By Ali Abdi
Consider the sight of a policeman in a denim jacket with his G-3 rifle hanging clumsily from his shoulder, a woman breastfeeding her baby, a sleepy girl and a disabled man are some of the passengers seeking the attention of a broker.
The broker is a young man called Wako. His job is to connect passengers travelling to Moyale and Marsabit from Isiolo town with lorry drivers plying the route.
The brokers, working in cahoots with drivers, have formed a cartel where travellers can only get a ride on the lorries through them. They wait for passengers at dusty market centres between Isiolo and Moyale.
‘‘Those who prefer small vehicles should see me and those who want lorries should see Hashim,’’ Mr Wako announces.
Famine and insecurity
A four wheel drive vehicle that broke down 10km from Marsabit town. [PHOTOS: ALI ABDI /STANDARD]
I was on an assignment to Marsabit and Moyale to cover famine and insecurity. The policeman was going back to his station in Marsabit from vacationing at his home in Kisii while the one-legged man was returning from selling his cows and goats at Nairobi ’s Kia Maiko market.
Northbound travellers from Isiolo have two options: trucks ferrying goods or small vehicles, always four-wheel-drive models, mainly owned by NGOs and Government. The trucks usually carry an assortment of goods but on return trips carry livestock.
At 11pm, Wako announced that there would be three small vehicles leaving for Marsabit the following morning.
Travellers pay the brokers and the driver, even those with (GK) Government number plates and NGO vehicles. Wako took us to a GK driver who told us the vehicle would leave any time from dawn.
I paid Sh1,000 to the driver and three brokers who assisted in getting the vehicle.
‘‘Make sure you are awake by 3am so you do not miss the vehicle,’’ said our man after we parted with the cash and were given tickets similar to those issued in buses.
Vehicles start early strung in convoys for security reasons and also to avoid the high temperatures during the day.
Our early rise proved unnecessary as our driver overslept and we left Isiolo at around 9am, with 14 passengers — eight crouched in the luggage area.
It is about 250km to Marsabit town. Another 276km would be awaiting to Moyale making a total of 526 km. Most sections are rocky while some have black cotton soil that make it impassable during the rainy season.
Construction work on the Isiolo-Merille Road, a distance of 136 km, began early last year but due to post-election violence, the work fell behind schedule.
Construction work
Chinese construction firm China Wu Yi is working on the first phase that connects Nairobi to Addis Ababa.
It is always advisable for a driver to ensure his car has good tyres, springs, shock absorbers and radiator and also to carry two spare wheels.
Former President Moi’s V8 Range Rover once had an engine knock on the same route at Sereolipi when he had gone to visit families of MPs who died in a plane crash in Marsabit.
There are no outlets for spare parts or garages except in Laisamis and in towns like Marsabit and Moyale. Apart from vehicle breakdowns, the driver and the passengers have to think about danger spots where bandits lurk.
Mobile phone networks are not clear apart from near towns like Marsabit, Moyale, Laisamis and Archer’s Post. Telkom wireless, however, is available in most trading centres.
We were worried of possible attack especially along the route between Archer’s Post and Sereolipi in Samburu East District. The most notorious spot is at Mlima Wamba (Samburu East) about 70km from Isiolo town and Mlima Tatu just after Merille in Laisamis District.
Last May, bandits killed a Chinese national, who was among engineers working near Sereolipi.
We did not encounter them but saw herdsmen with guns on the highway. We got a puncture a few kilometres from Mlima Wamba and out joint efforts saw the tyre changed in 10 minutes.
We had covered more than four hours up to Merille and ate lunch there before proceeding to Laisamis trading centre.
The drive between Laisamis and Logologo was rough and rocky. The road becomes steep as we approach the foothills of Mt Marsabit, a few kilometres from the boundary between Laisamis and Saku constituencies. Tension had been high in Saku and the section between Logologo and Marsabit town following animosity between two clans.
Reason: A pedestrian had been killed some 5km from Marsabit town on the same road a day before our journey.
As I had an assignment at Lasiamis, Saku and North Horr, I had to alight and stop for a day. I booked myself into a lodge that had no running water.
Despite its high altitude, Marsabit suffers a chronic water shortage and hoteliers have to buy water. I stayed at Jey Jey Centre managed by former Saku MP Jarso Falana.
Buying water
Mr Falana says he buys water from Logologo, 40km away, for his guests who are urged to use it sparingly.
After six days in the larger Marsabit, I travelled towards the border town of Moyale, on another GK vehicle. It took us eight hours and two tyre bursts.
The route from Bubisa to Turbi covers the Did Galgalu plains, a bare rocky area where temperatures run close to 40 degrees centigrade. Truck drivers say they only pass through the section at night to avoid engine knockouts.
By the time we made it to Moyale at dusk, I was a dust-covered and fatigued wreck.
