The Sad Story of Kairu

Kairu stood at the door of the shop, a long baton in his hand. The uniform he wore, apparently too heavy for the hot weather, made him look shorter than he was. And his boots did not fit him; they were too large. But it was his helmet that looked most comical: one size bigger than his head, and almost covering his eyes.

As he stood in the blazing sun, peering under the rim of the helmet, one got the impression he was a comedian playing the part of a bored guard. But he wasn't dabbling in comedy; guarding Tamara Clothing Store was his work.

The job was boring, standing at the door of the shop all day long as customers came and went. His legs often felt weak, tempting him to throw his baton and sleep right there on the floor.

He had always dreamt of getting a good education and improving the living standards of his family. After finishing high school, he stayed in his village and admired its ridges. But he realized he didn't belong there because the ridges had sapped his father of every bit of energy, leaving him frail and shaking.

So he set off for Nairobi, his mind heavy with thoughts. He trekked for miles on hot tarmac looking for a job before Paka Guards accepted him for training.

The training turned out to be so strenuous that Kairu shuddered when he thought about it. Like the other recruits, he was beaten, starved and abused. And in mock fights against robbers, the trainers had injured some of them.

All that was however nothing compared to Kivumbi Hill where they were forced to run up and down at midday, with murram covering the hill blistering their feet. Climbing it on their knees was even worse. It was torture beyond words.

Since Kairu knew many others were waiting to replace him if he lost the opportunity to work for Paka Guards, he had withstood the training with the courage that comes from living in a world where many things are threatening to break one's spirit.

Even though it was now over, he could not shake off the terror of those two months in the training camp which had left him weak and scared. He had always enjoyed arguing but in the camp, he learnt to obey. And it was then that he realized how needs can force one to put up with what they don't like.

His job now as a guard at Tamara Clothing Store was not only boring but also low-paying and fraught with danger, for robbers could confront him at any moment. He often wondered what he would do if such a moment came; he was not certain he would not run away. End of story.

That fictional story, which I read at Starehe Boys' Centre in a textbook called "Integrated English Book 2", challenged me to work hard as a blogger when I re-read it in 2016. I've just dreaded ending up like Kairu.

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed this story, you might also enjoy one of Simon Makonde.