SUBTLE TALES IN A TRAIN!

Reader discretion: This Tale may contain certain sheng' cliches, so kindly contact ur Eastlando buddy to translate. Not really!


'Imajin ati zion wanaongeza bei' somebody ranted from behind me as I squeezed my way through the narrow gates of the Nairobi Railway station to ride the 5.30pm Train towards 'D'

You all know by now that the train always has room for one more as is evident in this photo from the archive. So i got in and poxed myself kwa what used to be a toilee he he...
Enroute there, am greeted by the usual chorus 'karanga' 'njugu' 'karanga' and who am I (mimi nani) not to get myself 5 bob worth of njugu to make the ride worthwhile- at least for the teeth. Today the 'zion' has 'fewer' people meaning i have space to move about kiasi. 'Airtime nani' continues the song interjected by bars of  'Tropical tano'.

Back to the Intro: Imajin even fare for Train is going up! Your usual trip to Dandoo ama D which cost 25bob will now be 40bob come 11th July. Man! Stress. Ask the people who do Train rides and they will give you a litany of  what the extra 15bob can do- that's if they pay at all.

Once the Zion starts snaking away, the next cabin begins..........'Bwana asifiwe'   'Amen".... The Train service has began in earnest with the leader calling on the praise and worship team to take over......Back at our cabin, the students next to me review their day @ skul and how DH was glorious today. Apparently the fourth formers weren't around and the Third ones had a field day with the food.

'siku hizi rwabe ni ya Maziwa ma KaUnga tu' I'm interupted as i follow into another conversation. 'Hii forty bob nani atalipa sasa; afadhali ningoje mat na hiyo doo'. " Eeeh" I enthusiastically join in. "Ubaya ni Jam". 'Unajua Ze ze haina jam. ni teke teke.

'Ticket hapo' - the conductor has fikad our cabin and needs proof of payment, otherwise Money. Inflation is  competing with the sky and times are tough but herein are some measures you can take to cushion a bit.

We are already in Mtindwa hapo Umoja. And a few get off, a few board and off we snake deeper into Eastlando. The Conductor is of the Idea that maybe come Monday, 'Let's see' coz watu wa Kibera hawawezi lipa more than mbao so watatutetea sisi wengine. Ama Reli ingolewe...he he. surely, They will riot!

Am about to get off at K-South but not before I hear the preacher say: Haleluyah!! Pia wewe Mungu atakuonekania, Kesho unaweza wacha kutumia Train uwe na Prado. Now now, even you can say Amen to that!

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