Kulyennyingi, by M.B. Nsimbi, Chapter 4, Part 1

In January, 1972, although Kulyenyingi's did not have a brain that picked things up quickly, they moved him up to Senior Secondary II because the headmasters did not like students returning to the Senior Secondary classroom. His age also forced the teachers to push him to the higher class. In the the classroom where they put him they put three other boys who were the same age: Fadul, Abasi, and Matayo Kasule. Fadul was the son of Major Sebi. Abasi was born to Hussein who was the District Commissioner. Kasule's father was a blackmarketer in the city, Diisi Hussein.

These boys too, were not very quick learners.

The gossip thus spread quickly that when Major Sebi had gone to the headmaster's office to ask for a place for his son, he had sat down in a chair, drawn a small pistol, and toyed with it. He put it back in the pocket of his coat after the headmaster agreed to enroll his son in the school.

He did not greet him with a letter of recommendation from the headmaster of the boy's current school.

As for Hussein, he secured his son's place with a phone call. Perhaps Kasule's father when he went to ask for his son's place, he brought a small envelope and pressed it on the headmaster while they were both in the office.

Kulyennyingi and his friends entered their school when it was coed. In school, Fadul, Abasi, and Kasule comported themselves like princes, as though they did not like to be ordered about by teachers. When they were not in school they wore wealthy people's clothes, such as expensive "t-shirts," "bell-bottoms," and "platform shoes." In an hour, they wore hundreds of shillings.

To show himself equal to his age mates, Kulyennyingi befriended Fadul, Abasi, and Kasule, and changed a lot in hanging out with them. They say that "PROVERB" These boys, took their friend Kulyennyingi to food stands and bought him chappatis, roast chicken, samosas, peanuts, and other snacks. Sometimes they took him to baars and bought him beer and cigarettes, and he drank until he knew these things well, and started to buy them on his own. There was a boy Kiggundu who was a friend of Kulyennyingi. He joined the party. His father had a shop at Nnaakulabye, but he was not in "mafutamingi" [blackmarket].


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Newankubadde ng'obwongo bwa Kulyennyingi bwali tebutoola mangu naye mu January, 1972 baamwambusa mu Senior Secondary II kubanda abakulu b'ebyenjigiriza baali tebakyayagala nnyo basomi kudda mu bibiina bya Senior Secondary school. Obukulu bwe nabwo bwawaliriza abasomesa okumusindika mu kibiina ekya waggulu. Mu kibiina mwe bamutwala baayingizaamu abalenzi abalala basatu abali bamwenkana obukulu: Fadul, Abasi ne Matayo Kasule. Fadul yali mwana wa Major Sebi. Abasi yazaalibwanga Hussein eyali Distict Commissioner. Kitaawe wa Kasule yali mafutamingi mu kibuga ekyalimu Diisi Hussein.

Emitwe gy'abalenzi abo bonstalue nagyo gyali tegikwata mangu bye baasomesebwanga.

Olugambo kyerwava luvuga ennyo nti Major Sebi bwe yagenda mu ofiice y'omukulu w'essomero okusabira mutabani we ekifo, olwatuula mu ntebe n'aggyayo ka basitoola n'akalera. Mu nsawo ya girikooti ykazzaamu ng'Omukulu w'essomero amaze okukkiriza okuyingiza omwana we mu ssomero.

Teyamubuuza na bbaluwa emusemba eva ew'omukulu w'essomero mwe yali.

Hussein ye ekifo ky'omwana we yakisabira ku ssimu era n'akifunirawo. Mbu kitaawe wa Kasule bwe yagenda okusabira omwana we ekifo, yagenda n'ebbaasa enzito n'agikwasa Omukulu w'essomero nga bali babiri mu Ofiisi.

Essomero kulyennyingi ne banne abo lye baayingiramu lyali ligatta abalenzi n'abawala. Fadul ne Abasi ne Kasule mu ssomero beeyisanga ng'abalangira, nga tebaagala kulagirwa oba okutumibwa abasomesa. Bwe baabanga tebali mu ssomero nga bambala ngoye zaabwe ez'ekigagga, nga t-shirt ez'omuwendo omunene, bell-bottom n'engatto za plat-form. Essaawa baasibanga za nkumi za siringi.

Okufaananya empisa n'okwenkana obukulu mu myaka biringa bye byasobozesa Kulyennyingi okukwana Fadul, Abasi ne Kasule, na'fuukira ddala ow'ekiduula kyabwe, anti bagamba nti "Mbuulira gw'oyita naye aba akubuuza mpisa zo". Abalenzi abo, munnaabwe Kulyennyingi baamutwalanga mu mayumba gye batunda ebyokulya ne bamugulira capati, enkoko ensiike, sumbusa, ebinyeebwa n'ebyokulya eby'engeri endala. Oluusi baamutwalanga ne mu bbaala ne bamugulira omwenge ne sigala n'anywa okutuusa lwe yabiyigira ddala naye n'atandika okubyeguliranga. Waaliwo omulenzi Kiggundu eyali mukwano gwa Kulyennyingi. Oyo naye oluvannyuma yayingira mu kiduula kya Fadul ne banne. Kitaawe wa Kiggundu yalina edduuka e Nnaakulabye naye teyali mafutamingi.