Page 67 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 12

MY AFRIKA
MY AFRIKA

God over and over for His kind ledge just large enough to fit our
graces and amazing mercy! We were car and for the madman to get past
not fleeing the lockdown, you see, us safely. Once he had gone by, we
we were heeding the divine call to continued all the more cautiously
head to Marsabit. down the highway, encountering a
few more of these unholy drivers
We crossed the five-county lock- - until we passed their turnoff to
down line before ten am and we the highway and went on to more
were in Makuyu shortly peaceful roads.
thereafter, making a I suppose I shouldn’t have been so
brief stopover before shocked, they have had a terrible
continuing our jour- reputation for decades and have
ney. Our plan, as we caused deaths more than once in
had laid it out originally, their pursuit of profit. A ban on
was to visit Nyeri for a Miraa exports appeared to have
few days and then con- clipped their wings for a time and
tinue on to Marsabit. So, following its removal, it is clear
with Nyeri firmly in our that they and their masters did not
sights, we headed off once use that time for any introspection
again but within a few min- whatsoever. Maybe it’s okay that I’m
utes, our lives were literally not okay with the idea of someone
in jeopardy. We had come driving like a maniac and endanger-
face-to-face with the terrors ing others just because they want
of that road – the infamous to make money. It is an evil culture
Miraa (khat) transporters who that has pervaded the world with its
– caring nothing for the life or perpetrators believing they are enti-
limb of other road users – fly tled to behave however they want, to
down the highway at speeds the detriment of many – and it is a
that appear to defy manufacturer culture that too many have become
specifications. We encountered numb to.
af- many of these speedsters and I
ternoon finally understood the term ‘speed Leaving the madness behind, we
and evening following the demon’ because these drivers are so drove on to Nyeri and just past an
announcement, people flooded so- focused on the task of making mon- area called Chaka we found the
cial media with their anger, frustra- ey that they are possessed by some- turnoff to White Rock Resort. The
tion and disdain at the way the new thing other than love. One guy was quiet place where we would spend a
measures were meted out. overtaking some cars and decided few days at the foot of Mount Ken-
to continue on in our lane, despite ya, detoxing from the atmosphere
This online protest flowed into the seeing that our car was really close we had come from and preparing
following day and the next thing we to the lead vehicle that he wanted to for what was ahead. I think the
knew, the government spokesperson pass. There are road works in prog- highlight of White Rock Resort
was on-air announcing a temporary ress along the highway and to our was its vast gardens and forested
extension until the following day at left (the only option for escape) was area of indigenous trees, which
eight pm to allow all who had been a steep drop into the excavated sec- not only purified the air around
caught flatfooted to make the neces- tion. The driver did not back down, us and infused it with abundant
sary moves to get where they need- ease back into the traffic on his side phytoncides (read more about those
ed to go. This was the loophole! of the road or anything like that. It here), but offer shelter to so many
We took it. The following morning was like a real-life game of chicken. different bird species that we were
we left the house - where we had He kept coming. Unrelenting in his constantly turning our heads to try
stopped over for an indefinite pe- advance. It was up to us to join him to spot them and delighting in their
riod - at nine am. We fuelled God’s in his psychotic race to death or different colors and melodies. The
Chariot and left the Zone which back down. Thank God there was a loudest of our avian neighbors were
they had called diseased, thanking tiny bit of space to our left, a little the silvery-cheeked hornbills

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