A ride in a cockroach

Today, faithful readers, I want to expound on the glories of Kenyan transportation.

Tracy and I decided we wanted a little more adventure in our lives, (as if packing up our lives and moving to Africa wasn’t enough) so we decided to pay a “cockroach” to take us into Migori for the day.  We were in desperate need of groceries and we didn’t have a vehicle available for us to use.

So for the uninitiated, a cockroach is what the locals call a taxi around here, otherwise known as a Matatu.  They are called cockroaches because they are so numerous on the roads and they scurry quickly back and forth between towns.  Besides renting and riding on the back of a motorcycle (piki piki), it is pretty much the only means for the people here to travel long distances.

A cockroach is almost always a Toyota Probox.   This essentially is a station wagon which is built to fit a driver and passenger in front and three people in the back seat.  The longish trunk area is for hauling cargo.  Because of a government regulation, all cockroaches are white.  I guess that is so everyone can distinguish the taxis from personal vehicles.  I don’t know why this is, because anyone here could easily tell the difference.  Normal drivers are the ones who drive the speed limit and obey traffic laws.  Cockroach drivers, on the other hand, aren’t aware any traffic laws exist and they drive in only one speed… gas pedal to the floor.  That in itself isn’t such a problem but when you combine it with the Kenyan roads, which are akin to the surface of the moon, then it makes for quite a ride.

So being the brave souls we are, and wanting to commiserate with our fellow Kenyans, Tracy and I decided to take the cockroach into town.  Boy, what an experience!

So, first off, Migori is about an hour away (for normal drivers) depending on how bad the roads are.  As I have said in the past, distance here is measured in time not kilometers.  A trip of 15 kilometers can take over an hour because of the conditions of the road.  The normal taxi fare to and from Migori is roughly $5.00 (USD) a person.  For most Kenyans, this would be an extravagant amount, which is why piki piki travel is quickly taking over.  It’s cheaper to ride on the back of a motorcycle.  But because they are trying to make money, the piki piki driver will put three passengers behind themselves on the bike.  That is 4 adults travelling at high speeds on a two wheeled vehicle over the surface of the moon.  Not something I would ever risk doing on a long trip.

Speaking of the almighty dollar, the piki piki drivers aren’t the only ones trying to squeeze as many passengers as they can in their vehicle.  We were warned by our friends to pay extra to rent the whole backseat of the taxi.  We thought that it wouldn’t be a problem with Tracy, myself and one other passenger.  It might be a bit squishy, but nothing we couldn’t handle.  How wrong we were not to take that advice!

Remember how I told you that a taxi was built for 2 up front and 3 in the back?  Well that is not good enough for the cockroach drivers.  They squeeze 4 people in back.  This is very uncomfortable especially since I’m kind of a big guy.  But wait, it gets better…they also squeeze 4 PEOPLE IN THE FRONT AS WELL!!!  Yes, 3 people and a driver in front.  8 people in a car built for 5.  Oh and on top of that, the driver always has the back crammed to the roof with various goods, so forget about using your rearview mirror!  Some drivers even stack additional items on the roof of their car.  This way, the drivers can make even MORE money on the side transporting cargo as well. 

So there we are; eight people, with a trunk full of cargo, on our way to Migori.  We end up making the 1 hour trip in about 40 minutes.  On the way back home, we shared the back seat with a thin young lady and a rather large mama.  The poor young lady ended up riding most of the way home on Tracy’s lap.  Gotta love it here, my friends.  

Next time, we’re renting out the back seat!