Two young men lie under a tree smoking. It is their ‘lunch break’. Since they have no money for lunch, they share a smoke instead. They are lucky to be employed though, this new government started an initiative called 'Kazi kwa Vijana' where young men are given slashers, jembes, spades and wheelbarrows to do menial work for three hundred shillings a day.
With three hundred shillings a day, you not only skip lunch, you don’t have breakfast either. This is if you are to feed the children back at home, pay the rent at the end of the month and survive in this city. A phone rings and before the shorter one among them answers the call it goes silent.
‘Nani huyo anakuflash, hajui kuna bamba ngovo siku hizi jo,’ the tall one with the cigarette, which is almost halfway smoked, taunts the shorter brother with the phone.
The shorter one looks at his phone and his face is undecided on whether to frown or be concerned.
‘Ni matha bana’ he says, ‘alikuwa anadai ganji fulani nabado sina any. But itabidi nimpigie.’
‘Wewe ulitupa mbao’ the one with the cigarette says between puffs, ‘Kazi kwa vijana si kazi, mbona uliwaambia umepata job? Saa hii wanadhani umeshika mkwanja noma. Mimi home wanajua bado niko jobless so hakuna msee ananiitisha ganji.’
‘Wee unanimalizia fegi!’ the short one says as he yanks the cigarette from his friend’s fingers. After a long drawn puff, he turns to the friend, ‘Nisaidie na ashu niget bamba. Matha anaeza kuwa na emergency.’
‘Acha zako bana. Buy ata credo ya finje jo, ashu hauwezi ata sema hallo ukamaliza’ the tall one says laughing
'Acha nikushow' the short one retorts 'credo ni kama sigara. Ukinunua packet utavuta mob bila mpango. Ukinunua credo mob utapigia wasee bila design. So vile mimi hu-buy sigara moja moja ndio nisivute mob ndio vile pia mimi hu-buy credo ya ngovo ngovo ndio Safaricom wasimange ganji yangu. Ni kubaya jo!’
‘Yenyewe kama imefika hapo, ni kubaya!’
