Notary Sifa arrived at the school hall early. The front table held the original register, the stamped objection, the new notice, and a list of rejected proxies. Four original members arrived one after another. Saidi sat at the back as an observer; no term sheet was placed before the meeting.
Amina did not stand like a ruler. She sat among the members, while Baraka sat opposite her. Mama Njeri stood by the window, holding her file.
Sifa read the quorum. Two proxies were rejected for lacking dates. One absent member had sent a message but no authority to vote. The four original members, including Amina and Baraka, were confirmed.
Baraka breathed out. "If I had not stayed, the school would not have reached this day."
Amina stood. "That is true. It is also true that daily work does not give you the right to change membership alone."
She placed the payment receipts on the table without showing child information. Musa read the payroll and supplier references. Zawadi gave the teachers' statement about delayed salaries.
Mama Njeri said, "The investor would bring money. If you keep voting, repairs will stop."
"Money without governance is another debt," Amina replied. "Investment can come later under readable conditions."
Baraka stood. "I am being called a thief because I found printers and desks. I went to a lender while everyone said we should wait."
No one interrupted him. Amina said, "What you carried must be paid through a plan. But your work cannot become a ticket for erasing a member."
Sifa read the objection. The resignation letter was absent from the original file. Delivery of notice to Amina had not been proved. Mama Njeri's proxy had been signed one day before Baraka told Amina there was no meeting.
Mama Njeri lowered her eyes. "I signed because I thought Baraka had explained everything."
"You signed that Amina did not want to continue."
"I thought that was her decision."
Baraka opened his mouth but had no answer.
Amina presented the first resolution: return her name to the original register and recognize the four founders' membership. The second separated ownership, management, and investor oversight. The third said the school account could not pay family debt without an approved plan.
One member asked whether Amina would control everything after being restored.
"No," Amina said. "I lost trust in one person holding a pen, so I cannot ask the system to give me the whole pen."
The first vote passed. The second passed with dual approval. Saidi took notes but did not vote.
Baraka asked for two minutes before the final vote. He brought out a brown envelope. "This is family debt. Part of it paid for Mother's treatment. I hid it because I knew that if you saw it, you would take the keys before I finished paying."
Amina said, "We will read it in the teachers' room and put only the school-related amount in the minutes."
Baraka looked surprised. "You will not use it now?"
"The truth of a debt is not permission to remove your dignity."
Sifa placed the envelope beside the register. "The final vote concerns the repayment and operating committee."
Before voting, the members signed the quorum minutes. Sifa added an amendment rather than erasing the disputed version. Amina's name now appeared in black ink, supported by the notary's date and the signatures of the members.
Baraka asked for one more minute and held out the envelope again. The meeting moved toward a lawful decision, but the debt still had to be faced in private.
The new resolution restored a name and divided authority, leaving no sibling with an unchecked pen. The members initialled the quorum minutes before the final vote. # End of Chapter
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