Wanafunzi wenzangu pale Tambaza High School wanakumbuka ambaye sasa ni jaji mkuu Chande alivyokuwa anatumia jina lake. Ni kweli Mohamed ni jina lake. Pia Othman ni jina lake na alikuwa anatumia jina hilo mara nyingi. Hakuficha wala hakukana na kusema Mohamed siyo jina lake. Karibu nyakati zote tulikuwa tunamwita Chande tu, lakini pia alikuwa anaitwa Othman Chande mara nyingi kuliko Mohamed Chande.
Bila shaka wenzangu darasani na Chande pale Tambaza High School tulipokuwa pamoja Form V na Form VI (1969 - 1970), kwa mfano James Maugo ambaye alisomea sheria UDSM pamoja na Chande, wanakumbuka jambo hilo - kwamba darasani na nje, tulikuwa tunamwita na alikuwa anajiita mara nyingi Othman Chande.
Pia tulijua jina lake lingine ni Mohamed - yaani Mohamed Othman Chande; lakini karibu nyakati zote: Chande. Lakini ukisema Mohamed Chande au Othman Chande, tulijua unamzungumzia Chande classmate wetu ambaye pia tuliishi naye H.H. The Aga Khan Hostel. In fact, his room was next to mine on the upper floor. Chumba chetu, with cubicles (kila cubicle ilikuwa na wanafunzi wawili) was next to the room where Chande and some of the other students lived katika hostel hiyo. Karibu wanafunzi wote katika chumba hicho cha Chande in 1969 were Form Six students. They were ahead of Chande - one year. Nakumbuka pia kwamba ni katika chumba hicho cha Chande na wenzake where there was a record player that was used by the other students as well for entertainment. Wanafunzi wote katika chumba chetu tulikuwa darasani pamoja, Form V and Form VI Arts. There was also one Afro-American student at the hostel.
Wanafunzi wengine, kwa mfano George Mazula (RIP), Hamisi Kasanga, Suleiman Kazema, Omari Mangosongo, Rwiza, Jacob Msaki, Mukama na wengineo (most of whom were in Form V - VI Science, 1969 - 1970), pale H. H. The Aga Khan Hostel, lived on the ground floor next to the room where we used to read newspapers every morning after breakfast kabla ya kwenda darasani; and next to the room was the office of the hostel manager (mama wa Kihindi who was succeeded by a male, also a Tanzanian of Indian descent, who was also the boxing trainer for the national boxing team during those days).
Kulikuwa na mwanafunzi mmoja tu wa Kiafrika katika darasa letu, Patrick Bwimbo, ambaye alikuwa haishi nasi katika hostel hiyo. Alikuwa anaishi na ndugu yake aliyesema ni kaka yake, sehemu za Kurasini, ambaye alikuwa na kazi fulani muhimu sana serikalini.
Pia, licha ya utani wake (alikuwa ananitania mara nyingi pamoja na wanafunzi wengine), nakumbuka Chande was a very active member of the TANU Youth League (TYL) na alipenda kuvaa shati ya kijani na kaptura nyeusi (TYL uniform) hata nyakati mbalimbali tulipokuwa tunakwenda kutembea mjini. Hata baada ya zaidi ya miaka arobaini tangu nyakati zile, bado namkumbuka sana Chande pamoja na wanafunzi wengine na sitasahau kwamba ingawa jina lake ni Mohamed, jina lake pia ni Othman, tulikuwa tunamwita Othman Chande au Chande tu, na yeye pia alikuwa anajitambulisha kwa jina hilo la Othman Chande bila kukana na kusema siyo Mohamed.
Kitu kingine ninachokumbuka miaka ile ni ajali iliyotokea mbele ya shule yetu, United Nations Road, 1970. Tulikuwa tunarudi hosteli, H.H. The Aga Khan, baada ya masomo mchana. Diplomat kutoka Yugoslavia alikuwa anaendesha gari lake, Peugeot 404, cream-colour, kutokea Oyster Bay. He had a head-on collision with a lorry lililojaa kokoto. Gari lake was totally wrecked na alibanwa katika wreckage hiyo. Dereva wa lori aliruka na kutoroka. Diplomat yule died before our eyes. Nakumbuka wanafunzi kutoka darasa letu waliojitahidi sana kumsaidia alipokuwa anavuja damu. Walikuwa ni Abdallah Yakuti na George Mazula. Their hands were smeared with blood. Nakumbuka Abdallah was hysterical. Wengine waliojaribu kumsaidia walikuwa ni Celestine Mwinula, Chande, na Msafiri, lakini hawakupata nafasi ya kuingiza mikono yao garini kama Abdallah Yakuti na George Mazula. Sote tulitaka kumsaidia lakini haikuwezekana. Tulingojea pale mpaka ambulance ilipokuja baada ya muda mrefu. It was too late by then. Lakini hata ambulance ingekuja mapema, labda wasingeweza kufanya chochote kumsaidia. Aliumia vibaya sana. He groaned, and bled, for a long time, then stopped groaning. Bila shaka alikata roho. Pia nadhani tulikuwa na ambulance moja tu, mji mzima, miaka ile. I remember it was blue.
