Queuing for matatu is draining, Nairobi residents beg for a solution

Residents of Nairobi who have to queue every evening for hours just to catch a matatu home after work want a quicker redress to this neglected problem.

Many say they are having to queue for hours; in the process wasting precious minutes, and straining their bodies physically.     

Some of the 'matatu lining hotspots' include areas around Kenya National Archives, Tom Mboya Street – and up to the point where it hugs Ronald Ngala, and other pockets within the CBD.

Kenyans living with disability, the sick who are returning home from hospitals, pregnant mothers, children and tired office workers returning home from work have all borne the brunt.

According to Stephen Apollo, a IT specialist in Nairobi, lining for hours to catch a ride home has left him battling incessant back pain.

“The other day I found myself lining for two straight hours, and that’s after spending eight hours in the office,” Apollo told Wananchi Reporting.

Adding that: “It gets worse whenever there is traffic out there, and vehicles are unable to enter the CBD, or whenever it rains and you have to line in the rain.” 

Many are asking that special waiting areas be erected at designated points used by buses or matatus to bring order and ensure safety of passengers.

“The other day I saw an elderly lady collapse on the line after lining for an hour. Good Samaritans had to allow her to board first,” say Apollo.

Many are now intentionally choosing to remain behind in their offices until slightly past 8pm to avoid lining for long.

Others often decide to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee at the nearby restaurants, just to push precious minutes.

“It’s expensive having to sit in a restaurant every evening enjoying a cup of tea you really don’t need, just to avoid lining for matatu for hours,” says Rebecca Karaya, a secretary at a company in Westlands, and who lives in Donholm.

“Of late I have been avoiding the CBD, so I take a matatu from Westlands stage, and go home through Outering Road,” she said – adding that she will do anything to avoid the CBD especially in the evenings when everybody is returning home.

The muted talks about Nairobi’s Bus Rapid Transit system – and the recent signing of Ksh.8.7 billion ($60 million) agreement with the United States’ Millennium Change Corporation (MCC) to finance the acquisition of electric buses for Line 2 of Nairobi’s Bus Rapid Transit system has brought some hope to residents of Nairobi.

The Government in its Vision 2023 laid down plans for the development of a rapid bus transport system, starting with three transport corridors namely the Athi River Town to Kikuyu Town and which covers approximately 38 kilometres, the Thika Town to the Central Business District covering approximately 50 kilometres and the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the Central Business District covering approximately 25 kilometres.

Many want a quick solution to the problem, even if it means building proper waiting areas and bus stops within the CBD, where Kenyans returning home from work can sit, watch TV, as they wait to grab a matatu home.