Saturday, July 18, 2009

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

Two months remained in the year 1953 when Musa Kulyennyingi ["to eat a lot"] was born. He was born in the village Nalufeenya in Jinja town, Busoga. His father was called Yokana Lumiramwenge ["gulps beer"]. This name, which is not made up, was of his clan, but whoever gave it to him had foresight because he drank beer to the point of falling over. He never walked by a beer club without stopping in. He could live without money to buy meat or clothes for his wife or his children, but when money for beer was missing he would go look for it. He often said to members of his drinking circle "I have no gripe with beer because it was beer that married my mother."

Kulyennyingi was going to be born at the time when Lumiramwenge was the foreman of the porters, about 900 strong, who worked at a rich company in Jinja town. At this time, Kulyennyingi received a salary of 450 shillings/month. His workers were perplexed, as each said, "If I got that salary, I'd buy acres and build a house with a sheet iron roof, and an income from a cattle kraal at home."

When Lumiramwenge heard muttering like this he responded, "My friends, the salary I receive does not suffice to feed and clothe my household." Those who heard him talking like this thought he was scoffing at them. Many who called him a scoffer knew that he earned extra money in the streets. Some of this street money that was not part of his salary came from poor people who implored him to give them work in the company and ended up agreeing to give him half their salaries. He punched just some workers' tickets, divvied up their salaries among all of them, and they all did the work. In looking for money and putting it to bad uses Lumiramwenge had no equal.


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Omwaka gwa 1953 gwali gusigazza emyezi ebiri okuggwako Musa Kulyennyingi n'azaalibwa. Yazaalirwa ku mutala Nalufeenya mu kibuga Jjinja, mu Busoga. Kitaawe ayitibwa Yokana Lumiramwenge. Erinnya eryo si ppaatiike, lya kika kye naye eyalimutuuma yali mulanzi kubanga tanywa mwenge aleruka. Tayita ku kirabo kya mwenge. Ensimbi ezigula ennyama oba ezambaza mukazi we oba abaana be ziyinza okumubula naye ezigula omwenge, ne bwe kiba ki, aziraba. Ab'ekinywi kye abagamba bulijjo nti "Nze sirina mpalana na mwenge kubanga gwe gwawasa nnyabo."

Kulyennyingi wagenda okuzaalibwa nga Lumiramwenge ye nampala w'abapakasi abaali bawere ng'olwenda abaakolanga mu kkampuni emu gaggadde eyali mu kibuga Jjinja. Mu kiseera ekyo Lumiramwenge yafunanga omusaala gwa Shs. 450/- buli mwezi. Bakozi banne baamwesiimisanga nnyo, nga buli ome agamba nti, "Singa nze nfuna omusaala ogwo nandiguze yiika ne nzizimbamu ennyumba ey'amabati, n'enfuna n'ekiraalo ky'ente awaka."

Bwe yabanga awulidde nga boogera bwe batyo yabaddangamu nti "Bannange, omusaala gwe nfuna na nange tegummala kuliisa na kwambaza bulungi bantu bange." Abamuwuliranga ng'ayogera bw'atyo baalowoozanga nti abaduulira. Abaasinganga okumuyita omuduuze beebo abaamanyanga nti afuna n'ensimbi endala mu makubo agatali gamu n'azongera ku musaala gwe. Agamu ku makubo ge yafunangamu ensimbi ezitali za musaala gwe ge gano: Abayinike abamwegayiriranga okubafunira emirimu mu kkampuni baamalanga kukkiriza nti omusaala gwabwe ogusooka baligugabanira wakati. Abaabanga obubi ennyo ng'abakkirizisa okumuwaako bibiri ebyokusatu eby'omusaala gwabwe. Abakozi abamu bwe yamalanga okutonnyeza tikiti zaabwe n'abasindika mu bantu abalala ne bakolayo emirimu, ensimbi ze bafunyeeyo ne bazigabana naye. Mu kunoonya ensimbi ate ne mu kuzikozesa obubi Lumiramwenge yali teyenkanika.

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