Raila boards matatu to work

Raila Odinga and his aides walks on foot after alighting from a matatu at Ambassadeur. Visits the monuments of Tom Mboya and Dedan Kimathi. (Denish Ochieng)

Azimio la Umoja Coalition leader Raila Odinga opted to use a matatu to work on Monday, July 10 instead of his usual motorcade.

The video that has since gone viral was posted by Azimio TV captioned ‘Embracing the convenience and camaraderie of public transport heading to work’.

When asked by one of the passengers in the matatu why he opted for a matatu, he said that he needed to share the everyday feeling of Kenyans.

“I opted for the matatu today so that I can experience what other citizens experience,” said Raila.

While enjoying the ride along the Ngong - Nairobi route, Raila mingled with other passengers and discussed an array of issues including the escalating costs of basic commodities.

Odinga’s action comes a few days after he urged Kenyans to boycott the use of highly taxed commodities, including fuel.

“One way to do this is to carpool. Let us arrange to make regular journeys in a single vehicle whenever possible and give each other a ride. Cut down on non-essential travel. Walk instead of driving whenever possible. I appeal to all employers to allow their workers time to walk to and from work.” he urged.