03.02.10 The 8th Part of Daudi's Story

Serving the Local Community

Surprisingly, Daudi’s frequent sackings did not spell ‘the end of the world’ for the Engineer.  To the contrary, his ‘ill-gotten’ billions had elevated the man’s social rankings.  First he had put on weight which in his community was an indication that things were going well; plus, he had a string of houses and a growing fleet of cars to his name.  Moreover, the Engineer had been nominated as Church treasurer, courtesy of his heavy contributions.  So, as far as the community was concerned, the man was the epitome of progress.., a role model worth emulating by the society.

Therefore, when Daudi vied for the top political position in his suburb, non-suspecting civilians gave him votes instead of his opponent Yemima who, despite being well-known for her integrity, was not as well-to-do as the Engineer. 

But soon after the elections, the winds changed when the same Daudi who had marketed himself as ‘for the people’ started siding with the wealthy at the expense of the so-called poor.  It was discovered that the Engineer had victimized a desperate man, Mzee Kude, who needed to foot medical bills for his daughter’s surgery.  The old man had sold everything possible apart from his expansive farmland.  When Daudi heard of Kude's misfortune, the Engineer seductively enticed the old man to sell the land for almost nothing, a thing which displeased the villagers.  “The rich politician should have assisted our Mzee by at least buying the land for what it was worth” was the complaint going around amongst the village elders.  But Daudi did not give a damn since he could now embark on his long-awaited dream of establishing the biggest commercial farm ever.