Western and Nyanza folks will tell you how hectic it is to travel to rural areas at any time of the year, owing to the long distance. To kill the boredom associated with long travel, you will not miss to find different types of characters who do all manner of things, some funny, some amusing. You are likely to interact with these characters in passenger service vehicles (PSVs) while travelling to shags.
She will start making calls even before the vehicle begins the journey from Nairobi CBD to its destination in Nyanza. The conversation is mostly mushene and her escapades in Nairobi. If you think that she will be tired after the stop-over at Narok, you are totally wrong as she will continue once the driver turns on the ignition key for the second part of the journey. However, the loud juicy gossip keeps other passengers entertained throughout the journey.
He is always glued to his smartphone, which keeps him in his own world throughout the journey. Mostly, they are immersed in Tiktok, Youtube, Instagram and other social media channels. Others have a library of music, which they listen to the entire journey. Unlike the phone call ladies, they ensure they are not a bother to anybody, as they’ll be using earphones.
She enjoys sleep right from the start of the journey to the end. If you are her neighbour, she will make you her pillow. However, if you are not comfortable, you will be forced to wake her up several times to remind her to keep to her lane.
He will start a conversation out of nowhere; right from general weather to how the Kenyan economy has continued to deteriorate. It doesn’t matter whether or not you are in the mood for arguments or discussions, he will engage you with leading questions and compel you, and even fellow passengers to support his political opinion.
She is always munching something during the entire journey. If it is not that packed githeri, then it is biscuits with juice she bought from hawkers. She is also the first one to buy that mahindi choma, njugu karanga, and passion fruits from hawkers, which she goes straight to eating. If you think she will not alight at Kikopey for stomach refill alongside other passengers, you are wrong, she will order ugali na saucer combined.
This one has a problem travelling using diesel powered vehicles and so she will be vomiting through the journey. For those who don’t like harufu ya sukuma na ugali, then you will have to endure the stench.
You will hear him tell the driver wewe unaenda pole pole sana ongeza mafuta tuko na haraka. The next minute, you will hear the same customer telling the driver to be careful with his driving as he is carrying human beings and not potatoes. The same customer will also be heard complaining about excess joto in the vehicle and why the bus has no charging ports like other modern ones.
This is the person you will often hear telling the driver, kanyaga clutch, unataka nikusaidie kidogo or check your headlights and so on. This passenger always knows more on matters driving and vehicle features than even the driver himself.
For this passenger, sitting near a female passenger gives him an opportunity of kutupa misitari during the journey. He does not care whether the passenger could be engaged married or even a carrier. He insists on being given a contact number before reaching destination.
There is always this annoying passenger who is fond of kusimamisha gari for either haja kubwa or haja ndogo. She will command the driver to stop the vehicle even in the middle of Mahi Mahiu highway to the detriment of other passenger