TOO DANGEROUS TO LIVE WITH THE PEOPLE.(JUSTIN LAGAT) As it rains here in Chepilat, thunder rumbles and roars menacingly above the grass thatched and a few iron-roofed houses. Occasionally, lightning would strike a cow, a tree - one inhabited by lizards - or a hut, causing havoc. Here, no one can ever mention thunder by name while it's raining and still remain alive. But, if absolutely necessary to mention it, then you only have to refer to it as, "the monster of the sky", but you must whisper in such case.

Kimundany was among the privileged in our community who had the power and prowess in calling upon the monster's intervention to resolve disputes that arose, and for other emergencies. People in his calibre commanded great respect in our community and no ordinary member would dare to mention their names in sunlight. No one would also be a wally enough to let his eyes meet theirs directly; this resulted in instant madness.

The first time I set my eyes on Kimundany, I was a kid. It was in a very hot afternoon as he strode along a path passing near our homestead. Perhaps, had something astonishing not happened, I would not have recognized him. An eagle had just swooped down, collected a chick and was now jetting up when my mother's screams pierced the hitherto silent afternoon. Kuruuruii! Kuruurui! Sshwa! Kuruurui! Sshwa! She hoped to scare the eagle into dropping the chick, but to no avail.

Kimundany gazed up at the eagle and immediately it started to fall to the ground. Despite being horrified, I ran towards it to finish it up, but then heard him order me not to touch it. The eagle then soared back into the sky, leaving the startled chick to trace its mother. I turned back amazed, just to see him round a bend along the path and he soon disappeared behind the bushes ahead.

It was not until then that I got interested in finding out more about this strange man. I started hearing mystifying and amazing stories about him from my friends and other older people. I learned that he came back from exile and settled in Chelabal, a village not far from ours. One just has to cross a stream called Tuiyobei, then another village called Chepkong'ony and there you are. Rumours, which were only recounted at night, had it that the white men (colonialists) found him too dangerous to live among the people and so took him to an Island in Lake Victoria. But, as the soldiers who took him were returning in a boat, they saw him walking behind them to the main land, on water! Officers in the authority at that time were scared to bother with him again and he settled in Chelabal. He never married and no one knew for sure where his relatives were.

His hut, neglected, stood at the top of a hill. Tall grass and weeds that surrounded it made it look abandoned, but, the footpath leading to it only saved you from that conclusion. Many people thronged to his hut all day long to seek divine help. Some went to him to trace their stolen items; others would go there to report missing people and animals and were always successful in finding them. Even in a dry season, Kimundany was known to cause clouds to gather within a short time and make lightning strike a culprit. But he rarely did this. It was only after somebody profaned him personally, and no one really dared to do that, unless he was a stranger who did not know about him.

However, we were utterly surprised one morning when some people from Chelabal came to our village and announced that Kimundany's cow had been stolen. This was unbelievable. How could a diviner who had helped many to trace their lost animals now say that he has lost a cow? Couldn't he just consult his paraphernalia and find the cow himself? A week passed and still no one had any information concerning the lost cow.

After that week, a warning was passed. The diviner was saying that he knew the person who stole his cow was not a stranger and that he lived among us. He said that the thief took the cow and sold it to strangers outside our territory and that he was giving time for the man to come out and confess before something bad happens to him. He went further to say that he would not require the thief to pay anything; he just wanted him to confess. Still no one came forward.

Another week passed and Kimundany himself came to our village. We were all asked to gather so as to investigate the lost cow. In a short time, a lot of people had already gathered at our boiyabkok (elder’s) residence. Some had even come from beyond our village, driven by the desire to see if Kimundany would perform a miracle. Others came just to see what such a great man looked like; the way he walks, the way he dresses, the way he talks, among other interests which people had in their minds.

Actually, there was nothing interesting in Kimundany's appearance when he rose to speak. Many expected him to wear some sort of rare and special clothing like a leopard skin, and that he would be carrying with him a concoction of divining instruments. It wasn't so. He stood up in a grey suit and black leather shoes, appearing spic and span, just like a member of parliament. In his right hand, he held a fly-whisk and a staff in his left hand. Maybe, the only thing quite interesting about him was his cap, made of a monkey's skin. Instead of going on to speak, he let his eyes survey the audience closely for some time and a hush mixed with fear and uneasiness fell on the people. He then began.

"My people, our clan, people of Chepilat. We would not all wish that a thief and a traitor is in our midst. It is the greatest abomination in our community to steal a cow from a fellow clan's man. As you all know, long time ago; Asis (God) caused a cow's knee to swell and our first ancestors were then created inside it; the knee did burst, and out came our first parents. They started milking the cow and it gave them milk to enable them to live and bear children who became our ancestors. Our ancestors never forgot that the cow is our mother in some way; as you always hear our people say, konyit ko torror kote tany (respect is as great as a cow). A cow is the only special heritage which God gave to us and He would not spare anyone who steals it from chitab kutit (a tribe's man). If anyone needs a cow, let him be brave enough to cross our boundary. No other tribe has a right to own a cow and it is sad to note that as I now speak, many of our cows are being milked by lemek (other tribes). Does anyone now have a reason to steal a cow from his fellow brother while a stranger owns one out there?"

