Transportation

Some of you have asked how I travel around in Kenya. Most of the local Kenyans do not own cars, but there are a few common means of travel here.

1.     They walk. The kids here walk a great distance to and from school each day-from 0-5 miles in the area schools, though I have heard of students who walk 10 miles as well. Some are able to head home for lunch, but many are not, which is why school feeding programs (gardens which help supply food for student lunches) are so important. Adults walk to and from work as well. What I have noticed is that the walking is fairly slow, but in the heat, dust, and sun that is common in Kenya about ten months a year, it makes sense.

2.     Bicycles. These are fairly common, but very difficult to ride on the hills and rocky unpaved roads here in the Rift Valley. Oftentimes, I see people carrying their loads on bicycle seats/handlebars, walking alongside the bike.

3.     Piki Pikis. These are motorbikes that are probably the most cost and time efficient means of travel in the area. Piki pikis can be taken like taxis, with the drivers often wearing a fluorescent-colored vest to indicate they are for hire. It costs me about $1.10 each time I want to ride a piki piki to the office, and a bit more to head into town. I have to say, the locals make riding the back of a piki piki look easy, with women often riding sideways in their long skirts, holding bundles, etc. I ride like I would a bicycle, clinging on for dear life to the back of the seat. I even had to keep my eyes closed the first few rides. I am supposed to have a piki piki driving lesson before I leave, which should be quite interesting!

4.     Cars for hire. These are often unmarked taxis parked on specific street corners. The car is almost always a Toyota or a Nissan- I’ve been told it’s because they are easy to fix and parts are very accessible here. Drivers charge for specific trips or one-day rates. Gas (petrol) here is very expensive here too, so you are also required to pay the fuel costs if you hire the car for any period of time.

5.     Matatus. These are small minibuses that they pack to the gills with people along certain routes. The cost is minimal if you can bare the stop-and-go along the way, have a lot of time, and don’t mind being squished like a sardine! A two-hour matatu trip to Nairobi cost me about $2.25. Not bad.

I’ve found most transportation has been fairly reliable and drivers are quite punctual, which is not a dominant trait of many here in Kenya. People often work on two time systems- British time (being punctual) and Kenyan time (a minimum of thirty minutes late!).