Wednesday, March 10 2010
A British adventurer endures gunfire from bandits and gets away from them at the Kenyan border.
Motorcycle insurance from The Bike Insurer
Spencer Conway, a British explorer, recently had a run-in with some armed bandits at the border between Kenya and Tanzania; Spencer was very fortunate and was able to escape with his life from the confrontation.
The 42-year-old adventure-seeker, was traversing the road between Marsabit and Isiolo when the bandits opened fire on him; Conway was on a quest to circumnavigate Africa by motorbike that he had begun last November. The road between Marsabit and Isisolo was rough and full of potholes, this tough piece of road had taken a toll on Spencer’s motorbike, on top of this, on January 5, Spencer was caught in a tropical storm ten km outside the village.
It was then that the shooting incident occurred, three shooters, who it was believed to be Boran Shiftas, started shooting from a hillside. Spencer was thrown off his motorbike as his attackers approached, but managed to restart his bike while the shooters continued the barrage of gunfire.
After getting away from the gunfire, minutes later Spencer was forced to stop in order to check out the damage done to his bike. He continued on due to the danger of the situation, but had to stop after 70 km as his rear wheel played out on him. Spencer, an ambassador for Optimax Laser Eye Surgery clinics had to walk to a nearby Catholic mission where he was assisted by a priest who made arrangements for his bike to be picked up.
The foreign office advises people to stay away from remote areas along the Kenyan border unless they have an escort. The local authorities reported that there had been a fatal shooting the week before Spencer encountered the shooters.