"No", we all answered almost in unison.

"But, as I now speak, a thief and a traitor of our community now sits here with us". People gave each other startled glances and murmurs arose. He went on.

"I have given him enough time to come out and confess before the people, but he remains silent. Our people, I came here to seek your opinion on how such a man could be dealt with. Let me hear your suggestions". He went back to his seat and gave us time to air our views.

"Our diviner", an elder began, “you have done a lot for our community and we deeply regret that instead of being grateful to you, someone has stolen your cow. This is very bad and we would not like such a person to live among us. May the wind carry him to the land of demons!”

Another elder rose to speak. "I personally know a lot about Kimundany. I know that something terrible surely awaits the thief if he doesn't show himself soon. I am beseeching anyone who might have stolen the cow to confess before a curse is pronounced. We are all as elders pleading with the thief to rise up now while elders are still present so that we can be able to ‘quench’ this terrible sin." He also sat down and no one else rose up to speak.

Silence rented the air as everyone tried to contemplate what was to follow. A lot of thoughts crossed my mind. Why wouldn't the thief just show up and prevent this looming disaster? Doesn't he believe in Kimundany's powers? Or is it that his mother-in-law is around and he hopes to approach the diviner secretly to avert shame?

Eventually, Kimundany rose to speak. “People of Chepilat, you have seen that the thief is not willing to confess. It is now upon you to decide whathever you want to befall him. As for me, I do not grieve much for my stolen cow, but for the disobedience growing up in our community. I grieve more for the deteriorating human values in the society and for our customary laws which are now dissipating so rapidly. There is no more respect given to our religious leaders and they are no longer even useful in this generation. If one of our ancestors would be brought back to life this day to see the situation in our community now, I swear that he would cry to Asis to take back his life so that he would not see much of it.

As for the thief, do you want him eliminated or shall he still live with you?".

“We want him eliminated", a few answered while others looked undecided if not confused.

“It is only good that this vice is rooted out completely in our community," the diviner went on. “I do not want others to acquire the same vice from this traitor and, for this matter, whoever Asis finds guilty will not see the sun tomorrow. I have nothing to add. May the blessings of Asis be upon our children, cows and our crops".

As soon as he finished his last sentence, he strode off. As usual, he appeared to be walking slowly but, miraculously, he had already covered around two hundred metres within ten seconds! He had been known to stun people with his strange walks. No one had ever seen him board a vehicle but he had always been spotted to be in various places which might be around fifty miles apart within a day.

Early the following morning, Kimaiyo, our villager, was found dead. Tiny bluish worms were reported to have covered everywhere in his body. The worms were strange and no one had ever seen that kind anywhere. It was disgusting to hear.

Later on, some strangers came to our village bringing with them the allegedly stolen cow. They said that someone informed them that the cow which Kimaiyo had sold to them was stolen and since they did not want the curse to extentd to them, were now returning it to Kimaiyo. They were surprised to hear about Kimaiyo's death. Some elders in my village, together with the strangers, took the cow back to Kimundany. Kimaiyo was then given an indecent burial in the evening of the same day.

The days that followed were full of fears. People at last began to think differently of Kimundany and started avoiding him. No one was still seen visiting his compound. It was a chilling thought to know that such a person who had the power to end somebody's life miraculously could live with people. Once again, no one dared to swear by lightning if he wasn't telling the truth; and if anyone declared, "may lightning strike me if I am not telling the truth", then, he surely was telling the truth.

One day, we woke up into a scary morning. Dark clouds racing rapidly and so close to tree-tops covered the sky and turned the atmosphere into a horrifying twilight. For the first time in my life, I heard thunder rumbling in a morning sky.

"I have never heard of thunder in the morning", my brother muttered.

"Me too.”

Suddenly, a blinding light flashed the sky followed instantly by a deafening earth-shaking thunder bolt. Our room was plunged into utter darkness as rain started to pour in a frightening force. We could feel the ground trembling as rivulets of water gushed violently outside. It went on raining in this manner for a long time and it was not until midday that it started to subside. That was the time we went out and took breakfast for lunch!

"Something terrible must have happened last night", my brother observed.
That day, we didn't go to school. After our lunch, my brother and I went out to assess damages caused by the downpour. It was a catastrophe. A lot of trees had been fallen and broken branches littered everywhere covering dead bodies of cats, dogs and hens, among other small animals that were stupid enough to be found out in the downpour.

At the shops, we got the news that Kimundany was murdered that night. People who had gone to raid his hut included some from our village but this was kept as secret as possible since the police were to come later. From the rumours, one man had gone and knocked at his door acting as if he needed his help in order to lure him to open the door and come out side. Others lurked in the darkness outside with arrows, bows, swords and spears. Kimundany surprisingly had answered the man knocking at the door by his name. He told him that he knew all about their plot before they could even come and that he was now willing and ready to die since the society needed him no more. As he opened the door, a man thrust his spear into his chest. He did not groan and these are the words that last came calmly out of his lips as he died. "I thank the man who killed me, and may he prosper".
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