarette.
“Why are you standing alone? You should be having some fun,” he turned towards her
“I enjoy my own company,” she replied
“So do I but two is always better than one,” he smiled at her
She walked away and sat on the couch next to a group of young women. Gerald smirked
as he puffed his joint. Ken was dancing between two women while Sumbua flirted with a young
woman with long hair.

16  
 Martin was busy dancing with another lady as Karen watched him from the kitchen.
Kate watched him bend her over as she gyrated like the female dancers she saw on Jamaican
music videos. She immediately went towards them and pulled him aside.
“I don’t want you dancing like that with these women,” she told him with suppressed
anger in her voice
“It’s just dancing. Nothing to worry about,” he replied and held her hand but she pulled it
away
“That is not dancing! It’s like acting a porn in front of my friends,” she almost shouted
and drew attention of some people around them
“Fine,” he replied. She took his hand and led him to the kitchen. Gerald and Ken watched
Martin dragged in to the kitchen and began laughing. The guests began leaving at two in the
morning and by four, all of Karen’s guests had left. Gerald, Sumbua and Ken slept on the sofa
and left at seven.

Chapter 2

“That party was great! Especially the women,” Gerald exclaimed once Sumbua talked
about Karen’s birthday party
“I almost blacked out,” Ken said and Gerald and Sumbua laughed at him
They watched a movie in silence when Martin suddenly entered the door
“I thought we won’t see you until Monday?” Ken asked him once he sat down
“She was a bit moody so I gave her some time to cool off,” he sighed
“Is it because she caught you dancing with that lady?” Ken asked him and Martin nodded
“You are going to have a hard time around her whenever you attend parties or go to the
club together,” Gerald told Martin with a lot of seriousness
“From now on I will go to parties and clubs alone. I don’t need drama,” he said
His phone vibrated and he checked to see a new text message. It was Karen and she
wanted him to see him in the afternoon so they would talk. He sneered and returned his attention
back to the movie. After thirty minutes, a second text came through and he clicked his tongue

17  
once he read it. Karen told him she was in town and would wait for him in Gallitos so they
would talk about the previous night. No sooner had Martin put back his cellphone in his pocket
than it had rang. He ignored it until it stopped ringing. After five minutes, his phone rang again
and gave it the cold shoulder.
“Turn it off or answer it. We are trying to watch a movie!” Sumbua snapped at Martin
He went outside the apartment and answered Karen’s call. He lied to her he had gone to
the shops while his phone was charging. He agreed to meet her in the next hour and returned to
the house. Once the movie was over, he left the boys and went to town. He walked inside
Gallitos and saw her seated at the corner all by herself and headed towards her
“Hi dear,” she greeted him and kissed him then he sat. Karen looked at him and
she could tell he was furious over the scene she had caused in the party. She soothed him until
finally, she softened his heart and he forgave her. They drank some fruit juice and left once they
were through. Martin walked her to some nearby Taxis and they exchanged goodbyes. He
returned home tired and immediately slept after he was through with his dinner. Martin was
quite happy Karen apologized to him. He had dated women who never had apologies in their
vocabularies. They always pointed out the wrong in him but it was the kettle calling the pot black
in most cases. He had never met an understanding woman in his life apart from his mother. The
sun rose and he woke up once his alarm went off. After having a shower he texted his girlfriend
before preparing for classes. He confirmed whether he had packed his term paper before leaving.
As usual he arrived early and the lessons flew by fast.
“Sumbua, I think Karen is the one behind the wheel as far their relationship is
concerned,” Gerald told his friend
“Why do you think so?” Sumbua asked
“Every time she calls him he has to go. Day or night, rain or sunshine he never says
No!” Gerald said with heavy disappointment.
“I agree. She has already sat on him but what can do we do? He prayed for rain so he
should not complain about the mud!” Sumbua responded with a lot of conviction in his voice
“We need to make that run,” Sumbua said as he stood and walked towards the door.
They went to buy some weed and when they returned, they found Martin inside the
apartment when they returned. He passed the joint to Sumbua as Gerald sprayed air freshener
near the door as he opened the windows.

18  
 “Karen wants me to move in to her place,” he told them
He looked at them for responses but all he got was an uneasy look from Sumbua.
“Sumbua, I know you have something to say,” Martin turned towards him
“I don’t think it is a good idea,” he replied
Sumbua told them about one of his friends in campus who moved in with his
girlfriend and later he was kicked out of the house because no hardworking woman can feed a
lazy able bodied man forever. They could not eat or pay the bills with love.
“Karen is different. She loves me for who I am!” he argued
“A woman is a woman, whether black or white,” Gerald replied to Martin in a calm
matter-of –fact tone
Martin and Sumbua left at eight as each returned to his home. Martin tossed and
turned in bed as he replayed the conversation he had with his friends about moving in with Kate.
He knew Karen to be a kind and warm -hearted woman. Surely how could such a good- natured
girlfriend kick him out? She was not a Nairobi woman who used the heart as the means to the
man’s wallet and bank accounts! If anything, this was a blessing
“I will prove them wrong,” he said before he drifted into deep sleep.

