The taxi boss: Inkabi

He was one of those successful gentle men, born by a freak of fortune in the lower-middle-class family. Every luxury that he possessed was through his mischievous hustles and gangsterism stunts. No one has ever thought that Mr Kelechi Maanda may one day become the taxi boss. Quietness and smiling were one of his major characteristics. He did not like to expose his mischievous behaviour to his fellow community members and they knew him as a very humble and gentle business man . He gave a lot back to his community and was regarded a hero by many in the neighbourhood. Even thou he had more than thirty minibus taxis, he did not conceive even a single child. His love for children made him adopt more than twelve children of different races, he built a double-storey house for them and hired nannies to take care of them. Some of his contributions to his community were a library and a community hall were people hold events, a playground for kids and also a rehabilitation center for alcohol and drug-addicts. His mother was a widow who worked as a domestic worker in the urban areas. She spent most of her time at work than at home. In his family they were only two brothers, his twin brother, Kano, who was shot on head by gang rivals who were looking for Kelechi, and they mistaken him for Kano because they looked more alike. Kelechi and Kano were identical twins, yet Kano was not involved in gangsterism and was more passionate about becoming a lawyer one day. After his brother's death, Kelechi's relationship with his family was very bitter and they started to dislike him because the cause of his brother's death was his mischievous and reckless behaviors. After experiencing such a bitter relationship in his own family, he decided to move away from home, at just eighteen years of age. He started to heavily intoxicate himself so that he cannot think about the idea that the cause of his brother's death was him. He joined gangsterism at only twelve years of age while he was still attending secondary school and was recruited by his older cousin who was also a gang member. Their duty as gang members was to sell illegal drugs and to terrorize anyone who is a rebellious to their organization. At secondary school they expelled him after he was found in possession of marijuana and also stabbed the other boy who was selling the same product. After his expulsion he then spent most of his time selling at streets. Selling marijuana became his time-to-time job, and he also started recruiting other young boys and groomed them to become members of the gang group. After realising that he is able to control other young boys, he eagerly started his own gangster group and became rival to the one that groomed him, so he became a wanted soul at the age of 18. One night they invaded his home, and brutally shot his brother twice on head in front of his granny and cousins. After his brother's funeral, not even a single relative wanted him and he was send packing by his mother. Upon arrival at Mayfair he hired a shack. Back at home he left his gangster group in the hands of one of the boys that he trusted and was very loyal to him. The boy always made sure that he send Kelechi the profit money from drugs every weekend. In this way his organization was operating smoothly. At his new home of Mayfair, they knew nothing about him. His organization, back at home grew and dominated the other rival group that groomed Kelechi. With the money that he received from his agent every weekend, he used some to pay rent, buy food and toiletries and then invest the rest. By the age of twenty-five he managed to move out of the rented shack and built himself a portable house in the Mayfair neighborhood. He then erected monumental tombstone for his slain brother. Despite the tensions with his family he managed to send them some money to meet their needs, since his mother was no longer able to go to work as she was diagnosed with osteopathy, a bone disease. Osteopathy is usually caused by too much exposure to freezers or working with cold water more often like when doing laundry and dishes. Kelechi's mother worked as a domestic worker for more than twenty years and this condition does not come as a suprise. Many women of around fifty years and above in the lower-middle-class are diagnosed with this type of a disease because they worked as domestic workers to provide for their families. The Maanda family had only a two-roomed house which catered for Kelechi's mother, grandmother and three cousins. The three cousins were two boys and a girl, they lost their mother who was a sister to Kelechi's mother. Their family lived in a very miserable situation and it is the very same situation that encouraged Kelechi to engage in gangsterism. Most of the young boys in his previous or his birthplace have engaged in gansterism not by choice but the circumstances forced them to do so, but most of them were sent to an early grave. Joining gangsterism is like signing a contract between live and death. Kelechi became his family's guardian angel because he sent money to them without them knowing that it was him who sent it. They always wondered who is sending them money every weekend. His older cousin, the one who introduced him into gangsterism was stabbed on his spine while drinking at a local tavern and paralyzed on a wheelchair. He was the sole breadwinner of the family. Ever since Kelechi formed his mischievous organisation his family are able to meet their needs and he is now their main pillar. He then secured a job as a taxi driver for a local taxi owner who owned two minibus taxis, and that is where he learnt about this taxi business from. He started to fall in love with the taxi industry and was curious about it.