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What to pack in your bag during a transport crisis
20th May, 2026 05:17 PM
The past week reminded every Nairobi commuter that the city does not do grace periods. Between the fuel price adjustment and the matatu operators’ strike that left thousands stranded along major routes, getting to work and back became a genuine ordeal.
The commuters who handled it best were not the ones refreshing WhatsApp groups for updates. They were the ones who had already packed smart.
Here is what deserves a permanent spot in your bag.
The essentials that carry you through
A power bank. Your phone is your lifeline – for M-Pesa, route updates, and reaching someone when plans change. A dead battery in the middle of a transport crisis is more than an inconvenience. Charge it the night before and treat it like your house keys.
A Ksh500 cash float. Digital payments are convenient right up until they are not. Cash moves faster when things are chaotic, and Ksh500 covers a boda boda ride, a bottle of water, or a quick meal without worrying about transaction limits or a patchy signal.
A rain jacket. Nairobi’s long rains come without warning. A light, packable jacket weighs almost nothing and saves you from arriving soaked or spending money at the nearest stall.
A water bottle and a snack. Hunger and dehydration make everything harder to manage. A filled bottle and something simple: groundnuts, a cereal bar, a banana, keep your energy and your patience intact.
Earphones. Waiting is significantly more bearable when you have something to listen to. Music, a podcast, or an audiobook creates a small zone of calm in a loud and uncertain situation.
A flat pair of walking shoes. The underrated one. When the matatu situation is bad, the most reliable option is often your own feet. Flat, comfortable shoes tucked in your bag mean a 30-minute walk stops being a problem.
Why it matters more than you think
A 2025 study published in the peer-reviewed journal Social Currents found that “psychological distress decreases over the first 44 minutes of commuting duration but increases thereafter”, meaning the quality of your commute experience has a direct bearing on your mental state for the rest of the day.
When you are not scrambling for basic needs, you reclaim that window, and that changes things.
None of this is about overpacking. It is about being ready enough that an unpredictable week does not catch you completely off-guard.
