Lamu Old Town crier: A tale of resilience, passion and determination

Crying is normally a sign of sadness, grief and in some instances a sign of joy.

On the streets of Lamu Island, a man has cried his lungs out for the past 15 years and continues to do so with fierce passion.

Meet Bwana Shee, 62, the official town crier for the island and adjacent areas.

His job is just like any other. Mr Shee’s job description includes making public announcements or proclamations, usually by shouting along the streets.

He says he drew his inspiration from his childhood dream of becoming a broadcaster.

He had been unable to get into the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication, the only college providing media and journalism training in Kenya back then. His poor parents could not afford to pay the fees.

“I was disappointed because that had been my ultimate goal. The fire to broadcast continued to burn within me.”

He joined the Kenya Prisons Service in 1982, serving for 12 years as a warder.

Mr Shee worked at the prisons in Nairobi West, Kisumu, Nyeri’s King’ong’o, Shimo La Tewa in Mombasa, Hindi GK in Lamu and Garissa GK in northeastern Kenya.

In 1994, aged 35 years, Mr Shee sought early retirement, citing frustrations from his seniors and general boredom from doing a job he did not love.

“I really don’t think I was cut out to work in the forces but I had to, just so I could make a living. But even then, my heart was crying out for broadcasting.”

Shortly after leaving his prison warder job, Mr Shee tried his luck at the boat transport business in Lamu, working as a tout and boat operator for another 12 years.

He describes the experience as nostalgic, as it enabled him to put his speaking skills to work.

“The job involved a lot of shouting and communicating as I sorted passengers to travel on the boats.”

It is in this period that he discovered what he describes as a gap in information flow and announcements in the community in Lamu Old Town and the neighbouring villages of Shella and Matondoni.

Many people did not pay much attention to information on notice boards and in newspapers while just a handful owned and listened to radios.

“Most of the community members didn’t own television sets and as such I discovered that crucial information was not reaching the targeted audience on time.”

It is this discovery that opened doors to Mr Shee’s current profession as Lamu’s town crier, which he began in 2006.

Armed with his tool of trade, a megaphone that he purchased using his savings, he describes his job as both fulfilling and a source of income, as he is able to make an honest living and support his family.

On how he draws customers, Mr Shee says he has made a name for himself as the only town crier in Lamu Island, and as such, there is always an overwhelming number of people seeking him out to have their messages broadcast in the streets.

Referrals from previous and current clients have also helped market his trade and attract more clients.

The father of six, four boys and two girls, says he has been able to educate all his children through his town crier job.

His last-born child completed Form Four in 2019.

Mr Shee says in a good month he makes up to Sh40,000.

As with many other Kenyans, the Covid-19 pandemic has not been kind to his business. Few job offers are coming his way, meaning he is not earning as much as he used to.

His major clients include Lamu’s health department.

Others are non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and business people.

“I have survived the Covid-19 season mainly because of the health department, which has ensured I have announcements to pass across on an almost daily basis. I do announcements on Covid-19, malaria, polio vaccination and elephantiasis, among others.”

His business, however, peaks during election campaigns.

Mr Shee is always sought after to make announcements for politicians.

“For a normal announcement, I charge between Sh1,000 and Sh2,000, depending on the size of the area I have to cover. For Lamu town alone, I charge Sh1,000 but the figure rises the farther I go away from the town.”

But he charges slightly higher for his services during political campaigns because the demand is higher.

“For instance, during the 2017 elections, I would charge between Sh1,500 to Sh2,000 for a single political announcement. In a day, I would have over six announcements to make which is good money.”

The most memorable episode of his journey as a town crier was in 2010 when he was gifted a modern megaphone by a tourist who was impressed by his work.

But Mr Shee’s job comes with challenges.

He says the nature of his job occasionally compromises his personal security, especially during elections.

“I do this to earn a living irrespective of whom I am doing it for. There have been some instances, however, where I have been roughed up by members of the public for running announcements for certain politicians.”

He recalls an incident in December 2007, during post-election violence, when his megaphone was smashed and broken by supporters of opposing political supporters.

His left hand was also injured in the altercation.

As the 2022 General Election draws near, Mr Shee is wary and urges the public to treat his job as any other and that the announcement he might be paid to make is not his personal opinion.

“When they see me with my megaphone issuing messages from this and that politician, I beseech them not to throw stones at me. I am just a messenger. Let them treat this as a disclaimer.”

Mr Shee was born in 1959 in Langoni, Lamu town.

The firstborn in his family, he attended Lamu Boys Primary School between 1968 and 1975.

He joined Lamu Boys Secondary School in 1976 and completed his studies in 1979.

We may refer to him as the town crier but in his community, he is fondly referred to as “Babu Mtangazaji”, the grandpa of broadcasting.

“It’s a dream fulfilled for me, though in a much different way than we are used to. They do it on radio and TV and I do it on my megaphone. At the end of the day, we all broadcast.”

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