Mrs. Kones

Having successfully completed my Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams, I was called to an admirable school. This was St. Patrick’s. The school’s motto was, “Discipline molds all”. I didn’t pay any attention to that motto since I knew I was a very disciplined and obedient boy. The school was famous for excellent performance and I had high hopes of excelling in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams.  

I arrived at the school a month later, when my admission was about to be cancelled. My father drove me to school that day. The school grounds were vast. The buildings were ancient but still stood the test of time. Some of the buildings looked haunted. There was a basketball court, tennis court, gym and expansive football pitch. All students were in uniform regardless of the tasks they undertook. Students playing games had to be in their official game kits. Spic and span were the grounds that boasted well-manicured loans whose landscaping was done by students that broke the numerous school rules.

I made it a routine to arrive at school early and just abide by all the rules and regulations of the school. I always did the right thing at the right time; but this didn’t change the discipline master’s opinion on boys. All of them were crooks even if they looked harmless.

Mrs. Kones, the discipline master was a huge middle-aged woman. She always wore a green skirt, white blouse and red socks. She filled her apparel with medals and medallions. She looked more of a girl scout to me. She carried a long cane made of strong camel skin all the time, constantly hitting it against her other hand. She had grey teeth and her eyes were vicious to look at. She was well built and was Shaquille O’Neal’s exact size and weight. She had a man’s voice and what she said was final. She was a perfectionist and didn’t leave any room for mistakes. “Spare the rod, spoil the boy” she would say. The funny thing though was that she seldom used her cane. She mainly used her bare hands.

Mrs. Kones had surveillance cameras all around the school. She also placed speakers, such that all conversations would be audible to her. She was feared by everyone including the principal and she didn’t have any friends. She only had a cat that she hugged and kissed all day long. Once she slapped a teacher for mentioning her name without cause. Another incident was that she threw a boy through a window situated on the fifth floor. The boy almost lost his life but no charges were filed against her. She was invincible and was answerable to absolutely no one! This made all the students tremble at the mere sight of her. 

Bad or evil cases of ‘crime’ as she called them were severely punishable. The most outrageous punishment she gave was to throw the offenders into a very small room that measured sixty cubic centimetres. There was a small hole for ventilation and depending on your wrongdoing; she blocked it once after every five minutes, such that you would suffocate.

I feared Mrs. Kones more than I feared snakes. After being a good boy for two consecutive years, I got into trouble. That day, I really thought that my world had ended. One of my classmates Kanana played a practical joke on me. I had bragged about finishing my English homework and so he snatched my book and threw it into a pit latrine. I was rather hot-tempered so I stood up and charged at him, gave him a few punches in his stomach and left the classroom.

What I hadn’t known, was that I’d made the biggest mistake of my life. Kanana was Mrs. Kones’ nephew! He naturally reported me to her. That was the first time I had seen her run. She came stamping her feet hard on the ground. It almost seemed as if an elephant was in the hallway. She looked like a monster to me. She had veins all over her face and her eyes were flaming red. She came so close to my face that I could hear her breathing. She then bluntly asked me, “So Manoti, did you or did you not beat Kanana?” I was speechless.

She unceremoniously grabbed me by my neck and put me on her shoulders. She then carried me all the way to her office. I knew that I was doomed. She asked me to have a seat and told me to wait a minute. She was going to get a table where I would rest my hands as she beat me. I knew the drill. I stood and turned around. No sooner had she raised her hand to hit me than I began speaking. I don’t quite remember what I said but she suddenly stopped. She put her rod down.

I asked her several questions related to my mistake. I then permitted her to do whatever she pleased if I was truly on the wrong. To my surprise, she sat down. She told me that she had never seen anyone so brave. I was little but I spoke like a magistrate. She forgave me and turned on a new leaf. She stopped caning; stopped harassing the boys and minimized her punishments. From then on, we became good friends. I was named the school hero. Kanana came to apologize. We shook hands and became friends again.

What Are Your Dreams?

Most of us have dreams. You might have dreamt last night. Do you remember what you dreamed about? How vivid was it?  Was it a nightmare? Was it a dream come true? Scientists say that we cannot dream and snore at the same time. But the kind of dreams I am talking about aren’t the kind that come when you are asleep. They are the kind that occur during every waking hour. It’s all we can think about. Whenever we find time alone, it’s all we ponder over. Sometimes our dreams take the better of us by ensuring that we 

build castles in the air.

