When naughty students busted their headmaster

By John Kariuki

Man-Man, a DJ at a club in Nairobi remembers his college days vividly. He and his girlfriend would meet at a rural trading centre at dusk. Often he would escort her, nay "push her" home. As is wont to happen, one day one thing led to another and soon the pair found themselves in a roadside bush.

"We must have made some noise for someone stopped by to listen," recalls Man-Man.

It was his girlfriend’s father who had actually trailed them from the trading center. After confirming his worst fears, this man went home in a rage ahead of his daughter. By the time his girlfriend arrived home, adds Man-Man, she found her father arguing with her mother over her conduct.

Manners

"When he saw her, he took out his belt to teach her some manners," reveals Man-Man.

This angry father walloped his daughter across her shoulders. His next blow caught her skirt and it rode high. He gasped for breath and threw the belt away, exasperated. The girl’s mother let out a scream. In a manner of speaking, the girl’s rump was still bare!

But as love foibles go, none surpasses what befell *Karimjee, a school principal of one Nakuru school two odd decades ago. Truphena, an old student of this school, remembers a Valentine day joke that they played on their teachers by placing red flowers at the teachers’ desks in each class.

"Some loveless teachers took offence, created a fuss and began investigations to nab the pranksters," she says.

In a short time, ten culprits were identified, Truphena being one of them. The principal and his wife both taught in the same school. They had left for lunch. They came back at 2pm and their first order ofbusiness was the love mischief that some students had done on the teachers.

"From the principal’s agitated and heavily accented English, we knew we were in deep trouble," says Truphena.

Lecture

The offending pranksters were all paraded in his office as his wife, as always, stood by.

As was his custom, Karimjee first gave a lecture on good behaviour. "Vee must be respectful," he began.

It was a hot afternoon and he began sweating. He took out a handkerchief from his coat pocket to wipe sweat from his brow. He froze midway due to the shocked expression on the faces of the students that he was addressing. He looked at the handkerchief in his hand. It was a woman’s, er, loincloth.

Husband and wife exchanged embarrassed stares. In a reconciliatory tone, Karimjee ordered the students out of his office, promising to deal with them later. This, according to Truphena, was as good as saying that the matter was over.

Arguing

Karimjees locked themselves in the office and began arguing. This time, however, it was Mr Karimjee in hot soup and no way was he going to say, "Vee must behave."