A blog about driving through Kenya, because that’s what we did most.
There are still blogs about the baby home in Rangala and the Baja-school Rambulla.
On 22 October we drive into Kenya at the border crossing in Busia. Because we already have some experience with African border crossings we keep away the helping fixers … That is, the man who wants to sell us an insurance continues to haunt us and when we end the official procedure we consult him to get the compulsory liability insurance. We can still haggle from $ 50 to $ 45 but that’s the limit.
Although we had advance warning that the roads would be less than in Uganda, the roads in Kenya seem pretty good. From Busia to Kisumu the road is narrow and we meet numerous speed bumps. Almost every village – what I call 10-15 houses – has its own road humps, first three or four low in quick succession and then one high where a normal luxury car can cross just diagonally. After the village again the same. I must honestly say, this works better than a sign of 50 km/h! Most road humps I see, or Sonja warns me when one approaches, unfortunately every now and then one is so well hidden that we test the springs and shock absorbers of Milady. One hump really surprises me and all four wheels get off the ground. Fortunately, everything is tight ….
The days get filled with mileage on the Kenyan roads. A huge variety of road types, landscapes, and in the course of the days also a considerable change of climates.
We begin in western Kenya with rain and damp nights. Along the way it clears up, but also the temperature drops at night: pajamas and a summer duvet. When we arrive at the coast in Mombasa, the weather is hot and we are pleased that we can sleep in our tent, at least a breeze is blowing through.
Further highlights of the roads are the following.
The road from Nairobi to Mombasa
Through forums I’ve been warned about this road but in Uganda, I spoke to Douglas and he conviced me they are not so bad.
Well, no, the road is not easy!
This really is the busiest road I’ve ever driven and 80% of the traffic consists of trucks and coaches. And they overtake! And that on a dual carriageway! Really, every now and then I have to brake or swerve to the shoulder that is sometimes paved, but often is not!
The road is about 500 km and you can imagine how many trucks you encounter. Fortunately we have decided to avoid Nairobi and join the road in Machakos, it’s raining cats and my brakes work poorly …
Malfunctioning brakes
In Machakos, we had lunch, samosas and fries. When we enter the city, it starts to rain and not a little too. The streets flooded and I’m happy that I got the wipers fixed the day before. When we leave it appears that Milady barely has brakes, initially I blame the moist but when the sun comes through (on the road from Nairobi to Mombasa) braking does not appear to get better … When I drive to the side, in an instant three men who want to help me stand at in the car, they note that the brake pipe got loose and some bolts of the ball joint need to be fixed.
That is fixed and we can go again. Unfortunately, I find that there is still not much brake pressure and we stop at a motel on the side of the road.
The motel appears to be a type of farmhouse with a bar where they also have rooms, quite nice. Unfortunately, I cannot avoid the parked tractor, result, a dent in the fender, and a lamp protector into pieces.
We can set up our tent and a fundi (mechanic) is arranged for the following morning. He is equally acquainted and we meet the next morning at 8am.
As we have just finished our breakfast put James already, 7:50 pm. He’s not a real African he tells us …
Together we start working on the brakes, he takes the front brake shoes to replace the lining. He also sets all brakes and fixes another leak. He also notes that the main brake cylinder really needs to be replaced, he assures me to change it in Mombasa.
The dent in the fender I repair myself, provisionally and James takes the lamp guard to get it welded.
We drive to Mombasa with reasonably good brakes and the next day we go into town to look for a new main brake cylinder. An original can not be found, but we find a good replacement from BritParts which needs replacing the fittings of the brake lines. Here too, we find a workshop. So I can get back to the Tulia Mombasa Backpackers with a bag full of new parts. An hour later the brakes work like new again!
Police checks
Just about every 10-20 km there is a sign along the road with “Police Check” and indeed nine out of ten times, there are police men/women. And well, they think our car is very interesting, foreign license plates and such an old car …
Fortunately, it remains at a chat about the car, the sticker on the car of Gutz Foundation or just how we are doing and where we are going, hakuna matata (no problem).
Taxi busses, tuk-tuks and motorcycle taxis
Our last day in Kenya takes us along the coast road from Mombasa to the Tanzanian border. Notwithstanding there are also lots of road humps, taxi busses, motorbike taxis, tuk-tuks and trucks and everything wants to overtake each other.
Incidentally, these taxis – with 14+ passengers – and motorcycle taxis – with up to three passengers behind – are a recurrent phenomenon in this part of Africa and they are quite brutal in traffic. It requires a lot of concentration to move unscathed through this traffic, but we do …