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There is nothing as
tedious as waiting to renew or apply for a duplicate identify card. Especially
when it is at Huduma Centre, the one located in GPO and you arrive mid
morning. Hitherto, I thought it would
take me few minutes and am through with the process. I wrote this piece about
two months ago while waiting for my turn to renew my ID. Ideally, I had already
stayed for one hour inside the hall before commencing this write up. I remember
looking at nothing in particular. Just meditating or maybe lolling.
Still, approximately
105 souls are ahead of me. That was visible given the digits on my receipt.
‘This requires patience another’ I told myself. ‘100 people have been
served already while am waiting.’
At this point, I had
to retrieve my phone and pea myself shughli. Because I had also slept
for close to half an hour. You see, am a three am man. Not that I usually get
to bed at that time, but that's the time I arise.
Initially, I was at
the taxman, to be precise, the transport wing to take my invoice since my DL
got lost. It was so easy a process I was quite impressed. Then I remembered I
needed to get a new I'd. Not that I didn’t have one but because getting a new
one that looks like an ATM card is something I earnestly longed for. To have
two, an old one and the new one. My aunt who works at the immigration
department had suggested I needed to renew the old one. The one that signified
am a second generation bugger. I AM NOT sure how this new ones are called.
Immediately infront of
me was a hot mama. Let me say so because she was a lady. She spoke like she is
from the coast. The sweet and flawless Swahili that scintillates and you want
to hear more even though you are not concentrating on the message. The fact
that she had high cheekbones, you couldn't help but stare. Then, that
programmed lady who says, "Now serving a888, go to counter no.1"
disrupted me from hearing what she was saying. She had a broken screen Techno
phone, looked like she had also been waiting. Beside me, was a dude who had no
watch with a faded white t-shirt turned cream. He was in fitting khaki pants
and shoes that had holes in front. They looked frogfish or like the Volkswagen
beetle we used to call pokopoko chura back then. He had no socks, kind
of gross. And his feet looked scaly and mpararo. Next to him was an
Indian banyan. Sharp, bespectacled and in a bespoke grey jacket. The kind that
is sagging but still looks like it is fitting. Still it allowed room for
breathing by the armpits if you know what I mean. He also tightly clutched on
his iPhone just to show us he was owning a gadget. The old one that probably
has the status of an iPhone. I also loved his shoes, shiny and fitting. As
opposed to him, I was penning in some nondescript Asian phone which served the
purpose it was meant to, communication.
I was writing because
I do not have eidetic memory. In front were another bunch of gentlemen who were
conversing. They had faded caps that had lost colour as a result of being over
worn. Their shirts were also worn out. You just needed to look at the collar
and you can easily conclude they were probably hustling, like yours truly only
that they were doing it late in life. Or they probably had disguised
themselves. You know, they looked like kuyos.
Hunger pangs started
driving me crazy. ‘Looks like I will be staying another hour in here,’ I told
myself. It was past two. However, I could not spot hot babes. Those that make
you ogle because Mother Nature endowed them with the voluptuous hips, charming
beauty or a bewitching smile you can't help but gaze or stare.
Looking in front, I
saw this guy who was serving guys. I loved his hairline which was great on his
face shape. In fact he looked like a model without hard part disconnection, as
his was simply cut with sheers for a more natural short hair look. I
guess he probably went to one of the finest barbers around judging by the way it
gave his face a model’s look, plus he was tall. The only folly is that he
looked old from afar.
But this guys who tend to ID seekers were quite very hard
working as opposed to the ideological belief that government employees are very
slow. Reminds me of Zootopia, that scene at the government offices, seen it. As
opposed to the usual sluggish nature of most government employees, they worked
like it's a machine they were made of. They never got tired. If they did, they
would be quickly replaced by another more agile fellow. But when you have a sea
of humanity looking at you, you sure know you must deliver. There is no
compromise. Maybe they were adhering to the motto on the wall that,
"Efficient service available at the convenience of the citizen".
At that point I remember ceasing to continue writing. ‘Wacha niachie hapo Juu hii njaa joo. Ni ngori.’
At that point I remember ceasing to continue writing. ‘Wacha niachie hapo Juu hii njaa joo. Ni ngori.’
Then I started feeling
like going to the loo but was afraid of asking where the Damn place is. Chances
are, you will find them in a pathetic state, the usual government facilities.
Also, there should have been a place you can buy some water. To quench your
thirst. This is a huduma centre na hata hakuna chai kuwapa wageni
unaowahudumia.
Like most public
governmental offices, there was a notification on the walls indicating no photo
taking. But when you are despondent as a result of boredom, you may be tempted
to take a photo. Yes, it's a probability. But rules can be broken, right. Like
you can take Selfies kichini ya maji.
Then all of a sudden
the progress of the queue ceased for five minutes and I felT like you would
fall the next minute. But since I was seated, I just waited and pretended I was
alright. Because patience pays. It aids to keep you calm. Even those first time
internationals who travel to the USA for ten or more hours have to be patient.
It's a virtue.
Then there are these
kind of guys who smile and remain looking at what caught their attention with
their brown teeth also aiding in vision. There was this man who had a book. The
‘Millionaire Mind by Thomas J Stanley, PhD’. Damn do you need a suffix at the
end of your name to sell? Or is it just a way of telling guys, ‘I am well
read’. Who even cares about titles in this age and time? Then there was this
damsel reading Joel Austin. I found one of his books quite bland. But you
really need a deeper Christian mindset to imbue the contents. It's just normal
for me to say so because my Catholic status does not endow me the spirituality
of possession. Maybe am just cynical. But it's just me. Methinks the issue of
spirituality is a personal affair.
‘Inakuanga
sacrifice ya the whole day’. A guy tells me. Then we chatted for a while
until we realized we are having no more words to share. Judging by the fact
that I was now doing three hours on a continuous basis yet it looked like I was
not going to be through with the process as early as I had anticipated. It made
me feel wasted and used like a lady feels after a quickie. But that is the
price you pay for engaging in such an activity. One that gets boring overtime
especially if you have no chat mate. Even if you did have, you cannot
continue talking for more than two hours without lacking words to tell the
other person.
As I was writing this,
I had slept more than three times. When I woke up and feeling bored I continued
scribing. A pair of two chicks captured my attention and being the passive guy I took no action. Just imagined
what they were thinking seeing me slumbering.
‘It's almost my turn
to be served.’ The queue was snaking and
if this is the consequence of having to renew an ID, probably next time I will
use the easiest route, not necessarily having to issue some soft dollars. But
in the event I will be in a job requiring most of my time, then I will use
those alternative ways.
Anyway.
The model like guy is
the person who took a photo of me. Me thinks he probably side hustles as a model because he was tall
with the frame of one. I remember
standing on an elevated platform so that he could take my snap and he
still towered above me which made me feel inadequate because I wish I was
taller.
PS: I picked my ID and
DL on the same date a month later. I love the new look ID, its coloured. Oh! In
fact, my phone had refused to charge since that day and I only had it repaired
today and downloaded part of this excerpt from my google notes. I will still be
holding on to my Small Wiko phone which has served me fine in the next few
weeks as I strategize on getting a Galaxy Note even though I have no reliable
income. But all things are possible.
Hasta La Vista, Baby.
[Photo Source: Google
Images]
