Members of the Mombasa Walk Movement walk past the renowned elephant tusk along Moi Avenue in Mombasa on January 2, 2022. At least 50 participants joined Idris Abdirahman on his walk. PHOTO | SIAGO CECE | NMG
Until a few months ago, 56-year-old Idris Abdirahman was barely known in Mombasa. He enjoyed a quiet retirement life in his upmarket home in Nyali estate.
Then one day he decided to take to his Facebook page to share his fitness journey through walking.
He would share with his friends and followers the distances he covered daily and the calories he had managed to burn while at it.
For him, it was a way to track his progress, but to his friends and followers, it was a call to action that has since sparked a fitness movement in the coastal city.
Mr Abdirahman has not only become a sensation on Facebook but has founded the Mombasa Walk Movement, a group of people who are keeping fit by walking.
The most common sports and fitness activities in the city are cycling, swimming, and football. But walking, thanks to Mr Abdirahman and his group, is quickly emerging as an additional ‘sport’ among a section of Mombasa residents.
“I started by walking for leisure along the beaches. I was part of Early Birds Banda, a group in Nyali that wakes up early in the morning to walk along the beach. Now I am organising walks that have a purpose,” says the retired Kenya Air Force Major.
But Mr Abdirahman has not always been a fitness enthusiast.
A few years ago, he had a health scare after he was rushed to the hospital and was admitted for five days to stabilise his blood pressure and sugar level.
He had been diagnosed with Diabetes and Hypertension in 2010, but barely three years later stopped taking drugs believing he was okay.
“After leaving the hospital, I started taking my fitness seriously. That is why I joined the group walking along the beach every day. The more I walked, the more it grew on me,” he says.
Since then, he has kept up with the routine. “I had been doing that without getting noticed. Then one day, late last year I decided to share my walking history on my Facebook page. I realised that people were surprised I could walk for such a distance. They were even more interested when I shared my long walks, those that cover more than 10 kilometres (km),” he notes.
The more he updated, the more he realised that people were interested in taking similar walks with him.
"That is why I finally formed the Mombasa Walk Movement, where different people can join me in my walks every Saturday," he says.
So far, he has walked a cumulative distance of 133km, traversing areas in all the four sub-counties in Mombasa County every Saturday. This is besides his daily walks which are approximately 10km per day.
He records his achievements using an app, which he has paired with a smartwatch that detects every step he makes to count the total kilometres he has covered, calories burnt, and what speed and time it took him.
Fitness is a lifestyle, and many people, drop along the way once they feel they have achieved their desired bodies or shape.
But Mr Abdirahman, a former political and security advisor of the Office of the Governor in Mombasa says that setting a new target every time keeps him going.
Members of the Mombasa Walk Movement walk past the renowned elephant tusk along Moi Avenue in Mombasa on January 2, 2022. At least 50 participants joined Idris Abdirahman on his walk. PHOTO | SIAGO CECE | NMG
“I always set my target, and I want to achieve it. When I say that I am doing 20 km, I make sure that I have covered the whole distance,” he says.
His longest distance so far is 26 km, which he covered in December after walking from Nyali to Kijipwa Police Station in Kilifi County.
During his most recent walk when this interview was done (January 2), he covered 19km, from Nyali to Mama Ngina Waterfront. He was joined by over 40 members of his group.
But walking is not without risk. One of the biggest challenges the group has to grapple with is the lack of walking pavements for pedestrians, forcing them to risk life and limb by walking on roads.
"It is scary at times. Walking pavements and those for cycling should be considered by the county government to ensure the safety of non-motor users," he advocates.
Mombasa is one of Kenya’s hottest and most humid places, which makes it difficult for people to walk long distances under direct sun. Mr Abdirahman says he starts his walks by 5am and finishes in less than three hours.
“By the time the sun is fully out, I am usually done. So I rarely feel the effects of the heat or harm such as sunburn," he says.
His preparations involve doing -ups on weekdays and also checking his diet to ensure that he is eating healthy foods.
“If I do not watch what I eat, then walking will not have any effect on my body. I also need to be consistent to feel the full results,” he explains.
Since he started walking, his visits to the doctor have reduced and now only goes for checkups. His intake of medicine has also greatly reduced.
"When I tell people I have been hypertensive for more than 11 years, they tell me that I do not look it. They get surprised, but this is the reason," he says.
Other than staying fit and healthy, he explains that walking has equally had a positive effect on his body and mind. He thinks clearly and this has helped him become more productive.
"By the time I am going to bed, I know that I have prepared my mind and have the right gear. I have become very keen on my sports gear because I want to enjoy it (walk)," he says.
Walking with a purpose
Mr Abdirahman explains that with his movement, he is targeting corporates, heart centres, medical staff, and any other associations that are willing to give back to the community by offering free medical camps.
The medical camps, he envisions, will be held in the informal outskirts of the city centre, where people with high blood pressure, diabetes, and other illnesses will be treated for free.
56-year-old Idris Abdirahman stretches after completing a 19km walk from Nyali to Mama Ngina Drive in Mombasa County on January 2, 2023. PHOTO | SIAGO CECE | NMG
"I never thought I would have this popularity. It just came by luck when I started posting on my Facebook about my walks. Now we have a Facebook page and everyone who wants to join us can follow us and be part of the movement," he says.
Free medical camps
He plans to use the influence that he has among corporates, government officials, and companies to partner with them to raise health awareness and improve healthcare access.
“We want to help children and mothers, and those who have these chronic diseases but have limited access to healthcare or hospitals,” he explains.
He explains that starting next month, the Movement will be organising free medical camps in the sub-county where they will have their final destination.
“I realised that I was privileged. I might have this health condition but I am privileged to get expensive drugs. I want everyone else in the informal sectors to get the same attention through well-wishers that will come up through our walks,” says Mr Abdirahman.
After his walks, he ensures that he has hydrated, takes breakfast, and goes about his daily routine.
For anyone afraid to start, he has one piece of advice, "just start."
“Do not overstretch your body, just do what you can and that is joining the movement at a point where you are more comfortable,”
He explains that just like other fitness exercises, it takes consistency for someone to feel the impact.
