Outrage as daredevil Somali TikTokers obstruct traffic to create deadly content

These creators, who use traffic provocation as the baseline of their entertainment, normally shoot their content by brazenly flouting traffic rules, obstructing traffic, aggravating drivers and hogging the road in a flagrant abuse of the law that has left Kenyans aghast.

Normally, they set up the camera and then, in groups of two or three, jump smack in the middle of the road even as cars swoosh by, cheekily avoiding a collision by tactically jumping off the road as soon as a speeding vehicle dangerously approaches them.

Senselessly fearless, these young creators even sit right in the middle of the busy tarmac as minivans, saloon cars, lorries and buses can be seen on the horizon, hurtling down the road.

Nonetheless, they remain unfazed as speeding drivers approach them - casually and nonchalantly, they simply dart off the road while laughing hysterically, proud of causing yet another moment of commotion on a busy road. 

One of these audacious antics was recently shared online. The video shows one of the creators, dressed in a beige sweater and green pants, casually approaching the road, high-fiving his colleague and then circling before a speeding bus knocks him down in a resounding thud.

No word on his current state.

Another video shows yet another batch of these Somali creators, this time women, breezily strolling down the same busy road in a group of three as cars whoosh by.

Yet another video shows a young woman dressed in a brown buibui and an orange garbasaar, standing idly in the middle of the road as two motorbikes approach from both directions. Cornered, she raises her arms as both riders delicately ride around her to avoid a deadly collision.

People privy to the group have reported that these creators normally carry out these thoughtless exploits around the Muthaiga underpass, right at the slip road, off the highway.

Kenyans on social media, especially on TikTok and X, have called out the antics, blasted the creators and even called for the arrest of these delinquents for risking their own lives and those of other road users.

"This is recklesness of the highest level. This is not content. This is crime. They're knowingly obstructing traffic, putting themselves in danger and risking the lives of other motorists. How has the traffic police not seen this yet? This is not only dangerous, it's criminal!" someone wrote on X.

David Gathoni noted: "Except for crossing, you have absolutely NO business being on the road. Is it even worth it? These kids will end up dead or paraplegic anyway. Just for a few hundred likes and comments. This TikTok madness should be regulated."

On her part, Esther Mwanza wrote, "When I see such recklessness, I just smh. These people don’t know how close danger is. Many in their head think 'the driver is human and should see them and take caution'. Bro, caution is from you first. Secure your own life."

Others have argued that, even in the instance where a driver innocently caused a fatality, he would still have to bear the anguish of eternally living with that traumatic occurrence. 

Joseph Nzioka wrote: "Consider the driver. If a creator slips, trips, or misjudges the speed of a car, the driver is the one who has to live with the trauma of having killed or maimed a young person. Even if the driver is legally in the right, the psychological weight of that impact is a life sentence."

By blocking the roads, these TikTokers view the highway not as critical infrastructure for emergency vehicles, commuters, and logistics, but as a set design for their personal tragedy - a terrifying trend that merges the dangerous appetite for attention with a complete disregard for mortality.