Chapter 3

Karen cursed as soon as she got out of the taxi near the large blue gate. She greeted the
security guard, went up the steps and unlocked her apartment.
“Hi darling,” Martin shouted as she went to her bedroom.
She went to her balcony and lit a cigarette. Karen had a burden she needed to offload
soon or else she would loose her sanity. For the past two weeks, she lived in pretense while
bottling up her resentment towards her boyfriend. All he ever did was sit around and smoke
weed while she dealt with stubborn clients at her art studio. She could not stand his presence any
longer. Kate went to the kitchen and opened the fridge.
“What the hell is this?” she asked angrily as she tossed the empty box of juice
“Martin, let me talk to you,” she called him

19  
 “Wassup,” he said and stood behind the counter
“I’ve been thinking a lot about us and I think we need a break so that I can see where
things stand between us,” she told him
He stared at him bewildered. Where had this come from?
“Why? What have I done wrong?” he questioned her
“You just sit around all day doing nothing!” she shouted at him
“Have you forgotten I am a student?”
“I need you gone today,”
Karen slammed her bedroom door and Martin returned to the sofa. He had one more
hour before Karen’s deadline and he lit a joint. Once he was stoned, he took his keys and hopped
on a bodaboda. He wanted to go to Gerald’s but realized they would rub salt to his bruised ego.
He convinced himself it was the PMS talking and Karen would be back to her jovial self once it
had gone.
Martin went on with his life and avoided thinking or talking about her. He lied to his
friends she had returned to Canada when Ken asked about her. As far as his friends were
concerned, Martin had moved on with his life however, that was just an appearance. Martin
struggled with blocking out the sweet memories they had as his mind constantly went back to the
day she threw him out. He had a crash landing back to earth from cloud nine. He had endured a
lot of pain and decided to call her. He was in a lot of suspense as he waited for Karen to answer
“Hallo?” a man’s voice answered
“I want to speak to Kate. Who are you?” Martin demanded
“And who are you?” the man responded sarcastically
“I want to speak to my girlfriend. Give her the phone!” Martin shouted
“Or what?” the man replied
“Listen here mothafucka! Go wank elsewhere and put Karen on the phone!”
“Watch your mouth young man. I will…”
“Fuck you!” Martin interrupted and hung up.
While absence made his heart grow fonder towards Karen, she had got herself a new
boyfriend. Sometimes out of sight led to out of mind. He sighed deeply as he pondered his next
move. Martin locked his apartment and rushed to the bus stop. He arrived at Karen’s apartment

20  
forty- five minutes later and rushed up the steps like a bat from hell. He knocked the door loudly
while breathing rapidly.
A tall, white muscular man answered the door. He was in a green combat t-shirt written
British Army on his chest. Martin immediately humbled himself and asked if he could see Karen
“I didn’t think we would meet so soon,” the man replied and advanced towards him
Martin ran towards the stairs but he felt a massive hand on his shoulder. He turned and
missed an incoming fist and landed a kick in his ribs. The man fell but sprang up and followed
him down the steps. He managed to kick Martin’s back and he rolled down the stairs. The man
grabbed Martin by the collar and rained blows all over his face and torso as Martin weakly
defended himself. Martin turned towards the wall and raised his heel between the man’s legs. He
fell on the ground screaming in pain and Martin took off and hopped on the first bodaboda he
saw. If he would have looked behind, he would have saw Karen looking at him from her
apartment.
He attracted a lot of attention in the streets because of the bumps and wounds on his
face. Martin passed by a street vendor, bought a cap and a pair of dark sunglasses. He then
rushed in between other pedestrians on the busy streets and boarded a bus back home. Once he
arrived, he showered, he wore a grey hoodie and black jeans then headed to the HQ aka Gerald’s
apartment. They were quite shocked when he removed the hood
“What happened?” Sumbua asked
Martin lit a joint and narrated to them what transpired between him and Kate’s new
military man without leaving a detail. They broke into laughter when he told them how he kicked
him in the nuts. Truly a problem shared was a problem solved!

21  
 THE FIRST INSTALLMENT
Chapter 1

“Thanks man”
“No problem. I will come again next week,”
He reversed and sped off towards the gate. Sam headed back to his room and put the
cookies and juice in his closet then went to the bathroom. He stood in front of the mirror to check
whether his eyes were red since he felt a little high. Sam headed to the cafeteria and joined the
short queue of fellow addicts. He joined Alice and Otieno near the television. Otieno and Sam
walked Alice to her hostel then went to the Men’s hostel. Sam wanted to share his Kush cookies
with his friend but he would put himself in a lot of trouble if the counselors found them high.
They joined Andrew and Collins for a game of scrabble and at eight; all the men were in the
entertainment room watching a movie. Sam was up in the clouds and burst into laughter often.
His head felt like a hot-air balloon, ready to float off his neck any moment.
Otieno was behind the counseling room where the addicts met with the counselors
during the day. It was pitch dark since it was a cloudy night. He was nervous when he whistled
since he did not want to attract the guards’ attention. He whistled again and he felt someone
touch his shoulder.
“Enough. I am here,” Alice told him
They went in the opposite direction of the counseling room and went behind the large
storage tanks. It would provide them with the kind of privacy they required since it was quite
isolated. Otieno put his hands around her waist and they engaged in a hot lip lock while
undressing each other. He lay her down and went on top of her. After a while, he walked her to
her hostel hand in hand and went straight to bed immediately he returned to the Men’s hostel.
His friends were on their third movie and it was already midnight. The following day, they had
service at nine inside the large counseling room then dispersed in to small groups to attend to
their regular chores.
“How are things?” Mr. Wafula the senior counselor asked Sam
“Not bad,” he replied
“Stay strong my brother,” he smiled and walked away

