Walking on water has never been so much fun as when I recently splashed the precious liquid on a dry river bed with sparkling white sands in Kathekani village, near Mtito Andei in Makueni County. The leisurely walk down Kathekani and Ngai Ndethya Rivers was both refreshing and had a breath-taking view of Tsavo National Park National Park in the horizon and Kathekani hill nearby which was renowned for gold mines and mining activities during the dying years of colonial era in the 1950s.
A small stream flowed from the confluence of the two rivers, which during rainy season upstream turns the riverbed into floods and is a source of blessing. For villagers downstream, the flooded rivers clear anything on their paths as they flow into the mighty Athi River and Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean, near Malindi town in Kilifi County.
On the side of the river was the scenic and legendary Baobab trees, which grow for hundreds of years. The “upside down trees,” as they are referred to by locals, are native to Madagascar in Southern Africa and Australia, in Asia.
Walking on Water
Local myth has it that the tree, which has eight species, grows with their roots in the air, making them a sight to behold. A dawn walk in the area from Kathekani Railway station on the old metre gauge line built by the British East Africa Company in 1890s from Mombasa to Nairobi, is parallel to the recent Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), dubbed Madaraka Express, as Boabab trees dominated the landscape as far as the eye could see.
The under utilised train stop is best known for being a stone’s throw from the notorious Ngei Ndethya bridge, where over 140 train passengers died when it plunged into the river, in 1999. Ironically that name means in Kamba language: “God save me.” Two ‘dead Baobabs’ were spotted lying on their backs with the roots facing the ground, a very rare scene for a tree that is common in Africa from Senegal in West Africa all the way to the East and South African coast.
The inter-county train to Mtito Andei in Makueni County departed from Syokimau SGR station at exactly 8am. for the three-hour journey. Mtito Andei came into the limelight in the 1890’s in the advent of coming of explorers and missionaries by ship from Europe for adventure and/or to spread Christianity.
The name Mtito Andei is derived from the Kamba word ‘mutitu wa ndei,’ which means forest of vultures. Indeed, official records show that Ugandan Railways (the precursor of East African Railways and Harbours Corporation and later Kenya Railways Corporation), had designated the one-street dusty town as a railway construction hub and later upgraded it to a railway station on the Nairobi-Mombasa line.
Forest of Vultures
Passengers had the option to use the Kenya Railways' Corporation single gauge train from Nairobi Railway Station, in the Central Business District (CBD), at a pocket friendly cost of Khs50 per person. A leading media house had a vendor strategically standing at the entrance to give passengers a free copy of their newspaper.
Some passengers read it, but most flipped through the headlines then tucked it away. In the dining coach, a copy of a Chinese newspaper was found left behind by one of the expatriates. It was written in Mandarin, so we could only admire the photos! The other option to access the station was by hiring a taxi or using private transport to the ultra-modern SGR station, on the boundary of Nairobi and Machakos Counties, off the busy Mombasa highway opposite Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), some 16Km. from down town.
The Madaraka Express had 10 coaches of 110 passengers each in the economy class and another three executive coaches with a buffet coach for diners. Most seats were filed by students return to school after half term with their parents, guardians and some teachers.
Those who opted for the economy class paid Kshs1,000 per person to Mombasa while those in the executive coach paid Kshs3,000 per ticket for the five-hour day trip.
But only passengers with passports and/or Kenyan national identity cards were allowed to purchase and board the SGR. The exception were children below 17 years of age who had to be accompanied by an adult. Security was given top priority before boarding with guards, police and sniffer dogs ensuring that all luggage did not have contraband drugs and/or contain any weapons or explosives.
SGR aka Madaraka Express
Digital purchasing and issuance of ticket was very efficient using mobile money and ATM machines at the Syokimau station. Once on board, each passenger had a reserved seat and table to place drinks, snacks and reading materials during the journey. one calls, surfed the internet, watched videos and/or enjoyed music on their head phones.
The train drivers made brief, two-to-five minutes stops along the way for passengers in the inter-county train to board or alight at the following stations: at Athi River, Emali, Kibwezi, Mtito Andei, Voi, Miaseny, Mariakani then ended at Miritiin on the outskirts of Mombasa city, on Indian Ocean coast.
Passengers had an option of carrying their own snacks and refreshments or buying from the SGR waiters at a higher price than normal. Indeed, the Madaraka Express has revolutionised passenger and cargo transport in the country’s 57-year history since independence, since its launch four years ago by President Uhuru Kenyatta. Popularly called SGR, the daily service is run by Africa Railway Operating Company (Afristar) and Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC).
Revolutionised Transport
So far, it has impacted the local tourism sector positively, created thousands of jobs for Kenyans, ferried over 5.3 million passengers between Nairobi and Mombasa and also moved over 12.9 tonnes of cargo.
During the smooth ride in the air-conditioned coaches, a screen on top of the door between the coaches had a digital display scrolling to show the day and time, speed of the train and temperature outside.
Armed police officers made random trips by walking up and down the coaches to ensure law and order was maintained by the passengers. Some of the beautiful natural sites along the 480Km route were wildlife in Nairobi National Park, Ngong Hills, Athi River, Kilimambogo Hills, Lukenya Hills, Kyulu Hills, and Tsavo National Park among others.
Each coach had two clean washrooms (lavatories) on either end for the passenger's use. The train was almost fully booked, especially with parents and students returning to school after a short half-term holiday.
To show how meticulous they were, security officers at Mtito Andei station intercepted a stone carried by this writer’s nephew, Kevin Okello, on his return trip to Nairobi. I had picked it from Ngai Ndethya River bank and had intended to wash and use it as a souvenir in my city flower garden. Attempts to convince them that it was “just a stone” fell on deaf ears as the police chief confiscated it! For first-timers like my nephew Robert Kyalo Kyambi, “It was a thrilling and enjoyable ride, as good as in an airplane!”
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