Many works of art have had their beginning in a dream. A dream that was so real that the dreamer thought it possible to make it come true. Every dream comes true sometimes. It is also a passionate thing to dream. Your passion is involved. Passion is created when liking becomes loving. And loving’s epitome is passion. Passion is a force so strong that it can move mountains. Passion makes dreams come true. Without passion then your dream is invalid. Where there is passion there your dream will be also. Think about it. If you ask a five-year-old child what she wants to be when she grows up, you will be surprised, sometimes even shocked. Her response will be as a result of her passion towards the perception she has of that career. A young girl by the name Naomi was once asked by her father what she wanted to be when all grown up. She passionately said, “Shopkeeper!” Her father was shocked at the mediocrity of choice for a career. Her father interjected: “You will be a doctor, you hear me?”

Let’s leave Naomi behind for a moment. Dreams can and are established when we are young. Not to say that we are slaves to what our childish dreams were. They are not cast in stone. They change over time. As we grow older and wiser and are exposed to more than our immediate surroundings, we change our dreams. We start liking different things. Our associates change. Our habits change. We slowly but steadily become different people. And what we once viewed as a priority ceases to be such. In addition, our dreams are greatly molded by our surroundings, circumstances, perceptions and caregivers. Revisiting our short story about Naomi, her parent was in control of her dream. At such a tender age, her unbiased perception of the world became warped. She realized that shopkeepers are not people who would be respected in society. Conversely, she realized that doctors are viewed as ‘gods’. Contrary to her original dream of owning a successful kiosk, she graduated at the top of her class in medical school. She is now a renowned doctor. The question is: Did Naomi’s dreams come true? That’s debatable. 

Our society has deluded posterity that there are careers that are unworthy of consideration. This has led to the influx of college graduates in very few fields of study. If the academic system in Kenya is anything to go by, we see that there are subjects that take the cake in terms of time allocation. Mathematics and English are taught every day. Option subjects are allocated few hours each week. There is clearly a major problem here. We all go through the same curriculum regardless of our abilities and if we fail we are labeled as academically deficient. We are all different. That’s why the best footballer in the world would not also be the best accountant. I believe that core subjects like mathematics and languages should be taught. But other unnecessary subjects should be omitted or left as options. Just like a buffet has different types of starch displayed for people to choose from, so should subjects taught in school be (apparently I split my infinitives). There are some who prefer rice to mashed potatoes or vice versa. And that’s why there are numerous options. 

Do you know anyone who has gone through heavy plastic surgery to alter their appearance? Why did they do it? Was it their dream? That depends on something as important as a personal pronoun. We start analyzing by asking, “Whose dream was it ultimately?” If the said person who underwent the plastic surgery did so as a realization of their own dream i.e. to look better and have higher self-esteem, well and good. However, if it was for the sake of someone else i.e. others will appreciate them for their grand transformation, then that is disastrous. The lovely Colbie Caillat in her song Try put it this way: “Put your makeup on so they’ll like you. You don’t have to try so hard…when you’re all alone by yourself do you like you?” When you do something to please someone, whose dreams are you making come true? Theirs of course! It is therefore safe to say that your dreams haven’t yet come true.    

To understand it better, think of a mother’s dreams. Her dreams are for her child to become prosperous in life i.e. get married, have kids, live happily ever after. Her dreams are not her own. They are intertwined with another independent dreamer’s dreams. Her son might want to live a life of devotion as a monk in the Himalayas. In this case the mother’s dreams are contingent on her son’s outcome in life. If for some reason her son indeed gets married, has kids and lives happily ever after, her dreams have come true.

In a nutshell, you may have dreams but those dreams are not your own. They belong to someone else. To be truly happy and satisfied with your life, you need to work towards realizing your dreams. In doing so, you will avoid a lot of heartache and pressures of life. Doing what you love and loving what you do is passionately living your dream. There is nothing bigger than a dream. File it under wishful thinking. Make a wish and believe it can come true. Then work towards it. Life is a journey, not a destination. Dreams make our lives bearable. They inculcate in us hope. Dream and dream more. And once you’re done with that, dream again until you can dream no more! 

Once your fourth year project is approved and you are fit to apply for graduation, a heavy load comes off

your back with a sigh of relief: “phew!” Then clearing begins. That’s when you realize that all along you

have been a stranger at your university. You start asking for directions to the cafeteria manager’s office.

