Kenyan Tales

16/01/2024

https://kenyantales.com/african-rhymes/

07/12/2023

Gaciku Mysteries - Robinson Didn't Say
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP9TMXSN

The story features Gaciku, a 63-year old crocheting grandmother with a weakness for Kenyan tea and a decent gossip, as the main protagonist. Gaciku gives a detailed account of the unexpected happenings of that day, as seen through her keen eye for detail, and her inability to mind her own business.

This is a Murder Mystery set in the tourist resort town of Ukunda in the Diani area of Kwale County, where Gaciku has gone to enjoy a holiday in her brother’s home. What was supposed to be a wonderfully relaxing day turns into a helter skelter sink-hole of murder, deceit and greed.

Robinson is a retired officer of a foreign military who settled in Ukunda to enjoy his sunset years. Last night at around 9 pm, Robinson and his young friend were seen forcing Asha, a seventeen-year-old girl, into his green Prado. Gaciku is drawn into the hunt for the girl when she finds out that the young man arrested for the crime is her favourite niece’s new husband. Her niece is inconsolable and swears there is no way he could have done it, as they were together when the crime was committed. Her tears and anguish amount to nothing as the criminal justice system slowly squeezes its tentacles around the young man’s throat. In the frantic hours that follow, Gaciku finds the girl’s documents and photos in Robinson’s car, and her clothes his house. She finds out Robinson had booked a flight out of the country and may be taking the girl with him. In desperation, Gaciku tracks him down to the parking yard of Diani Centre, where she finds him in his car, dead.

The police then turn their attention to the young man for the murder. All the evidence for both the girl’s kidnapping and Robinson’s murder now point to him. They say he murdered the old man to cover up his involvement in the kidnapping. The police are no longer looking for the girl, they are looking for her body, so that they can add another murder to the young man’s charge sheet. Gaciku is in a race against time to prove the young man’s innocence, as well as uncover the deep dark secrets of the retired military officer and his shadowy associates. She is soon caught in the centre of a complicated scheme involving child trafficking, identity theft, serious land fraud and secrets of a foreign military.

This is a story of love and loyalty, greed and betrayal.

Gaciku Mysteries: Robinson Didn't Say

07/12/2023

Gaciku Mysteries - The Longonot Stone
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP9T36FL

This is a Murder Mystery set in a bank in Naivasha and inside a bus, as it speeds along the busy Nairobi-Nakuru Highway. It features Gaciku, a 63-year old crocheting grandmother with a weakness for Kenyan tea and a decent gossip, as the main protagonist. Gaciku gives a detailed account of the unexpected happenings of that morning, as seen through her keen eye for detail, and her inability to mind her own business.

There has been a robbery at the Naivasha Branch of Bora Bank, where Gaciku’s son, Mwangi, is the Manager. The Longonot Stone, which is the largest faceted Tsavorite in the world, has been stolen. The gangster who steals it does not get far, he is shot from the back by his friend, who also is not so lucky. Gaciku finds him in the women’s washrooms, stabbed through the heart. The chain of betrayal has just begun.

Gaciku is certain she saw who did it, but no one believes her, because no one saw what she saw. The rude young lady in the scandalous outfit has disappeared, and so has the old hunchback in the flowered Dira dress. The Longonot Stone has disappeared along with them, but not before the evidence is seen to point to Mwangi himself. It is a race against time as Gaciku puts aside her crotchet and wool, to come to her son's rescue.

However, as their bus takes to the road, Gaciku and her travelling companions are unaware of the terror ahead. The betrayed gangsters believe the jewel is in the bus, and are presently in hot pursuit. Their mission is to recover the priceless jewel, but even more important, to exact revenge against the treachery of their fellow thieves, who are also in the bus. Unfortunately for Gaciku and her travelling companions, the gunmen are coming for them, all of them. There is no escape, there shall be death on the bus. It is inevitable.

This is a story of greed and betrayal, patience and sagacity.

Gaciku Mysteries: The Longonot Stone

07/12/2023

Gaciku Mysteries - Who Killed Githendu?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP9VQ7NK

This is a Murder Mystery set in Rural Kenya, with all its typical attractions and distractions. It features Gaciku, a 63-year old grandmother, as the main protagonist.

