Family Matters – Kenya
Marriage (2)
After leaving Sophia, current second wife of the polygamous Mwita Nguti, we then trekked down through some maize fields to the house of Nguti’s grandmother Agnes. Enroute we met Kihengu, who was Nguti’s chemistry teacher in form 4. He attended lessons on Saturdays at his school in order to prepare for exams. Age 47 he is Nguti’s father’s best friend and the two of them had come from the home of Nguti’s grandmother. He has been a teacher for 17 years and now is at Gesarya Seondary School which is local for him. We continued on to grandmother’s house.
I was warmly greeted by this octogenarian whose ear lobes had large gaps from her years of wearing large decorative piercings and were disfigured by parts snipped off the top. She and her cohort were ahead of western culture where these piercings are all the rage with punks and goths.
She greeted her grandson and I warmly and chairs were brought for us to sit outside the house and talk. She produced a range of artifacts from her past to show me how life was lived. Two enormous seed pods, smoothed and polished served variously as scoops for water, bowls for porridge of cups for tea. A large wicker basket with top then emerged and was placed on her head as she proudly showed that even at her age, she could still carry things on her head.
We chatted and as I suspected dishes of beef came out for a snack. After the conversation she showed me inside her house very proudly. Grandma Agnes Nguti was born in what is now Kenya, which gained independence in 1963, three years after the Mau Mau uprising ended (which was the independence war against colonial Britain). She did not know her age but through deduction it is estimated she is 84 years old. She never attended school and has no literacy skills. Kuria is her first language and she has learned Swahili but speaks to family and others in Kuria. She has never been to Musoma and has no idea what work Nguti does. She married and in 1960 she and her husband left Colonial Kenya for Tanganyika essentially for land which was plentiful and settled in Gesarya. Borders came some years later but still the border is fluid for locals who have relatives on both dides.
Her husband Nguti Mwita Nguti died in 1993. He went to bed with a head ache and was dead in the morning. It was unknown what the cause was, but many people died with this mysterious illness around that time which may have been meningitis, according to Dr Google which can result in death within 24 hours. She has eight children four boys and girls.
Her current brick house is about twenty five years old, replacing the original stick, mud and dung house with its straw roof that was home for over thirty years. This house with earth and sand floors has three rooms. Off the room we walked into from the front door were two bedrooms. The public room had a charcoal fire burning and her daughter in law breastfeeding a one-year-old as she tended whatever was cooking.
Her daughter in law, Catherine is twenty years old and married to Nguti’s fifty five year old uncle, Samwel. His first wife died about ten years ago. He was an Anglican pastor but was elected to a local government position and required to step down as a pastor for what is a paid representative role. He has five children from his first marriage, the youngest aged 15 living here.
Through the back door and I noted this house is part of a compound with houses to the left built by her son who lives there and the rest fenced with branches and bricks to provide a boundary. It was nowhere near as big as the house where I spent the previous night. The washroom had no door and through the fence to outside, which was still her land was a large grassed area maybe 15 metres wide leading down to a maize field which she tended. A toilet was to one side, and Nguti showed me the burial sites of his grandfather and the aunt who died in 2013. These were raised, grassed mounds near a tree with mimosa plants growing on top. The crosses had long been destroyed by cows which feed in this area.
- Agnes’ compound looking back
- The guy collected 60L of water and carries it on his bike
- Grandfather’s grave
- Closer view of the rear of the house
We saw people carrying water and so headed to the water source. Nguti’s uncle hand dug a well when the government came and bored a public well a few hundred metres further on and so the family has a relatively short 250 metre walk to an endless water supply. We proceeded to the public well where a man with a bicycle filled three containers to the brim, skillfully balanced them on his bike and rode off into the distance with 60 litres of precious water.
Returning to the compound we were met by Agnes who brought out her mobile phone. Nguti laughed as he told me she does not recognise names in the contact list so just guesses, asks who it is when answered and then hangs up if not the person she hoped to call. She relies on grandchildren to locate the contact when they are around.
Back to the courtyard and Catherine was washing clothes in water that was brown with dirt. It amazes me that despite the conditions women wash under, whites come out looking very white.
We bid her and the others farewell and returned to town for lunch. At the town centre we stopped to say hi to a shopkeeper and I had a stick beek at what she was selling. Lots of facial creams were on display and I kid you not garlic face cream and then I noted a carrot based cream. All Chinese of course. The owner was bemused by my fascination with her stock but no purchases from me today.
A bit further along was a woman whose age was difficult to guess with a stunningly attractive face standing outside. She turned out to be Eliza, aunt of Nguti’s oldest maternal uncle and aged 42 but with facial features of a 25 year old. She is separated and struggles to raise her five children as a sole parent. She came to Gesarya after marriage and has little contact with her own family as it is too far to walk, being about 25 kilometres from Gesarya.
Enroute back to Nguti’s place I saw a chicken broker who basically bought chickens then went to villages to sell them. He made 100% profit per chicken.
Eliza 
Beauty secret in Serengeti 
Johnny the cow boy 
50 kgs to the mill 
Catherine and 15 yo daughter of her husband
On arriving I saw Johnny the Cow Boy who tends cattle for the Nguti’s. He gets Saturdays off. Aged 14 he came to live with them from Mwanza three years prior having been helped by one of Nguti’s siblings who learned of his homelessness and neglect and said her parents could have him stay. Anyway he herds 28 cattle daily and is paid 30,000 TZS monthly but some months Mrs Nguti buys him a sheep to help him save. He has two sheep now.
Lunch was goat meat. Mwita thanked me for coming. The previous evening was the first time his wife and daughter and Nguti had sat down as a family for a long time. He talked about the last time white people came to his village about 2007. They could not wait to get out as they appeared scared. Americans, they came over to do a mission and did not interact with the local people who were aware that they were not interested in them.
He also mentioned his concern that I did not eat much. This then led on to the size of the American who visited. Nguti remembered that one was so large he barely fitted through the door.
Once lunch was done it was time to depart. The farewells were filled with appreciation for my visit. I was appreciative of the warmth and hospitality and the openness to discuss life here including polygamy.
Mwita’s brother arrived prior to our departure. He is the one who lives with his mother and second wife. He was able to take some photos of us all. We left heading to the next village. Tyre changed, it turned out the spare was very low and when checked had only 20kpa in it. Once we filled it, we headed back to Musoma with lots of debriefing for me taking place as we drove.
We changed the car tyre first thing in the morning. A guy named Chacha came along and wanted to help. After we rang the normal driver and Nguti got instructions Chacha with the hidden parts we needed was able to pretty much change this all himself and earn 5,000 Tzs 9$3) which Nguti said was too much.
- (no title)
- Heading Back to Tanzania January 2024
- A Voice or 300 Treaties?
- Episode Two in Mara is Ending (2) – Funerals
- Embracing the Joyful Noise: Overcoming Discrimination as a Tone-Deaf Singer
AfricaEddie 