Last time, we had just arrived at Buganda Road just opposite the Kampala Central Police Station (CPS). That is the location of the Booking Office for the STARWAYS Coaches in Kampala. By that time, Kampala had literary woken up and people were already moving around their normal chores! I had to take a special hire taxi to where I would spend the rest of the night or what was left of it. Actually, there wasn’t much time left for a meaningful night’s sleep. At that juncture, the “nocturnal” people are already returning from the likes of Ange Noir Discotheque, Club Silk, and Volts etc. Anyone seeing me at this time would bet his money on the fact that I was from one of those places mentioned here or any of the many that populate Kampala. Poor me, here I was just disembarking from the Kigali – Kampala bus and being mistaken for someone like a“night dancer” and yet, the last time I danced was many years ago. Who can dare dance as if you have had a quarrel with your dance mate? These days, people dance from long distances as compared to the “zero distance” of our times! That said and done, I arrived at the Hotel as the sun was busy preparing to wake up. No sooner had I laid my tired bones to rest than the alarm sound on my BlackBerry phone went off announcing that, the day had long come. I woke up despite my rusty and tired bones not wanting to do so. As I was planning to go and catch the Kalita Bus to Fort Portal, I received a call from a one son from the soil, he had travelled to Kampala in his air-conditioned Burundian registered TOYOTA Harrier. He had taken the car to Kampala for a thorough service but had unfortunately got an urgent call to return to base asap! Some one had already leaked to him the info that, “the Villager” was around and about town. The rich are different from the ordinary folks, he decided todevelop wings and fly back to Kigali. Taking a car for service reminds me of a first guy to possess a car in Mfashumwana (now Kyererezi) village; this guy bought the car and was told to take it for service either after three thousand kilometres or after three months (whichever came first). Guess what? The specified period happened to fall on a Saturday and hence, the guy saw no harm in waiting for an extra day before taking his car for service! He had the car thoroughly washed and he put on his best clothes and headed to Virika Cathedral (the main Catholic Church in the whole of the then Tooro District). When he got to the church, he went straight to the Altar and knelt before the “Padiri” (Reverend Father) and told him that, when he bought his car nearly three months ago, he was advised to take it for service after three months, and here he was, he had brought the car for “service”. (No offence intended). All I had to do was enjoy the comfort and luxury of the fast moving Harrier (as the name suggests), for fuel, the tank was busting with petrol and on top of that, I was given an additional US$ one hundred to make my life comfortable as I rode in luxury. I decided to head to Mfashumwana alias Kyererezi in big style. I don’t think there is any one owning (leave alone driving) a Harrier in the whole of Kyererezi and its environs! Since I wasn’t going to stay long because of the looming Presidential Elections, I really needed the Harrier to hurry me back. nfashumwana@fastmail.fm