Githendu has been found dead in the middle of the road in front of Gaciku’s shop. The hopeless drunkard had stolen, lied and bullied his way into the lives of most of the business owners of Gasenyi Junction. Now, they are the main suspects, with all of them having a reason to want him dead. From a butcher whose meat supply he has ruined, and a wild woman running a shop full of stolen goods, to a doctor, with whom his sinister partnership had gone bad.

The meddlesome Gaciku has seen it all from the counter of her shop. She knows their secrets, their fears and where all the skeletons are buried. That is why she takes it upon herself to unwind the intricate web of selfish interests and evil intentions that lay below the surface of this beautiful town, straddled by massive acacias and painted green by endless trimmed grass meadows.

The Chief Inspector’s investigation has hit a dead end. He has no witnesses, no evidence and no prospects. The cunning Gaciku is his only hope. However, the killer strikes again, just as Gaciku and her friends are enjoying a warm cup of tea on a cold, misty afternoon. It is only a matter of time until one of them, or some of them, or even, all of them, follow Githendu’s fate. Gaciku’s resolute mind, and her embarrassing curiosity, are their only hope.

It is a story of good and evil, right and wrong.

Gaciku Mysteries: Who Killed Githendu?

10/11/2021

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LFSFTB9
The Adventures of Ashu
Someone Else

This is the twentieth volume of the series on the adventures of a Ten Shilling Coin called Ashu. The story follows Ashu’s narration of events as he is thrown in and out of the lives of friends and strangers by the forces of everyday commerce.

Preview ...

Muthoni felt the cold fingers of panic creeping up her spine as the dark abyss approached. The consequences of what she was about to do were unimaginable. This may well become the most important day of her life. It may result in her imprisonment, and a complete destruction of her family. Either way, it would not end as it had started, and it all rested on the next few minutes.

As she strode into the banking hall, she prayed no one recognised her. All it would take was a loud greeting and a careless remark about her vegetables at Kangemi Market. It would be game over. The mask would be stripped and Muthoni would be discovered, uncovered and exposed.

This was not her world. These were not her people. This was not her money. She was a stranger in the land of plenty. These people were part of the system. They were the system. Society had flipped a coin and made them kings, and by the same toss Muthoni’s fate had been sealed.

Who would she complain to? Who would listen to her story? Who would even let her through the door. She was just a simple vegetable vendor. From here, it would be either death or the dungeons. This evening her children may arrive to an empty house. She had tried to leap across poverty’s ravine for them, but she had fallen into doom’s jaws.

She was about to fail.

Muthoni needed to realise this was her life’s crossroads, and she had to make a choice. She needed to get rid of the humble woman from the roadside. She needed to become someone else. She could not fight the system, but could she find a crack in the system, or work around it?

Would she sit back and let the system beat her again?
Or would she catch the coin before it falls?

Find out at ... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LFSFTB9
Or visit Ashu's Home ... https://ashucoin.com/

The Adventures of Ashu: Someone Else

31/10/2021

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KQSKB2N
The Adventures of Ashu
The Khaki Bag

This is the nineteenth volume of the series on the adventures of a Ten Shilling Coin called Ashu. The story follows Ashu’s narration of events as he is thrown in and out of the lives of friends and strangers by the forces of everyday commerce.

Preview ...

Ojwang’ was the mark and he knew they were coming. He had seen them coming. The countless heads bobbing about in the ferry were distracting him. The overcrowded assembly inside MV Harambee made it impossible for him to see all of them. His breathing was sharp and measured. His muscles were tense and wired. Only his experience kept him from unraveling. All the same, he knew it would be over soon.

MV Harambee was making its usual run between Mombasa Island and Likoni, across the Kilindini Harbour. The double-ended ferry had set off from Likoni just moments ago, and all he had to do was stay out of sight for a few more minutes. He would then melt away with the crowd’s mad rush when they reach Mombasa.

Ojwang’ could not remember why he was running from them. He did not know who they were. He did not know for how long he had been running. He could not remember anything prior to boarding the ferry. He only knew that he had to run. It was instinctive, it was his training.

