A Road That is a Cashcow

Why Thika Matatus must overload

Thika road, a true edifice on the Kenyan maps, we may not say it but we are so full of it, damn right, “the only superhighway in the region empties in Thika city”. Nonetheless, today we find ourselves moving away from the bustling metropolis. About 16 miles away from Thika town we find ourselves in Kandara, what’s remarkable about the sleepy town… apart from the fact that it’s perched on such a hillly slope that parking without handbrakes is impossible? Nothing really or maybe not.  From Kandara town to thika town the fare often ranges from between 60 to 40 bob depending on what the Makangas have had for breakfast, however those Matatus carry anything from between 4 to 10 extra passengers, if you are wondering how a 14 seater  matatu can carry 24, you are probably a yuppie who has never had to taste the blunt side of hustling. No apologies needed, you were just clever enough to be born into money, which is not a crime. Anyway, I digress,  while that is a normal occurrence on Kenyan roads, what sets the matatus on this route apart is the fact that by the time they reach Thika, a mere 16 kilimetres away, they have to pass, not one not two not three but four well manned and womaned police roadblocks.

This is in the same country where people get mugged and murdered because there aren’t enough security officers, however on this short stretch, there is on any given afternoon an average of 8 officers, assuming that only two wo/man each a roadblock which is not always the case. One would be thus forgiven for imaging thus that this stretch of road is the most secure in the county, no country.  And they would be right, if they were taking about police financial security, this is because a matatu travelling from Kandara will have to stop around four times, and the driver will produce the customary 50 bob as the officer caution the front raw passengers about not having their seatbelts on. That is to say that if the matatu crew was to ferry  the regulation 14 passengers (we call them goers) they would in essence only be carrying 10 since the remittances of 4 of them would be by default the property of “uvamizi ,,…kwa wote”. (Everyone is entitled to a grammatical error now and then).  I don’t know much about the matatu fuel consumption but I would say 500 for a trip is not a sure way of keeping the business running.

But here’s for the irony, as soon as the sun sets, the cops close down most if not all these tollbooths? … Well you can call them roadblocks if you want.  Take spikes and leave the stones they use alongside for a the other toll collectors. Yep you guess right, the cops close shop and some other gentlemen of the night use the same locations and rocks to stop cars and Hijack hardworking/drinking Kenyans.  When a friend of mine told me this, i couldn’t help but to ask myself exactly how cops and criminals are different, I made a list. Both are armed, some better than others, both are willing to use force to get what they want and both take away your cash some more rapidly than others but then again getting robbed once in a year and paying 200 per day for a year well,,, even getting robbed in installments is getting robbed. The differences aren’t that many, uniforms and maybe a Kale accent. 

In all seriousness in spite of the fact that several roads interconnect around this place, someone in the police force should either look at the situation or the guys at KRA should give mats operating this route a tax break, otherwise they will keep overloading to cut themselves some slack.