Drivers in Kinshasa shame Nairobi’s with courtesy

DRC: If you are tired of the lunacy and insanity of driving through Nairobi during rush hour, then here is a city in Africa that will feel like a breath of fresh hair; Kinshasa.

The city affectionately referred to in Lingala as Mboko ya Koi – is a city where drivers are courteous, obey traffic lights and respect the rules of the road.

Perhaps before the State and Nairobi County redesign Nairobi’s roads to decongest the city that loses up to Sh227 million a day in traffic jams and has more than 500,000 vehicles driving into the city daily, a visit to Kinshasa may be informative.

In Kinshasa, the throb of humming engines can feel like an orchestra performing. It is also a place where long winding boulevards bring memories of distant European cities like Paris.

The neatly designed roads form part of the rhythm of a city that beats to different drums. But what the city lacks in skyscrapers and an impressive skyline, it makes up for in civility on the road and a flowing traffic pattern for its 12 million inhabitants.

Nairobi has a population of slightly over 4.3 million, about a quarter of Kinshasa’s, but the city in the sun is persistently stuck in a gridlock.

And Kinshasa’s traffic is nothing compared to the madness and endless traffic jams that characterise Nairobi where motorists can spend more than two hours driving from Sameer Park on Mombasa Road to Kilimani, a 14km journey that should be covered in less than 20 minutes.

Besides winding roads, Kinshasa’s traffic lights work and the traffic pattern would be the envy of Kenyan urban planners.

In addition, a commuter system that is subsidised by the Government allows commuters to board modern buses that ply the city and connect residents to the outskirts.

The buses, known as Transco, or ‘spirit de ville’, are popular. “They charge a flat 500CFA (Sh78) to any destination,” says a city resident.

For residents living on less than $2 (Sh180) a day, Kinshasa can provide contrasts. Rent can be as high as $200 (Sh18,000) per month for residents who earn $100 (Sh9,000) on average, and that’s a well-paying job. Life in DRC, like in many African countries, is quite costly.

Kinshasa does not have impressive skyscrapers. It is a dusty, sprawled out city of generally low buildings.

When you get into the city, a welcoming sight is the imposing four-storey Lumumba statue built in honour of Patrice Lumumba, the revered first Prime Minister of Congo who helped win independence in 1960 from Belgium.

Lumumba was in power for only 12 weeks before he was overthrown by Mobutu Sese Seko with support from Belgium, the CIA and M16 and later executed by firing squad. But his legacy as a hardliner who refused to compromise on splitting up the country won him admiration.

It is this adulation for the man that has been cemented by patriotism. Congolese are fervently patriotic despite difficult economic times. And as they like to tell every foreigner fascinated by the country’s complexities, “Hapa in Congo! (This is Congo!)”.

The country is vast

The country is vast and Kinshasa is DRC’s capital of contrasts. Transport ranges from the comfort of state -subsidised luxury buses to local matatus — known locally as ‘spirit du moil’ — whose spare parts are no longer on the market.

They also have trucks which have been converted to carry passengers, referred to as ‘fula fula’, that wind their way through the city.

A drive along Lumumba Boulevard, a 15km stretch from the airport, leaves a lasting impression.

The four-lane superhighway which was built like a US freeway at the cost of $50 million (Sh4.5 billion) flows smoothly despite the huge number of vehicles on the road. The traffic lights at certain intersections are coordinated by a robot — yes an actual robot that changes colour for ‘stop’ or ‘go’.

Some of the other expanded and modernised roads that make driving in the city fun include Boulevard du 30 juin, Liberation Avenue and Boulevard Triomphal.

Like in Kenya, most of the construction work was undertaken by Chinese contractors. What makes Kinshasa remarkable is the fact that although it has more than four times the population of Nairobi and probably three times the number of cars, motorists follow the rules of the road.

The public transport vehicles, however, present a safety challenge and it is a scene replicated even in rural areas as far as Mbandundu Province, about 700km south east of Kinshasa. Most of the public service vehicles there are not roadworthy.

Unusual but normal

Here it may appear unusual, but it is normal for passengers to hitch a ride hanging on the back of the car, atop the vehicle or even squatting inside the boot. Even worse, their version of city matatus are old, battered vehicles that have seen better days.

Passengers are tightly packed on benches in rows of five. Most of the vehicles have no air-conditioning or glass windows. This is despite Kinshasa often getting unbearably hot.

Strict traffic laws are enforced by askaris in green uniforms armed with clubs. Punishment can range from a swipe to your car or even. But you can buy your way out of both. After all, hapa ni Africa.

Motorists recognise that pedestrians always have right of way. You can cross a street in the CBD without the fear of being run over. However, once you are in the suburbs, you could find yourself fair game for speeding drivers.

The driving habits in Kinshasa however, do not explain the grim statistics of road accidents. On average, 13,500 people are killed on the roads in DRC every year. This is nearly five times the number killed on Kenyan roads. They could use a policy to get dilapidated vehicles of the roads.