Let us go to Oysterbay Police Station.

Adeladius Makwega – MBAGALA.

“Everyone, hey—I’m going to work. I ask that Odern accompany me as far as Kinondoni Makaburini, there at the garage, so that he can supervise the repair of this car. Tell the other man to go with you so that he goes to the farm to Paskali and supervises the cutting of grass for the cows. Later, once the car is fixed, Odern, return it home and then come pick up the white pickup truck and go with it to the farm to fetch the grass, because the cows’ grass is about to run out. If the dairy cows don’t eat well, our milk customers will lack milk…”

Indeed, those young men prepared very quickly and dressed for the journey to carry out these instructions. Then the one who had given the orders got into the silver BMW together with the two young men, with the driver of the car being the very person who had given those orders earlier.

The car left along Msasani Road near École de France, the French primary school near the old Oysterbay Hotel—not the French secondary school over in Kichanga Chui.

The people who were in this car were three—remember this well. They passed along Kaunda Road, reached Morogoro Stores, turned left, joined Haile Selassie Road, and drove along it until St. Peter’s Church, that is, Oysterbay Parish, formerly known as the Parish of the Makonde and Fishermen.
Remember that since long ago there have been intersections near this church, which have been improved from time to time.

When they reached this intersection, suddenly a female traffic police officer stopped the BMW and said these words:

“Hey everyone—why are you driving a faulty car? The tires are worn out, bald. Why are you doing this?”

The driver replied:

“My mother, it is true our car is faulty and the tires are bald. But as you can see, I am going to work, and this young man next to me is a driver who is taking the car to a garage in Kinondoni to supervise its repair. So we are in the process of improving our car. We admit all the faults before you and before God. Mother, we ask for forgiveness so that I may reach work and the young men can quickly repair our car.”

The traffic officer replied harshly:

“No, no. I say no. You people pretend you are important. I am here to put a stop to those who act like big shots.”

The driver pleaded a great deal for forgiveness, but the traffic officer refused and said,

“Let us go to Oysterbay Police Station.”

At that time it was the nearest station to the area, and this incident happened on that day.

The BMW driver told the young man who was sitting in the front seat to get out and move to the back seat where his colleague was, and then the female traffic officer sat in the front seat until Oysterbay Police Station. And so it was done.

Along the way, the tired BMW driver kept repeating the same words:

“Mother, forgive us; mother, we are going to the garage to repair this car.”

The traffic officer said nothing, and the car drove on to Oysterbay Police Station.

The traffic officer got out harshly, saying,

“These are troublemakers who pretend to be important. Now I am their whip.”

They then went to the Oysterbay Police counter. The traffic officer took out papers to write the report.

At the Oysterbay Police Station counter there was a lively debate. The arrested person said,

“I want to write the statement myself, because I know how to read and write.”

 The traffic officer said, No, that is not our procedure. A discussion followed.

The Officer in Charge of Oysterbay Police Station heard the discussion, and as he listened he recognized a voice he knew. He came out to the counter, encountered the discussion, and then called the BMW driver by his first name twice: …, …, while saluting him.

 

Indeed, the other police officers at the station—including the traffic officer who had arrested the BMW driver—were confused and began saluting as well. The Officer in Charge saluted and then said:

“Mkuu, go.”

The Oysterbay police were astonished. The female traffic officer was called inside by the Officer in Charge for a few minutes, then she came out quickly and returned to where the BMW was parked. She rushed to the BMW driver, saluted him again, and seemed to say something like an apology, while the BMW driver remained silent.

Surprisingly, the traffic officer got back into the BMW and sat in the front seat next to the driver. The engine started and they headed toward the Ali Hassan Mwinyi–Haile Selassie intersection. The traffic officer began talking a lot:

“So you know the boss? Which department do you work in? Please help me get opportunities to go for training courses in Egypt…”

The BMW drove as far as the Haile Selassie–Ali Hassan Mwinyi intersection. The weary BMW driver then said:

“It’s true, mother, I know your boss—but mother, you failed to help us with our issue. If it hadn’t been for the Officer in Charge, what would have happened? With what heart would I help you?”

The car reached the intersection and the traffic officer got out. Then the young driver moved to the front seat. Near the former Russian and American Embassies by the Salenda Bridge, the BMW turned a corner and dropped off one young man who had been sitting in the back seat. He was going to the farm in Pugu to deliver money to those cutting grass for the cows, so that the grass could later be collected by the pickup truck in the evening. Then Odern and the BMW driver headed toward Kinondoni.

 

What does Mwanakwetu say today?

This incident brought together the BMW driver, the female traffic officer, and another police officer identified as the Officer in Charge of Oysterbay Police Station—all of whom came from the security and defense services.

The police officer from Oysterbay Police Station who was mentioned as the Officer in Charge is believed to have later become the DCI, judging by how he is remembered by the narrator. Meanwhile, the driver of the worn BMW was, at that time, the Assistant Director of the Tanzania National Intelligence and Security Service.

My reader, consider the response of this Assistant Director of National Security at the time: he could have simply produced his identification and the matter would have ended, but he did not. He obeyed the police order and went to the station. And if the Officer in Charge of Oysterbay had not been present, what would have happened?

A question to ask ourselves today: do our young people in the security services today have such behavior?

Indeed, the man who was driving the BMW was an Assistant Director of the National Intelligence and Security Service in those days.

Mwanakwetu, are you there? Remember:

“Let us go to Oysterbay Police Station.”

I wish you a good day.

makwadeladius@gmail.com
0717649257