By Eriah Lule.
I had just jumped on a ‘Jaj’ to Kampala when it threatened to rain, we were approaching Kigunga. My jaj guy decided to park to the nearest Workshop so as they would even work on the breaks.
No sooner had we parked than it started raining, I grabbed a seat as I watched it pour, in me I was happy because it was cooling the irritating dust.
The mechanic’s phone rang, in his early 30s, shredded beard, black oil patches on his overall and coffee brown canvas, he picked his radio like Chinese phone.
Dude, this Chinese thing is as loud a JBL speaker.
Mechanic (Mech): Yes sister
Lady (on the other side of the Phone): I have received a call from Aunt Aisha, Mukasa is back!
Mech: Don’t dare mention Mukasa
Lady: Mukasa reappeared after 11 years but he is very sick, he is in the Cancer Institute
Mech: Is it his Gold that made him sick?
Lady: No, he has a cancer eating his skin, he badly needs our help
Mech: So, who called Aunt Aisha
Lady: I don’t know …
As he went off the phone, he called a fellow mechanic who I later learnt he was a cousin.
Mukasa was their elder brother out of the 10 children of the late Hajji who had 2 wives in Butabala District.
Mukasa Sold their home with their paternal grounds sited on over 35 acres on the advice of his friend, who had come back from DRC driving a brand new TXL Land cruiser .
The friend told Mukasa that gold mining was a big thing now in Congo and if one invested in it, you could get millions in dollars.
It’s was all well until the rain stopped, my Jaj guy asked me to jump on and continue on the journey.
Yah, you guessed right, I told to my jaj guy to hold on a bit I felt a little dizzy, ooh boy,
He refused and I asked him to leave, I had to milk this Story for you!
The brothers continued.
Mukasa sold money, that even family members to date don’t know the exact amount but after 2 years the buyer appeared with an excavator and wanted to establish an Agro Processing Plant for Ginger.
According to the Mechanic it was rumours at first, all the elders and clan heads where shocked but thought it was a joke it they saw the excavator.
Dude, Mukasa had disappeared, no where to be found, even his wife and kids couldn’t trace him.
He was the definition of get the bag and disappear like the Batembuzi.
He had defaulted some Money lenders and took his house and evicted his own family, they were lodging in the Paternal House (Nyumba ya Kijja/ Family home of their late Father with the widows).
I played cool on my phone but I was deep in the conversation, I actually wanted to participate but hey this was a family matter!
Yes, the 2 widows, some grandchildren of the late and Mukasa’s family were evicted too. The family was left with no burial ground until one of the elders on the village who knew the late offered an acre to burry their people but refused them.to construct anything.
Dude, the man even refused to give them a tittle that they might turn prey and sell the space. He done it out of courtesy for their late Father!
According to the call, the money he sold was stolen the night he landed in Congo, at the hotel reserved by his friend.
He noted that they he started working in Congolese mine fields.
Here, Mukasa lay sick and they were calling the family members to come and nurse him.
All I had the Mechanic finish his statement with a Tagbi....
When both had heated up and started losing temper, I quickly thanked the Boss Mechanic for the hospitality and got on another Jaj to Kampala
X @Lule Eriah