22  
 Sam and Collins finished replanting seven new flowerbeds. The sun blazed mercilessly
and they were desperate to quench their thirst. Once they heard the hooter, they ran to the
cafeteria and were among the first people in the group. Sam sat at his usual table with Otieno and
Alice and ate alone before the two joined them.
“Do you have the munchies? Why are you eating that much?” Alice exclaimed while
looking at Sam’s mountain of rice, beans and spinach
“If only you knew how hard it is to plant seven flowerbeds almost by yourself. Collins is
as good as my shadow since all he did was keep me company,” Collins replied
“You think flowerbeds are hard, try cleaning the gym! My body is aching because of
carrying those weights from here to there!” Otieno protested
“At least you are doing some exercise,” Sam remarked and they laughed
Lunch was over and they went to the field for team building activities then headed back
to their hostels in the evening. Sam showered and watched the news in the entertainment room
before having his supper. He returned to his room, ate two cookies and joined the rest of his
colleagues. Compared to the rest of the addicts in the facility, Sam was a novice while the rest
had PhDs in drug experience. Otieno was a heroin junky from the coast; Alice was a coke addict
from a wealthy family in Nairobi. Other addicts were on their second or third stay in rehab.
These kind battled alcoholism and other hard narcotics. They were under constant surveillance
because they were prone to committing suicide because of the unbearable burden exerted by
withdrawal symptoms of two or more drugs. Sam was in Goshen Center, Sagana because his
parents busted him twice smoking weed. He pleaded with them and even promised he would
see the counselor in the university but they heard none of it. His father told him he would thank
him later in future for cutting off the bud before it grew in to addiction. Even though he was in
rehab, he still got high every week thanks to Steve and Njoroge’s visits. They carried some Kush
cookies for him and the counselors never suspected Sam was high on his road to recovery.

23  
 Chapter 2

Sam waved Njoroge and his new girlfriend goodbye and walked back to the hostel. His
friends were either playing at the fields or indoors listening to music while playing board games.
He walked inside the sky blue corridors and glanced inside the recreation room. Collins was
playing scrabble with a friend and there were a few people near the T.V. He put the fresh box
of his favorite cookies inside the closet and locked his door. Njoroge brought him some novels
since he had read all the novels he had carried. He took out two cookies he had in his hoodie and
poured himself some passion juice. Once he was done with his snack, he hopped on the bed
and began reading.
“I win! Three times in a row,” Collins bragged
“So What? Let’s play again!” Mutua responded
“Alright, I’ll be back,” he said as he headed towards the bathrooms.
Sam walked in and Collins said Hi to him but Sam did not respond.
“What’s the matter?” he asked Sam
“Nothing, I’m okay,” he replied
Collins walked to the sink to wash his hands. Sam pulled his hood lower and walked to
the sink. Collins was surprised when he saw Sam’s face in the mirror.
“You’re high! What is it?” he asked
“I’m not high, I think I may be catching a cold,” he replied
“Okay. Spit on the sink,”
“Why?”
“Because you are high”
Sam spat but very little saliva came from his mouth. His dry lips gave him away
“I ate some Kush cookies,” he confessed
“No worries. Do you have some more?
He told him he had one more and told him to wait for him at the entertainment room.
Sam handed Collins the cookie and headed to the Counseling center for evening sessions and
activities. Since then he and Collins became close. Collins was a recovering alcoholic. This
was his second stay in rehab and one could tell by how well he adjusted into the daily routine

24  
like a duck to water. He was thirty-six. His second marriage was on the brink of divorce and he
hardly had any relationship with his eight-year-old daughter.
One day while Sam was heading to the fields for a game of football, Collins told him to
see him before dinnertime. After the game, he freshened up and met Collins outside the cafeteria
“Collins,” he greeted him
“Do you still have those cookies?” he asked in a low voice
“No”
“I know you still have them. I have something to offer you and I want two cookies in
return”, he told him and joined his friends on the queue.
Sam joined Otieno and Alice at their usual table. Once he was done, he scanned the
cafeteria for Collins and he headed towards the hostel. He was about to unlock his closet and
paused to have another look at the situation. Maybe Collins was planning to blackmail him. He
was quite friendly with the counselors and the director. He decided to take two cookies and
spotted him watching T.V. Sam walked towards him and tapped his shoulder. They went to an
empty corridor and Collins demanded the cookies. He received one and he would receive the rest
once Sam deemed the offer fair. He told Sam he had a side business that involved selling
cannabis to students of Heshima College. Collins told him he needed him to join his venture in
order to bring product diversity to his clients. All he had to do was bake and his partner would
sell.
Otieno and Alice jogged towards the tanks. They had turned Goshen Center in to a
romantic getaway. Otieno was 25 and his girlfriend was 21. Once they finished, they walked
hand in hand in the darkness and he kissed her outside her hostel. He returned to his room quite
happy and satisfied with himself. Finally, the world meant something to him since he had Alice
and she loved him. Otieno promised her he would wait for her until her release and they would
move to a different city to begin new chapters of their lives.
One Saturday afternoon, Sam and Otieno were heading to their hostel from an
afternoon session when Collins spotted Sam.
“Sam!” he shouted and waved at him
Sam went towards the director’s office. Collins introduced him to Richard who was his
business partner. Richard was 24 just like Sam and they exchanged contacts. Upon his release, he
would immediately link with Richard to begin production.