He could no longer deny the possibility. His past had finally caught up with him. His days in special operations had come back to haunt him. The ghosts of his many battles were back to exert retribution. He always knew they would. The unforgotten weeping and lamentations had plagued his mind every night. His days as a Paratrooper in the Special Operations Regiment were fresh in his mind, and the sins of war, even more so.

He was an expert in this business. His many scars bore testament to his many years in the game. He was a soldier’s soldier.

He knew he was running out of time, but he could not resist it.
He was in his element.
And besides, there was always time for one last run.

Read it all at ... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KQSKB2N
Or visit Ashu's Home ... https://ashucoin.com/

The Adventures of Ashu: The Khaki Bag

16/10/2021

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0992V3Q9J
'The Adventures of Ashu
Gateru's Gracious Skirt

This is the seventeenth volume of the short story series on the adventures of a Ten Shilling Coin called Ashu. The story follows Ashu’s narration of events as he is thrown in and out of the lives of friends and strangers by the forces of everyday commerce.

Gateru was out, breathing freedom’s air. He hugged the front of the faded cardigan and narrowed his eyes. The cold Nanyuki breeze cutting across his face was still the same. It was familiar, it was comforting and it was home. His lungs took a gulp of the crisp wind and refused to let go.

He had waited a long time for this. The Main Gate of Nanyuki GK Prison was behind him. He had dreamed of freedom and longed for redemption. He wanted reparation and craved retribution. Patience had been his patron, and it had whispered daily to him, though the four grey walls.

His escape had been smooth, but his freedom was still incomplete. He could not enjoy the fresh breeze, nor delight in the new sights. There was no time. There was so much to be done and so far to run. He only had two months to his release but he had risked it all, or maybe thrown it all away. He needed to follow the plan, the long laboured plan.

It would take them, at most, fifteen minutes to notice he was gone. They would lock down the entire town. His timing had to be perfect or he would be captured by hour’s end. They would add three more years to the three about to end. They would make certain he counted every second and regretted every day. There was no forgiveness for embarrassing the Crown.

Gateru had to do it. He had to draw the first blood. He had no choice. His enemies were powerful, and relentless. The task had to be completed, otherwise everything would be lost. If he failed, his patience would have been forsaken and his courage amounted to nothing. Most of all, his life, and the lives of all who had conspired with him, would be over.

He braced himself against the wind and took the first step. The hunt was about to begin.

The Adventures of Ashu: Gateru's Gracious Skirt

24/07/2021

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09B5444F5
'The Adventures of Ashu
The Red Dots

This is the eighteenth volume of the short story series on the adventures of a Ten Shilling Coin called Ashu. The story follows Ashu’s narration of events as he is thrown in and out of the lives of friends and strangers by the forces of everyday commerce.

Mugendi picked up his daughter and held her up. The small jet of blood was still spurting from her. He looked at the floor. It was carpeted by the clotting juice of his baby's flesh. He stood there, unsure of what to do, holding Kanini in his outstretched hands.

His little girl had been butchered in his own house.

Mugambi was frozen where he stood. His eyes were staring at a reality that his mind was refusing to process. He was stuck in the narrow corridor between horror and terror. He was scrambling up the spiralling stairway from fear to panic.

His baby girl’s throaty howls brought him back.

She was calling out to him, begging him to make the pain go away. Her shrieks were getting louder. Her shaking legs had folded up with the soles of her feet against his chest. Her stiffened torso was curled against itself, shuddering sporadically.

Mugendi did not know what to do to make his baby whole again. He just held her to him, trying to absorb her pain, his tears joining her blood on his shirt. She was calling out to him. Her voice was ripping at his insides. Her wailing was shredding his heart.

He was helpless against his daughter’s agony. His mouth had no words. He could not find any. There were none he could give her, none that were worthy. All he could do was hold her and watch her, as she drowned in her own pain.

He refused to let her spirit take flight.
He held her closer, trapping it inside.

The Adventures of Ashu: The Red Dots

01/07/2021

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098BQCPGJ
'The Adventures of Ashu
Muya and the Strangers

This is the sixteenth volume of the short story series on the adventures of a Ten Shilling Coin called Ashu. The story follows Ashu’s narration of events as he is thrown in and out of the lives of friends and strangers by the forces of everyday commerce.

