Their Philosophy

By: Dora Achieng’ Okeyo

It was a Monday.

It was the day he’d walked into his office expecting to face the board. He looked around the building at the cars streaming in. No sound could be heard from the engines as the drivers stepped out in ignition. They opened the doors, saluted and the men stepped out. First the shiny black shoes-the grey socks, impeccable trousers-then the protruding bellies-balding or greying hair and the faces. They had money faces. He straightened his tie and looked beyond the handshakes and smiles.

It was a gentleman’s’ meeting. He wondered who amongst them was gentle let alone a man.

“Mr. Otieno, there’s a phone call for you.”

“Sure, direct it to my office.”

“Sure Sir.”

He strode into his office and picked up the grey receiver.

He finished his conversation and called out to his secretary. The woman strolled in with a country-load of hair. There were black and brown spikes on every inch of her scalp. He took in a deep breath then asked her to leave. He laughed about it later, then asked her to get the board room ready.

It was a simple day. It was the day he’d make or break his career. The senior partners had called in to say, “get this deal.”

He longed for the days when people said, ‘hello.’ He would travel home to his parents before taking a leave from work.

He walked into the board room ten minutes later. He handed the men copies of his proposal. He talked for ten minutes and sat down. They looked at him. Each man eyeing him. Some sneered at him, others just had wrinkled faces. One man in particular never lifted his head. He sat at the head of the table. He owned most of the companies in the country. He had several successful investments beyond borders. He was the only one in a brown cashmere suit. Otieno thought that he could have done better given his wealth. The old man had a gold ring on his right hand thumb. He hit the table thrice-some sort of call to order. The other men stared at him. Otieno felt his eyes grow dim. His heart turned into a lump of soil. He stared at the old man. His eyes dared the brute to lift his head.

The one who had the money spoke first. “This is impossible young man, do you know how long it took your forefathers to get this country here? If we spend this money with the hopes of returns being seen in a decade, what does that mean?”

“Mr. Macharia, let him dream. Young men dream, and it is theirs’ to do so, the best we can do is sit back and watch them fail.”

“True, this is too much. I thought your seniors taught you better. I am appalled!”

“Cool your flames Mr. Macharia, it is a proposal after all. Proposals can be amended, don’t you agree.”

Otieno looked at them as they talked. His head shifted from one man to the other. He was the only one whose seat was near the table. He stared at the tiles-and dreamt of a vacation in Mombasa.

He looked at the old man.

The other men fired questions at him.He could have been rude, but he didn’t hear a question worthy of his attention.

“So, are you going to answer my colleagues or not?” The old man gruffled.

“Depends on which one of them asks the question.”

“A child can never demand to go back inside his mother’s womb once he’s out.”

“A mother cannot demand the child to stay in when he wants to come out.”

“The doctors can.”

“So can God, He grants them understanding.”

“You have answers for everything Mr. Otieno.”

“I only have answers to what I know so well. I seek answers however to what I know not.”

“How old are you?”

“In number or experience?”

“Both.”

“Old and still aging.”

“Your proposal is outrageous, why should we grant your organization this amount of money, and most of all from the treasury?”

“I have listed my reason there in the proposal.”

“I read it, you said “because we can.”

“Indeed you have the authority. I am only asking you to exercise it.”

“You are too sure of yourself, Mr. Otieno, what if we decline your offer?”

“What if you don’t?”

“What will you offer us in exchange then?”

“Now there’s a good question.”

“I am expecting a good answer.”

“Redemption.”

“Something I only get from my God.”

“You are considered vile, selfish and most of all corrupt. It is no secret that the country has no respect for you or the concern. You have failed to harness the energy and knowledge of the youth, to create more employment and thus increase the number of workers. This has not only affected the economy but increased the debts the country has. This proposal will see to it that youth are employed. They will have access to information, self sustaining jobs and most of all empower them. If they start acting on their new found confidence, they will have no reason to blame the government for their failures. I am offering you gentlemen a proposal of a lifetime. You can either take it or deal with it.”