25  
 Chapter 3

Patrick and Sam synchronized well with each other. They worked tirelessly burning the
midnight oil on several occasions. After the first month, they had made eighty thousand shillings
in profits from the Kush cookies and joints. They visited Collins regularly to bring him some
cookies as well as update him on their progress. He was excited with their performance and gave
them twenty thousand each. Sam was dedicated to his newfound passion and one could see it
through his outstanding results. In March, he had designed a small round cookie cutter that
enabled them increase their production by 50 percent. The cutter enabled them make the most
out of their dough by cutting small shapes.
Patrick and Sam visited Collins and after exchanging pleasantries, Patrick proudly
handed his boss one hundred and twenty thousand shillings. Collins grinned ear to ear as he
counted the money.
“Here you are. Well done!” he congratulated them
They returned to Nairobi with thirty thousand shillings each. They were happy to enjoy
their ripe and juicy fruits of their labor. They were glad because Collins would be released the
following Monday. Sam entertained the thought of moving out of his parent’s house at the end
of the following month since the regular cash flow could provide him with a comfortable cushion
as well as a safe haven for him and Cannabis.
“I think we can make more by ourselves,” Patrick said to him
“How?”
“We just need our own stock and we will be good to go. Why do we make 25 percent of
the sales and we are the ones doing the donkey work?”
“Where will we get capital?”
Patrick shared an idea he had worked on for weeks with Sam. At first, Sam was against it
but half –heartedly agreed to participate since it was quite risky. Patrick reminded him the bigger
the risk the larger the reward. On Thursday morning, Patrick and Sam drove to town and stopped
at Nkurumah Street. They walked in to a stall where jeans, shirts and suits were on display. Sam
looked around and picked a pair of jeans. The lady showed him to the changing room and
returned to the shop. Patrick picked a shirt and when she went towards him, he smiled at her

26  
 “Listen carefully, I know Collins is a drug dealer and right now we have him under
custody. Follow me,” he told her as he lifted his shirt to show her a concealed pistol
She immediately followed him to the car and Sam joined them. Sam sat at the back with
Collin’s wife as they drove out of town and blind folded her. He took her phone and warned her
of dire consequences in case she drew attention towards them. They stopped at Rongai , thirty
kilometers from Nairobi and they went inside a small house off the dusty and bumpy roads. She
was terrified and angry at the same time. Her husband had told her he quit selling drugs before
they met but it was a big lie. Patrick showed her five pounds of cannabis they found inside
Collin’s car in the morning and asked her whether she knew about it. She denied it vehemently
claiming Collins was a saint.
Patrick dialed Collin’s number and gave the phone to Henry, an old friend. Henry told
Collins he had his wife and wanted one hundred thousand shillings as ransom or else she would
disappear and the police would know about his narcotics business. Collins agreed to meet him on
Saturday with the full amount. It was as if a dark cloud was waiting for him to come out of
rehab. Patrick called him in the morning and told him of a man who came to his house and took
away the stash at gunpoint claiming he was a police officer acting on an anonymous tip off. As if
not enough, Helen disappeared the same day! Sam told him he would lay low for a while until
things were cool. Henry called Collins on Friday and he instructed him where to meet.
At 2 PM the following day, Henry drove to Ngong while his passenger sat at the back
with hands and feet tied. She had a sack over her head. Once they arrived at the meeting point, he
saw Henry standing outside his car looking like a tensed caged animal desperate to break free.
Henry walked out with a pistol in one hand, opened the door and pulled her out of the car
“Where is my money?” he demanded
“Here!” Collins tossed a black plastic bag at him.
Henry checked inside and threw it inside the car while still holding her. He cut the rope
on her hands and feet and shot Collin’s front tire as he sped off. Collins cursed and quickly
rushed towards her. He sobbed as he helped her get the rope off her hands and feet but he almost
passed out once he took the sack off her. It was not Helen!
Henry called him in the evening
“You think what you did is funny? I will make you pay, bastard!” Collins screamed at
Henry

27  
“Listen. I still have her but you have to realize Heshima now belongs to me,” he replied
“I want to speak to her! What about the one hundred thousand shillings?” he demanded
Henry put Helen on the phone briefly then said to Henry
“That was the first installment. I need two hundred thousand by Tuesday”

28  
 VENUS VERSUS MARS
Chapter 1

He attracted a lot of attention as he waited for the elevator. Once the doors opened, he
was the first person to hop inside and quickly pressed the number. Chege almost went insane
when he noticed the awkward silence of the others as they gawked at his bruises.
“Nowadays Nyeri belongs to thieves,” he said and some people consoled him with
uplifting words. Chege‘s colleagues quickly gathered around him curious to know what befell
him as soon as he walked through the door. He told them he was a victim of mugging during the
weekend and blamed it on the marijuana smoking, unemployed youth in the town. The senior
auditor gave him the day off but Chege assured Mr. Edward he was okay. His boss half-heartedly
let him stay and admired his job commitment. During lunch break, Chege felt a headache on his
right side and bought some painkillers as he returned to the office. He endured through the
remaining accounts as the headache intensified. Chege gently touched his head and winced when
he accidentally pressed the large contusion. He switched off his computer and left the office at
3:15 Pm. Chege crossed the small street and bought some Ibuprofen to silence the nagging
headache. As he waited for a matatu , he spotted Caleb a few meters away from him. Chege
walked towards him and noticed his reaction when he saw the bumps and bruises on his face. His
head was not the only source of pain. Chege had trouble stretching his arm because his elbow
still hurt from blocking an incoming broomstick meant for his skull. He felt pain in his left
ribcage whenever he laughed or pressed the sore area.
“I was mugged,” he sighed and turned away from Caleb’s stare
“Wow, who told them you had money bags?” Caleb smirked
He followed Caleb to his blue Premio went to his place. He poured Chege some Kibao
vodka in a glass and sipped once he sat.
“Why do you allow yourself to become someone’s punching bag? Were your hands
tied?” Caleb asked him.
Chege told him he went home on Saturday night heavily inebriated and had a heated
exchange with Nancy and words turned to insults, which led to fists and furniture flying all over.
He was undecided about returning home since there could be more warfare. Caleb persuaded his

