Kenya: Lamu’s ‘Highways of Death’ Mellow Into Arteries of Trade

Eight years ago, travelling on the Lamu-Witu-Garsen road was like dancing with death, or walking into a war zone.

On either side of the then badly potholed road were acres upon acres of bushes, which provided perfect cover for Al-Shabaab militants returning to wreak havoc after undergoing military training in war-torn Somalia.

A week would hardly pass without an incident or two being reported of public service vehicles (PSV) or Land Cruisers ferrying security officers exploding into flames after running over an improvised explosive device (IED) buried by the militants at various spots of the then terrible road.