The Long Ride Home

So yesterday I decided to travel to Eldoret to spend the Christmas holiday with my wife and children. I woke up and left the house early. I was in Nairobi CBD before 6 a.m. I proceeded to my usual terminal for North Rift Shuttles. The scene resembled a political rally – with only the politicians missing. There were hundreds of people some with small children and all carrying or dragging some form of luggage in different sizes, shapes, and colours.

It was obvious that today was not going to be a luxury trip in a spacious ten seater shuttle. It would take several days to ferry all those people out of Nairobi and I was not willing to wait that long. I decided to go for the one option that has never failed me in my quest to travel upcountry. I walked through unusually crowded streets (for that hour) to the busy Country Bus Station (at one time it was referred to as the Machakos Airport).

As was to be expected, the scene at the noisy station was bursting with humanity. Fortunately for me, there were many buses there parked in the respective sections depending on their destinations. I went straight to the Western Kenya section and targeted this beautiful Scania Bus that looked brand new judging from the registration number and gleaming paintwork. It was aptly christened “Sweden Special” owing to the fact that Scanias are manufactured in Sweden.

On enquiry, I was informed that the bus would pass through Eldoret as the first stop as it proceeded onwards to Bungoma. That was favourable information because I was now assured of getting home to my family. The other news about how much the trip would cost was not so sweet. It was going to set me back about two and a half times as much as I normally pay on a luxury shuttle. Anyhow, I didn’t have much of a choice so I paid, entered the bus, and took my seat next to a window.

As passengers boarded, a long string of hawkers streamed by selling everything from foodstuff to cosmetics and everything in between, including solar panels. I bought biscuits and some weird tasting yoghurt to act as my breakfast.  The bus filled up pretty fast and in less than half an hour, we slowly drove out of the congested station. There was some light traffic through town but we were soon cruising on Waiyaki way in the general direction of home.

We stopped at Kangemi to pick some people and as their luggage were being packed into the under-floor compartments and strapped onto the roof rack, a lady on the back seat started complaining that the bus crew was taking too long and delaying us. Somebody was irritated by this ranting and suggested to her that if she was in such a hurry, she should have left the day before. Another person suggested, to gleeful laughter by other travellers, that better still, she should have stayed on upcountry after Christmas last year. That made her quiet.

Soon enough we were on our way and although there was some more than normal traffic on the highway, it was flowing. The flow however, was short-lived. Just before Limuru, we started running from one pile-up to another. Consequently, it took us four hours to reach Naivasha while it usually takes about one and a half hours. We hoped (or assumed) that that stretch was the end of our problems. It was just the beginning of a slow and tiring trip to Eldoret.

It turns out that we had not been the only people to make that last minute trip upcountry. All matatus, buses, and private vehicles seemed to be headed our way. The town service matatus and house-to-office drivers had decided to test their long distance driving abilities using their usual around-town discourteous over-lapping skills. The result was disastrous gridlocks which fortunately (as far as I saw) did not result in any accidents.

Seven hours after we left Nairobi, we reached Nakuru. We didn’t enter the bus station and so we couldn’t access proper washroom or dining services. My lunch consisted of roasted maize sold through the high bus window on a pronged stick by a grinning trader on the road far below.

The stretch between Nakuru and Eldoret was not so bad and we managed to do it in four hours. Finally we made it to Eldoret after being on the road for eleven hours on a journey that normally takes six hours. I, and a few others, alighted and the bus continued onwards to Bungoma. I don’t know how long it took them to get there but they must have been damn tired. That was a long way home but I thank God I arrived safely.