The boda boda drivers normally rest in shadow under this big tree waiting for their customers. The passengers board and alight at the road junction. In Msambweni there is a District Hospital which is the biggest hospital in Kwale County. It’s a very busy place. There are shops nearby where travelers can buy what they urgently need.
A Boda boda rider named Seneta (in the red t-shirt) is an experienced motorbike rider. The Nice View Reporters did an interview with him.
Reporter: What is your name?
Rider: My name is Seneta (He did not want to disclose his real name).
Reporter: For how long have you been working as a Boda boda rider?
Rider: I have been doing this job for 2 years now.
Reporter: How many trips do you make approximately in a day to the junction and how much does it cost?
Rider: I make approximately 20 trips in a day and since it costs shs.50 per passenger, I make shs.1000.
Reporter: Are you self employed or who are you working for?
Rider: I am employed and I give back shs.350 to the owner of the motorbike everyday.
Reporter: Do you have a helmet and the reflectors for yourself and your passengers?
Rider: Yes I have, but its too hot to carry them with me (Laughs as he answers the question).
Reporter: What are the challenges you face as a Boda boda rider?
Rider: We get some customers who are sometimes dangerous at night and they end up harming us and steal the motorbikes. Sometimes we involve ourselves in accidents.
Reporter: What are the benefits?
Rider: Sometimes when it’s our lucky day we earn shs. 2500-3000 a day.
Reporter: Are you allowed by the government to carry more than two people?
Rider: I don’t, since the law states that we should not carry more than two passengers.
Reporter: Is there any order of sequence in your duty as Boda boda riders?
Rider: We don’t have a sequence. We believe in a saying that goes “The earliest bird catches the worm”.
Reporter: Thank you for your time and have a lovely day.
Rider: You are welcome.
Since the 1960s the matatus are transporting people around Kenya. Today there are more than 20,000 matatus on the road.
Reporter: Good morning. What is your name?
Conductor: I am called Ali.
Reporter: When did you start your career?
Conductor: I start this job in the year 1993 when I was still a youth.
Reporter: Why do you like this job?
Conductor: This job has no stress.
Reporter: At what time do you wake up to start your job?
Conductor: I wake up at 5 a.m to start my job.
Reporter: How much does it cost from Msambweni hospital to the junction per passenger?
Conductor: It costs shs.30 per passenger.
Reporter: How many passengers do you carry per trip?
Conductor: We transport 14 passengers per trip.
Reporter: How many hours do you work per day?
Conductors: We work for 13 hours per day.
Reporter: How much do you pay to the owner of the matatu?
Conductor: I give back to the owner shs. 3000 per day.
Reporter: Do you still follow the rules that were introduced by the Government (Matiangi’s rule)
Conductor: Yes I do.
Reporter: Thank you for allowing us to question you. God bless you.
Conductor: Welcome and be blessed too.
The first day Nice View Reporters gathering information on road transport.