The stranger’s patience had paid off. His restraint was about to be rewarded. The small restaurant was now almost empty. He did not want any witnesses. He had done this many times, but the apprehension never waned. The hostess had disappeared behind the kitchen door. One of the waitresses was receiving cash from a customer; the other had her hands full with a table’s worth of dishes. No one was paying attention to the little boy.

He had given Muya a lollipop the first time he wobbled by. He gave him a tiny toy car the second time around, filling him with awe. The boy smiled sweetly as he came round the third. He had made a new friend who was loaded with great stuff. Sure enough, a monster mask was now his to keep. The boy gasped in disbelief. He wished he could show it to Auntie, but his friend shook his head. Their friendship was their secret. Muya took his hand, and the strangeness began.

Soon, too many eyes were looking the stranger’s way. Too many witnesses would have something to say. He held the little boy against his chest with his right arm, and his bag slung over his left. The glances from strange pedestrians scared him. He needed to slow down. He needed to walk as a normal father would, as normally as he could, with his son riding his arm, as normal sons do.

The stranger’s eyes were soon misty from the sweat washing his brow. He had so far only met with fortune on fate’s path. He needed to get off the path, fate will be returning with fortune’s foul twin. The boy’s distress was seen but unobserved, and his sobs were heard but unperceived.

Muya’s strangers then came along, one after another, starting with his mother.

The Adventures of Ashu: Muya and the Strangers

13/05/2021

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094VY3DDH
'The Adventures of Ashu'
The Senior Elder

This is the fourteenth volume of the short story series on the adventures of a Ten Shilling Coin called Ashu. The story follows Ashu’s narration of events as he is thrown in and out of the lives of friends and strangers by the forces of everyday commerce.

Hiribae knew this was the most dangerous animal in Africa. He had been careless. His hurry had distracted him. He had failed to double his distance, and triple his fear. His old knees were about to be tested. He was a Pokomo, one among the people of the Galana Maro, the Mighty Tana River. Today, the pride of the Tana would count for nothing. He would have to run for his life.

The hippo was unforgiving. She could not allow any invasion of her space. She would make him regret for straying too close. Her enormous mouth was half open as she raced after him. Her large tusks gleamed in the late afternoon sun. They would soon bathe in his blood. One snap between her giant jaws would split him in two.

He could hear her heavy grunts right behind him.

He could feel a tingling on his back where the first bite would be.

The ground trembled as the angry giant drew near.

Hiribae knew this was a fruitless race. The beast was catching up. His escape was futile. He could not outrun her. His two old legs were no match for her four strong pegs. Her anger drove her faster than his fear motivated his ran. She was more inspired to gorge him than his weary body was driven to escape.

Hiribae’s right foot was suddenly caught under a fallen tree branch, hidden in the long grass. He fell headlong to the ground, crashing against a decaying tree trunk. His head met the dead trunk near its centre, almost knocking him out.

He looked behind.

The raging hippo was almost upon him.

The Adventures of Ashu: The Senior Elder

30/04/2021

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093WVXHT4
'The Adventures of Ashu'
Muthambi's Incident

This is the thirteenth volume of the short story series on the adventures of a Ten Shilling Coin called Ashu. The story follows Ashu’s narration of events as he is thrown in and out of the lives of friends and strangers by the forces of everyday commerce.

What was about to happen was inevitable. It was also intentional. Muthambi knew what he had done would cause it. He was the cause. And he and I were the only ones who knew what was about to happen.

The previous argument between the truck’s tyres and the road had been forgotten. The potholes had ended well before Sultan Hamud Town. The squabbling and screeching had stopped. The smooth wet tarmac had become irresistible. The virile scent from the spotless tyres was now tantalising. The ebony rubber sliced through the numerous puddles on the road, sanctifying the gloomy air with sprays of cool mist.

The truck was at 160Kph.

The muted grunts were not coming from the tyres. The tyres were content. The grunts were coming from the engine and the trailer. The engine was in its usual angry mood, hissing and snorting to journey’s end. It was hot, tired and irritable.

The trailer was in a panic. The snap binders that held the chains against the trailer’s rub rail were already loose. The 40-foot shipping container that sat on it was overloaded. It was five tonnes above its axle limit.