29  
friend to go with him to Nairobi the following weekend since his contract would be over with the
hospital.
“I don’t know if it’s the right thing to do,” he replied
“What is the right thing to do? Take a beating every day from your wife?” Caleb asked
“She just has a bad temper, what can I do?”
Caleb smacked Chege’s head causing him to yelp since the strike partially landed on his
contusion. How long would Chege sit in the rain and complain about being wet? This was his
third “mugging” since the previous month. His cunning wife screamed as she assaulted her
husband to make their neighbors think it was a typical domestic violence scenario. The neighbors
would rush to their house and bang the door while begging Chege not to kill his wife. The more
she beat him the louder she cried for help. He thanked Caleb for driving him home and he
trembled to the doorstep. He gently inserted the key and slowly opened the door. Luckily, the
tigress was not in the house. Chege warmed some left over rice and beef then ate as he watched
the evening news, brushed his teeth and retired to bed. By the time Grace arrived, he was snoring
and drooling on his pillow.
Chege woke up early the following morning and left Grace in bed as he went to work.
He made sure he carried his painkillers before leaving the house. Once he alighted at the stage,
he crossed the small busy Nyeri streets and walked inside Delta House at exactly 7:45. His
colleagues began streaming in the office from 8:15 and once they sat, they flipped through the
newspaper and logged into their social media accounts before they rolled up their sleeves for the
tasks ahead of them. The day went by fast and it was closing time. Caleb was waiting for his
friend outside his office and they headed to Green Hills for a couple of beers. When Caleb was
on his second beer, he finally addressed the elephant in the room
“I’m leaving on Saturday morning, will you join me?”
“Yes I will”
“You have made a wise choice,” Caleb replied as he patted Chege’s shoulder.
Chege arrived home tipsy and went straight to the kitchen. He received a warning
glance from his spouse but he ignored her. They ate in silence and he turned in before her. Grace
wanted to pounce on him and deliver a sound beating when she smelled the alcohol from his
mouth. She washed the dishes and went to bed, once she got inside the covers she nudged him
and he immediately moved away from her.

30  
 “You won’t stop drinking will you?” she asked in an angry tone
“I am talking to you!” she shook him violently from his sleep
Chege sat up and brushed off her hands. Grace began strangling him while warning him
of dire consequences but he broke free and ran out of their bedroom. Grace tossed a blanket at
him and immediately slammed the door shut. Chege took the blanket and spent the remainder of
the night on the couch. He woke up earlier than usual and was the first one to arrive in the office.
His mind wandered off in dreamland and he pictured how life would be without Grace. He
would no longer worry about returning home drunk or endure humiliation and the burden that
came with lying to cover up weakness. He had endured the marriage but tomorrow he would see
a new dawn in his life. Chege looked at the wall clock as he counted the remaining hours to
Friday. He was the first to leave the office and took a taxi to Ihururu. Chege ran to their bedroom
and took out his beige leather suitcase as he hurriedly tossed his clothes out of the closet and
zipped it. Chege returned to the taxi and they drove to Kiganjo where Caleb resided. He thanked
the driver and walked to Caleb’s door. Caleb welcomed him with a cold Tusker and they sat
infront of his 34-inch flat screen. He threw away a bra on his couch and smiled mischievously
when Chege noticed.

Chapter 2

“These women come and go,” he told him as he sipped his beer
“How long has this one stayed?” Chege asked
“Since the second week I came to this place so that would be one and a half months,” he
replied with a sheepish smile.
Chege could tell he was plastered before he arrived. His drinking buddy never passed out
or let the liquor take over his judgment. Caleb had saved Chege’s life twice since they became
friends. He once saved him from a physical confrontation in a pub and took him to hospital twice
the previous month. Chege lied to Caleb he was mugged on his way home the first time he took
him to hospital since they had just left the pub. Caleb found it awkward when the doctor asked

31  
Chege whether he had a spouse so the hospital would notify about the incident. Chege appeared
hesitant and told the doctor his wife was attending a seminar outside town. Grace and Chege
fought again a fortnight later and Grace managed to kick her husband out of the house with
bleeding domestic war wounds. He was lucky Caleb had come to visit his girlfriend in the
neighborhood so he called him for help. Caleb found Chege bleeding on the roadside and rushed
him to a nearby private clinic. Chege lied a second time to the doctor about his wife’s
whereabouts. Caleb found it strange Chege’s wife was gone for that long because most seminars
last for a maximum of one week.
Chege felt uneasy inside the Chege’s car as he drove him to his house. Fear grew more
and more inside him as they approached his house. Their gate was wide open and the lights in
the living room were on.
“Why didn’t you lock your gate?” Caleb asked
“I was just going to the shops,” he replied
“You don’t care about your electricity bill?”
“Why?”
“You also left the lights on,” Caleb replied as he pointed the house.
The lights went out and Caleb knew his friend was desperately trying to keep the cat
inside the bag. Grace got out of the house and walked to the gate. She glanced at the car, locked
the gate and went back to the house. Chege looked so terrified like a schoolboy about to get
caned.
“Don’t lie to me she is your sister,” Chege turned to him.
Caleb rose up early the following day and prepared himself for the journey. Chege joined
him for breakfast inside the kitchen and they left Nyeri at eight. Chege rang Grace but his calls
went to voicemail. He sent her a short text telling her he was attending a seminar in Mombasa
and enjoyed the road trip to Nairobi. They arrived at Kahawa Sukari two hours later and Caleb
parked outside a white apartment building with orange balconies. When they got inside the
apartment, Caleb showed Chege his room and made him feel at home. Since it was on a
Saturday, some clubbing was quite in order so they went to town and club hopped until dawn. As
they headed back the stairs, Chege couldn’t stop himself from staring at a few pretty women who
were going down stairs as they ascended. He promised himself to score some before returning to
Nyeri that is if he would return.

