Rain, in most cases, is considered a blessing. I mean, it brings fruition to our lands and takes away that dreaded heat even if for just a minute. With that in mind one can safely say that people love rain.
But if that is so why is it when it comes to Kenya and people see a little grey cloud hovering by, it’s like what happens when ‘he who shall not be mentioned’ would sneeze during a harry potter movie, people scatter!
1. Traffic
Firstly we can say that with rain comes traffic. The rush of people trying to get out on the road first, all brings about disaster. One minute you are the only one driving by, the next the roads are as full as Sonfords at lunchtime. You can’t catch a break.
Now on top of gloomy weather, we find that there are irritated people on the road all hogging the inches of space they occupy in an effort to outwit the other. Those in matatus are now expert drivers and are shouting at the driver to do this and do that, those in cars are livid and will not dare let a matatu cut in front of them. Chaos is everywhere.
2. Arbitrary fare increases
Another thing about rain and Kenya is if you do not have the luxury of owning a car, you find that you better have some extra money either in your wallet or M-pesa. You never know what to expect and sometimes it can be exhausting keeping up with the changes.
This is the time of year when matatus decide that fare will be on the up and up and woe unto those who do not comply with the changes. Sure there are some people who decide to stand strong and not pay, but common, you can only stand in the rain trying to look like Kim Kardashian in that milf video for so long.
3. Flooding
Now that you’re in a matatu or car and almost home you may run into a bit of flooding here and there and for Kenyans that’s the deal breaker of all deal breakers. Trying to maneuver around Kenya with flooded roads is not an easy task for pedestrians or drivers so it’s no wonder Kenyans hate the rain.
I think our parents or pre-school teachers knew what they were doing when they taught us hopscotch , they were preparing us for these hards times.
4. Electricity
So let’s say you’ve made it through the traffic and had enough cash to pay for fare, you finally get home, take off your shoes and viola, no lights!
Why is it that after going through all that trouble KPLC can’t feel pity on Kenyans and just let them have a hot shower and a decent meal with lights? The most irritating part is if you are one of those people who have hope and decide to call them, sorry but LOL. I say you have better luck getting through to Makmende then you have of getting through to KPLC. If you happen to get one of the customers care reps to pick, it will be another job trying to get answers out of them.
But it’s not always that bad. You could do a romantic candle lit dinner, become an expert in drumming on a table, do the rain dance or maybe do that thing old people used to do back in the day and talk to each other 😀 it’s all about trying to see the good in the not so good.
While rain may not be all it’s cracked up to be if you take a minute and sit still, Kenya looks pretty good when it rains.