It is also a matter of general knowledge that while police will always act tough on personal vehicle drivers, matatu crew only land into trouble if they fail to pay ‘protection’ fees.
In an informal interview with a policeman in Rongai, I gathered that the suspicion runs deep.
The idea being that when a vehicle is in the good books of both the Lan’gata and Rongai officers, it can violate traffic laws with abandon.
I have always wanted to point it out. Somewhere between a rogue Ongata Rongai matatu driver and passenger’s safety, there is always a tall police officer. Many know that.
Well, a policeman will always be a policeman. You see them on the roads every day. And just as a less privileged private car driver cringes at the sight of them, their partners in crime, matatu guys “who know their way around town”, overlap and speed right under their noses.
It is also a matter of general knowledge that while police will always act tough on personal vehicle drivers, matatu crew only land into trouble if they fail to pay ‘protection’ fees.
But then there is another angle to the Ongata-Langata matatu indiscipline. A vicious territory control battle has been playing out quietly between officers from Lan’gata (Nairobi County) and their counterparts in Rongai (Kajiado County).
Lang’ata policemen say rogue matatu crew easily disappear into Rongai after committing traffic offences in Nairobi.
In an informal interview with a policeman in Rongai, I gathered that the suspicion runs deep.
“They despise us. Sometimes they behave as if they can do this job better than us.”
This is what makes for turf wars. Many Rongai commuters have fallen victim to what essentially depicts failure by police stations to share information and coordinate their operations.
It is normal to expect officers to lay a trap for people who run away from the arm of law but not the manner it happens on Magadi Road.
Matatu owners believe the frequent raids are always organised to humiliate rather than punish their errant workers.
In a typical case, poilicmen stop the vehicle and arrest everyone aboard.
After locking up the crew over pending offences, the officers still proceed to assign commuters fresh offences, ranging from failure to fasten seat belts (which most short route vehicles don’t have anyway) to carrying excess passengers.
And lest we forget, it is this culture that has bred “smart” vehicles, commonly called nganyas or magari za waya which neither understand speed limits nor know the boundary of their side of the road.
The idea being that when a vehicle is in the good books of both the Lan’gata and Rongai officers, it can violate traffic laws with abandon.
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