Several years ago during the mid 90s, we realised that the phrase “Man eateth where he worketh” was true. It was during a visit to Butare where I hooked up with some buddies of mine to enjoy some frothy drinks. At this busy pub, we witnessed something which confirmed that people did indeed eat from where they worked. As the music filtered through the noisy pub, most of us didn’t realise that there was a couple which had entered the bar. The gentleman was carrying a nice looking briefcase. His spouse was following on his heels. She seemed to be angered by something as she hurled abuses towards the guy.Patrons continued to enjoy the dancing and the drinks as the couple accelerated their fight. It appeared that the spouse was accusing the husband of neglecting the family. The kids were hungry. The wife was hungry. Yet, the husband was always seen in bars enjoying chicken wings plus chicken legs. Why? The husband then retorted, “You think I am a simple person? Do you know that I am a full storekeeper in town managing big consignments for this region? You want to threaten me? Look – just leave me alone. I have nothing to do with you!” At this point, the lady attempted to grab the man’s briefcase. There was a scuffle as each one tried to retain the briefcase. The scuffle lasted a few minutes before the case finally fell down! The lid opened abruptly. But unfortunately for the lady, there was no cash in the case. Instead, out spilled a basket full of dry beans spreading all over the floor. The music stopped. Silence dawned over the room. The officer was speechless. We were mesmerized, hands on our lips trying hard not to laugh. We realised that man did not live on bread alone but on his career, too. Apparently, this storekeeper had helped himself by stashing dry beans from the store into his briefcase. And whenever he walked with the briefcase, one would think it was loaded with office files and cash. A closer look at the floor suggested more. Bean weevils were scattered around making detours under our feet. What a symbolic thing! Here was a corrupt officer who was behaving like a bean weevil at the expense of the tax payers. Wow, that was way back! Thanks to the leadership today which has ensured that Rwanda remains corrupt free and the results are everywhere for people to see and appreciate!