Then you think to yourself, “I’ve always wondered where that hallway led to.” But anyways, now that

you’re actually leaving, it doesn’t really matter anymore. Then your application for graduation is

approved and you receive the ever coveted gown and mortarboard. Of course you try it on still a bit jittery

not believing that you actually made it, against all the odds.


Then comes graduation day! This is when you finally get to understand the meaning of elation. This is

also when you realize how many cousins you actually have, and how good looking they all are. If it was not

for the graduation party, you would have met them in other ways and fallen head over heels for them. But

that’s a story for another day. You can feel the approval from all and sundry. This is the day you

particularly feel like a king. You suddenly have the urge to walk in the central business district and malls

around town just to get a soft drink. Your main reason however is to show off your day outfit. And your

mission is accomplished. You get congratulatory messages from total strangers as the shyer kind smile

and nod in approval. You have really outdone yourself this time. And for that you deserve a pat on the

back.


Graduation comes and goes but the memories linger in your mind. You are all smiles a week after; still

oblivious of what lies ahead. Then little by little it starts to dawn on you that things have changed. Reality

stares you in the face. What next? You had started applying for jobs since the day you completed your last

paper. But you only did it as a fad, not really concerned about responses. After all, the hardest task was

behind you. But now that all that you looked forward to is over and done with, you find yourself at a

crossroads. What do you do next?


You start helping out at home with chores. You catch up with the latest series releases and you

practically spend the entire day indoors. You eventually call friends and former colleagues and realize

that they are either on internship, are management trainees or actually working. Your first-class-honors

degree suddenly loses meaning (at least to you it does). You suddenly become religious and turn to God

to help you through this difficult time of desperation. You almost lose hope but somehow find strength to

press on. Your friends who are now well to do encourage you to apply for jobs every day. They tell you

that your big break is just around the corner and you believe them for a while. Then days turn into

months. Almost a year has elapsed since you cleared campus without anything but regret letters from

potential employers after attending dozens of interviews.


But does it stop there? Is this the end of the road for you? If you ask me, what you do next and how you

handle this situation will determine the rest of your life. So where do you start? Keep yourself busy; not

only with house chores but with everything else. Don’t get into a limbo of sorts involving binge drinking

and late nights out with friends. It is a snare. Get down to business. Do something. Volunteer in a

children’s home, join a club, learn how to play the guitar or learn a foreign language. Anything that

excites you or makes you happy. You also need to read widely. You can start by reading the newspaper,

inspirational books such as How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie, Rich Dad Poor

Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, the Bible or the Quran. Reading opens up your mind and helps you to start

thinking of ways to make a living. After you have thought out an action plan, start working on it. If you

decide to start doing odd jobs to make an extra coin then so be it. But the bottom line is: Do something.

Your breakthrough could come from virtually anywhere.


You could also think of starting a business, preferably in the service sector. The service sector is rich with

great business ideas that require minimal capital. Don’t worry if you have to copy someone else’s

business idea. It is impossible to patent a service. So at least you don’t have to worry about any lawsuits.

Then look out for opportunities to make your dream a reality. For example, the Uwezo Fund, Kazi kwa

Vijana as well as opportunities to make use of an incubator to finance your business. When you start off,

don’t imagine that it will be a walk in the park. You will have to contend with many hurdles. Look at

them positively since they will mold your character and outlook of life. Since you are starting off, keep

your expenses to the very minimum. Don’t hire unnecessary staff. You will have to do all the dirty work

by yourself at first.


Remain ever hopeful. Things always change. Do everything in your power to ensure that you are making

headway. Above all, don’t give up. Even when the future looks bleak, relax. Solace is around the corner

for sure. Stay far from worry. It will cloud your judgment. I particularly like the words of a character

quoted in the Dale Carnegie’s book highlighted at the outset. This character was a navy commander

during the war. His words pertaining to not worrying that he would not win the war go like this: “I have

supplied the best men with the best equipment we have; and have given them what seems to be the wisest

mission. That is all I can do. If a ship has been sunk, I can’t bring it up. I can use my time much better to

work on tomorrow’s problem than fretting about yesterdays.”

You might have the next big thing right at your fingertips. Make use of opportunities that come your way.

And remember, opportunities are not given, they are taken!