Why you need eyes that can see in the dark when cruising Laikipia plains on tattered roads
Peter Kimani
By
Peter Kimani
| Sep 26, 2025
One of the guilty pleasures that I used to enjoy was to nap on road trips. At times, it was the fun of observing Kenyans’ peculiar habits: many sleep with mouths wide open, snoring and drooling through potholed roads.
I guess that was one of my motivations for seeking the services of a driver on a recent trip. But the main motivation was to take a deserved break to sight-see, doze off and day-dream as we drove through this beautiful land.
But things did not go as planned. First off, the driver arrived late, so he was nearly fired before being hired. But I restrained myself because I am learning to relax about things, so I generously offered him a ride to the next stop, when he took charge.
I suppose it was during that interlude that the driver decided: Bossman is a fast driver because the ear was touching the ground as I navigated corners of the expressway. He tried those antics when he took the wheel.
I restrained him. It is one thing to drive fast, it is quite another to be driven fast! In the event, I was on the phone most of the way, catching up with folks I hadn’t spoken to for the week, so the much needed break wasn’t quite what I experienced.
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Our last trip was at dusk, before it gave way to darkness, on the rough road that connects Nanyuki and Rumuruti. It is hard to believe those county folks use the same road to work and back every day. The driver was moving at such an excruciatingly slow pace, I simply ordered him to stop and move over.
I took the wheel, gently saying I had been down that route for years, so I knew every pothole and gully on the way. Soon, I was cruising at a steady pace. I suspect the driver spent the rest of the time trying to work out this puzzle: Bossman rides slowly on smooth tarmac during the day, but he cruises at lightning speed on rough roads at night.
It is because my eyes can see in the dark, when the going gets rough.