Stylish matatus take over city roads

Three cents. In today’s economy, that is not even small change. But that is the fare that new entrants in mass transportation charged commuters several deades ago. The amount of fare charged then gave rise to the name the ubiquitous motor vehicles are now synonymous with: matatu.

Mohammed Ali aka Moha of Moha Grafix during the interview at his garage in Eastleigh's Sun City area. (PHOTO: PKEMOI NG'ENOH/ STANDARD)

That was in the early Sixties.

Nowadays, cents are so rare till supermarkets give sweets in lieu of customers’ three cents change. And a matatu that is making forays into a competitive route costs whole a lot more than Nairobi’s much-touted eighth of an acre.

Take the Rongai route, for instance. Here, only the flashiest of flashiest matatus thrive. It is a cyclical phenomenon. Every two-or-so months, matatus — which may be reigning or former route kings — get one-upped by newer bodacious vehicles. And the standards keep getting higher with each new passenger service vehicle that comes from garages. LCD/ LED screens and top-dollar entertainment systems are standard for any matatu that operates on a route with tough competition, like Buru Buru.

Then there are other features, like noisy exhaust pipes and loud graffiti, with names that will make a vehicle stand out from the competition.

However, sometimes the names can be unsuitable for a conveyor of human life. Like the Komarock route matatu that is called, of all names Homicide.

No feature is left to chance. Even rims must cost a pretty penny. Choda Fabricators Limited recently fitted rims worth Sh 70,000 each on a matatu named Catalyst, which plies the Rongai route.

This matatu, whose interior has a business class section, with custom-made screens mounted behind all the seats, cost four million shillings to achieve its first-among-peers look.

Jimmy Kim is the owner of a matatu christened Phantom, which is also the talk of the town.

“I coughed up Sh 1.2 million to design and pimp this matatu,” Jimmy says. “I even hired experts who used paints and brush instead of graffiti on the exterior to achieve that real street look. Designing the body took two months, while pimping it took another two months.”

Decreasing profits

Pimping is a street slang meaning to beautify an object. Or, in this case, adding bells and whistles to a motor vehicle. The term is derived from an MTV programme Pimp My Ride, which involves participants whose clunkers get extreme makeovers.

Saddam Ali owns a 14-seater van, popularly known as Nissan, which plies the City Centre-South B route. He spent Sh 600,000 to pimp it.

For him, the choices were two: pimp the vehicle and stay in business, or work with his matatu as it was and totter on the brink of collapse. “I bought the matatu from a friend for Sh 600,000 and used a similar amount to pimp it up,” Saddam explains. “The money was spent doors, interior design, graffiti and a quality sound system.

“I started doing business with the matatu the way it was: simple. But with time, I realised that my daily profits were decreasing and I decided to invest in making it more attractive.”

For matatu-preneurs who operate on routes where the disruption by smarter or more moneyed operators is inevitable, there are only three ways about: adapt, innovate or die.

And the artist who helps matatu owners to innovate and stay ahead of competition is Mohammed Kartarchand of Moha Graffix.

Growth and revolution

He pimps matatus for a living. His name and handiwork is on the bodies of many matatus on Nairobi’s roads. This man is the godfather of modern matatu graphics, and has witnessed the growth and revolution in the industry for close to two decades.

“A radical shift in matatu culture started around 1991,” Moha takes us down memory lane. “Then, most matatu owners wanted what they identified with on their matatus ... like sports stars, celebrities, musicians or song titles.

“A lot has changed between then and now. The latest fads include use of chrome and metallic materials. And matatu owners who are internet-savvy see designs of cars from other countries, and ask us to do the same designs on their matatus.”

Pulse celeb ride the new matatu plying Nairobi's Rongai route. (PHOTO: ELVIS OGINA/ STANDARD)

Matatus that invest millions in bells and whistles do so to attract the younger, urban and fashion-conscious commuter, who wants to move with the times.

These are teens, college students and young adults who have just been employed or are running their own businesses. For this crowd, a matatu with WIFI connectivity or a PlayStation console is the antidote for nomophobia and the offers the perfect way to spend time in traffic gridlocks.

Most matatus plying various routes are not imported, but fabricated in auto garages in the city.

One such garage is Choda Fabricators Limited. Here, chassis go for Sh 3.6 million and building the body costs Sh 1.6 million. This is for a medium sized mini-bus carrying 29 to 33 passengers.

