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Taveta locals access homes via Tanzania
Manuel Ntoyai February 20, 2019
2,661 3 minutes read
Despite numerous State promises to fix Rombo-Taveta road from Loitokitok to Taveta, the state remains pathetic. Subsequently, Taveta residents from Nairobi opt to go through Tanzania to get home in one piece. Photo/MANUEL NTOYAI
Manuel Ntoyai @manuel_ntoyai
For most Kenyans, going home away from city chaos brings unmatched pacifying feeling. However, for residents of Taveta, going home is tangled with a feeling of nostalgia and the headache of passing through a neighbouring country, Tanzania.
Ordinarily, Taveta residents would use Mombasa Road, branch right at Voi and head home through Wundanyi, or through Mwatate and finally to Taveta town.
But there is a problem. Once you leave the soothing tarmac of Mombasa Road, all hell breaks loose. Going to Taveta through Rombo, Njukini and Chala road is a nightmare.
Navigating around craters and massive gullies amid clouds of dust requires both patience and courage. Local transport is mainly the hardy albeit infamous Toyota Probox and Sientas, but even them are few.
There is only one bus on the route and is usually loaded with luggage by traders. The slightest drizzle turns the dust into gummy muck and gullies into raging rivers.
Then, commuters will spend more than 10 hours on a journey that is supposed to take less than four. Cases of students not getting to schools on time during opening days and losses by traders because of the lost hours on the bumpy transit are the norm.
But when all hope seemed lost, Naekana happened. The sacco that services Kajiado, Emali and now Taveta residents from Nairobi introduced a route that bypasses the grueling inter-roads by crossing an international border then back.
“The journey through Voi was long for those seeking services in the capital, it was a nightmare travelling especially during the rainy season as the roads became impassable,” says Juma Mwashighadi, a businessman at Taveta town.
Last year, the sacco started servicing the area through the Loitokitok- Tarakea border point. The journey starts at the Naekana stage, near OTC, downtown Nairobi. After three-and-a-half hours or less depending on the business on the road, passengers will present their national Identity cards at the border and they will be allowed to pass. The sacco management makes the necessary arrangements to make exercise as seamless as possible.
And just like in many other things, driving through Tanzania is an experience to shock many Kenyan drivers. Here, the laws actually work and the maximum speed limits are obeyed to the letter. Breaking a traffic rule could earn one an instant fine, court date or both.
Observe rules
“When we get to the border point, we have to be careful with the speed, because getting arrested in TZ is no joke,” says John Mwago, a driver with Naekana.
“I think we only need to copy this trend to make our roads safer,” he adds.
The winding roads between Mwika and Himo towns will remind you of Meru and the banana-carrying women and boda boda (locally known as bajaji) between Mamsera and Ungwasi will remind you of the banana-rich Kisii region.
As you approach Holili town, which also serves as the border point between Taveta and Tanzania, you will notice an element of “Kenyanness”, in the way they dress, the business and the accent. The process is similar to the one at the Tarakea border and in less than 20 minutes; one has crossed the border, alighted from the matatu and headed home.
For those who miss the Naekana- Taveta matatu, the alternative is boarding one from Nairobi to Loitokitok for Sh600, and then taking a boda boda to Tarakea town for another Sh50. While there, one is advised to change the local currency to TZ shillings, with the current exchange rate at the border being Tsh22 for every Kenyan shilling. With Sh500, one can pay the fare to Himo Tsh4,000 (Ksh200) and if you have time, you can go all the way to Moshi for shopping at Tsh4500 (Ksh250).
Despite strict speed observance, however, Tanzania is yet to regulate the number of passengers a dala dala (matatu) can carry.
The main requirement for boda boda is that the passenger alights and the rider pushes it across the border point. Occasionally, the immigration officers and hawk-eyed police officers might request one to show their ID cards.
For Taveta residents, weekends offer the opportunity to mingle with Tanzanians and source cheaper fuel and beverages.
Kenyans are also known for their love of kitimoto (pork), makongoro (cow foot), ndizi rosti (roasted bananas) and chips mayai.
While at the border, they will down bottles (or crates) of beers and for the ladies, Dompo wine does the trick. While a beer in TZ goes for Sh75, in Kenya, a bottle goes for Sh170.
“I was posted to Taveta as a civil servant and at first, I thought it was to punish me. The road network was crazy and visiting Nairobi could only be done under special circumstances,” says Barack Omondi who resides at Taveta town.
“But now, with the road tarmacked from TZ, side, within six hours one can be in Nairobi instead of the 10 hours or more we used to endure going through Voi,” he adds.
For local businessmen, the situation is worse. Most lorries and pickups have to use the longer route and this means more cost of production and time on the road.
Mildred Akinyi, a sardines (omena) trader at the Taveta market has seen it all. During the rainy season, her omena takes more than two days to reach the market from Nairobi.
“For us businesspeople, we don’t have the luxury of using Naekana because they only carry passengers. When it rains, some parts are impassable and the Loitokitok – Njukini alternative is equally impassable,” she says.
Taveta locals access homes via Tanzania
Mediamax Network Ltd.
3rd Floor, DSM Place,
Kijabe Street, Nairobi.
P. O. 103618-00101,
Nairobi, Kenya.
