We got to know the power of the Chief’s office during National Days. First, every business in town was supposed to hang the Kenyan flag at the front of their buildings. There was a penalty for any business that failed to comply. They were also supposed to have the portrait of the President hanging prominently inside their places of business, otherwise there was a penalty for non compliance.
Back then, the entire town came to a standstill, whether the citizens were interested in the celebrations or not. A day like Madaraka Day, Kenyatta Day and Jamuhuri Day, the entire town was expected to gather at the grounds of AC Primary School to hear the Presidents’ speech read to them by the local District Officer, simply known to the locals as DO. The speeches were long and boring, majority of people were not interested to hear them. It was the same old political stuff they had heard over the years, with no tangible changes happening in their towns.
The government knew this and they devised a plan to force everybody to go to the “stadium”, otherwise there would be nobody there. When the DO’s LandRover made its way through OlKalou town heading to AC Primary grounds, every shop in town was supposed to close its doors and the owners, their families and the customers were supposed to follow the DO to AC Primary. Chief Apollo, his Administration Police and the local police went all over OlKalou wielding their batons, rallying everybody to head towards AC.
The shops did not reopen until the speech was read in full and the DO made his off the cuff remarks. At that point Chief Apollos’ job was done and the town could resume its normal activities.
We hated those days and we avoided town at all cost until they were done and the businesses reopened.
