Cyclists held at gun point and robbed by bandits in Northern Kenya.

9^th March 2011. The day all hell breaks loose in northern Kenya.

This is a day that will stand with Tour d Afrique for years to come.  We headed out of camp around 6.30am for a 158km ride to a camp just outside of the town of Isiolo northern Kenya.  The first coke stop was planned for the 45km mark.  I made it to the coke stop with Rodney and met many other cyclists.

I headed off with Andrea, Lindsay and Peter Prince.  We just took it easy all the way to the lunch stop at the 80km mark.  When we arrived at the lunch stop we were advised that a serious incident had occurred up the road just before the 45km coke stop to 5 cyclists.

Briefly one girl was asked to stop by some individuals, she refused, had some roc ks thrown at her, one struck her, a spear was thrown at her and missed her and then a gunshot was heard.  Cyclists then regrouped.

A short time later 2 of the girls decided to go in the bushes for a toilet stop, the men waited on the side of the road.  They then heard gun shots and screaming.  The girls came running out from the bushes with the bandits in tow.

They fired some shots and got all the cyclists to lay on the road and then robbed them at gunpoint.  One lady was struck to the head with the rifle, another got hit with the but to the head, one of the men got struck to the rib area with the mouth of the rife.  All there cycling gear was stolen, money, wallets, cameras, the bladder of the camel pack water devices.

The bandits then fled into the bushes.  Eventually the TDA staff were notified and the police and military got involved.  I didn’t know anything about it until the lunch stop but I did rec all seeing about 4 military trucks full with officers heading  in the direction I had just come from.  To think I had passed these decrepit morons on my ride to the 45km coke stop turns your stomach.  Now one of the guys that were robbed is a former soldier and I know that given a chance the situation could have been very different.  Besides the scratches and mental pain everyone has arrived safe back to camp.  The gates to the compound are now closed and we have a military guard on the front gate.  There have been incidents of robbing on this road in the year’s gone bye but we all take a risk riding these roads. 

I ended up riding 80kms and then got on the truck with a military guy in the front guarding the rest of the journey.  I think this could be a big problem when it hits the press.  People have already sent it out on facebook and via tweeter.  I’d hate to be those robbers when the law catches up with them as I know from previous travels to Africa, that this shit will not be tolerated by the authorities when it involves tourists.

Time to go and have some dinner and get ready to take on another exciting day on the road to Cape Town. 

the military protected the camp during lunch and escorted the truck till we were safe

Taking a rest with Mt Kenya in the background.  That's the mountain Josh and I climbed in 2004.  This is from today's ride into the town of Nanyuki.  A free ride day due to yesterdays attack.

At no stage do I cast any blame on Tour D Afrique for what happened today.  We had been advised prior to entering Kenya that this has happened in the past, and every book I’ve read is clear on this point. TDA had made contact with the Kenya wildlife service in Moyale, Marsabit and were given the all clear to continue on through this part of the country.