The Kuku Kollektors

To add to the craziness that was this day, the hostel experienced the arrival of what we lovingly called the kuku kollektors (kuku = chicken in Kiswahili).  Ante and I were on our way to meet Josiah and head to the hospital when we noticed about 30 men and boys all standing around the Kawira’s house, and almost every one of them was holding a chicken.  One guy even offered one to Ante.  We ran into the house to ask Dr. Esther what the heck was going on, and she had no idea.  Luckily they didn’t seem angry, actually quite the opposite.  Our guesses were either they were there to celebrate Dr. Esther’s return from 10 days in Cyprus OR they were members of the local poultry federation and needed some meeting space.  We were wrong.  After sending Josiah out to figure out the craziness, he informed us that they were a sort of tax collectors.  Evidently today had been a mandatory work day for all men in Shirati to report and help fix/build a road in town (according to Josiah, the leftovers of the ol’ socialist government).  Josiah had not reported and thus owed a chicken to the town council.  These men had been the ones to work and now were going to the houses of the families without a representative working.  The fine? Either a chicken, 3,000Tsh ($2), or something of similar value and removable (such as a plastic chair).  Really, folks, I can’t make this stuff up.  Well he had just killed his last chicken for lunch and he couldn’t give up one of our chairs that we use every morning when waiting for the Hilux, so he paid them.  You might wonder what they do with the chickens that they’ve collected.  Oh, they hold an auction immediately after all fines are collected and the money raised goes to…  So, Josiah gives them enough money to buy three of the chickens up for auction along with his and Manine’s fines.  Thus is the first strike of the infamous kuku kollektors.