“I see.”

“You haven’t heard the rest.”

“Is there more?”

“There’s always so much more to a proposal. We start tomorrow if you sign now. There is no guarantee of its success-but more of success. I know not what word exceeds success on a positive stream. So say none of you make it back to the parliament, you still get to control a majority of the country. Power would still be yours to control and benefit from.”

“What of you?”

“I get to make all this work.”

“What if you don’t?”

“I don’t speak in terms of ‘what if’ because I set my own standards, not anyone else.”

“Even if somebody else is financing your actions?”

“Someone only finances, my cause not my actions let alone my thoughts.”

“Give me the pen.”

The old men turned to look at him. Otieno watched the man sign the contract and slide it across the table towards him. The other men signed theirs and did the same. He looked at the floor again. This time he saw birds. He stood as they stood and wished them well.

 The old man stopped and cleared his throat as he got to the door-“I want to see you in my office at 6:00am, tomorrow.”

“Yes Sir.”

“Take care, Mr. Otieno.”

“I always will.”

As they walked out so did his heart.

Chapter 2

Otieno smiled at his secretary then walked out to lunch. She had informed the board of his success. They had congratulated him as expected. He got the promotion, a new car and a new house in Kitengela. They said that a big achievement required a big reward. He smiled knowing he was as vile as them. He stood outside the entrance of the building-there was a woman holding a weighing scale. Her eyes were blurred-she was as blind as a bat. He wondered what happened to people like him-those who played the devils’ advocate. It was never an answer but a question. He woke up seeking to change the world and slept having made it worse. He shrugged as he walked into the restaurant and took a seat.

The lady walked to him and took his order.

Otieno watched her make her way past the tables to the counter. It was no secret that she was well formed. He was also a man who appreciated beauty. He smiled at this thought and then pulled out his phone. He had to call his immediate supervisor and inform him about the meeting with the old man. He was welcomed to some shrill sound-an insult to music- as he waited for him to respond.

:Hello, Mark.

: Hey, so I hear the big boys treated you well.

: You bet they did, but that aside the main man wants to see me tomorrow afternoon.

: Congratulations! Didn’t I tell you that you would go a long way if you did what I said?

: You said so, now I am as evil as you, thanks a lot.

: Stop acting like a woman, Gerald, you wanted the job and you got it and now you get to meet the main man upon his request. Do you know how many people would like to meet him? Do you have any idea what you have?

: I do, it’s a grim as hell.

: This is Kenya, you either prosper or die trying.

: So, what do you think?

: Be yourself Gerald.

: Which self? The one you made or the one I’m trying to suppress?

: The one you’re trying to suppress.

: Are you sure?

: Yes

:I will call you after the meeting, thanks Mark.

: Sure, anytime-so when do I get to see your new house?

: Tomorrow evening, come with some food.

He ate his food and left a huge tip for the beautiful waitress. She managed to smile at this and he walked away. He had just robbed people like her then tipped her.

Chapter Three

Otieno walked into the office at 1:00pm. He was escorted to the main lounge by two blocks of guys. One man had a gap in his front teeth so wide he’d slide a loaf of bread. The other man though huge, had tiny ears. He looked at them trying to see their eyes behind the dark glasses. The room was air-conditioned and one of them offered him a drink. He declined the offer as they went about squeezing him with the excuse of searching him for ammunition.

On the wall was the picture of the main man. On the other side the map of the country and the inscription “God bless Kenya.”

He chuckled at the thought and then looked down. He felt his fingers grow numb and his eyes heated up. Mark had said, “how you get there does not matter, what matters is getting there, and you my good friend, are already there!”