Safaricom: +254-709 824 100
Airtel: +254-730-144 100
Telkom: +254-20 4944 100
Email: info [at] mediamax.co.ke
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Manuel Ntoyai February 20, 2019
2,661 3 minutes read
Manuel Ntoyai @manuel_ntoyai
For most Kenyans, going home away from city chaos brings unmatched pacifying feeling. However, for residents of Taveta, going home is tangled with a feeling of nostalgia and the headache of passing through a neighbouring country, Tanzania.
Ordinarily, Taveta residents would use Mombasa Road, branch right at Voi and head home through Wundanyi, or through Mwatate and finally to Taveta town.
But there is a problem. Once you leave the soothing tarmac of Mombasa Road, all hell breaks loose. Going to Taveta through Rombo, Njukini and Chala road is a nightmare.
Navigating around craters and massive gullies amid clouds of dust requires both patience and courage. Local transport is mainly the hardy albeit infamous Toyota Probox and Sientas, but even them are few.
There is only one bus on the route and is usually loaded with luggage by traders. The slightest drizzle turns the dust into gummy muck and gullies into raging rivers.
Then, commuters will spend more than 10 hours on a journey that is supposed to take less than four. Cases of students not getting to schools on time during opening days and losses by traders because of the lost hours on the bumpy transit are the norm.
But when all hope seemed lost, Naekana happened. The sacco that services Kajiado, Emali and now Taveta residents from Nairobi introduced a route that bypasses the grueling inter-roads by crossing an international border then back.
“The journey through Voi was long for those seeking services in the capital, it was a nightmare travelling especially during the rainy season as the roads became impassable,” says Juma Mwashighadi, a businessman at Taveta town.
Last year, the sacco started servicing the area through the Loitokitok- Tarakea border point. The journey starts at the Naekana stage, near OTC, downtown Nairobi. After three-and-a-half hours or less depending on the business on the road, passengers will present their national Identity cards at the border and they will be allowed to pass. The sacco management makes the necessary arrangements to make exercise as seamless as possible.
And just like in many other things, driving through Tanzania is an experience to shock many Kenyan drivers. Here, the laws actually work and the maximum speed limits are obeyed to the letter. Breaking a traffic rule could earn one an instant fine, court date or both.
Observe rules
“When we get to the border point, we have to be careful with the speed, because getting arrested in TZ is no joke,” says John Mwago, a driver with Naekana.
“I think we only need to copy this trend to make our roads safer,” he adds.
The winding roads between Mwika and Himo towns will remind you of Meru and the banana-carrying women and boda boda (locally known as bajaji) between Mamsera and Ungwasi will remind you of the banana-rich Kisii region.
As you approach Holili town, which also serves as the border point between Taveta and Tanzania, you will notice an element of “Kenyanness”, in the way they dress, the business and the accent. The process is similar to the one at the Tarakea border and in less than 20 minutes; one has crossed the border, alighted from the matatu and headed home.
For those who miss the Naekana- Taveta matatu, the alternative is boarding one from Nairobi to Loitokitok for Sh600, and then taking a boda boda to Tarakea town for another Sh50. While there, one is advised to change the local currency to TZ shillings, with the current exchange rate at the border being Tsh22 for every Kenyan shilling. With Sh500, one can pay the fare to Himo Tsh4,000 (Ksh200) and if you have time, you can go all the way to Moshi for shopping at Tsh4500 (Ksh250).
Despite strict speed observance, however, Tanzania is yet to regulate the number of passengers a dala dala (matatu) can carry.
The main requirement for boda boda is that the passenger alights and the rider pushes it across the border point. Occasionally, the immigration officers and hawk-eyed police officers might request one to show their ID cards.
For Taveta residents, weekends offer the opportunity to mingle with Tanzanians and source cheaper fuel and beverages.
Kenyans are also known for their love of kitimoto (pork), makongoro (cow foot), ndizi rosti (roasted bananas) and chips mayai.
While at the border, they will down bottles (or crates) of beers and for the ladies, Dompo wine does the trick. While a beer in TZ goes for Sh75, in Kenya, a bottle goes for Sh170.
“I was posted to Taveta as a civil servant and at first, I thought it was to punish me. The road network was crazy and visiting Nairobi could only be done under special circumstances,” says Barack Omondi who resides at Taveta town.
“But now, with the road tarmacked from TZ, side, within six hours one can be in Nairobi instead of the 10 hours or more we used to endure going through Voi,” he adds.
For local businessmen, the situation is worse. Most lorries and pickups have to use the longer route and this means more cost of production and time on the road.
Mildred Akinyi, a sardines (omena) trader at the Taveta market has seen it all. During the rainy season, her omena takes more than two days to reach the market from Nairobi.
“For us businesspeople, we don’t have the luxury of using Naekana because they only carry passengers. When it rains, some parts are impassable and the Loitokitok – Njukini alternative is equally impassable,” she says.
Taveta locals access homes via Tanzania
Mediamax Network Ltd.
3rd Floor, DSM Place,
Kijabe Street, Nairobi.
P. O. 103618-00101,
Nairobi, Kenya.
Safaricom: +254-709 824 100
Airtel: +254-730-144 100
Telkom: +254-20 4944 100
Email: info [at] mediamax.co.ke
© 2018 | Mediamax Network Ltd. Contact Us
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