MA-THREE
New Yorkers have subway, Nairobians have matatus. This is the public means of transport. It consists of different types of buses or 14 seater vans that transport people from one area of the capital to another. Nairobi’s horde of matatus follows the same routes as buses and displays the same route numbers. For Westlands, you can pick up 23 on Moi Avenue. Matatu 46 to the Yaya Centre stops in front of the main post office, and 125 and 126 to Langata commonly known as (LA)leave from in front of the train station. Buses and matatus for Milimani leave from Kenyatta Avenue. There’s a central stop for matatus to Kibera. This is just but to name the few stops or “stages” as they are commonly known the capital.
Matatu are common for one reason, they are cheap and easily accessible. You will always find a matatu no matter the time or the place. Matatus also have music and beautiful graffiti which tends to attract many customers. The graffiti is mostly inspired by whatever is trending. From Lupita’s oscar moment to the FIFA world cup, the matatus got you. Javs, as they are sometimes referred to, are also a means of employment. Most of them are run by youth, not discriminating any gender both men and women take the wheel or collect the change.
The matatu business is competitive. When a new matatu comes in the market on route 44 another on route 8 will debut. In order to beat the competition and attract riders, matatu owners need to cough up a lot of money to ensure their minibuses are top class. The Matatu needs to be of a different calibre. This sleek vehicle has to have a slick paint job, free onboard WiFi and a flat-screen television inside. Some even go to the extent of having screens on the back of seats to give customers a custom made TV experience. The construction and customization of a new vehicle can cost upwards of $20,000 as it is mostly done by hand.
Each matatu is built entirely from scratch, usually from the stripped chassis of a new truck. Fabricators then weld the skeletons and attach the panels. Once the blank canvas is ready, matatu artists embellish the vehicles with graffiti, hand-painted portraits and bold designs. The most common graffiti artist is called Mohammed. Mohammed has been a graffiti artist for over a decade. For him its passion that drives his day today. He enjoys the intricate details and the time that is taken to bring a concept to life. Moha graffiti as he is commonly known does not see any other upcoming graffiti artist as a competition. He knows the game and he goes by his instincts having had the experience. Mohammed now mentors young men who want to venture into the business.
The matatu culture has a few enemies. The government and private taxi firms. This ranges from unlawful arrests to different bans. Just over a decade ago, the government banned matatu art and loud music from matatus for safety reasons. While the ban was lifted in 2015, most Matatu riders leave in fear that such a ban could come back. Since coming into the market, private taxi firms like Uber or Taxify tend to compete with matatus. This competition can sometimes be unhealthy. But in most cases, people will still use the cheap and affordable matatus.
The matatu culture has also found a sense of belonging for most Kenyans. For who knows what could happen in a matatu?