32  
 Chege found the city life fast paced compared to Nyeri. Everybody was always on the
move for that extra coin and the only things that were free in the city were oxygen and sunlight.
He was quite surprised when a group of young men demanded something after pushing Caleb’s
Premio out of the mud. In Nyeri, a thank you would be just fine since everybody was a Good
Samaritan. One evening as they were watching the news, Chege was stunned to see his cousin
also from Nyeri with bandages wrapped around his head and arms giving an account of how his
wife assaulted him.
“Damn! Does this weakness run in your family tree?” Caleb joked and received a hostile
glance from Chege.
Chege’s cousin told the reporter how the wife poured boiling water on him as soon as he
stepped inside the house. Once he began screaming, the wife fled their home. The Police
assured the public they would arrest the culprit very soon.
“I have to go see him tomorrow,” Chege said to Caleb
“Okay. Just make sure you don’t bump into your wife,” Caleb replied
He arrived in Nyeri at two in the afternoon the following day. Chege wore a hat over his
eyes to conceal his identity and used a taxi instead of a matatu so as not to bump into friends or
colleagues. He paid the driver and pushed the blue rusty gate open. Chege saw Ian with some
friends outside the house.
“Ian, I have come,” he said as he shook his hands.
Chege stared at the burns for a while then greeted Ian’s friends. They left an hour later
and the cousins got inside the house.
“We have to tame these wild animals,” Chege said to him
“They are possessed!” his cousin replied with bitterness
Caleb cooked ugali and goat meat for supper and they ate as they watched T.V.
Suddenly, there was a loud banging on the door. Ian froze with fear and Chege opened the
curtain slightly and saw his cousin in-law with a huge woman.
“Open up you idiot or we will break this door!”
A stone smashed one of the windows near the door and Ian’s wife opened the latch from
inside. The two stormed inside causing Ian to flee to his bedroom.
“Alice, why can’t you live in peace with your husband?” Chege asked her calmly

33  
 “Listen here! This is my house and you have no business here telling me how I should
live. No wonder Grace beats you because of your stupidity!” she shouted at him and the fat
woman sneered at him.
Ian suddenly appeared with a machete and ran towards his wife. The fat woman moved
fast and grabbed Ian’s skinny arms but Ian punched her face with his other arm. Alice pounced
on her husband and Chege pulled her away as she kicked and slapped her husband. Alice’s friend
punched the wind out Chege and went for the machete. Ian and Chege ran out of the living room
and locked it from the outside. The two women yelled and cursed as they banged the door and
after a while, they left the house.

Chapter 3

Chege convinced his cousin to pack and go with him to Nairobi the following day.
Caleb agreed to host them until the dark cloud had passed. He helped Ian smear some powder
and ointments on his burns before dressing them with clean bandages. Chege dialed a taxi as
they had breakfast. He told his cousin Nairobi was full of peaceful and beautiful women of
different shapes and sizes. Chege swept the broken glass on the floor and rearranged the seats
and table since they were scattered all over. His phone rang and he pressed the red button to
ignore Grace’s call.
Alice, Grace and the fat woman entered the compound each armed with a machete.
Chege immediately alerted Ian of the incoming danger and Ian returned with a machete.
“This is where you are attending the seminar?” Grace asked Chege
“Shut your mouth you ugly thing,” Chege snapped at her
“Today we have come to finish you. You are pathetic examples of husbands,” Alice
sneered at them.
Alice slowly walked towards her husband, sized him up, and spat in his face. Ian took a
step back and slapped her so hard she fell on the ground. Immediately her comrades switched in
to offensive mode and chased the men while swinging their machetes. Grace followed her

34  
husband further into the compound while Ian dodged Alice and her fat friend. Chege quickly
picked a handful of soil and threw it at Grace’s face. She screamed when the sand stung her eyes
and swung her weapon blindly at him. He grabbed the machete from her and kicked her
repeatedly as she tried to get back on her feet. Chege was on the losing end of his handicap fight
and showed Alice and her friend his heels as he sought for safety. Chege ran after them and used
his remaining strength to tackle Alice’s friend. She fell in slow motion and landed on top Chege.
Chege felt his ribscage would cave in because of her massive weight and wrestled his way out of
the danger but she held him in a chin lock and tightened her hold as he struggled.
Chege felt weak as she blocked his airway and out of desperation, he sunk his teeth in
her massive forearm. She screamed and punched Chege’s head with her left arm but her efforts
were futile. Chege tasted her blood and chewed the flesh until he broke free. He kicked away
the machete, rescued his cousin by punching Alice in the face, helped Ian get on his feet, and
dashed towards the gate. Luckily, the taxi was a few meters away from Ian’s gate and as they got
in, they urged the driver to drive them as fast as he could to Nyeri town.

