By Lilian Aluanga
Each day, taxi drivers in Nairobi look forward to returning to their families safely.
For James Mwangi, a taxi driver in the central business district, all he wants is an assurance he is safe at work.
But events surrounding the deaths of several taxi drivers in the city have fuelled his desperation to quit the job.
"This job is difficult but what else can I do? I have a family to feed," says Mwangi.
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A typical workday for him starts at 8am and runs for 24 hours, with breaks taken when customer flow is low. Twice, in the four years he has been in the business, Mwangi’s taxi has been held up by gun totting thugs.
Last week, the nation awoke to news of seven taxi drivers having been shot by APs in Kawangware, Nairobi, in alleged ‘turf wars’ between them (drivers) and motorcycle operators.
In December last year, taxi operators in Kerugoya District protested at rising insecurity when several taxi drivers were killed.
Three months earlier, a spate of bizarre killings of more than 10 taxi drivers in Nairobi unnerved operators who believed they were targeted for ritual killings.
But challenges of the business go beyond fear of criminals.
The entry of tuk tuks and boda boda operators in the transport business has shrunk the number of customers.
With no meters fitted into the taxis, charges are left to negotiations, but sometimes clients refuse to stick to their end of the deal upon arrival at their destination.
"We are constantly harassed. If not by criminals, then City Council askaris or the police who threaten to arrest us on claims we are Mungiki," says Mwangi.
At Kawangware BP where the seven drivers were killed, gloom still hangs over the survivors. Mr John Waruingi, who has been in the business for 13 years, talks of a group of workers that has learnt to be their brothers’ keeper.
"There is nobody to look out for us. In this job, one must learn to trust their instinct and always stay alert," says Waruingi, who also chairs the Riruta Taxi Cab Association. The parking bay has about 25 vehicles but majority lack the distinctive yellow band required of public transporters.
"The yellow line makes us conspicuous and therefore easy targets when we drive into dangerous neighbourhoods," Waruingi says.
But East African Institute of Security Studies director Capt (Rtd) Simiyu Werunga says while this may be true; the yellow line could also save a driver in trouble.
Taken over
"It makes it easier to monitor activities of operators, and informs police reaction where a taxi has been taken over by criminals," he says.
Besides the Kawangware killings, Waruingi recalls two other drivers murdered along Kahuho road in Riruta Satellite two years ago. As has been the case in other similar incidents, the murders remain unresolved.
As the Kawangware killings slide from the headlines, Waruingi remembers fallen comrades, some of whom started off as car washers and handcart pushers, before enrolling in driving schools.
Here rising to the rank of a taxi driver is equated to success for dozens who had little chance of furthering their education.
"We work and live like a family. No stranger is allowed to come and operate a taxi here. We must know where you are from so you can easily be tracked should there be a complaint," Waruingi says.
This is about the only background check done when vetting entrants into a business, which lacks guidelines on qualifications.
The situation is different in the UK where taxi drivers, besides having thorough knowledge of the city, must undergo at least three years of training before getting behind the wheel.
Taxis are major fixtures of many cities with London’s iconic Black cabs forming an essential part of the city’s image.
New York has its yellow cabbies while Germany’s distinct Mercedes taxis are hard to miss outside shopping malls, train stations or airports.
taxi statistics
Locally, taxi operators remain ill equipped to deal with dangerous situations and have no way of anticipating or protecting themselves from violence or robbery. A string of associations, each with its own rules, has also made it difficult to get nationwide statistics on taxi operations.
Werunga says competition among taxi operators has made it difficult to work in cohesive groups, which could push for a better work environment.
"Taxis drivers are easy targets as their vehicles are the easiest to be used in crime without immediately raising suspicion," he says.
Werunga, who also chairs the Kenya Association of Security Professionals, says while installing tracking devices in taxis could be expensive there are simple measures operators can take to improve their security.
"Operators should form groups which may not necessarily be associations, but bodies that drivers are accountable to," he says.
Drivers have now devised several strategies to stay safe, including letting colleagues know where one is going, particularly when dropping clients at night.
"Should the driver take longer than usual to return, we will know something is wrong and take action," says Waruingi.
Another taxi driver who operates outside Kenyatta Market, Nairobio, adds to the list of no go zones for taxi drivers after dusk.
"Kibera, Waithaka, Kariobangi, Huruma, Bahati, Kayole, Dandora and Mukuru are areas colleagues have had terrible experiences. I simply refuse to take clients to these areas at night," he says.
—Note: Some names have been changed for security reasons
