Water

Aug 25, 2010 – 4th day in a row that it had been over cast.  Makes it seem a lot cooler, but still think it could be hitting the mid 80s.  Sort of been expecting rain, but have not seen any yet.  Been drive for quite a few days, not even seeing lightning in the distance.  Make for nice dust clouds when the vehicles rush down the road.  And the lake is getting hazier.  At times it is hard to see Mfangano.

But the big water story is the spoiled (broken) water tank at CGA.  This is a 6000 liter (1500-1600 gal) tank.

Started off about 6:30 this morning with neighbor Joe coming to my bedroom window and waking me saying we needed to go up and handle something at school.  I’ve been tossing and turning a while so it was not to rude of an awakening.  I’m ready to go in less than 3 minutes and we head up.  Of course I’m thinking bad – break in people or property badly damaged.  Then I realized the 2 calls that came in at 4:30 this morning were probably about this.  I just got up, saw that it was just a number, meaning the number was not in the phone, so i turned the phone off.  When I turned it on on the way to CGA, I had 4 text messages waiting for me.

Anyway, Joe explained on the way up that the person delivering charcoal ran into a water tank and broke it.  Why delivered at 4:30am in the dark?  Story I was told was because they had to be in Homa Bay by 6am.  Real reason, most charcoal is illegal because it is made from wood cut illegally.  So don’t want to get caught during the day.  But charcoal is all over here, sold on the side of the road up and down from here.  So not much done to stop it.

We get up there and inspect the damage.  5 foot crack about 1/3rd of the way up the tank, plus part of the top is almost cracked off.  Heard that repairs do not hold so the $500 tank is probably worthless.  The pickup is still in place where it hit the tank, the driver and 2 helpers still waiting for us to show up, a good 2 hours after the incident.

Joe and I talk with the driver.  He points to the pedals and says something about the brake.  We both assume that he said something about the brakes not working and he he tries to turn and didn’t see the tank.  Believable looking at the truck that the brakes are bad.

Talk for a while, get the drivers ID card, try to discuss what should be done.  How much and who should pay – driver, truck owner, coal seller, insurance company (the truck was actually insured).  Talk with all and find out that the coal seller’s parents own the truck, and later that the driver is related – a distant relative.  So we settle with anyone and let the family decide who is responsible and owes what.

After a few moments I survey the scene and note that the road from the kitchen where the coal was dropped to the tank dips down from the kitchen and then back up to the tank.  The top of the road is maybe 2 or 3 feet higher than the tank end and that there are 6 inch high rocks about 4 feet in front of the tank along the side of the road.  So, if the truck coasted down the road from the kitchen, and up to the tank it was quite unlikely that it would make it up the hill, bump over the rocks and hit the tank.  I look closer and note that the road (dirt and rocks of course) shows indications that the trucks wheels were spinning trying to get up the hill like it was having trouble even making it up the hill.  So thinking that the truck just rolled down from the kitchen, up and into the tank and the brakes gave out was what happened didn’t add up.

We question the driver again, with some help.  Ahh, the driver had trouble getting the brake applied.  His foot was stuck on the accelerator because the hole in the bottom sole of his shoe got caught in the pedals.  That makes sense.  He’s accelerated up the hill, his foot got caught and couldn’t apply the brake, a little panic, dark, didn’t want to turn down hill to the gate, turned the other way and boom (or bump, pop) the tank no longer holds water.

40,000 ksh water tank spoiled because of a spoiled shoe.

So we get the coal seller on the phone, she is coming to school to discuss so we take the other 7 bags of charcoal on the truck (besides the 10 they already delivered) and release the driver, helper and truck.  Didn’t really want to take them to the police – that would not help us recover our money, just put a bigger burden on the vehicle owner.

Knowing that not all drivers are licensed, especially piki-piki drivers I asked to see the drivers license.  He was actually licensed to drive commercial vehicles! And he was quick to point out that it did not expire until tomorrow!  He was legal.

The lady came.  She actually admitted some responsibility and wanted to come to a fair compromise.  A bit unusually for a Kenyan to admit such a thing, they are often like kids that deny load and long even if you are standing watching when it happens.  With the help of Willis, a long time CGA assistant to Steve, the real manager, we prayed about it and decided we would keep the 17 bags of charcoal without paying as restitution for the tank. 

Steve didn’t train me for this one.

CGA Acting Manager,

Paul