Gwa Kairu estate where boda boda riders are godsend

That’s because muggers have turned the alley into a 'hunting field' whenever darkness sets in – terrorising residents returning home late from work.

To ensure their security, residents have had to rely on boda boda riders who often park near the underpass waiting for customers returning home from work.

Indeed, the presence of the riders has acted as a deterrent as the muggers cannot carry out their schemes with the riders parked just a few metres away.

According to the residents of Gwa Kairu estate, the boda boda operators are godsend.

Residents trekking home from work late, often feel more emboldened with their presence at the underpass – and the riders are happy to help.

“It’s true that residents only pass through the tunnel when riders are parked here. I guess they feel more secure,” Douglas Kiarie, a rider in the area, told Wananchi Reporting.

“You will not find people walking through this tunnel in our absence. If you try that anytime past 10.30pm, you will definitely be robbed,” he adds.

“Many residents have been mugged on their way home.  The muggers waylay them at the dark ends of the tunnel before melting away,” noted Kiarie.

The underpass has a railway line snaking through it, and although the tunnel is fairly lit, it can get lonely and insecure at night.

This is why residents only gather courage to pass through it when riders are parked nearby, waiting for customers.

According to Kiarie, their presence as riders has helped the residents a great deal.

“Once you are dropped at the bus stop, and you find that the riders are not around, you don’t dare use that route. You have to look for an alternative route," Milkah Waithera, a resident of the area told Wananchi Reporting.

Residents returning home way past 10pm are often left with the option of accessing the estate by dashing across the busy road; a very risky affair.

The other option is to board a second matatu to Kimbo town, nearly a kilometer away, then connect to the estate using boda boda.

“It’s not easy getting into the estate late at night. It can be risky which is why some residents burn an extra coin to get to the estate, it’s better than an encounter with muggers, in the dark, alone,” another resident Michael Mwenda said.