Kabete in a nutshell

Kabete is a quiet hamlet that easily turns into the bedroom estate for some of the Nairobi proletariats. It has ambient weather full of valour and vit that has remained pristine and pure over time. The serene nature of the vicinity is compounded by the fact that it also has few high-rise buildings that give it a rural feel coupled by live fences surrounding the neighborhoods. The fact that it is next to Kangemi, and some of the posh city estates makes it a secure location for those seeking to have families in this ample aura.

I once took a single reclusive walk in one of the nearby estates and it was a nostalgic reminder of my former hood which albeit has failed to progress, it still has that “I am kind of discreet but I can still welcome you if you want” feel. If my diction could have been right, I would have had to write a very pleasant commentary about the general bravura premised by unprejudiced sentiments.

Ideally, Kabete has the requisite tempo for a lousy lowlife who has no ambition in life other than getting home and sinking into their small coterie who comprise of busy bodies. If need be, such buggers engage in careless banter before they resign to their humble gated houses since insecurity is rife. Actually, it is one of those places you resort to stay in just because you work in Westie or Kikuyu and probably you don’t want the hustles of having to board two vehicles to make it to your place of work.

What makes Kabete tick?

Kabete has some of the cheapest eateries and housing facilities that could make a bachelor in search of reticence and an economical lifestyle opt for the area if one is not a party animal. This place works just fine for that one guy many people know is a miser but out of conviction they won’t let the bugger know about it. This is the place a piece of andazi and a cup tea go for Sh. 15. So with Sh. 30 you eat four mandazis and a hot cup of tea. There are also cheap French fries, sorry chips that retail for Sh. 20 and are served in plentiful. Chapattis go for Sh. 10 each among other low-priced ratios that one can find in the some sprawling slums of Nairobi.

Ok, one thing about cheap and readily available goods is that hygiene standards are compromised and never adhered to. You will be served by a fellow who cleanliness is wanting and the general setting of the place where you are eating your meal is tinted with black soot on the walls that are supposed to be either cream or sort of colour.

You sit on benches that are quite rickety and those that have seats with backs are either infested with bedbugs or are in very apathetic state. You need to have the stomach of a vulture to withstand all these to make a feast out of this place. You only hope that the food will not cause you stomach upset after appetence of the victuals.

If you live near Waiyaki way, there are so many commuter service providers on this route. Thank goodness none of the vehicles have been caught in the scandals of declassing our ladies of their revered dignity. The fares of the vehicles are relatively affordable. During peak hours, you have to part with Sh. 50 to make it to town. From Latema, Star Bus, City Hoppa to the city matatus (nissans) that ply the route, it is easy departure to get to town.

There was one dude who caught my eye when it came to transport though. Hitherto, I had thought he was just another ‘kange or msee wa squadi’ out to make a living out of young Kenyans by aiding a bus to fill with passengers. Then one morning, I saw him smartly dressed in casual official clothing with a bag heading to some place. Then I realized that guys know how to make ends meet even when the economic times look bleak.

There is also a market nearby. It is well stocked with very many fruits and vegetables. Obviously, there is that one mad man who is noticeable and the day I saw him, he was in his filthy and sullied clothing and was standing alert like a soldier but smiling at any fly that did hover around him without twinkling his eyelids. He was a top a tree trunk, his skin colour was dark though he did not look like a dark complexioned chap. I almost took a snap of him but the fact that I usually never like to indignify such fellows further, I thought wise to let sleeping dogs lie.

Since I never got to sample the nightlife, I take it as a challenge to one day go to upper Kabete and get to see the ills, evils and debauchery that goes on when the sun has sunk. In fact, this place has no decent places to party, it reeks of cheap bars where one goes to take his mkorogo and off to his humble dwelling when satiated to the brim with liquor. One good thing I noticed is that there are no peeps who sleep on the streets of Kabete after a heavy toll on them by ale. That is a plus even though I think that can never lack in this place called Kabete.

Kabete Technical Training Institute

This is the place where I was for two weeks but as a day-scholar. Wonders shall never end. KTTI has poor design. Students still sleep in dorm like hostels and they also have dining halls. This place has no difference with some county secondary schools in terms of the general outlook of the vicinity. 

Some classes are unfinished and those still under construction have already developed cracks on some of the pillars that hold the buildings into position. Paths form almost everywhere; grassed lawns have paths in the middle. It is worse in the dormitory area. The paths leading to the dormitories are everywhere, at least there should be clearly outlined paths for people to walk on. 

