Sinister use of road guard rails apart from safety

Most Kenyan roads have guardrails. They stop cars from veering off the road in case of an accident. On dual carriage roads, they keep traffic on the side, ensuring safety. But around Githurai, the guard rails have another purpose. They are seats for pickpockets. The pickpockets, mostly young men, never seen a woman, are most active during traffic jams.

In such jams, drivers are tempted to use their phones and open the windows. The area around Githurai is hot; it’s far from the hilly and leafy suburbs.

Unsuspecting drivers easily lose their phones.

The snatchers don’t even run. They walk in the opposite direction, and they know that few drivers will leave their cars to pursue them.

The picket pockets operate in small groups, most likely for intimidation.  I recently witnessed a pickpocket snatching a phone through an open matatu window.  They don’t wait for nightfall; any traffic jam is an opportune moment. It seems pickpockets love accidents, which often slow down traffic.

Why this behaviour? They know it’s unlikely the owners will fight back, and policemen are not there. They are usually stationed at the Kahawa Sukari underpass as early as 6.00 am and not to catch pickpockets. You can guess what they do.  Technology exists to track lost phones. How often do the police use it if you report a stolen phone? Why can’t undercover police do their work? The presence of pickpockets on such a busy highway leaves me wondering what they do deeper inside Githurai, where it’s more crowded. 

Their behaviour masks a deeper urban planning problem. We sold land to individuals with little reference to open spaces. Roads are also markets.

Going through Githurai for visitors is like going through a maze. The overcrowding and the resulting anonymity have created a perfect ground for such wayward behaviour.  Sadly, the buildings are not going down anytime soon.

In fact, higher buildings are coming up; more overcrowding will follow, and more vices will follow. Githurai is going through a gentrification.

May be, we need a raised expressway to keep away from such bad guys. But a better solution is to ensure all the planning bylaws are followed. A lasting solution is to make devolution work so that Githurai, Mlolongo, and other crowded settlements disperse.

Why can’t we make each county a Singapore?  Stimulating economic growth will create jobs and leave fewer youngsters sitting on the guardrails waiting for the opportune moment to grab phones.

Are we making life easier for entrepreneurs, the job creators? Next time you are passing near Githurai, close your car windows or keep your phone away. Under the current economic circumstances, any extra financial strain is unwelcome. Phone snatching was common in the early days of mobile phones before they became widespread. The return of such a bad habit could be a signal that economic hard times are creeping back. What do you think?