For years, miraa pickup drivers are considered among the most notorious and reckless motorists along Kenyan roads.
To most people, their behaviour is perceived as a complete disregard of the traffic laws but to the drivers, courting death by constantly speeding past oncoming traffic is just another day in the office.
The drivers either work round the clock to reach their destinations in under two hours either using the Meru-Embu-Nairobi or Nanyuki-Nairobi highways.
The time factor is attributed to the perishable nature of the product as the trade is worth millions of shillings.
Past reports indicated that a pickup ferries miraa worth Ksh2.5 million and an average of 60 vehicles move the product on a daily basis.
In order to ensure that the commodity reaches the consumers while still fresh, the drivers keep their vehicles in tip-top shape.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Miller Kyalo, a car expert, divulged some of the modifications including provisions to create two spare wheels at the back of the vehicle for emergency cases.
In addition, he noted that the suspension is fine-tuned in terms of springs and shock absorbers.
"For instance, in the case of safari rally vehicles, part of the modifications is the suspension which allows the drivers to turn corners at high speed. So, the Miraa pickups are also modified to cater to the vehicle's full-speed capacity," he noted.
The expert opined that the vehicles also don't sink even under heavy loads.
"If you tried such stunts with a normal vehicle, chances are that it will ruin springs and shocks. At times, they put bigger wheels from 16 inches to 17 inches or 18 inches (in diameter) to enable ground clearance to be much better. This also assists when travelling on rough terrains," he added.
In terms of the engine, he affirmed that it's kept in its original state. He added that the drivers opt for manual transmission instead of automatic as it's reliable for braking.
"What really matters is not just a fast engine, but the suspension. Their tune-up is almost made for racing," he noted.
According to Kyalo, the drivers adhere to routine maintenance 100 percent to ensure that their vehicles are in top gear.
Alluding to this, he added that the vehicles are normally disposed of after spending an average of five years on the road.
