“Chitima Chokupenga” chekuEast Africa

YAKANYORWA NOMUNYORI WEMUKAI! MUKENYA

ZVAIRONGWA nemaBritish, makore anoti pfuurei 100 zvokuvaka njanji inodimbura East Africa hazvina kutsigirwa nokudisa nemunhu wose aiva muparamende yeLondon. Mumwe aisazvida akanyora nokuzvidza kuti:

“Kuti zvichaita marii hazvitaurike;

Kuti chinangwa chacho ndechei hapana pfungwa dzinogona kufungidzira;

Kuti ichatangira papi hapana anogona kufungidzira;

Kuti ichaenda kupi hapana anoziva.

Kuti ndeyei nayo hapana anogona kufungidzira;

Kuti ichatakurei hapana anogona kutsanangura;

Inongova zvayo njanji yokupenga.”

Pachokwadi chaichoicho, chirongwa chacho hachina kutadza kurongwa zvakadaro. Njanji yacho yaikarirwa kureba makiromita 1 000, kubva kuMombasa, chiteshi chezvikepe cheKenya chiri pedyo neIndian Ocean, kusvika kuLake Victoria. Vatsigiri vacho vakavimbisa kuti, payaingopedzwa chete, yaizofambisira mberi kutengeserana nokubudirira nokugumisawo kutengeswa kwevaranda munharaunda iyoyo. Kuvaka njanji yacho kwakafungidzirwa kuti kwaizoita mamiriyoni 85 emadhora, aifanira kubhadharwa nevaibatirwa mutero vekuBritain. Nguva yaifungidzirwa kuti yaizodiwa kupedza kuvaka yaiva makore mana kusvika kumashanu.

Kunyange zvakadaro, zvinhu zvaibatanidzwa zvakanga zvisina kunyatsojeka. Apo George Whitehouse, injiniya mukuru, akasvika muMombasa muna December 1895, aingova nepurani yenzira yaizofanirwa kutorwa nenjanji yacho. Zvimwe zvakazozivikanwa naWhitehouse zvaityisa zvikuru. Nechekumavirira chaiko kweMombasa kwaiva nenzvimbo yaipisa zvikurusa, isina mvura yainzvengwa nevafambi vazhinji. Nechemberi, njanji yaizopfuura nemumasango akazara shumba netsetse neumhutu, daro ramakiromita 500. Tevere paiva nenzvimbo yakakwirira yakatsemurwa neMupata Mukuru weRift yakafara makiromita 80, nemawere ayo akadzika mamita 600. Makiromita anenge 150 okupedzisira kusvika kunyanza anonzi aidhibha. Hazvishamisi kuti kuvakwa kwenjanji iyi kwaizova imwe yenhoroondo dzeAfrica dzinonakidza zvikurusa.

Zvinetso Zvokutanga

Sezviri pachena, vashandi vakawanda vaizodiwa nokuda kwebasa guru rakadaro. Sezvo Mombasa yaingova nzvimbo duku yaigara vanhu, vashandi vakaunzwa kubva kuIndia. Muna 1896 moga, vanopfuura 2 000 vakasvika nengarava—vavezi vematombo, vapfuri, vavezi vematanda, masavheya, vanodhirowa mapurani, vanamabharani, uye vashandiwo zvavo.

Paivawo nenhau yekuita kuti Mombasa ive nzvimbo yakakodzera kusvikira zvinhu zvokushandisa zvakawanda zvikurusa zvaifanira kuunzwa nengarava kuti zvivakiswe njanji yakareba makiromita 1 000. Njanji yacho pachayo yaida zvidimbu zvenjanji zvinokwana 200 000, chimwe chete chichirema mamita 9 uye chichirema anenge makirogiramu 200. Uyewo paidiwa simbi dzinobata njanji dzinokwana mamiriyoni 1,2 (zhinjisa dzadzo dzakagadzirwa nesteel). Kuti njanji nesimbi dzinoibata zvivepo paidiwa mafishplate anokwana 200 000, mafishbolt anokwana 400 000, uye zvipikiri zvesteel zvinokwana mamiriyoni 4,8. Pamusoro pazvo, zvitima, motokari huru dzinotakura mafuta nemvura, mavhani, motokari dzinotakura zvinhu, uye matiroko anotakura vanhu aifanira kuunzwa. Asi njanji yokutanga isati yagadzirwa, paida kuti zviteshi zvengarava, dzimba dzokuchengetera zvinhu, dzimba dzokugara dzevashandi, mashopu okugadzirira zvinhu uye mashopu okushandira zvivepo. Nokukurumidza guta repamahombekombe rakanyarara rakachinjwa kuva chiteshi chengarava chazvino uno.