Again, I found it queer that this institution has few on no street lights and there are no clearly defined parking lots for visitors who have cars.  One only hopes that this place that is supposed to nurture serves it purpose to the latter. But how does it nurture when the general aura is full of mediocrity? Lawns have overgrown grass and some are littered like it is business as usual. Only classes have dust bins while the pathways have very few bins erected in place. 

Methinks the administration of the school should be futuristic and come up with high-rise buildings that will stand the test of time. Building just for the sake of it is like wasting resources since time and tide waits for no man.

The few institutions that I have attended have all these facilitiess that I have alluded to. I bet someone more adept with not only managing the school but also has a flair for orderliness will change the general surrounding of KTTI into a beautiful institution of higher learning that serves not only the purpose of learning, but also the purpose of portraying a school with a touché of class

Delegates who attended the seminar in KTTI are some people I have to talk about. Every where people usually go, the first few days are usually tense and full of novelty. You never know what to expect. There is that perpetual fear of the unknown and one never knows whether those who come together for a cause are introverts or extroverts. Time is a healer and just a few hours is enough for people of diverse backgrounds to gel and become erstwhile buddies, some even getting better halves in such a place.

In Kabete, we were delegates by design and not by choice. We were being trained on life skills. Life skills training is wide, you never get to complete the whole training parse. You are trained on sexuality (the most exciting bit or manyondos in sheng), stress management, self awareness, interviews and the likes and a variety of other stuff that most people usually take for granted like SWOT analysis of the self.

There are tricks on how to ensure teamwork, when alone and you need to be assertive, how to communicate to an audience (many people usually fear talking to an audience). Knowing that the inner self is more profound than the opinions of others. The skills learnt though are very essential, but just like education, what remains is the net effect of life skills on an individual. 

You leave KTTI either changed for the better or for the worse. Nothing remains the same. You look at the bigger picture in life. Critical and creative thinking gives one an edge not to let go even when the going gets tough. You soldier on like a soldier matching with an armour ready to conquer but still holding onto the notion of ‘No Retreat No Surrender’

Of course one has to make friends. Friends are like an atoll. They may help us into getting that which we consider very hard to achieve. So while in KTTI one had to make friends. No man is an island. Some found potential lovers while others found soul mates while other one night stands (eat and run). Talking of friends, there are those people who form a clique making it hard for other to join them. 

These cliques are formed based on where one is from, how much you can spend, the things that members of the coterie share and tender or the drugs that people use. Since in KTTI there was no smoking zone set aside for those who light a cigarette, there was a smoking zone outside where delegates would go and do their thing.

Still about allies, there are those who had no clear sense of what they wanted or ever thought better. They were like a dhow in the sea, easily swayed by the tides when they are raging high. Some groupies never allowed others on the sole reason that they engaged in covert activities such as peddling and the likes.

I had my share of predicaments with the buddies I made in Kabete. One time they stole a pricey figure from my pockets that I had thought was secure. The good thing is that the chap was quite remorseful and replaced the sum with some few hundreds. I had intended to use it on a party but as fate would have it, I had lost it before I knew it. Life skills had been gained. Never carelessly handle money.

Then there were lady delegates. For some strange reason, I loved the lady delegates in Kabete. They were very free, open and easily sociable. I never got to see those with ATT in any way. They were friendly and easy going and for those who are party animals, there were some who did imbibe liquor like an engine does gas with no end. There are those ladies whom you hit on and easily ‘ingia box yako’ while there are those who were cynic and indifferent but still gave you their cell phone numbers if you pestered. 

However, there are some ladies who will never cease to do their thing. The art of gold digging it is called. Some have PHDs in this profession. In fact, there was a certain lady who ‘toanishad’ a dude on phone. She obviously knew she was a mpango wa kando and as such was asking if they could get way for the Jamhuri holiday with the guy at the other end of the line (snooping I tell you).

Food being served the delegates was generally good. On some occasions however, it was served in very small rations and it was not appetizing. Meal cards were used and as a result, some delegates had crafted uncanny ways of selling extra meal cards at low prices to those who wanted to partake of more. 

Then there was a certain lot of dudes who just had to eat three or more servings to satiate their urge for tasking the abdominal and intestinal enzymes. One of my buddies was a case in point and I wondered how he could be able to gobble all that when I could barely finish a plate. He usually requested the class rep to give him the extra available cards which obviously remained.

During tea breaks there was food being sold by vendors at exorbitantly high prices in the first few days. But as time went by, the prices were relaxed since it became evident that this was kind of a get rich quick scam by the vendors. Guess guys either complained or threatened to boycott the foodstuff since there was an option outside.

