Trip from Nakuru to Nairobi in 1993

by John Marshall
(Orange, California)

WHilst working for the British COuncil in Nairobi in 1993-1994, I took a trip along the old road from Nakuru to Nairobi via Naivasha. I had a large empty Landrover Series 3, very old and one that had in its logbook as a previous owner Richard Leakey.

I noticed about ten children walking homwe from school, as it was about 2.00pm. They were five and six years olds. They could not understand a word of English but jumped in to the Landrover when I stopped because they knew I was going in their direction.

Imagine my fright when a mile further on I was flagged down by a Kenya Policeman. He asked me if I could take him to the Naivasha Polcie Station. Then he saw the kids in the back. I explained what I was doing. So he spoke to them and I assumed that he asked them where they were going.

I drove on and was beckoned to stop and let them off after ten miles! Wow, I thought, is this really their daily journey to school? Maybe they missed the bus but them I remembered how teachers I worked with in Central Province in early 1993 declined the bus or matatu to take them to the secondary school where we were all working to save the cost. So I guessed that these children were doing this journey everyday probably in both directions.