How to travel from Machakos to Mombasa

There are several ways in which you can travel from Machakos to Mombasa.

One option is where you can book yourself on one of the buses that ply the Machakos-Mombasa route. The last time I checked, there were companies like Kathi, Chania Executive and Chania Cool with buses on the Machakos to Mombasa route. So it is just a question of going to the Machakos Bus Station, booking yourself on one of the buses, and then waiting for the bus you have booked to come and take you from Mks to Msa. The staff at the booking office will tell you the expected time of arrival for the bus you have booked, and you can while your time around Machakos town as you wait for the bus to arrive. Sometimes, the bus you are booking will be right there, at the bus station (especially if you are booking Kathi from Machakos to Mombasa), all you have to do is wait for the bus' departure time.

Another option is where you just move to the Machakos-Mombasa road junction (Makutano) 16 kilomters away at 30-50 shillings, and try to stop one of the buses that are headed to Mombasa from Nairobi. There are always buses going to Mombasa at any time of the day and most hours of the night. Therefore chances are that you won’t have to wait for more than one hour before getting one you can board. This can work well if you are trying to get to Mombasa fast, yet the earlist Machakos-Mombasa bus is too far away. So you just move to Makutano (Kyumbi) and stop a bus there. There are folks (touts) there at Makutano whose job is to stop the buses on behalf of passengers and they earn a small commission for the effort. It is also at Makutano that you can hitch a lift on the vehicle of someone who is traveling to Mombasa or on a truck if you don’t mind such means...

Another option is where you travel from Machakos to either Athiriver SGR station or to the Nairobi SGR terminus at Syokimau and board the Mombasa bound SGR train. The most important thing here is to ensure that you board the train seat in good time, as the SGR does get fully booked at times.

There is of course the other option of traveling from Machakos to the Jomo Kenyatta international airport (which is to be found around Kapa area near the border between Machakos and Nairobi counties) and board a 45-minutes flight to Mombasa. The most important thing here would be to ensure that you are booked on the Mombasa bound flight in good time to avoid hitches.

If you are the adventurous type, you can attempt to drive yourself (on your own car or on a hired car) from Machakos to Mombasa, though you need to beware of the fact that it is an expensive and tiring adventure.