Situational irony for a minster to be uneducated
It is ironical that the Minister for information Arap Chirchir had barely completed primary school. In his capacity as the minister for information, he was in charge of the universities in Kenya when he had not been to the university himself. The minister was appointed despite his lack of academic qualifications while there there other more qualified people for the job. The reader would have expected a more qualified person to fill the job.
It is ironical that Nyamgodho had insulted Wagai who was the source of all his income
In the story the fisherman, Nyamgodho was a very poor man and the medicine woman Wagai helped him get a lot of wealth. The wealth that Wagai brought to his home made all of Nyamgodho’s problems disappear for he could now afford an extravagant living. It is therefore ironical for Nyamgodho to come home one day and insult Wagai. The reader would have expected him to be full of gratitude for the woman who had brought him a fortune unequaled in his village.
Ironical that one had to sleep with the minister in order to acquire a loan
It is against the reader’s expectation that for a woman to acquire a loan in the new government, she had to know a minister and engage in sexual relations with him to acquire it. In the story, ‘ The Honorable Minister’ June had to get connections to the minister of housing and sleep with him in order for her mortgage to be processed. It is against the expectations of the reader for a mortgage application needs to be reviewed and accepted in its own merit.
It is ironical that Semo expected Taplalai to sleep with him when he asked because he was the man of the house
It is very ironical that Semo who was Jedidah’s husband to expect that their house help Taplalai would sleep with him whenever he said so. He thought that it was given since he was the man of the house and he guaranteed her salary every month. It was very shocking for him when Taplalai refused to for she felt that it was wrong to sleep with the boss.
It is ironical for Nyagol to switch between Christianity and African Traditional Religion whenever it suited her
It is against the reader’s expectation when Nyagol who was a very firm christian believer to resort to witchcraft when her son’s wife died. As a christian, she was accepted to follow the faith that condemns witchcraft rather than juggle between the two. Both faiths require absolute total devotion from their believers. Nyagol would wear her rosary when she was going to church and she would later remove it when she went to visit the witch doctor.
