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| The last pushing of our van after going past the stuck buses |
We kicked it off at exactly
7:00am this cloudy Wednesday from Moroto town. We are travelling all the way to
Jinja to enjoy some cool breeze from the Nile waters. After scrolling for about
three hours, our van swallows water from the floods at Nakichumet and the
engine gets pallid.
Peter the mechanic and
the crap controller take some one hour to rectify the problem and Joseph, the
Nissan patrol driver pulls the mini bus out. Another 20 minutes drive brings us
to this deadly spot. Two Gateway buses are completely stuck at Iriiri. There
seem to be no way through.
My team members are
evidently angry and hungry. Richard the logistics man sacrifices some pennies
from his pocket and buys raw cassava from a farmer boy in a nearby garden, and
the travellers had to chew it raw because of hunger and the loss of hope of
getting to any place where there is food.
Close to 10 trucks are
stuck on the way and small vehicles cannot penetrate too. It is especially this
generator truck stuck near the bus bringing all the suffering now. Seeing as if
there is no option, passengers mobilise themselves and push off this truck...
now there is way for small cars to cross. A couple of the pickup trucks have
crossed.
People again go livid over
the behaviour of this other police officer. He has commanded that other cars
should wait so a huge police Tata lorry can cross. He is not sensible and
people are unhappy now because the Lorry looks weak and capable of blocking
others forever! I don’t like him either although he has two big china phones. Why
can’t he let other passenger vehicles pass first?
God has saved this man.
I mean the police officer. The Tata has penetrated. Another imp! Our van driver
is thinking more about his old machine than our time and energy wasted in
pushing from behind, yet people are hungry and broke! How if Okwii did not have
some money for buying raw cassava for the boys, what would push the car? This driver
accelerates timidly as if he just learnt how to drive yesterday from his father’s
backyard.
Now I know how tired Joseph
must be. Using a winch more than six times just because the man being pulled
fears accelerating when his old thing gets stuck. Another magic presents itself
at some 10 minutes drive to Soroti town. The van’s engine stops and its door
fails to open. Peter tries his head, the driver tries his brain, but to no
avail. But they discover that the engine oil is finished, yet they have no
stock in the car. The Nissan man again is sent ahead to go buy oil from Soroti.
Since the door cannot open, passengers jump out through the driver’s door and
some through windows. They look like calabash monkeys.
More wonders, heavy
smoke is oozling from the van immediately the car starts moving after
replacement of engine oil. Problem discovered...poor drivers instead of putting
six litters of fuel, they pour 10! We enter Soroti town like fire masters. The dark
smoke attracts the attention of all living things in Soroti until these guys
take the car to the garage for smoothening.
We landed in Mbale by
10:00pm and I failed to buy new under wares like planned. People were hungry
but the appetite for anything edible was nowhere for everyone. After the
refilling of fuel tanks, we set off and everyone is dead asleep excluding me
and the driver. It is at exactly 2: 45 that we enter Jinja Nile Resort hotel.
It is an exotic hotel. From
the first impression, the people working here must be very caring. Why? Although
almost every one of us wanted to be shown a room to rest, the management said
no, that not until everyone has had something to eat. I hurried up with salads,
liver, pumpkin soup and a bottle of water before I was brought to this executive
apartment. It has among other things; a Multi-system ORION digital TV and CNN
was interviewing former British premier Tonny Blaire when I switched on. Coffee
is available in my room too. I will stay awake, not sleep. May be the next
night I will compensate...
