A minibus ride like no other: Nairobi's matatu culture - in pictures
Beloved by young and old alike, the matatu minibuses of Kenya, known for blaring out loud music, have become increasingly extravagant in their design. The privately owned taxis have evolved from being a mere mode of transport to a way of life, spreading from urban hubs to all corners of the east African nation
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Graffiti artist Mohamed Kartarchand, known as ‘Moha Grafix’, paints a van at his garage in the capital. The minibuses are decorated inside and out, and most of them are equipped with TV screens, high-speed internet and power sockets
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After President Uhuru Kenyatta allowed matatu owners to decorate their vehicles it opened the floodgates to a wave of creativity, and different matatus compete in order to outshine each other
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The design obsession has spread to other forms of transports, including tuk-tuks.
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Passengers ride a matatu named ‘Batman’ during rush hour
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A matatu conductor loads bags into a van travelling from Nakuru to Nairobi
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Evening passengers climb on board a matatu
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The word matatu is Swahili for ‘three’ in reference to the 3p fare paid by passengers when the new mode of transport was introduced in the 1970s.
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A brightly lit matatu waits for passengers. The industry is a source of employment for hundreds of thousands of people.
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Touts hang dangerously on the door of a moving matatu as they pick up passengers during rush hour. Drivers and touts are renowned for breaking most traffic rules, especially during rush hour, to compete for fares
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Passengers wait inside a matatu fitted with lights and a sound system for more passengers to board
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A passenger takes a selfie inside a matatu as he waits for it to fill up
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Passengers sit inside a matatu at night. Some owners have mounted TV screens inside or even on the back of their matatus to entertain those travelling behind
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A tout shouts for passengers during rush hour. It is estimated that 70% of the city’s 4.5 million commuters rely on matatus to get around Nairobi.
