By Peter K’opiyo
In this second part, we tell you the beginning of Frida Kagwiria Murungi’s journey off-road, on the ‘beast’ she loves as she nonchalantly shares her experience with the robust wheels, the adventure and the philanthropy that comes with it.
The biking adventurer
I was curious to know how the off-road queen got motivated to jump on the wheels, hit the road, explore and in turn lend a hand. Kagwiria gleefully shares her intrigues.
“My mum!” she excitedly divulged. “My mum is into motorcycles and that is where we borrowed it from.”
“I have a daughter and a son who ride. I don’t know even if it is in the blood, it is just the way someone grows up. What astonished me is that people were surprised that women ride. Back home, our mum had a motorcycle and it was nothing strange,” she added.
Feeling unanswered, I made her lay bare the genesis of biking in her family, just to shed more light on what made her mother drop the steering wheel for the hand clutch.
“It was during the El-Nino period in 1998, we were staying in Mombasa then, she had a red pick-up. Upon reaching Bamburi, it was flooded. When she wanted to drive into a nearby petrol station, water from the ravaging floods got into the engine and it knocked. So, she thought of having a motorcycle assuming it would navigate better, and that’s it, that is how she got to hunt for her first motorcycle,” Kagwiria relayed as she recounts her mother’s excitement when she purchased her first bike.
She gives us the specifics of her bike and what she admired about it as an off-road biker.
“The KLR Kawasaki is particularly a very good off-roader also known as an adventure bike. My preference would be an adventure bike because it would be comfortable on the road, and particularly very comfortable off-road. It has usable power for my skill level. Nothing has significantly changed about the Kawasaki KLR 650 from its introduction. I ride a 2008 Kawasaki and we are in 2024. That tells you how reliable it is. It is manual with no single sensor. If we get stuck in the sand dunes, we can literally put the bike together by the roadside,” voiced the ardent biker.
Frida Murungi during one of her latest adventures to Baringo County. Photo/Courtesy
“She is not a fuel-thirsty girl, she has a single cylinder of twenty-three liters full tank and a five-liter reserve within the tank – and I always carry extra fuel by the sides when am going off-road. It gives me a good mileage of 25 kms for a litre of fuel. If am in traffic such as Nairobi, a litre gives me 19 kms,” she stated, describing her bike as a very sturdy machine that helps her navigate through in-roads to the remote areas of the country with scenic sites.
She however reveals that at first, she had a Chinese bike 250cc on which she rode to Uganda, and after her realization on becoming a fully off-roader, she changed and transitioned to Kawasaki KLR 650, which was imported, making her the first owner of the model.
“She is heavy. Once I park her properly, she will be almost 200 kg net weight. Things like changing a puncture can be a bit of a challenge to me but hardly will we get into trouble because I have a well constituted toolbox,” she avowed.
“I do a million things. I draw, I swim, I can’t finish the list now. I however enjoy biking because through it, I can do everything else; bike to work, an art gallery, to the swimming pool, to a music concert, an art exhibition. I’d always prefer tubed tyres because I have spoke rims which are excellent for off-roading. I will always avoid excess weight when going for long distances. There is a lot of debate about it but that is my preference,” she elaborately explained.
Seemingly, her love for biking grew her passion for adventure and that is how she hit the road running, opening new pages of the world’s attractive areas apart from using it as her means of transport to work.
“I will sit down and, in my head, I will conjure a trip and it plays out differently. I want to go into a region and venture into what is not known to me. Anything unknown or new is an adventure for me. I don’t get irked about eating new food or mingling with culture or exploring new roads. If it pushes me or pushes my skill level and it expands my understanding, preventing me from being a biased thinker, then that’s an adventure for me,” she said, adding that to her, adventure is anything unknown or new to her.
The female chemical engineer is looking forward to making Sao Tome and Principe her next stop beyond the borders.
She cites the hidden gems in the country adding that little is known about it yet. The country in North Africa, she said, is rich in history and diverse cultures besides the picturesque beaches and interesting tribes.
Frida maintains that she finds remote places quite charming, revealing that soon she will be joining the Khoisan of Namibia for an exhilarating experience.
“I have received an invitation to Namibia to go and stay with the bush tribes for a month, watch them hunt, see their way of life, learn and you know, just enjoy the environment away from the Kenyan or East African space. If I would get sufficient funds and adequate time, you would see me off to Namibia into the bushes very soon,” she gladly narrated.
Kagwiria notes that most of her rides last 6 days but when she rode to Turkana, she was testing her financial and emotional muscles, preparing for the grand ride to the Southern part of Africa.
“How will I feel being away from my loved ones, what would be the heat on my finances and what would be the state of mind, what physical strength do I have? I was testing many things including if I would manage to withstand the weather,” she said.
She couldn’t forget to share her incredible experiences during the rides across the country, crossing different countries and meeting various diversities.
“The best part I’ll tell you is the people I meet. If you stick to one place for too long, you become a biased thinker.”
She opens up on how welcoming the communities she visits are, even accommodating her into their residences out of goodwill, giving unforgettable memories of Usenge in Siaya county and her one-month stay in Turkana County.
Kagwiria Murungi philanthropy poster. Photo/Courtesy
Kagwiria cheerfully states that once she sorts out her fuel for the ride, she is stress-free since even interaction won’t be a challenge for her.
“I haven't had a language barrier so far. In Homa Bay I engaged the boda boda guys and told them who I was and my mission and that’s it. I went all the way to Mfang’ano, and enjoyed touring Homa Bay. In Samburu, I mingled freely in the interior parts of Samburu and likewise in Turkana. Fortunately, I already had a friend there who helped me navigate the terrain,” attested Kagwiria, adding that in some parts of Turkana, they just happened to understand each other because of the good vibe despite language barriers.
“If you don’t have good people skills, forget about it. People are very guarded about their way of life,” she maintained, affirming that her relation and interaction skills with local communities played a huge role in her adventure trips.
Zealous philanthropist
On the other hand, on all the trips she embarks on, she silently identifies the needs of the people in the locality.
“We took Kakamega region and supplied pads and pans for a full year, three years now in conjunction with Kakamega forest foundation,” revealed the green energy enthusiast, as she noted that it is the only project in the public.
She discloses that she is not for the idea of making her humanitarian activities public.
“What you don’t see publicly especially on social media is everywhere I travel; I go and identify a need. If I get a small thing that I can do that will have a positive impact on someone or a group of people, then I will absolutely whole-heartedly do that. But that doesn’t go on social media pages because they say if you’re doing charity, you leave your camera at home,” Kagwiria articulated.
In her rides, as others would say; riding for humanity, humanity first, she has always had the kind heart to give a helping hand whenever she spots a need.
Her tagline has always been visibility to communities via adventure riding, identifying needs and linking them to impactful support.
Frida Kagwiria Murungi was recently awarded as the Female Biker of the year 2024 in East Africa, by the East African Biker Awards.
