It has just taken me a full 26 hrs to come to the realization that I have been washed seriously with Soap and running water. Nairobi just teaching me the hard way. Well today's education costed 45k or rather 90k to be precise. The math will add up.
Let me take you back to where this all began.
I had planned to travel to Kigali by bus. Yes, a fucking bus. Why? Sightseeing. Adventure. Experience. I wanted to get the feeling of it coz I haven't used a bus before so why not!
God of William Ruto, why did I even come up with this idea! I could have just chosen to be “a normal human being who books a flight.”
A flight is only 1.5 hrs… actually 30 minutes if you subtract the time zone difference. But no – I wanted mountains, landscapes, a long tiresome journey and a bunch of free expensive life lessons.🤡
So I did what any responsible, tech-savvy individual would do: I went online. I searched for bus companies from Nairobi to Kigali. Found one. Clean reviews. Convincing. Professional-looking. The kind that makes you say, “If strangers trust it, why shouldn’t I also trust it?”
I reached out via their contacts.
Quick response. Confidence. Authority. Even politeness. Did I see these Red flag? No!
They told me "Please proceed with booking."
And I did. Smoothly. Efficiently. Foolishly.
– Mayie, kiawa! 😂
Fast forward to Monday. I arrive at their supposed office on River Road, ready for my scenic journey.
That’s when I’m slammed in the face with: “We don’t have any online booking platform.”
No website. No app. Not even WhatsApp. Nothing.
At that moment, reality gave me an uppercut. My brain kept repeating the words "it's about to go down!" And I knew I had falled victim of a scam.
I won’t lie to you — the emotional damage was… premium. It's the one arsenal would feel after loosing the Premier League. I just stood there, replaying my life choices like a low-budget movie. I was point blank and feeling a sense of paresis.
Ooh well, as the Man I am, I had to accept what has happened and picked myself up. I couldn't just feel sorry for myself!
I got my card and another 45k and paid. That's 90k gone!
I tried tracing the money. It went through an Absa Timiza account. Did they help?
Let’s just say… if effort was money, I’d still be broke.
They couldn’t trace it. Couldn’t share details. Couldn’t do anything useful. What a bank!
I briefly considered reporting it, but then I remembered where I live. You report, they say “tutafanya uchunguzi”, and the only investigation that happens is your patience slowly disappearing.
So I let it go. A fucking 90k. Salary ya walimu watatu.
On the positive side (at least) I couldn't stop by ask myself: How many people has this happened to?
– Someone could lose their last money like this. With no backup nor second chances. Just struggling to even recover to break even.
And that didn’t sit right with me.
So now, I’m building something.
A travel app (TravelOn) that:
Lists only verified transport operators
Shows real office locations and contacts
Flags fake platforms and scam patterns
Makes sure nobody else has to pay “school fees” like I did
Because clearly, experience is the best teacher… but it’s also the most expensive one.
If you’re interested in working on this with me: tech, business, ideas – I'd be glad for the partnership.
Let’s reduce the number of “generous donations” happening out here.