There were no banks in OlKalou. The closest we came to a bank was a “Satellite” Branch of KCB. You wonder what a Satellite bank is and how it operated? I will tell you, although I never had any money to bank with them, nor was I old enough to understand what banking was, but I always had a curious mind.
KCB had a branch in Nyahururu, the bigger modern town of the day. A green LandRover owned by KCB, came to OlKalou every Thursday at 10 am to cater for the banking needs of the people of OlKalou. The LandRover was always stationed outside the Post Office, almost at the edge of town, the end of the tarmac road. The back doors of the LandRover were kept wide open as the bank clerk (Karani ka Fengi) hang around waiting for customers. There were not many customers back then, no wonder there was no bank in OlKalou.
When I think of the above scenerio, I get goosebumps imagining what would happen if such a LandRover, on a routine scheduled visit, obviously carrying cash, was to attempt doing business in a similar fashion in todays OlKalou, or anywhere else in the country. Our world has become so unsafe, I cannot be the KCB bank clerk attending to such a LandRover, no matter how much KCB promised to pay me or how heavily they armed me. In todays OlKalou, the clerk, driver, cash and the LandRover would all be hijacked the moment they slowed down to park the LandRover. The driver and the bank clerk would be lucky to be thrown out of the LandRover as the money and the car were driven away by robbers. That is why I am so proud of the OlKalou I grew up in because it was so safe, nobody locked their doors unless they were going to bed.
During our college years, in the late 1980s, a few minor incidents of insecurity happened in OlKalou, sending shock waves in our Settlement Scheme. As we were conversing with our parents one day, we happened to point out those unfortunate incidents, wondering what was happening to our peaceful, quiet, safe OlKalou. My father who usually spoke his mind did not hesitate to tell us “It is your generation that has produced thugs and crooks”. He quickly added. “When we were the adults, developing our farms and raising you, OlKalou was safe and quiet. Now that you are grown, insecurity has started. Do the math”.
We did, and it has only gotten worse as we watched.