Nokukurumidza Whitehouse akaziva kuti paizova nechinetso chemvura; matsime mashomanene aiva muMombasa akanga asina mvura inokwana vagari vemo. Nepo, paidiwa mvura yakawanda zvikurusa yekunwa nekugeza uye kuvakisa. “Pane zvandakaona uye zvandinoziva nezvenyika yacho,” akanyora kudaro Whitehouse, “Hapana rimwe zano randinokurudzira kunze kwezvitima zvemvura nokuda kwemamaira 100 okutanga.” Zvitima izvozvo zvinofanira kudhonza marita anenge 40 000 zuva roga roga!

Pakutanga, mainjiniya enjanji akapedza chinetso chemvura kupfurikidza nokugadzira dhamu nokukweva mvura kubva kurwizi uye kuvaka pokuchengetera mvura inonaya. Gare gare, kwakaunzwa michina yaichenesa mvura yemugungwa.

Basa rakatangwa, uye pakupera kwa1896—rakwana gore Whitehouse asvika muMombasa—njanji yakareba makiromita 40 yakanga yagadzirwa. Pasinei zvapo nezvakanga zvaitwa izvi, vanotsoropodza vakakurumidza kuona kuti kana kuvaka kwaisazokurumidza, chitima chokutanga chaisazofamba kubva kumahombekombe kusvika kuLake Victoria kutozosvikira mumavambo ama1920!

Kudimbura Nomubani reTaru

Zvichingunodaizvi, vashandi vacho vakatambudzwa nehosha. Muna December 1896, matende aishanda sezvipatara aiva nevashandi vanopfuura 500 vairwara nemarariya, manyoka, maronda emunzvimbo dzinopisa, uye mabayo. Mavhiki mashomanene gare gare, hafu yevashandi yakanga isisagoni nekurwara.

Zvisinei, basa rakapfuurira, uye kuzosvika muna May njanji yakanga yawedzerwa namakiromita anopfuura 80, kupinda muBani reTaru. Kunyange zvazvo nzvimbo yacho yaiita seinoshandika senguva dzose pakutarisa kekutanga, Taru raiva sango rine makwenzi akareba zvokuenzana nemunhu, ane minzwa yaipinza sereza. Makore makobvu matsvuku ehuruva aikachidza vashandi. Zuva raigocha, richiita kuti ivhu rive rufuse—nzvimbo yacho yaiva gango rine minzwa. Kunyange usiku, kaiva kashoma kuti tembiricha yekunze iderere kusvika pa40°C. Munyori M. F. Hill anotaura munhau yake iri pamutemo yenjanji yacho kuti: “Zvaiita kunge Africa pachayo yaive isingadi zvekuvhiringidzwa nekuvhozhokera kwenjanji yemuchena.”

Kutambudzwa Neshumba

Pakupera kwa1898 njanji yacho yakasvika kuRwizi Tsavo, makiromita 195. Tevere, kuwedzera pamusoro pokuipa kwenzvimbo yacho, chimwe chinetso chakamuka—shumba mbiri dzakatanga kurwisa vashandi. Shumba zhinjisa dzinodzivisa nyama yevanhu. Dzinorwisa vanhu kazhinji kacho dzinenge dzachembera zvikuru kana kuti dzave ndonda zvokusagona kubata mhuka. Shumba mbiri dzaiva muna Tsavo, hono nehadzi, dzaishamisa. Dzaiva dzisina kuchembera uye dzisingarwari, dzaiuya chinyararire usiku dzichitakura vanhu vadzaibata.

Vashandi vakabatwa nokutya vakavaka ruzhowa rweminzwa kutenderedza misasa yavo, vaiita kuti moto irambe ichipfuta, uye vaiita kuti varindiri varidze madhiramu emafuta asina chinhu vachikarira kuti mhuka dzacho dzaizorega kuswedera pedyo. Pakasvika December vashandi vakanga vatambudzwa kwazvo neshumba dzacho zvokuti vamwe vashandi vakamisa chitima chaidzokera kuMombasa kupfurikidza nokurara munjanji, uye vanenge 500 vavo vakakwiramo. Vanenge 48 vavo bedzi ndivo vakasara. Kuvaka kwakamira kwemavhiki matatu akatevera apo vashandi vaitsvaka nzira dzakasimba dzokuzvidzivirira nadzo.

