On the streets of Kenya - Part 1

When I visited East Africa for the first time nine years ago, I soon realized that the road traffic here is of a different caliber. It's absolute chaos, in which, surprisingly, order prevails. You can find everything, really everything, on the roads. From vehicles to people and animals simply walking or stopping in the middle of the road to fruit and vegetable stalls, The streets are the main network for everything.
I am now part of this "chaos of order" and know how to behave in order to, well, simply put, stay alive. Because the vehicles drive as they want and as they please. Yes, there are traffic lights, but they are rarely obeyed at all. I have just noticed that there are no traffic lights here in Kisumu. But there are a lot of traffic circles, and this is another special case. Just because you're already in a traffic circle doesn't mean you have priority. It often happens that cars stop in front of an entrance to a traffic circle and let the waiting cars in. However, this is not at all due to the development of congestion but rather the drivers' feelings.

The first time I saw all this chaos, I swore to myself that I would never get behind the wheel here because I'm not tired of life. The more I came to East Africa, the more I was tempted to be a part of this "madness", at least for a short time. But far away from the big cities and the like, rather in the hinterland, where there isn't too much going on. However, the opportunity never arose, and I soon dropped the idea when I once again saw what was going on here. Well, and now I'm part of the traffic after all, and not for short journeys; no, if I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it. The first time I drove right through the middle of the city to take the car home from the car wash, My boyfriend was sitting next to me, and that was a double challenge for me. The first time we drove together, he got to know my driving style, and then through the early evening traffic in Kisumu. I felt a bit like I was in driving school, but not in a bad way. As soon as I turned off the washing area onto the road, my first challenge was to enter the road because the Boda Boda drivers were everywhere. Quick interjection: I don't gender boda boda drivers because they are really only men. At some point we were told, "Alina, drive now; otherwise, we won't get anywhere." Well, sometimes you can't be too good-natured. Then everything went like clockwork, and we arrived home safe and sound.

When I drove for the first time, I naturally drove for 2 ½ hours through Kenya and its roads. To top it all off, I then drove for another hour in the dark on the same day. Our travel guide explicitly says to avoid driving in the dark 😉. I can totally understand this comment and can only recommend everyone not to do this. At the same time, it's an absolutely thrilling experience that I wouldn't want to miss.
Driving in the dark in Kenya is a completely different story. You never know what's coming your way. You can hardly see people on the roads anyway, and of course there are no street lights. Most people drive with high beams, which they only dim in the rarest of cases, or even without lights at all. Boda Boda drivers have a light in front and also drive at night as they please. Buses and trucks are actually the vehicles to look out for at night. However, the hardest part is all the humps and potholes in the roads! I had to put on the brakes a few times because I only saw these obstacles (especially humps) at the very last second.

I actually had the feeling that I was nightblind. The locals know the roads pretty well, but I don't yet, so it's even more of a challenge. My friend actually felt like he knew every pothole and every hump and was an absolute support on the night ride. Then we also picked up three Kenyans who rode with us to the next town. If they had known that they were riding with an absolute Kenyan road novice, they probably wouldn't have gotten on 😉 After thisnight'st drive, I was exhausted and was fast asleep by 9 p.m.!

The normal road rules as we know them in Austria apply here, but nobody pays attention to them, and you just drive as you please. Yes, Kenyans also take a driving test, which is very similar to ours. The test consists of a theory test and, three months later, after many driving sessions, a practical test. In the meantime, my boyfriend always drives, and I am the co-pilot. This also involves answering questions about road traffic. I keep getting questions like, if the lane markings aren't cut, I'm not allowed to overtake, am I? Yes, exactly. That means you stay where you are and then overtake when the line is broken. Zack, we overtake, no matter what the line says 😉 There are very few road signs in the area where I live. If there are, you can't miss them because they are at least five times bigger than normal. These signs are yellow and say "Watch out for pedestrians".

The horn is used to draw attention to yourself and to clear the road in front of you. Horns are used when I am overtaking and a car is coming towards me. This means something like, Watch out; I'm coming; I'm in your lane, but pull out! It is not uncommon for you to have to pull over to the side of the road to avoid a collision. However, many roads here only consist of two lanes with no space next to them. This means that you drive off the road and onto the earthy side lane, where people are walking and animals are grazing. You really have to be fully focused here, because even the slightest inattention can be a fatal mistake that can be dangerous.
However, I am very happy that I am allowed and able to drive here, because it is an experience that broadens your horizons and gives you so much. It makes you appreciate the road system you've known since birth again. I dare say now that once you've driven a car here, you can do it anywhere in the world!