Journey

The journey by road

JB turns up a bit late in his rather battered truck. He always sleeps with his truck when he travels with a consignment. ‘Precious cargo man!’ beats his chest and readjusts his drooping khaki shorts with a wide smile. 

‘Hi JB I’ve been up to the border by car but never all the way to Kampala. It’ll be quite a trip!’

‘It’ll be a few days over roads that are rough in places and rather precipitous in others’ he warns me. ‘But I’ve made it every time. I’ve not been to the orphanage though but its not too far off the Kampala road. We’ll get there with St Christopher’s help!’ He taps the medallion around his neck. 

‘He’s never let me down. Yet!’ 

He laughs. ‘Not trouble at the docks. The pick up went through smooth as butter this time! It’s not always that easy.’

I throw my bag onto the wide front seat and pull myself into the truck. It smells of of hot Vynal and chewing gum. 

‘I’ve got my travel card for the border. So let’s be off’ 

National Identification Cards are also recognized as travel documents by Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda and can be used when travelling between the 3 Partner States

The driving distance between Nairobi to Kampala is a 408 mile journey — about a nine and a half hour drive from Nairobi to Kampala. We plan to stop for the night at Eldoret so today will be a five hr trip via A104 Nakuru Rd

 JB says it is a great places to visit. 

He laughs ‘We are staying in a cabin near my cousins house. There’s a beautiful water fall close by. You’ll love it. Especially after a long bumpy drive.

The next day we might glimpse a Black and White Colobus monkey. They sometimes cross the road near the park. They’ll take the truck apart if we slow down!’