ben.mitchell's blog

Things are moving along quite well as we have nearly ten people testing our tubes, identified our first mechanic, and are working out the final details of distributing milele tubes through our partners - the TBB Sacco. While it has not gone without the expected and anticipated delays, we are happy with the progress and even happier with reports from the test riders. We have several riders who are testing the tubes to carry up to 200kg of maize, charcoal, wood, and potatoes.

This past weekend, Owen and I attended the local boda boda race put on by the sacco and a local bank. The race hosted over 70 riders including two women and nearly a dozen “mzee” (old men) each competing in their own categories. Every racer competed on a “black mamba” bicycle (single speed weighing 40 lbs) and rode either 105km (main race), 75km (mzee race), or 55km (women’s race) on potholed pavement and rutted up dirt roads.

Owen and I were invited (although we really invited ourselves as we wanted to shoot some film of Jeffrey’s daily routine for Owen’s documentary on boda boda) to our friend and test rider Jeffrey’s house. We were eager to see his place, meet his family and better understand the daily life of a dedicated boda boda driver. Arriving in the early evening, we were warmly welcomed by Jeffrey’s wife, Rose, and their five children. Their house lies about 15km from the town of Kitale in a sea of maize fields.