Matatu drivers are not on CBD!

Let's take a break from animals for now and have a look at the pulsing heart of Kenya's hustle and bustle: the Central Business District in Nairobi.

Our visit there was quite a bit rougher on the edges than we expected. Business district always sounds impersonal and clean – high-rise buildings and people wearing ties. Already on our way in it was clear that these expectations wouldn't exactly be met. We walked through the John Michuki Memorial Park which is bordering the city center. Through this park flows the Nairobi river which apparently consists purely of waste water, but still crocodiles seem to find a living among the trash there.

Even if the sewers are clogged...

... the pipes can be put to good alternative use as bridges.

Generally, maintaining infrastructure is a problem in city that grew too fast and where there is too little money for public services.

Once we arrived at the central streets, the busy hustling augmented exponentially. There seem to be specialized streets for every trade: in one street only car parts are sold, in another only bathroom supplies. Big advantage in the CBD: here are sidewalks!

Our goal was Accra Road – the starting point of all overland buses. The bus system here in Kenya is interesting: all travel is done in mini-buses that are called matatu. These buses we rode with would normally be built for 9 passengers, but here they were outfitted to carry from 15 to 19 people (!). The matatu within Nairobi and for overland travel are run by cooperatives called sacco in Kiswahili.

There is a whole matatu culture – the buses are often decorated with beautiful street-art and inside crazy-loud party music is entertaining the passengers. The decoration and music reflect also the driving style of the matutu which can only be summarized as ape-shit crazy!

Every millimeter and more is used in the matatu and the last row was exactly 0.8 Tobi-units in size, luckily the trip only lasted two hours :D

The matatu follow a very simple and universal law: the bus starts once it's completely full – no quarters given!

But once it starts you can count on the driver to overtake at every unthinkable occasion that presents itself on the road. No visibility of what's ahead – seriously, who cares! Overtaking on the wrong side because the other side is already blocked by cars that are overtaking too slowly – wait what, there is a wrong side?! Last second full-break to let a passenger exit on the side between two other matatu – baby, this it's how it's done!

All this is not only great fun as a passenger, but even more when you drive yourself. But that's a story for another day.