Killing thirst on your Dar-Kagera journey

A serious matter has made it mandatory for me to travel to the West Lake region. Yes, a grand old man of ours has been recalled by his Maker.

And, trust us, hatuziki wapendwa wetu porini—we don’t bury our beloved ones in the wilderness, or so we say.

So, the good man, son of Kahabuka, who was just a decade away from clocking a century, upon passing on in Dodoma, had to have his remains transported to a village in Muleba District of Kagera Region to be laid to rest in his matoke farm, close to where his kith and kin before him had been interred.

In his Usia, he was very categorical, saying that upon his death, his people, those living in Kagera and elsewhere, should be there to participate in his internment in Kashoju Village, Muleba.

I happen to be one of his people, so I had to raise Sh200k for a two-way ticket journey to Bukoba, which is 1,400 km (plus) from Dar, to participate in the burial of Wa Kahabuka.

Yes, for he was not only a father-in-law; he was also a good friend and a life counsellor to many of us, including Ndugu Esaya, Omari “Mwanza” Muyanza, Ally "Tyson,” and I.

Our actual journey to Kagera starts at the prestigious Magufuli Bus Terminal.

My co-traveler Tyson and I know this will be a really long journey, which will, however, provide no opportunity for us to hop out of the bus and take a drink or two that we perpetually need.

Now, since we aren’t as stupid as we might look, we’re well stocked.

Tyson has a good number of take-away lagers. For my part, I carry a few bottles of Kasichana.

I’m not into lagers, much as we’re travelling on a so-called luxury bus that’s fixed with a toilet facility.

Making too many visits to empty the bladder entails walking carefully past passengers, some lying on the bus floor, having been picked up along the way.

You see, as we cover more and more regions (six or so ahead of Kagera), the “luxury” bus crew reduces the long-distance vehicle to a daladala, picking up along the way whoever waves them down.

In Muleba Town, we get ourselves rooms at this expansive hotel that’s so complex that one finds oneself losing his way to one’s room, the dining room, the bar, or the reception.

It’s, however, a new experience that we all enjoy. Muleba Town is a mere 20-minute ride to Kashoju. One takes even shorter time on a boda boda.

Upon finishing the noble, solemn task that brought us to the far-flung part of the Bongo Republic, we wangle transport to our hotel, where we intermingle with well-wishers and relatives, some of whom, like Asia Tekolanwa Mundeme, had travelled all the way from Germany to participate in her grandfather’s burial.

We enjoy drinks and bites together while reminiscing about our experiences with the iconic patriarch, Musiiri Kahabuka, who we’ll forever miss—the man who left us to meet his Maker on July 28.