Kenya's Mustafa Hassan finishes historic 6,000km bike ride from South Africa to Kenya

In a typical biker’s welcome to a heroic completion of a 6,000km ride from South Africa to Nairobi a group of Kenyan riders on Sunday afternoon flanked Mustafa Hassan from Kajiado to the Kenyan capital where a ceremony was held.

“I finally made it back home. This trip was all about all of us riding from South Africa to Kenya so each and every one of those who were following me have done it with me. We have all achieved our dreams. I feel honoured to have been escorted all the way from Kajiado to Nairobi by bikers whom I had inspired and who have been following me online. It’s a comradeship that only bikers share,” said the 34-year-old biker.

Mustafa who had been sharing his riding adventure on his social media became an internet sensation in Kenya in the last week and an attraction to onlookers in the country his R1 200 BMW GS motorbike passed through in his seven-day ride.

“The support I got from Kenyans online kept pushing me to complete my mission” Mustafa told The Eastleigh Voice in between a sumptuous Somali meal of Arosto and rice at the Kilimanjaro restaurant which was part of his welcoming organisation.

Through his followers on social media, Mustafa has been raising funds to assist three children homes in Kenya. He has been championing child rights in his posts and visited orphanages in the counties he rode through.

“I am riding with a purpose. My passion has been to travel and discover the world on two wheels. I have combined this love for travel and my love for charity. I have been mostly involved in assisting orphans in Kenya. It’s a charity that is very close to my heart,” said Mustafa.

Mustafa Hassan poses with Kenyan riders upon his arrival in Nairobi after his bike ride from South Africa.

“I rode over five countries. South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania and finally Kenya. The 1,840km Tanzania part was the longest. I rode for three days in Tanzania. While the weather was sunny in southern African countries it changed in Tanzania with rains and floods,” Mustafa said.

“There are Kenyans who have done this before but the difference with my ride is that it is first for charity and secondly I shared every step of my journey with thousands of followers online updating on my experiences on my way and teaching my followers a thing or two that I learn as I rode through these countries.”

“My dream is to connect the whole of Africa through biking. I want to share my experience of Africa with Africans. To ride and learn the cultures and daily lives of the people of the countries that I ride through. To know their hopes, dreams and aspirations for a better Africa. I had a truly warm welcome in Zambia when the biggest bikers club in the country came all the way some 40km to welcome me and escorted me to Lusaka city where they had arranged my accommodation and food. This is the Africa I want to see. It's one of the highlights of my trip,” he added.

Mustafa Hassan poses for a photo at the Victoria Falls, Zambia.

Challenges 

But the rider also had bad experiences on the way from riding for 419km in the rain on his way to Dodoma to hitting and killing a bird in flight and being taken ill in Botswana.

“Zambia’s border crossing was the most difficult to cross. I spent nine hours at the border. There is a lot of frustration with the customs and immigration at the Zambian crossing. This can affect trade and the economy between countries in Africa. It’s not the Africa we want,” he lamented.

He also realised the hard way how economic differences and living standards in Africa vary.

“I almost went broke in Botswana. Their currency, the Botswanan Pula is stronger than our Shilling. I should have opted to cross through Malawi instead to cut costs. Accommodation in a single room can cost between Sh10,000 to Sh15,000,” Mustafa said.

But he says the Tswana people’s hospitality was beyond what he had experienced in any country in Africa.

“I was stranded in Botswana very late seeking accommodation. But a stranger I had met earlier drove all the way from Kasane to Kazungula to pick me up with his car and took me miles in search of alternative accommodation. He came in the morning to buy breakfast. The kindness of strangers. That’s Botswana for you,” Mustafa said.

Mustafa Hassan poses for a photo at the Kazungula Bridge in Botswana.

“Tswana people are very friendly. Generous people. It’s the safest country I have been to. They are a big exporter of beef you see cattle everywhere. People live comfortably. Medical services are free. I got pneumonia and went to a hospital in Francistown. My treatment was free of charge. Africa should emulate Botswana. It’s one of the best countries in Africa.”

The R1 200 BMW GS top speed is 240kmph. It weighs 250 kg without the rider’s luggage. He had to part with about Sh210,000 to fuel it. He bought it in South Africa for Sh3 million.

He now says his next destination is Egypt.

"My prayer is Africa becomes united and visa-free. I still want to ride to Ghana, Togo and the whole of West Africa and interact with my fellow Africans to know them and for them to know me,” Mustafa said.

Mustafa Hassan during his bike ride in Francistown, Botswana.

The fitness trainer who is a graduate of Commerce from the University of Nairobi embraced biking only recently.

“You can do it. Make the first step and do it. I got into bike riding during the Covid-19 pandemic. Before the South Africa adventure, I had only ridden short distances from Nairobi to Mombasa. I didn’t have experience but I challenged myself to this adventure,” he said.

“For now, I have to take some well-deserved rest but not before I visit a Ruiru children’s home with persons of disability to share what I had promised to raise for them. It brings so much gratification and a sense of accomplishment to assist the orphans this way.”

His accomplishment has come with fame and a top Tours and Travel company has given him a 3-day vacation.

“It’s exactly what I need for now, a three-day vacation in Mombasa. My body is extremely tired after the 6000km in six days. It was not a light adventure,” he said.