Tuesday protests: How Google map saved the situation

Kenyatta Avenue on Tuesday afternoon. [XN Iraki, Standard]

I was caught by the Tuesday demonstrations that shook the country. From a meeting near Lavington, I had to evacuate a relative from the Industrial Area to Thika Road.

They had to leave their workplace by midday. I left the meeting at 12.30 pm for Ngong Road. The City Mortuary roundabout was blocked with a cloud of tear gas.

With some vehicles reversing, I turned left into Rose Avenue with Gen Z walking in droves towards the city. They were peaceful and easily chatted with us. They simply asked me to ‘‘reject’’!

Into Argwings Kodhek Road, I drove into Valley Road but found the Kenyatta Avenue-Uhuru Highway junction under a cloud of tear gas.  More Gen Z were walking towards town. I noticed lots of motorbikes.

I turned into Nyerere Road and parked at the University of Nairobi main campus.  How do I get into the Industrial Area?

The relative, a young girl, had called several times and in panic indicated that Jogoo Road had been closed.

After a few minutes, I figured out the route. I took University Way into the Globe roundabout and turned left onto Kipande Road towards the National Museums of Kenya into the Expressway. This road has more uses than avoiding traffic jams!

Overlooking Kenyatta Avenue, I found a traffic jam on the Expressway. Kenyans had parked their cars to take videos and photos of the events. I stopped briefly, took a photo and drove away into Likoni Road, up to my destination on Lunga Lunga Road. 

Having evacuated the youngster, I got into Outer Ring Road and turned right towards the airport. Thika Superhighway was a no-go zone, I heard. My strategy was to get into Eastern Bypass and access Thika Road from behind.

After a kilometre or so, a huge crowd had blocked the road. Thinking quickly, I got off the highway into sprawling Eastlands on my left.  

I had to be tech-savvy. My Google map was handy. All I did was turn left or right as instructed by the voice. I figured that getting onto Kangundo Road would lead me to the Eastern Bypass.

The navigator took me through Eastlands until I saw Embakasi Garrison. Through Mihang’o up to Kamakis, the road traffic was clear.

Joining Thika Road towards Nairobi, I found a matatu blocking the road but the service lane was open. I got to Kahawa Sukari shopping centre and breathed a sigh of relief.  Watching live TV streaming and events in town, I realised what I had left behind in town. Law and order can easily break down.

That’s why we must develop effective institutions and mechanisms to resolve our differences and dissipate national anger. If we don’t, we could see a repeat of such an outpouring of protesters in future.