“Nze ndi ku murimo. Bwembeela ku murimo, MBEELA KU MURIMO!”

By Arthur Mwenkanya Katabalwa

My dear friend Godfrey “Leo” Kivumbi was once carrying out his normal duties as the prep prefect at Kings College Budo one evening. These duties amongst others involved taking the pressure lamps down to girls end whenever there was a power cut so that the girls could have some light in their coommon rooms.

I can’t remember where the lamps were lit from but on many occasions, they were carried across the “Green Lake” (lower field) while alight. So, anyone from any direction could see him well.

Now, the problem was that on the way back,  Leo had to cross the vast expanse that is the Green Lake in the dark. Anyone with good knowledge of this area will realise that if there is a power cut and only the upper classes are lit by the generator, the whole place is wrapped up in almost ink like blackness. 

The Famous Green Lake. Photo by Yosamu Semugoma



For reasons Leo is yet to explain, he decided to cross the field diagonally heading towards Nigeria house instead of going along the normal route, past a set of concrete stairs towards the lower classes. He nearly first came to problems when he missed the goal posts at the girls end side with inches to spare. Thankfully he knew that if he walked through the high jump pit, he would miss the posts. Keep on a certain vector and you are heading straight for Nigeria house senior wing.

Then out of nowhere, an arrow was right in his face!!!! The Askari. That one with an Askari name like “Mulefu” or something. Some dark blue guy one couldn’t see the contours of his face against the Milky way. So, he shouted at Leo stopping him to ask who he was:

“Sumama! We nanni?” Mulefu asked

“Godfrey Kivumbi”, Prep Prefect.

“Onakupenda wapi” Mulefu asked. Kivumbi was flummoxed. Coming from a pretty affluent middle class family, Leo had no idea what Mulefu was asking in Swahili . Problem is that both of them did now not understand each other.

So, with the arrow now straining against the bow, right in between his eyes, Leo thought fast. He decided to reason with Mulefu. Pleading that he was only a student heading back to boys end after his duties.  Mulefu was not having any of it.

“Nze ndi ku murimo” he interjected in a heavy western accent. But Leo pleaded that while that was true, Mulefu was arresting an innocent person.

“Nze ndi ku murimo. Bwembeela ku murimo, MBEELA KU MURIMO!” Mulefu barked. So Leo thought maybe “chai” will do. Quickly Leo asked Mulefu whether his wife would eat that bow and arrow he was aiming at  him on a darkened football pitch or the Shs 300 that Leo was now waving in his face. Mulfeu relented and took the money. Needless to say, that money bought Leo another three weeks of free passage to girls end anytime even when he wasn’t on duty.

Until the next time…….”SUMAMA! WE NANI??”

Leo new what to do next time.........