Suddenly, the trailer’s wheels seized up amid a cloud of smoke from the tyres. The parking brakes had engaged. The callipers had clenched their teeth and forced the brake pads against the disks. The tyres’ romance with the tarmac was at an end. They were now screeching and screaming. The smouldering brakes spewed white smoke, evidence of their new enmity.

That is how the brakes failed, and the incident began.

The Adnentures of Ashu: Muthambi's Incident (The Adventures of Ashu Book 13)

07/03/2021

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Y7RX1YX

'The Adventures of Ashu'
Dawida

This is the twelfth volume of the short story series on the adventures of a Ten Shilling Coin called Ashu. The story follows Ashu’s narration of events as he is thrown in and out of the lives of friends and strangers by the forces of everyday commerce.

Dawida and his little siblings were surrounded by the raging floods. Their cosy enclave had become a trap, and it was getting smaller and tighter. Their little home next to Voi River was gone. It was now part of the furious river. There was no way out. The ridge on the opposite side was too rocky and steep for their little feet.

The angry currents were pulling the children towards the dark abyss. The water was rising up fast. It was already past Dawida's knees. Soon, it will have risen above his thighs to his waist. By then his brother and sister would have been submerged.

Suddenly, whooping sounds rose above the roaring waters. They were unmistakeable. They came from just above the ridge. The undertakers of the wilderness had arrived. The grunts and groans of the hyenas were impatient, they were hungry. They had come to clean up after the flood.

Dawida could not see very clearly. Twilight was approaching. The angry waters were unrelenting. The hyenas were closing in. He had to lead his siblings to the granary. It was the only structure left standing. The raging currents stood in their way.

The short walk would be a gamble for their lives, a stake against their deaths. Every step would be a battle that must be won. Dawida hoped to win them all. A single defeat would mean the end of his small brother and baby sister. It was another burden he would have to bear. He already carried that of his mother.

The rage of Voi River was soon upon them.

The Adventures of Ashu: Dawida

25/02/2021

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XK6STPT

'The Adventures of Ashu'
Deeper

This is the eleventh volume of the short story series on the adventures of a Ten Shilling Coin called Ashu. The story follows Ashu’s narration of events as he is thrown in and out of the lives of friends and strangers by the forces of everyday commerce.

Gosha was thrown against the mast and flung into the depths of the angry ocean. The buoyant mast was the only thing keeping the boat from turtling over, fully capsizing. Mshamu called desperately to her husband. She screamed his name. Nothing. No response. Gosha had disappeared. The blow to his head must have rendered him unconscious. Drowning was inevitable.

The boom had saved her from being thrown clear off the boat. It was now grazing her back as she held on to the centre thwart. She pulled one arm over the boom as the other remained locked on the thwart. That was when she felt a tingling sensation in her pelvis. It was not painful, nor was it uncomfortable.

Next came a dull ache in her lower back. She felt like her spine was being turned outwards. The tingling in her pelvis was still there, but it was consumed by the ache in her spine. Mshamu knew what was coming next. The contractions had arrived. The baby was coming.

Suddenly, she felt a tight grip on her right leg. She panicked and kicked furiously. Whatever had caught her refused to let go. The grip tightened and became painful. She was being pulled underwater. The shadowy monsters of the deep blue were hungry. Her left arm had already given way. She could no longer hold on to the boat.

Her right arm over the boom was her only salvation. As it flipped over, Mshamu knew her time had come. She was flailing helplessly as her head dipped below the surface. The cold water engulfed her.

This was the wrong time to die.

The Adventures of Ashu: Deeper

06/02/2021

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08W214MK3

'The Adventures of Ashu'
Brahim's Fire

This is the tenth volume of the short story series on the adventures of a Ten Shilling Coin called Ashu. The story follows Ashu’s narration of events as he is thrown in and out of the lives of friends and strangers by the forces of everyday commerce.

Brahim scrambled up the ditch and continued running. He could not stop. His leather sandals had long torn apart and fallen off. He had been running barefoot. The road pebbles were sharp and jagged. The soles of his feet were shredded. He was halfway from Multajaʼ. The terror in his heart had numbed the pain.

