There were, and still are, many ways of roadside entertainment in Nairobi: a drunk doubling up, unable to move as the scorching sun bakes his mango head hadharani. Two women could tear at each other’s petticoats next to the fire of ‘Mwas,’ the estate mtu wa mahindi.
Two mongrels could try making puppies next to the garbage site, and a whole herd of ngomb’es could cause a traffic jam crossing a busy road while chewing on nylon.
But there was no entertainment that equaled watching police chasing robbers along Juja Road. It was just like in the movies. Today, we only read of robbers digging holes into banks and escaping with millions without a fuss. Boring! Back in the day, it was quite a spectacle watching private cars and matatus giving way to robbers, with cops - heads and guns out the windows - taking aim with as the robbers tried zig-zag manoeuvres to live another day.
Since Pangani Police Station is along Juja Road, cops and robbers scenarios were common live entertainment fare until the firing started and everybody scattered to their houses to peer at the proceedings from the windows!
