Neil McClure

Mkokoteni Neil McClure

Handcarts are synonymous with Mombasa, Kenya. Handcarts are a practical reality of life and are also symbolic of the constant hustle on the East African coast. You cannot help but notice them - everywhere. You can make your own or rent a cart for 100 shillings per day. Skillfully manouvering through the narrow, centuries old cobblestone laneways or charging along the main roads and highways, with heavy trailer trucks creeping right behind and cars suddenly slamming on the brakes right in front of them, the hand cart drivers have a challenging role in negotiating the ever hectic traffic flow of Mombasa. Often seen barefoot, or perhaps in a trusty pair of flip flops (known as patapatas in Kenya), the hand cart drivers ferry a huge variety of cargo ranging from water, sand, soil, limestone, cement, timber, steel, general building supplies and hardware, fruit and vegetables. The hand carts can go where much larger vehicles cannot, sometimes faster than a modern truck as we know it. As mundane as they may be, the handcarts and the drivers in motion are an impressive sight to behold and the city would certainly be lost without them.