“Chassis of buses go for Sh 9 million and building the body costs Sh 4 million, exclusive of other features,” says Ricky Choda, a director at Choda Fabricators.

“Depending on individual features and design, it takes two to three months to complete a matatu. Once the chassis are bought, the next process is framing, paneling and welding, filling and water testing to find out any leaks.”

From there, the owner decides the kind of graffiti, sound system, lighting and other features. The best sound system costs between Sh 350,000 and Sh 500,000.

Other features include CCTV that cost upto Sh 100,000, LED/LCD screens that cost upwards of Sh 60,000 a piece, aquariums and PlayStation consoles.

Some owners instal cheaper non-professional cameras that allow drivers to see what is happening at the back of the vehicle.

Samuel Nderitu has installed hidden cameras in over 30 matatus in Nairobi. “With time, I found out that through internet connection and DVR technology, signals could be sent to the owner’s mobile phone as long as the vehicle has internet connection,” Nderitu says.

“The cameras allow matatu owners to even count the number of passengers who board their vehicles, and make rough estimates of their crew’s trip collections.”

According to Choda, most matatus that are meant for routes outside the city require nil to minimal pimping. These matatu owners are cognizant of the fact that upcountry commuters are a conservative lot, who want a vehicle that can move them from point A to B.

“Nairobi is a testing ground for myriad innovations and designs, and sometimes owners tell us that their clientele demand specific features,” Ricky explains.

“However, most upcountry and peri-urban investors order simple matatus. because many decorations make their clientele uncomfortable.”

With time, matatu owners have identified profit-making routes. Because of Nairobi’s crazy gridlock, there are matatu operaters who have quit city-to-estate trips to make intra-estate trips in order to meet their targets.

Every matatu route has its own uniqueness. The winds of change that, in the early Nineties, pushed Ford and box-shaped matatus out of business have also not spared certain types of vehicles, which were thought to dominate particular routes.

In Umoja Estate, for the longest time, 14-seater matatus monopolised the route. But they have had to give way to minibuses, mostly fronted by Savings and Credit Co-operative Societies which operate a fleet of buses that — because of economies of scale — offer cheaper fares.

The loud music and raunchy music videos that are loved by many younger commuters, is not music to the ears of older folks who may want a quiet ride. And commuters know which matatus offer what they want. On the Kayole route, for instance, the simpler Forward SACCO matatus offer, generally, quieter rides while Pinpoint SACCO matatus, which are pimped inside-out, play loud music and charge higher fares.

The matatu sub-sector is literally driving the economy, by ferrying millions of Kenyans each day, to countless destinations.

Matatu Owners Association says that they directly employ over 500,000 people. However, the free market nature of the sub-sector, which is devoid of any vetting for new entrants, means just about anyone who is liquid enough can invest, regardless of the source of their capital.

There have been hush-hush stories of gangsters whose flashy matatus ply some of the routes in the city.

Matatu drivers who requested anonymity spoke of police officers who own matatus, which are accorded preferential treatment. In 2014, the then police boss, Mwangi King’ori was put to task by a vetting panel about allegations that he owned matatus.

He vehemently denied, arguing that the said matatu owner was his namesake.

Get rich quick

The lure of investing in the matatu sector has been driven by the perception that matatus bring in money on a daily basis. And it does. But for new entrants, there is a learning curve, which can confound rookies and turn them into statistics.

The modus operandi is, the crew is given a target by the owner. But attaining the target — that is, the money they should bring at the end of the day after paying themselves — depends on variables that, most times, are beyond the crew’s control.

Crackdown by traffic police officers, traffic jams that result in fewer trips and amount of bribes they give to police officers determine how much money they make.

William Kibe, who owns six 33-seater mini-buses on the City Centre-Kayole route reveals that, on a daily basis, he pockets between Sh 13,000 to 15,000 after fueling and paying the crew. However, he cautions that this is not a get-rich-quick industry, and people should not jump in it with their eyes closed.

“Do you homework first,” Kibe cautions. “Don’t just rush because you want to make quick money. Study the route before you start.

“And when you start, take several days and go for trips with your crew to know the challenges, opportunities and ballpark figures.

“In this business, I’ve seen crews conning their employers and, with ill-gotten proceeds, buying their own vehicles. These are shark-eat-shark waters.”