The day the KLR became the preferred transport of a Borana chief

Again my video camera was stolen.

The police stopped me at a road block about 15 km from Moyale. A village was to the one side of the road. I had to unpack. As usual I was surrounded by people. It IS Ethiopian style, do not forget that.

While unpacking my luggage this afternoon at my shaby stinking little room in a very dubious “hotel” I realised that my video camera wasn’t there.

I got back onto the KLR and rode back to the road block. They were still there. I was gatvol, very gatvol. To the English speaking readers from outside South Africa, that means I felt like pushing someone a broomstick up somewhere where it shouldn’t actually be.

I explained to the police what had happened. They started rounding up the villagers, and voila! Five people came forward, naming two men that they had seen with a video camera. One escaped to another village, the one with the video camera to Moyale.

It is a Borana village. The chief came and apologised for the behaviour of his people. And then it turned into a real Wild Western scene. Two police men were given the command to go and find the thief. They took AK 47’s, stopped a minibus taxi, chucked out two passengers who were complaining loudly. The two armed police men got into the taxi and off they sped. The Borana chief was now so excited and shamed he came running to me, his scarf around his head, and got onto the KLR, asking me that we should follow the police! He would like to see justice done. So we did.

In Moyale we stopped at a few places where they questioned
a few people. Again they hijacked a taxi, and the Borana chief and I followed through the dark night. At a certain point they stopped us and told us they were close to the person. We had to stay behind. The chief and I went for coffee, while I was seriously thinking that the police would shoot the thief and they didn’t want me to see.

Later a police captain came and told me I could go back to my room, they were still following the thief and should have the camera back soon.

So, I am again minus video camera. I prepare myself to stay another day in this Wild West town in the hope that they would find my video camera.

Back at my room I went for a beer. A number of prostitutes were immediately offering their services, which I declined and not in a polite way.

Then the one came back to me, asking me whether I would prefer a boy friend.

It was then that I felt like sweeping the floor, and all I needed was a broom …