The 4:30am headache of people living in Kawangware

Living close to a road can be convenient, especially if you are running late, but it can also be a challenge.

But imagine waking up to the sound of a car horn at 4:30 in the morning - not pleasant, is it?

This has been my reality since I moved into my new apartment.

Every morning I'm jolted awake by matatus whose drivers seem to think they have to wake up the neighbourhood with constant honking.

At least one car, if not more, passes the apartment every morning, honking repeatedly. 

More often than not, it's a 4:30 a.m. blast of the "Baby Shark" jingle, two or three times, just enough to wake you up and keep you from going back to sleep.

My bedroom faces the street, which makes it incredibly frustrating to be woken up repeatedly. Even earplugs aren't always enough to block out the noise.

Sammy Ouma, a Langa Line matatu driver, explains that the honking is meant to wake people up. 

"It's to get customers and the early bird catches the worm, right?" he says with a laugh.

"We honk at this time to let people going to the market and school children know that the matatu is already here because the number of matatus is very low at that hour. We've had problems with robberies, especially at that time when people are waiting for the matatus to arrive, so it was an agreement to let them know it's safe to come out," he notes.

The excessive honking can disturb residents who are trying to sleep, and in some areas can violate noise ordinances, but Sammy insists it's necessary. 

This he also says also gives people who have missed their alarm a chance to wake up.