School Days memoires

My son Keka came home and told me he had been chased from school and told to go back with his father. The following day i went to his school (Talents college Mukono) called a students assembly and gave him 10 strong strokes canes in front of fellow students. I left him dehorned and looked a defeated bull.

Looking at him in state of defeat, i looked into his eyes, and i was pulled into a flash back to days when i was his age in same class.

About 33yrs ago, i was a student in Kasawo ss In S2b. I was short small but very stubborn. I was known all over school for participating in all forms of bad habits. While in S.2 third term, i led a group of 4 boys, we brock into the school food store and stole tinned fish which had just been brought to school.

Whenever i remember the canes i got that day my buttocks itch. Mr Bukenya and Kassujja gave us over 50 canes to extract a confession we refused to admit until they got Ssentamu who was also part of the group, he confessed and named us all before getting even 10 canes!!

We requested to do any punishment at school as longer as they don't tell or call our parents. That was a bad scene at school, but the worst scenario i remembered most was in S4 in 1993, the day we stole slaughtered and ate Mr Lulenti's Goat.

Lulenti was a school neighbour, a farmer next to our dormitory side fence. He grew many crops (which we always stole) and kept goats. His goats occasionally roamed freelly around our compound.

For a long time we as students talked about eating one the goats l. It was an idea that never was put into action, but almost all crew members knew it.

One evening after supper, Lulenti's brown goat was moving behind our latrines, Mbatya Robert saw it, he tiptoe like a lioness hunting an antelope, dived and caught it by the hind legs. He dragged it straight into the dormitory. Immediately we saw him, I (Kaweesa), Mabirizi and Batenyetto joined him and we resurrected our desire to eat it.

"Let us slaughter and eat it," suggested Mabirizi,

we unanimously agreed, carried it to the furthest end of the dormitory.

We asked who had a knife, Batemyetto brought it from his suitcase and handed it to Mbatya.

I brought a basin to tap all the blood,

Battemyetto held its hind legs, Mabirizi held the front one, i held the basin. It let out one loud cry and Mbatya held it by the lips before chopping off its head

I made sure all the blood was drained in the basin, pushed it under the bed and preparing it began.

In a flash we had pulled off the bare literally by our nails as we had a single knife. Actually Mbatya was using the knife to open it as we fumbled with "undressing" it. Minutes later, it was all meat ready for cooking.

We got a source pan from the kitchen, firewood and salt and within a record 2hrs we were having a sumptuous meal shared with other student's who didn't bother.

For fear of bewitching from the owner, we threw the legs, head and skin into the toilet. It was also a way to destroy evidence.

Lulenti looked for his brownish she goat that evening and night until he gave up. The following morning, when he resumed the search, Obbo the security guard told him he had seen one of the students dragging it into our dormitory.

Lulenti sought school permission and entered our dormitory looked around and moved out and off he went out side the gate.

At break time as we were all inside the dormitory having our porridge, we saw a soldier standing at the entrance, before we could ask what was going on 3 others followed him in with guns set to shoot!!

"Who slaughtered a goat here?" bellowed their commander.

None answered.

I felt diarrhea rushing through me, I squeezed my way out, to date i don't remember whether i wanted to go to the toilet or run away. once outside it disappeared as i saw over 20 soldiers stationed all around as if they had been told an armed rebel was taking sanctuary inside. My feet fumbled and i sat down.

Meanwhile the search inside went on, they looked for clues and any trace of skin, bones or even blood drops, but couldn't get any. After about a 10minutes intense search they started demobilizing to our relief.

But then after talking to Lulenti from outside their leader moved straight to my bed bent down and retrieved a green basin almost full of blood clotting. He looked at students with an "i got you" look and angrily asked again,

"Who slaughtered this goat?"

He didn't wait for an answer but sent us all out and ordered us to lie down in the compound.

Canning started. Military canes are too rough, they itch before they even torch you.

Students started confessing, starting with those who ate. We got into 2 categories: Those who were truly innocent and didn't know anything about the goat and those who had eaten.

We the group that slaughtered were actually the first amongst those who said they just ate.

We were sorted out by more canes, until when the four culprits, Mbatya, Kaweesa, Mabirizi and Batenyetto were fully identified.

We were handled to school administration to further the case.

Now we knew problems had just started. They told us each to bring a parent next day morning!!

Being told to bring a parent was the biggest punishment of our days. You could beg apologize relent, repent and accept doing any form of punishment rather than being told to bring your parent, but here we were!!

The obvious solution available to us all was "hiring" parents. Batemyetto had a lenient uncle nearby, Mbatya who was coming from Busoga had an aunt, within the next town, he went for her. Mabirizi's father was well known allover the school as he worked with posta Uganda.

Me, i was in real damn sheet, my father a village farmer from deep in Kyabazaala was little known at school, but i knew he would skin me alive even from home before bringing me back to school from where he could shower me with canes. I regretted my participation!!

I moved to Kabimbiri town, then trekked deep in Mindi village where Batemyetto had directed me to a middle age not so serious farmer i could hire.

I met Mr Ssenkirikimbe picking cocoa in his farm. He was a tall stout big man with hands rough as a spanner. I was happy when i saw his bald head, like my fathers. He was jolly and walked majestically bouncing on ground.

When i explained my case to him, he told me to give him 10,000 for his services. I told him i will pay and accept anything he does to me, any punishment he gives me while at school.

The following morning, 8:00am assembly we were all there with "parents" Information had gone all around school how we had stolen a goat, others had twisted it that we had raped Lulenti's goat!!

After a long address, with the 4culplits standing in next to to his parent, the HM passed the verdict, each one of us was to receive 8 canes 2x2 from 4 teachers who were already lined up then each to bring a live goat to replace the one eaten.

I was very willing to lie down first to erase any suspicion.

As i moved forward my "Father" told headmaster he had something to say to students.

He made a long speech cautioning students how much parents suffer in villages to keep us in schools but we chose to turn rebels at school...he concluded by telling the headmaster that he has to apply the punishment to me himself. He moved towards me i thought he wanted to pick a cane from the teacher next and cane me "gently".

As he reached near me he turned and gave me a slap that sent me down the ground like a boxers knock out. It made me spit out blood, I felt my head whirling, heard sound of insects in my ears. My eyes saw star rioting over. When i got consciousness i tried to stand up but my feet wobbled and i fell back to the ground.

When i finally gathered courage and stood up i had his rough finger marks painted allover my left check.

He was advancing with another slap targeting my right cheek, The HM intervened like a boxer umpire and blocked him yards from me.

This slap saved others, because HM ordered we should all be canned by teachers.

That farmer Ssenkirikimbe, made me nearly confess he wasn't my real father!!

Then came the goat bringing punishment remember we all had fake parents and had to buy them ourselves.

We all managed to buy small young goats from our pocket money and took them to school. As they kept them around the compound waiting for Mr Lulenti to take them, each one of us stole his and sold it back to its owner at half price!!

Then i remembered to ask why my boy keka was sent home.

Actually the only reason why i was furious at him is that he was told to go pick his parent and he accepted!!