Nganya culture still ruling roads with impunity as public calls for stern action

They are known for wild screams, pimped vehicles, decorative artwork, youthful crew, some with funny names, tinted windows, loud music and reckless driving now commonly known as manyoka.

At some point, you will see their ‘hired touts’ hanging precariously at the door, around it or even at the top while sometimes doing various kinds of stunts.

That’s not all. Young passengers, including Gen Zs, scramble for them when they arrive at the stage.

Their fares are above normal rates, thanks to what comes with one being their passenger, and include entertainment on large screens, some even offer a free bottle of water, free Wi-Fi and comfortable seats.

An online search shows videos displaying sheer impunity that the nganyas exhibit or are driven with, sometimes caught making stunts on the roads or even at petrol stations.

Their regulation has been impossible thanks to the fact that some are owned by senior police officers and politicians or their children, who have deep pockets.

Attempts to regulate the nganyas by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has hit a dead end, only resorting to mere warnings to motorists and boda boda riders without stun action.

According to what we found on Thursday during a spot check, some even have no standard or new generation number plates.

Killed six people

For instance, during a spot check on Jogoo Road and in Umoja area, we came across one registered with a special number plate Kenya 001.

Such personalised number plates are not cheap.  

That is not all, the nganyas are not registered with PSV saccos, thus leaving them to operate with impunity.

All this has been going on for sometime until on Wednesday, when one of the nganyas was involved in an accident on Enterprise Road, opposite KCB Bank, causing the death of at least six people.

Eye witnesses said the vehicle was being driven recklessly with the driver pulling dangerous stunts moments before the incident that happened in the late hours of Wednesday opposite Nairobi Prison.

The vehicle veered off the road, overturned and trapped passengers and bystanders.

An attempt to film the matatu at the Industrial Area Police Station proved futile, leading to a suspicion it belonged to someone influential.

The matatu was hidden behind the station, separate from other impounded vehicles. Police officers on duty didn’t want anyone near the vehicle but we managed to get its photos, which has green features and registered as KDU 887C.

Traffic rules violated

Meanwhile, families of the victims of the accident are now crying for justice.

Samuel Mwangi, father of the late Edwin Kago blamed the bad behaviour of the drivers to the death of his son.

“How that accident happened pains me so much because traffic rules were violated. I feel pain since this happened under police watch,” said Mwangi, at the City Mortuary.

He added: “I have confirmed my son’s head is detached to the body.”

Kago was a 22-years-old college student training as a driver.

Michael Njoroge lost his brother Charles Wahome, 32, and who worked at a Huduma Centre in the accident.

“I blame saccos for manyoka (stunts) for not being strict with their vehicles. The nganyas are many on roads and are driven recklessnessly,” said Njoroge, who is also in the matatu industry.

Wahome’s sister, Wanjiru Chege, called for streamlining of the matatu sector and the police to deal with drunk driving.

“My brother was going home from work in the evening. The government should streamline the transport sector and the PSV saccos operations,” she said, adding that the late brother was the only graduate in their family.

Njoroge, who vowed to ensure the driver by the name Sam faces the law, claimed the driver was drunk and that witnesses at the accident scene attempted to rough him up on realising he was drunk.

He said the vehicle had two conductors identified as Brian and Rooney.

It remains to be seen whether the government will move in to regulate the nganyas after the Wednesday incident.