by Owade Achieng Oss Emilly  (This story has been slightly edited.)

Many, many years ago a gigantic man called Chebelion lived at Sprok in Baringo.  He was about seven feet tall and was always cool, calm and reserved.  His re, shifty eyes almost the size of tennis balls, pierced painful through you until your own eyes dropped.  He was both a blessing and menace to the community: a blessing to the good citizens by a menace to the trouble-makers.

His strength was great, strong as twenty men of average size.  He could pick up a cow stuck in a ditch as easily as you could pick up a gallon of paraffin.  He would catch a fierce, strong bull and cut off its head as quickly as you could slaughter a hen.

Mother’s had a quieting time with their babies for at the mention of the name “Chebelion”, a child would hide in his mother’s lap and stay as still and quiet as death.

During a beer part, Chebelion would sit in one corner of the room looking for trouble-makers.  If two people quarreled, he calmly went to them, took them by the scruff of their necks, and hid them under his huge armpits as a hen does with her chicken.  He would continue sipping his pombe as if nothing had happened.  If his prisoners kicked around he simple brought their heads together like fighting rams.  Even the most incorrigible trouble-maker soon kept quiet, and it was not long before Chebelion earned the name of “The People’s Peace Maker.”

One day, when Chebelion was away, a group of fire people were talking about their chief at a beer-party.

“You know I cal him a thief,” said one man.
“He is a confirmed idiot,” said another.
“He is a tyrannical devil,” agreed a third.
“There is no worse person on earth,” added another.
“Better live under a heap of burning wood than under their ear-less dog,” said the last.
And, that night they conspired to get rid of their old chief Komen.

At dawn the next day, unexpected news was bouncing lip to lip like a ball: the dictator was lying silent in a grave.  Some could hardly believe it, to them their chief had seemed immortal.  But when they saw his body, they were left with no doubt that he was indeed dead.

After a short discussion, the people unanimously agreed that Chebelio, “Peace Maker” should be Komen’s successor.  Nobody protested that an un-married person was chosen, since it was the custom to be married.  Neither did anyone raise the fact that Chebelion was reserved and a difficult character to understand what was in his oval head.  All they knew was that he was quiet, strong and hated the company of women.  The delegates were sent and he was told he was the new chief of the people of Baringo.