Driving from Kenya to Europe might sound impossible to many but one Kim Musau, who is a PhD student at the University of Nairobi has done it in style – driving alone in his Landrover car.
In a journey that started on January 23, 2023, in Nairobi, that is precisely six months ago, Musau has covered close to 30,000 kilometres and gone through a total of 37 countries – mostly West African countries.
In what appears to be a lifetime experience, Musau took off to down south through Tanzania to Zambia then to the far end of Africa where the West African coastline journey started in Namibia moving up to Angola and then to Gabon as he makes it up the continent and all the way to Morocco before crossing Mediterranean sea using ferry and into Spain then to Portugal.
This is not the first Musau is pulling such a stand as he has done road trips to South Africa and to Egypt previously. The motivation behind such long and draining drives he says is all about exploration, to learn and appreciate the rest of the world.
“I have so far traveled with the vehicle to Cairo, Cape Town and Casablanca and now I am in Europe. This is a journey to learn and appreciate what the rest of the world has to offer. Nothing too serious!
“I think we can do better as a continent, especially within ourselves. I am a PhD candidate at the University of Nairobi and my area of focus is Intra-African trade, cross-border mobility, and related cross-cutting issues around trade and movement in Africa. Why is intra-Africa trade so low (15%) compared to trade within other continents averaging 50-60%? What can we learn from the EU or elsewhere?” Musau told Citizen Digital.
He adds that his aim is to cover the larger part of Africa and Europe: “The aim is to cover a large part Africa (which is now done) and a larger part of Europe. On a not-too-serious and not-too-academic note, it would be good to pay homage to where the Landrover was manufactured – in the UK. The Europe expedition will be much clear in the coming days as I need to make some decisions.”
As it may sound, the journey has not been easy for Musau as he has faced challenges but knocking them down as he pursues his exploration dream.
“The initial challenge was a whole team of travelers who had indicated they were going for this trip but pulled out at the last minute. This wasn’t new though, as the same happened during my expedition to Cape Town and to Cairo. That meant I had to do it alone which is challenging in many ways.
“Another biggest challenge is visas for Africa especially West Africa – both logistically and cost. It is easier to get a foreign continent visa than getting one for most African countries. Border crossings are not easy anywhere in Africa, starting with some of our immediate neighboring countries. You must be thorough and well-informed to face these kind of hurdles. The challenges can be many – from unfriendly officers, bad weather, bad roads or no roads at all and language barriers,” he notes.
The former Machakos County Investment Authority Chief Executive Officer who now runs a family business says he is single-handedly funding his expedition but it’s so draining and he would welcome partners to support him as it’s so expensive.
“I would say it is as costly as anyone would want to make it. The budget can be very diverse depending on one’s lifestyle while travelling. The only constant cost would probably be on fuel. I am appealing for partners. I will be happy to discuss possible ways of collaboration. Any support towards these cost drivers as listed above would go a long way in documenting this journey.”
The family man who is blessed with three children says there are good things in this whole adventure and he places West African food high above what’s available in Kenya.
“We made it through Africa. And now Europe is here, finally! This has been a great journey, while there are some bad things or challenges, it is always better to look at the brighter side of things.
“West Africa has some of the best foods. You get to wonder what kind of foods we have in Kenya. I would go back to most West African countries for the food. The Equitorial rainforest we learned about in school is real, rainy, and dense forest cover across countries. Good for the climate,” says Musau.
According to Musau, there are also bad things he can point out and he compares the experience in Africa and Europe: “Logging is the biggest business in these countries, it is sad to watch thousands of trailers loaded with what seems to be logs from 100-year old indigenous trees.
“Lessons from Europe in comparison with Africa will be very interesting. For starters, I have been driving through Spain and Portugal – it’s borderless of course, not a single police stop since I entered the Europe, fantastic roads, no experience of corruption or logistical barriers.
At the moment, Musau is in Portugal, about 9,315 kilometres from Nairobi and he will be making his next move as he continues with the adventure. He says he doesn’t drive every day, he stays at places he wants to explore.
Source-https://citizen.digital/
Kenyan Man Kim Musau Drives from Nairobi To Portugal By Road