35  
 HOSTILE TAKEOVER
Chapter 1

Paul turned to Luka and he nodded. He put on his sweater and threw a wrapper outside
the window. Paul counted to ten silently as he watched the passenger pass out and slowly took
his phone inside his shirt pocket. Other passengers were pre occupied with newspapers, social
media sites and just staring outside the window. He slowly went inside the passenger’s pocket
and took out several 1000 and 500 shillings notes causing his heart to increase tempo as he
pocketed the loot. Mike was done with his unconscious victim and he sent a text to Paul
informing him they would alight at Pangani. They anxiously waited and shot out like arrows as
they alighted from the black and green bus. The trio crossed the road, boarded a bus heading
towards Githurai, and arrived at 5:00 Pm. Paul’s apartment was stuffy and dark. There were
ashes and left- over khat all over the coffee table. Paul switched on the small home theatre
system, returned to his seat and lit a joint. Mike wiped the table with an old newspaper and began
counting his loot as the rest watched him keenly.
“Ten thousand eight hundred,” he announced
Paul and Luka had four thousand and three thousand shillings respectively. The phones
Mike and Paul stole could fetch a minimum of eight thousand shillings in the streets. Paul gave
each of them a cut of three thousand six hundred shillings and promised them more once they
sold the phones. They felt proud of their day’s sweat and they left Paul’s apartment at nine. Two
months ago, they lived hand to mouth as they struggled to make ends meet through pick
pocketing. Paul narrowly escaped mob justice twice. Once because of a botched attempt and on
the second attempt he punched his victim in the eye after the lady refused to let go of him while
snatching her handbag.
“Help!” she screamed
Some by standers at the bus stop quickly responded to her cry. Paul’s adrenaline kicked
in and he punched the Sudanese woman in the eye. The mob hurled stones at him and he
crossed the busy highway and vanished. No sooner had he arrived in his apartment than pain
attacked him from his head and back. He gingerly removed his T-shirt and almost fainted at the
sight of large cuts and bruises on his body. In his former profession, mob justice was an

36  
occupational hazard. Their big break came after one of their colleagues introduced them to
powerful sedatives. All one had to do was secretly spray the sedative on the end of his coat
sleeve and open the window while making sure his arm would pass across the victim’s face. This
was their third use and they were pleased with its results. Prostitutes and greedy waitresses used
the drug on unsuspecting patrons and once they blacked out, they would steal their wallets and
phones.
“We need a refill for tomorrow’s job,” Mike said
“Pauline told me to pass by her place at four,” Luka replied
They chewed khat until evening and left Paul’s house at ten.
Their next job was to rob passengers who would attend Kenyatta University’s graduation.
Graduation ceremonies often attracted thousands of people from different corners of the country
and as a result, there would be high demand for buses and matatus. They would simply hop from
one matatu to the next drugging victims as they robbed them. At three in the afternoon, they
left Paul’s apartment and walked to the campus. Hawkers were all over selling flashy ribbons
and huge cards with congratulatory messages. Paul, Luka and Mike headed to the stage.
“Thika! Thika! 100!” the touts shouted
The trio sat strategically inside the matatu. They made sure they sat beside a passenger
who was next to the window. Once the matatu was full, the tout collected the money then gave it
to the driver and went to another matatu.
Kairu received a text from Fred. He commanded the passengers to be cooperative as he
waved his pistol in the air. Terrified passengers screamed but they quickly went silent after
Mugo slapped the passenger seated next to him and pointed a pistol at him. The vehicle suddenly
stopped and Fred kicked out the second co-passenger.
“Drive!” he ordered the driver
Mugo threw an empty backpack at the passenger next to him and he put in his phone and
wallet. The next passenger did the same as the bag went round.
“Musa!” Mugo shouted
The driver branched into a dirt road that disappeared in to the empty fields.
“Musa! What is wrong with you?” Mugo shouted in an angry voice
“Tell Fred to stop!” he told Kairu who opened the window and knocked the driver’s
window. The matatu stopped and Mugo was the first to get out. Kairu and Fred ordered

37  
everybody out and lie on the grass. The three were shocked when Musa fell on the ground like a
sack of potatoes. He had passed out and had shallow breathing.
“Who sat next to him?” Fred asked
“That one wearing a blue hoodie,” Mugo replied while pointing at Mike.

Chapter 2

Fred went through Mike’s pockets and removed a small bottle with colorless liquid and a
rubber glove. He threw them away and threw a punch at Mike but missed. Mike moved loved
and caught Fred with a strong right jab that sent him on the ground
“I will kill you!” Mugo ran towards Mike while pointing the gun at him.
“I am also in the same business as you are. Why are you messing me up?” Mike asked
Mugo
“Pickpocketing is for little boys. You will become a man when you can handle a gun,”
Mugo sneered at him
Fred and Kairu found more of the sedatives inside Paul and Luka’s pockets. Kairu
became so outraged he began kicking and stomping Paul as the other passengers begged for his
mercy.
“Bring them here,” Mugo said
“You boys want to rise up so fast. My boys never kill. You can ask them! Do you know
that drug you are playing with can kill if you spray too much? No, you are too greedy. Small
boys like you cause plain-clothes officer to be all over. I will change your ways,” Mugo said to
Paul and his friends. He told Kairu to tie them up, get inside the vehicle and ordered the driver to
drive away. The stranded passengers cursed them as they sped off. They hurdled and discussed
on the best route to use to arrive at their destination. Mugo ordered the driver to stop at a coffee
plantation and they got out. He told the driver he would come after his head if he goes to the
police. A cow mooed when they entered through the wooden gate. Kairu unlocked the door and
pushed Paul and his friend’s inside the dark store. Luckily, there were bags of sand that

