Githurai Hustles that Bustles & Gambles Life Live!

✓ Not everyone is able to use this bridge. It is scary. Some adults ask us to hold their hands so they don’t miss a step.

✓ The dreaded bridge connects Githurai with Kahawa West, Soweto slums and Congo.

✓ Some years back we found a body in the river and from the injuries it was clear the man fell while crossing.

It takes nerves, precision, a little sweat and luck to cross this bridge in Nairobi's Githurai 44 area. The bridge has no guard rails or any safety mechanism on either side of it, which makes it very dangerous to use.

Sitting atop a stream, the rusty railway line bridge is barely 100 metres from Thika Superhighway. The dreaded bridge, which has made quite some headlines in the area connects Githurai with Kahawa West, Soweto slums and Congo.

Though it is a lifeline, some people have sustained injuries trying to cross it. The bridge has left a number of bodaboda operators counting losses after their motorbikes plunged into the river about 10 metres down.

Those who try to hold onto their bikes whenever tragedy strike while crossing the bridge risk following their beloved rides down the river. 

“Not everyone is able to use this bridge. It is scary. Some adults ask us to hold their hands so they don’t miss a step” Kennedy Mwaura, a bodaboda operator, told Wananchi Reporting.

It is a narrow bridge with wooden planks spaced widely that they can swallow an adult. It has no guardrails and if you miss a step, you plunge into the stream.

Joel Kimani works in a nearby sand field and according to him, there have been cases of death on the bridge.

“Some years back we found a body in the river and from the injuries it was clear the man fell while crossing,” he said.

Adding; “But incidences of people falling and suffering injuries and fractures are very common”.

His claims were echoed by David Mutua a bodaboda operator who said some motorcycles and bicycles loaded with market goods have tumbled down.

The reason people gamble with their lives is because the path parallel to the railway line is the shortest route to Kahawa West and Soweto slums.

The other alternative is boarding tuktuks that charge Sh50.

“There are regular trekkers who cross effortlessly with loads on their backs or heads. Some school children do it with ease. The bridge is jammed with people in the morning and afternoon” Mwaura said.

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Mteule online foundations (MOF) established that it's however riskier for even the experienced when it rains. We witnessed the riders trying to balance their wobbling bikes.

Woe unto you if the train gets you while trying to cross.

“It is a mad rush when it hoots like a kilometre away. A hilarious scene as people give way” Mutua said