Kiminini Taxi

I am staying with Joshua in Kiminini, it is a fairly small town about 15-20 minutes away from Kitale, which is bigger. To get there we take something called a Kiminini taxi, the fare is 60 shillings for a seat (1KSH=88.75CDN), in these taxis, which are 20 year old Toyotas, there are four "seats" in the back and two upfront. The drivers won't leave until all the seats have been paid for, they aren't bad drivers, I've only been here a week, and only one of them has been suicidal.

Today Joshua, Justin, Martin and myself along with a filter took the ride into Kitale. Justin, Martin and I were hoping to talk to some the duka (shop) owners about our filters. It's a scenic ride, at times its cramped, especially with my dimensions, but the countryside is very green and there are people riding along side the road on bodas (bikes) and we are passing or being passed by matatus (a less roomy full sized van packed very full of people).

Halfway between Kiminini and Kitale there are 2 or 3 policemen standing on either side of the road, who will sometimes wave down the taxi driver. When this happens it is customary for only the taxi driver to exit the vehicle shake hands, before allowing the taxi driver to continue. Today we got waved down on our way into town. The driver pulled over, but before the driver could alight, from his window Joshua began speaking to the policeman in Kiswahili. The policeman didn't say much  and continued walking by the car. The taxi driver was unsure of what to do until Joshua told him to take the car back onto the road.

"He knows me, that is why he does not even want to shake hands" said Joshua, smiling as if talking oft an old friend. "He knows that if he does, I will make it so that he has no food."