Machakos, A City Sorrounded by Hills

A street in Machakos town

The Roaming Reporter's job involves exploring new places.

On a Saturday afternoon, he sets out for Machakos. The first put off is the fare from Nairobi. Kshs.250 is exorbitant considering that its just an hour's drive from Nairobi.

The road is smooth but the stretch between Athi River and  Kyumvi (pronounced "Chumvi") is a bit scary. Here buses and trailers overtake at blind corners with reckless abandon.



It's therefore quite a relief when we start to read road signs like "Peter Mulei Supermarket welcomes you to Machakos city", Kenya Israel and "Mks 12km". Then all of a sudden, the soil changes from the pale whitish to red soil. At this point, I stop to wonder why people consider Ukambani to be a dry place. "Then you've never been to Kitui," whispers the lady sited next to me.

One thing that will definitely strike you as you enter Machakos is the high number of morgues lining up the road to town. Here, they prefer to call them funeral homes. A more detailed research would better explain this phenomenon.

Then there is cleaniliness. For a person who spends most of his waking time in downtown Nairobi, this is easy to decipher. All roads, including feeder roads and back streets are swept clean, even on a weekend afternoon. The main bus park is also not as chaotic as what we're used to in Nairobi.

The roaming reporter was  feeling hungry, and he had two choices next to each other; T-tot Hotel and T-tot Restaurant. "So what is the difference?" I overhead someone ask at the parking lot.

"Moja ni ya mzee na ingine ni ya Kijana (One belongs to the father and the other one to the son)," a passerby offered an explanation. The Roaming Reporter chose the father; the size of the chapati and the taste of the Kuku vindicated his decision.

The waiters are all elderly men but their service doesn't disappoint. The only problem is that they cook ugali using cooking oil.

A tour of the town took less than an hour. It included a visit to the golf course, Kenyatta stadium and Garden Hotel. Machakos reminds one of Zion, or some bibilical town sorrounded by hills. The roaming reporter will be back for more analysis after the construction of the planned Machakos City.