From the archives: I CANT WAIT FOR MULEMBE NIGHT THIS FRIDAY After hearing a lot about Carnivore for years, I was at the restaurant for the first time last week – and entered the history books for being the second person from Mwisho wa Lami to do so! It all began with a call from my brother Pius. He asked me if he could take me out on Friday. Although I had exams to prepare for, there was no way I was going to miss such an offer. Those who know Pius will tell you that he is very generous in buying drinks, but never gives out money. We agreed to meet in town on Friday evening. I left KU after my last class. Since Pius had said smart casual was the dress code, I wore my Kaunda suit but did not button up the coat. Inside, I had the red 2009 Census T-shirt matched with red socks and shining sharpshooters. Pius was still in the office when I got to town, so I walked around waiting for him. But I only walked along one street for fear of getting lost. Pius picked me up at around 7 pm. He was with Elias, his friend, and two ladies. Elias drove the car to a bar outside town, which was fully packed. The owners knew Pius so well they called him by name and prepared a table for us. The waiter arrived to take our orders. The ladies ordered some drinks I have never heard of in my life. Pius and Elias asked for a bottle of a Vice drink and soda. Next was me. “Kuna Keg?” I asked the waiter. “Keg? Hiyo ni nini?” he asked. “Basi niletee Senator,” I told him. He returned with the drinks, except mine. “Hakuna Senator yoyote hapa!” he said as he opened the drinks. He also had brought a flask of hot water which Pius and Elias added to their drinks. I had never seen this. “Niletee Allsopps basi,” I told him. “Na uniletee straw, sitaki glass,” I added. He went and returned to report that there was no Allsopps so I ordered Tusker. Pius then ordered “two plates”. Half an hour later, the waiter brought two wide plates each with different foods. I only knew chicken, ugali and chips. Instead of water, we were given hot, damp handkerchiefs to wipe our hands. I will try it at home. I concentrated on ugali and chicken. We drank more after the food and we got the bill at around 10.30 pm. I was shocked to see that beer was going for Sh210 while a plate of food (although they had mis-spelt it and written Platter) was Sh1,800 each. In total, the bill came to Sh6,100 – that’s more than my salary. Pius and Elias paid. “The night is still a girl,” said Elias as he reversed the car. “Where do we go?” “Twende Mulembe Night,” one of the girls suggested. Pius agreed and Elias drove to Carnivore – the venue of Mulembe Night. There was a long queue of cars at the entrance. We parked in a big field next to the restaurant. I have never seen so many cars at one place in my life. All the cars I saw had KB ... number plates! I thought we would pay Sh100, but I was surprised to learn that the entrance fee was Sh500. Pius told me to pay for myself since he was going to pay for the drinks. I had only Sh757 on me and thought of returning home but, on hearing the sound of Isukuti from inside, I paid and entered. Carnivore was amazing. There were people everywhere – I believe the whole of Nairobi was there. The music was loud and the mood was carnival. Moving from one place to another was so difficult you had to push and shove. A band was performing a song and, as I pushed forward, they started playing one of my favourite songs:Mukhangala. I pushed to the dance floor to dance. I was wet with sweat when the song ended and I shoved to find where Pius and Elias were seated. I could not find them. I called him but we could not hear each other because of the noise. Another band playing outside with thousands of people dancing in the open field. I joined them vigorously shaking my shoulders. My phone’s battery had little power and soon it went off. As I walked back to the other stage, I saw a “Busaa” sign. I looked around and there was no policeman nearby. It was a big struggle just getting a cup of the drink. The price? Sh100. Back at Mwisho wa Lami, a tin thrice the size of that cup goes for Sh10. I bought two cups. I then saw an Isukuti troupe and joined them in dancing. I was the star attraction. As a music lover and award-winning music teacher, Isukuti has always been my best genre. I was so engrossed I forgot about Pius. Before I knew it, it was 6 am. I did not even know how to get back to KU. I followed people who were walking out through the gate. Many of them entered their cars while some tookboda boda. I asked the boda boda fare and one rider asked for Sh100. “Hadi KU?” I asked. “Hapana, mpaka kwa barabara.” There was someone who was walking to the road and I joined him. From there I took a matatu to town, then another to KU. I slept till Sunday. Although I had only Sh20 in my pocket, I was happy as it had been a night well spent. I will apply the things I learnt from the band and Isukuti to my music team next year. Whether I will be in Nairobi or in Mwisho wa Lami, I won’t miss the next Mulembe Night.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 09:39:39 +0000
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