Bila shaka wenzangu darasani na Chande pale Tambaza High School tulipokuwa pamoja Form V na Form VI (1969 - 1970), kwa mfano James Maugo ambaye alisomea sheria UDSM pamoja na Chande, wanakumbuka jambo hilo - kwamba darasani na nje, tulikuwa tunamwita na alikuwa anajiita mara nyingi Othman Chande.
Pia tulijua jina lake lingine ni Mohamed - yaani Mohamed Othman Chande; lakini karibu nyakati zote: Chande. Lakini ukisema Mohamed Chande au Othman Chande, tulijua unamzungumzia Chande classmate wetu ambaye pia tuliishi naye H.H. The Aga Khan Hostel. In fact, his room was next to mine on the upper floor. Chumba chetu, with cubicles (kila cubicle ilikuwa na wanafunzi wawili) was next to the room where Chande and some of the other students lived katika hostel hiyo. Karibu wanafunzi wote katika chumba hicho cha Chande in 1969 were Form Six students. They were ahead of Chande - one year. Nakumbuka pia kwamba ni katika chumba hicho cha Chande na wenzake where there was a record player that was used by the other students as well for entertainment. Wanafunzi wote katika chumba chetu tulikuwa darasani pamoja, Form V and Form VI Arts. There was also one Afro-American student at the hostel.
Wanafunzi wengine, kwa mfano George Mazula (RIP), Hamisi Kasanga, Suleiman Kazema, Omari Mangosongo, Rwiza, Jacob Msaki, Mukama na wengineo (most of whom were in Form V - VI Science, 1969 - 1970), pale H. H. The Aga Khan Hostel, lived on the ground floor next to the room where we used to read newspapers every morning after breakfast kabla ya kwenda darasani; and next to the room was the office of the hostel manager (mama wa Kihindi who was succeeded by a male, also a Tanzanian of Indian descent, who was also the boxing trainer for the national boxing team during those days).
Kulikuwa na mwanafunzi mmoja tu wa Kiafrika katika darasa letu, Patrick Bwimbo, ambaye alikuwa haishi nasi katika hostel hiyo. Alikuwa anaishi na ndugu yake aliyesema ni kaka yake, sehemu za Kurasini, ambaye alikuwa na kazi fulani muhimu sana serikalini.
Pia, licha ya utani wake (alikuwa ananitania mara nyingi pamoja na wanafunzi wengine), nakumbuka Chande was a very active member of the TANU Youth League (TYL) na alipenda kuvaa shati ya kijani na kaptura nyeusi (TYL uniform) hata nyakati mbalimbali tulipokuwa tunakwenda kutembea mjini. Hata baada ya zaidi ya miaka arobaini tangu nyakati zile, bado namkumbuka sana Chande pamoja na wanafunzi wengine na sitasahau kwamba ingawa jina lake ni Mohamed, jina lake pia ni Othman, tulikuwa tunamwita Othman Chande au Chande tu, na yeye pia alikuwa anajitambulisha kwa jina hilo la Othman Chande bila kukana na kusema siyo Mohamed.
Kitu kingine ninachokumbuka miaka ile ni ajali iliyotokea mbele ya shule yetu, United Nations Road, 1970. Tulikuwa tunarudi hosteli, H.H. The Aga Khan, baada ya masomo mchana. Diplomat kutoka Yugoslavia alikuwa anaendesha gari lake, Peugeot 404, cream-colour, kutokea Oyster Bay. He had a head-on collision with a lorry lililojaa kokoto. Gari lake was totally wrecked na alibanwa katika wreckage hiyo. Dereva wa lori aliruka na kutoroka. Diplomat yule died before our eyes. Nakumbuka wanafunzi kutoka darasa letu waliojitahidi sana kumsaidia alipokuwa anavuja damu. Walikuwa ni Abdallah Yakuti na George Mazula. Their hands were smeared with blood. Nakumbuka Abdallah was hysterical. Wengine waliojaribu kumsaidia walikuwa ni Celestine Mwinula, Chande, na Msafiri, lakini hawakupata nafasi ya kuingiza mikono yao garini kama Abdallah Yakuti na George Mazula. Sote tulitaka kumsaidia lakini haikuwezekana. Tulingojea pale mpaka ambulance ilipokuja baada ya muda mrefu. It was too late by then. Lakini hata ambulance ingekuja mapema, labda wasingeweza kufanya chochote kumsaidia. Aliumia vibaya sana. He groaned, and bled, for a long time, then stopped groaning. Bila shaka alikata roho. Pia nadhani tulikuwa na ambulance moja tu, mji mzima, miaka ile. I remember it was blue.