MATATU

These mini-buses with creative graffiti, loud music thundering through their tinted windows, in-door entertainment consisting of large plasma screens & LCDs, the nasty & rowdy rides and in some cases the high-pitched "frenoh" that pumps out the exhaust system like a jet engine, or at times turbo-charged with its noise-making exhaust pipes (mufflers) which growl loud when they accelerate, loud hoot

ing, flashy lights/ lighthouse... are all that makes a MATATU... a mobile disco young Kenyans love to jav (travel) with. Join this group if you are a Matatu fan!!!!!! M@ M@ REALITIES:


(1) You've ever boarded a mat that has been impounded by the police

(2) You probably & deliberately miss several mats in the bus stop so as to wait for your favourite ride, even if it's spending hours chillin' for that one special mat

(3) If you're a chic...you've been flirted on by at least one mat crew

(4) You have probably mastered where these routes ply to without asking anybody: 23, 58, 44, 125, 11, 14, 15, 46, 9, 12, 8, 111, 19, 106, 2, 102, 33, 34, 4, 30, 110, 126, 36, 6, 45, 237. K**a hujui, u better know! (5) You are aware of the latest rides in your area code

(6) You buckle up your seat belt only when the matatu approaches a police road block. (7) U can easily tell which mat has hewa (subwoofers) and which doesn't

(8) You've javed a mat that always finds a way to escape traffic jams, even if it's by cutting through heavy traffic, or snaking through short cuts, or overtaking from the left, climbing on pavements... just to get to your destination on or before time! (9) Rush hour in the evening: you walk long distances just to scrum for your preferred ride... esp. those getting mats at Haile Selassie avenue, tunawajua!! (10) [For guys]... u know how to dandia (hang) onto a moving mat, as well as alighting

(11) Simply, you're Kenyan enough to board one and not terrified by the "death races"

(12) Witnessed "toa kitu kidogo" in the process & do nothing about it so as "to spare them" ;-)

(13) You can read/ understand graffiti drawn on Mathrees... both interior & exterior, but sometimes it can be difficult

(14) You feel bad when u hear the mat has been removed its loud music system, screen or graffiti by kanjo ama makarao/ mapopo / muadhara... esp. during the crackdowns

(15) In reference to 14 above, you know that the mat feels empty if it aint got screens, music n graffiti.. it's just plain whack! (16) You are familiar with some names of pimp outlets/ kitchens for these mathrees (body & graffiti)

(17) You know at least one place where music systems are installed. (18) A friend or relative of yours works in the matatu industry

(19) When u broke, it's a two-way: bonga safi na konkodi wa mat poa... or you board a plain boring mat which is only 10 bob cheaper! (20) Ukose kuona dere akichuna veve? (21) Our tourists / foreigners: the unexpected becomes the expected, u become impressed when u see these matatus in the streets, or surfing on the internet. It's an experience never to be forgotten. Therefore a trip to Nairobi cannot be complete without a ride in a Matatu!!! :-)

(22) 'Operation' and/ or 'Nairobi Area' ... never good news to any matatu! (23) The 1st thing u do after alighting from a mat is checking if u have your wallet and/ or phone with you. (24) Using Matatu as an excuse: u are out with your friends partying at some disco club, your parents/ husband/ wife calls asking for ur whereabouts. Loud music can be heard from the background, but u reply: "I am in a 'Matatu' & 'we stuck in a traffic jam'"... what an excuse!!! (25) If a turbo-charged Subaru Impreza and a Matatu were to race to town on a busy traffic day, believe me, the matatu would win! You know very well that Matatu is the fastest form of transport to town, and even with heavy traffic jams, the matatu "knows its way around" & you'll arrive @ ur destination just in time. (26) Matatus act as an advantageous supplement esp. to those teenagers/ youth who are unable to rave at discos/ night clubs, or don't have large TVs in their homes, or cannot afford to buy the latest CDs of music celebrities

(27) Many underground DJs market themselves through Matatus

(28) Isn't matatu madness normal to you? (29) Matatus add colour to our cities, sometimes referred to as "sea of rainbows"

(30) Matatus relfect our day to day realities of world politics and celebrity showbiz via graffiti & posters eg. Moreno Ocampo's graffiti, Beyonce, Osama, Gully, etc. (31) You feel like a king/ queen when aboard a hot souped-up mat with hewa, loud hooting, freno with outside bystanders staring with amazement

(32) Very clear & precise: "FTP!!!!!!"

(33) Sheng originated from Eastlands, true, but don't u think our mat crew perfect on the language? Coming up with new words? (34) If you bargain & agree about fare with the conductor (eg. 20 bob from tao to buru), please give the exact change. If u dare dish out your ka 1000 or 500 note, kile mliagana haitatambulika... utagongwa k**a 50 bob! (35) In reference to (34) above, if u have bargained, never complain about overloading, loud music, overspeeding or rudeness from crew. (36) If u are Kenyan & u have never javed in a matatu, then u aint a REAL Kenyan! (37) Most couples, lovers, .. whatever, feel more comfortable snogging in a mat that has tint. Pia several cases of lungula have been reported ;)

(38) No calls, SMS only. (39) If you can understand the Matatu Culture, then you have understood the Nairobi lifestyle. It's a way of life. Matatu isn't just about transport, it's also our culture, our way of life... the streets, the arts, the music, our expressions, our talents, uniting people. Lets show the world what we made of!!!! FOR OUR FOREIGN MEMBERS / TOURISTS: The word "matatu" is derived from the Swahili word for three - "tatu" - referring to the three cents fare for a trip when they were first introduced in the 1960s. Matatu is also called Mathree or Ma3. No doubt that they are a tourist attraction. :-)
Many Kenyan matatus are also equipped with powerful car audio systems, including high-powered woofers, sub-woofers and Plasma/ LCD screens. Loud music & graffiti is a popular means of advertising, the theory being that the matatu with the loudest & most fashionable hip-hop or reggae music, and cool graffiti would appeal to a larger crowd, hence making higher profits. Therefore a trip to Nairobi cannot be complete without a ride in a Matatu :-)




This page recognizes Mathrees from all area codes (whether it's a minibus or a 14-seater), so please feel free to join this group if you've ever boarded one. Plus INVITE ALL your friends (+ whom you jav with by Matatu) to this group. It's easy:

1. LIKE THE PAGE

2. INVITE ALL YOUR FRIENDS

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