So something REALLY interesting (and again scary) happened today. After a day of work in the office I had to travel to Pamela’s school because she wanted to see me face to face to discuss a way to get her school fees and medical bills subsidized.
Aggie and Esther were headed into town so we departed together.
Normally matatus come down the Buziga Road stretch from the south, but I watched as a matatu crept out of a side street and pulled up to the stage. There were four men in the van – two in the front and two in the back. I recognized the man in the front seat – I’d actually seen him earlier in the day in Mercy’s shop. There was something weird about him. He stared at me deeply and said “hello” very slowly. He was wearing a long smock and the pants underneath were stained badly. The stains led me to deduce that he was a butcher by trade.
Anyways, the man I’d seen earlier was in the passenger side of the vehicle. I didn’t think much of it and I started getting into the matatu.
Aggie grabbed my hand. “Don’t get in.”
I looked at the other three people waiting at the stage. None of them got in either. Normally it’s a mad rush to get a seat. I had never seen this before. The matatu lingered a little longer and then left. Finally another matatu (coming from the correct direction) pulled up and everyone got in.
“What was that about?” I asked, confused.
“They were robbers.” Aggie said. “You see they came from an odd direction and there were four of them, all the same age and two in the front and two in the back. They would have robbed us.”
“With all these people?” I asked bewildered.
“Sure. It doesn’t matter. I”ve heard stories of five people getting on a crowded matatu only to realize everyone posing as a passenger was a robber.”
I was shocked. I thought matatus…and ESPECIALLY matatus coming through Buziga were relatively safe forms of transportation. Again I am reminded that I am in a foreign place and I need to remain vigilant no matter how comfortable I feel here.
I met with Pamela at her school, Greenhill Academy, she was very upset because her parents have fallen on hard times and she doesn’t know if they’ll continue to be able to pay their bills. I got the logistics on the cost of Pam going to school (545,000 USH / every 3 months = $900 year) but she didn’t know how much the medical procedure in India costs. Whatever the cost is, I’d imagine its very high – airfare, visa, hospital stay, doctors. She also told me there is a man that introduced her to the group of doctors that does the procedure on her leg and that she has to pay him every time she goes to get the procedure done.
“That doesn’t sound right Pam.” I said. “I can understand paying a finders fee once, but you shouldn’t have to pay the man each time you go back for the same service.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
I asked if she could get me more details on the nature of this agreement between this man and her parents but she said she couldn’t ask her parents such a question. Sigh. I think it’s a illegidimate arrangment. It angers me that some people would take advantage of a family during such a difficult time.
It was nice to see Pam and I think she was happy I came. I told her I’d lookin into a sponsoring organization for her (again). Lets hope I can come up with something.
When I got to Buziga I stopped to talk to Mercy. I told her about the matatu incident from earlier in the day. Mercy is a town leader and usually knows the real facts on supposed or imagined activities of Buziga.
“Oh yes, its very common for people to get robbed on matatus.” She warned. “They will chloroform your face and rob you. You wake up on the side of an abandoned street with no shoes or valuables.”
“Do they usually harm the victim?” I asked.
“No. Not usually. But they can.”
Sigh.
“Transport is very dangerous.” Mercy added. “Last night I had to wait until 11:00 for a boda to take me home.”
“Why did you have to wait for a boda?”
“Ah! The road is too dangerous at night. I would get robbed.”
Hmm – this is the same road I’d travelled to go to Mercy’s daughter’s graduation party the prior week. I was shocked that anyone would have the audacity to rob Mercy. She could make someone’s life hell if she wanted to. She has a lot of power within the community.
I got back to the compound. I started talking with the girls about the whole matatu incident and getting chloroformed on public transportation.
“Oh yeah.” Rachel said. “In Kenya that happens all the time, on super crowded buses too. Someone will close the window next to you spray you in the face with chloroform and you wake up 5 minutes later on the floor of the bus with no money. Other passengers will look the other way.”
Oh, how pleasant.
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