Pakupedzisira, shumba dzacho dzakabatwa, uye basa rakatangwazve.

Zvimwe Zvinetso

Pakasvika pakati pa1899 njanji yakasvika muNairobi. Kubva imomo njanji yakapfuurira yakananga kumavirazuva, ichidzika pasi mamita anopfuura 400 muMupata weRift uye ichikwira kune rumwe rutivi mukati mesango rine miti inotyisa nemakoronga akaitwa nemvura akadzika zvikuru kusvika yasvika paMau Summit, yakakwirira mamita 2 600.

Zvinetso zvekuvaka njanji munzvimbo isina kuti sandara kudaro zvakanga zvakaoma zvakakwana, asi paiva nezvimwezve zvinetso. Somuenzaniso, varwi vemunzvimbomo, vaipinda mumisasa vachiba zvinhu zvokuvakisa—waya yeteregirafu kuti vagadzire zvishongo nayo uyewo mabhaudhi, marivet, uye zvidimbu zvenjanji kuti vagadzire zvombo. Achitsinhira nezvazvo, Sir Charles Eliot, aimbova mudzviti weEast Africa, akanyora kuti: “Munhu anogona kufungidzira kuti kuba kwakadini kungadai kwakaitika panjanji yevaRungu kudai waya dzeteregirafu dzaiva ngetani dzemuhuro dzemaparera uye kudai njanji yaiva zvombo zvemitambo . . . Hazvishamisi kuti [varume vemo] vakatadza kutsungirira muedzo wacho.”

Danho Rokupedzisira

Vashandi pavakanga vasara nemakiromita gumi okupedzisira kuti vasvike kuLake Victoria, manyoka nemarariya zvakatanga mumusasa. Hafu yevashandi yakarwara. Panguva imwe cheteyo, mvura yakatanga kunaya, ichichinja nzvimbo yacho yakanga yakanyorova kare kuva matope. Mihomba yakanga yakagarwa nenjanji yakanga yava minyoro zvokuti zvinhu zvokushandisa zvaifanira kuburutswa muzvitima zvichiri kufamba; nokuti kana zvaisadaro, zvaizodonha ndokunyura mumatope. Mumwe mushandi akarondedzera chimwe chitima chakadaro se“chaiuya zvishoma nezvishoma nokungwarira, chichizunguzika, chichikwira nokudzikira zvinyoronyoro sechikepe chiri mugungwa rine mafungu, chichipwatitsa madhaka mamita matatu mumativi ose.”

Pakupedzisira, musi wa21 December, 1901, chipikiri chokupedzisira chakarovererwa munjanji yokupedzisira paPort Florence (zvino yava Kisumu), pamahombekombe eLake Victoria. Pamwe chete, njanji yakareba makiromita 937 yakatora makore mashanu nemwedzi mina uye yakaita $156 400 000. Vanopfuura 2 000 vevashandi 31 983 vakatorwa kuIndia, vakafa, vamwe vakadzokera kuIndia, uye zviuru zvakasara zvikava vaAsia vomuEast Africa vanhasi. Zviteshi zveraruwe zvinokwana makumi mana nezvitatu zvakavakwa, pamwe chete nemazambuko maduku anokwana 35 uye mabhiriji netumabhiriji zvinokwana 1 000.

Munyori anonzi Elspeth Huxley akaidaidza kuti “njanji inoda vakashinga kupfuura dzose munyika.” Asi, mubvunzo wakasara uripo, Mugumisiro wacho waiwirirana nebasa rakaitwa here, kana kuti njanji yacho yaiva chaizvozvo “njanji yokupenga,” yokupambadza nguva, mari, neupenyu?

Njanji Yacho Nhasi

Mhinduro yemubvunzo iwoyo inowanika nekufunga zvakaitika mumakore anenge 100 kubva pakapera njanji iyoyo yokutanga. Zvitima zvaifambiswa nehuni zvakasiyira nzira zvitima zvine simba zvinopfuura 200 zvinofamba nedhiziri nhasi. Njanji yacho yakawedzerwa kuti isvike kumaguta akawanda muKenya neUganda. Yakabatsira zvikuru kukura kwemaguta makuru eNairobi neKampala.

