• The 14-seater matatu is full, but with eight passengers as per government directive to carry a maximum of eight passengers to maintain social distance.
• But as we approach Spring Valley Police Station, the tout starts enticing more passengers to board to the chagrin of those already in the vehicle.
Image: FILE
My face mask is on as I saunter slowly to the far end of the bus stage after a hard day at work.
I look at my watch to check how long it has taken me to walk from the Fire Station to the bus stage.
The less than two-kilometre journey has lasted one hour. Rush hour is here and Nairobians are hurrying towards various bus and matatu pick-up points seemingly unbothered by Covid-19, a disease that is determinedly tormenting the country and the rest of the world.
One such Nairobian is a matatu tout, now approaching me. He is not wearing a mask. Keeping social distance is an alien idea to him.
Let's call him John Kamau, although that is certainly not his name.
Kamau is chewing miraa, a herb that gives him the courage to approach and at times harass even the most stubborn of travellers.
At first he coaxes me. "Madam, Wangige hapa 100. Usingonje gari ya 150.. panda hii ya mia. Mia si mingi."
Before I know it, he is too close to me. He holds my waist as if he is my soulmate.
I remonstrate against his approach to me. "Wacha kunishika hivyo. Wewe huogopi corona?" I move away from him to keep social distance.
His response? "Corona gani? Kama hutaki kushikwa basi kaa hapo."
I reluctantly board the matatu but after sanitising my hands and the part of my flowery dress that the tout had held.
The 14-seater matatu is full, but with eight passengers as per government directive to carry a maximum of eight passengers to maintain social distance. We are en-route to Wangige, one of Nairobi's dormitories in Kiambu county.
As we approach Spring Valley Police Station, Kamau starts enticing more passengers to board to the chagrin of those already in the vehicle.
"Wangige! Wangige!" he announces pointing towards the destination renowned for being the largest supplier of eggs in Nairobi and the neighbourhood.
Otieno, who is seated opposite me, demands of the tout. "Wewe unatafuta watu.. Watakaa wapi?"
Kamau is unbothered and continues calling out for more passengers.
"Hizi si ni viti? Ama wewe unadhani watakaa wapi?" he responds, pointing at the seats unoccupied for social distancing.
The altercation goes on for two minutes as other passengers join Otieno in the protest.
Kamau ignores our protestation and continues enticing potential passengers.
We decide not to allow anybody to sit next to any of us when the matatu stops, shouting in unison: "Wewe unaingia utakaa wapi?"
Commuter Eunice Njeri (not her real name) tells the Star that some touts in her estate do not accept fare payment via M-Pesa.
"If, for instance you are to pay Sh70, the tout will want Sh100. And if you do not give them, that's a call for a fight," she says.
We reached out to Matatu Owners Association chairman Simon Kimutai for his comment about that mode of payment.
He said the till number they planned to use had problems.
"The NTSA (National Transport and Safety Authority) was to move in but we had a hard time negotiating on the money collection process. When the government stepped in, it brought many complications and it stalled," he said on Monday.
Kimutai gave card number 1963 as an example of a stalled number.
"Remember the cashless systems that we put in place? Why do you think it stalled? The government has many roadblocks and it will take them like a 1,000 years before something of the sort goes through," he said.
On touts touching customers and carrying excess passengers, Kimutai dismissively said touts only touch women.
"That amounts to sexual assault. There should not be any touting but unfortunately there is greed from some of our sacco members," he said.
"These people want their vehicles to be full faster faster, for them to do many rounds and get more money. They must realise that Covid-19 is real."
WAY FORWARD
Kimutai notes that the only way to ensure that the touts follow the government directives is by stopping what they are doing.
"Yesterday I was watching television and I was shocked with some people asking if the virus was real. Among them was a tout. People think this is a joke, they are not taking these issues seriously," he said.
Noting that touts can be spreaders of the virus, Kimutai said that the they should stop what they are doing completely.
"Conductors should completely stop touting because shouting is an agent of coronavirus spread, not wearing masks is another one," he said.
"The cashless transaction could help not only during this coronavirus period but also to curb illegal activities like collecting bribes on our roads."
The chairman said that touts should ensure that the passengers they are carrying wear masks correctly.
"They should be on the front line to ensure that people have washed their hands and even use sanitiser," he said.
Edited by mwaniki fm