He had made a grave mistake. He had been careless. His error would case the death of a class full of children. His first born son was among them. All he wanted was to be there. He needed to die with the children. He would be unable to live with the guilt.

He could not stop the explosion. The triggered timer had run its course. The devastation would be catastrophic. The madrassa would be torn to pieces. None of the thirty-two angels would survive.

His business was liberal and his methods were democratic. He never cared for the intentions nor beliefs of his customers. Their delusions or demagoguery were their own burden. His only scripture was currency. His profit margin defined his piety. It was easier to be broke and humble, than meek when loaded. A thick wad of currency in his pocket deafened him from the voice of the muezzin, and his call to prayer.

The time had come to pay for his pretences.
Garissa’s children were about to die.
Their blood would be in his hands.

The Adventures of Ashu: Brahim's Fire

20/01/2021

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08THNSDZ1

‘The Adventures of Ashu’
The Junction

This is the ninth volume of the short story series on the adventures of a Ten Shilling Coin called Ashu. The story follows Ashu’s narration of events as he is thrown in and out of the lives of friends and strangers by the forces of everyday commerce.

Ashu was worried about Tenga. The little girl was desperate. She knew she was helpless against them. She was powerless, but she could not allow them to see the terror in her eyes. She would go and stand with her brother in his moment of death. He was her world, and she would die with him.

The Good News Crusaders of Mtwapa carried machetes and clubs, and sticks and stones. They were infused with apostolic assignment. Their sanctified knives and anointed metal bars were ready for the holy slaughter.

Ndigo was surrounded. They were baying for his blood. He knew this was the end. His sins had finally caught up with him. He was not ashamed of who he was. He was not embarrassed by his nature. His regret was that his small sister would be left all alone. They were the only survivors of the misfortune that had disseminated their entire family.

He had made the mistake of forgetting about their misfortune. He did not realise that the misfortune had not forgotten them. The world had refused to call them by their names. Fate had been sent back to finish the job.

The Adventures of Ashu: The Junction

18/12/2020

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QZGQK5S

‘The Adventures of Ashu’
A Stranger's Wife

This is the eighth volume of the short story series on the adventures of a Ten Shilling Coin called Ashu. The story follows Ashu’s narration of events as he is thrown in and out of the lives of friends and strangers by the forces of everyday commerce.

Ashu found himself in the tormented hands of Serian, a young bride whose world had collapsed. Her womb had not responded to four years as a wife. Fate had made her barren. It was a fitting punishment for her grave sins. A life of suffering and misery was about to begin. She will be discarded to wander the plains of the savannah.

Her restless husband had already spat on her, his other wives despised her and their children wanted her gone. She was unwanted in her tribe. The days were long and the nights were short. She had none to share her pain and none to make it wane. All she received was disdain.

Her prayers knew the way to Ol Doinyo Lengai, the high home of Enkai. They had mastered the route, as she sent them every day.

Her regrets were many; she had broken taboos and upset the gods. Her true love had offered his heart. He had given her solace to ease her aches. She betrayed him. She rejected him. Her meadows had turned to deserts, she had remained without rain.

There was only one last hope left for her.

The Sacrament of Olamal.

The Adventures of Ashu: A Stranger's Wife

18/12/2020

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QBMZQZG

‘The Adventures of Ashu’
Dusty Trigger

This is the seventh volume of the short story series on the adventures of a Ten Shilling Coin called Ashu. The story follows Ashu’s narration of events as he is thrown in and out of the lives of friends and strangers by the forces of everyday commerce.

It was Ashu’s turn to experience the violence of the Northern Frontier. It was Isiolo. The open rangelands had refused to be conquered. Their harsh, rough and tough terrain protected them. They remained unspoiled. They retained their enchanting and pristine character.

Ashu discovers that the virgin beauty hides an underlying conflict of cultures. Isiolo is a theatre of cultural fusion. It is also a warhead’s barrel, vibrating with impending nuclear fission.

Modern corruption comes face to face with outdated cultures of robbery and death. The evils of modernisation are confronted by hopeful glimmers of justice. The iron fist of the law must assert itself, or be incinerated in the ensuing anarchy. The dusty triggers rule the land.

The Adventures of Ashu: Dusty Trigger