A rubber boat glides gracefully across Athi River in the Kitise-Katilini channel as Alex Musyoki paddles methodically, the weight and safety of a passenger and three sacks of charcoal stowed in the vessel weighing on his shoulders.
The dinghy, locally known as Ndombolo, is the only means of transport for residents of Katilini and Kitise in Kitui and Makueni to access markets, schools, hospitals and homes on the other side of the river.
Traders depend entirely on the small boat to transport their wares across the swollen river. A trip across the river starts and ends on rock outcrops on the shores which serve as natural wharfs.
At most six people can sail across the river on the boat, with their backs touching one another and their feet dangling over edges of the vessel.
The passengers hold their breath during the three-minute journey as Mr Musyoki paddles furiously but tactically, using his hands to manoeuvre the strong currents while lying prostrate across the inflatable boat.
Ms Gladys Katuku, a trader at Katilini market who crosses the river regularly while going to buy stock at Kitise market, says; “Riding Ndombolo across the river is scary but this is the only means of accessing Kitise.”
Each passenger pays Sh50 to cross the river. The cost of luggage depends on its shape and weight. Waiting boda boda riders pick the passengers and take them to their final destinations.
Mr Musyoki uses his bare hands to paddle the floater diagonally across the crocodile-infested section of the river while carrying passengers and their luggage. “Oars cannot work in this section of the river because currents are often very strong,” said the 54-year-old.
In addition to assisting people cross the swollen river, Mr Musyoki rescues those who are at the risk of drowning.
During a deluge experienced in the region in April and May last year, he rescued three people who had been overwhelmed by the raging waters as they attempted to cross the river unaided.
That year alone, at least six people drowned in various sections of the river, which drains into the Indian Ocean.
The father of four, who is widely known by his nickname, Kativui, had no idea he was venturing in the transport business when he bought the boat in Mombasa 17 years ago. He was an experienced diver, having learnt the ropes in his childhood. He was looking for a way of accessing his farm, which is on the other side of the river.
Locals crossing the swollen river relied on a team of divers, until the farmer introduced the rubber dingy. The youthful men would charge for their services.
According to Mr Mutuku Muthama, who has lived in the area for 46 years, the divers also required anyone seeking their services to strip naked before holding their hands across the river since they believed that clothes increased chances of drowning in the event that one tripped and fell into the raging waters.
This discouraged many people, especially women, from crossing the river. They opted to wait until the waters subsided.
“Today, more men and women are crossing Athi River when it is swollen, thanks to the safety assurance they get from Mr Musyoki,” said Kitise chief Patrick Muange.
He lauded Mr Musyoki for opening up an underdeveloped section of Kitui County, which is poorly served by road networks, hospitals, schools, markets and mobile money transfer outlets.
Mr Musyoki takes pride in helping the sick access medication, enabling pupils and students access schools, farmers till their lands, and making it possible for traders to access markets for more than 15 years without causing an accident.
Telling from the accounts of his regular clients, this accomplishment has not come easily. He has survived overwhelming waves, and lived to tell the stories.
He juggles paddling the floater and being on the lookout for crocodiles eyeing goats, which are one of the common cargo crossing the channel.
Sometimes in April, a crocodile topped the lightweight boat as Mr Musyoki was loading the animals. He quickly fought it off using a stick before they embarked on the journey across the river.
Mr Musyoki’s biggest concern is that no one in the region seems interested in learning how to operate the floater.
“Three young men I have been trying to train how to operate the boat are scared stiff when the river swells. This makes it hard for me to break for lunch during school opening days and market days, which are the busiest,” he said.
For the many years he has been helping people cross Athi River, Mr Musyoki has observed that most Kitui residents prefer enrolling their children in secondary schools in Makueni. And that Makueni residents get most of their livestock from Kitui County. Kitise, one of the vibrant markets in the region, is sustained by that commerce.
Although the channel earns him a lot of money during the rainy season, Mr Musyoki is among the residents who have been appealing for the installation of a bridge across the channel.
Local politicians have for decades pledged to have it installed only to renege on the promise once they rise to power.
“This is an agriculturally rich region. Farmers from either side of the river need to move heavy machinery to their farms and produce to the markets but this has been a nightmare,” noted Mr Musyoki.
“Tractors heading to farms across the river have to be driven all the way to Kibwezi town or Machakos. This makes mechanisation of agriculture costly. A bridge across the river would go a long way in unlocking the economic potential of this region,” he added.
