Across the Nithi

Recently I found myself travelling a lot around Mt. Kenya region and it surprised me that I had never taken the time to do so till now. Unbelievable how easy it is to board a plane to wherever when local tourism is teeming with wonderful sights, tastes and sounds.

All my life I have been fascinated with River Nithi, but I had never, till now, been to Meru or anywhere where I’d need to cross the Nithi. So when I finally had to make the journey to Meru, I rarely slept the night before thinking how I’d have to cross that river. See, this has been a traffic black-spot since time immemorial. They say there is a force in the ground that forces vehicles off the road. (No details please, I’m no expert on the subject.) And judging from the number of accidents and the numerous dents on the roadside barricade, one has to conclude it’s true. Only fools dare to speed here, either uphill or downhill.

So as I headed to Meru the following day I said to a friend who was with me, ‘Make sure to let me know when we approach River Nithi.’ (She was from Meru and knew the route well). ‘Sure,’ she responded.

The road to Meru is quite hilly and full of hair-raising bends, but local leaders have done a good job of ensuring the roads are smooth and well marked. Bravo! No potholes here. As such the journey is much more comfortable than it would otherwise be, or than it used to be before the road repairs.

I waited and waited. Meru is no less than 4 and a half hrs from Nairobi. I saw many treacherous bridges, bends and hills, but nothing posing any serious danger to travellers. The driver was very careful and there was absolutely no cause for alarm in this journey. I almost couldn’t believe this was the journey I had dreaded all my life, and that had kept me awake the previous night.

I had also heard stories about how recklessly Miraa transporters drive along this route. That turned out to be completely true. They sped and overtook with abandon, headlamps blazing, waiting and stopping for nothing and no one. Luckily they weren’t that frequent so as long as one was careful you could always stay out of their way.

I observed one or two suspicious looking bridges which I could have sworn were the Nithi, but my friend was deep in conversation and after asking her once or twice whether we had yet passed the Nithi I had decided to be patient. She assured me she would definitely point out the Nithi to me.

About 4 hours later I started seeing sign-posts reading Meru this, Meru that, and I had this faint suspicion we were approaching Meru town and my friend had forgotten to show me the Nithi. So I asked, ‘Pray, where is the Nithi?’ to which she replied, ‘Oh, did you not see it?’

‘You were supposed to show it to me,’ I reminded her.

‘Sorry I forgot,’ she stated.

Two words, disappointment that I had crossed the mighty Nithi and not realized it; and relief that it was all over. I concluded it couldn’t then be as bad as people claim if I had passed it without noticing.

‘Then there is no Nithi,’ I declared to the whole vehicle.

‘What?’ they chorused. ‘River Nithi definitely exists.’

‘Then how come I didn’t notice it, no one showed it to me, and I didn’t see anything on this road that much out of the ordinary?’ I asked.

‘Trust us, the Nithi exists and is very dangerous.’ They insisted.

On my way back I did see the Nithi. It does not appear as dangerous as it actually is. To be honest to the naked eye a few other spots on this road appear much more dangerous. Except for the very long and steep hill, and a slight bend at the bottom, nothing much else looks any different from much of the Meru route. However if you are observant you immediately notice the raised bumpy partition in the middle as the authorities try to make sure vehicles don’t attempt to overtake here (though I have since witnessed a matatu cross this partition and proceed to overtake!)

You also notice the barricades on either side of the road, as well as the many dents that are evidence of numerous accidents or near-accidents here. You notice also, that most drivers slow way down at this spot, and bigger vehicles like trucks literally crawl, as they are perfect candidates for the ground force that pulls vehicles off the road here.

After this journey I felt wiser and initiated into that ever-growing club of those of us who have crossed the Nithi. I’ve been to Meru many times since, and now, since learning the true danger of the Nithi (the force), I respect the rather innocent looking slope, and I always breathe a silent sigh of relief once I’m clear off this spot. If I notice the driver moving a bit too fast, or he/she is new and doesn’t understand the place, I caution them and break no bones about it. Better safe than sorry.

Either way, it’s always a relief to finally reach Embu, and leave the Meru hills and bends behind. But the beauty of this region, with Mt. Kenya towering right over it, is breathtaking. In fact, the reason for all the hills and bends is that this is indeed the beginning of the ascent to the Mountain.

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