Keys

Ever since we arrived, there have always been logistics regarding keys, as there are only two sets: One set held by Lucy, and another set held by Mungai. We realized that this would be an issue in terms of getting in and out of the house at odd hours, but after asking mzee if we could make another set, he said “no, we don’t need it”. OK, we’ll have a go at it I guess. After four or so weeks, it was increasingly clear that it was necessary after several lockout incidents, so mzee resolved to take care of it in Mombasa.

Keys here come in two flavors: One is the standard key that we’re used to, and the other is a key like those that you hunt for in video games, like a dungeon key. We figured that the dungeon key would be pretty easy to copy, as it was very simple. We were wrong.

Mzee brought back copies of the three keys, and we were thrilled and thanked him. Lucy suggested that we actually try the keys before we celebrate. She's obviously been around the block. One of three keys worked. Two weeks pass. The second trip to Mombasa appeared to produce three of three functional keys, but one of them broke off in the lock during the second use. Damn. Another trip to Mombasa, another key that didn’t work. At this point, mzee was understandably tired of the half-day trek into Mombasa, so he opted to try one of the local keysmiths in Ukunda. We figured that he didn't want to use them because many people in Ukunda recognize the truck and mzee, and since locksmiths are some of the biggest criminals in the US, I imagine that they're worse here. We quickly understood another reason why he didn't want to use them once he brought home the finished product. The key on the bottom is the one we were trying to copy.



It actually looks worse in person. We think that the keysmith must have tried to replicate the key using only a metal file, with less than perfect results. Strike four. The key saga came to a mysterious end just yesterday when mzee handed me a full set of keys. I asked where they come from, to which he replied, “don’t worry about it”. I can tell you this, they did not come from Ukunda.