38  
cushioned them against the cold hard floor. They immediately woke up when they heard the
padlock being unlocked.
“Get out you sons of bitches!”Kairu ordered
The sunlight burned their eyes and they blinked severally to readjust from the darkness.
Fred waved his pistol at them while Kairu untied them so they could have their breakfast. Once
they finished, he tied their hands again and led them to a blue pickup with a green canvas cover
at the back. Mugo drove for one and a half hours through the bumpy road and stopped at a huge
mansion with a big orange gate. Kairu and the rest alighted as Mugo spoke on the inter com. A
security guard opened the gate and they went to the house. Mugo greeted a short skinny man
wearing a white shirt with grey khaki pants. Paul realized the man called the shots by the way
Mugo showed him a lot of respect. He told his security to take the boys as he went inside the
house with Mugo and Kairu.
They walked down a long path that led to a huge maize plantation and branched on the
left. They heard a group singing loudly and as they went further, they saw young men arranged
in military parade swinging machetes. Two commanders barked orders at them and they sung
louder. One of the commanders took Paul, Luka and Mike to another field where they met ten
young men just like them sweating while doing press ups. A tall light-skinned man ordered them
to follow suit.
“You will stop when I tell you to stop. If I tell you to jump, obey without asking
questions,” he shouted authoritatively.
Luka felt like his chest would explode at any moment. He could taste blood in his throat
but kept on with the rest. They jogged around the huge maize plantation for almost two hours
and their superiors served them a mixture of maize and beans with floating weevils for lunch.
After a one- hour lunch break, they entered a machete training session that lasted the whole
afternoon and the commanders took them to a huge store with many mattresses and blankets on
the floor. They were up once the first cock crowed and the commanders took them round the
plantation for a morning run. They went through the same rigorous activities as the previous day.
Luka became friends with Bob, a pickpocket from Nyeri. Bob told Luka they were in Nyeri after
he told him how they got there. Bob told Luka other members of the gang kidnapped him a week
ago after he beat up one of their members who wanted to extort him since he sold weed. He had

39  
enough problems keeping up with the chief’s demand and he would not allow him or anyone else
to add another burden.
After two weeks, the senior commander assembled them, gave them a long lecture on
the importance of following chain of command, and briefed them on the mission they would
carry out the following day. He made the recruits take an oath of allegiance to their superiors on
their own lives and they would kill any traitor among them. The following morning they went
for their usual morning run and spent most of the day polishing up on their combat tactics. Once
darkness set in, their commanders ordered them to fall in and gave them a morale boosting
speech before they got inside the two Lorries.

Chapter 3

“Help! Help! They are after me!”

Some of the villagers got out of their houses wielding machetes and clubs. They saw
about seven men running towards the coffee plantations and they pursued them. The man
continued screaming for help and more villagers joined the rest as they went after the gang. Once
the villagers were at the base of the two slopes, a gang of machete wielding youth pounced on
them. They wore yellow reflective jackets to identify themselves as they hacked their poor
victims. It was blow for blow since some of the villagers ganged up on a gang member and hit
his head severally with their clubs until his face became formless after breaking his jaws and
cheekbones. Some lucky villagers managed to sneak out of the bloody confrontation and made it
back to the village to inform the rest of the ongoing attack.
The villagers began retreating towards the village and the rogue gang followed them
like a pack of hungry predators. Some of them tripped and the gang members immediately
attacked with their sharp blades. The villagers were re-energized when they met their neighbors
armed and ready to confront their attackers. Tables turned when the villagers went after the gang,
which retreated to the plantation. Paul and Mike disappeared inside the coffee bushes and stood
still as they listened to the screaming and anguish as the rest battled on.
“We have to get out of this mess! What the fuck is this?” Paul exclaimed

40  
 Mike and Paul ran further inside the coffee plantation. A dog began barking and they
quickly made a U-turn as the dog followed them.
“Kill those Mungiki!” a villager shouted as he and his group followed the dog.
They immediately froze when they encountered a different group of villagers heading
towards them. Mike and Paul ran down the plantation but only Mike made it across the other
slope once the villagers caught Paul. He threw away the machete and ran until his legs had
endured enough. He was at what appeared to be the market place and looked around for
unlocked stores. He found an old door barely on its hinges and kicked it inside. Weeds and grass
had grown inside the unfinished building and there was a pile of sand inside one of the rooms.
He curled himself on top of the sand and slept for a few hours until dawn. He was surprised to
wake up next to three dogs that were still fast asleep. Mike walked out through an unfinished
wall and followed two men towards a huge market. He threw away his reflective jacket before he
walked past the busy market place. He suddenly became overwhelmed with emotion when he
heard Paul’s screams when the villagers caught up with him. Did Luka make it out alive? He
asked himself and shed more tears as he cried uncontrollably. He did not care about curious
onlookers on their way to the market.
“Young man, what is the problem?” a gentle voice asked him
Mike looked up and saw two nuns looking at him with a lot of concern. He sighed and
shed more tears as he wailed
“Come with us. We will take care of you,” one of the nuns told him
They helped him on his feet, took him inside the Catholic van, and headed to the Church.
A nurse cleaned his cuts and stitched a large cut on his forearm.
“What happened?” she asked
“Some men attacked us in our village last night,” he replied
“I heard a group of Mungiki attacked a village yesterday. Were they many? I thought the
government had dealt with them permanently,”
The incident was in the afternoon news. Several villagers gave their accounts of the
attack to the reporters. The OCS reported they had arrested four members and two were in
critical condition because of their injuries. He congratulated the villagers for their quick response
and he confirmed reports that it was a botched Mungiki come back. The nurse stepped out briefly
and Mike immediately fished her purse from her large handbag and quietly sneaked out of the

41  
clinic. His heart beat faster and faster as he neared the large gate and breathed a sigh of relief as
soon as he was free. Mike paid fifty shillings to the bicycle operator who took him to the main
terminus where he booked a ticket to Nairobi.

42