:: Thika for a day
12 March 2007

Save your energy and go straight to the Thika photo gallery

It was evening when we drove back into the city on Thika road and stopped at an Engen petrol station. It turns out that this Engen is at Kahawa Sukari. We bought a few beers from the extremely attractive ladies at the shop and sat by the car and chatted about the day that had just gone by. A young man wearing a Man U shirt when they still had Vodafone as their shirt sponsor checked in driving a nice car probably belonging to his parents. He wasn't driving well. Perhaps he hadn't been driving for a long time. There were several youngsters who looked like they were aged somewhere between 17 and 22 there and this petrol station seemed to be their hangout of choice. We didn't spend too much time at Kahawa Sukari and drove off into the city and marvelled at Thika Road at night. The lights were ablaze and we voiced our support for Esther Passaris that lady behind the Adopt-a-light concept. Thika Road has been transformed completely. I remember taking the night bus from college and how going down Thika road was quite the adventure. Now this road is safe. Safer.

Machira, Bosire and the bandit

I'm getting way ahead of myself here. Our friends from the Gotea Dimba Ushinde competition were doing their first draw for the tickets to London. The idea was to do the draw where the people are creating a bigger buzz. Thika was the first destination. Thika is small industrial town one hour to the North of Nairobi. The Gotea Dimba team had asked me to ride along and see how it worked. It was like those TV shows where a pal joins the police for a ride along. I was driving in Machira's car alongside Oakland Media's Bosire. So the three of us were Thika bound to check out the city of Blue post and Vibestar and Del Monte. The drive into Thika was quite good. Ruaraka and Githurai and Kahawa and the other destinations whizzed by. It’s been quite hot of late and everyone was sporting sunglasses except me. I was recently surprised to find my sunglasses broken in my bed last week. I seemed to have lain on them one night after having a great night somewhere. Damn you Tusker.

On the ride over, I looked through the papers. Either Oyunga Pala was having a bad hair day as his piece lacked that old electricity that made one buy the Saturday only to read his column. I just hope he isn't losing his touch as I am such a big fan. Looking through the Standard, Milly G demanded that every woman require her man to deliver the big O (orgasm) while Tony gave his theory on how women suffer from being targeted by older men while at a younger age. Interesting reading that morning.

We drove into the city and started looking for the rest of the Gotea team. Machira (did I mention that he was coordinating that promotion) wanted to meet Balozi productions. The promotion component for the whole competition had been outsourced to these fellows and the idea was to see how far they had gone. We drove into Thika and I must say that the town is much improved from the last time I was here. Cleaner for one. One of the first buildings one comes across is a humongous Tusker Mattresses. It looks as big as the one in Buruburu to me. And as we go into the town, one sees signs of a town under serious construction. Buildings all over the place are being done. And several buildings. My Bank Equity seems to have two branches here.

Machira drove us around and acted as a guide to the town that is Thika. We saw the house of one of the first Miro bus owners Kiminjo or Kinjo. We also drove by the “jobless corner”. This jobless corner is unique because there were several jobless pointies (half odiero, half miro) who chilled. They were apparently the offspring of a rich Odiero dude and some Miro’s and he had bequeathed his immense wealth to their children. Thus they were cursed with brokeness until they had children and could partake of their father’s immense wealth. At the main streets there were several hotels. I remember December pub which Bosire tells me was quite the joint back in the day. And there was a hotel with the weirdest name. "Special Services" was its name. One just had to wonder what special services they had on offer. Machira tells me that it’s just a name but I am not too sure. Pork choma also seems quite common in this town. As we drove around, Machira would regale us with tales of when he worked with AAR in this town. Good stuff.

We eventually hooked up with the Balozi team. Mwaniki was in the saloon car and Njuki was in this huge truck full of dudes and dudettes dressed in T-shirts with "Gotea Dimba Ushinde". So we trailed them as they went around the streets of Thika as they danced and handed out flyers on the competition to residents. It was quite refreshing to see Old Mwaniki earning his bread and running around with his team on the streets handing out flyers himself. That is what is called singing for your supper if you asked me.

We eventually found ourselves at the main bus park of Thika. This is was vital to the promotion that was being run as the buses here headed into the whole of central Kenya. It seems that Thika is really important where transport to the central parts of our country is concerned. The boards gave a wide array of destinations; Makuyu, Mwea, Othaya, Muranga et al.

The bus park is at the centre of several buildings. We were parked near a supermarket called Maguna-Andu which is Kikuyu for saving people - the idea off course that the supermarket is cost effective. Right next to this supermarket was Thika Stalls which is an exhibition as we know it in Nairobi with several stalls in a small space. These stalls just like in Nairobi sold several goods. DVDs/VCDs/CDs mostly of the kikuyu persuasion and a lot of them gospel. And players for the DVDs/VCDs/CDs. And there was some clothing on show as well. In front of the next shop there was large crowd looking in. It seemed to some sort of a TV repair shop. They were playing a VCD which seemed to enthral the onlookers. From what I could see, the plot of the VCD was around a woman who had been married into a new home and was wrecking havoc with her in-laws - threatening her mother-in-law with sending her away. Her new husband seemed to be sleeping as she was scaring the bejesus out of his family. Then when they left her hallowed presence in fear she started loudly proclaiming how she intended to take over the home. As she was making these pronouncements, her hubby woke up and heard her evil plan and then... The crown was filling to the brim by this time and I could hardly get a look in. But you know how that story ends.

Within the park the hawkers roved around with their boxes and they sold their varied products. From shoelaces, to razor blades to those buns you buy for Kshs5 to calendars. There were also several "shops" selling various products. Mangoes seem to be in season and everyone was selling this beloved fruit. And off course the buns. And Handkerchiefs. And an amazing sight if ever I saw one. A bottle of Coke and Babito lying side by side. No beef. No fighting (Shakira, Shakira!). Across there was a red building being painted and amazingly it wasn't the “coke side of life” they were painting but some other product. The Gotea promotion girls and guys were handing out flyers about the competition like their lives depended upon it. They were especially concentrating on the matatus as they were leaving the bus park. The idea being off course that the word would spread to central Kenya. Pretty brilliant this.

I made my way back to the truck and our group had raised quite a buzz with a crowd forming to hear what we were on about. Our group was quite the spectacle. We were playing loud music out of the back of this huge track. The same track had these lithe young girls dancing and shaking their tooshies like whoa so you know some people had to stop. Especially the younger ones. We were creating such a buzz that some local girls came and asked us to sign autographs. And some of them decided that I was Smitta Smitten. That was quite funny. Me Smitta Smitten. Too funny. I showed them my hair bila dreadlocks but they wouldn't buy it. Ah well...

Heres how you create a buzz

And then the draw. Two tickets would be won on that day. The first was won by some fellow from the Nairobi. The second was won by a fellow from Kitale called Kigen. The funny thing is that the guy thought we were hoaxing him. I kid you not. He hung up three times before he finally agreed we were serious.

With draw done, we decided to have a meal before heading into the big city. We checked into the coconut grill right next to the huge Tusker Mattresses and immediately left. That place looked less like an eating joint and more like a long corridor. I expect that when we talked we would hear echoes from the other end. We opted instead for the Metro club where we ate some good food and drunk some nice cold beers. It was really a good break from the heat of the city. And the band is not horrible at Metro club.

p.s Vibestar that world famous (Ok Nairobi famous) club In Thika was closed a while back. Apparently, it became quite the security risk as the thugs in the area would patiently wait for the tourists (mainly from Nairobi) to come and they would mug them.

>> Related Links
:: Sights from Thika (Gotea Dimba Gallery)

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