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The struggle with many a rigid Logooli cultural practices

  The Logooli community is one of the deeply cultured societies – with near everything supposed to have been done as per custom – to allow another custom to follow. One example is that for a mature man (with a child or more) to be buried, there must be a house structure at home. Another is that a boy must be circumcised and nursed in father land. If maternal family decides to, the boy will have a hard time reconnecting with father people - a dent on his masculinity. There were two children who got burnt to death in a house in Nairobi. The single mother had left for night work. Elders were told that one of the children was Logooli. The other, the woman had sired with someone else. The Logooli family wanted to burry their little one and long discussed the do’s and don’ts. Of a man who died childless and the grave was placed as if he had died as a man with children. It should have been dug on the sides, the grave. A real thorn should have been thrust in his buttocks, his name go...
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Do you work on Saturdays?

The Saturday question came to the attention during one of our ad hoc meetings. It had been talked about in the general meeting and people had decided to brush it away, complained the chair. So he started by asking everyone where he was last Saturday that there was no office attendance.

I took my husband to the hospital- that is understood. I am sorry, said a stupid one. I was here all the days long, bragged one of us. I lied that I chair a certain committee to sound big and thoroughly occupied. Then the floor was opened for discussion.

Some had noted that they are Jehovah witnesses and had earlier on turned down Saturday’s work. I struggled to say that the day is aimed at having a person do other things away from job’s work-visits, hang away, get a part time job. That would have eased them for it is expected that a person should all week be occupied with the organization’s work. I cried that it was overtime and some pay should be added. To conclude, I defended that if we were to ballot it no one would vote Yes for Saturday apart from the motion mover. He quickly responded that no one would work on Friday too. In my mind I responded that people work on Friday because they are paid for it and it would be so even on Sundays.

If work is well done, the reports forwarded, the lazy men asked to tighten their ass, there is no need for Saturday. An organization whose capacity is well managed needs not to have work for Saturday. And if there is great need for Saturday, then one person can be in for clients incase there are. On special occasions staffs can be requested to be in for the whole weekend. I was for this reasoning and applauded it silently before the head spoke.

This organization got a culture- he thundered. His push for Saturday is nothing but to have him use the staff for other off work duties. When you go to an organization, do what people have been doing. That is the start of failing and poor inculcation of a new member. Saying a must for Saturday was his first reaction before beginning to say that the day would be used for paperwork, week summary, forecasting for the next week and all that. I was listening no more. He had come to drive the wedge in our minds- not get reasonable.


It is upon him and the organization. An organized person can do tomorrow’s work today. Attendance doesn’t mean working. And working could be just looking busy. 

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