Busia Town

is basically a roadside village, 3 km away from the border between Kenya and Uganda. Boda-Bodas--bicycle taxis--are the primary form of transportation in town. "Taxi" makes them sound more civilized than they actually are.They are actually just old rusty one-speeds with a small cushin behind the driver´s seat for the passenger. They shuttle people up and down the highway between the southern part of town and the group of shops near the border.

I need to schlep the three kilometers between the hospital and our office a few times a day. I used to take the boda-bodas when there was no car available, but even with my eye's clenched shut and my hands gripping the driver I was scared. Now I prefer to ride the old tanker bike that has been passed through generations of Busia ex-pats.

Becuase the boda-boda business is one of the more important sectors of the Busia economy, bicycle repair shops/stands line the highway. This bike repair business, located under the mango tree near our house, repaired the bike I've been riding.