Otieno thought of this-he had made it this far. His parents now lived well. His father had a driver to get him around the town. His mother could walk into any hospital and get her arthritis checked. He now wore suits more expensive that his MacBook pro. He was living a good life. He felt as though he could jump-the only thing that was poor was his conscience. How could they increase the price of things and blame it on inflation? Simple-they had to sit around a table and talk to economists. The next day things had doubled in price and the profits directed into their accounts. How could they help the people? Well, they simply run most of the commuter buses and banks. It was a win situation. They worked hard. There was no way a leader could suffer like the follower. The leader had to drive a benz while the follower walked for miles. The leader made it beyond seventy years old while the follower never made it to a year old. It was the law of man. It was the same law he fought against. Mark had told him that evening-“if you can’t beat them, join them.”

He had told Mark too, “Jesus was betrayed by one his people.”

Mark had laughed at this and introduced him to the rich people. Otieno was good with numbers and so they welcomed him. They said he was a strong man. He could lie as simply as he breathed and they loved him. Three years down the line and he was worse than them. He begged his conscience to let him sleep. The thing never let him breathe.

        He was brought back to reality when the main man walked into the room. He offered Otieno a drink-the young man turned it down.

The main man laughed and asked him to sit.

“I’m glad you came Mr. Otieno.”

“I am not, but we shall see where this goes.”

“You are ruthless Otieno, do you know that?”

“I speak my mind-I’d say I am candid.”

“In speech or character?”

“In speech.”

“What of character?”

“I know nothing of it.”

“You do and that’s the reason why I wanted to see you today. Your proposal was too ambitious, and you were keen to rob us of all the money we flaunted.”

“That is your opinion, not mine.”

“I need you to head a project.”

“What kind of project?”

“An international project- we have some friends who will be funding some event and we need them to empower our people. I want someone who can talk them into giving more for this and they definitely will.”

“So, what do I get from this transaction?”

“You name your price and you will have it.”

“When’s the meeting?”

“Next week on Thursday.”

“The Americans right?”

“Yes.”

“I will think about it and get back to you.”

“You don’t have a whole year you know.”

“I know-thanks for the time but I ought to get going right now.”

“My driver will see you home, if you don’t mind.”

“Thank you Sir, but I’d rather walk.”

“So I see.”

“You can know everything about me, but save me the visits to my place unannounced.”

“Sure, but you surely know that I already know where you reside and what you do every second.”

“You do, but being dropped home by your driver is an invitation to abuse that privilege.”

“Think about my offer Otieno and let me know what you come up with. I would be honored to have you on my side.”

“I’d get back to you in time.”

        Otieno left the place and looked back at all the flags. His grandparents had fought for freedom-what use was their fight now? They were being ruled by their own and abused at the same time. He drove home that evening feeling crushed.

He set aside his briefcase and lit a cigarette. He watched it light up and smiled. His whole life had become a roller-coaster. He was happy now and sick to death the next minute. He stared right across the field to the sky scraper coming up a mile away. That was going to be his project. He would establish a youth resource center. It would be the place where intelligent people dwelled, and they would change the country.

It would the iconic place for people like his role model-Tom Mboya. It would be the greatest revolution the world has ever seen. The youth would lead the country towards brotherhood. There would be no corruption because people would be honest. The children would live beyond six years of birth due to great maternal care. The schools would encourage critical thinking and students would not only say a spider has eight legs but also prove it. He had wanted change. He had wanted it so bad that he joined the people he was fighting. He saw a green car drive around the area and smiled. They were watching him.

        He had known they would offer him a house and car and then monitor his every move.

He picked his phone and called the main man.

: It’s good to know that you are always watching me.

: Your security is of importance to me.

: I am honored Sir, I am going to a club in the next five minutes, please tell your men to join me. I would love to have a drink or two with them.

: Sure. I have another project for them, see you then.

: Thank you.

The green car drove off as he hung up. He changed his coat and picked his car keys. He would meet Mark at a club in Westlands for another battle. He had come this far and he would not rest until he got what he came for. He would be with them till he knew enough to bring them down.

        That skyscraper belonged to him and he would rule it.

Otieno drove out into the night smiling because he knew the battle was just beginning. They could kill him before he achieved his goal-but it would be worth it.