The Grand Culture

It sways and swerves
Manouvers the potholed dusty road
Like a speed car on its favorite race road
A bounce and a slight halt
A long press onto the honk
To announce its arrival

Touts cling on it from every side
With a grip as firm as the claws of a feasting tick
Flexing around like the inflatable ghosts of Halloween
Or inflatable Santas of Christmas

Its driver
A mouthful lad
Always thrilled by a good chew
Like a ruminant, incessantly he chews
Passing on the big bite from left cheek to right cheek
His mouth restless

The conductor
A man of speed
Fit to represent the nation
In any athletics championships
He dangles on the crowded door
Clinging onto it
Like a parasite that refuses to let go
Shouting at the top of his voice
A declaration enough that he is the main man

Its neon lights
A spectacle
Its music
Even the outsiders can dance to its tune
Loud enough to break eardrums
Screens mounted at strategic positions of its interior
A showcase of glamour
Its cinematic

The ma3
It’s culture.

Story behind the poem

The public transport presents a great business opportunity for entrepreneurs throughout the world. Not only does the transport system present an opportunity for means of transport but also for other essential products that are of interest for the passengers.

In Kenya the public transport system is dominated by public service buses locally known as matatus.  Matatu history goes as far as the Kenya’s colonial days where the then buses charged three shillings (shilingi tatu in Swahili) as the fare from one point to the next.

The matatu industry has therefore seen revolution and the current state of the industry is one to marvel at. Nowadays, matatus are pimped with magnificent graffiti, interior fittings, customized honks and an expensive system.

A common matatu in Kenya would pass as a moving club or as moving display of art. From the drivers, the conductors and the passengers pimped matatus have become more than a means of transport and more a way of life- culture.

The government allowing the graffiti and pimping of the matatus has generated a number of jobs for different stakeholders.