Nhasi mabasa enjanji yacho maviri. Kutanga, inotakura vanhu zvakavimbika uye zvakachengeteka kuenda kwavari kuda. Chechipiri, njanji yacho inoita kuti zvibvire kutakura zvinhu zvakadai sesimende, kofi, michina, mapuranga, uye zvokudya. Kutakura zvinhu zvisingaverengeki zvichipinda munyika pashure pokunge zvaburutswa muzvikepe ibhizimisi guru reKenya Railways.

Nenzira yakajeka, njanji yacho yakaratidza kuva inobatsira zvikurusa muEast Africa. Zvichida rimwe zuva uchanakidzwa kukwira chitima chinofamba nepanjanji yakamboshorwa kunzi “chitima chokupenga.”

[Bhokisi/Mufananidzo uri papeji 28]

KUFAMBA NECHITIMA

KUVASHANYI nevagari vemo, kufamba nechitima kwakakurumbira, kunyanya pakati peMombasa neNairobi. Zvitima zvinotakura vanhu zvinosimuka muNairobi neMombasa zuva roga roga na7:00 p.m chaidzo. Kana uchifamba nekirasi yekutanga kana yechipiri, usati wakwira unotarisa zviziviso kuti uzive tiroko nekamuri mauchakwira. Mushandi akamira pedyopo anobvunza kana uchida zvekudya zvemanheru na7:15 kana 8:30 p.m. Unotaura zvaunoda, uye anokupa tikiti rakakodzera.

Unokwira. Pito yechitima inorira, uye nziyo dzinorira panobva chitima chako pachiteshi.

Nguva dzezvokudya padzinosvika, mumwe munhu anofamba mukoridho duku achiridza marimba maduku anobatwa mumaoko achikuzivisa kuti zvokudya zvagadzirwa. Uri muimba yokudyira, unoodha zviri paminyu; uye paunenge uchidya, mushandi anopinda mukamuri rako kuti awaridze mubhedha wako.

Chikamu chokutanga cherwendo irima. Kunyange zvakadaro, usati warara, ungada kudzima magetsi emukamuri rako, wodongorera nepahwindo, uye zvibvunze kuti: ‘Mimvuri yose iyo muchiedza chemwedzi inzou neshumba here kana kuti makwenzi nemiti zvayo? Kurara kunze uko kwakanga kwakadini anenge makore zana apfuura paivakwa njanji yacho? Ndingadai ndakatya kurara here? Ko iye zvino?’

Rwendo rwacho runotora maawa anoda kusvika 14, saka une zvakawanda zvekuona pashure pekunge chiedza chemambakwedza chapenyesa nyika yeAfrica. Kana uchienda kuMombasa, zuva ramangwanani rinobuda rakatsvuka pamusoro pemiti yeminzwa, kwotevera miti yemichindwe uye tevere tsangadzi yakachekererwa, heji yakachekererwa, uye zvivako zvazvino uno zvekuMombasa. Varimi vanorima minda yavo apo vana vasina shangu vanenge vachininira nokukwazisa vachidaidzira vanhu vari muchitima.

Kana uchienda kuNairobi, unotanga kuona chiedza pamunenge muchipfuura mubani gurusa, risina chinhu. Imomo zviri nyore kuona mhuka, kunyanya pamunopfuura Nairobi National Park.

Rwendo rwacho chokwadi rwakasiyana nedzimwe nzendo. Ndechipi chimwe chitima maunonakirwa nechisvusvuro uku uchiona mapoka embizi kana kuti dzimwe mhuka?

[Kwazvakatorwa]

Kenya Railways

[Mepu/Mifananidzo iri papeji 27]

(Kana uchida mashoko azere, ona bhuku racho)

KENYA

Lake Victoria

Kisumu

NAIROBI

Tsavo

Mombasa

INDIAN OCEAN

[Kwazvakatorwa]

Nyika: Mountain High Maps® Copyright © 1997 Digital Wisdom, Inc.

Mepu yeAfrica: The Complete Encyclopedia of Illustration/J. G. Heck

Nhoro hono nehadzi. Lydekker

Zvitima: Kenya Railways

Shumba hadzi. Century Magazine