By Habiba Wakio
Moraa grunted as she stepped out of the matatu. She was exhausted from her trip. It had been
long since she last used public transport. She felt suffocated, and her nostrils stung from the
passengers' scents, inhaling a mixture of different body sprays and sweat. She began moving
away from the stage, happy to get fresh air.
She had lost a few pounds from walking to her home for the last four days. Her car was in bad
shape, with the lights, side mirrors, and tyres removed. She felt a tight squeeze in her chest
when she saw her car. It was enough that she had to spend a lot of money on petrol, and now
this.
Moraa held her red floral purse tightly as her feet hit the kabro. Darkness enveloped her,
escalating her heartbeat as she increased her steps, ignoring the swelling of her feet. “Why
could my home not be a stone's throw away from the stage?” She wondered as she felt the
exhaustion setting in as she calculated the time it would take to reach her destination and heat
some water for her evening bathWhen she heard footsteps approaching, she halted and held
her breath.
“Nipe cha kwangu!” A hoarse voice demanded, suddenly, as if Moraa had anything that was his.
Moraa's lips quivered as she stared at the silhouette.
Without a fight, she handed over her purse, pleading with the young man not to harm her.
“Tha-That is all I have,” she stammered.
The man pointed something shiny at her.
“Ondoka!”
Moraa did not wait for another order. She ran as fast as a deer towards the direction of her
home.
The following day, during the community baraza, the community members aired their
grievances to the County Assembly Members of Airport Ward. Most of them complained about
insecurity.
“Without the streetlights, our home feels unsafe,” Moraa said.
“That is right,” Achieng conceded. “Some youths are using the darkness to their advantage. I do
not want a repeat of what happened to me yesterday. I lost my hard-earned money.”
"I am truly sorry about that," said the MCA. "I urge all of you to report such incidents for police
intervention. I promise to look into the issue of streetlights, as some were stolen soon after
they were installed. Let us all be on the lookout for whoever is taking them away from their
respective places."
