Pastor slaps girl lying on phone in a matatu

By ERIC LUNGAI

KISUMU: A pastor in a Kisumu bound matatu from Kakamega whacked a girl across her face for lying — among many other things, about her whereabouts — to someone on phone.

The young woman estimated to be in her early 20s lied to the caller that she was headed to Eldoret to see a friend who was in dire need of her help. She continued telling the person that she was even accompanied by her parents, as the person was a close friend of their family.

Lies

Bemused by the lies, the preacher told her off for lying and loudly whispered to her to apologise and tell the truth or else attract the pastor’s wrath. The girl ignored him.

“Young people, nowadays, have increasingly become a disgrace to the society.

How can she cheat that she is heading to Eldoret, while she is heading to Kisumu?” the disappointed preacher hissed, while she was still imploring the caller.

The girl proceeded with lying as the pastor cringed in disgust while looking around in shock, as if to wonder whether he was the only one disturbed with the lies. To his surprise, none of the other travellers was bothered.

The not-so-amused pastor gestured at her to stop lying, in vain. He even tried heckling her to no avail. When the going got tougher, she instead, began countering the pastor’s onslaught, of course, getting the caller’s attention in the process. Before long, the man of cloth made good his threat.

Incensed with her irritation, the visibly peeved pastor struck her hard across the face. The phone fell down with its battery and other accessories falling apart. The woman became mad, cursing and taunting the man of God for slapping her without any concrete reason, and dared him to slap her again of which he did.

Guns

“Auuuuwi! You have slapped me? How can you slap me? Are you my father to get the guts to put your dirty hands on me? Kiangalie hiki kimzee (look at this old man). If this is how you are behaving without guns, which some of your colleagues have been crying for, how about if you had one?” the irate girl retorted as she clicked in disgust. A battle of words between the girl, the pastor and other commuters — who immediately took sides — ensued.

“Nyinyi watoto wa siku hizi mmezidi. Mnadanganya tu hata mchana wazazi wenyu wakiskia? Mnafaa kuchapwa viboko kabisa, (that serves her right, youth of today are in the habit of lying even in broad daylight)” an elderly woman, who had thrown her weight behind the pastor, said.

“This pastor should repent. That is invading one’s privacy. How sure was he that the caller was a nag this girl was avoiding? And again, why was he eavesdropping in people’s conversations? Where have Kenyans gotten this Edward Snowden like behaviours?  Why is he behaving like the government of America eavesdropping peoples’ phone conversations, for crying out loud?” yelled an angry young woman from the back seat.

Heed

The man of God was disappointed with the current crop of youths who have become quite irrational and can no longer heed to what their parents send them to do in school.

The helpless young woman kept mum and kept on clicking, before she alighted at Tuskys in Kisumu.