Inside a Narok Farmer hiring ksh 2M Car to Plough a Farm

Last week, I had some chums. I had money-the kind where my friends only addressed me as Chairman or Kiongozi or Mzee. I was like a junior government official who receives money to ‘buy the stamp that will finally approve your documents-although shida ni DCI. Anyway, deal flani illivana. Mejokini Olayioni kaji itopokie.

On a better part of Monday, November 13, Kenyans were left scratching their heads on at the sight of a Volkswagen GTI apparently moonlighting as a tractor in Narok. The Volkswagen GTI was hitched to a disc tractor 

Picture this: a sleek Volkswagen GTI, worth a cool Ksh2 million, gets a major career change and decides to become a farming sensation in Narok. This urban chariot has gone rural! The photo sparked lively discussions and heated debates across the nation.

Fueling the speculations, some Kenyans suggested that the GTI had been rented from a Nairobi-based company, making a grand entrance into Narok for its unexpected farming gig, and then transformed into a plow-wielding superstar. A popular facts-sharing social media handle added more drama, claiming that a vigilant car rental agency had noticed peculiar zig-zagging patterns in one of their cars. The investigation led them to the heart of Narok’s farmland. A car chase of rural proportions!

“A rental cars agency, noticed, for over a week, the GPS of one of their cars indicated intense zigzag movement in one location; they checked it out and found this,” read part of the post.

Paran decided to put on its detective hat and declared the viral reports as ‘fake news.’ The photo was not taken in Narok but in Algeria. It seems someone thought a Kenyan GTI would make for a better farm story. Kenyans, always on top of the latest trends, mistook it for a local phenomenon. Not to burst the farming bubble, but the GTI isn’t sowing seeds in Narok – it’s just a case of internet déjà vu.

But there’s a twist. A reverse image search on google revealed the original photo dates back to November 2018.

However the part about the car being rented out to a farmer to be true. The car rental agency’s GPS had been tracking its unexpected off-road adventure for over a week, creating a saga that added more fuel to the viral fire.

Also while the plate size matched Kenyan standards, Kenyan plates usually sport three numbers followed by a letter. Our GTI was apparently overachieving as it had five numbers, contrary to the norm in the country.

This photo has become a global sensation, some users claiming it was taken in the Philippines. Back in Kenya, the photo gained traction, as we fell for the ‘rural GTI farmer’ narrative, probably because it’s rainy season. Who knew farming could get this sporty?