By eryon180
This week, my program moved from Nairobi to the city of Kisumu in Western Kenya. The city is next to Lake Victoria and has a large fish industry. Most of the fish taken from the Lake are tilapia or Nile Perch and the filets are sent to Europe and the United States.
Despite having a large fishing industry, Kisumu is facing a high unemployment rate. As a result of the lack of jobs combined with frequent teacher strikes (thus preventing students from attending primary/secondary school in the Kenyan System) they resort to giving motorcycle rides for transportation.
Motorcycle or “piki-pikis” drivers often to not have licenses to drive nor did they receive any formal training on how to drive. It is a common sight to see a driver carrying 2-3 passengers on one motorbike as well as large sacks of maize or cement. Every morning, I see children as young as 3 years old riding the piki-pikis to school. The drivers also disobey traffic rules, often driving around and between cars and on the sides of the road.
Although they are quick form of transportation, they are the reason that accidents are the number one cause of death in Kisumu. The Kisumu County Hospital has its own section for motor-related accidents. This is due to the lack of safety and accountability. Most drivers do not wear protective gear and almost never offer any protective gear to their passengers. Some drivers also do not own the bikes they are driving and therefore, if they get into an accident, are more inclined to abandon the premises instead of taking responsibility because they have nothing to lose. Unlike US police, the Kenyan police rarely, if ever, enforce road regulations.
Even during our first week, my class saw a piki-piki accident outside our school where a car side-swiped a bike and the passenger was thrown into the road. Fortunately, the passenger was ok but it definitely confirmed our fears of the motorbikes. As an alternative, my class takes Rickshaws or Tuk-Tuks. They are like oversized and covered motorbikes that carry 2-3 people at a time. They are often more expensive than piki-pikis but these drivers adhere to the rules of the road more than the bikes.
I suggest that students going to an area where Tuk-Tuks are prevalent, to use that as a form of transportation over the motorbikes. They may seem cool or unique but they are definitely not a reliable nor safe form of getting around. Also, in Kisumu if you have a Tuk-Tuk driver that you often call, they will give you a discounted rate!