Traffic Blues and Hero
Published on June 24, 2019
Very few things cause me unrest. Mostly because I may have a nonchalant flair to my being but one thing that constantly eats at my sock and is impossible to wish away is Nairobi traffic.
It seems almost incomprehensible how early traffic builds up and if you live in the outskirts like I do, it only fizzles out late in the night. The amount of times I’ve found myself wondering what school buses packed with little miniatures are doing on the road at odd hours is uncountable. Safe to say I wonder everyday. I wonder how I merely manage a sniff of coffee brewing on my way out but a 5-year-old has a school bag strapped with text books ready to fend for their educated future. One, I’d hope involves better road usage… bringing me back to my subject matter.
Nairobi roads the way I see them are progressively becoming admirable in the works of road and transport ministry. The tremendous output in flyovers around the city continue to boast of development. However, how efficient does this make our roads?
Today morning, stuck in traffic, surfing the socials like the routine it has become, I came across a post by Boniface Mwangi on twitter. He video recorded an incident that occurred along Langata road during the morning traffic where he refused to give way to a government official because he had right of way and before him a convoy seeking rather aggressively to use the wrong lane in a bid to avoid traffic.
I only give way to ambulances and fire engines. I block entitled civil servants and politicians who love to use sirens to avoid traffic. As a taxpayer, l expect the people in this big cars to follow the law and work towards solving the perennial traffic jams. @NPSOfficial_KE pic.twitter.com/HIJDKEVbB4
— Boniface Mwangi (@bonifacemwangi) June 24, 2019
My hero without a cap did what he knows best, pun intended, steered away from the norm and stood his ground saying, “Why are these people on the wrong side? I’m not going to move. Don’t drive on the wrong side” Mwangi continued… “I’m not going to move. Who is this? Why are they driving on the wrong side? Obey the law!”
Now, in case you may be wondering… the questions he asked are vital and according to a statement Inspector- General of Police, Hilary Mutyambai, released May this year stating the only persons privileged to clearance of traffic are The President, The Deputy President, The First Lady, Chief Justice, Attorney-General and several other selected Officials, Institutions and special Dignitaries.
He further added, “All other vehicles including government registered (GK) vehicles are expected to follow the normal traffic”.
So the next time a GK vehicle decides they have less hours of day than you do in traffic, please acquaint yourself with the right questions, “Who is this? Why are they driving on the wrong side?”