El Niño alerts cause harm even before the rain starts

 “You can trust the President more than any governor,” Ken said when he finally realised that the President bought a Sh1.1 million bull at the Nairobi Show.

He noted that the President never promised anyone he would return to buy the bull unlike the governor, who gave us hope but disappeared.

Our bull, the Undertaker, which I co-own with him for Mashambani natural insemination, is now back to our normal schedule after Ken’s greed made us miss a windfall of Sh650,000.

He is yet to fully accept that his greed cost us the fortune, only saying. “Look at the other side of the coin. What if the governor who had promised to come back to our paddock had returned? We would have been Sh1 million richer.” I have learnt not to belabour the point that his folly cost us.

Muchiri, on the other hand, has been a jovial man. The trip to Nairobi has really made him slow down on demands for better pay. I had told him as long as we worked together, he would have a lot of travel opportunities and sleep in good hotels.

During the show, I booked him in a hotel that was charging Sh1,500 for bed and breakfast. The breakfast, which consisted of two sausages, a toasted bread, a glass of juice, an egg and white coffee, impressed him.

Now back at Mashambani, Muchiri is a sort of celebrity. At Hotel Check Point owned by Wakageorge, the whole story of the show has been topping conversations.  Wakageorge is a known rumour monger. He started as an electronics repairer dealing with radios, watches, torches and even TVs.

CHECK POINT HOTEL

However, when the Chinese electronics started to flood the market, he converted the electronics shop into a liquor den. This went on for years before our MP, nicknamed KK, waged  war against the drinks. It is after the invasion of his liquor den by the public that he converted the room into a hotel. This is now christened Check Point.

Muchiri is a frequent customer at Check Point. We supply milk to Wakageorge although I think Muchiri mainly goes there to take tea, mandazi and gossip.

Wakageorge is the village’s FBI. The guy never leaves Check Point but he seems to have information on all that happens in the villages. He even has information that we refused to sell our bull for Sh500,000. It is at this hotel where rumours went round that I no longer go to the cooperative office as the chairman, and I have instead concentrated on building Mkulima Mixed Farm.

So when Wakageorge invited me to his hotel to review how I could increase milk supply from three to seven litres, I found the meeting important.

As I approached the hotel door, I overheard a hot debate. I could recognise Muchiri’s voice as one of the guys shouting and I held myself back to listen. “We were staying next to the weatherman,” said Muchiri while referring to the Meteorological Department near Jamhuri showground. “What information did you get about the El Niño? I hear all Mashambani farms will have landslides. People like Mkulima have to relocate their cows,” said Wakageorge.

“El Niño is coming. Be prepared. It will flood all over,” Muchiri started.

Muchiri now seemed confused. He had heard of El Niño but he wasn’t sure what it was. He heard it was there almost 20 years ago. He heard farmers being advised to take insurance but had no idea what agriculture insurance is.

“Wacha hii story ya El Niño, itakuja na itaenda,” Muchiri tried to brush it off so that he can continue with his Nairobi exploits story. “El Niño is more important. You were the people who were in Nairobi, where all information comes from,” said Wakageorge.

“So which crops should we grow during the El nino rains?” said a man whom I recognised as our MCA.

“I think maize can do better,” answered Muchiri. “But the weatherman keeps on saying that the rains will be above average.”

There is no way I could miss the hot debate. I entered the hotel, sat and listened, but when I was about to contribute Mzee Jeremiah, my village enemy opened his mouth.

BIGGER CHALLENGE

“I hear people like Mkulima have been advised to move to higher grounds,” he said.

“Why should I move to higher grounds,” I interjected with anger.

“My great grandparents stayed in this farm for many years, many El Niño rains have come leaving the farm intact.

It seemed Mzee Jeremiah was happy that I might be moved to higher grounds and I may lose my crops and animals. In short, my whole farm.

I walked out in protest wondering what to do with the El Niño rains so that I can save my entire business. I scratched my head and two things came up. First, I thought I should harvest all my strawberries and other fruits to avoid losses. Second, I was to ferry my animals to my friend in Ukambani.

But the more I thought, the clearer it became that the challenge was bigger. The two ideas could not work because I could not immediately get market for the strawberry if I harvested and second, taking the cows to Ukambani was no solution because the area was also going to be affected. I have been wracking my mind and enduring sleepless nights since then, but I have not found a solution.