THE KAMORONYO CHRONICLES
I went to Kamurunyu Nursery School, Kamurunyu Primary School, Murunyu School of life… and I believe some of the lessons I learnt all through have kept me going and thus come 2021 I have to seriously give back to these institutions. I don’t know at what time the name changed to Kamoronyo.
1. In Kamurunyu nursery school we were a population of around 200 kids sharing the same room. We were divided into three groups facing different direction but you chose which teacher to focus on. I liked teacher Hannah and teacher Rose. I was amongst the smallest of all but when it came to joining class one where one of the qualification was to touch the left ear using your right hand and which I could not be able to touch but because I was obedient teacher Rose pushed for me to join class one. So OBEDIENCE made me qualify to join class one.
2. I remember very well Kamurunyu primary school was made of mud including the staff room but those days the school was the best in academics and sports. In the whole division no school could beat this mud school. I learnt that if you BELIEVE IN YOURSELF regardless of where you come from and no matter your current status you can amount to something and anything. There is not any limit to a changed mindset. By the way Nandi Governor was once a student here.
3. The first time I used a shoe in school I was in class 8. The shoe was made by a Fundi called Njuki who was disabled. It served as my Sunday best and school shoe which I used when we had special occasions in School. We walked to school daily through Wambura’s farm which was full of Shon’ge and for sure we had to ENDURE the pain every day. Some guys like Maiyo and Keruana would pour shon’ge on the road and so when you are late you had no choice but to walk on it because some brutal teachers like Mr Chege, N’gan’ga and others could make you get it rough.
4. In the School Mr Ndegwa made us plant trees and own them and we would walk kilometers looking for Kei apple and Mukima seedlings, water the trees and carry manure from home. Mr George also ensured each student had a portion of flowers and you were to weed, prune and water them regularly. Through this we learnt to CONSERVE THE ENVIRONMENT and today I have planted a lot of trees and flowers from the experience I got. Most of the afternoons we carried Pangas, jembes, Jelicans of water, manure, saw dust etc and sometimes you would carry almost all of them at ones.
5. One of the favorite music teacher was Mr Muiruri. In his lesson we used to sing and dance. I mastered the art of music so well that even if I did not become I musician today am my wife’s Music coach and manager and she is doing so well in that line. Just check her on You Tube as Keziah Mbugua You remember D,R,M,F,S,L,T,D? He helped recognize and develop TALENTS.
6. The Murunyu School of life taught me LEADERSHIP. Because of the shortage of water we would take our cattle to drink water at Wanyororo dam, Hooo Tank, Mathare dam and sometimes to the forest. It was not easy sometimes you had to wrestle out to have your cattle have water or negotiate to have them queue. Managing cattle that were a bit wild required some skills to lead them. Making decision on where to get water, how to get it, agree with people to allow your cattle pass to the water point sometimes it was not easy.
7. We learnt HARDWORK and DETERMINATION to survive. Because of the financial situation at home we survived from mabuti. I have literally worked in all farms in our neighborhood. I could go to as far as Lanet, Muthaiti Primary, Kagoto, Maili sita etc to look for mabuti though most of the time I could not finish one in a day but we had to work hard to survive. Sometimes we did mabuti in exchange of food. Today am still working hard, working smart and determined to continue impacting and change lives. I have learnt that nothing comes easily.
8. We learnt some SURVIVAL TACTICS in the Murunyu school of life. We could go hunting in the forest, do Kereio kwa nguku to get some wheat, eat cassava leaves with ugali because we could not get or afford vegetables, use old newspapers and some tar that could accumulate in the inside part of lamps to make pen inks and shoe polish, etc. Sometimes it was hard. Have you tried eat Cassava leaves for lunch?
9. The environment made me to learnt to be a fighter, FIGHT FOR MY LIFE. There were some guys who were so ruthless they would terrorize us daily that there were some routes you could not use. At Murunyu center Kenge and group would smell you coming even if you change route somewhere you would meet them and face serious bullying. At kwa Rugito there was Babu and Bomori. These guys made my life difficult. Dogs were crazy then. Mzungus dogs would sense you coming from Murunyu center and they were crazy. These and others made us master the art of self defense.
10. I also learnt from an early age how to IDENTIFY MY NICHE. Most of the times I found myself in the presence of big boys who either bullied me or didn’t allow me to play with them because they treated me as a kid and in most cases I was a spectator in whatever they did. Because of this I would go to play with girls Chamama. In Chamama, I would automatically become the Father, Driver, Pastor, Police officer and Doctor. I was very relevant here and they would appreciate my presence. I did not have a competitor. They would even come for me at home to go play together because I would balance the equation.
11. Being the regular Chamama doctor and remaining CONSISTENT as their best doctor, severally acting in Sunday school drama as a doctor made me desire to be one. My regular appearance at Inooro TV Ndagitari show and Family TV Family Health program is as a result of my consistency in that line.
12. Poverty has a way of developing some characters. I developed HUMULITY when going to watch TV at Kajei’s home. Unlike other families which could mistreat you when you go to watch TV, the Kajei’s would welcome you, get some Chapatis or bread which was rare to find and after watching they would see you off to the gate because they had some dangerous dogs. My favourite programs were Omo pick a box, Tausi, Texas rangers, Tarzan, Harambee stars game etc. I would humble myself to be tolerated there and also the family was humble enough to allow you to keep on coming to watch even at night. May God always bless the family.
13. I remember while at home I would see Helicopters from Lanet barracks and aeroplanes from different places fly above our home and I kept telling my parents that one day I will fly above our home. I started DREAMING BIG. My friend Bosco from DR Wabilianga, Dan, Maiyo and Kiprop would make for me very long Kites and I would also make paper jets and admiring how they would fly far above the trees. Today I have in dozens of times flied above heading to different destinations for different assignments.
14. We would walk to different destinations for FUN and ADVENTURE. We would walk to kwa Amos Ball Gum movie and Mariguine to watch movies. I remember I would walk to Nakuru town and Back, go to Menengai crater to look for the devil that people kept saying he lived there with his wife and children.
15. There were some people who had done serious damage that in real sense did not deserve FORGIVENESS but I did and from then I can forgive anyone. kenge almost chopped off my ear but I forgave him. Some guys at Mombasa in Wanyororo kidnapped me and took me into a certain chamber and terrorized me there for several hours. If I wished I could had gone for a revenge mission but I just chose to forgive them.
SUMMARY OF LESSONS LEARNT
1. Obedience
2. Believing in Yourself
3. Endurance
4. Environmental Conservation
5. Talents Development
6. Leadership
7. Hardwork and Determination
8. Survival Tactics
9. Fighting for your life
10. Identifying your niche
11. Consistency
12. Humility
13. Dreaming Big and Pursuing Your Dreams
14. Fun and Adventure
15. Forgiveness
Those are some crucial attributes that I learnt from the Kamurunyu School of Life. What did you learn in your childhood life that kept you going?