Then there were the facilitators who were the tutors during the two weeks we were in KTTI. You see, facilitators can either make or break the whole experience of Kabete. Thank goodness our class of delegates had one of the most charming, easy going and outstanding personality who was not only lively but also very interesting. 

He told many stories, likened what he was teaching to real life scenarios and was not afraid to call a spade a spade. In short he had the temperament of a sanguine. For those who have done psychology, it is better to hang around such a person as they are very social and likeable. He engaged us all in various ways. He never did prod too much, his jokes were piercing and not a minutes passed without our class bursting into loud laughter especially when he talked about sex (which he loved and occasionally talked about).

There was that point he had to show delegates how a condom is being worn and how to carefully dispose it off. He took the dildo he had and placed it in front of his zip and started stroking it and playing with it in a way that was quite funny (like a young tot clutches his pejajay while urinating). He was very comfortable doing it and not even the ladies who stared at him bewildered by his acts could stop him from doing what he loved most. 

He said that during one of the demonstrations he had an experience whereby a certain lady told her she had become wet due to the way he had provoked her thoughts. But as a counseling psychologist, he knew better how to deal with such situations. Of course ladies love men who are full of themselves and aint afraid of combating that which they have to do.

KTTI was divided somehow according to ones level of education. There were those who had primary education being classed together in one block. Those who had secondary education were also put together and those with post primary education were also bundled together. In a way there was segregation. I usually say, even in the Kingdom of God there is segregation. There are the holy trinity at the top then the other angels follow in that pecking order.

For those who visited those with primary education, there was this notion among them that those who had higher education were kind of superior to them and hence were given exclusive treatment. Inwardly they felt it. The classes they were assigned were kind of debasing in their opinion and their general conduct was wanting. So education is a requisite cavalier in the conduct of civility in beings. Delegates with primary and secondary education acted like they were the forsaken lot. When peers of equal academic wit are placed together, their general individual ideologies notwithstanding, respite will devour their sanity. 

Many in these classes were kind of hopeless. I remember while having breakfast in the morning one day (I ate four mandazis with a cup of tea quick math= Sh. 30), a chap said that the life skills training or the KEPSA project was mainly aimed at aiding those with higher formal education (i.e those with degrees and such specialized education). To him, this was kind of discriminatory but again education in Kenya is skewed, if not in a good high school, then its either you have money to pursue education past secondary school. For those with no money, ambition is cut short options notwithstanding.

The classes for those with a certificate, diploma or degree were kind of different. I remember when people were told to come dressed nicely for an interview and everyone was in smart casual or in resplendent suits that duly showed they were in the know of what to expect in the job market. However, for those who only had primary school certificates, the scenario was different. Many even came in my dress my choice for the ladies with some clearly exposing their cleavages. As for the men, it was jeans and t-shirt as usual. One wonders why some people cannot follow simple instructions. But again not all were dressed that way. Few did wear formal wear since among black sheep, there is usually a white sheep.

I am running out of thoughts, but I had to talk about elections. Debunking the myth of tribalism in Kenyan elections is quite hard. Elections are messy and full of dirt. You have to deploy a good propaganda machinery and effective and efficient campaigning team which will reach out to all and sundry. One never ceases to campaign if a contender. 

Obviously there are adroit skills deployed to slander the opponents and this range from defacing posters to removing them altogether to give the competitor undue advantage over opponents. Those who sell their brand, spend more and have an easy going personality easily clinch seats. However the ghosts of tribalism never cease. One of our own should win is the reason why we elect leaders not based on ideaologies but on the premise that we share tribe. 

That is a culture we keep and guard like diamonds since even among the whites, making it as an African to a seat is not easy. As such, Luos will only vote for a Luo, Luhyas will only vote for a Luhya, Kikuyus for a fellow Mutu wa nyumba and the list continues. So by default we know that elections are about tribe. All in all, the best candidate wins, whether tribe is a factor or not.

In a nutshell, Kabete was fantastic. It came with new experiences and escapades that are a real gem. One only misses the good days in a class like setting, the friends, the environment which is unadulterated, the chapattis, the lectures and talks about drugs, ushenzi and uungwana, and general mentorship that was ingrained in us during the whole period. As a matter of fact, every day was a new experience. 

Those are days I will leave to cherish. They gave me a new perspective that campus failed to give, helped in bringing me back to former self, but most of all, it united me with Society. As the Kikuyus say, People are wealth. I found wealth in all the people in Kabete.

SITUONANE.