ALDRINE NSUBUGA SNR: Mirundi siblings: the pawns in a chess game

For now, these three below have taken center stage and it’s turned ugly. This sister in red calls herself an “iphone” and has branded her brother Tamale Mirundi Jr a “kabiliti.” She swears, Jr will “never be the heir” to their father. She fully supports the decision to ostracize Jr from the clan. The brother in green has taken on the role of family spokesman and explained why his brother Jr had to be ‘disowned.’ He supports the decision. Meanwhile Jr had foreseen and expected this outcome. He says “nothing matters anymore because his life ended with his dad’s passing”

Of course the stage cast is much bigger than the three siblings and it’s the point for me – unknown to the gallery, the family has planted the children as pawns. While Jr didn’t have to be planted (he was a given), the other two have. In a large family where several uncles, sengas and jajjas are still alive and active, it’s strange that it’s Junior’s siblings who are making the public proclamations and assuarances that he is no longer a member of the family.

Aren’t children the future of any family? It’s almost inevitable now that Junior and these two siblings will turn out enemies forever. It’s the oldest trick in the book of intrigue – divide and rule. But why would any right thinking elders in a family plot to divide a dead man’s children? That’s a plan to destroy.

Junior is a flawed son, flawed nephew, flawed grandson and anything you might want to call him. But his dad was worse – he said unspeakable things while he was alive but NO ONE in the clan or family ever came out to say he was being banished. In fact, no meeting that we know of ever sat to discuss Tamale Mirundi Sr (RIP). The old book says, no student is greater than his master – Jr cannot be more offensive. Mu Buganda tugamba; “azaala ekibi akiwongelela” What has happened to the Nkima clan?

I will not get into the mothers, sengas, taatas, jajjas who took part in the family meeting and what they did. My angle is different – I want to know how the whole lot of them decided to front Junior’s own siblings to be the ones to throw the daggers and execute him publicly. This is summary execution. A parent would never preside over any activity that divides their children. Mirundi Sr threatened many times to disown Junior but he could never fulfil his threat – blood is blood. Thicker than our feelings of anger, disappointment, betrayal or hate. The ease and speed with which the sengas, uncles and jajjas have executed the plan is what has shocked me.

Junior is a sick boy – he just needs help. You don’t kill a sick son or nephew or grand child. I don’t condone Junior’s excessive behaviour because it shows him as a deviant. But this boy has acted this way for at least 6 -7 years while his dad was still alive. Under his watch and tutelage. None of his acts are new. You accepted him then as your own – what has changed? He abuses and insults everyone including himself; he prides himself in this. Unless he killed someone, I want to know what broke the camel’s back. What was the last straw?

For the brother and sister – are you sure you want to have nothing to do with Junior ever again? Is this war against Junior worth it? Whether Junior cares or not is not the question because we all know he doesn’t – but does it mean that no one in the Mirundi family cares at all? If the answer is yes – then what is the difference between Tamale Mirundi Jr and the family that has disowned him?

#my2pence